New Delhi, September 15
The Saturday blasts have left the entire Capital reeling in pain, but certain areas have had to handle more than their share of tragedy, Gali number 42 at Beadonpura in Karol Bagh, being one. The narrow alleyway located in the heart of a congested Karol Bagh market is home to many nomadic families from Rajasthan, of which three lost their kin in the serial blasts.

Sohandai, a resident of Gali no. 42 and one of the survivors of the terrorist attack, has lost her mental balance over the sheer quantum of tragedy that struck her happy, little home this Saturday. Lying unconscious at Jansa Ram Hospital, she is still unaware of what happened that day and how. All she knows is this–her life will never be the same again after having lost her husband Hirachand, son Ashok and daughter Saroj. Their mutilated bodies were cremated yesterday. Another of the survivors in her family–her daughter-in-law Kamlesh—is undergoing treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital; the remaining, her two minor sons, are too young to perhaps understand what has happened.

Most survivors, like Asha, are battling mixed emotions. With a swollen face, 20-year-old recounts with horror the fate her sister met. Pooja was to get married, she sobs, scared of any more news of tragedy. Her father, mother and another sister are critical at RML Hospital, while the extended family says, “We know they won’t return alive. They are not getting proper medical attention, and we have no money for private treatment.”

Adding to the survivors’ woes is the fact that they have to pay Rs 500 to get the body of their dear ones, and then arrange for another Rs 1349 for the last rites. Rama, whose husband was today consigned to flames, said, “We haven’t received any money from the government. No one is coming to our help. It’s hard for us to pay up money to receive our people’s bodies. It’s more than we can take.”

Some respite has been coming from the traders at Gaffar Market, who arranged food and finance for the affected families. People, however, want the compensation of Rs 8 lakh each for the affected families.

That apart, Brinda Karat of the CPI (M) today became the first political personality to visit Gaffar Market, which witnessed the first blast. She rued official apathy in the face of such terrible odds. “It’s sad that these families have been totally left in the lurch. The government should come to their rescue,” she said, demanding relief for people who are finding hard to cope with the changed realities. For some, the blasts brought a lot of festivity to naught. It was after all the Ramzan season.

New Delhi, September 15
There were about 150 people standing at Barakhamba Road at around 6:25 p.m., near those garbage bins in which the blasts took place. Within 10 minutes, five buses had stopped at Barakhamba stop and almost everybody, usually office-goers, heading towards their homes had left. If the blast had taken place a few minutes early, lives would have suffered a huge blow, resulting with many more casualties.

As per the FM radio time, two blasts at Barakhamba took place at 6:34 p.m., said Bubbli, the conductor of 355-Luxury bus that stood about a few metres away from the garbage bins in which the blasts occurred on Saturday evening.

Bubbly said, “I saw the dustbins blown into air, filling the whole atmosphere with blackened smoke and dust. Before I could realise what had happened, I saw the sadhu who comes here every Saturday to offer his prayers, lying in a pool of blood.” Adding he said, “The sound of the blast was so intense that the bus which had started, stopped.”

Within 17 years, for the first time all the showrooms had put down their shutters since Saturday’s blasts. The deafening sound of the blasts still chilled their ears. Vijay Kumar, a toy vendor of D-block in the inner circle of CP who had also witnessed the 1995 blast in Connaught Place, said, “The intensity was very high and the explosion was stronger than the 1995 blast, which took place in front of Nirullas here.”

New Delhi, September 15
The police circle and the public were panic-stricken when an anonymous caller informed about a bomb planted in a multi-storeyed building on Barakhamba Road in Central Delhi. However, it turned out to be a hoax call.

According to the police, a call that a bomb had been planted in the 12 storeyed New Delhi House on Barakhamba Road, few meters away from the spot where a bomb had exploded on Saturday, was received at a PCR around 8:12 a.m.

The building houses several offices including those of Punjab National Bank, Reliance Energy, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur and several travel agencies, where more than 1,000 people work everyday. The building was evacuated. Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs were rushed to the spot. The building was searched for more than two hours but no explosives were found.

Large number of office-goers were stranded in the process, while those reaching had to wait outside. After a thorough search, the building was declared safe.

According to sources, the Delhi police has received about seven hoax bomb calls since the Saturday blasts that claimed 21 lives.

Two calls about bombs in the Marina Hotel and on Parliament Street near Reserve Bank of India were received right after the Saturday blasts.

