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3 hurt in building collapse
7 carjackers arrested
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No permanent night shelter for women
Court seeks presence of blast accused
Another criminal killed in encounter
Luxury haven for aged parents of NRIs
Delhi, NCR hub of pirated CDs: Assocham
Kashmiri, Nepali crafts on display at Dilli Haat
ISI plot to plant agents in Indian politics
Arjun for secular education system
DU plans workshop on solar eclipse
Uphaar Tragedy Fireman gets bail
Spurious ghee unit busted in Narela
Valuables worth Rs 15 lakh missing from flat
Blind honour brave driver who lost sight
HC upholds divorce of
retd IPS man
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3 hurt in building collapse
New Delhi, December 20 Shankar (27), a rickshaw pullar; Naresh (30), scooterist, and Aala (25), a labourer at the construction site, were injured. They have been admitted to a hospital. Shankar and Naresh were passing from near the site when the incident took place. They were buried under the debris. Some people from the nearby area rescued them. The Delhi Fire Service vehicles reached the spot within 20 minutes and removed the debris till 7 pm. A case of negligence has been registered against the owner of the building, K.K. Bakshi, who was absent. No arrest has been made yet. The exact cause of the building collapse has bot been ascertained. However, the police suspects poor quality of material to have caused the incident. Meanwhile, the matter will be investigated and necessary actions will be taken against the building owner and contractor, the police said. A junior engineer has been suspended as of now. Mayor Aarti Mehra and chairman of the MCD’s Standing Committee Vijender Gupta visited the site. They asked the Delhi police and the Delhi Fire Services to coordinate with the MCD officers. They instructed the work of removing the debris be carried on till the site was cleared. They ordered to ensure that no one remained buried. Gupta said building collapse in unauthorised or regularised unauthorised colonies was often due to lack of rules and regulations for building activities. He said the situation could be averted by providing standard designs for construction activities. He said the MCD would soon meet Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna to solve the problem. |
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7 carjackers arrested
New Delhi, December 20 The suspects were identified as Ratan, alias Mintoo, Rahul Jain of Karawal Nagar, Vijay, Zuned Qureshi, Ravi Kant, Sanjay, Raghubir Singh. Rahul is mastermind of the gang. He has been active in criminal activities since 2000. Rahul was jailed for lifting a vehicle. He met Ratan and Vijay in jail. They decided to work together and paid the fee of advocates by selling stolen goods. The police recovered several cars and motorcycles, including 10 Hyundai cars, besides 25 mobile phones and 24 credit cards. Two countrymade pistols and two button-actuated knives were also seized. During interrogation, Rahul disclosed that he was lodged in the Tihar Jail where he met Ratan and Vijay, who were also involved in robbery with murder cases. They became friendly and decided to work together. Rahul came out from the jail and started stealing car and motorcycles. He expanded the gang by taking Juned, Sanjay, Ravi and started committing crime in different parts of Delhi. He disclosed that he used to steal car, motorcycle from Delhi and NCR area. They committed crime between 9 pm and 4 am at night. They operated on Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. Whenever Rahul and accomplices noticed someone crossing road or walking on the road carrying a bag or a suitcase in hand, they robbed the valuables at gun or knifepoint. They used to do shopping with the robbed credit cards and also took cash from ATM. They used to dispose of the stolen cars or motorcycles to one Raghubir in Kurushetra, Haryana, who was also apprehended. With their arrest, robbery cases of Vikas Puri, Rajouri Garden, Uttam Nagar, Keshav Puram and Naraina, around 45 cases of motor vehicle theft and snatching have been worked out. More raids are being conducted to arrest the other members of the gang. |
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No permanent night shelter for women
