New Delhi, January 20
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today passed the annual budget of Rs 6943.63 crore to be spent on the developmental activities during the financial year 2011-2012.

The total budget was increased by Rs 579.20 crore from the initial amount of Rs 6364.43, which was proposed by the municipal commissioner K S Mehra in December last year. The MCD panel while passing the budget rejected the proposal for a five per cent hike across-the-board in house tax and made increased allocation for roads, sanitation services and streetlights in its budget for the next fiscal.

The Standing Committee chairman Yogender Chandolia, finalizing the budget estimates for 2011-12 at the special meeting, formally rejected the tax hike proposed by the municipal commissioner.

The schedule of taxes will remain the same as 2010-11 financial year. However, the MCD has already announced that it will not collect taxes from the unauthorised colonies and rural and urban villages and has approved a 17 to 28 per cent in toll tax in various categories.

Chandolia also said to cope with demands from councillors having large wards, the mayor's and Standing Committee chairman's discretionary funds will be increased from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore.

The councillors' local area development fund has been increased to Rs 2.5 crore of which Rs 50 lakh each has been released.

The Standing Committee chairman also announced increased allocation under various heads for each ward. A sum of Rs 50 lakh per ward has been allocated for improvement of roads in each ward, incurring total expenditure of Rs 136 crore in 272 wards.

The allocation under other heads include sanitation services Rs 25 lakh each, incurring Rs 68 crore in total, maintenance works Rs 75 lakh each, incurring Rs 204 crore, streetlighting in wards Rs 5 lakh each, incurring Rs 1.36 crore, besides Rs 50 crore for civic amenities in unauthorised colonies.

Noting that the MCD is under a debt of Rs 2,867 crore, Mehra had said there is a dire need to improve financial management and increase revenue.

Councillors from both the parties said that bringing more properties under the tax net would be a major solution to increase revenue for cash-strapped MCD.

"There are 4,816 properties which have already been identified and are liable to pay Rs 5 lakh in tax per year. We can get Rs 712 crore if these properties are targeted," Chandolia said.

New Delhi, January 20
The transport department's much-touted initiative of providing the city residents with an economical taxi service, which was supposed to charge Rs 10 for a kilometre instead of Rs 20 billed by the radio taxis, seems to be of little help to the commuters as these taxis are hardly available.

Enquiries from transport officials and private taxi operators revealed that only a few taxis were operating at the rate of Rs 10 per km and they were too few to make any meaningful impact on the city's transport system.

A single private company is running these taxis and other companies are not joining the service as it is not economically viable, a taxi operator said.

"CNG is available at the rate of Rs 30 per kg and it is too costly to charge Rs 10 for a km when autos charge Rs 6.5 for a km after the meter-down rate of Rs 19.5," he said.

These cheap taxis are available neither at any railway station nor at any ISBT, the major sources for hiring transport services.

Transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had said that this taxi service was being launched to provide the "cheapest mode of transport" and it would be easy for the middle classes to hire taxis if they did not feel comfortable in autos.

"This would help decongest the traffic on Delhi roads as instead of personal vehicle, people would use the cheap taxis," he had said.

However, these taxis are not available at any of the pre-paid booth services though there are taxis which charge either Rs 13 per km or a lumpsum.

Traffic police personnel posted at pre-paid booth at New Delhi Railway Station said that the taxi at the rate of Rs 10 was not available there. There is a phone number of this taxi which was not available either at the prepaid booth. 

New Delhi, January 20
Death is not a subject talked about very often, with just five per cent of the city's sampled populace being comfortable in talking about their own or somebody's death.

The very mention brings fear and the thought of dying or losing a loved one sends shivers down the spine, while many avoid or do not want to discuss it at all, points out a pilot survey, carried in Delhi between December 2010 and January 2011 to gauge 'the attitude to death and dying in general public'.

It is this approach, according to advocates of pallatiave care for terminally-ill patients, that makes the life of those at the end-stage of chronic or life-threatening ailments like cancer and cardiovascular diseases, agonising and tragic than the death itself.

It is beyond the patient's physical pain and the trauma is not limited to the patient alone as the whole dynamics of the family changes.

"When a person is ill, the whole family has to live it along. In this situation of emotional turmoil, the entire family needs psycho-social support and counselling. Anger management is significant part of the therapy," observed Sister Agnes Panikulum, a counsellor and trainer associated with CanSupport.

