The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

This elephant seems to be beseeching the clouds overhead for another spell of rain in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Govt gives up claim on acquired land
Greater Noida, August 2
The Greater Noida Authority has agreed to leave the ‘abadi’ land to farmers even though it had been acquired under Clause 9 earlier. The farmers, who have been waging a battle for sound land compensation and employment besides reiterating their claim on ‘abadi’ land, have thus won their first battle.

Girl crushed to death by school bus
Gurgaon, August 2
A twelve-year-old girl, Anu Pandey, was crushed to death when a speeding school bus ran over her in Sector 4 here this morning.

Highway blocked after truck kills two
Noida, August 2
Two youths, Jagdish and Sanjay, both residents of Manakpur under the Dadri police station area, were killed when a truck ran over them.

SAD (B) General Secretary S. Onkar Singh Thapar greets senior BJP leader L. K. Advani at a function organised to celebrate the BJP victory in the recently-held by-election in Subhash Nagar. — Tribune photo

Uphaar case: Final arguments on August 17
New Delhi, August 2
A trial court today closed the defence evidence in the Uphaar Cinema fire case more than a month after the observation of the ninth anniversary of the tragedy which claimed 59 lives.

Youth charged with kidnapping girl acquitted
New Delhi, August 2
A youth charged with kidnapping and inducing a girl to marry him has been acquitted by a city court. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) O. P. Gupta let off accused Parmal Yadav of Bareilly, UP, who was tried under Sections 363 (kidnapping) and 366 (inducing a woman to marry), due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Police fail to trace missing girl
Noida, August 2
A 20-year-old girl who had gone to the office of a private company in Sector 30 here for an interview for a job about a fortnight ago has been missing since then. Her father fears she may have been kidnapped and even done to death.

One hurt as students clash at JNU
New Delhi, August 2
Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University allegedly clashed last night over caste-related issues.

DUSU election process kicks off
New Delhi, August 2
The Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, in his capacity as patron of the Students’ Union, has appointed Chief Election Officer, Chief Returning Officer and Additional Returning Officer for the conduct of elections of office-bearers and members of the Central Council of DUSU for 2006-2007.

36 cops booked for corruption
New Delhi, August 2
Two Delhi Police personnel, a sub-inspector and a constable, were involved in rape/molestation cases in the past one and a half years. Thirty-six others have been booked for corruption.

Govt defends Metro feeder service
New Delhi, August 2
The Delhi Government has denied reports that the feeder bus service catering to Delhi Metro is “irregular and uncomfortable”.

