New Delhi, November 12
After keeping a low profile since the MCD resumed its sealing drive, traders in the Capital will protest against the Supreme Court-ordered action tomorrow by staging demonstrations and sit-ins.

Traders will take out a ‘silent march’ to Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken’s residence here tomorrow and will hold sit-ins at several places to mark their protest.

The march will begin from marble market at Raja Garden.

The agitation ran out of steam in the face of heavy deployment of police personnel and following the arrest of trade leaders, including general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders Praveen Khandelwal.

The core committee of CAIT will also meet tomorrow to chalk out the future course of action.

The 24-hour anti-sealing bandh called by traders on Friday had failed to evoke a strong response with several markets, including Connaught Place, Janpath, Khan Market, Sarojini Nagar, Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj, remaining open.

In a show of support to traders, the Delhi Unit of Shiv Sena today took out a two-wheeler rally in the Capital.

The rally covered several major markets.

Meanwhile, traders at Sadar Bazar Barri Market threatened to commit mass suicide outside the Chief Minister’s residence here to protest against the reported attempts to shift the market to the border.

New Delhi, November 12
The contentious issue of sealing of commercial properties in residential areas of the National Capital Territory of Delhi which kept Delhiites on tenterhooks last week also dominated the just concluded ninth session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

The issue dominated the proceedings of the House whether in the form of the Opposition-sponsored No-Confidence Motion against the Sheila Dikshit Government or the Resolution adopted by the state government urging the Centre to stop the sealing drive immediately till the finalisation of the Master Plan 2021. Not only that but the questions, special mention and other matters raised in the House were also related to sealing.

Understandably, the issue held centrestage right from the opening day of the session on October 30 when Leader of the Opposition in the House, Dr Jagdish Mukhi gave a notice for No-Confidence Motion against the state government. The MLAs, both from the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP, were well aware of the political fallout of the drive which could even jeopardize their political prospects.

The discussion on the motion started on the same day, immediately after the obituary references to renowned Shehnai Vadak Ustad Bismillah Khan, former Lt Governor P K Dave and ex-MLA Jagdish Anand, and concluded on November 1 with the defeat of the motion.

It is the first time in the history of the Delhi Legislative Assembly that such a long debate was held on any No-Confidence Motion. About 30 members participated in the discussion.

On November 1, Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit moved a resolution in the House urging the Union Government to stop the sealing drive in Delhi till the finalisation of the Master Plan 2021. The resolution also requested the Urban Development Ministry to finalise the Master Plan at the earliest and move the Supreme Court to suspend operation of its orders till the notification of the Master Plan 2021.

However, subsequent to the introduction of the resolution, the Supreme Court passed an order saying that the sealing would continue. In the light of the order, the Government resolution further pleaded that a scheme for rehabilitation of traders whose shops were being sealed should be announced by the DDA and the MCD.

“More market areas, including space for hawkers and vendors, should be made available, more parking areas should be made available and for negative traders, special areas should be made available at the earliest,” the government resolution said. It was adopted by the House on November 7.

New Delhi, November 12
A Consumer Forum has imposed Rs 50,000 as fine on Delhi Public School (DPS), Faridabad, for expelling a student who fared badly in exams.

“It is a sorry state of affairs that a school like DPS in its anxiety to show good results in academics is ready to go to any extent to expel a student in the mid-session of the 12th standard,” the President of south-west District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said.

Holding the school guilty of “unfair trade practice”, the forum directed its administration to pay within a month the amount as compensation to Ritwik Puri, who was expelled after the semester examination of class XII in 2003.

The forum rejected the contention that Puri was expelled as he remained absent without any leave despite a notice served on his father. “The school authorities just wanted to expel Puri from the school because he was not performing well in the academics and to achieve this purpose, he was not allowed to attend the classes and his forced absence was made a basis to struck off his name from the rolls of the school,” said the forum.

Puri was a student of class XII in DPS, Faridabad, since June 1996. After he failed to secure good marks in the first semester exams, he was not allowed to attend classes for next five days. His father had visited the school authorities who assured him his son could resume classes, but on July 30, he received a letter stating the name of his son had been struck off due to unexplained absence from the school.

The Forum also rejected the DPS’s contention that it did not have the territorial jurisdiction as the school is located in Faridabad in Haryana. The DPS Society, which runs the school, is under the purview of its territorial jurisdiction, the forum observed.

The forum concluded that the school authorities ‘conspired’ to expel Puri after he showed poor results in the exams. 

Gurgaon, November 12
In its efforts to resolve several civic problems being faced in Gurgaon, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is likely to initiate construction work soon on several developmental projects worth Rs 660 crore. The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is expected to inaugurate the projects during his proposed visit here on November 17.

The projects include Master Storm Water Drainage (Leg 1V) that will cost about Rs 37 crore and cover an area of 4,860 acres. The HUDA areas to be covered under it will be parts of Sectors 39, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 and 57. The project is expected to be completed within a year. The construction work will also start on two water treatment plants in

Chandu Bhudehra village located on upstream of Gurgaon water supply channel, approximately four kilometers from existing water works at Basai near here. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 68 crore. Each of the water treatment plants is of 20 MGD capacity. Besides, the third water treatment plant of 20 MGD capacity will be set up on the Basai Road at an estimated cost of about Rs 13 crore. The completion of the project is expected to augment the potable water supply of Gurgaon city.

These water work projects are expected to be completed by November, 2008. HUDA will initiate construction work on a 50 MLD capacity main sewage pumping station on Sohna Road at an estimated cost of about Rs 21 crore.

The project will be set up on 77 acres of land.

