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Chaos on roads as heavy rains lash
Delhi
City gets first hanging foot overbridge
Water not fit for drinking: MCD
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Digging, loadshedding
hit CP traders
Clear teachers’ dues, SC tells DSGMC
GDA to sell leftover plots
DTC set to provide buses for CWG
CBI gives clean chit to Asthana’s wife in PF scam
M Com course stopped on
S. campus
Refusing marriage, minor girl approaches cops
Rs 50-lakh ransom call
for BJP leader
Salesman shot at, robbed
in Ajmeri Gate
Jeweller shot in Sadar Bazar
Customs official, mother die in accident
Software engineer murdered
Agent held for visa racket
Two detectives robbed in Noida
Highway robbers caught
Criminal held
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Chaos on roads as heavy rains lash Delhi
New Delhi, July 7 Traffic snarls were reported at arterial roads leading to the airport as several vehicles broke down at Dhaula Kuan due to
waterlogging. The traffic was moving at a snail’s place in the diplomatic area of Chanakyapuri, Vasant Vihar, Moolchand, Ashram Chowk, Moti Bagh and in parts on north Delhi. At many places, traffic signals went kaput, adding to the woes of people stuck in serpentine
jams. “We have received several calls of traffic jam from Dhaula Kuan and our men are out managing the situation,” said an official of the Delhi Traffic
Police. People had a harrowing time as many people returning home from office were stuck for
hours. “I was coming from the Income Tax Office and it started pouring at Chanakyapuri. Due to waterlogging, there was a huge traffic jam on Shanti Path. It took me an hour to cover a distance of less than a kilometre,” said Ashok Sharma, a businessman on his way to Vasant
Kunj. Many like Rajan Maini were getting anxious as they had to catch a flight and roads leading to the airport were choked.
“My flight is scheduled for departure at 8 pm and I don’t think I would make it on time. I hope it gets delayed,” said Maini, who left his cab and started walking on foot with his luggage towards the airport.
The weather officials have forecast for one or two spells of rains on Thursday. More rain likely today
Even as the residents woke up to a sunny morning today, the cloudy skies returned towards late afternoon and brought along heavy rains. Heavy rains towards the evening today lashed the capital and continued to give the city residents, a good taste of the monsoon season.
Today the city recorded 12.8 mm rain till 5.30 pm in the evening. For tomorrow, the meteorological department has predicted rains.
“The capital will see partly cloudy skies towards the morning with possibility of rain or thundershowers in most areas,” added the met official.
While the maximum temperature today was recorded at 37.1° C, one degree above the normal, the minimum settled at 28° C which was normal for this time of the year.
“We got up on our terrace and had a good time in the rain. This is the time for hot tea, pakodas and chilly chutneys. That’s how most households welcome monsoon. I hope the season stays like this for some more weeks now,” said Saroj, a South Extension resident. |
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City gets first hanging foot overbridge
New Delhi, July 7 Designed and executed by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Ltd for Public Works Department (PWD), the FOB has been constructed with an aim to provide easy access to visitors to Major Dyanchand Stadium during the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The FOB offers a beautiful view of the Purana Qila and the surrounding areas and also has special features for the differently-abled people. Located at the Bhairon Marg and Mathura Road crossing, the entire arch is a single span without any middle support or break and is made of a seamless steel pipe structure. The FOB has the capacity to carry 5,000 people per hour as against the usual carrying capacity of 1,000 people per day. The seamless steel pipes were imported and bent to the precise curvature. “The FOB is also earthquake resistant. Additional trusses have been provided to the structure to counter the lateral seismic forces. One of the distinguishing features of this FOB is the presence of lifts on either side of the walkway. The lifts can carry 15 people at a time and have been provided keeping in mind the comfort of differently-abled people,” said a senior DIMTS official. Work on the FOB had begun early this year when the pre-fabricated walkway girder of the FOB was erected on January 30. Benches have been provided on the walkway to allow people to sit and enjoy the view. The walkway is also equipped with lights allowing people to enjoy the site at night also. “The FOB is a part of the infrastructure development taking place for the Commonwealth Games. The unique architectural and structural design, while meeting international standards was conceived to look like an arch-type gateway, with its location actually making it a gateway to south Delhi,” added the official.
