New Delhi, February 5
A 19-year-old girl was seriously injured when her 26-year-old neighbour shoved an iron rod into her mouth, when she resisted his attempt to rape her at Jal Vihar, Lajpat Nagar, last night.

The accused identified as Anil Kumar is an electrician. Last night, he came to the victim's house in an inebriated condition. She was alone in the house and Kumar allegedly tried to rape her. When she resisted his attempt, he inserted an iron rod in her mouth, which caused injuries in her mouth and trachea, a windpipe leading to the lungs.

The victim's family rushed her to AIIMS hospital where she is being treated. Kumar was arrested late at night yesterday.

The girl is a Class XI student of a government school. She lives with her mother, sister and elder brother in a slum colony of Jal Vihar.

According to the police, her mother had gone to a nearby market to meet her relatives yesterday evening, while her brother was not in the city.

Kumar came to the victim's house at 8.15 pm. He asked her to pay the electricity bill and she told him that there was no one at home. He left and soon returned. "He barged into her house and threatened to kill her if she raised the alarm. He started undressing her and when she resisted and screamed for help, he started beating her. The girl picked up an iron rod lying near her and started bashing him with it. He snatched it from her and shoved it into her mouth," said a police official.

The neighbours heard her screams and rushed to her house. But, the accused had fled before they reached. On victim's statement, the police registered a case under Sections 452 (trespassing with the intent to cause hurt or wrongful restraint) 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 307 (attempt to murder), 376/511 (attempt to rape) of the IPC at the Lajpal Nagar police station.

The police thereafter started searching for Kumar. They found him in his relative's house at Faridabad. Investigators are trying to ascertain if he was involved in similar incidents earlier.

The girl's family was surprised at Kumar's behaviour. They said that he would often come to their house and would treat the girl as his sister. The girl's sister said that she is out of danger and would be discharged from the hospital after receiving the initial treatment.

New Delhi, February 5
Delhi Health Minister Dr A.K. Walia today stated that the Health Department has blacklisted PES Installation Pvt. Ltd. for not following standard procedure and failing in its duty to ensure safe supply of oxygen to Intensive Care Unit.

The decision was taken after the tragedy resulting in the death of four patients admitted to the ICU of Sushrut Trauma Centre on December 4.

A committee was constituted to ascertain the cause of the incident. It has come to the conclusion that M/s. PES Installation Pvt. Ltd. is responsible for the lapses.

Further, the company has been debarred from participating in any tender process or contract agreement with any of the government hospitals and health institutions of the Delhi government.

Dr Walia stated that an FIR had also been lodged against the company under various sections of the IPC.

"We instructed the Health Department to strictly follow the procedures in the appointment of any contractor. We also asked the department to keep an eye on the day-to-day functioning of the contractor in the hospitals in order to avoid any mishap," said Dr Walia.

New Delhi, February 5
Labour Minister A.K. Walia today stated that the government would train the construction workers in order to enhance their efficiency.

Dr. Walia today presented passbooks to the registered workers and cheques of scholarship to the wards of construction workers in a function organized jointly by the Union and city governments. A large number of workers under the DMRC, NBCC, PWD, CPWD and other registered workers were present on the occasion.

The Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) has been collecting cess from the contractors and construction agencies to utilize the fund on the welfare of such workers, said Dr Walia.

He exhorted the workers to get registered with the board which is very simple as any worker below the age of 60 and has worked 90 days in a year can register himself by making payment of just Rs 25.

He will have to make a payment of Rs 20 as subscription for subsequent years.

"By registration with the board, they become eligible for the benefits under various welfare schemes benefits under Rashtriya Swasthy Bima Yojana which take cares of treatments, expenses amounting to Rs 30,000 per year for the member and their dependents," he said.

Around 1.20 lakh workers have been registered with the board in 184 camps. They have become eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 on attaining the age of 60. Further, their dependents are also getting pension of Rs 500 per month.

Around Rs 35 crore has been disbursed for benefits under various schemes. The government has recently enhanced manifold the benefits due to the registered members of the board.

New Delhi, February 5
A 55-year-old motorcyclist was killed after a truck rammed into his bike at southeast Delhi's New Friends Colony area today.

The victim named Ram Parvesh stayed with his family at Molarbandh Extension in Badarpur. He reportedly worked with National Thermal Power Commission (NTPC).

According to the police, Parvesh was heading towards Badarpur from Ashram when the accident occurred at about 2.30 pm. The truck driver identified as Jitender Singh was overpowered by some onlookers and handed over to the police. The accused reportedly belongs to Uttar Pradesh.

Eyewitnesses claim that Parvesh's motorcycle was hit from the rear by the speeding truck. He lost his balance and collided with a road-divider. Onlookers rushed to help him. They then informed the police.

A police officer said, "He was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre with a severe head injury. Doctors declared him dead upon arrival to the hospital."

A case of rash driving and causing death due to negligence has been filed against Singh at the New Friends Colony police station.

New Delhi, February 5
The Northern Railway is gearing up to tackle the upcoming Holi and summer rush of 2013 by rolling out its action plan to ensure smooth functioning of reservation counters and to check the malpractices in reservation offices.

A spokesman of the Northern Railway said that the staff would be posted near windows outside the reservation counters at all locations of the reservation offices during the Holi festival and summer vocation. The staff would countersign the requisition forms after ensuring their complete filling, especially the address before they are submitted to the reservation clerk.

Senior railway officials will be deputed to supervise the reservation counters at all the locations.

Additional counters for reservations would be opened at the locations wherever it is necessary for the convenience of passengers. Team of commercial and vigilance inspectors and Railway Protection Force would be deputed at reservation offices for keeping a watch over the activities of touts and anti-social elements, the spokesman said.

New Delhi, February 5
It is fresh trouble for the Delhi University vice-chancellor as students under the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) have alleged irregularities in the contract for the new cafeteria at Arts Faculty, Delhi University.

What has also left a large section of the students disgruntled is the steep jump in the cost of the food items, with the charge of a usual plate hiked from Rs 30 to Rs 50 and that of the special plate to Rs 80 from Rs 35 after the new canteen started by the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) last week.

Accusing the vice-chancellor of 'favouritism', they have demanded a probe into the bidding process by an independent committee and set an affordable price ceiling for the food items. In addition, they also want the contracts to be made public and only the co-operatives run on 'no profit no loss basis' by the karamchari union or students' management should be considered for the cafeterias in colleges and hostels.

This is not all, said Maya John, a PhD student and member of the KYS, who has handed over a memorandum to the university administration in this regard.

Questioning the terms and procedure of the contract process, KYS representative Sujeet Kumar said, "On what basis the contract was awarded to the IRCTC which, according to the DU administration, was the lowest bidder even as no official advertisement for the tender took place."

According them, the SPIC MACAY (Society for promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youth), the previous private contractor was informed about the non-renewal of its canteen contract by the DU administration last year on the pretext that the building housing the canteen will be renovated.

In response, the DU administration has rubbished all the allegations and assured the students of doing away with the special plate, but the students want their demands to be met in totality.