New Delhi, December 20 Even after setting up 25 night shelters for the homeless in the city there is not much relief to a majority of them. It appears the city’s homeless are ready to brave the chill outside, but are not very enthusiastic about using the night shelters built for them. “It is better to stay on footpath rather than going to night shelters. The atmosphere is very bad there. Some are drinking while others are smoking. It is just like hell,” said Rajkumari, 32. “I went with my daughter to a Nizamuddin night shelter meant especially for women but we were molested there. The caretaker behaved like a hooligan. There is no safety,” lamented Brinda Kumari, 29. But a woman caretaker of such a shelter narrates a different tale. She said, “People do not listen to us. Men are restricted here. But we allow families to eat together and ask them to leave after that. There is no problem and we cooperate with the homeless.” Delhi is the national Capital and home to President Pratibha Patil, Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Mayor Aarti Mehra, but, surprisingly, there is not even one permanent night shelter especially for women here. “There are no lasting options for women, who live on streets and want a safe getaway during night. They huddle together on railway platforms, around temples and other places of worship,” said Dhananjay Tingal, consultant of Indo Global Social Service Society. “Some night shelters being pitched for women will last for about three months i.e., during the winters. After that they will not have any special night shelter,” confirmed Paramjit Kaur, director of NGO ActionAid India. Out of the 25 night shelters in the Capital the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) runs 10 and the remaining 15 are run by ActionAid under the Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan, Deep Mathur, director PRO of MCD, informed. Where the city remains cold about the problems encountered by the homeless, the social welfare department also seems non-existent in this campaign. “The social welfare department is sleeping. It is providing no help. Moreover, after so many discussions, the department does not have any role to play,” claimed Kaur. In order to encourage people to use night shelters, ActionAid along with some other NGOs and government’s support has formed teams to patrol streets during night and mobilise slum dwellers and homeless to sleep in their nearest shelter, confirmed an NGO worker. Talking about the reasons why the homeless do not opt for night shelters, Kaur said, “Many want to sleep with their families and we can offer only separate shelters for men and women. Besides, many don’t find a shelter close to their workplace. Hence, they prefer sleeping on pavements.” The busiest shelters, however, are those near Old Delhi railway station, major markets and some community centres. It appears that people are not accepting the environment at night shelters. Even though the MCD and NGOs have invested a lot of money, if one steps into a night shelter the site is just pathetic,” said Ashok Pandey who has been inspecting these shelters. When darkness and fog drape the Capital, nights become a period of constant tussle between life and death for the homeless. It is easy to think feeling cozy at home and sitting with woolen clothes to keep warm but it is extremely difficult to feel the pain these helpless people are in. |
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Court seeks presence of blast accused
New Delhi, December 20 Taking note of the two chargesheets filed by the Delhi police against the five accused for planting bombs in Karol Bagh and Greater Kailash markets, chief metropolitan magistrate Kaveri Baweja listed the case for January 7. The serial bombings in the Capital had claimed 26 lives and injured over 125 persons. The police had earlier this week charged the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Substance Act with various offences, including waging war against the state, murder and attempt to murder. The charges were filed against Mohammed Shakeel, Zia-ur-Rehman, Saquib Nissar, Mohammed Saif and Zeeshan. The accused, natives of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested from Delhi following a shootout in Jamia Nagar in South Delhi in which two suspected terrorists, Atif Ameen and Sajid, and a police officer were killed six days after the blasts. The police say Ameen, the alleged leader of the Indian Mujahideen, and other absconding suspect Junaid planted bombs at GK-I market. The police said 22 people were involved in carrying out serial blasts in the Capital. Twelve of the accused were yet to be traced, according to the police, while Mohammed Mansoor Peerbhoy, another accused, is in the custody of the Mumbai police. The police told the court that it would file a supplementary chargesheet later against two accused — Sadique Sheikh, an alleged co-founder of Indian Mujahideen, and Quamuddin — who were arrested two days after the serial blasts in the Capital. The chargesheet refers to the involvement of this module also in the serial blasts at Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad and the fact that they procured the explosives for the Delhi blasts from Karnataka.