	Infrastructure for Games to cost over Rs 26,000 crore Centre concerned by slow pace of preparation Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 The Delhi Minister for Finance, Planning, Urban Development and PWD, Dr A. K. Walia, has disclosed that a huge amount will be spent for infrastructure development here before the commencement of Commonwealth Games 2010. The finance will be sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) schemes. Dr Walia informed that Rs 26,808 crore would be spent by different agencies for infrastructure development such as construction of 25 flyovers, road overbridges, road underbridges, road tunnel, multi-level automated car parkings, low-cost housing, development of roads, commissioning of high capacity buses, light rail transit system, monorail, development of ISBTs, redevelopment of Connaught Place, old city heritage area, augmentation of storm water drainage, water and sewerage sectors, purchase of airconditioned buses, improvement of stadiums under the Delhi Government. He said utilisation of the entire amount of Rs 26,808 crore would go a long way in making Delhi a world-class city. Out of Rs 26,808 crore, an amount of Rs 770 crore would be released as special assistance for the Commonwealth Games whereas Rs 19,829 crore would be released under the JNNURM for implementation of various schemes of the approved city development plan for five years. The Delhi Government would spend Rs 6,209 crore under its state plan for the development of infrastructure in Delhi before the Commonwealth Games. Dr Walia has directed all agencies concerned to render constructive cooperation in holding interactive sessions to give final touches to schemes under the JNNURM to enable the Delhi Government to submit a detailed city development proposal before the Union Ministry of Urban Development. Meanwhile, the Union Urban Development Ministry today expressed concern over slow pace of development in the Delhi, particularly the Games village to be held for preparation of the Commonwealth Games 2010. The Games village is to be developed and constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) near Akshardham Temple in North-East Delhi. The Ministry desired that prudent and scientific techniques be adopted in development of the Commonwealth Games in line with the international standards of sports facilities. While developing the village, it should be kept in mind that facilities to be created should be such that even after the Commonwealth Games 2010 are over, these can be made use of subsequently also, said Chairman of Standing Committee on Urban Development, Mohammad Salim. A senior official of the DDA said that development work of the Commonwealth Games Village delayed due to the negotiation with the Uttar Pradesh government as small portion of the land was owned by the state government. The Standing Committee or Urban Development said that matter should be sorted out expeditiously and construction of the village should commence without any delay.
	PM may meet agitating Anganwari workers today Tribune News Service Faridabad, August 2 Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is expected to hold talks with the representatives of All India Anganwari Workers’ and Helpers’ Federation at the national Capital tomorrow. “The unity among the lakhs of Anganwari workers and their ongoing round-the-clock hunger strike at Jantar-Mantar in Delhi seem to have paid off with the invitation from the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for holding talks,” a spokesperson of the Haryana’s unit of the federation said today. “Now all eyes are on this meeting and the agitating staff, who are demanding a proper identification and status, are expecting a fair deal during the meeting,” she claimed. Hundreds of Anganwadi workers had been taking part in the 24-hour hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since July 25 last to press for their demands, she added. There are about 14 lakh women working as Anganwari workers and helpers across the country, while at least 25,000 such employees are in Haryana. The agitating workers have alleged that though they had been working in various health sectors, including that of providing food and health cover to the mother and child, maintaining birth and death records and in various immunisation campaigns, the government was treating them shabbily by not providing them the status of government staff and paying a meagre compensation of Rs 1,200 and Rs 600 for workers and helpers, respectively. The Federation has demanded that the ‘Bal Vikas Pariyojna’ (Child Development Programme) be established as a government department in each of the state and that the Anganwadi Worker and Helper be given Class Three and Class Four status, respectively. Besides, the federation has also demanded the facilities like the PF, ESI pension and the gratuity and all retirement benefits for the workers. It has also suggested a hike in honorarium or compensation to Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 per month.
	Prime suspect in double murder case nabbed Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 Police today made no tangible progress in unravelling the mystery behind the killing of a family in North Delhi even as they closed in on solving the murder of an elderly couple by arresting the prime suspect in the case. Sikander, the servant who went missing after the murder of Dev Raj Grover and his wife Vimla on Monday, was arrested from Assam by a special team of the Delhi Police and will be brought here tomorrow, said a police official. Police recovered the mobile phone used by the slain former Income Tax Officer from Sikander, but found no valuable objects in his possession, giving a new twist to the robbery angle pursued by the investigators. “It seems he had not taken anything from Grover’s East Park residence. The family also says that nothing is missing,” the official said. Investigators now hope to tie loose ends in the case once they interrogate Sikander, who hails from New Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The Grovers had hired him from a Green Park placement agency four days before the shocking murder. Police had been on his trial since the incident and had sent special teams to his hometown in West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, to nab him. In the Inderlok multiple-murder case, Crime Branch officials continued questioning scores of people, including security guards, employees, relatives and neighbours of deceased Omprakash. The partly-burned bodies of Omprakash and Santhosh and those of their four daughters and a son, all with their necks slashed, were found in the apartment Monday morning.
