New Delhi, December 19
The Delhi government today told the Delhi High Court that it would not restore the night shelters which had been constructed near the railway tracks and under the flyovers but demolished later due to security concerns.

While defending its step to shut down these night shelters, the Delhi government said people were not turning up there.

"Mobilisation of people is very low, the yare not going there (night shelter)," said counsel appearing for the state government.

However, rejecting the argument, the bench said that the poor and the needy were not showing up at these night shelters because of lack of proper infrastructure. "There is no proper infrastructure, that's why people are not going in the night shelters," the court said.

Observing that NGOs have to don the responsibility of disseminating awareness about the night shelters, the bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said: "Such social organisations should try to bring in more needy people to the shelters."

During the hearing, the petitioner, an NGO, blamed the Delhi government and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for demolition of night shelters without any prior information.

The NGO, that runs few night shelters, has alleged that the government has stopped funding them, forcing them to shut down the facilities.

On the other hand, the government today submitted that it has already asked for land from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for construction of new night shelters. It also informed the court that within a week, seven new shelters would be opened for children.

The city government also informed the court that 64 permanent and 54 temporary (portable cabin) shelters were already functioning in the city.

Irked over the closure of 84 temporary night shelters in the national capital against its orders, the Delhi High Court had on December 13 directed the city government to reopen them immediately.

The court also pulled up the Delhi government for shutting down the night shelters, citing low occupancy.

The court had taken a suo motu cognisance on the basis of media reports about the demolition of a night shelter in December 2010 and the civic bodies doing nothing to protect the homeless from the biting cold.

Meanwhile, the court has sought the status report of the night shelters functioning by Wednesday. — IANS

New Delhi, December 19
The "unprecedented number" of aspirants during admission time at DU this year was the main factor why mark-sheets verification could not be carried out simultaneously with admissions at Ramjas College, said the College principal, Rajendra Prasad, today.

However, the principal openly challenged other colleges to come out clean as he reiterated that such cases have come to light in other colleges as well, however, everyone is hiding the truth.

"If the police investigation broadens and includes more colleges, the number of forged mark-sheets will definitely rise," said Prasad.

The college today released a detailed report on the issue that documented together every order or circular given out by the principal involved in the matter ever since the first case of fake mark-sheet unearthed on July 7.

"Picking on one college would not end the problem. We are in the process of verifying the second year mark-sheets now. Apart from CBSE, we will screen makrsheets of other boards as well within a week's time. But other colleges, including some very reputed ones, are still mum on the matter. Not one single college is conducting any inquiry," added the principal, who has been serving as Ramjas principal for over 25 years now.

However, he admitted that all the seats which now lie vacant would remain vacant as no more students could be admitted now.

Speaking to The Tribune, PK Malhotra, chairmain of the screening committee, who was also the admissions convenor this year, said, "It is difficult to identify a fake mark-sheet. Only experts can do that. Last year, due to the DUTA distancing from the admission process, the support staff was hit badly. We had to indulge non-teaching staff into the admission process. The six cases from the second year that were missed last year could have been because of this chaos. However, now every single mark-sheet will be checked again."

Dr GS Chilana, member of the committee and the physics faculty at Ramjasm, said, "The internal inquiry currently conducted by District and Session Judge (retd) RK Yadav is currently scrutinising every bit. Those who have signed these admission forms have also been called in for questioning."

"The Yadav Inquiry Panel has also asked us what more can be done to avoid such instances. I have put forth the suggestion that soon after the announcement of the cutoff list, first there should be a checking of the documents of all the aspiring candidates."

Gurgaon, December 19
In order to streamline and simplify the procedure for the approval of building plans of sites situated in plotted residential and licensed industrial colonies in the state, the department of town and country planning, Haryana, has introduced self-certification system by amending the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development Rules, 1965.

Stating this here today, senior town planner RK Singh said the self-certification regime was applicable to the individual plots.

He said the state government had issued guidelines in this regard vide its letter dated October 29, 2011, which were available on the department website http://tcpharyana.gov.in as well as at the offices of district town planners (DTPs).

As per the new regime, the building plans of the plots in the plotted/residential/industrial colonies (licensed) will be approved by qualified architects as per the amended rules and procedure outlined in the guidelines.

