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| Saturday,
January 12, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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CM conveys her anguish to L-G New Delhi, January 11 On the occasion of the customary annual news conference on Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor had declared that the draft of the amended Master Plan was being given finishing touches and that it would be ready within six weeks. The draft, he had disclosed, would incorporate the amendments making Delhi an urban zone and replacing the process of acquisition and disposal of land by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) with land pooling. An astonished Chief Minister had responded caustically for being kept in the dark about the exercise. Continuing from where she had left then, Ms Dikshit said that she had written to the Lieutenant Governor in this regard with copies to the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs and certain Members of Parliament. Describing the episode as “undemocratic” and “unfair,” she reiterated that the views of an elected government ought to have been taken into consideration and particularly so because the Master Plan “2021” would have a bearing on the shape of things to come. Such a generational leap, she felt, would have been better served had the concerns of the elected representatives and the government, by extension, been accommodated. Rationalising on the turn of events, the Chief Minister said that she had anticipated as much when, in a letter to the Prime Minister dated March 16, 2001, she expressed the fear that the views of elected representatives were not being taken. Further, the document, “Delhi 21”, prepared by the Planning Department in association with the World Bank had also been ignored, she said. On the proposal to make Delhi an urban zone, the Chief Minister said agricultural land ought not to have been discarded. On the contrary, she felt, horticulture and floriculture should be encouraged as Delhi was, perhaps, a few metropolises which still have green tracts. “Otherwise, Delhi runs the risk of becoming a concrete jungle by 2021,” she remarked. |
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Ten more buses likely on Gurgaon-Delhi route Gurgaon, January 11 According to indications from the government, the demand is likely to be accepted. The government has already sanctioned the recruitment of 16 personnel, including drivers and conductors. The authorities put in the request with a view to increasing the frequency of the roadways’ bus services on the route. The need for supplementing the fleet and additional manpower stems from the increasing rush of commuters, especially between Gurgaon and Delhi. In the past few years, Gurgaon has witnessed exponential growth, both demographically and geographically. However, the bus services of the Haryana Roadways have not kept pace with the growth. Owing to the poor frequency, private buses and other categories of private vehicles have been doing roaring business, especially on the Gurgaon-Delhi route. The plight of commuters, especially after office hours, at Dhaula Kuan, bound for Gurgaon, has to be seen to be believed. Although Gurgaon is sold as the mascot of Haryana to the prospective investors by the state government, a random count of buses from Dhaula Kuan to Gurgaon, especially in the evening, would reveal that the services of the Haryana Roadways are pathetic compared to the those provided by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and private vehicle operators. Several commuters suggest that till another alternative is found, the roadways must route the buses going to Rewari, Mahendergarh and to Rajasthan from Dhaula Kuan through Gurgaon bus stand, especially after office hours. At present, the buses to far off places do not enter the city as they take the Delhi-Jaipur national highway. The roadways would also stand to gain financially. In such a situation, the move of the Haryana Roadways authorities to supplement the fleet must come as a relief to the residents of the city. In an effort towards improving the services, the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon, Mr Apoorva Kumar Singh, today laid the foundation stone of a guesthouse for the employees of the roadways in the workshop premises of the local depot. The official claim is that it will be a model guesthouse in the state having all the facilities for the employees, especially drivers and conductors, who reach late in the night at the station from far off places. |
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Faridabad DC’s PA
