New Delhi, March 4
The Delhi police has arrested a 55-year-old priest for allegedly kidnapping a schoolboy from Basti city of UP. The police has rescued the boy, along with four other minors, who were waylaid by the accused in the past with the intention of promoting them as 'godmen'.

The accused has been identified as Prem Dass, a resident of Bandh Road in Gadaipur of south Delhi.

The arrest came when the kidnapped boy, Deepak, managed to call his parents at Basti and told them about his location and they contacted the police.

"Prem Dass was arrested and the boy rescued from him from a religious place at Bandh Road. Four more children were also rescued from his clutches," said DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal.

Prem Dass hails from Bhagalpur district in Bihar. He is single and runs a religious place since 1988 in the neighbouring area of farmhouses.

"The baba used to keep the children on the pretext of being his followers in the attire of dhoti kurta to hoodwink the visiting devotees and to build his image as dharm guru," said Dhaliwal.

He would lure the poor boys from small towns by showing them rosy pictures about Delhi and the advantages of staying with him.

According to information, Prem Dass intercepted Deepak while he was on his way to school.

He showed Deepak a rosy picture of the metropolitan city of Delhi and better education facilities and convinced him to accompany him.

The minor boy was entrapped and agreed. He took the child along and changed several trains to Delhi from Ayodhya in order to prevent being caught by the child's family," said Dhaliwal.

However, in Delhi, he didn't give the child anything to eat and made him to sleep on the floor.

"Sensing trouble, Deepak made a telephone call to his father. A house-to-house search was made by the police and finally the culprit was nabbed," said Dhaliwal.

Four other minors identified as Swas (12), Raghunandan (12), Shiv Prakash (15) and Manohar (13), all residents of Bihar, were also rescued.

The baba came to Delhi in 1985 and established a religious place at Bandh Road, Gadaipur. After the mushrooming of farmhouses in the area, he started getting rich clientele for performing worship and felt the need to expand the base.

"He came upon an idea that he would present children as 'godmen' as he felt the masses are swayed by young 'godmen' in priestly robes. He planned to send them in different cities and set up ashrams so that he could preside over a business empire spread over different cities and get some percentage of the offerings from all such centres," said the DCP.

New Delhi, March 4
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today carried out searches at the Pandara Park residence of suspended Prasar Bharti CEO B S Lalli as part of probe in the multi-crore corruption charges against him.

According to information, the searches came a day later after the CBI registered a case against Lalli and Wasim Ahmed Dehlvi, director of Zoom Communications last night. The agency is probing alleged irregularities by Lalli in awarding the broadcasting contract of the Commonwealth Games to a British firm, SIS LIVE, for Rs 246 crore. This is said to have caused a loss of Rs 135 crore to the country.

The CBI also conducted searches at the GK Enclave residence and Kalkaji-based office of Dehlvi, who has also been named in the corruption case.

According to preliminary investigation, Zoom received the sub-contract from SIS LIVE at the cost of Rs 177 crore.

A 1971-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Lalli was earlier suspended on the basis of the Shunglu committee report which had noted that Prasar Bharati had sanctioned highly inflated bills for the broadcasting of the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi in October 2010. 

New Delhi, March 4
Recognising their "right to work" was the key demand raised by 300 representatives at the National Consultation on Unorganised Labour in the Capital today.

Organised by the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), the consultation brought together 21 organisations and unions from 11 states to forge a common strategy, highlight the demands of the all sections of unorganised workers and prepare a course of action for a concerted battle against the indifference and apathy of the government.

Speaking of the problems in the unorganised sectors, Dr Smarajit Jana, DMSC chief advisor, said those working as rag pickers, rickshaw-pullers and sex workers were vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation by the police and the administration because much of the work in the unorganised sectors was viewed as "illegal or criminal".

"It is absolutely essential that their work and contribution should recognised and they are given identity cards and brought under a comprehensive law that protects their rights, privileges and entitlements. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure an improvement in the quality of life of the workers and family members, a commitment they had made during the last election when they were seeking the mandate to govern," he added.

Agreeing with the fact that the right to work is a non-negotiable right that must be guaranteed by the government, Subhash Bhatnagar, coordinator of the National Campaign Committee for Construction Workers, emphasised the fact that this right must be linked to a "need-based living wage."

This, he said, would ensure the right of workers to also get unemployment benefits.

The representatives also interacted with Priya Dutt, MP from Mumbai, and had an in-depth discussion with her on the issues raised by sex workers and others in the unorganised sectors.

Dutt promised to bring attention to these issues on the floor of the Lok Sabha and initiate a discussion with various parliamentarian forums and committees. She also agreed that sex workers should come within the ambit of the unorganised sector.

"Until and unless the government guarantees the fundamental right to work, no efforts made by it to address the vulnerabilities, hardships and marginalisation that unorganised workers like sex workers face, will work for us," stated Bharati Dey, president of the committee.