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Water not fit for drinking: MCD
New Delhi, July 7 The MCD had collected 15,647 samples from all across the city, out of which 1,768 were found contaminated. The fact was revealed in a meeting of standing committee of the corporation. The meeting held discussions on the issue of water-borne diseases. The municipal health officials said that the samples had been collected till July 1. In 2009, 2,345 samples collected by the health department were found unfit for drinking. The standing committee chairman, Yogender Chandolia said that the DJB chairperson, Sheila Dikshit, should take immediate steps in this regard. “We would request the Delhi government to provide safe drinking water to the people. We cannot issue any directions in this matter,” said Chandolia. The civic body officials said the examination of water samples is done by the MCD and whenever any shortcoming found, it is brought to the notice of the Jal Board. The city has reported 159 cases of diarrhoea so far while the figure for 2009 was 1,066. It also reported 53,959 cases of gastroenteritis and 359 cases of jaundice last year. “The MCD is receiving regular complaints from citizens and it should contemplate a legal action against the DJB if the situation does not improve,” said Chandni Chowk councillor Suman Kumar Gupta. The meeting also discussed the issue of regularization of sanitation workers, over which the opposition Congress created a ruckus with J K Sharma, Leader of Opposition, trying to raise slogans against BJP.
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Digging, loadshedding
hit CP traders
New Delhi, July 7 Hit by a slump in their income for the past six months due to the CP renovation and construction work of the subways, the traders are running shops on generator sets as the area has been facing a severe power disruption in the past few
days. The power lines have being taken off for the construction of the subways, leading to long hours of loadshedding. “Whenever the JCBs used in the construction work dig roads, they slash electric cables,” said Atul Bhargav, president of the New Delhi Traders
Association. Shopkeepers said most of the shops do not have power back-ups to run the airconditioners. Their business that is already going on an all-time low has been burdened with extra spending on generator sets as there is no power for many days.
“Using a big generator set costs us Rs 12 to 13 per unit which is quite expensive at a time when even the business is not working well. The cost comes out to be somewhere between Rs 4000 and 5000 per day. For a smaller generator, the expenditure is between Rs 1000 and 1500 per day,” he
said. According to the traders, they do not have enough space also to place big generator set and small ones do not support
ACs. The NDMC, the agency that supplies power in the area, said the cables were disconnected but were put back after the work.
The cables had to be removed for the work ongoing in subways which had lead power cuts in the past few days but they were repaired yesterday and the power was restored, said an official. |
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Clear teachers’ dues, SC tells DSGMC
New Delhi, July 7 A Bench comprising Justices DK Jain and Gyan Sudha Misra also made an oral remark against the committee and the NDMC for spending money on beautification, instead of clearing the pension arrears of the retired principal and the dues of two teachers and four class IV
employees. This followed the demolition of the school building by the NDMC as part of its sealing drive. The Delhi High Court had asked the DSGMC to pay the dues, but it and the NDMC have appealed against the verdict. |
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GDA to sell leftover plots
Ghaziabad, July 7 GDA vice-chairman Narinder Kumar Choudhary said, “During audit, it was revealed that several plots and houses which were cancelled were lying idle. The allottees of these properties were given the cancellation notices and the process of cancellation was completed and now these properties were with the authority for disposal.” “Further it was revealed that as properties were scattered in various sectors, a proper survey of such properties and planning for sale of such property was needed. The survey has been completed and around 600 houses identified. Soon, a scheme for these will be announced. Pricing was under consideration as per the present land rates and cost of contruction,” said Choudhary. “The survey also revealed there were several houses which were never allotted to anybody. These too have been included in the proposed scheme,” said Choudhary. “These houses are in Sanjay Nagar, Govindpuram, Lajpat Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Pratap Vihar, Tulsi Niketan and Indirapuram areas,” said Choudhary.
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DTC set to provide buses for CWG
New Delhi, July 7 It has given demonstration of its plan to the chief secretary of Delhi government, Rakesh Mehta, principal secretary to the Chief Minister, P.K. Tiwari, advisor to CWG committee, Narayanswami and other senior officials of the committee. They have approved the plan, sources
said. The DTC has planned to ply 2,000 buses for sportspersons, spectators, security personnel and schoolchildren. Out of these buses, as many as 574 buses will be for participants and media persons, 1,000 for spectators and the remaining for security personnel and
schoolchildren. The DTC will charge no fare from the persons who will travel in these buses. It will be charged from the games organizing committee and Delhi police, the sources
said. The DTC has 32 focal points which include Kashmiri Gate (ISBT), Anand Parbat, Shahdara Terminal, Uttam Nagar, Azadpur, Najafgarh, Sarai Kale Khan, Mukherjee
Nagar, Bahadurgarh, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, etc. Besides, it will have five hub points-Anand Vihar ISBT, Kashmiri Gate ISBT, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan and Nehru Place Bus
Terminal. If one wants to go to any games venue, one should board the bus from one's nearest focal
point. The DTC has also prepared its contingency plan. It has a separate control room for the games.
