 |
|
|
Day 2 of anti-sealing drive
JNU recognises madarsa certificate
|
|
|
Haryana minister redresses
22 complaints in a day
Metro celebrates 14th foundation day
CM opens 3rd Aap ki Rasoi
HP minister meets Delhi CM
Kidnapped girl rescued after
one year
House adjourned over Mayor’s photo in advertisement
Women groups say no to
injectable contraceptives
Property lost in building fire
Amnesty scheme for power consumers
Proposal for bureau to curb road accidents
DUJ to focus on unfair labour practices in newspapers
5 Naresh Bhatti men held
Food, tech expo opened
Heat to continue in Capital
2 held for cheating
Case against cop
|
|
Day 2 of anti-sealing drive
New Delhi, May 3 Harsh Vardhan said that the BJP had launched more than two dozen movements during the last two years to save people from sealing and demolition. Workers have gone to jail also. Now the party will start jail bharo movement. Deputy leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Vijay Kumar Malhotra also joined the protest. He alleged that the Master Plan had been framed in a half-hearted and impractical way due to which people are not getting permanent relief. Whenever election comes, the Congress starts talking about relief from sealing and demolition, alleged Harsh Vardhan. Unless provision of amnesty is made in the Master Plan, people will not get any relief, he added.
|
|
|
JNU recognises madarsa certificate
New Delhi, May 3 The decision follows the recent 11-day hunger strike called by JNUSU. The decision to recognise madarsa certificates was taken on the basis of a report of JNU’s equivalence committee. The academic council has resolved that the process of recognising madarsas would continue on a nation-wide basis under the supervision of the equivalence committee. The academic council has also decided to retain the gender and backward region deprivation points that already exist in JNU’s admission policy. “This will correct a historic injustice towards students from madarsa backgrounds,” said Sandeep, president, JNUSU. These demands are part of JNUSU’s vision and agenda to make the university socially more inclusive and end discrimination against students from madarsa backgrounds, he added. For the implementation of OBC reservation, the council has laid down guidelines in such a manner that the proportion of general and open seats will remain the same as the last year.
|
|
|
Haryana minister redresses
22 complaints in a day
Gurgaon, May 3 The order was passed by the state finance minister during the district level monthly grievances redressal meeting held here under his chairmanship. In all 24 complaints were taken up at the meeting. Of these, 22 were redressed on the spot. The complainant submitted before the minister that the reading shown in his bill for July 24 to August 21, 2006 was wrong. When it was brought to the notice of the DHBVN bill clerk concerned, he assured the same would be rectified in the next bill and the amount charged from him adjusted accordingly. But nothing was done in this regard and the latest bill amounted to Rs.1,46,110 on the basis of the cumulative metre reading till now. Disposing another complaint related to fraudulent sale of a residential plot, the minister ordered registration of an FIR against the seller Sita Ram and his arrest in the case. The alleged accused was found to have sold the same plot to two buyers got their registeration by concealing the facts. The matter was enquired by zonal administrator, Marketing board ,who had recommended action against Sita Ram. In yet another case of the Ariyant Group Housing Society, Sector-56, an FIR was ordered to be lodged against the former society president Naresh Ahuja for alleged irregularities committed by him in the case during his tenure. The case was entrusted for enquiry to ADC Abhe Singh Yadav who after examining the case told that persons who were not members were allotted flats by the society. Ahuja was also found guilty for remaining president of the society for more than 10 years which was in violation of the constitution of the society. The FM also directed the HUDA authorities in another case to give possession of complete area of the plot number 134-A Part-2 in Sector 5 owned by Saroj Parmar. As per the complainant, the area of her plot fell short by 14 square metres. In another case related to widow pension, the FM ordered that it be resumed with immediate effect as well as to pay arrears to Jai Dai of village Nanu Kalan. She had complained that sarpanch of her village had got her pension stopped by misinforming the authorities that she was dead. |
|
|