	Govt gives up claim on acquired land Parmindar Singh Greater Noida, August 2 The Greater Noida Authority has agreed to leave the ‘abadi’ land to farmers even though it had been acquired under Clause 9 earlier. The farmers, who have been waging a battle for sound land compensation and employment besides reiterating their claim on ‘abadi’ land, have thus won their first battle. Farmers had been given a pittance as compensation for their land at the time the Noida and Greater Authorities were set up. Farmers of villages like Atta, Harola, Jhandpura, Naya Bans, Nithari in Noida and Tughalpur, Achhar, Nawada, Rampur etc in Greater Noida have been almost confined to the backlanes of their villages. At that time, the farmers could not raise their voice. Now, with former Prime Minister V. P. Singh spearheading a movement in Bajhore village, things have changed. MLA Nawab Singh Nagar has also taken upon himself to secure proper land compensation for farmers from Dadri villages, which are likely to be included in Greater Noida Phase II. Farmers under BJP leader Brijinder Singh Bhatta had gheraoed the GNIDA. Agitations and demonstrations have been conducted in the past also in villages like Habibpur, Khora, Tushujaina, Kasna etc by farmers. As a result, the GNIDA no longer acts in a high-handed manner, say leaders of farmers. After a survey, villages like Saini, Ghori Wachhera, Tushujaina, Daba etc have been exempted from acquisition of abadi land.
	Girl crushed to death by school bus Our Correspondent Gurgaon, August 2 A twelve-year-old girl, Anu Pandey, was crushed to death when a speeding school bus ran over her in Sector 4 here this morning. Anu Pandey, Class VI student of the Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 4, was on her way to school from her residence at Surat Nagar when the mishap occurred. At around 6:45 am as she reached outside CCA school at Sector 4, a school bus of DPS, Maruti Kunj, with the registration no. HR 26 P A 456 hit her from the back and ran over her. The girl died on the spot. The driver of the bus, Deepak, fled away from the spot. However, in the afternoon, the police traced Deepak and arrested him. He has been booked under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the IPC. The body of the girl has been sent to the Civil Hospital for postmortem. The police have impounded the bus. Enraged over the accident, the schoolchildren gathered outside the police post and started pelting stones at the bus. Later, they were pacified by the school principal. The father of the deceased, Shiv Dutt Pandey, works in the district court as a VI class employee. Incidentally, Anu’s elder sister Anita, a ninth standard student of the same school, did not come to the school.
	Highway blocked after truck kills two Our Correspondent Noida, August 2 Two youths, Jagdish and Sanjay, both residents of Manakpur under the Dadri police station area, were killed when a truck ran over them. Eyewitnesses said the two, who were on a scooter, panicked and fell down when they saw a Tata-407 coming towards them at a reckless speed. The driver of the vehicle managed to turn the vehicle to the other direction ramming it against a tree, but a truck coming from the opposite direction crushed the duo, who died on the spot. Two more persons sustained injuries in the accident. The injured were rushed to a hospital. The driver of Tata-407, Vinode from Kanauj, and one Prem from Qayumganj also sustained serious injuries in the mishap. After the mishap, the local people led by some advocates blocked the road to protest against the administration accusing it of “doing nothing” to avert such mishaps. The villagers also blocked the GT Road. As a result, hundreds of commuters were stranded for hours. The police managed to persuade the irate crowd to end their demonstration on the road and allow the traffic to flow uninterrupted. The advocates pleaded for the construction of a divider on the GT Road and widening of the road to four lanes. The Bar Association president, Mr Rajpal Singh Naggar, vice-president Lalit Mohan Sharma, secretary Anil Kumar Bhatti and hundreds of other people took part in the dharna. The bodies have been sent for an autopsy.
	Uphaar case: Final arguments on August 17 Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 A trial court today closed the defence evidence in the Uphaar Cinema fire case more than a month after the observation of the ninth anniversary of the tragedy which claimed 59 lives. Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal, who is hearing the case, has posted the case for final arguments on August 17. The court would also be visiting the site of Uphaar Cinema on August 19 for inspection following a Delhi High Court directive. Three defence witnesses examined by the court are Delhi Police Constable Mukesh Jain, Fire Service officer R. K. Bhatura and Delhi Vidyut Board official R. C. Upadhyay on the request of accused Bir Singh, H. S. Panwar and A. K. Gera, respectively. Defence witness R. C. Upadhyay was the last to be examined by the court. A total of 191 prosecution witnesses were arrayed for the trial and of the original 16 accused, four have already died. The remaining 12 accused, including the owners of the cinema hall Sushil and Gopal Ansal, have been variously charged with offences like sections 304 A (causing death by negligence), 33 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and relevant provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
	Youth charged with kidnapping girl acquitted Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 A youth charged with kidnapping and inducing a girl to marry him has been acquitted by a city court. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) O. P. Gupta let off accused Parmal Yadav of Bareilly, UP, who was tried under Sections 363 (kidnapping) and 366 (inducing a woman to marry), due to lack of sufficient evidence. The victim’s mother, Geeta, alleged that Yadav who used to work with her daughter, Priyanka, aged 16, in a factory had kidnapped her. In his disclosure statement, the accused revealed that he married Priyanka on December 27, 2002, in a temple before taking her to Bareilly. But during pregnancy she developed certain complications and died thereafter, he said. He also disputed the prosecution plea that the girl was a minor, claiming that she was 21 at the time of marriage. “The prosecution has tried to build its case on circumstantial evidence like Priyanka living with the accused as his wife. That alone is not sufficient,” the court observed. “Even if it is presumed that Priyanka was a minor still it does not advance the case of the prosecution. The reason is that the offence of kidnapping requires enticing or taking away from lawful guardianship,” the court said, adding that the prosecution had not examined any witness for that purpose.

