New Delhi, June 11
The work experience gained during the Commonwealth Games (CWG) by thousands of volunteers last year is yielding them least benefits due to the tarnished image of the Organising Committee (OC) and the scam-hit games.

The volunteers were touted as the face of the games and had played a crucial role in making the games a success.

The corruption taint that has now smeared some of the top officials of the OC has percolated down to the juniormost project officer. Several companies are refusing to entertain job seekers who worked with the CWG OC.

Many youngsters, some of them straight out of the college, had joined the OC, looking at it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a mega project and proudly display the experience on their CVs. However, it appears the experience certificate will be a liability.

"There were about 10 of us for an interview recently. We thought we were going to get preferential treatment. But what came was a shock. The official told us bluntly that the company would not hire them because they had worked in the OC," said Abhishek Aggrawal

The youngsters are finding it difficult to get jobs because of their CWG assignment. While a few of them have been unambiguously told by prospective employers that they would not risk hiring people from the OC, others were given subtler hints. Many of them have landed jobs, though not always of their choice, but some are still searching.

"One company said that they would not consider it a work experience, but just an adventure," said Aryab Pathak, a graduate from Delhi College of Engineering who got the OC job as part of campus placements.

"We carried out the work with sincerity and efficiency for the sake of the games and we were not even paid for our services. But it seems to be a waste of time now," said Manovar Chaudhary, another volunteer.

The world-class stadiums constructed for the Commonwealth Games at a cost of thousands of crores are now in disuse ever since the event ended in October 2010.

The stadiums were touted to be the legacy of the Games by the organisers, but a visit to these facilities revealed that filth and garbage were lying all around and the sheen was gone. The then sports minister and government officials had announced that the stadiums would be utilized round the year to promote sports and sportspersons, but the infrastructure facilities are hardly being used.

City check-in service

Jet Airways began its city check-in service on Friday for its domestic passengers boarding from Terminal-3. The facility is available at three stations of Delhi Airport Metro Express Line -- the New Delhi railway station, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan.

At Dhaula Kuan, the facility is available only for passengers who don't have any check-in baggage. A special CCI identification label and baggage tag will also be put on the boarding passes and check-in bags respectively.

Jet Airways will extend the facility for international passengers after getting the clearance of the regulatory authorities.

Green campus

The NIIT University has launched a drive to develop its 100-acre campus in a green area. This is an effort to convert the surrounding 'kali pahari' into 'hari paharis' (green hills).

Rajendra S Pawar, founder of the NIIT University, says, "The need of the hour is to look at the future requirements of a knowledge society and establish a new model of higher education. The pre-eminence of holistic and seamless education is of utmost importance to society. To achieve this goal, a green campus is part of the deal at NIIT that has taken a number of measures to facilitate ecological resurrection and contain ecological degradation of its surrounding areas."

To begin with the students have undertaken a tree plantation drive to green the surrounding hills. They have planted about 10,000 saplings of various trees. To provide saplings, the varsity has set up a large fully equipped nursery on campus which has a wide variety of trees.

Baba's modest beginning

Politicians who promoted yoga guru Ramdev have not forgotten his modest beginning. Former Delhi social welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal said he helped Ramdev in 2004 to launch his yoga camp in Chhattrasal Stadium. The Baba used to charge every participant Rs 2,200 and never gave any concession to anyone.

Many other local politicians also supported Ramdev for their personal benefit, but the Baba turned out to be the real beneficiary, his wealth now running into over one thousand crores of rupees.

Light-fingered gentry

During the yoga guru Baba Ramdev's hunger strike in Delhi, the pickpockets had a brisk business. They mingled with the Baba's supporters who had congregated at the Ramlila Grounds and smartly executed the job.

(Contributed by Himani Chandel, Jyoti Rai, Charu Singh, Syed Ali Ahmed, Ananya Panda)

New Delhi, June 11
Demanding a CBI probe into the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday staged protests at 14 locations in the Capital and asked the government to clarify its stand on black money and corruption.

"We are demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged police atrocities on Baba Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan," said Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta.

"We also want that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should clarify the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government's stand on the issues of black money and corruption," he added.

Baba Ramdev was forcibly evicted from the Capital after midnight on June 4.

The satyagraha started at 9 am at the 14 locations. They were: Keshav Puram, Kanhaiya Nagar Chowk, Chandni Chowk, Khajuri Chowk, Azad Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Shahdara, Karol Bagh, Madhuban Chowk (Rohini), Nangloi Depot, Subhash Nagar More, Najafgarh, Mehrauli and Hamdard Chowk.