Thus, when cure is not possible, healing is the way out and the solution lies in a patient-centric and family-oriented holistic intervention, she stressed, adding that 85 per cent of the patients with life-limiting diseases like cancer fall under the poorest of the poor category. They live in slums and thatched houses.

The pressure is actually more on those from the low-income groups, well reflected in the survey, wherein the respondents from the said section seemed to be more worried about their economic status and basic survival resources.

This reminds everybody of a recent horrific incident of a debt-burdened rickshaw puller, suffering from terminal cancer. He hanged himself from the railings inside a hospital.

"Contrary to the response of the lower income sections, those from the higher economic groups feared sudden death and dying while they are alone," said a graduate student of Jesus and Mary College, Naina Gulati, who did the survey for CanSupport. It was released today at India International Centre.

Further, while educated and those from high-income groups seemed to be frank and open, the younger lot was more comfortable in discussing death than the old ones, with the sampled populace comprising people from 18-70 years.

Another worrying fact that the study highlights is that a staggering 82 per cent expressed ignorance about palliative care even as in the country 70-80 per cent of chronically-ill patients come at the terminal stage when the patients want care and support (thrust of palliative care) from the family, doctors and the caregivers, said Harmala Gupta, president of CanSupport.

It is important to promote the idea of 'letting go' and be comfortable that death is inevitable. "Nobody wants to suffer in pain and become a burden on the family. Hence, we should allow the person at the limiting stage of life an end with dignity," said Saroj Pradhan, a government official, who lost his parents to cancer. 

New Delhi, January 20
From Pablo Picasso, Salavador Dali, Henri Matisse, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor to M.F. Hussain, the third edition of the India Art Summit, country's premier modern and contemporary art fair, kicked off today with more than 85 galleries exhibiting the work of 570 artists from across the globe.

The art fair this year includes the largest showcase of global art in India till date, with 34 international galleries, which is double the number compared to last year. The fair houses some of the most expensive art works of all times. While a Salvador Dali or a Picasso painting at Germany's Die Galerie is priced anywhere between Rs 2 to 4 crore, a piece by British artist Anish Kapoor is priced at Rs 3 crore.

The fair that will run till January 23 also boasts of a sculpture park outside the main hall exhibiting large sculpture works, a video lounge with some art movies, curated art projects, speaker forums for over 40 internationally acclaimed speakers and an art store with a range of other collateral events.

The moment one enters the venue, a pop art imagery wrapper captioned, "Stop! Indians Ahead", could be seen adorning a TATA Nano car put on display to represent the fast changing India.

Some of other main attractions ear include graffiti artists from France doing a live wall, a house in Jor Bagh that has been converted into an art installation, guided curatorial walks, a sculpture lounge, nine specially commissioned live art projects, 60 public art installations and much more.

Delhi Art Gallery, the biggest pavilion in the fair, has displayed exquisite works of nearly 29 established Indian artists, including MF Hussian, LN Souza, Jamini Roy, SH Raza, Sohan Qadri and Chittoprasad.

"Delhi Art Gallery houses one of the largest collections of Indian modern art. The gallery that came into being 16 years ago has some of the largest archives, written work and art books in India. We have been consistently coming to the art fair every year and are able to strike excellent deals year after year. This year, we have displayed Hussian's work in the fair for the first time. We are hoping for better business this year," said Kishore Singh, head, Delhi Art Gallery.

"In 2008, we had just two galleries from abroad, but this year we have 35. Last year, close to 40,000 people visited the summit, but this year, with a rise in participation, we expect near about 70,000 visitors" said Neha Kirpal, director, India Art Summit. 

New Delhi, January 20
In a novel step, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is stepping into the world of cooking by introducing several degree and diploma courses in culinary science, catering and food production. The university has set up an institution, Institute of Culinary Arts, where these courses will be taught.

Sources in IGNOU say that the courses being taught at the Institute of Culinary Arts include three-year degree courses in culinary arts, culinary management and catering technology. Also available are short-term courses like one-year diploma in food production, specialist diploma in art of patisserie making and diploma in food processing.

"The university recently set up Institute of Culinary Arts as we felt that there has been a growing interest in the field while very little is available on this in the academic world. The institute will offer an array of courses on different aspects of culinary science, catering and food production. We will add many more courses next year. Subsequently, new courses will be added on a yearly basis," said an IGNOU official.

