Gurgaon, November 28
The government is understood to have decided to take strict action against ‘pre-launches’ of unauthorised colony projects, especially those falling in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The directive against the fly-by-night operators is said to have come from Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

According to a senior officer, the stern measure is on account of colonisers, developers and brokers colluding for the pre-launch of projects for which no licence is procured.

According to the rules, private parties can set up colonies and apartments in areas other than HUDA sectors. This area is technically called ‘licensed’ area. The private parties need to procure a licence from the Town and Country Planning department for the projects.

Gurgaon and other areas in the NCR zone fall in a ‘high potential zone’ and the value of land is on the higher side here. In the high potential zones, a colonisers/developer needs at least 100 acres to float a colony. Besides, they need to have some other approvals.

However, the colonisers/builders often go in for pre-launches with tempting promises and glossy brochures, inviting bookings for the purchase of flats and plots. There have been occasions when the pre-launches were done by the operators even without having the requisite land in their possession for the advertised projects.

Even when they had, they could not procure licences. In the process, a gullible purchaser fell for the bait and lost his hard-earned money.

Recently, the government got a case registered against M/s N.Buildcom and its dealers for carving out an illegal colony in violation of the provisions of Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Act, 1963 and Urban

Areas Act, 1975 for allegedly carving out a colony illegally in the controlled area of Manesar in this district and booking the plots through some dealers. Seven well-known dealers were named in the complaint.

In another development, there was a complaint regarding the unauthorised colonisation in proposed Sector 19, Dharuhera in Rewari district and in Sector 89, Faridabad by M/s Ferrous Infrastructure (P) Ltd which has its headquarters at Greater Kailash in the national Capital. So much so that the alleged firm had placed advertisements in a leading English daily wherein it publicised its upcoming projects in NCR which in fact were for Dharuhera and Faridabad. The advertisements were misleading as the firm was concealing the name of Dharuhera and Faridabad falling in Haryana.

Actually the name of Dharuhera and Faridabad was being avoided in the advertisements to circumvent the laws pertaining to Haryana and to preclude the state from taking timely action.

It is a known fact that prompt action by the government against such land deals is very important. Any delay allows the operators to make huge money. The public then finds it hard to recover their money from the operators.

In the case relating to the projects in Dharuhera and Faridabad, the firm along with its agents cheated the public out of more than Rs 500 crore.

New Delhi, November 28
Delhi Government plans to improve health services in the Capital by opening more hospitals, dispensaries, trauma centres and other medical facilities.

The decision was taken during a meeting convened to review the health services. The Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, presided over the meeting.

The Delhi Minister of Health, Dr Yoganand Shastri, said that at present a total of 180 allopathic, unani and ayurvedic dispensaries were functioning in various areas of the national Capital, which were not sufficient for the floating population.

The government has a policy to send mobile vans equipped with health equipment, along with medical practitioners, to slum and JJ clusters to provide health services there. However, there are only 35 vans with the health department.

The department has decided to purchase 415 additional vans. A decision was also taken to regularise the services of 600 doctors who were working in government hospitals on ad hoc basis.

Three trauma centres with 50 to 70 bed capacity would be set up in Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in East Delhi, Bawana in South West and South Delhi, the Minister said.

Mr Shastri said that at present a total of 7,000 beds were available in hospitals run by Delhi Government and added that the figure was not sufficient. Patients can usually be seen sharing beds in LNJP and other hospitals located in densely populated areas, he said. As many as 3,000 more beds would be installed in various government hospitals, he added.

However, the national secretary of All India Unani Tibbi Congress Dr Syed said, “On the one hand, the government is claiming to open new dispensaries, while on the other it has closed nine dispensaries in Delhi. These dispensaries were opened in 1995 to promote Unani system medicine. ‘Hakeems’ (Unani practitioners) were appointed on contractual basis for one year. After the expiry of the tenure, the contracts were not renewed and no new appointments were made. The dispensaries were later closed.”

A delegation of Central Unani Tibbi Board reportedly raised this issue during a meeting with the Delhi Health Minister a few days back.

The delegation was assured that the appointment of physicians of Unanipathy would be made through Delhi Subordinate Selection Board and it will take about six months to complete the procedure of appointment. 

New Delhi, November 28
Private unaided schools in the Capital continue to dodge the Delhi High Court directive barring interviews for admission to nursery class.

With parents complaining against interview  sessions that continue to be held in most schools, the Right to Education  Task Force has written to the Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, to intervene.

The RETF has written to the CM to “take immediate action to stop holding of kids’ interview by the Queen Mary School, Mayur Vihar, Phase  I, Delhi on November  29 for admission in KG Classes”.

“We received complaints from the parents seeking admission for their kids in Queen Mary School.