faces graft inquiry Faridabad, January 11 Stating this, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Kumar, said here today that the enquiry would be completed in two months; it would try to ascertain how and from where the PA had collected the money which was offered to him recently. However, Mr Kumar did not divulge the amount of money collected and why the PA had not been arrested so far. He said a vigilance enquiry has also been ordered against the PA, who had been in the same post for the last five years. It was better to cleanse one’s own house rather than to point out faults in others, the Deputy Commissioner said. About the traffic problem, Mr Kumar said it was one of the prominent issues which required immediate attention. He announced that the 24-km stretch of the National Highway 2 (Mathura Road) passing through Faridabad would get a facelift. About 800 sodium lights would start glowing again on the roads and the administration had prepared a plan to allocate responsibility of traffic (street) lights to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Municipal Corporation, Faridabad (MCF) and corporate houses, he said. Admitting that Faridabad had been the most accident-prone area in the district, the Deputy Commissioner said steps would be taken to regulate traffic properly. He also stated that measures would be taken to ensure the redressal of grievances aired at the open darbars and under the `Sarkar Apke Dwar’ programme. He said the Chief Minister would be here on January 19 to head the meeting of the district grievances committee. |
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‘No’ to plastic bags, ‘yes’ to plastic classrooms New Delhi, January 11 “ We have devised a way to provide better infrastructure to those schools which still operate in tents. Instead of cemented structures, we will provide them plastic rooms, which can be installed anywhere. These can be put up with the help of screws and can be moved easily”, said the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr. Prithvi Raj Sahni. The expenditure incurred on installing these moveable rooms would be one tenth of what is spent otherwise, added Mr. Sahni. “We have discussed this in detail and are already in the process of finalising the location for these schools. The inspiration for setting up such schools came from the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. We have had a look at the schools there and are satisfied with what we saw”, informed Mr Sahni. But are these classrooms safe and feasible for Delhi’s climate? “ We went to Gujarat to check the feasibility of these classrooms. They are quake and fire resistant. For us, the priority is safety and security of the children; we will never compromise on that. The comfort of children has also been taken care of and these rooms will be equipped with all amenities like fans and electric bulbs”, pointed out Ms. Vishakha Shailani, Chairperson of the Education Committee. The construction of these special rooms is expected to begin later this month. Though the construction sites are yet to be finalised, one school in all 12 zones will be given priority. The MCD is confident that this measure will vindicate its claim that it is truly concerned about the welfare of the students and is doing its bit to improve school education. Earlier last year Rs. 1.50 crore had been sanctioned to construct cemented benches in schools; the idea was then touted as feasible, but has now been abandoned. Since these stationary benches could not be moved around, it was reason enough for the authority to jettison the plan. Only time will tell how much the exchequer is made to cough up. Many are sceptical whether these innovative classrooms would be safe and comfortable, but if the MCD’s word is anything to go by, it really has an ace up its sleeve this time, commented a school teacher. |
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No phone, yet being billed Faridabad, January 11 The department despatched one such a bill to a resident in the Hodal subdivision in the district recently. The only hitch is that this ‘subscriber’ is yet to get a phone connection. The only ‘crime’ of Mr Bhagat Singh of Bhulwana village was that he had applied for a connection in 1999 by depositing the required amount of Rs 2000. Though the connection is still awaited, he was amazed to receive a telephone bill of Rs 2,270 at his residence. He took the bill to the official concerned, who confessed that the connection was still to be released and that the bill was apparently sent due to some error in the billing section. But Bhagat Singh’s days of consternation were not yet over. He was shocked to receive two more bills in his name from the same department. It is reported that a telephone connection exists in the name of one Bhagat Singh. However, he is a resident of another locality. Bhagat Singh isn’t amused. He suspects a ‘bigger conspiracy’. He is inquiring whether or not a connection was released in his name and wrongly installed. Meanwhile, the fault rate continues to remain high in the district. The department ‘fails’ to rectify the numerous complaints received by it daily. A senior official of the BSNL admitted the fact and said `removal’ of faults was a problem, for which the department had chalked out a plan. The department has also not been able to ensure the delivery of bills in time to many subscribers. As a result, the hapless subscribers often have to rush to the department office to obtain duplicate bills. |
