New Delhi, September 1
The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has decided to provide toilet facilities to all the slum dwellers under a sanitation strategy.

The chief executive officer of DUSIB, Amar Nath, said that the board has planned to upgrade the existing toilets and provide new ones with the modern technologies in JJ clusters.

The board plans to spend about Rs 42 crore for creating new toilets and improving the existing ones as part of its strategy to improve sanitation in JJ clusters. It has explored newer technologies, and has been using bio-digester-based disposal systems in some of its newer blocks and mobile toilet vans.

An Advisory Committee on Sanitation Strategy in Slums has also been constituted comprising NGOs and experts working in the field of sanitation. The committee will help DUSIB in formulating framework of various strategies to be implemented involving the various stakeholders working in the field of sanitation.

Nath said that it is the mandate of the DUSIB to rehabilitate slum dwellers, and provide toilets facilities in JJ clusters. He said that the Finance Minister has also announced the provision for toilets in slums and JJ clusters in his Budget speech for Delhi.

He said that there are 685 JJ clusters, which are on land owned by various states and Central government agencies, where DUSIB, Delhi Municipal Corporations and other government agencies have provided toilet facilities.

"The board has taken up community toilets from municipal corporations, and is in the process of upgrading them. There are a large number of slums which do not have toilets," Nath said.

The board has provided 307 toilet blocks and will take over all the blocks. In 53 JJ clusters, 67 mobile toilet vans with bio-digesters are planned to be provided.

"To improve the sanitation in the slums, there is a need to devise an integrated slum sanitation strategy. 

New Delhi, September 1
A large number of people thronged Vikas Sadan, the DDA headquarters, to purchase forms for flats under the new scheme launched today.

The DDA had announced 25,000 flats of different categories and asked the needy to apply for them.

People were pushing hard to reach the window to get the forms. When the DDA authorities saw that the situation had gone out of control, they asked for security to manage the form seekers.

"The DDA Housing Scheme 2014 is now officially open. We are offering 25,034 flats in the scheme, out of which 22,627 are one-bed room apartments. There are also 896 flats constructed after 2010, with green technology," said Balvinder Kumar, vice-chairman, DDA.

The new scheme offers flats ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore across categories-EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, Janta flats and one-room apartments, he said.

The response online was so massive that the DDA official website crashed soon after the launch.

An official said that the DDA official website today crashed following a massive online response from people soon after the launch of its flagship 'Housing Scheme 2014'.

"Soon after the launch, we received over 5 lakh hits on our official website, following which it had crashed. Efforts are on to restore the service," the official said.

On the website, people from various states who have interest in having property in the national Capital had applied, he said.

New Delhi, September 1
In a progressive move, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is moving towards a gender inclusive course by introducing a 'third gender' category as 'Others' in the nomination forms of students' union elections slated for September 12.

The decision was taken by the JNU Students' Union Election Committee on Sunday. In this context, the committee had also received an application from the JNU's Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) seeking inclusion of the 'other' category in nomination forms this year.

"It is a progressive step and towards the larger interests of a community. JNU campus is a democratic set-up and we decided this in view of the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court. We had also got a communication from the GSCASH last Friday," said Dileep Kumar Maurya, chairperson of JNUSU Election Committee.

According to him, this is for the first time that an election committee has introduced the third gender option in nomination forms. The move assumes significance as the Supreme Court earlier this year had acknowledged transgenders as the third gender and recently Delhi University included the option in application forms for admission to post-graduate courses.

The elections process would begin tomorrow with the nominations starting from 9.30 am to 5 pm. The move has largely been welcomed by the students on campus including the ultra-left All India Students Association (AISA), which had swept JNUSU elections last year.

New Delhi, September 1
Three persons were killed and one was injured in two separate accidents in eastern part of the city, police said today.

The first incident took place in Geeta Colony area when two men who were going to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara from Gandhi Nagar on a scooter were hit by a speeding car from behind.

Manjeet Singh (48), who was riding pillion, was dragged to some distance by the car. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Singh's neighbour, Ishpreet, 22, a DU student, who was driving the scooter, was injured in the incident.

Police identified the errant car diver as Irshad and arrested him from his home in East Delhi's Kalyanpuri here this morning.

The second incident took place in Yamuna Vihar where two friends were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a truck.

The deceased were identified as Mustafabad resident Waseem, a car mechanic, and Shariq, an electrician.

The errant truck driver fled the spot along with his vehicle. Police have registered a case at the New Usman Pur police station and further investigations are on. — PTI

New Delhi, September 1
An autorickshaw driver was allegedly caught by the Delhi Police Control Room staff when he was raping a 15-year-old mentally challenged girl in a forested area in Gazipur, east Delhi, early this morning.

The incident took place at about 4 am, according to the police. The staff of the PCR vehicle saw an autorickshaw parked near the Gazipur flyover. They became suspicious and started searching the area around the autorickshaw, which led them to a forested piece of land. They then heard the victim yelling. The policemen caught the accused and took him to the Gazipur police station with the rescued girl.

The accused was identified as Ram Ashish (35), who is a resident of Shastri Nagar. He allegedly confessed to raping the girl whom he had picked up from near the Anand Vihar railway station.

