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2 minors held for murder
DTU Stir: Parents support students
Ex-principal of ARSD denies graft charges
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Three cops booked for
maid’s murder
Minor fire in restaurant
Shop robbed at Gulabi Bagh
60,000 travel on Mundka
Metro line
Eunuchs to help collect tax
Cops told to provide copy of CDs seized from Ghandy
A Taj Mahal you can eat
‘Delhi may lose Rs 43 cr due to VAT hike on mobiles’
Security co. owner arrested for theft
Shahi Imam meets PM on Batla shootout
Grow your favourite plants at home
Docs walk to promote organ donation
Games Village gets substation
2 held for car robbery
JNU students’ forum wants quota in jobs
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2 minors held for murder
New Delhi, April 3 The accused killed Bunty as the latter allegedly made illicit advances towards the sister of one of the minor boys. Bunty wanted to marry the girl despite her reluctance. Angry over Bunty’s attitude, the boy roped in his other minor friend and Arun Bihari (22) and hatched a plan to eliminate him. Bunty’s decomposed body was found in an empty tank in Nehru Nagar on March 30. The police said that Bunty had been brutally murdered. The accused had smashed his face with some heavy object. Bunty was recognised by his father Kalu Ram. Kalu Ram had filed a missing report about his son a day ago. The police found that for the past few days Bunty was involved in one-sided love with a girl, Kalpana (name changed). Kalpana belonged to a different caste. Bunty had been forcing her to accept his friendship. Once he had even proposed her in a busy market of the area. Since then, Kalpana’s family had been threatening him of dire consequences. “Kalpana’s family was also questioned. Many contradictions were found in their versions. The police is working on the case. We also came to know that one of the minor brothers of Kalpana along with his other minor friend and Arun Bihari murdered Bunty,” said Jaspal Singh, DCP (central). The accused revealed that when Kalpana’s minor brother came to know about Bunty disturbing her, he got enraged and decided to eliminate him. It was then that he talked about it with his friends Arun and another minor. “The three called Bunty near the railway tracks at Daya Basti. There they attacked him with a razor and sticks. They then pushed him in a 25-ft deep empty tank. The accused persons jumped into the tank and strangulated Bunty with a shirt. When he fell unconscious they crushed his face to eliminate evidence,” said a police official. The official added that one of the minors is 14 years old while the other is 17 years old. |
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DTU Stir: Parents support students
New Delhi, April 3 Parents were talking at a meeting between parents and university administration held at the college. The university had invited parents to help resolve the agitation and find a solution to the impasse. Vandana Prasad, a parent, said, “I completely support the students. The studies here are not up to the mark and the curriculum has not been revised for years. The hostel and classroom facilities are poor. I think the demands put forth by students are reasonable.” Prasad added that the conversion of Delhi College of Engineering to DTU was not right and not handled properly. Manish Gupta, another parent, said, “I am with the students as their demands are genuine. The central university character of the college should be restored.” Those who attended the meet from the university side included DTU vice-chancellor, newly-appointed registrar U.K. Wohra; Anand Prakash, principal secretary, training and technical education, Delhi government, and eminent academicians like professor K.L. Chopra, former director, IIT Kharagpur and professor D.V. Singh, former vice-chancellor, Roorkee University. According to the spokesperson for DTU, Rashmi Sablania, at the meet, parents were informed about the developments that have taken place after the upgradation of DCE into a technical university. The parents were told that as per the DTU Act, the students who were enrolled in Delhi University (DU) courses prior to the incorporation of DTU will continue to study DU courses and shall receive the degrees of DU. The university authorities highlighted that this year over 100 companies had visited DTU and offered 520 jobs to the students. However, the students said that the parents were not satisfied with the vice-chancellor’s assurances. “The parents grilled the VC and he had no answers. Finally, he got upset and left the meeting,” said a third year student. Tthe students and parents are planning to protest at the India Gate on Sunday. |
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Ex-principal of ARSD denies graft charges
New Delhi, April 3 On the basis of the information that Sharma had got after moving an application under the Right to Information Act, he on April 1 levelled allegations of misappropriating with the Rs 7.5- lakh grant that Bhatia had got for purchasing goods for the college. Reacting to the controversy over the purchase of 18 computers, 18 printers and four scanners in March 2009, Bhatia said that she had not signed any document as alleged by Sharma in the media. “Some crucial papers of the file had gone missing. They were later procured through fax. This has caused certain confusion and conspiracies. I am clean,” said Bhatia. When asked why no tender was floated or quotations were called for the purchase of the items, as the RTI documents state, Bhatia said it was not mandatory to float the tenders when the purchases were made on the rates as set by the government. The former officiating principal said that she had completed all formalities, including setting up a committee regarding the purchases of items on March 3, 2009. The committee consisted of five college officials and they made the recommendations on merit, she said. “The fact that the work was done in a day should not go against me. If anything, it was my efficiency,” she said. |
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Three cops booked for
maid’s murder
New Delhi, April 3 A senior police official of the district investigating unit of northeast Delhi said, “Head constable Vijay and constables Uma and Amit have been booked under Section 304 of the IPC. The preliminary investigation has revealed that the maid was beaten by Devender Dhingra, the employer, in the presence of the accused policemen”. Meanwhile, the Bhajanpura police is also investigating the role of other members of Devender’s family, particularly his brother Ravinder, who is absconding. Devender was arrested on Wednesday when Rajkumari was beaten to death on charges that she had stolen Rs 5 lakh kept in the house in connivance with her daughter. Later, Raj Kumari’s husband and children charged that the police did not stop Devender from beating the maid which resulted in her death. The three policemen from Bhajanpura police station were arrested yesterday. Yesterday, the locals in Sangam Vihar area of Loni (Ghaziabad), where Rajkumari lived, created a ruckus over her death and demanded the arrest of the policemen |
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Minor fire in restaurant
New Delhi, April 3 According to information, the restaurant and bar has been closed for the past few years. “Rushing to the spot, two fire engines doused the flames within half an hour. The furniture kept on the premises had caught fire. The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained,” said a fire official. |
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Shop robbed at Gulabi Bagh
New Delhi, April 3 According to information, the incident took place mere few metres from the local police station some time in the night. Shop owner Phul Chand said thieves made away with Rs 60,000 cash lying in the almirah and quintals of basmati rice, ghee and cosmetic items. “Phul Chand has claimed to have suffered losses worth Rs 3 lakh in his complaint. We are investigating the matter,” said a police official. However, policemen could not answer why the police remained unaware about the breaking of locks in a shop and carrying away of goods that took place at mere 30 metres from the police station. |
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60,000 travel on Mundka
Metro line
New Delhi, April 3 “Till 6 pm, the 14 stations of the corridor registered over 60,000 footfall,” said Metro spokesperson. Nangloi and Mundka were the busiest stations . —
TNS |
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Eunuchs to help collect tax
New Delhi, April 3 Last month, the city’s premier civic agency had cleared a proposal wherein it was decided that eunuchs would be given a pension of Rs 1,000 per month. Whereas the proposal to deploy them for property tax collection was deferred. Now, the proposal will again be discussed in the standing committee meeting of the MCD. “The proposal was approved by the House last month. It will be implemented soon,” said a senior MCD official. A municipal councillor, Malti Verma, had floated the proposal in February. “When young they earn their livelihood by dancing and singing on streets, but once they start growing old they lose the energy to earn a living following that means. They don’t even have family to take care of them. Some take to begging, which borders on extortion many a times,” said Verma. She added, “As public representatives, it is our responsibility to help them.” “Unlike ordinary people, we encounter a lot of hardships in getting jobs. Such monetary benefits will surely help. The government should also try to increase the pension amount,” said Chandni, a eunuch.In India, they help collect property tax in cities such as Bhopal. However, this is yet to be cleared by the civic body in the Capital. |
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Cops told to provide copy of CDs seized from Ghandy
New Delhi, April 3 Sixty-three-old Ghandy is a politbureau member of the banned outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was arrested on September 20 by the special cell of the Delhi police and has been booked under sections 419, 420, 468, 474 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In the 789-page charge-sheet claims that the CPI (M) leader has disclosed that he is an active central committee member (CCM) of the banned outfit. The charge-sheet said that during Emergency, he had participated in various agitations and had worked as a journalist with Hitavada newspaper at Nagpur. In 1994, he joined the Peoples War Group and worked in Maharashtra along with two persons-- Vishnu and Vikrant--, who were arrested in 2007 by the ATS in Mumbai, it said. Cases against Ghandy include the killing of ten policemen allegedly by Naxals. Ghandy had been quizzed by the West Bengal police in connection with a criminal case registered at the West Midnapore district in 2008. The Andhra Pradesh police had also interrogated Ghandy for his alleged involvement in a case under the Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Karimnagar district in 2008. At the time of his arrest, Ghandy was residing at a rented accommodation in south Delhi and was allegedly trying to set up a Maoists base in the Capital. According to the police, he went by nine fake names during his stay in Delhi for about three years. |
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A Taj Mahal you can eat
New Delhi, April 3 The replica, made by Lindt Swiss chocolates, is 1x1 metre in dimension. It took Bucher three days to form the full structure and one month to implement the idea. As Bucher hasn’t visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, he took the help of Google to make the chocolate structure. “Thanks to Google, the replica is perfect. But personally, I wish I can visit the place. I am sure if not this time, I will make it some other day,” Bucher said. Bucher has also made a replica of Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli sea link. —
IANS |
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‘Delhi may lose Rs 43 cr due to VAT hike on mobiles’
New Delhi, April 3 It said today that the government could lose as much as Rs 43 crore as a majority of customers would turn to grey market due to increased price. The association said VAT collections for 2010-11 on the sale of mobiles priced above Rs 10,000 will drop by over 55% compared to last year, as sales would move to the neighboring states. “The new VAT rate at 12.5% is putting mobile phones out of reach of many consumers in the state and will encourage the resurgence of grey market in the neighboring states. People will prefer buying handsets from Noida, Faridabad or Gurgaon. This will lead to a huge drop in legitimate sale revenues of mobile phones above Rs 10,000 in the state, with supplies coming in from adjacent states,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, national president, Indian Cellular Association. The association has also written to Chief Minister Sheila Diskhit about the possible fallout for the mobile industry. “We strongly urge the government to maintain a uniform 5% VAT on all the mobile phones instead of the proposed split VAT rate hike. At the current rate, we expect sales are likely to be impacted only marginally and the overall mobile handset industry would continue unhindered, to touch the projected size of Rs 2,150 crore by 2010-11,” said Mohindroo. “This would, in turn, translate into a 34% increase in VAT collection to Rs 107.5 crore, as compared to Rs 80 crore in 2009-10. We believe that with our suggestion the VAT revenues of the state show a healthy increase,” said president, Indian Cellular Association, in the petition. |
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Security co. owner arrested for theft
Noida, April 3 The incident took place on Friday night. The accused have been identified as Ronald Griffin, the owner of the security agency; Ram Babu, a scrap dealer; two drivers, Avdesh and Ali Ahmad, and a middleman who was supposed to arrange the sale of stolen goods. Griffin claims that he is a retired colonel. Two tempos, one Santro car, 37 Japanese machines, 41 electric motors and other fittings were recovered from the accused. “They were caught red-handed while they were loading the goods of the factory on tempos,” said A. K. Tripathi. “They had a modus operandi. They used to steal goods from the factory, after which one of the guards lodged a theft report with the police. Here too, they were planning to do the same,” said Tripathi. |
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Shahi Imam meets PM on Batla shootout
New Delhi, April 3 Bukhari said he held a 35-minute meeting with Singh during which he showed him documentary evidence suggesting that the September 2008 gunfight in Batla House was staged by the police. Two suspected terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen — Saajid and Aatif, both from Azamgarh in UP — were killed by the police just six days after five bombs ripped through the Capital’s busy marketplaces September 13, 2008. “I showed Singh the postmortem reports of Saajid and Aatif which suggest that the two were fired upon from a close range and were dragged and hit with a blunt object before being shot dead. The reports surprisingly have no mention of whose bullets had hit them,” said Bukhari after meeting Manmohan Singh. The cleric said that the Prime Minister was “surprised” and assured that he would talk to home minister P. Chidambaram about it. Bukhari said he also showed him a National Human Rights Commission report that documents fake shootouts in the country resulting in the death of 1,224 people. The cleric said that he had obtained the documents through an RTI application. —
IANS |
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Grow your favourite plants at home
New Delhi, April 3 The Bonsai art workshops at the expo offer gardening skills to visitors who do not have big lawns in their homes. Bonsai, the art of planting small-sized trees, helps one plant his favorite flowers, fruits, or vegetables inside his home, be it the living room or the lobby, comfortably. “Bonsai originated in China but was developed into an art form by the Japanese,” said Neera Neelambera, president of the Indian Bonsai Association. Neera has over 100 Bonsai trees of different shapes and styles on her terrace garden— some are as old as 30 years. “Adequate lawn spaces are not a luxury with most households, especially in fast-paced cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Therefore, most people take to growing small plants in planters. With Bonsai, people can learn to grow their favorite trees which are small, easy to handle and take care of,” she said. Buying a Bonsai is often an expensive bargain. It ranges between Rs 1,000 and Rs 30,000. While making one at home can be a reasonable and enjoyable experience. Any one, who has love for plants, can learn to make a Bonsai. “The art of Bonsai needs patience. The plants need continuous attention of the grower. Some of the delicate and rare species have been preserved through Bonsai,” she added. |
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Docs walk to promote organ donation
New Delhi, April 3 The participants of the ‘Donorthon 2010’, walked the two-km stretch near the Akshardham Temple. “Your organs can help save a lot of lives. A single brain dead person can donate as many as 30 organs and tissues and save as many as six lives,” said A. S. Soin, director of liver transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here. “We need to raise awareness to ensure that more and more people donate their organs after death. It is a matter of concern that organ donation rate in the country is among the lowest anywhere despite India having the largest number of potential donors in the world,” Soin said.—
IANS |
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Games Village gets substation
New Delhi, April 3 To ensure uninterrupted power supply and take care of any unforeseen eventuality, this 66/11-KV grid substation has two 25-MVA transformers — one primary and the other its backup for uninterrupted power supply. “Games 2010 will be the biggest sporting extravaganza ever witnessed in this part of the world. We have made a conscious effort to ensure that an event of this magnitude reflects the concerns of our times. These games, therefore, are being showcased as ‘Green’ and every activity associated with it is a testimonial to this,” said Dikshit. Post the games, this grid will further boost and strengthen the power supply to Mayur Vihar, Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar and adjoining areas. |
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2 held for car robbery
Greater Noida, April 3 On March 22, A.Singh, a resident of Noida’s Sector 36, had gone to Bulandshahar. While he was returning late in the night, two youths asked for a lift and Singh obliged. But, as soon as the car reached Dhada crossing in Greater Noida, the youths pulled out a country-made pistol and robbed Singh of the car. Singh had lodged an FIR regarding this at the Kasna police station. |
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JNU students’ forum wants quota in jobs
New Delhi, April 3 Reacting to the university administration’s decision taken in the last Academic Council meeting on March 31 to take opinion of the Solicitor General of India, the students along with a section of teachers alleged that JNU is deliberately not following constitutional mandate. “Over a period of time, the administration has adjourned both AC and Executive Council meetings without upholding the views of the majority members,” said Prof. Y.S. Alone from School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU. He said most members were in favour of implementation of SC-ST quota at all recruitment levels of assistant professor, associate professor and professor. Presently, the university has 23 SC-ST teachers in total faculty strength of 486 teachers. The percentage of SC and ST teachers separately is 3.29 and 1.44 per cent respectively while according to the reservation, their strength should be 22.5 per cent of the total staff. Not even a single appointment has been made by the university administration under the reserved category on the posts of associate professor and professor. Total six students’ organisations have got together and formulated a joint Forum for Defending and Implementing Reservations (FDIR) to fight against the administration that has allegedly been portraying the matter as “legally ambiguous”. “It is only after the advertisement of 149 faculty posts that anti-reservation sections in the university raised the excuse of the legal ambiguity only to stall the implementation of reservation,” said Shivani Nag from FDIR. In December 2005, the ministry of human resource development had issued directives mandating SC-ST reservations in faculty posts which were subsequently sent to universities by the UGC in 2006. The JNU EC meetings held on April 11 and September 29, 2007, ratified reservations in faculty posts and in 2008, some teachers were also appointed under the reserved categories. In 2009, the university advertised another 149 teaching posts along with the reserved SC-ST posts at all levels of recruitment. It was this time that a section of JNU faculty objected to the implementation of the quota stating that it would dilute academic standards of JNU. The issue invited debates across different sections of the university and right now the agenda would be discussed in the next EC meeting scheduled for April 6. “We would hold a massive protest in front of the EC meeting venue on the date while representations would be sent to the ministries concerned,” said Nag. |
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New Delhi, April 3