Meanwhile, Dunu Roy, Hazard Centre, New Delhi, argued that the 9 per cent growth of the economy would not make a difference to the lives of 460 million people engaged in the unorganised sectors until they were officially recognised as workers and given identity cards authorised by the Labour Ministry.

The consultation concluded with representatives' deciding to engage with the policy makers at the national and state level to ensure a greater understanding of the issues and concerns that are being raised by the workers of the unorganised sectors.

New Delhi, March 4
Facing an acute shortage of teachers, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has asked the education department to fill all the vacant seats in municipal schools.

Education committee chairman Mahender Nagpal has said that directions have been issued to the officials of the department concerned to recruit teachers so that the problem of shortage can be solved. The directions were issued during a meeting that was held to review the works of the education department.

The meeting discussed the new projects that have been introduced in the annual budget of the next financial year, said Nagpal. The meeting also held discussions on the upgradation and renovation of the municipal school buildings and the proposed 25 per cent reservation for the students belonging to the economically weaker section.

The MCD has over 22,000 teachers on its payrolls. The shortage is mainly of sports and art teachers.

Justifying the scarcity of teachers, the MCD said that the Delhi government has to notify recruitment rules, which it has not done for six years. As a result, even nursery teachers on contract cannot be made regular employees, said a senior MCD official.

According to MCD officials, the age limit for hiring teachers has been reduced by the Delhi government. 

New Delhi, March 4
Jamia Millia Islamia has decided to further delay the implementation of the semester system at the undergraduate level by a year. The chaos at Delhi University over the system could have possibly resulted in the project getting shelved at Jamia by a year. Though last year Jamia had implemented the semester system for the Masters, M Phil and other postgraduate courses and the implementation was smooth with no hiccups.

Earlier, Jamia had planned to introduce the semester system at the undergraduate level for the 2011-12 session.

Vice-chancellor Najeeb Jung said recently, "Despite the fact that the semester system has been implemented smoothly for the Masters courses at Jamia, we feel that more revision work needs to be done before the courses can be introduced at the undergraduate level. We concluded after an extensive review that we still required another year to implement it."

Meanwhile, Jamia's PRO Simi Malhotra said, "The semester system was supposed to be implemented at the undergraduate level this year. But after the review was conducted, we discovered that a lot of revision work remains to be done on many courses. As a result, its implementation has been put off by a year. There are really many courses at the undergraduate level and restructuring them to suit the semester system is both time-consuming and tedious. Also, the faculty involved in this task cannot be rushed as the future of numerous students is at stake."

Meanwhile, students at Jamia are excited about the semester system. Salim, a second year student at Jamia, said, "We were expecting the varsity to convert to the semester system this year, but it will happen now from the next year. We have had no problems at Jamia over the system. Many of us are looking forward to it as this is the international system and puts us on a par with many foreign varsities. I expect the transition to be smooth next year."

New Delhi, March 4
Do you show your craze for the Indian cricket team by making tri-colour tattoos and painting your face and hair? If yes, then beware of skin allergies and hair loss, say experts while suggesting ideal ways to dress up for a match.

"Paints, dye pigments and colours used for hair colouring and tattoo can damage both the skin and the hair, particularly of those individuals who are sensitive towards such products. The chemicals used in dye pigments can have an adverse effect on our health once they are absorbed by the skin and enter the body. Allergies caused by such paints can be quite distressing," Arvind Poswal, hair transplant surgeon, told IANS.

World Cup Cricket fever will continue till April 2.

Mumbai-based dermatologist Swati Srivastav said: "There are different kinds of paints - temporary, semi-permanent and permanent. There are colours which do not penetrate the hair shaft, and there are some semi-permanent types which penetrate your hair shaft. The main culprits in these hair colours are dye pigments which can cause allergic reactions and rashes."

"A temporary hair colour will stay only till the time you wash your hair. But most of these contain harsh chemicals that can make your hair dull and dry. Lots of people experience hair fall, hair breakage and skin allergies after colouring," she added.

And these colours also leave one's skin pleading for better care and protection.

"The toxic chemicals can cause skin peeling. It can cause allergy, rash, redness and swelling, and also increases the chances of sun damage to the skin by increasing the UV (ultraviolet rays) absorption," said Mumbai-based dermatologist Apratim Goel.

If one is sitting in a stadium, there is continuous exposure to sun rays. So experts suggest one should apply sunscreen after every two hours to combat tanning.

"A sunscreen is a must. Apply one with SPF 50+ when stepping out for matches in extreme sun. Apply it at least 20 minutes before stepping out of home. Wear breathable fabrics like cotton and wear full sleeved and long dresses that protect your forearms and knees and legs from sun exposure," said Bangalore-based dermatologist Chytra V. Anand.

"If you get skin rashes due to sun exposure, then wash the area with cold water and apply a good amount of calamine lotion to soothe it. If the rash begins to burn, itch and swell, then go to your dermatologist immediately," she added.

Protect your hair and skin by wearing large hats from direct sun exposure.