The decision will be effective from December 1, 2011.

Before approving the building plans, the architect will submit an application on the prescribed form at the office of the DTP concerned along with a complete set of building plans, scrutiny fee/cess amount and other documents.

The DTP will convey the confirmation after checking the building plans and other documents or deficiencies, if any, within a period of five days, failing which the architects will issue permission to the owner.

A general meeting was convened by the department at the HUDA Gymkhana Club in Sector 29 here yesterday to create awareness amongst local architects/RWAs/general public regarding the self-certification regime.

Noida, December 19
The Noida police today launched a drive to verify all outsiders living in Sector 82 here.

The drive was initiated after SP (city), as part of his community policing programme, yesterday held a meeting with residents of Sector 82, during which people complained that several unauthorised persons were living in the area.

SP (city) Anant Dev had met residents of Sector 82 at the park in Pocket 7. Station house officer of the Noida Phase 2 police station Randhir Singh was also present at the meet.

SP Chauhan, the representative of the RWA of the area, said. "Hundreds of residents had assembled there to raise their grievances. They suggested that Bhangel police station, which currently covers Kendriya Vihar in the sector, is around 500 metre far from the colony, but the expressway police station is just along the road outside the boundary wall of the colony and so it should cover the area."

Dev agreed to consider their suggestion. He directed the SHO to see how the areas could be realigned.

Further, people raised the issue of illegal occupants residing in the area.

As several authority flats were unoccupied, several persons had forcibly taken over the possession of the flats and were living there, they said.

Though the RWA had details of the flat owners, there were no details of those living as tenants or unauthorised occupation.

The SP (city) ordered the SHO to conduct a verification of the residents of the area in association with RWA representatives and see that no anti-social elements gained entry into the area.

Residents also expressed concerns over lack of proper patrolling in the area. The SP (city) assured the people of increasing the patrolling.

"Crime can be checked effectively with public support," said Dev.

He asked the residents to inform about any suspicious person to the nearest PCR van or police station.

New Delhi, December 19
A 26-year-old youth has been sentenced to two and half years in jail for tricking a court here into granting him anticipatory bail in a dowry death case by falsely claiming that he was a minor.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Manish Gupta sentenced Shobh Raj while holding him guilty of securing anticipatory bail from another court on the basis of a forged birth certificate showing him to be a minor.

"I find force in the arguments of additional public prosecutor for state that the misrepresentation exercised on behalf of the accused has resulted in influencing the judicial mind of honourable court while considering the bail plea of the accused and consequently he was directed to avail the liberty of bail," the ACMM said.

North-west Delhi resident Raj was an accused in a case of dowry death along with other members of his family for killing his sister-in-law by administering her poison in 2005.

He had secured anticipatory bail from the court of additional sessions judge Rakesh Siddhartha on the sole ground that he was a minor, with his birth certificate showing his date of birth as February 9, 1988 instead of 1986, his actual year of birth.

A later verification of the certificate on the request of the father of his deceased sister-in-law showed it to be forged and his bail was cancelled in September 2007 by V P Vaish, the then additional sessions judge.

ACMM Gupta noted that while pressing for the anticipatory bail, Raj had claimed that he was a juvenile and this "satisfies the element of deception and intentional inducement."

He also noted that ASJ Vaish while canceling the bail noted that Raj was not given bail on merits, which shows that he obtained relief by misrepresenting the fact that he was minor and had produced the copy of the birth certificate which was not found to be genuine.

The court convicted him under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to cheating and forgery and also slapped a fine of Rs 8,000 on him.

It, however, suspended his sentence till December 24 after he submitted that he wished to move an appeal against his conviction. — PTI

Greater Noida, December 19
A man here allegedly kidnapped the son of a trader to arrange money to give to his wife for withdrawing a dowry case filed against him.

The police yesterday arrested the man and his two accomplices and rescued the kidnapped boy.

The man, Vikas Kumar, is the brother of an employee of the trader, Surinder Goyal.

He told the police that he required Rs 5 lakh to settle a dowry case

filed against him by his wife.

His two accomplices have been identified as Brij Bhan and Chandar Bhan.