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Delhi calls to NCR towns to cost same Rohtak
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Crossing Inner Ring Road becomes a tortuous task New Delhi, January 11 The Inner Ring Road links the road from Inter State Bus Terminal at Kashmiri Gate to Azad Pur, Adarsh Nagar and Narela if one takes a right turn from Old Secretariat to Outer Ring Road. Being a main road, it is always congested due to heavy vehicles. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), has also contributed its part to the problem. It has installed grills on the divider of the main road. Pallavi Prashar, a resident of Tagore Park, said, “It has become really difficult for us. Previously, the right turn was heading directly to Alpna Cinema, but now if we have to go to Alpna, we need to go up to Model Town II to take a U-turn and come back. If someone does not know the inner routes, then it’s really tortuous. Crossing the road has become nearly impossible.” Many commuters feel the same. Mr Harish Gupta, a resident of Model Town II, said, “I am putting up near the second stop. Earlier, there were no grills on the dividers and one could cross easily as there was a red light here due to the road cut for Gujrawala Town. But now, I have to wait for 15-20 minutes to cross the road or take a long U-turn, which is also risky. At least, they must have at least built a subway.” The MCD has made the pedestrian crossing just in front of the bus stand. Commuters say that they keep standing on the divider to cross the road for more than 15 minutes. A daily commuter, Ratika Arora, said, “The route remains congested. We see people crossing the road amidst fast traffic. Sometimes I feel that someone could easily meet with an accident as no blinkers are installed to slow down the traffic. Moreover, there is no sign of any subway coming up in the near future. It seems that the authorities concerned have installed the grills to make up for the money they swindled to show in the accounts book so that the ghotala could not be detected easily.” One of the traffic officials posted at the locality, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We just obey the orders of the higher authorities. If the people have any complaint, they must approach our senior officials. On the subway, we were not given any intimation to give any alternative crossing before closing the right turn.” When asked, Mr P. C. Hota, DCP North Delhi, said, “At many places, central and right verges have been closed. The whole idea was to improve traffic movement, reduce the number of accidents and conservation of fuel as congestion would be less. Pedestrians can easily cross the road if they abide the rules and regulations of traffic. Earlier, the commuters and vehicle owners used to take undue advantage with the road cuts by taking turns wherever they wanted. Now, the number of such cuts has been reduced to one. Moreover, everything takes time to get adjusted to. Slowly everyone would become habituated. The only thing is that pedestrians would have to walk a little bit more.” He added, “It is not feasible to provide cycle and rickshaw tracks or subways at all the places. But we would definitely do something to give more zebra crossings and install blinkers. Most of the people do not have patience. If they follow traffic rules, it will be safe for all of us. Crossing the road could be an individual problem, but as compared to the previous situation, the traffic flow is better and accidents are less.” |
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Anti-power theft drive yields results Sonepat, January 11 Giving this information, Mr S. N. Roy, Deputy Commissioner, told mediapersons that the officials of the Nigam had checked 2,838 power connections and detected 365 cases of power theft during the last month’s special campaign. The officials of the Nigam imposed a fine of Rs. 17.98 lakh on the erring consumers and a sum of Rs. 9.91 lakh was recovered. The officials, he said, also lodged FIR against 70 consumers who failed to pay the penalty. The officials checked 1,117 power connections in the urban areas of the district and detected 119 cases of power theft. A sum of Rs. 6.65 lakh was imposed as penalty and the officials recovered Rs. 5.57 lakh from the erring consumers. The officials checked the premises of 1,197 consumers and detected 142 cases of power theft in the rural areas of the circle. A penalty of Rs. 7.58 lakh was imposed on the erring consumers and Rs. 3.26 lakh was recovered. FIRs were lodged against eight consumers who failed to pay the penalty. The officials checked 524 power connections in Gohana sub-division of the circle and detected 104 cases of power theft. A penalty of Rs. 3.75 lakh was imposed and Rs. 1.08 lakh was recovered. FIRs were lodged against 62 consumers who failed to pay the penalty. The officials also detected six cases of overloading and a penalty of Rs. 93,000 was imposed. A sum of Rs. 28,000 was recovered from the erring consumers. |