"While removing the paint, first soak your skin in baby oil for two hours; after that wipe it with dry cotton; lastly, wash with a gentle cleanser and top it up with liberal moisturiser," said Goel.

Fans go to extreme lengths to prove their solidarity towards their favourite team. According to Poswal, during cricket matches the specialists receive five-six queries from those who have hair loss after hair colouring.

"Be it World Cup or IPL, the cricket mania is eternal. This game definitely causes a lot of havoc to the skin and hair. We get queries of sun damage, skin tanning and flare-up of acne during cricket time," said Goel.

Though experts don't recommend the "colour" route for fans to show their love for the game, they do suggest a way out.

"The best policy is to avoid such crazy stuff. However, if you must, then choosing hypo-allergic body paints is advisable. Also these colours should be applied for as little time as possible. Getting airbrushing done is a better option than going for cheap temporary colours and tattoos," said Srivastav.

"Be sensible and opt for trusted brands for hair colouring. Avoid getting wacky paints on your hair or skin, especially face painting," she added.

Poswal has more tips to share: "Do an allergy test before using any hair product. Use natural and temporary colours only. Hair colouring should be done by professionals only. Choose products that are ammonia free." — IANS

New Delhi, March 4
A delegation of the Rajdhani Tourist Driver Union today met labour minister Ramakant Goswami and submitted a charter of demands, including payment of salaries through cheques or transfer to their bank accounts.

Their other demands include the minimum wages from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10, 000, bonus, parking place at tourist places, railway stations and airports, over time for those who work for more than eight hours and the union should be given proper place for running its office. President of the union Bakshish Singh and general secretary Maninder Jit Singh said the drivers and helpers working with the tourist companies in the national Capital were the exploited lot as they were underpaid employees. They signed vouchers of Rs 10,000 but received Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 that was too less than the minimum wages fixed by the union government. This had been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned but so far nothing had happened, they said.

The tourist companies do not issue appointment letters fearing for full salaries and other legalities.

The union leaders said they came to the Delhi labour minister after getting information that he had met union labour minister for making policies for the welfare of workers and other employees.

New Delhi, March 4
A retired defence ministry official allegedly committed suicide inside his residence in the Lodhi Colony area of South Delhi yesterday. According to the police, the deceased S C Sarkar (61) was discovered hanging from an iron pipe by his wife and her brother yesterday evening.

"Sarkar had been depressed for the last couple of years. He was also undergoing treatment. Yesterday his wife had gone to Mayur Vihar to meet a contractor for getting their flat renovated. “When she returned, she found the door shut and despite repeated knocks, there was no response. She broke open the door with the help of her brother and found Sarkar hanging from an iron pipe," said an official of Lodhi Colony police station, adding that no suicide note was recovered.

New Delhi, March 4
A 45-year-old man was arrested along with his young relative for beating to death a youth after he created nuisance during his daughter's marriage, the police said today.

The deceased Mohan Lal (35) was from the groom's side and he was beaten up on the night of February 28 in Moti Nagar at the house of Uma Shankar where the marriage of his daughter was taking place.

Lal was found dead the next day and initially he could not be identified. However, his identity was established after the police conducted extensive investigations on a clue provided by tailoring tag on his shirt, V Renganathan, deputy commissioner of police (West), said.

"The victim had gone for the marriage along with his friend. He had consumed alcohol.

At the function he was dancing and disturbing all people and using filthy language. Shanker noticed Lal was arguing with DJ.

"Everybody was asking him to keep quiet but he stuck to his demands. Shanker went to stop him but he did not pay any heed to his repeated requests. Meanwhile, two relatives of Shanker, Deepu Prashad and Mangru attempted to threaten him so that he leaves the function," he said.

The duo allegedly beat him up and he suffered injuries on his head.

"Shanker and other family members were busy with the function. They did not care where Mohan Lal has gone and what has happened to him," the official said. — PTI

New Delhi, March 4
More than 10 goats were killed after a truck carrying them collided with a bus near the Dilli Gate area of Daryaganj in Central Delhi last night.

According to the police, the incident was reported from the Dilli Gate traffic signals around 1.30 am when a speeding truck coming from the Rajghat side hit a bus. With the impact of the collision, both the vehicles caught fire and it took more than 30 minutes for the fire officials to douse the flames with the help of five fire trucks. The driver and helper of the truck were injured in the incident.

According to a police official, both the vehicles were being driven at a fast speed and completely charred in the fire that followed.

"The truck with registration number DL 18 GA 2646 was loaded with over 100 goats. It was on its way to Jaipur. Around 1.30 am, it hit the bus (DL 1PC 2880) on the Dilli Gate traffic lights, leading to fire in the vehicles. While the truck driver Dalbir and helper Rajan were injured and admitted to LNJP Hospital, some 10 goats were killed or burnt in the incident," said a police official.

The remaining goats scattered off in all the directions after which the police had a harrowing time in chasing and catching them.

The locals of the area came to the spot and assisted the police in rescuing the goats.

The Daryaganj police has registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver.