New Delhi, July 15
Taking action against the in-charge of Central Secretariat to Badarpur Metro line, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today relieved Vijay Anand of his services with the Metro.

“DMRC managing director E. Sreedharan ordered the repatriation of Vijay Anand, who was the director in-charge of the under-construction Central Secretariat to Badarpur line of Phase-II,” said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson, DMRC.

Vijay Anand was deputed as director (projects) of Delhi Metro in 2001. Anand has been sent back to the Indian Railways, where he was working earlier.

Anand was presently in-charge of three Metro projects in Delhi and was also the in-charge of the line on which two persons were killed in the Laxmi Nagar accident in October last year.

He was also looking after the clearing operations in Zamrudpur on Monday when six workers were again injured after three cranes broke down.

Meanwhile, site clearing activities at the site of Sunday’s accident continued throughout the day even as rains affected the progress.

The biggest challenge for DMRC at the site is to clear off the iron launching girder.

Work on cutting the concrete girder was expected to start tonight. Ten trestles have been put below the concrete girder to ensure safety, said the officials.

The DMRC has also started paying the compensation to the next of kin of those, who died in Sunday’s accident and the injured.

“Out of Rs 5 lakh that was to be paid, Rs 50,000 has been paid as interim relief to the next of kin of each of the six persons who died. The rest of the amount would be converted into fixed deposit for three years,” said Dayal.

Seven persons who suffered major injuries have been given the full compensation of Rs 50,000, while eight persons with minor injuries paid Rs 10,000 each.

Metro officials maintained that there were no “grievous injuries such as amputation” so compensation of Rs 2 lakh has not been released so far.

Talking about the penalty, Dayal said, “The amount of fine or penalty or other impositions on the contractor would be decided by DMRC only after receiving the inquiry report and after a complete assessment of the damage that has been caused.”

New Delhi, July 15
High index of mosquito breeding in various localities of Delhi has been detected by the teams of MCD and National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme.

Municipal commissioner K.S.Mehra today said that maximum breeding was found in desert coolers, uncovered water tanks and bird pots.

“Delhi is experiencing intermittent rains and with favourable atmospheric conditions, the chances of mosquito breeding would increase. Dengue and malaria vector mosquitoes breed in coolers, uncovered overhead tanks, old tyres or any other article holding water. During rains these waste articles get filled with water and provide an ideal place for breeding of Aedes mosquito. Any lapse that leads to the outbreak of disease at this stage will bring bad name to the city,” the commissioner said.

An MCD official urged public cooperation in controlling the breeding of Aedes mosquito.

“Effective control of the disease is not possible unless suitable steps are taken in residential areas, offices and commercial complexes,” said the official.

He appealed to the administrative heads of all government, educational institutions, commercial establishments, market associations as well as citizens to initiate suitable to check mosquito breeding.

The MCD observes June and July as anti-malaria and dengue months to raise awareness by organizing public meetings in all its 272 wards with the help of RWAs and NGOs.

New Delhi, July 15
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) today informed the Delhi High Court that it has marked a certain area in Sainik Farms in the zonal plan which would be permitted for residential purposes only and there was no proposal to regularise the entire colony.

The lawyer for the civic body told the court that a draft of the scheme pertaining to this proposal has been sent to the government for its consideration after which the area will get legal sanctity.

In view of the statement made by the lawyer who also placed a copy of the draft plan before it, the court adjourned the matter for September 9.

The court was hearing a public interest petition seeking directions to the government for appropriate action against people who have encroached on public land and illegally constructed luxury houses in the Sainik Farms locality in South Delhi.

The petitioner has also alleged that most of the residents in the area have erected high walls beyond the permissible limit and illegally extended the houses. — IANS

New Delhi, July 15
Pointing out that “today’s children constitute tomorrow’s future”, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the government to implement an action plan to wipe out child labour from the Capital within six months.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan gave their nod to a scheme submitted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and said: “Today’s children constitute tomorrow’s future. To ensure a bright future of our children, we have to ensure that they are educated and not exploited.

“In fact, children are the most vulnerable members of any society. They are entitled to special care and assistance because of their physical and mental immaturity. The problem is more complicated in developing countries like ours, where child labour exists in relationship with illiteracy and poverty.”

The court ruling came on the plea of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), an NGO, seeking elimination of child labour from the Capital.

The court accepted the NCPCR suggestion that those employing child labour should be fined Rs 20,000 immediately and the labour department will not have to await a conviction order.

“The money would be recovered as arrears of land revenue and the said amount would be utilised for the educational needs of the rescued child even if the child has subsequently crossed the age of 14 years,” the bench said.

According the proposed scheme, a steering committee should be set up in each district and its members would include the deputy labour commissioner, the district-level health officer, the deputy commissioner of police along with a representative from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

BBA counsel H.S. Phoolka said: “A loud and clear message should go to the employers that they would face prosecution under the strictest laws with an immediate recovery of fine of Rs 20,000.”

According to the NCPCR, the child labour in Delhi is of two types, namely, out-of-schoolchildren living here with their parents and migrant children from other states who have left their family behind.