The Chief Minister will also inaugurate the construction work on the much-awaited Master Trunk Sewer number III along the Delhi-Jaipur national highway. Over eight km length of area would be covered under the project that is expected to cost more than Rs nine crore.

Greater Noida, November 12
A 19-year-old young girl had just taken a few steps towards Echhar village after alighting at the Kasna bus stand here when two men on a motorbike abducted her.

The abductors took her to Swaran Nagri near the Echhar police post and gangraped her along with two others. Later, they fled, leaving the victim unconscious.

In the morning, when she came around, she informed the Echhar police post.

After registering a rape report, the Kasna police nabbed the three accused, two property dealers and a factory owner. One of the accused is still absconding. The SP (Rural) said the 19-year-old girl of Kanpur Dehat was undergoing training in sewing in Meerut last year where she met a youth from Baghpat.

They both fell in love and also got engaged.

The youth, Anil, was living with his brother in Echhar village.

The girl had come from Kanpur to meet Anil and had just got down from a bus at Kasna which she had boarded at the Delhi railway station. She was walking towards Echhar village at 6.30 pm when Satish Kumar, resident of Emaluja village, and Alok Naggar allegedly took her on a motorbike to D-104, Swarn Nagri, where Satyajit Malik from Hisar and a security guard were already present.

The SP said the four raped the girl throughout the night. They dumped her in the bushes nearby when she lost consciousness.

In view of her serious condition, the police had to take her to the Noida district hospital. Satyajit Malik, Lokesh Naggar and Satish Kumar were promptly arrested as the girl’s medical examination confirmed gangrape, the SP said.

Greater Noida, November 12
As the consequence of a 35-year-old bloody enmity between two families, three persons, including two brothers, were shot dead in Wirnoti village under the Kakode police station.

Besides, some others were also attacked in their homes.

The administration quickly deployed personnel from five police stations under the SP (Rural) in the village and the area around it. Several persons have been taken into custody.

Wirnoti village has so far been witness to more than 24 deaths as part of the bloody feud of two families dating back to the 1970s.

All efforts of the police and the administration have come to nought for brokering peace between the two warring families.

Late last evening, the two sides clashed. Gunfire was freely exchanged. One group had shot dead Maan Singh, 45, who was working at his farm.

To avenge this killing, Maan Singh’s relatives and supporters attacked the house of Mahavir of the Raghuraj Singh group.

Mahavir’s two sons, Mukesh and Malua, were dragged out from the house and sprayed with bullets.

Mukesh died on the spot while Malua was rushed to Government Hospital, Noida, where he succumbed to his wounds, informed the SSP, Noida.

Police force from five stations, including Kakode, Rabupura and Jhajhar, was despatched under the SP (Rural), Mr Sudhir Kumar Singh.

The deaths of Maan Singh, Malua and Mukesh have been confirmed by the police.

Greater Noida, November 12
The Kasna police were able to arrest two dreaded criminals after an encounter in Knowledge Park-III while two others were able to evade capture.

The police seized two revolvers, cartridges and two motorbikes from the arrested criminals. The two were wanted for a number of crimes like waylaying and looting people by various police stations in G.B. Nagar. The criminals confessed to their involvement in these crimes, the police claimed.

The SP (Rural) said while a sub-inspector was checking vehicles in Knowledge Park-III last night he saw four youths on two bikes approaching. The police signalled them to stop, but they sped away. When the alleged criminals were chased, they opened fire on the police party. — OC

New Delhi, November 12
Concerned at the continually growing number of vehicles in the National Capital Territory of Delhi causing considerable congestion on the roads, the Delhi government has come out with the ‘Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit Network’ plan. It is proposed to construct 38 corridors of High-Capacity Bus System (HCBS), Light Rail Transit (tram/sky bus) and monorail under this project, officials said.

Under its first phase, 12 corridors—seven HCBSs, three LRTs and two monorails–will be constructed by July 2010, before the Commonwealth Games.

The sprawling city has a total road length of 31,183 km and metro network of about 62 km while it has about 50 lakh commercial as well as private vehicle plying on its roads. In 2001 itself, Delhi had 233 vehicles per kilometer road length, which was the highest in the country. About one lakh vehicles are added every year.

As a result of this congestion and density of vehicles, the national Capital emerged as the world’s fourth most polluted city, having pollutant load more than the combined loads of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. About 70 per cent of its pollution comes from vehicles.

Meanwhile, work has already started on the HCBS corridor from Ambedkar Nagar (South Delhi) to Delhi Gate (Central Delhi).

The process of appointing consultants for preparing ‘study report’ for the remaining six Phase-I corridors is already on.

New Delhi, November 12
The Delhi Minorities Commission’s annual report for the year 200-4-2005 has come out with some startling statistics like only 23 Parsi families are now living in Delhi.

The report which was tabled in the Delhi Assembly earlier this week also reveals that Muslims form the largest of the minorities in the Capital.

The report which quotes Census, 2001, says minorities constitute 17 per cent of the total population in Delhi with Muslims taking the lead having 11.7 per cent followed by Sikhs at 4 per cent and Christians at .9 per cent.

Figurewise, there are 16,23,520 Muslims, 5,55,602 Sikhs and 1,30,319 Christians living in the national Capital while the number of people hailing from Buddhist community stand merely at 23,705. Though the Jain community constitutes just 1.1 per cent of the total population of the city, it is yet to be notified as a minority despite recommendations from the State Commission.

New Delhi, November 12
Meghdoot Open Air Theatre at the Rabindra Bhawan complex here is buzzing with activity as traditional tribal artisans display their colourful craft and folk dances at the four-day tribal art festival, which is appropriately called “Prakriti”.

The festival, which was inaugurated on November 10, has been jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Apart from the crafts, tribal dances from various regions are being presented every evening.