The officer further said, "The university has also started eight certificate courses on culinary science. The duration of the courses is up to one week. These courses have been launched mainly for housewives or professionals who want to sharpen their culinary skills. Also, a masters degree in culinary administration would be launched soon along with other masters courses in culinary arts and food production."

The official added, "Many masters-level courses in culinary science, catering and food production are in the pipeline. The syllabus for these courses is being prepared by a panel of experts. Many of these courses will be offered next year, though at least one such course will be introduced in the institute this year. These courses have been designed for those who aim at making career in the culinary world."

New Delhi, January 20
The Delhi Metro Museum in association with London Transport Museum today inaugurated a four-day exhibition, Journeys- India, at the Pragati Maidan Metro station.

The exhibition, which will run till January 23, will showcase the artworks prepared by a team from London Transport Museum during a visit to Delhi Metro Museum at the Patel Chowk station last December.

The exhibition will also showcase artworks by renowned artist Kanak Sashi along with work of some students of Delhi schools, exploring the relevance of Metro in the lives of Delhiites.

The artworks displayed at the exhibition will be later on added to the permanent collections of the Delhi Metro Museum and London Transport Museum.

This exhibition coincides with the India Art Summit which will take place at hall no. 18 of Pragati Maidan (ITPO) from January 20-23. The summit, a celebration of both Indian modern and contemporary art along with international art, is likely to be attended by over 40,000 people.

The exhibition on Metro is free for those coming at the Pragati Maidan station by trains. However, general public can see the exhibition after purchasing a token of Rs 8.

New Delhi, January 20
Cold winds brought some chill for the city residents in the morning hours today but soon a bright sun emerged from the misty skies and made for a pleasant day.

For tomorrow, the weatherman has predicted mist or shallow fog in the morning. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to oscillate between eight and 22 degree Celsius.

The minimum temperature today morning was recorded at 6.5 degree Celsius, as compared to yesterday's 5.8 degree Celsius while the maximum rose to 21.2 degrees from yesterday's 20.4 degrees.

Delhi has experienced pleasant weather in the past few days despite icy winds blowing across the city. The mercury had risen to 24.3 degrees Celsius last week.

New Delhi, January 20
With the arrest of one Birender Kumar (43), the police officials of the north district have claimed to have worked out a sensational murder case in which a decomposed body was found floating in Wazirabad, on January 11.

According to S.N. Yadav, DCP (Outer), Kumar killed Lallan Kumar Mandal and dumped his body after he failed to return Rs 63, 000 that he had given to him as loan.

"The arrest came after the brother of the deceased told us that Kumar had called Mandal. The investigations led us to Aligarh and Ballabgarh. Kumar was arrested from Ballabgarh and has confessed to his crime," said Yadav.

Kumar along with his accomplice Bacchi took Mandal to the New Usmanpur area and beat him up for not returning his money.

On this, Mandal said that now since Kumar had beaten him, he would not return his money.

This enraged Kumar, who cut Mandal's stomach and dumped his body in water.

Kumar works as a contractor and supplies labourers to the Delhi Jal Board. According to Yadav, efforts are on to nab Bachhi.

New Delhi, January 20
A regional manager of an education sector NGO found dead under mysterious circumstance in a south Delhi hotel this morning.

According to the police, the incident was reported from the Eva Hotel located in Kalkaji, while the deceased has been identified as Probal Roy Chaudhary, regional manger of National Entrepreneurship Network.

"Chaudhary had come to the Capital yesterday from Mumbai and was putting up in the Eva Hotel. One his colleagues Shahbad had been trying to contact him since morning but when he did not pick up the phone, Shahbad came to check upon him. When Chaudhary did not respond to the knocking on the door, he informed the police," said a police official close to investigation.

New Delhi, January 20
The police has arrested three youths who allegedly robbed people after offering them lifts in their car.

The three were arrested from Rohini yesterday.

The Northwest district police said the accused-- Harsh Sharma (22), Nitin (20), and Rajesh (24)-- would roam around in the nights looking for people in need of lifts.

On January 10, the accused had offered a lift to a railway employee and thrashed him after traveling some distance. They then took all his belongings at knifepoint and dumped him at a secluded place.

The accused used to tie up the victims' hands and cover their faces with their bag or shirt so that they could not note down their car's registration number.

Five days later on January 15, the accused had offered a lift to a man waiting at a bust stop. They then beat him and up and when he protested, they stabbed him in the hand.

The police said it had seized three mobile phones, one surgical blade, a watch and the car used in the crimes.