— IANS |
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Another criminal killed in encounter
Noida, December 20 Varma was wanted in a murder case of councillor of Banaras. He had come to Noida to meet another criminal, Santosh, alias Kittu, who is carrying a reward of Rs 20,000 on his head. SSP, R.K. Chaturvedi said councillor Vijay Verma had been murdered in broad daylight in Banaras. Jeetu Varma who absconded after the murder was suspected to have carried out this murder. Banaras police had been tracking Jeetu’s mobile. On getting his location from Noida, an SOG team from Banaras reached Noida. This SOG team along with Noida police tracked the criminal in Phase-II area. Police came to know that Jeetu and Kittu would meet in Housing Complex area and then plan a big crime in Poorvanchal. But Jeetu was shot dead by Noida police in an encounter on Jhojha Road before the two criminals could meet. According to Banaras police, Jeetu was wanted in a number of crimes registered in different police stations. He was wanted for nine murders, which he used to execute for different gangs. After each crime, Jeetu used to hide in west UP or Delhi. |
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Luxury haven for aged parents of NRIs
New Delhi, December 20 The first such neighbourhood under the Impact Senior Living Estates (ISLE) will be established at Amritsar in the next two years, keeping in mind the predicament of NRIs who constantly worry about their aged or ailing kin back home. Located close to the Golden Temple, the colony will mainly target Sikhs who would like to spend the last years of their lives close to a religious place. Vinay Singhal, director of the project, said such housing projects were already there in Britain and Canada, but India was yet to explore such retirement options for the elderly. “The need for a project like this was dormant earlier. But with joint families breaking up and the children of nuclear families moving away, aged parents end up alone in metros, fending for themselves. Not only will this colony be just three kilometres away from the Fortis Hospital but the residents will also have 24-hour on call medical help, security at the push of a button, housekeeping on request, and there will be regular tours to the Golden Temple. Thus, almost every need of the residents will be taken care of,” said Singhal. A physiotherapy centre, a hydro-pool to cure osteoporosis problems, a meditation centre, laundry service, a club and regular health check-ups are some of the other features of the colony. “There will also be a food court in case someone wants a change in the palette. Then there will be a salon, a spa, a library, a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and other facilities for indoor sports. Also, there will be a regular shuttle service to the city for anyone wanting to go out,” Singhal said. But how viable is the idea of asking an aged person in the last days of his life to leave the place he has lived all along? “We are trying to encourage people to come in groups — friends, relatives. And, the trend in the bookings have been like this. When groups of friends come to stay in the colony, they would feel at home,” he said. The prices vary with the size of the apartments. For a one-bedroom apartment, one has to pay Rs 5,00,000 as admission fee and another Rs 2.5 million as a refundable deposit. Thereon, one has to pay Rs 10,000 per month. “The colony will formally be opened in the first half of 2010. The bookings have already begun. We are also working with the ministry of overseas affairs and the British high commission to get better access to the NRI population,” Singhal said.
— IANS |
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Delhi, NCR hub of pirated CDs: Assocham
New Delhi, December 20 Looking at the way fake CDs and other audio/video products are mushrooming, piracy could hurt revenue generation of original manufacturers in the area to an extent of over Rs 1,500 crore in the next few years. The rampant sale of pirated goods put severe strain on annual revenue collections of about Rs 150 crore in terms of excise or sales tax and other local levies, including entertainment tax to Delhi, UP and Haryana, adds Assocham findings. Assocham has recommended for the creation of anti-piracy detection force in Delhi and NCR under a statutory body.