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Stung by Govt threat, MCD gets into action New Delhi, January 11 While this hyper activity has portents of the forthcoming elections to the municipal corporation, several corporators admitted in private that they wanted to consume the existing monies at the earliest, so that the Delhi Government has no excuse to hold back additional funds. But this burst of activity is posing serious problems for the citizens who are already fed up with dug up roads, pathetic civic facilities and the perennial traffic chaos that results from such activity. Particularly angry are the residents of some of the societies in the Inderprastha Extension area as the road in front of their houses is lying unrepaired for the last two years.,to make matters worse, it has been further dug up. The access to one of the societies on the Mother Dairy Road is completely blocked by deep trenches. Now, residents have to negotiate the deep abyss by balancing themselves on wooden planks. “This is highly dangerous, especially for children going to school in the wee hours of the morning when it is often foggy and still dark. The traffic too has become chaotic as vehicles going in either direction have to use the same narrow stretch, causing jams and unruly scenes. And to top it all, there is never a policeman in ‘sight’, complained an irate resident of Saraswati Kunj. Sources in the MCD said that over the next one month every possible civic activity would be launched to project that the representatives of the people were really concerned about local issues. “ The incumbency factor is weighing heavily on the mind of the BJP dominated Corporation and they are out to prove that they are working in the larger interest of the people of Delhi, the source claimed. However, the Congress Government of the National Capital Territory (NCT) is out to prove otherwise. For the last one month, the ministers and the Congress MLAs have been ``targeting the civic body over the non-utilisation of funds, which has hampered attempts of the chief minister to make Delhi a better place to live in.
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Schemes for LPG, ration card-holders launched New Delhi, January 11 Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf said the ‘Tatkal Ration Card Scheme’ (TRCS) would begin on February 1 under which ration cards will be issued within two days of filing of the application on payment of Rs 100 as a fee. The highlight of the scheme is that in the event of lack of attestation by an authorised person, the applicant can present himself along with an affidavit on the correctness of the information furnished and documents attached. “The card will be withdrawn, if in subsequent verification it is found that the furnished information is false,” the minister said. About 4.09 lakh families under BPL category will benefit from the ‘Indhan Scheme,’ which will also help provide the poor people access to clean, efficient, reliable and affordable domestic energy services for cooking, Mr Yusuf told mediapersons. Initially, one lakh consumers will be covered under this scheme during the first year and “all the identified BPL consumers living in JJ clusters, unauthorised colonies, resettlement colonies, urbanised and rural villages will be covered within three years,” he said. Yusuf said the scheme had been launched with multiple objectives like providing alternate fuel to those causing pollution and to help improve the health of women of poor families. The Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd (DSCSC) will operate the scheme on behalf of the Government of NCT of Delhi by procuring and distributing LPG in areas where BPL families are living, he said. DSCSC will also arrange to provide low cost good quality simple gas stove with ISI mark to each connection holder, the minister said. Mr Yusuf said the cost of security deposit (Rs 700 per connection) and installation charges (of Rs 100 each) will be borne by the government as the BPL families were not inclined to bear “this high initial cost of modern energy.” The Government of NCT of Delhi will request the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to provide the required amount for security deposit for 4.09 lakh BPL families which will be about Rs 3,272 lakh, the minister said. This will save substantial amount of subsidy being spent on kerosene supplied to these families under PDS, which will be withdrawn after issuing the gas connections, he said adding the savings on subsidy amount on kerosene will be about Rs 2,944 lakh per annum at the current rate. He said the verification work of the BPL population was in progress and would be completed within a month. The government will also implement the ‘Antyodaya Anna Yojana’ and ‘Annapurna Scheme’ effectively, he said.