Anonymous hoax bomb calls at Madhuban Chowk in East Delhi and Paschim Vihar were received yesterday. However, no bomb was found at those places. 

New Delhi, September 15
A red alert has been declared at all 62 Delhi Metro stations and the Delhi Metro staff have been instructed to continuously monitor the Metro premises.

As a precautionary measure, Delhi Metro managing director E. Sreedharan today ordered the removal of all dustbins from the platform areas at all stations as these were recently used by terrorists for blasts which shook the Capital.

According to DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal, the DMRC has already conducted more than a dozen mock drills to prepare its staff for everyday situations such as fire in trains or station premises, collision of trains, terrorist attack/bomb threat, natural calamities like earthquake.

The entire Metro system is being scanned and more than 1,200 Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) are keeping an eye on the movements at Metro stations.

The new trains to run in Phase-II will also have CCTVs.

Metro staff are given specialised training by the Delhi Fire Service at their training institute in Rohini. While thaey are being given the first aid training by St. Johns Ambulance at the Metro Training Institute in Shastri Park.

Doorframe metal detectors and bomb blankets are available at every Metro station. The CISF also has spread its bomb disposal squad, dog squad and quick reaction teams over the Metro system in the city. Security personnel in plainclothes have also been deployed to check any person indulging in any suspicious activity.

“The Metro personnel are also given disaster management training by the role playing method whereby in a simulated terrorist attack/bomb blast/emergency, the staff can play the role of station controller, train driver or other station staff to help and guide passengers,” said Dayal

The Metro stations have been designed in such a manner that it is possible to evacuate passengers within 5-6 minutes in an emergency situation. Heavy Duty Reversible Exhaust Fans are also available at the Metro tunnel for removing poisonous gases and fire fighting equipment are available at all stations. 

New Delhi, September 15
The Delhi Police would not only have evidence from the bomb blast sites in connection with the Saturday’s blast but also from the brain of the victim.

According to doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, a steel pellet found lodged in a blast victim’s brain, Neha Sharma (20) will be submitted to police as evidence in the Delhi serial blasts.

The pellet, believed to be made of an iron and steel alloy, was recovered during a complex brain surgery on Neha who was injured in the Central Park blast in Connaught Place. “We would submit the metal shrapnel to the police—to be used as evidence in further investigation. The pellet had hit the back of the patient’s head with great force and got lodged very deep—just short of damaging stem cells,” said L.N. Gupta, head of neurosurgery unit at RML Hospital. Neha, is out of danger and is recovering after the surgery.

According to a source at RML Hospital, such metal pellets have been recovered from the bodies of several injured who were brought to the hospital after the blasts.

The officials from Special Cell of Delhi Police have been contacted by the hospital and a team of officials were expected to collect the evidence. However, it is believed that police must have already recovered such pellets from the bomb sites. “The pellets could be of different make and we would know once we see it. However, we have picked up quite a few of shrapnel including pellets from the blast site,” said a police official involved in the investigation. 

New Delhi, September 14
Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna has directed deputy police commissioners (DCPs) to prepare a detailed master plan on the security of the national Capital.

Expressing concern on the serial blasts in Delhi, Khanna has appealed to citizens and security personnel to be extra vigilant about suspected persons, things and activities. People must inform the police if anything suspicious is found lying on road, he said.

Khanna instructed the DCPs of all districts to tighten their vigilance and include more local people in the security measures to avert such incidents in future. Terming the blasts as cowardly act, Khanna said residents of the city would foil the ulterior motives of the anti-national forces.

In an interaction session with the LG, some DCPs opined that parking in busy market areas caused greater security threat and some plan should be prepared to convert parking on roadsides into pedestrian area. 

Noida, September 15
Following serial blasts in New Delhi, high alert was sounded in NCR including Noida and Greater Noida. Alert security personnel were seen guarding the important public places and vital industrial installations in the area.

Anxious people were trying to find out the well-being of their relatives and friends in the national Capital. The network was jammed for most of the time.

As most people were usually out on weekends on social calls and shopping sprees, Noida was also rather panic-stricken.

Cops had taken positions at different spots in the city and were seen checking the bags being carried by the residents on roads and in markets. Vehicle checks especially of two-wheelers were conducted at certain points by cops wielding metal detectors.

PAC companies were deployed in Greater Noida and security was beefed up. PAC jawans had conducted a march past in Greater Noida sectors. Personal checking campaigns, including frisking, were conducted at banks, shopping malls and every step in industrial areas. Vehicle checks were organized at all important crossings. A thorough checking at Ansal Plaza was carried out by Kasna police and PAC jawans. 

New Delhi, September 15
The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) of the Delhi government has cleared five proposals worth Rs 475 crore.

Two of these are related to PWD and power department while one pertains to the irrigation and flood control department.

Talking to the media, Delhi finance and planning minister A.K. Walia said that a step was being taken to make Karkardooma intersection and Akshardham crossing signal-free. With the commissioning of disused canal road and Geeta Colony Bridge, widening of marginal bundh road to eight lane, Karkardooma intersection has become a place of heavy traffic.

It has become necessary to make this junction signal-free. This would provide easy access to North Delhi bound traffic originating from East Delhi. It would save fuel, time which will lead to less pollution and better environment, Walia said.

Rs 86.77 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of clover leaves and widening of existing bridge on trunk drain number one at Karkardooma Mor. The PWD would construct three clover leaves at Noida Mor flyover including slip road, footpath and cycle track worth Rs 88.68 crore. This would provide uninterrupted traffic at Indirapuram and Nizamuddin bridge side at Akshardham crossing.

After the Akshardham Temple was built, the number of visitors and traffic has increased. The commissioning of cloverleaves would provide relief to the commuters by making the intersection signal-free. 

New Delhi, September 15
About 40 per cent of Capital’s main roads will be covered by intelligent transportation system (ITS) which will reduce growing traffic congestion, said experts at a convention organised by the Institute of Engineers, Delhi State Centre.

“With the help of advanced technologies in communication and computer science, we will be able to considerably reduce the commuting time,” said S.N.Shrivastva, joint commissioner of Delhi Traffic Police.

“ITS is a very popular way of reducing traffic jams all over the world and helps in smooth traffic flow. In Delhi, we will be using loop detectors, traffic cameras, changeable message signs, transit location systems, electronic display system and traffic operation systems. A vehicle driver starting from South Delhi will know from the electronic display system, which roads have traffic congestion, he can then take a detour,” Shrivastva added.

“Similarly electronic sensors at major crossings will automatically help signals to work as per the traffic congestion. At present, the lights are automatic and work on fixed time. During peak hours, they are operated manually. Introduction of the ITS will also help in reducing accidents,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, former director, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), P. K. Sikdar said, “Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a worldwide proven technology in various countries. In Delhi it has failed to catch on as it has been implemented 30 per cent of what an actual BRT system should be. It has no drop or pick up system for passengers. A passenger does not know how to reach the bus stop.”

“The BRT is a complete system. A simple bus lane in advanced countries has more consumer-friendly features than what the BRT has in Delhi. The partial implementation of the BRT system in Delhi cannot be a success. Even though Delhi Metro Rail is costlier than BRT, it is a major success in Delhi mainly because of its proper implementation,” he added.

Noida, September 15
Noida police has released the sketches of possible robbers of two bank loots in the city during the last four days. Besides, the police has rounded up some eight suspects who are being interrogated.

Significantly UP Chief Minister Mayawati who reached Delhi on Saturday personally reviewed the two bank robbery cases. She told Noida SSP, R.K. Chaturvedi to take necessary steps to stem the rot of robberies, loots and tone up law and order in the district.

Noida police has come to the conclusion that the two bank robberies in Noida were carried out by two different gangs of robbers. In this connection Noida police has sought co-operation from police in Ghaziabad, Delhi, Haryana and other places.

The criminals who looted the State Bank of India branch on Friday are reportedly having a link in Greater Noida. Cops are trying to zero in on their native place from the manner of their talk, pronunciation, etc.

Police is trying to collect information about old criminals involved in snatching incidents in the district, some of whom are still in jail.

The police has also got some input about a gang of robbers which had specialized carrying out crimes with the help of toy pistols. According to sources, all the members of this gang are currently out of jail.

According to SSP, R.K. Chaturvedi, the robbers who looted the SBI bank had come fully prepared. They had been hanging about on the premises for quite some time and were looking for a suitable opportunity to strike. They knew well that there was no CTV camera fitted in the bank.

New Delhi, September 15
Gauri Shankar, a cloth merchant and owner of M/s Gauri Shankar and Sons Co, in Cloth Market of Fatehpuri was fined Rs 5,000 by the Tis Hazari Court today for filing a frivolous suit against BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and suppressing the material facts of the case.