Releasing the estimates, secretary general D.S. Rawat said, “Genuine manufacturers like T-Series, Music Today, HMV, Saraegama, MG Traders, Morgan and Gnomon Astrotech have brought to notice about the increasing duplicacy which have already caused a loss of over 30 per cent in last five years”. He added fearless sale of these products is going on flouting the stipulations of Copyright Act, as there is no effective mechanism to check their sale. Apart from the popular Palika Bazar, other places that have entered the list of pirated products include Chandni Chowk, Nehru Place, Laxmi Nagar, ITO, Daryaganj, Seemapuri, Azadpur, Trilokpuri, Khanpur and Sangam Vihar in Delhi. In NCR, the pirated software goods are sold at Nithari, Nyaya Bans and Harola in Noida; Mohan Nagar, Raj Nagar and Ghantaghar in Ghaziabad and Market number one of NIIT in Faridabad. Assocham also claims that the regional film industry, especially Bhojpuri can be the worst hit as the maximum number of migrants is from Bihar, UP and Haryana. They form the major market for regional films and music. |
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Kashmiri, Nepali crafts on display at Dilli Haat
New Delhi, December 20 The Dastkari Crafts Mela organised at Dilli Haat here offers a feast to art connoisseurs and shoppers. Besides, it imparts business know-how to novice artisans. The main attraction of this expo is ‘Naya Kashmir’. It serves as a platform for those artisans who are either ignorant of such a presentation or do not have enough money/infrastructure to market their wares outside Kashmir – their native land. Mohd Abbas, a wagoo weaver, who is participating in such a mela for the first time, feels lucky. He said, “It is a unique platform as it helps rural artisans like me to display their products and years of labour. I hope people like my mats and I get good orders.” The major spectacles are ‘wagoo’ or grass mats which have therapeutic properties and the finest of ‘kani sozni’ embroideries that have been lauded internationally. Besides, the exquisite tilla work in silver and gold on traditional Kashmiri pherans and papier machie art on cloth and pottery, embossed and beaten copper vessels, are also on display. The extravaganza is an annual affair and every year artisans from other countries are invited to showcase their talents. This time the podium is lighted with amazing artifacts of indigenously Tibetan and modern art of our neighbour Nepal. An Enterprise Development Workshop is held daily from 11 am to 1.30 pm. Craft development experts apprise Nepali visitors and craftsmen on subjects like — corporate identity and branding, traditional to contemporary art, colour forecasting and fashion trends, presentation and packaging, product development—pashmina and jewellery design development. Jaya Jaitley said, “Each year the Samiti brings craftsmen from other countries with unique themes, like Pakistan — Dostkari, Vietnam — Lotus Links, South Africa — Afrikhadi, Sri Lanka — Elephant Tales, Thailand — Under One Roof, which gives them the opportunity to interact with their Indian counterparts. However, this time the Nepalese artisans would be briefed about the infrastructural uses of set-ups like Dilli Haat.” Nepalese ambassador Durgesh Mansingh said, “When we speak of ties between two countries, it is not only in terms of governments but also in terms of people. This front will help to further the process of cultural exchange between both the countries.” Joint secretary of the ministry of external affairs Satish Mehta said, “India has had a long tradition of ties with Nepal.” Meanwhile, the show is to promote the indigenous culture and art patterns of Nepal and India, while enabling small and medium enterprises to market their products and creations. |
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Experts assess impact of recession on India
Gurgaon, December 20 Eminent economist and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Dr C.Rangarajan, MP, was the chief guest as well as the keynote speaker at the HIPA-organised seminar “The Global Economic Crisis : Its Impact on India”. Haryana chief secretary Dharam Vir presided over the seminar, while Ajay Shankar, secretary, Industrial Policy and Development, Government of India; and Yogesh Aggarwal, chairman, IDBI, were the other prominent speakers. Delivering the welcome address, Dharam Vir noted that the government and other authorities concerned had adopted several measures to combat the impact of the economic recession on the country, but at the same time, there was a need to do some in-depth thinking over the issue. “Brainstorming by expert economists is the need of the day and this is the underlying idea behind organising today’s seminar,” he asserted. Dr C.Rangarajan observed that the world economy was passing through a rough patch as a result of the global economic slowdown. “The present economic crisis is no longer confined to the western world. The heat is being felt by the developing countries, including India,” he maintained. The former RBI Governor threw light on the origin and possible ramifications of the meltdown, besides suggesting ways and means to deal with the situation in the Indian context. “The emergence of the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the USA which gradually snowballed into a global meltdown. The subsequent failure of the Lehman Brothers and other US investment bankers triggered a chain reaction resulting in the crisis situation,” he opined. Dr Rangarajan attributed the crisis to regulatory failure, inappropriate leveraging and asset and liability mismatch in case of investment bankers. He stated that the Indian banks did not need to worry much as unlike the US banks, they were not exposed much to distress or “toxic” assets. Moreover, the government was taking all-out measures to bail out the banks by providing increased liquidity. Though he admitted that the export sector, including products as well as services, had been