Greater Noida, April 15
A senior NRI couple who returned to India from the USA in 2008 have been involved in a fight for their own flat. For the last three years, the couple have been trying to enter the flat they bought way back in 1997 to live in the evening of their life.

Tired of running from pillar to post, the old couple have been making rounds to the offices of Greater Noida Authority as also to the administration and police officers. Now they want to put up in an alternative accommodation till their own house is restored to them. When they returned to India in 2008, they found someone else living in their flat. At present, they are living in a rented house in Sarita Vihar, New Delhi.

According to Jai Kishen Amar, 84, and his wife Dropti Amar, 84, they had settled down in the USA after retirement. Their sons are still in the States.

Jai Kishen had booked a flat in senior citizen's complex in Greater Noida in 1997. They were allotted a flat in 2001 after had deposited the total amount with GNIDA. But when they returned to India in 2008, they found that their flat had been encroached upon by one B. Singh who is living there with his family. B Singh claims that he is the owner of the flat.

The NRI couple then lodged a complaint with the SDM and the police. But till date, the house has not been restored to the Amars. Now the senior couple have met the district magistrate. They have pleaded that they should meanwhile be allotted a temporary accommodation in the senior citizen's complex. The district magistrate has ordered the police to take the necessary steps.

It is learnt that most of the flats in senior citizen's complex in Greater Noida are disputed properties. Each flat has been sold off more than once. The builder and the RWA accuse each other of shady deals.

New Delhi, April 15
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi while intensifying its drive against unauthorised constructions, today demolished portions of eight properties, including five Delhi Development Authority (DDA) flats.

The demolitions were carried out in the areas of Govindpuri, Kalkaji and Ishwar Nagar.

MCD officials said before carrying out any construction in the DDA flats, the owner has to take permission from the MCD.

"The MCD has a policy regarding the DDA flats. The owner is required to obtain permission for carrying out any construction in the flat," said a senior MCD officer.

The owners of the DDA flats which faced demolition had violated the policy of the MCD by covering the courtyard or balcony, the official said.

Officials of the building department, central zone, have advised people that before entering into any deal with a builder or seller, they should check the details of the illegally-constructed properties in different areas of central zone on the MCD's website. Also, people must get the building plan sanctioned from the competent authority before undertaking the construction work, he said.

"It is also advised that before purchasing any property, the buyer should check the essential documents like sanctioned building plan, completion certificate of the property and the ownership documents," he added.

New Delhi, April 15
A delegation of DUTA headed by Aditya Narayana Mishra, president, DUTA and other members today met with Prof Dinesh Singh, vice-chancellor, Delhi University, and expressed anguish over the attempted move of the administration to separate its colleges from the ambit of DU.

Mishra said, "The VC and his team categorically declared that the news is without any basis and an attempt to malign the image of DU administration."

The VC emphasized his resolve to adhere to the federal character of the university and abide by the act, statutes and ordinances of the university.

Besides, the DUTA delegation raised a host of other issues such as delay in payment of 15% arrears due to the VIth pay commission recommendation in two colleges, namely Bhaskaracharya and College of Business Studies, the continuance of ad hoc teachers' service till the last working day i.e. June 7 and consequent payment of summer salary to them, fixation of pay of senior lecturer as per the notification of December 3, 2008, implementation of advance increments due to MPhil, PhD teachers, automatic movement from PB-3 to PB-4 after completion of three years of service at AGP of Rs 8,000.

"On some issues such as PhD increment, automatic movement from PB-3 to PB-4 and continuance of old scheme of CAS up to June 30, 2010, the university administration has already given direction to the branch concerned for immediate implementation," said Mishra quoting the VC.

New Delhi, April 15
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today urged the disaster management department to initiate an effective awareness programme and make mock drills mandatory at regular intervals.

At a meeting held here today, the Chief Minister also asked for the involvement of anganwari workers, mahila panchayats, RWAs, Bhagidari Cell and schoolchildren in bringing awareness on preparedness.

The meeting was attended by the revenue minister A. K. Walia, chief secretary P. K. Tripathi, divisional commissioner D. M. Spolia, all deputy commissioners (Revenue) and other senior officers of departments, including police, army, health, DJB, DFS, etc.

As far as Delhi is concerned, disaster management needs special attention in view of its high population density, extensive physical infrastructure, heavy vehicular traffic, and a huge floating population, the Chief Minister said.

It was also stated that the emergency operation centres have been established in all the revenue districts.

Addressing the meeting, she said that round the clock Disaster Helpline 1077 is operational from Disaster Management Headquarters. The MCD has deployed heavy equipment in its 10 Disaster Management Centres. The Delhi Fire Service has established three Disaster Management Centres at Rohini, Laxmi Nagar and Nehru Place.