The buses will be equipped with GPS system. The drivers and conductors will be given mobile phones to meet any eventuality. |
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CBI gives clean chit to Asthana’s wife in PF scam
Ghaziabad, July 7 Ashutosh was the main accused in the scam. The officer was reported to have become prosecution witness. The scam during the period April 2000 to February 2008 was detected and on February 16, 2008 the then special judge of CBI court Rama Jain had lodged an FIR at Kavi Nagar police station. The police had lodged a chargesheet against 55 persons, including Ashutosh Asthana. Ashutosh had died in Dasna jail under mysterious circumstance on October 17, 2009. The investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation on a court order. On July 3, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against 78 persons at special judge A.K.Singh’s court. In the chargesheet, Allahabad High Court former justice R.P.Yadav, R.N.Mishra, A.K.Singh, Ghaziabad the then district judge R.P.Mishra, and justice R.S.Choubey and Arun Kumar were also made accused. Regarding senior administrative officer Gauri Shankar, it was mentioned that there was no need of action against him. The court further stated there was no evidence which linked Asthana’s wife with the scam.
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M Com course stopped on
S. campus
New Delhi, July
7 Teachers on South campus are quite upset by this move. "The M Com programme on South campus has been stopped arbitrarily by the vice-chancellor. The troublesome part is that it was not discussed in either the executive council or the academic council," said Dr Rajiv
Verma, member academic council. He said the move is in direct violation of the Delhi University Act 31A. "How can you simply take off a popular programme without consulting the teaching staff. How can the VC take such a decision," regretted
Verma. |
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Refusing marriage, minor girl approaches cops
Ghaziabad, July 7 Daughter of Modi Nagar Sanjay Puri resident Mool Chand, Bharati’s marriage was fixed with a Bareilley resident. But on Tuesday, Bharati went to Modi Nagar police station and claimed that she was a 16-year-old minor and her parents were forcibly marrying her. She alleged her parents had not taken her consent before fixing the date. She refused to get married till she attained the age of 18. Soon her relatives reached the police station and tried to talk to her and asked her not to create problems for the parents as the marriage rituals had started and invitations to relatives had been sent. But the girl did not listen to them and was adamant not to marry. Her parents told the SHO that the girl was 18 and they had arranged her marriage with a suitable boy keeping in view her future in mind. The bridegroom’s family was well off and she would be decently treated by her in-laws. They alleged the girl was claiming to be a minor to prevent the marriage. Modi Nagar SHO Suraj Pal Singh, said,” I have told her parents to cancel her marriage as it was illegal to marry a minor girl. The girl was sent to hospital to ascertain her age.”
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Rs 50-lakh ransom call
for BJP leader
Bulandshahar, July 7 New Anaj Mandi traders today downed their shutters in protest, demanding the arrest of kidnappers and release of the kidnapped BJP
leader. BJP leader Sudhir Garg of Mohalla Brahman under Nagar Kotwali area who is also a trader was kidnapped two days ago. On Monday, a call from Sudhir’s phone was made to his son Atul Garg by an unknown person. He had told him his father was safe and there was no need to worry. He told him to arrange Rs 50 lakh ransom for his safe release. The Special Task Force team and four teams constituted by SSP Bulandshhar has launched a manhunt to trace the kidnappers and recover the BJP
leader. Around 10 months ago a trader was shot dead at Saidpur. He was a friend of Garg. In 1998 too, Garg was assaulted by unknown assailants and Rs 28 lakh robbed from another trader and he was threatened. Recently, accused in the case were held guilty and the court had awarded punishment to
them. ASP J.K.Sahi said police teams have been dispatched to recover Garg safely. |
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Salesman shot at, robbed
in Ajmeri Gate
New Delhi, July 7 According to police, the incident took place around 3 pm. Kuldeep has been admitted to LNJP Hospital with bullet
injuries. "We do not how many bullets Kuldeep has received as he is undergoing treatment and is currently being operated upon," said a police official close to
investigation. According to police, Kuldeep was on his Eterno scooter when he got down to drink water in Ajmeri
Gate. "As Kuldeep stopped his scooter, three Pulsar-borne bikers who had been chasing him tried to snatch his bag. However, when he resisted, they opened fire. Policemen present nearby heard the gunshots and fired back upon the criminals, but they managed to flee," said the police official adding that Kuldeep is yet to give statement and his monetary loss is yet to be ascertained.
According to information, the bike used by the robbers did not have a number plate. A case of attempt to murder and robbery has been lodged at the Kamla Market police station and further investigation is on. |
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Jeweller shot in Sadar Bazar
New Delhi, July 7 According to police, the incident was reported around 2 pm and the victim has been identified as Ram Prakash, resident of Jind in Haryana. According to information, Ram Prakash had got down from Ferozpur Express at Sadar Bazar railway station and was descending the stairs on way out of station when assailants struck. “Ram Prakash was carrying a bag and probably had money in it. He was almost out of the railway station when three people attacked him with knife and when he resisted their attempt to snatch his bag, one of them opened fire at him. The robbers managed to flee with the bag. Ram Prakash was rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” said a police official adding that the amount of money kept in the bag could not be known. “We do not know about the losses. Perhaps his family members will be able to tell us about the money kept in the bag,” said the official. According to eyewitnesses, there was no security guard or policemen in sight when the incident took place. Sadar Bazar is a renowned wholesale market and attracts businessman from all over north India. “There are a whole lot of businessman coming to this market for purchase and often carries cash in bags. The unsocial elements lay in wait for such unsuspecting businessman and struck at the slightest opportunity,” said a police official.