Ghaziabad, June 11
The Indirapuram police has arrested a woman director of a bogus company for defrauding a leading housing finance company of Rs 75 lakh. The accused was sent to jail yesterday.

The accused Madhu Goel had mortgaged land under Khasra No 28 in Kanvano village for a loan of Rs 75 lakh. The land stood acquired by the Ghaziabad Development Authority and the accused has already taken the land compensation for it.

Senior manager Sadhu Ram Arora, of India Bulls Finance company at Phase 5 of Haryana Udyog Vihar, lodged a complaint with the Indirapuram police that four directors of Sigma Paradise Madhu Goel, Vanit Goel, Vishal Goel and Sarita, all residents of KM-78 Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad, had applied for a loan of Rs 75 lakh in February 2007.

After the loan had been approved, they mortgaged the documents of land under Khasra No 28 in Kanvano village with the bank.

A monthly instalment of Rs 1 lakh had been fixed by the bank for repayment of the loan. Madhu Goel paid a few initial instalments only.

The Indirapuram police which registered a case on February 11 started investigations.

The inquiry officer Ram Bhavan Singh said that the land mortgaged by the accused had been acquired by the Ghaziabad Development Authority in 2005 and the accused has already pocketed its compensation amount.

The accused took the loan by depositing the duplicate copy of the documents with the bank. 

Faridabad, June 11
The district administration has decided to come down heavily on the practice of usury by private moneylenders in Faridabad, said DC Praveen Kumar.

Kumar said today that usurious rates of interests were being charged on the black market. This was unethical as well as against the law. He cautioned them of punitive action.

According to the DC, the rate of interest to be charged by "authorised" private institutions and individuals from their clients must be in conformity with the banking norms. Any rate of interest contrary to the norm would be considered part of blackmarketeering, he added.

He further warned of action against private parties in the moneylending business without the requisite authorisation from the government.

About the reason for the delayed and sudden intervention by the administration on the issue, he said recently a youth, Suraj, from Ballabgarh (Faridabad), met him with his woes.

He had borrowed more than Rs 2 lakh from three separate individuals, including a son of a police inspector, to set up a business. Each of the lenders was charging the rate as per his whims, which was more than 100 per cent of the rate allowed by the banking system.

According to Suraj, the moneylenders were resorting to high-handedness as he was unable to pay the high rate of interest.

Kumar said he had ordered the registration of a case against the three moneylenders.

New Delhi, June 11
The crime branch of the Delhi police has apprehended a 32-year-old man who allegedly faked his own murder to get his wife and her relatives arrested for the crime.

Sohan Lal, a resident of Faridabad, was held from Okhla yesterday. "Sohan had faked his own murder. He had hatched a plan for faking his murder as he wanted to get his wife Laxmi and her relatives arrested because he suspected that his wife was having a relationship with her relative," said Ashok Chand, DCP (crime).

According to the DCP, Sohan came to know about Laxmi's alleged relationship with Sonu and planned to take revenge on her. He hatched a conspiracy with his friend Chandan to find a person of his age, build and height and then kill him. He also made his father Ganga Ram and brother Sanjay coconspirators.

"As per their planning, they found a heavily drunk young man lying under Bata Chowk Flyover, Faridabad, on the night of March 19, 2011. Finding his resemblance with Sohan, they put him in their car and drove away to Palwal. Near Palwal Canal, they strangled him to death and Sohan planted his purse having his PAN card and other identification documents in the pocket of the body and threw the body into the canal," said Chand.

Two days later, the decomposed body was found by the police and identified as that of Sohan on the basis of PAN card and on identification by Ganga Ram and Sanjay.

Laxhmi, her brother Jal Singh and Sonu's father Inder Singh were arrested in the case. They are still languishing in jail and facing trial.

According to Chand, Sohan's thirst for revenge was so big that he also induced Sonu's sister to enter into an illicit relationship with him.

"After committing the murder, Sohan eloped with her. There was another reason for eloping. Sohan was sure that the family members of the girl, with whom he had eloped, would name him as the kidnapper and that would be another motive for the girl's relatives to murder him which would ensure the arrest of Laxmi and their relatives," said Chand.

Sohan has two children from his marriage with Laxmi and is a taxi driver.