"The accused was waiting near the station early in the morning when he noticed the girl. He approached her by asking her where she was going and when she replied Sarai Kale Khan, he told her that he was headed there as well," said a police officer.

The officer added that Ashish confessed that he had allegedly parked the autorickshaw near the Gazipur flyover and raped the girl.

"The PCR van had brought both of them to the police station. We noticed that the girl was mentally challenged. She was also in a state of shock," said the officer.

A case under the Indian Penal Code section of rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, was registered at the Gazipur police station against the accused.

The police are trying to ascertain the identity of the girl. "We are checking our database for a missing report. As the accused told us that she was planning to go to Sarai Kale Khan, we have informed the area police about the girl," said another investigating officer, adding that the girl was counselled and sent to a shelter home.

New Delhi, September 1
A 55-year-old man was stabbed to death by his son following an argument in north-west Delhi's Swaroop Nagar locality on Sunday, the police said today.

The victim has been identified as Gopal Tiwari (55). According to the police, he had an argument with his 23-year-old son, Vijendra Tiwari, after returning home from his shop on Sunday night. A police officer privy to the details of the case said that Vijendra was unemployed and this led to frequent fights between him and his father.

After the argument on Sunday night, Vijendra allegedly grabbed a knife and stabbed his father on his chest.

When Gopal's wife came to rescue him, Vijendra also allegedly attacked his mother and fled from the house, according to the officer.

Later, Gopal's younger son, Ravindra found his parents lying in a pool of blood. He raised the alarm. The police were informed about the incident and they reached the site of the incident.

"The two victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Gopal was declared dead and his wife admitted with severe injuries," said the officer.

Vijendra has been booked for murder and attempt to murder and the police are looking for him.

Gopal's body has been sent for a postmortem and his wife's condition is out of danger, added the officer.

New Delhi, September 1
Eighteen people have been arrested for allegedly gambling in the five-star Le Meridien hotel in New Delhi.

"The police acted upon information and raided two adjacent suites. Eighteen gamblers who had gathered in the hotel from different parts of Trans-Yamuna area were apprehended from the suites," said the Addl CP, SBS Tyagi.

Playing cards and cash worth Rs 2.16 lakh was allegedly seized from the gamblers, he said.

The accused allegedly told the police that they had gathered at the hotel as it was a safe hideout.

A case under the Gambling Act against Amit Yadav, Pawan Pandit, Ikramuddin, Jitender, Krishna Kumar, Raghav Bhardwaj, Vivek Tyagi, Mukesh Kumar, Shrichand, Sunil Kumar, Gyanender Kumar, Maharajuddin, Naveen, Kailash Kumar Sharma, Sudarshan, Sunil Gupta, Ashok and Dharmender, has been registered.

New Delhi, September 1
In another assurance to root out corruption in health sector, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today called for transparency in the upcoming government organ transplantation network while asserting that there would be no VIP reservation in the system to come in place and no referrals from officers would be considered in this regard.

"There will be no VIP quotas or recommendations from officers to be entertained. Every life is worth protecting and the spirit of the movement is not to be mocked at," said Dr Vardhan after a visit to Safdarjung Hospital today, where National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO) is housed on two floors of the pathology building.

A general waiting list will be maintained. Once a brain-stem dead patient's consent is available, a state-of-the-art retrieval, matching and transplantation operation will swing into action. A patient who registered his name for the waiting list will be given a number which will not change even if he admits himself to another hospital later.

He stressed the need for total, information technology-guided transparency in the interface between organ donor and recipient once NOTTO becomes operational.

New Delhi, September 1
Giving in to the demands of the Swami Shraddhanand College Teachers' Association, the college administration has not only reinstated the six faculty it had retrenched recently, but also "agreed" to modify the master timetable in the light of the existing Executive Council's resolution of 1975 with effect from July 2014.

The move comes following six days of agitation by the association during which teachers had warned the college administration of abstaining from the upcoming Delhi University Students Union elections along with withdrawing from the activity of college committees.

Calling off the strike, president of the staff association Dr Manish Kumar said, "It is an achievement and the principal agreed to continue the services of the teachers with no break and rectify the master timetable as per the DU norms from this semester itself. Under pressure the principal gave us a proposal on Friday that instead of six ad hoc teachers he was ready for appointing six guest faculty members and regarding the master timetable he said it would be implemented from next year onwards as per DU norms. But today the proposal was unanimously rejected in the general body meeting of the association."

Later a delegation comprising the office-bearers, along with other senior teachers, met college Principal Dr. SK Kundra pressing him for the continuation of the services of the teachers whose services were terminated on August 22 failing which teachers would intensify their protest.

Teachers had condemned the principal who remained unavailable for comments for his alleged "unilateral decision" on the issue.

"Both reframing of master timetable, including the tutorial, preceptorial and practical size and creating of more teacher posts go hand in hand for calculating the workload of faculty. The principal was of the opinion that the 1975 EC regulations would escalate the need for faculty and the UGC may not accept the college teachers' posts requirement. But the association argued that as that is the last order available workload should be calculated on its basis," said associate professor Suraj Yadav, who is also a member of the teachers' post committee which decides on the workload of faculty.