Surinder Goyal runs a utensil shop on the railway road in Dadri.

After kidnapping his son Naresh Goyal (24) on Friday evening, Kumar and his accomplices took him to Aligarh.

The next day, when Surinder Goyal called on his son's phone, Kumar demanded Rs 15 lakh from him.

Initially, the police had lodged a missing person report.

"But after the family got the ransom call, the police swung in action. Cops traced the location of the accused through electronic surveillance. As part of a plan, a relative of the Goyals took the ransom money to the kidnappers. But as soon as the kidnappers reached there, the police nabbed them," said Rakesh Jolly, superintendent of police.

New Delhi, December 19
Manager and supervisor of Indraprastha depot and terminal in charge of Kamla Market DTC bus terminal were suspended due to gross negligence of their duty and a DTC bus driver, who was indulged in fatal accident yesterday, has been terminated from services, said transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely after holding a review meeting today.

The minister expressed his displeasure over the fatal accident by the DTC bus driver and asked chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of the DTC to fix the responsibility to all staff, including supervisory, involved in the incidents to ensure the safety and security of the passengers.

He said the government had started zero tolerance policy for rash and drunken driving and fatal accidents, keeping in view to provide safe and reliable transport system in the city.

The action of suspension and termination of officials and drivers should be taken as one of the safety measures taken by the DTC.

He said a circular would be issued shortly to the DTC drivers and conductors for better behaviour and adhering traffic rules. Special drive would be started to provide safe traffic awareness among the drivers and conductors in which special and additional technical training to be provided to the DTC staff.

New Delhi, December 19
A campaign against junk food could not have better ambassadors than students. Rightly so, to spread awareness against the consumption of junk food, students of Father Angel School in south Delhi formed a human chain this morning.

Braving the wintry chill, the students appealed to the residents of Delhi to say no to junk food. They formed a human chain that read "Junk the junk food". The students asked people to come forward and create awareness against the consumption of fast food.

Highlighting the adverse affects of the unhealthy junk food, the children performed a street play. In their message, they asked their parents to make their tiffins free of junk food as there were several cheaper, better and healthy choices.

Head of the school Father JA Cavalho, said, "It's our children's fight against the processed food industry."

Cavalho told the children that some companies were selling snacks that contained banned substances such as mono sodium glutamate (MSG).

"This is an engineered system. Once we consume such substances we become habituated to them and crave for them," he added.

Teachers pointed out that the changing life pattern had resulted in a lot of health problems like diabetes and heart-related diseases and even children were falling pray to them.

Several children and members of the students' body of the school shared their experiences about how the campaign had helped them improve their health.

New Delhi, December 19
Five persons were injured in a firing after a heated argument between two of the victims and five assailants, who had arrived at their mobile store in Yamuna Vihar last night to collect money.

One of the victims was a passerby who was injured in the "indiscriminate firing".

Sources said two of the assailants were also injured in the firing. They are in the police custody.

A police official said, "The five assailants arrived at the mobile store owned by two of the victims, Mohit Dagar and Vinay. The assailants were asking for money. A heated argument followed and a fight started between them.

Meanwhile, one of the assailants brandished a gun and fired four to five rounds. Mohit and Vinay were injured. A passerby, Sompal, was also became the victim of the firing."

The victims were rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where they are recuperating.

A case has been registered in this matter. The official said that the assailants had been identified and a manhunt had been launched to nab them.

Mohit's father Pramod is an advocate at the Karkardooma court and is the former president of the Shahdara Bar Association.

New Delhi, December 19
The body of a woman, who was probably strangulated to death, was found wrapped in a bedding at New Usmanpur, yesterday morning.

Policemen found the body while they were patrolling the area around 8 am.

A police officer said, "A rolled bedding was found in bushes in New Usmanpur. When it was untied, a woman's body was found in two plastic bags inside it."

The woman, in her thirties, was wearing four tops, a pair of jeans and stockings. There were two rings on her fingers. The body has not been claimed. It is yet to be ascertain whether she was married.

The body has been kept in the mortuary of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

The police said the postmortem of the body would determine the cause of death and whether she was raped.

"She appears to have been strangulated," said the officer.