affected by the recession and the capital flows had also declined, the MP hoped that the crisis would be over by the end of the next calendar year. He ruled out that the present recession was comparable to the depression of the 1930s. Suggesting measures to tackle the problem, Dr Rangarajan asserted that the top priority should be to strengthen the financial system. “Liquidity to the banks and other financial institutions should be increased, and so should be fiscal expenditure,” he said, adding that RBI’s decisions to reduce CRR and Repo rates were steps in the right direction and taken in time. The domestic credit system must also fill the gap created by the drying up of the external sources, he added. On the other hand, Shankar was of the view that easing the monitory policies alone would not suffice; and it was high time that the public sector stepped in with a public-private partnership model in areas such as housing and infrastructure development. “This may act as a positive stimulus to change the market sentiment,” he said, adding that to minimise the impact of the crisis, we should go out in search of new export avenues in the world. Aggarwal discussed at length the impact the crisis could have on our banking system. He hoped that steps undertaken today would go along way in tackling the situation in the time to come. He advised the bankers not to compromise with the quality of assets under competitive pressure. Former Haryana chief secretary M.C.Gupta summed up the deliberations held at the seminar and hoped that the suggestions made by learned speakers would go a long way in resolving the crisis. The HIPA director, Rajni Sekhri Sibal, proposed the vote of thanks. |
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ISI plot to plant agents in Indian politics
Ghaziabad, December 20 According to sources, the ISI and terrorist agencies will make covert, but well-planned efforts to intrude into the cadres of Indian political parties with the objective of becoming a part of administration in this country. The latest example of this plan is provided by SOG of Ghaziabad police, which recently arrested Pakistani national Aftab Alam. Aftab had, according to police, worked as a polling agent for a candidate who contested recent Delhi assembly elections from Seemapuri. Aftab had been living in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad for the last three years. Originally from Iran Avenue, Karachi, Aftab was trained at Lakshr-e-Tayaba camp in Karachi. Intelligence agencies are learnt to have sent this report to the central and state governments, it is learnt. In the light of this UP Chief Minister Mayawati had in a meeting of state MPs, MLAs and ministers on December 15, warned them against any truck with such suspicious and anti-national elements. The ISI is understood to be planting its informers at a lower level of some political parties in India. The ISI, according to Indian intelligence agencies, has directed its agents to contest and win elections for pradhans, BDC members, district panchayat members, block pradhans—up to any level. The ISI focuses on young men between 25 and 32 years of age whom it is trying to link up through NGOs. The intelligence agencies are understood to have issued instructions in their meetings as to how to deal with the challenges of the latest dangers from across the border. Some suspicious persons have been identified at different places like Ghaziabad, Barielly, Kanpur etc in UP, it is learnt. |
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Arjun for secular education system
New Delhi, December 20 Singh said that to gain a democratic, secular and egalitarian education system, the people of India have to go a long way. He added that one should not forget that people like Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Zakir Hussain, who won freedom for India, were all great scholars. Talking about the ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor in the country, Singh stressed on the need of a modern open-minded education system to achieve a world free of hunger, starvation, illiteracy, violence and disparity. The welcome speech was delivered by the vice-chancellor of the university Mushirul Hasan. The five-day congress, which will run till December 22, will see the participation of some 500 delegates from all over the country. Besides, some 200 social scientists and research scholars from Jamia, DU, JNU, will deliberate on the focal theme, ‘The Indian Republic at the Crossroads.’ |
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DU plans workshop on solar eclipse
New Delhi, December 20 The eclipse will pass across the entire breadth of India, over the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Apart from the wide path of totality, the entire country will witness a partial eclipse in the morning hours of July 22. “The workshop intends to bring together professional and amateur astronomers and eclipse chasers to share their information, knowledge, and experience,” an official from DU informed. The aim is ‘Take-Home-an-Eclipse-Plan’ i.e. all aspects of a successful solar eclipse observation will be discussed. |
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Where’s the chill? Temp rises by 8°
New Delhi, December 20 According to officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rise in the minimum temperature is because of the cloud cover — the reason why the day looks bleak, but is not really that cold. The minimum temperature recorded on Saturday morning was 16.2° Celsius, when it should normally be around eight at this time of the year. “For the last two days Delhi has had a thick cloud cover because of the western disturbances over Jammu and Kashmir. This has caused the heat to be trapped and thus the rise in the minimum temperature,” an IMD official said. “However, we are expecting a light rainfall over the capital today. This will clear the clouds, causing the temperatures to dip,” the official added.