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Customs official, mother die in accident
New Delhi, July 7 The deceased have been identified as Satya Bahadur Thapa, additional assistant director in the Central Custom and Excise department, and his mother Asha Thapa (78). The incident took place around 6:30 am in Siddharth Enclave on the inner Ring Road near Ashram flyover when the victims were returning to their house at Indirapuram. They had gone to the residence of Thapa’s brother in Indian Airlines Colony in Vasant Vihar on Tuesday evening, police said. The police said that the accident took place when a dumper hit the scooter from behind near Ashram flyover. The bang was so powerful that the scooter skidded upto a few metres on the road. The victims received serious injuries and were rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre. The doctors said that there situation was serious but a few hours later they perished. The driver of the dumper fled the spot as nobody on the road noticed the incident due to heavy rush at Ring Road. It was only after sometime that somebody noticed the deceased lying on the road and informed the police control room about it. A case of hit and run has been registered.
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Software engineer murdered
New Delhi, July 7 The deceased has been identified as Vivek, a resident of Janakpuri. He was working with a computer company and lived in a rented accommodation. Police suspects robbery behind the murder On Tuesday night, Vivek went to his sister's house. While he was returning home, he was seen injured near Dabri service lane, said a police official. "The man was stabbed and received injury at the lower part of his body around 11 am. But the PCR was informed an hour later. When the police team took him to hospital, he was declared brought dead," said deputy commissioner of police (West- district) Sharad Agarwal. A case of murder has been registered and police has taken up investigations. No one has been arrested yet.
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Agent held for visa racket
New Delhi, July 7 The airport police believes that a "rival visa racket" exposed the matter. The arrest came after two airline call centres received calls from anonymous persons about people travelling on fake visas with intentions of "hijacking" the plane. "We have arrested the travel agency owner Rakesh Chopra and his employee Sunil Bisht," said OP Mishra, DCP (Airport) adding that police has registered separate cases against each of 27 people under IPC sections of cheating and forgery. "Those arrested were supposed to leave India a fortnight ago. But there were some problems with their papers and they had to delay their plans to reach Dubai. They were assured jobs in Iraq," he said adding that police is also looking for the anonymous caller as he could be an important link to reach the mastermind of the racket. The officer denied any intentions of these people to hijack the plane. Out of 27 passengers, 15 are from West Bengal, six from Punjab, four from Haryana, one from Delhi and one from Bangladesh, who had fraudulently obtained an Indian passport. According to police, each of them had paid Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh for the job and visa to Iraq. Further investigation is on.
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Two detectives robbed in Noida
Noida, July 7 “Around 8 pm yesterday two detectives Raj Kumar and Amit Sharma lodged a complaint at Sector 20 police station that around 2.30 pm some persons in two cars pushed them in the car and took them to Surajpur area and assaulted and again brought back and pushed out of the car in the evening around 6 pm. They said their gold chain and mobile phone too was robbed by the assailants,” said V.C.Tripathi, deputy superintendent of police.
“They had come to spy on some foreign lady at Sector 23. Her husband who had filed a divorce case had hired the detective agency,” Tripathi
added. “In another case, a truck driver Dharmendra Singh alleged he was kidnapped by two youths in a Maruti car today and abandoned him on the Expressway after assaulting him and robbing his cash and mobile phone. His truck had hit the youth’s car after which they were reported to have kidnapped the driver,” said Tripathi. |
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Highway robbers caught
New Delhi, July 7 The arrested have been identified as Saleem, (25), Daya Chand, alias Daya (25), and Ajay Kumar
(30). The arrests were made following investigations into several complaints regarding robbery at highway on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Delhi-Jaipur Highway and Sonepat-Karnal
G.T.Road. It came to fore that the gang headed by one Ahmed and Salim might be involved in these truck-jacking. Surveillance was mounted and secret informers were deployed, a senior official said. |
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Criminal held
New Delhi, July 7 According to police, Sultan (25) was apprehended from Sector-24, Rohini yesterday.
Neeraj Thakur, ACP (Crime), Sultan’s arrest came following an ongoing drive against notorious inter-state criminals in view of the Commonwealth Games. |
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The much anticipated, one of its kind, first hanging foot overbridge (FOB) in the capital was opened to the public after Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the bridge today evening at Mathura Road.
