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Yamuna swells, shows no sign of ebbing
Flood ruins crops in 14 villages
One life lost
Dengue still not epidemic, says govt
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DU fashion takes a back seat
due to dengue danger
4 found dead on tracks, 2 injured
Wet Sunday forecast
Indo-Canadian MP fights for minority rights
More opting for open learning mode
Eid celebrated with traditional fervour
Fed up of illness, boy runs away; traced
Ex-banker held for artful dodging
Engineer held for cheating
Noida market cleaned by volunteers
Cancer awareness
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Yamuna swells, shows no sign of ebbing
New Delhi, September 11 The water level had reached 206.80 metres in the evening and was showing no sign of ebbing while the normal level is 204.83 metres. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the city had no threat from the rising Yamuna. "We have made all preparations and there was no need to worry," she said. Officials said there would be no repeat of 1978, a year when Delhi had seen its worst flood crisis in recent history, even if the river reached the mark of 207.49 metres, a level it had touched that year. The flood-affected areas are in north and east Delhi, which are low-lying and close to the river. The water entered the Inter State Bus Terminus in Kashmere Gate and many buses were half-submerged. The crisis also came close to Mayur Vihar, Phase 1. The localities most affected by the flood are Usmanpur, Yamuna Bazar, ISBT, Jaitpur and a few villages. The water flowing furiously under the old Yamuna bridge forced authorities to stop rail traffic through it and as many as 25 trains were cancelled. Villages like Garhi Mandu and Chilla saw water entering many houses and people took shelters at higher places. Villagers in Garhi Mandu complained that the water level had been rising in their village for the last two days, forcing many families to abandon their houses, but nobody from the government had come to examine the situation. Many families in Jaitpur had moved to the second floor of their houses as the floors below were submerged. "There is no way to leave my house and move to some safer place. Water would go down soon," Mahip, a local, said. Officials said even if the water level rises, only those places which fall in the river's catchment area would be in danger, and said fears of the city being in flooded were baseless. According to officials, the water in Hathnikund barrage in Haryana is manageable and if there is not much rain in the next 24 hours, the river should recede.
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Flood ruins crops in 14 villages
Palwal, September 11 However, the authorities heaved a sigh of relief here today after reports that the water level in the Yamuna near Sonipat had started receding. Hence, the flood here would lose its intensity and things might start improving from tomorrow. Two villages, Indira Nagar and Mahabalipur, have been completely submerged in water while in the other affected villages, only the fields and agricultural land outside the residential areas have been flooded. As a result, standing crops of paddy, sugarcane, jawar and bajra have been damaged. The authorities today visited the affected villages and inspected the relief work in the two camps set up in Khataka Nangli and Acheja villages for the residents of Mahabalipur and Indira Nagar.
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One life lost
New Delhi, September 11 His friends managed to swim to safety, the police said, but Deepak, a resident of Dilshad Garden, drowned. His body was not recovered till the last reports came in and officials suspect that it might have flowed with the
current. The police said Deepak accompanied by his friends Hari Krishan and Subhash Kumar went to Geeta Colony overpass for taking a bath in the river around 3: 30 pm.
They jumped into the river and Deepak got carried away by the current. His two friends tried to rescue him, but drowned, said a police official said.
"The current was so fast that within no time we found that Deepak was not there. We then swam back to the bank," said a sobbing Subhash Kumar.
The police said they have pushed in five divers to find his body and the authorities downstream have been alerted to search for him. |
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Dengue still not epidemic, says govt
New Delhi, September 11 However, the government says it is not an epidemic as the mortality rate is still low. The city's doctors believe that it is actually the extent of the spread of the disease and people affected by it (number of cases) which determine whether a disease is of epidemic stature. "Mortality is not an indicator of an epidemic, rather it is the increased number of cases which is evident from the rush of patients in hospitals. Our medicine department sees more than 50-60 patients with suspected symptoms of dengue, both in IPD and OPD, and 60-70 per cent of them turn to be positive daily which we report to the MCD," said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, director, internal medicine, from Max Hospital. In the last two months, Batra has admitted 135 positive cases of dengue and the cases are expected to go up. "Dengue has been endemic in Delhi. Given the current monsoon conditions, cases have soared up," said Dr Sanjeev Bagai, the CEO of Batra Hospital. The cases as recorded by the Municipal Coroporation of Delhi (MCD) could be fewer than the actual numbers as the MCD accepts only IgM Elisa confimed cases, many doctors say. Meanwhile, the MCD has confirmed the fifth death due to dengue in the national Capital, even as the cumulative of the people testing positive for the vector-borne disease has gone up to 1,716. "Another death has been confirmed today. The patient-Raj Kumar (25 years, a resident of Ansari Nagar) died on August 29 in AIIMS," said Dr V K Monga, the chairperson of MCD's health committee.