Metro celebrates 14th foundation day
New Delhi, May 3 Vishwavidyalaya station was declared the best metro station. The station covers Delhi University area and caters to about 25,000 commuters everyday. It earns about Rs 3 lakh as revenue. It is also the first Metro station to provide bicycles on hire to commuters. Anil Kumar Meena, assistant station manager, Central Secretariat and Patel Chowk, won the Metro Man of the Year (2007-08) award for his customer support actions, proper upkeep of stations and crowd management. Twenty-six employees were awarded for outstanding performance in their respective areas of work. Employees of the Delhi Metro also put up a cultural programme. M. Ramachandran, secretary, ministry of urban development said that the Delhi metro is contributing towards reducing the number of vehicles in the city. According to a study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute, it had already taken the load of 40,000 vehicles. DMRC managing director E. Sreedharan attributed the success of the Delhi Metro to its work culture and expressed confidence that the punctuality, integrity and competence of its employees would help to complete Phase-II of the project on schedule. Presenting a brief about the achievements of DMRC over the last year, director (electrical) Satish Kumar said that the punctuality of trains was maintained at 99.9%, i.e., only one trip in a thousand lost punctuality. He said that the DMRC’s GPS-enabled feeder bus service that was introduced in November 2007 had increased ridership by 5%. He informed that the DMRC is collaborating with Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi to launch a PG diploma in metro technology. The course will develop a cadre of metro specialists. Kumar said that initially, officers from Delhi and Bangalore Metros would be deputed for the course.
|
|
CM opens 3rd Aap ki Rasoi
New Delhi, May 3 Inaugurating third centre of Aap Ki Rasoi at Chandni Chowk the Chief Minister described that this is a noble joint venture of the city-government and ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). The Chief Minister said that the campaign would make sights of children gleaning for food in garbage dumps rare. She stated that the government would continue to facilitate the NGOs and business houses in distribution of cooked food at specified centres. Hundreds of poor persons were provided fresh cooked nutritious food by the ISKCON Temple. Fresh food would be provided everyday between 12 noon to 3p.m at the centres. The government would give permission to utilize night shelters for the distribution of cooked food to the poor. The hunger-free Delhi campaign is aimed at hapless destitute population which often goes to sleep empty stomach on the city streets. Two such centres at Nizamuddin Basti and Jhandewalan have already been inaugurated by the Chief Minister. |
|
|
HP minister meets Delhi CM
New Delhi, May 3 Himachal horticulture minister Narender Bragta yesterday called on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the Delhi Secretariat and listed the problems being faced by fruit growers who come to the mandi from different parts of the state to sell their produce and were being charged 6 to 8 per cent commission by agents. Bragta referred to the relevant Act ,the Delhi government passed several years ago , to ensure that commission agents did not overcharge fruit growers and levied commission on buyers instead. The Act is, however, not being implemented effectively, and the practice of charging 6 per cent commission from growers continues. Azadpur Subzi Mandi is the only fruit market in India which charges commission from growers, said Bragta, after meeting the Delhi CM and urging her to ensure effective implementation of the law. A high level ministerial consultation has been planned on the subject. Bragta also raised with the Delhi CM the matter of Himachali fruit growers being charged 8 per cent commission. He said the Delhi government had agreed to penalize those who indulge in overcharging. It has also agreed to Himachal’s proposal of setting up a separate flower market for floriculturists from the state. “We had asked for a separate air-conditioned flower market,” said Bragta, who has also sought construction of Kisan Bhawan at Azadpur Mandi considering farmers have to wait for days to unload their produce which loses its value due to delays in loading. “Our growers are anyway paying crores to the Azadpur market authorities by way of market fee and other taxes,” Bragta said, adding that the Delhi Chief Minister had agreed to discuss the issues.