Ghaziabad, April 15
A statue of B R Ambedkar was vandalised by unidentified persons at Muradnagar here, leading to tension in the area, the police said today.

When the followers reached the block development office to pay their tributes to the leader on his 120th birth anniversary yesterday, they apparently found his statue damaged, agitated over which they jammed the national highway and indulged in stone-pelting.

The police brought the situation under control by repairing the damaged portion of the statue, besides assuring the crowd of replacing it with a new one. The Ambedkar statue which was installed here around 20 years ago has not been unveiled due to a pending court case.

Every year followers of the dalit leader pay their tributes by uncovering it for a brief period, the police said.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 13-year-old boy was crushed to death last night by a tractor during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dr Ambedkar at the Modinagar area, around 22 kms from here. The victim Vishal, fell down from one of the vehicles of a procession near oil mill gate and was crushed by a tractor . --PTI

Greater Noida, April 15
A man who had gone missing from Greater Noida in suspicious circumstances has been traced to a hospital in Delhi's Seelampur. An unknown caller informed the man's family about his whereabouts.

According to doctors in the hospital, he had been administered some drugs due to which he lost his consciousness.

Two mobile phones and some documents that he was carrying are missing.

Vijay Sharma, a resident C-433 in Alfa-1, is employed in Denso Company here. On Wednesday afternoon, he left his house for Noida on his motorbike. He told his wife Indesh that he would be back in two hours, but did not return till late in the night. Both his cell phones were found switched off.

Around 10 pm, someone called Vijay's brother Sanjay from Vijay's phone. The caller identified himself as Raj and said that he had found Vijay unconscious in Delhi's Seelampur area. After this, Vijay's both cell phones were switched off. The family rushed to Seelampur, but could not find Vijay.

Next morning, around 4 am, they found Vijay's abandoned motorbike. The family members then finally found Vijay in Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital yesterday evening. He was admitted there in an unconscious state.

According to the family, Vijay never took drugs. They suspect someone had drugged him.

The police is scrutinising details of Vijay's cell phone. On Wednesday, between 1.53 and 4.22 pm, eight calls were received on Vijay's mobile phone from a particular number. Vijay had spoken to the caller. The number is registered in the name of Promode Kumar of Ashok Nagar, Delhi. But this number was also found to have been switched off.

According to the police, details will be known only after Vijay regains senses.

New Delhi, April 15
A 50-year-old man was stoned to death in the Ashok Vihar area of northwest Delhi last night.

According to the police, the victim has been identified as Veer Bahadur. He was discovered murdered this morning in his bed outside his house. Bahadur's family has alleged that Ram Surat, who lives in its neighbourhood, could be the culprit as the two did not get along well.

"Bahadur lived with his daughter and son-in-law in Ashok Vihar. Last night, he slept outside his house and was found dead in a pool of blood this morning. It seems that someone hit him with a heavy stone several times on the head and face," said a police official.

According to information, Surat and Bahadur were not on good terms and often indulged in fights over petty issues.

The police suspects that Surat could be the murderer as he is missing since last night.

"We are questioning Surat's family members and they don't know about his whereabouts. However, police teams are working to trace him," said the official. 

New Delhi, April 15
The Delhi police has arrested a Nigerian national and has claimed to have busted an international drug racket.

The accused has been identified as Bartholonew Oluchukwn (26). The police has seized 518 gm heroin worth over Rs 1 crore from him.

Police officials said Oluchukwn was about to smuggle the drug out of the country through courier service. His arrest came after investigation was taken up on a tip-off that an African national would come to a coffee shop in Gopi Nath Bazar on April 14 and smuggle heroin through courier service after concealing it in readymade garments.

The parcel seized contained three sets of lehnga.

On removing the embroideries of the lehngas, the police found small-size polythene bags stitched to the lehngas. These bags contained heroin.

Oluchukwn said he obtained the heroin, concealed in the garments, from one John whom he had met at the New Delhi railway station. 

New Delhi, April 15
Some men broke open the locks of five shops and decamped with cash and goods worth lakhs of rupees from a market in the Bhajanpura area of northeast Delhi.

The burglary came to notice this morning when the shopkeepers came to open the shops. The exact amount of loss is yet to be calculated.

According to the police, the victim shopkeepers have been identified as Akhlaq Ahmed, Deepak Khandelwal, Madan Chabbra, Sulekh Nand and Mukesh Verma.

According to information, the burglars tried to break open the locks of several other shops but did not succeed. Senior police officials of the area visited the market and assured traders of better security in the night.