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DU fashion takes a back seat
due to dengue danger
New Delhi, September 11 The guys have also shunned Bermudas and come back to good old jeans-T-shirt style.
No more bare shoulders and legs, says Prachi Keswani, Kamla Nehru life sciences student, adding,
"Aedes mosquito bites you during the day. Mosquitoes manage to enter everywhere--classrooms, auditorium, etc. It's better to stay covered. Most hostellers apply mosquito repellants during the day as
well." Fashionistas of Delhi University are now avoiding clothes that allow generous show of skin. The
ganjis, off-shoulders, cropped pants and corduroy shorts have been temporarily replaced by cotton pants,
kurtis, jeans and full sleeve tops. "With rains in the city, it's either too muddy or humid. Cotton shorts and tops are your best bet in such weather. But with the dengue scare in the city, we need to take precautions. Fashion comes later. We stay away from families. It will be tough in case dengue afflicts any of our friends. It's better to be wise right now and just lock those favourite picks in the wardrobe," said Ankita
Srivastava, final year LSR student. "Exams are near, and it has just been two months since the university opened. I am still trying to adapt myself to changes. Any negligence can lead to dengue. In our PG, we insist on regular cleaning of desert coolers. I am also avoiding shorts for a while," said a rather disappointed Aditya
Gagneja, second year Maths (hons) student at Venkateswara College. College authorities are also doing their best to control the menace on campus. In the meantime, the MCD has issued 20 challans to different colleges at Delhi
University. Dengue has so far claimed the life of two students. A 19-year-old second year student of Lady Sri Ram College and a final year history
(Hons) student of Hindu College died of dengue. Alert in schools
Many Delhi schools have also relaxed their strict uniform rules. With the city reporting over 1,300 dengue cases, schools are anxious to ensure that children do not fall victim to mosquito bites.
Circulars have been issued asking children to wear full-sleeve shirts and trousers while the MCD has also said that students in its schools should fully cover themselves. |
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4 found dead on tracks, 2 injured
New Delhi, September 11 According to railway police, all of them are in the age group of 17 to 21 years and residents of Y Block in Mangolpuri. The police believes that they were run over by a train. It has not registered an FIR and, instead, begun inquest proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC, which deals with unnatural deaths not caused by somebody else. "The incident was reported around 10 pm and when the railway police reached the spot, three youths were found dead while three were lying injured. One of the injured later died on his way to hospital," said a police official close to investigation. A source, however, did not rule out foul play. It might be a case of gang war or fight over some petty issues. "They have injury marks on their body and head. They probably used knife and rods in hitting one another," according to the source. The police official said if evidence thrown up during the inquest suggested some foul play, then they would register a case of murder. "The exact cause would be known after the postmortem report. Statements of the injured, when they recover, would be crucial," added the official. The deceased have been identified as Sunny, Manoj, Sanjeev and Sagar while, Rohit and Sunny are recuperating in the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Meanwhile, Sanjeev's uncle Sant Lal has alleged that one Farooq came to call him around 6 pm yesterday and all the victims have gone with him. "Farooq came to call our boy and others too went with him. They never returned after that. He could be involved in their murders," alleged Sant lal.
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Wet Sunday forecast
New Delhi, September 11 "The sky is likely to remain cloudy tomorrow and many parts of the city might receive rains or thundershowers," said an official of the Indian Meteorological Department.
Delhi received 3.5 mm of rain from yesterday to morning 8:30 am today. From 8:30 am to 5:30 pm today, the Capital saw 4.3-mm
rain. While the minimum temperature was recorded at 26.7 degrees Celsius today, two degrees above average; the maximum settled around 32 degrees Celsius. The humidity levels oscillated between 94 and 63 per cent.
Tomorrow, while the maximum temperature is likely to hover round 33 degrees Celsius, the minimum is expected to settle around 26 degrees
Celsius. The total rainfall this season has been recorded at 823.5-mm, 42 per cent above average. |
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Indo-Canadian MP fights for minority rights
New Delhi, September 11 Dosange added, "I am a politician, but I am an activist first, and my political career is a branching out of my activism. I got into politics as I had been working for the rights of domestic and farm workers in the 70's. These were people who had no rights back then and I felt that to find a solution for them, I needed to make it to the legislature." Dosange was in the Capital for airing of a film on his life and a panel discussion following the film, 'Travelling Light'. The film is directed by Meera Diwan. Dosange not only represents the minority community in the Canadian legislature, but also has an impressive past of activism against the virulent form of Sikh extremism that has existed in Canada since the 80's. He said, "Violence has never solved any problems. It has only created more. I personally suffered and faced many threats from Sikh extremists. I continue facing it even today ." Ved Marwah, former governor of Manipur and Mizoram, was also present at the discussion. Commenting on the life of Indo-Canadian MP, he said, "Dosange's life as portrayed in this remarkable film also testifies to his lifelong activism against Sikh separatism. The phenomenon of Sikh separatism developed in both India and Canada and this politics of identity need to be studied deeply. Sikh extremism arose because of socio-political and economic reasons. However, the riots in 1984 contributed to Sikh terrorism in a big way." He pointed out, "These riots were definitely not the reaction of the Hindu community to the Sikh community after Indira Gandhi's assassination. They were not spontaneous riots, but were engineered by a group of 10-15 miscreants who were on the streets creating havoc." Marwah added that the Indian government has to see where it has gone wrong vis-ŕ-vis terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxalism. The police force which responds first to any extremist violence requires proper training in order to become effective against terrorism. Columnist and journalist Kuldip Nayar, who was present on the occasion, mentioned, "I experienced that after 1984, the government was not facing facts. It was not treating the Sikhs abroad as Indian citizens. This was a case of extreme behaviour on the part of bureaucracy which contributed to a growing sense of alienation among the Sikhs abroad. I find that this sense of alienation lingers in the Sikh diaspora till today and the community needs to work towards a change of attitude and look ahead, not behind."
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More opting for open learning mode
New Delhi, September 11 Nearly 48,000 students opted for BA programme courses, close to 31,000 students preferred BCom courses. The numbers may go up as admissions with late fee will be on till October
29. "Just last year, we enrolled close to 80,000 students. The figure of 90,000 this year is still not inclusive of late admissions. We might cross the one-lakh mark this year. Back in 2006-2007, the school enrolled more than two lakh students. The numbers fell over the last two years. However, they have again risen this year," said Prof Janmejoy Khuntia, member, Admissions Council, School of Open learning.
"The school offers learning through the distance education mode which is a viable alternative for students who need a flexible medium of instruction to attain higher education and vocational skills. SOL offers undergraduate/postgraduate degree courses in arts/humanities and commerce," he added.
—TNS |
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Making sport of song Making sport of song The theme song or rather songs of the Commonwealth Games have left many tongues wagging in the Organising Committee and outside. In the past couple of weeks, all the three leading personalities associated with the CWG have been behind the launch of a theme song. Suresh Kalmadi shared the dais with A.R. Rahman, whose hugely hyped number -a damp squib so far--is the official theme song of the CWG. Sheila Dikshit followed it up by launching another song, which has been billed as the theme number for Delhi. Not many people are playing this number. Not to be left behind, sports minister M.S. Gill unveiled the theme song of Shera, the CWG mascot, a couple of days ago. It is peppy, but a very regular number, is the refrain of those few who have heard it. Critics say this is a bizarre situation when there is not one but three different theme songs for an event, but none of them has really caught the people's imagination. But why blame these artistes when hardly anything connected with the CWG has gone well so far.
Thoughtless
exercise
A punch line used in a pamphlet prepared by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to spread awareness about dengue has raised many hackles. It says "Awareness is the only prevention", warning people of dengue's
dangers. Some experts have found it ill-conceived while some others term it alarmist. Dengue is a self-limiting and curable disease and to tell people that awareness is the only prevention is to instil unnecessary fear in their minds, they
say. The punch line also bears some uncanny resemblance to a phrase like "Prevention is the only cure", a term used to caution people against a deadly disease like
AIDS. Experts say the MCD has got it wrong on another count. Any amount of precaution and awareness may not stop somebody from catching dengue as mosquitoes are everywhere, thanks to the presence of stagnant water and debris all around the city.
Not as easy as ABC
Delhi police is trying its best to brush up the English knowledge of its officials, especially the constabulary, so that they could be of help to thousands of foreigners who will throng the city during the Commonwealth Games. It seems, though, it could backfire at
times. During a recent interaction with media personnel, a cop after reading from a report in English about a car accident told them that three persons had died. When reporters asked the official to read out the report to them, it turned out that three persons were in the car of which one died and two were merely injured. The official then duly apologized.
Some fun for DU students
The frequent strikes of Delhi University Teachers' Association might have bothered a few studious types among the newly admitted students, but a majority of them can't help enjoying the free
time. Apart from deserted classes, the effect is also visible on the Internet. Social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter are buzzing with funny and sarcastic
messages. The status message of a maths (H) student reads, "God bless DUTA for no classes". Another one declaims, "Teachers might not care about anything, but they surely care about our sleep. No classes
today." Many students say they often get to know about classes being cancelled after reaching the college. Much as we are worried, the free time has to be utilised, so why not have fun, said a physics (H) student at Venkateswara College.
(Contributed by Kumar Rakesh, Himani Chandel, Sandeep Yadav, Jyoti
Rai) |
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Eid celebrated with traditional fervour
New Delhi, September 11 The Jama Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Shahjehan in 1656, looked spectacular as thousands of people, mostly clad in white, offered Eid prayers. The Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari and Mufti Muhammed Mukkaram preached the message of peace and harmony to thousands of listeners. Large tantalising varieties of 'sevaiyan', 'firni' (rice pudding), meat and biryani were on display in the old city to tickle the taste buds for the day.Shops and restaurants -- offering varieties in cuisines and gifts -- witnessed a huge turnout. The police and security personnel were deployed at various prayer grounds in the city. The Jama Masjid alone saw a deployment of around 500 policemen. Mosques and neighbourhoods apart, social networking sites were also abuzz with activity since morning as people wished one another through messages, scraps and e-cards. -- IANS
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Rahul Bose seeks shelters for Leh victims
New Delhi, September 11 The actor paid the visit to oversee the relief work being carried out by the organisation. The actor is the second film celebrity to go to the flood-hit region after Amir Khan, who visited Drukpa School in Leh last month. Some of the scenes of Khan's latest film '3 Idiots' were shot in the school. The institution is one of the many places which were destroyed in the devastating cloudbursts on August 6, causing flash flood and mudslides. Speaking to the media in the Capital today, 43-year-old Bose said, "The immediate concern for the region is the approaching winter. Within the next 45 days, the temperature in the region will plummet to below -30 degree Celsius. There is an urgent need for safe and warm shelters for the survivors before the harsh winter sets in," said the actor, who along with Oxfam India CEO Nisha Agrawal interacted with the dislocated families and children in Leh. "We hope the survivors get proper shelters ahead of winter. Oxfam will keep track of government's efforts," Bose said. As of now, Oxfam has been providing water and sanitation facilities to the flood-affected people. The activities include shelter to 1,000 worst-affected households during winter and safe water provision to 2,000 affected households. Adding to Rahul's concerns, Agrawal said, "Shelter is the most urgent need of the people. There is only one month to build shelters for the hapless victims." Bose and Agrawal said they spoke to deputy commissioner of Ladakh district T. Angchuk, who assured them that building shelters before the onset of winter was a priority for the government as well. The actor said he was touched by the community feeling among by the people in the region. "There is a sense of community survival in Leh. It is not like metro cities where we don't even know our neighbours," he said.
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Fed up of illness, boy runs away; traced
New Delhi, September 11 The incident was reported on September 9 around 4 pm. One Ram Singh (name changed) reported that his son Rahul (name changed), a student of Lancer Convent Public School, Rohini, had gone missing. It was also found that one of Rahul's friends, Ankit (name changed), a student of class IX, did not return from school on the day. Singh told the police that Rs 2 lakh were also missing from his house. According to Chhaya Sharma, DCP (Outer), around 6 pm, Ankit called up his mother and said that he was going to Uttar Pradesh. However, when Ankit's mother asked him about Rahul, he told her that he was not with him. "The police traced the location of the PCO from where the call was made. It was found that the PCO was located near the Red Fort. The cops then contacted the owner of the said PCO who told them that the call was made by two boys," said Sharma, adding that the police then convinced the PCO owner to keep an eye on the two boys till its team reached there. After this, the police contacted the Red Fort police station and finally the boys were traced from a travel agency opposite the Red Fort. Rahul told the police that he used to remain ill and was undergoing treatment. Due to this, he was fed up and hatched a plan to run away with his friend. The duo was on their way to Kullu and Manali.
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Ex-banker held for artful dodging
New Delhi, September 11 One pen, two pen drives, 10 photographs, two mobile phones, eight appointment letters, six debit cards, two petro cards and seven visiting cards of various officials have been recovered from
him. According to HGS Dhaliwal, DCP (south), the accused has been identified as Dilip Kumar (28), originally from
Champaran, Bihar. He said that the accused has cheated more than 20 victims by presenting himself on phone as Rahul from Syndicate Bank Housing Loan Division and offering loan at the lowest rate of
interest. "Dilip would approach the victim as Rahul and finalize preliminary discussion. Next day another person would meet the potential victim at his residence and request the complainant to fill several documents, including crossed cheque from the pen offered by him. The complainant did the same on his request and handed over the documents. However, the next day they received an SMS from their bank that certain amount has been withdrawn from his account through cheque transaction," said
Dhaliwal. He added that the gang member deliberately offered his pen whose ink disappears at about 60 degree Celsius and the recovering temperature is around -10 degree Celsius for filling the details and crossing the cheque. After rubbing the same, the ink evaporated and the accused used to fill the same cheque and present it in an account opened on fictitious identities. Later, he withdrew the amount from that account.
During interrogation, Dilip revealed that he and his accomplices, Rajan Jaiswal and Arun Tiwari hail from West Champran (Bihar).
He came to Delhi about six years ago and worked with the DSAs of M/s ICICI, ABN Amro, SBI Banks, Relationship Manager with India Infoline and as an advisor with Birla Sunlife Insurance Company. At the time of arrest, he was working with M/s Future General. |
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Engineer held for cheating
New Delhi, September 11 While the shopper was busy lodging complaint at the bank, the accused allegedly sneaked into the ATM chamber and stole the stuck card. After this, he along with his girlfriend bought household stuff from Sarojini Nagar Market. But his luck ran out when he was caught. According to DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal, the accused has been identified as Ramji Prabhakar (25), a resident of Patel Nagar. Investigation in the matter was taken up on the complaint of Raj Kumar Singh, an Air Force official. "Singh had reported at the Sarojini Nagar police station that while he was carrying out a transaction using his ATM card, his card got stuck in the machine. While he was busy lodging a complaint at the police station, his card was used for shopping in Sarojini Nagar Market," said Dhaliwal. The accused was nabbed on the basis of CCTV footage. It was found that the accused had also purchased a mobile phone on fictitious ID to gift his girlfriend. The accused was arrested from Sarojini Nagar Market while he was trying to steal another ATM card from Sarojini Nagar Market adopting the same modus operandi. The accused has confessed of having committed the offence. "The accused works as an electrical engineer with M/s Airtel," said Dhaliwal.
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Noida market cleaned by volunteers
Noida, September
11 The campaign sensitized the local people on the importance of sanitation. More than 700 people, from schoolchildren to the elderly, took part in the
drive. Dividing the market into four zones, Art of Living volunteers with the help of residents transformed this commercial district into a sanitary precinct. |
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Cancer awareness
Gurgaon, September 11 Kushagra Katariya, CEO of Artemis Health Institute launched a cancer treatment centre here today. Catering to a population of nearly 20 lakh in the NCR, the Rs 75-crore centre aims to provide treatment at a lower cost to the rural people of
Haryana. "It would include diagnosis, staging and treatment,” he said. — IANS |
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Making sport of song
New Delhi, September 11