|
|
|
Kidnapped girl rescued after
one year
New Delhi, May 3 Renu’s mother Lalpati had lodged a complaint that her daughter went missing from a DTC bus in July 2007 at Prashant Vihar police station. Initially, she did not suspect kidnapping. However in October 2007, Lalpati told the police that the kidnapping could be the handiwork of Sonu and Sagar. But the police learnt that Sonu and Sagar were not behind the kidnapping of the girl. They learnt that Shagun Narayan Shukla had kidnapped the girl and had kept her in Nahan. The police team nabbed Shukla and recovered the girl from a rented room in Nahan and brought her back to Delhi. Shukla had been visiting Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh for the last 8 months on the pretext of setting up a factory in Himachal Pradesh. Shukla is a native of Pratap Garh district in UP. He came to Delhi in 1970. He is Matric pass and runs a business of iron wires in Sector 26, Rohini. He is married and has three sons and four daughters. Shukla came in contact with Renu’s family during his stay in Rohini. |
|
|
House adjourned over Mayor’s photo in advertisement
New Delhi, May 3 Leader of Opposition Jai Kishan Sharma demanded that the Chief Minister’s photo be published in every advertisement issued by the corporation. However, Aarti Mehra refused to accept the demand. “Mayor is head of the MCD. Her photo will appear in each advertisement issued by the corporation,” she said. She said that the Chief Minister’s photo appeared in every advertisement issued by the Delhi government. Mayor’s or Leader of Opposition’s photo did not appear anywhere. The councillors led by Jai Kishan Sharma came into the well of the House and raised slogans like — “BJP murdabad, tanashahi nahi chalegi”. While the ruckus was on, Leader of the House Subhash Arya proposed a list of candidates nominated for special committees. The mayor approved the names.
|
|
|
Women groups say no to
injectable contraceptives
New Delhi, May 3 The proposal for Phase IV trials of Net En and Cyclofem was presented at a meeting called by the health ministry on April 16 here. The participants were informed that the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had already completed Phase III trials. On the basis of Phase III trials, experts approved that Phase IV trial be conducted in hospitals and medical colleges of 31 districts and through nine NGOs. “Our concerns regarding the safety, short and long term adverse health impacts and severe side-effects of Net En and Depo Provera are well established. Yet you did not deem it fit to call representatives of these groups or conduct a public debate on the matter of such widespread implications before deciding to initiate Phase IV trials of Net En and Cyclofem,” states the letter. According to AIDWA’s press statement, the Technical Committee of Drugs Technical Advisory Board has opined that DMPA, the key constituent of Cyclofem, should not be allowed for mass use in family planning programme. The organisations have demanded immediate stoppage of the introduction of hazardous hormonal injectable contraceptives through PHS. “We demand that documents and information regarding Phase III trials — including study design, protocols, findings, content of informed consent forms, screening for contradictions, list of venues of trials and the legal and medical protection provided to the women, who were research subjects, be made public,” said Sudha Sundararaman, general secretary, All India Women’s Association (AIDWA). “Since 1985, women and health groups across the country have opposed injectable contraceptives due to its hazards to women and their progeny. It is evident that despite these concerns the ministry has continued to experiment on Indian women,” said Sudha. In October 2004, 62 women groups from across the country submitted a memorandum to the health ministry stating reasons why injectable contraceptives are not suitable for India. |
|
|
Property lost in building fire
Ghaziabad, May 3 The fire had started in high voltage in electronic meters in the basement. The fire brigade officials were able to bring the fire under control after over two hours. Two families stranded on the top floor were evacuated by fire officials. The flat No G-2 was gutted. Windows, doors and A/Cs, coolers and other gadgets and goods laying outside the flat were also destroyed. At some distance a cluster of huts was also gutted. A sum of Rs 50,000 was also reportedly burnt. Five persons received burns. A junk store in Panchsheel Colony in Sahibabad was also gutted in a fire.