— IANS |
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Uphaar Tragedy Fireman gets bail
New Delhi, December 20 H.S. Panwar’s bail was extended till the time of filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order. But he has been asked not to leave the country and surrender his passport. Panwar’s sentence was reduced from two years to one year on Friday when the High Court upheld the guilty verdict against real estate tycoons Ansal brothers. The Delhi High Court indicted them for their “complete disregard” of safety norms in the Uphaar theatre owned by them. “The negligent and careless inspection carried out by him has been held to be a significant and direct cause of the accident, which took away lives of innocent people and grievously injured several others,” the court said while reducing Panwar’s jail term from two years to one year. “His vigil could have prevented the (issuance of) fire clearance certificate,” the court said.
— IANS |
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Spurious ghee unit busted in Narela
New Delhi, December 20 The police received information that some people were engaged in manufacturing or supplying of ghee of Madhusudan brand in Narela. A raid was conducted at factory number B-2372, DSIDC Industrial Area, Narela, where a ghee unit was found to be running. Ten tins of spurious Madhusudan ghee and 30 tins of Paras brand ghee were recovered. A worker of the factory said that the unit was being run by two partners—Pawan Kumar Garg and Subash Aggarwal, both residents of Ashok Vihar. They are absconding, the police said. During search, some other articles such as refined oil, vegetable oil, LPG cylinders, gas stoves, weighing machines, rubber stamps, utensils, etc were also recovered which were reportedly being used to prepare the spurious product. |
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Valuables worth Rs 15 lakh missing from flat
Noida, December 20 Cops are suspecting security guards, sweepers, malis, etc. A number of persons have been detained for questioning, but no clues found so far. Devika Garg is the lone occupant of the Stellar Green Apartment No. 301. She had gone to her father’s house on Wednesday evening in Sector-50 to look up her father who was not keeping well. When she returned to her flat on Friday at 11 am, she was stunned to see that the flat had been broken into and ransacked. The steel mesh door and wooden door had been broken open. Jewellery and silver ware from the safe and the puja room were missing. It appeared the robbers had searched the apartment at leisure. The woman has given full details of the missing articles to the police. The thieves took away gold ornaments and silver ware, including a silver idol of a goddess and some rare coins. |
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Blind honour brave driver who lost sight
Noida, December 20 Singh, who is yet to receive the compensation promised to him by the Delhi government, was felicitated with a cheque for Rs 51,000 by the children of Jeevan Jyoti Blind Welfare Society at a function held in his honour
recently. On October 29, 2005, the day Delhi was rocked by three serial blasts, Singh had saved 30 lives by throwing away from his bus a bag containing bomb. But, in the incident, he lost vision in both eyes and injured his one hand. Talking at the function, Singh expressed his disenchantment with the politicians and the media. “It is painful to see that people, including even the media, remember us only when there is some blast. “All that the media wants is a ‘byte’ to raise the TRPs of their channels. Nobody is interested in genuinely helping people like me. Politicians go abroad to get cured even their small ailments, but nobody cared enough to take me abroad for treatment, so that I could get back vision at least in one eye,” Kuldeep rued. Moved by his account, the visually impaired children present at the function took a pledge to fight terrorism. |
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HC upholds divorce of
retd IPS man
New Delhi, December 20 Dismissing an appeal filed by Vimla Balani, 70, challenging the divorce granted by a family court last year in favour of Jai Kishan Balani, a 1953-batch IPS officer, Justice V.B. Gupta upheld the lower court’s observation that “the marriage has been broken down irretrievably”.
— IANS |
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Centre lauded
New Delhi, December 20 |
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