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Gurgaon reeling under power cuts Gurgaon, January 11 However, DHBVN officials insist that the power supply in the district is fine and insignificant load shedding have been enforced in the circle. The department had to stop the power supply for a short period for maintenance work, claimed the officials. Residents of different colonies, however, complain that there at least four to five hour daily disruption in the power supply. Ms Kiran Behl of Sector 4 said that even inverter fails to work as it does not get sufficient power for charging it. Harish Malhotra of Sector 17 said that there is no fixed schedule of load shedding in the area and complained that the department cut the power supply at its own discretion. And the most irritating factor for the residents is when the officials fail to provide the necessary information. Asked reasons for the repeated power cuts, attendants have ignorantly blamed the generating point for the power failure. Brijesh Sharma, a resident of Laxman Vihar informed that some of the transformers installed in Laxman Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Laxmi Garden, Vishnu Garden and nearby areas have either out-lived their utilities or are overloaded, leading to frequent trippings and breakdowns. He suggested that the transformers should be changed and its capacity be increased where ever needed. Mr Vinay Verma, a resident of the area informed that the water supply has also been hit due to the power failure in the region. Sometimes, they have to manage with out even a drop of water from the government-run water supply department. He said there is disruption in the water supply as there is no power supply to pump out the water from the storage.
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DJB connection in 24 hours New Delhi, January 11 “The applications for new connections will henceforth be received by the respective Zonal Revenue Officers and sanctioned by him within 24 hours of the deposit of water connection charges by the applicant, whereas earlier the applications were stuck in administrative formalities for months together,” Mr P. K. Tripathi, CEO of DJB, told reporters here. Simplifying the procedure for new connections, the DJB said the consumers had been exempted from producing proof of identity, affidavits from house owner and other documents and would be required to give only a written undertaking. The DJB also provides a chance for around 20,000 consumers holding unauthorised connections to regularise it by paying a nominal penalty of Rs 100. Mr Tripathi said the DJB would commence the drive to disconnect unauthorised connections from April 1 and said it was “directed against those who do not make use of this offer and continue with unauthorised connection.” The board also announced a new system of “simplified bill paying,” whereby the consumer could pay bills through cheque and deposit it in boxes installed at all zonal revenue offices. To improve water pressure the DJB said its action plan to replace old pipelines was nearing completion.
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SPEAKING OUT
Thank you very much for carrying the story about the work being done by Aashirwad, for the welfare of senior citizens. I have been associated with it for the last several years and now I am the vice-president. We are actively engaged in bringing some relief to the senior citizens and helping them in prolonging their lives as well as keeping them actively engaged both mentally and physically. In other words, to motivate them to pursue a “happy, healthy and long life”. I was born in Adampur in Doaba district on April 4, 1932. I topped in the high school and became an apprentice in mechanical services. At the same time, I joined night classes in an engineering college, and subsequently became an engineer specialising in precision technology. Apart from being actively engaged in the activities of Aashirwad, I am also the vice-president of the Rajput Association, Delhi, member of the Bureau of Indian Standards and member of the Meteorology Society of India. At our age, we may all be retired, but not tired. We don’t think that we are “retired” because of the active and full life that we pursue. I wish to serve the humanity for another 20 years. M. L. Bagga, Delhi.