They said the school had called the kids for test or interview tomorrow from nine am onwards,” said Advocate Ashok Agarwal of the RETF.

He said, “On May 10, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court forbade schools to conduct interviews and asked them  to evolve a methodology where the admissions at  the entry level to 3+ or 4+ are not based on interview of the child or of the parents”.

Mr Agarwal added, “This was again emphasised that what was required from the private schools was transparency in the matter of admissions of these tiny tots and the association of the private schools were directed to evolve certain parameters to achieve these objects.”

In the complaint to the Chief Minister, Mr Agarwal has said, “The aforesaid order of the Delhi High Court has very clearly banned interviews of tiny tots in Nursery/KG Classes by all the schools in Delhi.

It is submitted that when some of the parents raised an objection with the school management referring to the High Court orders, the school responded that they were not holding kids interview for Nursery classes but for KG classes”.

The complaint further reads, “It is submitted that holding of interviews or tests of 3+ and 4+ age kids for admission in Nursery/KG classes is not only in violation of the orders having been passed by  the Delhi High Court  but would also cause trauma to the kids and their parents.”

Urging the CM to intervene, Mr Agarwal said, “Holding interview of tiny tots is nothing short of cruelty towards children and violates the fundamental and human right to education of kids as guaranteed to them under Article 21 and 21A of the Constitution”.

When contacted by this newspaper, the school authorities refused to comment on the allegation that the school has proposed to conduct interview for KG classes. 

New Delhi, November 28
Commercial establishments operating from DDA flats or group housing societies in the Capital might be next to face the axe in the MCD’s sealing drive with the civic body contemplating action against them.

“The DDA flats and group housing societies already have commercial space allocated to them, so they do not need any further shops in their colonies,” a senior MCD official said.

The Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee on sealings will meet tomorrow to take a decision on the matter, panel sources said.

MCD has sought the panel’s direction as to whether shops operating from DDA flats and group housing societies can be sealed or not, the sources said.

“According to the plan of these colonies, they have specific areas allocated for commercial use, so all shops and commercial establishments can be sealed,” the MCD official said. — PTI 

New Delhi, November 28
Continuing with its sealing drive, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed 131 illegal commercial establishments in the Capital today. The sealed units included 35 on Timarpur Road (from Mall Road to Outer Ring Road) falling in Civil Lines Zone, four on the Satyam Cinema Road in Karol Bagh Zone.

As many as 92 units were also sealed from Block A to F in Rohini sector 11 and on Badli village road in Rohini Zone.

With today’s action, the total number of establishments sealed since the drive was resumed on November 8 has reached 1,822. The civic body had yesterday targetted 93 such establishments in northwest Delhi.

Everyday, illegal business establishments in A and B categories are being sealed under the court-ordered drive. The local shopkeepers resist the drive, but heavy police deployment is made in the area where operation is carried out to prevent any untoward incident.

The corporation also began a survey to notify more roads for mixed land use, an MCD official said. Within a few weeks, the survey would be completed and the report would be submitted before the court to provide relief to the traders, he added.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Delhi unit president, Dr Harsh Vardhan, alleged that by fixing a heavy price for mixed land use in residential areas, the Central government had opened a “new way of corruption” in the national Capital. The criteria for fixing the price for mixed land use had not been disclosed by the department concerned, he claimed. In such a situation, traders might face harassment, he alleged.

The BJP leader said, the government was also assuring the citizens to regularise unauthorised constructions with the deposition of a penalty by the building owner. The property owner would submit the building plan to get it approved. In this process, the officials concerned might harass the citizens, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

The leader said his party had been demanding an amnesty scheme to prevent such harassment. 

Ghaziabad, November 28
The simmering resentment in the farming community in west Uttar Pradesh against Samajwadi Party is believed to have weakened its hold in the state, especially in rural areas.

The recent municipal elections, in which the ruling party lost ground to the BJP, would seem to be a pointer to this.

The farmers’ agitation against Dadri power project has completed one year. Whenever work started on the project, farmers rallied to drive away employees of the Reliance Power Project company. In the process, hundreds of farmers who had courted arrest were sent to jail. There are multiple cases reportedly registered against each farmer.

At present, there is a stalemate, with farmers refusing to retract from their demands even as the work on the project continue4s to be slow. 

New Delhi, November 28
A court today extended by three days the police custody of a court employee arrested in connection with theft of court documents in the Uphaar cinema fire case.

Dinesh Chand Sharma was produced from police custody before the court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate which sent him to police custody till December 1.

Seeking further police custody, the prosecution told the court that Sharma had disclosed during the interrogation facts about existence of immovable property in the name of his father, mother, his wife and jointly with his wife in Delhi and Ghaziabad.