	Police fail to trace missing girl Our Correspondent Noida, August 2 A 20-year-old girl who had gone to the office of a private company in Sector 30 here for an interview for a job about a fortnight ago has been missing since then. Her father fears she may have been kidnapped and even done to death. The family of the girl had approached the police station concerned to know her whereabouts. However, the police have allegedly done nothing to trace the girl ever after a fortnight. The family of the missing girl has reportedly shifted out of fear from Sector 19 here to Mayur Vihar in Delhi. SP City, however, said the police were investigating the matter. The girl, according to her father, was called for an interview to a garment factory in D Block, Sector 30, where she had gone at 5 pm on July 16. She is missing since then. When her father went to the company’s address in a bid to trace her, he was threatened and shooed away. He further alleged that when he went to the police station to lodge a missing person report, the cops did not pay heed to his complaint. The father expressed fear that his daughter might have been kidnapped or killed by the company management or some criminal elements.
	One hurt as students clash at JNU Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University allegedly clashed last night over caste-related issues. It was pointed out some students in Lohit Hostel of the university passed disparaging remarks about a fellow student following which a scuffle ensued. It was alleged that a first year student from the reserved category was beaten up and later rushed to the hospital for first aid. While the university authorities have instituted a Hostel Wardens’ Committee to probe into the allegations and submit its report on Friday, the JNUSU has sought the setting up of another committee comprising a member from the Equal Opportunities Office. Members of the JNUSU have also registered a complaint with the police. “We want to lodge an FIR. We have also asked the Vice-Chancellor to take action against Mahender Chauhan who is technically not a student of the university anymore,” said Dhananjay, JNUSU vice-president.
	DUSU election process kicks off Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 The Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, in his capacity as patron of the Students’ Union, has appointed Chief Election Officer, Chief Returning Officer and Additional Returning Officer for the conduct of elections of office-bearers and members of the Central Council of DUSU for 2006-2007. It has been announced that the last date for receipt of nomination papers will be August 25. The scrutiny of nomination papers and publication of the list of nominees will be done on the same day. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is August 28. The final list of candidates will be released on the same day. Election will commence on September 8, between 8.30 am and 11.30 am for morning colleges and between 4 pm and 7 pm for evening colleges. The dates for counting of ballot and announcement of election results are yet to be finalised, officials said.
	36 cops booked for corruption New Delhi, August 2 Two Delhi Police personnel, a sub-inspector and a constable, were involved in rape/molestation cases in the past one and a half years. Thirty-six others have been booked for corruption. The constable was dismissed for a rape/molestation case in 2005 while an SI was dismissed on same charges this year, according to official sources. 23 personnel charged with corruption last year include 10 SIs, 4 ASIs, 3 head constables and 6 constables. Till June 30, 13 constables — 1 inspector, 2 SIs, 5 ASIs, 2 head constables and 3 constables — were booked for corruption, the sources said. In total, 59 criminal cases and 27 corruption cases were registered against cops last year against 81 criminal cases and 42 corruption cases in 2004. — TNS
	Govt defends Metro feeder service Tribune News service New Delhi, August 2 The Delhi Government has denied reports that the feeder bus service catering to Delhi Metro is “irregular and uncomfortable”. Commuters in the city had alleged the service of Metro feeder buses was irregular, uncomfortable and of poor quality and was even responsible for the Metro suffering from low ridership in some stretches. Denying this, the state government claimed a number of steps had been taken to improve the quality of the feeder service.