don’t strike Though it was heartening to learn that the 23,000 schoolteachers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, working in 1851 schools, have suspended their agitation, the very fact that they had been on strike since December 15 causing heavy loss to about nine lakh students is very sad. The teachers must keep in mind that they are the most respectable members of the society. And they are supposed to give proper guidance to others. If they go on strike, what will others do? Not only they should follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi by working more, even on holidays, to teach students but, at the same time, must also inform the authorities that they would continue to do so till their demands were met. Subhash C. Taneja, Rohtak where’re results? Through your columns, I would like to put forward the case of our interviews with the MCD a year ago. In August, 2000, the MCD had advertised for the posts of Medical Officers (Ayurvedic and Homeopathic) on contract basis with a consolidated salary of Rs 10,000. My wife and I appeared for the interview at the Town Hall offices of the MCD on November 13 and 15 respectively. After 14 months, we are still awaiting the results of our interviews. We have visited the Town Hall several times but we get the same reply every time, “Abhi result ka kuch nahin bana”. May I hope to get some reply from the MCD in the New Year about the outcome of our interviews? Dr. Baljinder Singh, Rohtak
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Plastic bags banned in GB Nagar from Jan 26 Noida, January 11 Besides, the Mr Deepak Kumar has asked the City Magistrate to inquire into the reports that illegal industries in the district were flushing out polluted water into the surrounding areas and to get the samples of such water tested. The Pollution Control Board has been ordered to prepare a list of industries using hazardous chemicals. Meanwhile, the Power Corporation has been ordered to provide power connections to the industries working on generators, after their completing all formalities. A power connection of 7.5 hp each has been approved for flourmills. The District Magistrate told the Dadri traders that the Trade Tax Office would be shifted to the collectorate as soon as there is suitable space. Regarding the demand to build an overbridge on the railway crossing in Dadri, Mr Deepak Kumar informed that necessary funds had been received from the state government, Greater Noida Authority and the Railways. The provision for the land needed for the bridge had also been made. Regarding the location of liquor vends near industrial centres, the DM assured the traders and industrialists to keep these points in view at the time of the selection of locations for liquor vends. He called upon all traders and officials of the departments concerned to faithfully comply with the decisions taken at these meetings so that the Udyog Bandhu and Vyapar Udyog Bandhu could continue to play a useful role in the development of the industrial belt and also keep the industrial climate conducive.
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Young Voice New Delhi, January 11 This was what Aditi Bhargava had at the back of her mind when she happened to see a book on Dali for the first time at the National Institute of Fashion Technology
(NIFT) in the Capital. A graduate from Lady Irwin College, Aditi joined the postgraduate course in Knitwear Design and Technology at
NIFT. “I had perhaps always been fascinated by fabrics and specialisation in textile and clothing from early childhood, which grew into a passion at the Lady Irwin College,” says Aditi. But why did she pick up Salvador Dali out of a whole lot of famous painters in the world? “Dali is serious and hauntingly enchanting. He is beyond understanding and therefore, of interest to me,” she says with a look of a lost girl. It is the hallucinatory effect in his paintings that caught the eye of Aditi. “The obscurity, confusion and chaos that he depicts so beautifully attracted me to his works. This knack of his, to leave much to the understanding, pushed me towards putting across that chaos in a subtle manner on to the fabric but preserving the essence.” “The 3 dimensional effect, the colour red, his obsession with drawers, all inspired me to use these in the structure of my knitted fabric. I incorporated these by way of chains, loops and flaps. And the hollowness, that is another prominent feature of his, has been incorporated by me in the form of a painting on the fabric.” That is what makes Aditi different from the crowd. In tune with the festive season, Aditi says that she can design even a wedding dress in knitwear. That indeed would make quite a fashion statement. |
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Forensic expert’s book released
New Delhi, January 11 Mr Dewan was a renowned forensic criminologist with specialisation in handwriting and fingerprint identification.
TNS |
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Car knocks down
constable New Delhi, January 11 The constable and four other personnel were deployed there to check the speed limit of vehicles. Mr Bhupinder signaled the driver of the Maruti car coming from Seemapuri side to stop. Instead of stopping, the car hit the constable, injuring him seriously. He was taken to G.T. Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the police said. Nobody could note down the registration number of the Maruti car. A case of death causing rash and negligent driving has been registered.
Murder With the arrest of four persons, the Delhi Police claimed to have worked out a murder case of a resident of Rajpur Khurd, Deepak, in Mehrauli area of South-West district. The accused were identified as Ratan, his brother Pradeep, Manjeet and Dilbagh Singh. They were arrested on Wednesday. The accused and the victim had an old enmity. Deepak was reportedly involved in the murder case of Manjeet’s father. Manjeet Killed Deepak with the help of his associates in order to take revenge, police said. |
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