Gauri Shankar, the plaintiff had filed a suit against BYPL and his landlord, seeking a permanent injunction from the court, restraining them from disconnecting the electricity to his rented premises. However, during examination of the plaintiff’s premises, it was revealed that his electricity had been disconnected many days before filing the suit.

The Tis Hazari Court took a very serious note of the misrepresentation of facts as the plaintiff had misled the court and asked for a restraining order directing the discom and the landlord not to disconnect the electricity. The court of senior civil judge not only dismissed his suit but also imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 to be shared equally between BYPL and the landlord.

New Delhi, September 15
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University has run into trouble with the Delhi High Court. The latter has issued notice to three engineering colleges affiliated to it on a plea seeking transparency in its migration rule for students.

A division bench of Justices Vikramjit Sen and V.K. Shali issued notice to IP University and the three associated engineering colleges—Bharatiya Vidya Peeth (BVP), Maharaja Surajmal Insitute of Technology (MSIT) and Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (MAIT)—to file their reply in four weeks. The court will take up the matter on January 10.

The court’s notice is in response to a petition filed by Nikhil Sharma, a second year B.Tech student of Maharaja Agarsen Institute of Technology, challenging the validity of a migration rule, Revised Ordinance 7.

Appearing for the petitioner, Ashok Agarwal said the Revised Ordinance 7 was ultra vires of the Constitution of India and lacked transparency in the migration process.

He said the vacant seats in each branch of engineering college under IP University were not disclosed, thereby depriving the candidates interested in migration from one college to another. Because of this, the migration rules have resulted in “favouritism and denying equal opportunity to all who apply and be considered for migration,” submitted Agarwal.

The petitioner Nikhil has asked that the IP University make the migration process transparent by declaring the status of vacant seats in each branch of engineering college by displaying it on the university website.

Greater Noida, September 15
An Amity student committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with the licensed gun of his father.

The reason for Ravi Bhatti killing himself could not be known. The family had to break the door of the room to take Ravi’s body out. He was the youngest son of Vijay Pal Bhatti of I-77 Gama II Sector, Greater Noida.

The family did not inform the police and cremated the body.

Ravi Bhatti was first year student of hotel management course in Amity College. When the family had retired on Saturday night after dinner, Ravi also went to his room. When he did not get up on Sunday morning, family members went up to awaken him. But there was no response to their knocking at the door. Ultimately when the door was broken, Ravi’s body was found sprawling in a pool of blood on the bed, with his father’s revolver lying near him.

He had shot himself on the left ear-pit. Ravi Bhatti was quite jovial and reported to be good at studies. The family said he did not at all appear worried about anything.

Police did not find any suicide note from his room. Son of a well-do-family, Ravi used to go to his college in his own car.

Inspector Ajay Chaudhary, SHO Kasna police station, said the family has requested the police not to take any legal action.

Noida, September 15
“If there is nothing to do, we take it easy, enjoy ourselves and kill and loot people to fulfill our desires” was the shocking philosophy of four young men nabbed by the Sector-58 Kotwali, Noida, after an encounter in Sector 63 late on Saturday night.

Instead of hard work, the four young men had chosen the path of crime, police said. The four surprised everybody including cops with their sensational statements.

The police recovered one pistol, one revolver, two daggers, one mobile phone and five live cartridges from the criminals.

SP City Ashok Tripathi said the youths have recently taken to crime and though they had committed some crimes, they have yet to figure in the crime record of the police. A case has been registered against them in Kotwali Sector-58 and all four have been sent to jail, the SP City said.

The arrested young criminals have been identified as Ankit, Sachin, alias Doga Khanpur, of Bulandshahr, Himanshu Kher of Aligarh and Harinder of Bhaipur in Rabupura. They were living in a rented room in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad. Police is on the look-out for six of their accomplices. Ankit is the leader of the gang. 

Noida, September 15
A one and a half year old girl has been recovered from the bushes on the bank of Noida drain flowing between Delhi and Noida. She was picked up by a rickshaw-puller who heard her crying and handed her over to police.

The child appeared to be sick. Noida police is trying to locate her family.

Rickshaw-puller Ashok was passing from the drain at the back of Sector-15A on Sunday afternoon when he heard a child crying. He along with some labourers working on Metro project started looking for the child. Soon a girl was found feebly weeping amidst bushes. She was straightaway taken to the district hospital by people. No injury marks were seen on her body.

Ashok later took her to police control room in Sector-14 and handed her over to police.