The prosecution told the court that verification of certain documents also had to be done.

Sharma was produced before the court on November 23 after his arrest a day earlier and was remanded to 5-day police custody.

Sharma, a former record keeper of an Additional Sessions Judge, was arrested on November 22 on an FIR registered on May 17 this year following the direction of the High Court.

He is charged with offences under Sections 109 (abetment of offence), 193 (false evidence), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 218 (tampering with evidence by servant) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant).

New Delhi, November 28
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, an animation training institute, recently hosted a series of seminars on animation by Oscar nominee Ishu Patel and clay animation specialist Vaibhav Kumaresh.

Ishu Patel is an internationally acclaimed film director, animator and educator. He has won many international awards, including two Oscar nominations, the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and the prestigious British Academy Award.

Patel spoke on “Avenues and Opportunities in the Animation Industry” while Kumaresh spoke on ‘Stop Motion Animation’.

A master in stop motion animation, Kumaresh has worked with many leading visual effects and animation studios in India and has contributed to some path-breaking commercials like that for Ammron Batteries, Nissan’s Top Ramen and Simpu on Channel V.

Patel familiarised the gathering with avenues in animation and India’s role in the overall growth of the industry. He delved into various career options in animation and visual effects before presenting a film capsule showcasing some of his prestigious animation projects.

“There is a shortage of studio-ready animators in India. For the industry to grow further, we need to create a greater talent pool. As the supply of quality animators increases, so will the international projects,” felt Patel.

He said, “This is one field where one can start as a fresher after pursuing any academic background. What is required in a student is a knack for creativity and basic computer skills. If you have the determination in you, you can have a dream career ahead.”

“There has been a rising demand for quality studio ready animators from all over the world. With the best of creative talents around, India has been the automatic choice of all international production houses, who want to outsource this specialised job from India. For the industry to grow further, we need to create a greater talent pool. The role played by institutes like MAAC in providing quality studio-ready animators to the industry is incredible,” remarked Kumaresh.

MAAC has been regularly organising such informative seminars for its students, with an intention to bring the best academic and professional minds from the Indian and international animation fraternity to guide students towards a brighter future.

New Delhi, November 28
A leading member of Sant Nirankari Mandal’s Working Committee, Rev Joginder Singh ‘Noor’, popularly known as “Noor’ Nirankari, breathed his last on November 26.

He was 67.

Rev ‘Noor’ Nirankari was closely related to the holy family as he was a younger brother of the former Head of the Sant Nirankari Mission, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Maharaj.

He was born to Baba Avtar Singh Ji and Jagat Mata Budhwanti Ji but subsequently devout followers of the Mission, Rev Man Singh Ji and his wife Man Kaur Ji, adopted him as their son.

Rev ‘Noor’ Nirankari, however, never allowed his wordly relationship to come in the way of his faith and devotion towards Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Maharaj and then the present Satguru, Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj.

The funeral took place at the electric crematorium yesterday where thousands of relatives and friends of the Noor family and devotees of the Mission were present.

New Delhi, November 28
The Vice-President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, yesterday met a parliamentary delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco.

According to a press release issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat here yesterday, the delegation led by Abdelwahad Radi, president of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Morocco, called on the Rajya Sabha Chairman in Parliament House.

While welcoming members of the delegation, the Vice-President expressed hope that their visit would further strengthen the existing close and historic links between the two countries and their Parliament.

He thanked the government of Morocco for lending consistent support for India’s candidature for permanent membership in the Security Council of the United Nations.

Mr Shekhawat took note of India’s growing exports to Morocco in recent years.

The Vice-President said that there was a vast untapped potential for further expansion of bilateral economic ties and cooperation in sectors like housing, hospitality and tourism, information technology, agriculture, textiles and pharmaceuticals.

New Delhi, November 28
The chill in the air in the National Capital Territory of Delhi continued for the third day today, even though the mercury rose slightly to 8.2 degrees Celsius from yesterday’s 7.6 degrees C.

This was still two degrees below normal.

The maximum too was recorded at 24.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal.

The chilly conditions are likely to persist in the coming week with the weather office forecasting that there will be no significant change in the night temperatures over the next two to three days.

The forecast is for a rise in the minimum temperature to nine degrees C though the sky will remain largely clear.

New Delhi, November 28
Two women allegedly committed suicide in separate incidents in south Delhi area, police said today.

Twenty-four year old Sushila, a resident of Balbir Nagar, was found hanging from the ceiling of her house last night.

Sushila, who was married to Ajay for the last five years, was suffering from acute depression, police claimed.

In a separate incident, Durga Thapa, a Nepalese national, allegedly committed suicide at her Malviya Nagar residence in south Delhi.— PTI