|
|
Amnesty scheme for power consumers
New Delhi, May 3 Walia said that the scheme would be applicable to those consumers, who want to change suspected tampered or electro-mechanical meters. Those having electro-mechanical meters will be able to change to electronic meters without any charges. Discoms will install electronic meters for those consumers who complain of tampered or suspected tampered meters. The consumers will have to pay just the cost of the electronic meter and the amount equivalent to the aggregate of three recent monthly bills as per the meter reading from the tampered meter. On voluntary disclosure of direct theft of electricity in JJ clusters and colonies, Discoms will not proceed against those consumers if they apply for a connection. Discoms will settle the cases by offering a rebate of 60% to domestic consumers and 50% to industrial or commercial consumers on the assessment bill raised in these cases. Late payment surcharges will also be waived off. |
||
|
Proposal for bureau to curb road accidents
New Delhi, May 3 The proposal is to be shortly submitted to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and heads of other state governments by ASSOCHAM president Venugopal N. Dhoot. The proposal envisages that the ISB be empowered to depute police personnel and doctors in vans equipped with first-aid facilities on metro roads that are accident prone. The ISB should be empowered to punish patrolling police parties who escape their duties towards injured victims on the jurisdiction factor. If the proposed bureau is set up in the national Capital, other metros would follow suit. More than 65 per cent cases of road accidents take place during the night and often they go unnoticed. ASSOCHAM quoting official records says, deaths due to road accidents increased in India from 40,000 in 1986 to 85,000 by 2001 and the figure touched four lakh by 2007. By 2010, the figure could multiply by at least one and half times. Vehicular traffic is witnessing an average annual growth between 18 to 20 per cent in metros and in case of Delhi, the increase is estimated to be around 30 per cent.
|
||
|
DUJ to focus on unfair labour practices in newspapers
New Delhi, May 3 The May Day eve meeting as per convention, stressed that the Delhi Press Morcha 2008 would now concentrate on unfair labour practices in the newspaper industry in Delhi. “We must not lose our identity in the process and our twin objectives of being a professional body and a trade union body committed to a non-aligned foreign policy and new information order besides reporting with a scientific temper,” said SK Pande, president, DUJ. The meeting also finalised a timebound calendar of programmes and events for the 60th year celebrations welding professional activity and trade union activity. Participants expressed concern at the closure of the National Herald, the paper founded by Jawaharlal Nehru and its sister publication the Quami Awaz as well as the Patriot and Link. People who addressed the meeting included vice-president Dinesh Chandra, advocates BK Pal, Harendra Pratap Singh, journalist Ashwani Kumar Bhardwaj.
|
||
|
5 Naresh Bhatti men held
Greater Noida, May 3 The car driver sped away. After a chase cops arrested five criminals identified as Rajesh Jatav, Kapil and Sandeep of Nithari, Rabupura’s Manoj Kumar and Vinode of Dabra. A Chinese Mauzer and daggers were seized from them. The Santro car has been impounded. Rajesh Jatav and Vinode had been running the Ram Pal gang for quite some time and were wanted in six cases each. A murderous attack was made on Sunder Bhatti when he was on his way to court for a date during 2006. Rajesh Jatav and Vinode were also involved in this attack along with Naresh Bhatti’s gang leader Sandeep. Sunder Bhatti had, however, escaped unscathed in this attack. Four cases each are registered against Kapil, Sandeep and Manoj.
|
||
|
Food, tech expo opened
New Delhi, May 3 The expo, which will run till May 5, aims to showcase the booming agri-horticulture processed food and food grain milling and processing sectors this year. A large number of national and multi-national companies apart from various government organisations and public sector undertakings would participate in the expo. The participants would showcase new technologies and machines in the field of food grain milling and processing and packaging along with other allied sectors. “There has been greater participation by states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi this year as these states have been trying to revamp the agri-horticulture sector owing to its inherent economic potential,” said Rajesh Gupta, managing director of NNS events and exhibitions.
|
||
|
Heat to continue in Capital
New Delhi, May 3 The meteorological department has ruled out any respite in the next 24 hours. |
||
|
2 held for cheating
New Delhi, May 3 The two have allegedly cheated people to the tune of lakhs of rupees. One countrymade pistol, one button-actuated knife and four packets of red paper of the size of a hundred-rupee note used to cheat people have been recovered. The two revealed that they used to allure people by claiming to triple their money. |
||
|
Case against cop
Ghaziabad, May 3 Dixit has accused the police circle officer of collective threatening and violence. Dixit, a resident of Vrindaban Garden Colony in Sahibabad has said that the main aim of Dinesh Yadav was extortion. Dinesh Yadav had been suspended for his role in the Nithari episode,but was later reinstated.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