The NCPCR will implement an area-based scheme for out-of-school children as a pilot project in northwest Delhi and a pilot project for migrant child labour will begin in south Delhi.

“The Delhi Action Plan provides for a detailed procedure to be adopted at the pre-rescue and actual rescue stage. The pre-rescue plan deals with how information is to be collected, verified and the composition of the rescue team as well as what training is to be imparted in advance to the members of the rescue team,” the NCPCR submitted in the court.

The court also directed Delhi police to make the necessary arrangements of police force for raids as per the demand and should arrest the employers of child labour immediately. — IANS

New Delhi, July 15
Members of Delhi unit of the Socialist Unity Centre (SUC) today marched to the Delhi Secretariat protesting against steep price hike of all essential commodities, shortage of water supply, electricity crisis, anti-people Delhi budget and irregularities in making and distribution of BPL ration.

The activists gathered near Delhi Police Headquarters from where they marched towards the secretariat but they were stopped by the police just they crossed the headquarters.

Later, they had a meting near the police headquarters and said that it was culmination of a month long movement of the SUC against the deteriorating condition of water supply and other things.

State Secretariat spokesperson Pratap Samai said with the implementation of policies of globalisation and privatisation the union and state governments had been playing no attention to the public welfare.

As a result, there has been deterioration in the service sector.

He said that the cost of drinking water had been hiked six times. Still there is gradual deterioration of both quality and quantity of water being supplied by the Delhi Jal Board.

Residents of unauthorised colonies, jhuggi clusters and villages do not get water supply. Under such circumstances, private water suppliers fleece the people by selling water at exorbitant rates.

Gurgaon, July 15
Upgradation and rectification of voter lists in Gurgaon and Badshahpur assembly segments would be carried out from July 21 to August 5. District election officer and deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria announced this today.

He said the intensive revision of the assembly segments was unique in the country.

Kataria further said the Election Commission of India (ECI) wanted to present Gurgaon as a role model for the country where the names of voters in the list was completely error-free. Therefore, a special revision of electoral rolls has been taken up.

He informed to carry out the revision of electoral rolls efficiently an action plan had been formulated. Over 1,800 officials have been deputed to carry out the house-to-house survey of voters from July 21 to August 5. The deputy commissioner said help of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) would also be taken.

He further said it was for the first time that the Election Commission had authorised RWAs to submit forms for registering voters in bulk.

As per the rule, only a member of the family can submit the application forms. He said the ECI had relaxed the rule to ensure that no genuine voter was left out. But the names of voters would be registered only after proper verification, in which the help of RWA would also be sought.

The deputy commissioner appreciated the Palam Vihar RWA for its cooperation, adding that some more RWAs were also helping the administration.

He said publication of new electoral rolls would be carried out on August 6. The new rolls would also be given to the RWAs.

He maintained anomalies in electoral rolls would be entertained from August 21 to 29.

The electoral rolls of Gurgaon and Badshahpur assembly segments would be published on September 3.

He said the poll officials were familiar with the area of their survey. The deputy commissioner added each booth level officer (BLO) and enumerator would be given 400 houses for survey. A supervisor would check five polling booths. Ten sector officers have been deputed in both the assembly segments. Two nodal officers — Parveen Kumar ADC for Gurgaon assembly and K.K. Gupta SDM south Gurgaon for Badshahpur have been appointed to monitor the process. The officials have been asked to submit the progress report daily. He said a round-the-clock control room was also being set-up in the district election office. The voters can contact the control rooms to make enquiries related to the matter.

Kataria maintained after the survey was completed, special camps would be organised to correct errors and add new names in the voter list. Those having photo identity cards made from any where else in the country would also be considered valid. They need to fill forms to get themselves registered.

For becoming a voter, Kataria said, a person would have to give a proof that s/ he is citizen of India, has attained the required age and is living in Gurgaon.

The deputy commissioner appealed to genuine voters to cooperate with the staff on poll duty.

Faridabad, July 15
The first substantive spell of rain of the season today exposed the preparedness of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) and the district administration as a large chunk of the areas of this cosmopolitan city got submerged in storm water.

The showers initially brought cheer to the residents, but their joy started evaporating as storm water started accumulating. After about an hour of the shower, a number of areas, including key sections and crossings, got submerged in knee-deep water.

A number of places were affected such as Sector 15 and 15 A, market of Sector 7-8, Sector 12 and Sector 16.

Even the areas in Sector 12 leading to the mini-secretariat were submerged.

The vital junctions and roundabouts which form the innards of the city were hit hard. The pool of water at the YMCA skirting the highway and at Ajranda Chowk on the highway presented pond-like situation. The scene was similar at Neelam Chowk which is one of the main junctions of the city.

While the situation on the roads and crossings was pathetic, it was worse in the old colonies. The condition was dismal in the unapproved colonies like Bharat Colony, Shastri Colony, Bhood Colony, etc.

The MCF and the district administration have badly failed to tackle the situation. The residents alleged that the authorities do not clear the nullahs and channels which are almost choked.

The flood-like situation in the city makes a number of roads unmotorable.

There were traffic jams all over creating chaos on the roads. The elected representatives of the ruling Congress have drawn flak on account of the apparent failure of the local administration to deal with such a situation.

New Delhi, July 15
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) today came out with the list of students who have made it to the university's undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Applicants can check the result at the university website www.jnu.ac.in.

"The university is out with the list of candidates for admissions to B.A. (hons) first year in all foreign languages, M.A., M.Sc. and MCA programmes. Letters and telegrams have been sent to successful candidates," said JNU spokesperson Poonam Kudaisa.

The last date for admission is August 5.

Results for combined entrance test of biotechnology are also out.

Under this, students would be enrolled in M.Sc. programme (biotechnology, agriculture, forestry and veterinary).

"All selected candidates for biotechnology have been advised to contact the course coordinator latest by July 27," said Kudaisa.

At the time of registration, candidates must carry 12 passport-size photographs, two attested copies of matriculation, higher secondary and degree certificates, a character certificate issued by the institute last attended.

SC/ ST candidates have to submit two attested copies of SC/ ST certificate issued by an officer not below the rank of magistrate.

OBC candidates must submit two copies of OBC certificate issued by the district magistrate.

Those who have applied under physically handicapped quota, a medical certificate indicating the nature and extent of disability should be submitted.

However, the list of candidates for M.A. in foreign languages is still awaited and is likely by the month-end.

New Delhi, July 15
The Delhi police has claimed to have unraveled the mystery behind the unidentified body found on the premises of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport Terminal-III on July 1. Two persons have been arrested in this regard.

The accused have been identified as Avdhesh Sharma and his associate Dinesh.

According to the police, Avdhesh had borrowed some money on interest from victim Kamlesh Sharma (32). He was not in a position to return the amount. Therefore, he along with Dinesh allegedly stabbed and strangulated Kamlesh to death.

Joint commissioner of police (operations) Satyender Garg said Kamlesh from Bhind district in MP was in money lending business and used to give money on interest to people he knew.

He had lent Rs 80,000 on interest to his distant relative Avdhesh Sharma, who is also from Bhind.

“Kamlesh had been pressurising Avdhesh to return the money. But Avdhesh was not in a position to return the amount as he had lost his job two months ago. Therefore, he along with Dinesh hatched a plan to eliminate Kamlesh,” informed Garg.

Dinesh (28) hails from Muzaffar Nagar in UP and works as a mechanic in Gurgaon.

As per the plan, Avdhesh told Kamlesh he was not in a position to pay back the amount so he was planning to join an inter-state gang to manage the money for him.

“Avdhesh told Kamlesh he wanted his opinion regarding the gang and had called its members in Delhi. On July 1, he came with Kamlesh on the latter’s motorcycle at IGI Airport. He took Kamlesh in the outer boundary wall area surrounding Terminal-III of the Airport. Dinesh was already waiting there. Avdhesh along with Dinesh strangulated Kamlesh,” added Garg.

Initially, Avdhesh denied his involvement. But on sustained interrogation, he disclosed the plan admitted to the crime.

Avdhesh joined his family when his family started looking for him and had even gone to Sector-18 police station in Gurgaon to lodge a missing report.

The motorcycle of the deceased, his purse and two mobile phones have been seized. A countrymade pistol and five cartridges were also seized. 

New Delhi, July 15
A notorious carjacker involved in more than 500 thefts in and around Delhi, Manoj Bakarwara (34) has been arrested along with his four accomplices, including a constable of Punjab police. They have been identified as Parveen (24), Sarwan Singh (34), Prabhsharan Singh (31) and Gurcharan Preet Singh (23).

Sarwan Singh is a police constable posted at Firozepur, Punjab.

Manoj Bakarwara was most wanted by Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana police with reward on his head.

According to police, information was received by the special cell that Manoj Bakarwara and his gang are disposing of stolen cars in Chandigarh. Accordingly, an Endeavour car bearing No. DL-3C AN 2408 from Delhi was intercepted and the three occupants of the car were overpowered by the team. They were identified as constable Sarwan Singh, Punjab police, Prabhsharan Singh and Gurcharan Preet Singh. The car was seized and the trio were brought to Delhi.

On interrogation, it was revealed that they had received 18 luxury cars from Manoj Bakarwara in recent past and that Bakarwara is presently using a Honda City .

Atrap was laid on Najafgarh drain bridge near Nilothi yesterday, leading to the prize catch of Manoj and Praveen. The search of Manoj led to the recovery of a sophisticated English pistol with cartridges.

According to police, he found this pistol in a Pajero car which he had robbed in DLF, Phase-I, Gurgaon in mid-June 2009. The original licence of this weapon was also recovered from the dashboard of seized Honda City car. Similarly, the search of Praveen led to the recovery of another sophisticated English pistol with 4 live cartridges.

Manoj Bakarwala, a bad character of Nangloi police station, disclosed that he has stolen/robbed around 500 cars in 11 years.