TOP STORIES

Residents hold traffic to ransom
New Delhi, February 8
The traffic in the city, particularly in South Delhi, was thrown out of gear as hundreds of agitated residents of Lajpat Nagar and Amar Colony squatted on the busy Ring Road at the Mool Chand Hospital crossing today, to protest against Wednesday’s demolition drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Residents of Lajpat Nagar pour their wrath on the MCD, after disrupting the traffic on the Ring Road. —Tribune Photos Mukesh Aggarwal

Gurgaon takes step to decongest Jaipur highway
Gurgaon, February 8
The Gurgaon district administration has decided to divert long-distance commercial vehicles on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway, which are headed for Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The decision follows a Supreme Court directive banning entry of long-distance commercial vehicles into the national Capital.

No more road cutting for cables, pipelines
New Delhi, February 8
The Government of NCT of Delhi has banned road cutting for the purpose of laying pipelines, telecommunication cables, etc. The ban will stay in force till the new road cutting policy is announced.

A child activist of the Disabled Rights Group protesting against the non-implementation of the legislation meant to safeguard their rights on the 6th anniversary of the enactment of the Disabled Act outside Shastri Bhawan in the Capital on Thursday. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

THE ACHIEVERS
Being challenged is no handicap, Ponty shows the way 
New Delhi, February 8
He has felt the pain and trauma of being physically challenged since birth, as he was born with deformed hands and grew up feeling different from others. The experience made him develop a soft corner for the deprived and the underprivileged children of the society. 

Rewari erupts over custody death
Rewari, February 8
Hundreds of irate villagers blocked the Rewari-Rohtak road this morning in protest against the custodial death of a village youth, Naresh Kumar (25), of Rojhuwas village, in the Rohrai police station of the district yesterday.

Probe into diversion of DSGMC funds sought
New Delhi, February 8
The elections in Punjab are generating heat in the Capital with Akali leaders coming out against the diversion of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee funds for the Assembly polls.

COMMUNITY

POLL SCENE HOTS UP

Joshi promises  a network of technical institutes Ghaziabad, February 8 Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Union Human Resource Development Minister, today lashed out at other parties for not having any programme or plan for the state and promised to set up a network of institutions of technical education if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was brought to power.

Mulayam vows to give medical cover to poor Ghaziabad, February 8 Promising free medical treatment to the poor and employment to the unemployed in the state if the Samajwadi Party (SP) was brought to power, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that an atmosphere of acute insecurity and panic has been reigning in the country. Nobody knows what may happen to him and the country tomorrow, he has said.

Tainted nominees have GB Nagar police on toes
Noida, February 8
The Gautam Budh Nagar police are having anxious moments as almost one-third of the polling centres in the three assembly segments in the district have been declared sensitive. To cap it, 14 of the candidates have criminal cases registered against them in different police stations.

Trans-Yamuna pines for water
New Delhi, February 8
The Capital is infamous for electricity and water shortages. For the residents of Trans-Yamuna, last three days have been a virtual nightmare as no water has been supplied to the area. The residents in Mayur Vihar, Pandav Nagar, Vinod Nagar, Patparganj and the adjoining areas have been particularly hit.

Treatment of cows invites Maneka’s ire
Rewari, February 8
Mrs Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister and national chairman of the People for Animals (Organisation), has taken a serious note of the incident in which most “inhuman and brutal” treatment was meted out to half a dozen stray cows by some villagers at Turkiawas, 8 km from here. The incident had occurred on Monday (February 4).

SPEAKING OUT
Can this be dubbed the ‘Talibanisation of Education?’
The concern shown by Mr Krishna Iyer, Former Supreme Court Judge and president of the Save Education Committee, in his letter published in “Speaking Out” (NCR Tribune, February 2) regarding our education system is worthy of attention.

Lecture on Ranjit Singh
New Delhi, February 8
Sardar Virinder Singh Jauhar, chairman of Thakurdwara Trust, is organising a lecture on “Remembering Maharaja Ranjit Singh” in the Capital tomorrow. The Chairman of Food Corporation of India, Dr Bhure Lal, would deliver the keynote address.

CRIME

Stepson, friend arrested for woman’s murder
New Delhi, February 8
With the arrest of two persons, the North-East district police today claimed to have solved a murder case in which a 25-year-old woman was stabbed at least 20 times on December 7 last year in Gokulpuri. However, the third accused is still absconding and efforts are on to nab him.

BUSINESS

Atlas executive on Indo-Myanmar business chamber
Sonepat, February 8
The senior vice-president (marketing) of Atlas Cycles, one of the largest bicycle manufacturing concerns in the country, Mr Gautam Kapur, has been nominated the Vice-President of the Northern Zone of the Indo-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

EDUCATION

No move to privatise schools, says CM
New Delhi, February 8
The Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit today categorically denied that her government was contemplating to hand over under-performing government schools to private institutions.

Second language status for Urdu soon
New Delhi, February 8
The Delhi Chief Minster, Ms Sheila Dikshit, today stated that Urdu would soon become the second language of the National Capital Territory. However, the issue of granting second language status to Punjabi continues to be in limbo even though the Delhi Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution to this effect two years ago.

Govt orders probe into corporal punishment
New Delhi, February 8
The Government of NCT of Delhi has instituted an inquiry into the corporal punishment meted out to a student of Maharaja Agrasen Public School in north-west Delhi. Education Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said he had written to the officials concerned to submit the report by early next week.

CULTURE

Cultural fare the lifeline of Surajkund Mela 
Faridabad, February 8
The ongoing annual crafts fair at the Surajkund tourist resort here is not only presenting the rich heritage of Indian crafts at one spot, but it has also become a source of true cultural education-cum-entertainment for lakhs of visitors.

HEALTH

Women come forward in drive to ferret  out STD cases
Rohtak, February 8
As many as 3,771 persons were found afflicted with various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during the first phase of health awareness drive that concluded yesterday in the district. The drive was launched by the Health Department under the family health awareness campaign.

SPORTS

Gurpreet stars in Guru Gobind Singh College’s win
New Delhi, February 8
Gurpreet Singh scored three goals (no hattrick), as Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh trounced Maharaja Mansingh Mahavidyalaya, Gwalior 5-1 in a Pool D match of the ninth Nehru-ONGC Champion Colleges Hockey Tournament at the Shivaji Stadium in the Capital on Friday. In a Pool B match, American College, Madurai beat St Xavier’s College, Ranchi 4-3.

• CRY Cadence Cricket

Randhir Singh on Olympic panel
New Delhi, February 8
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general, Raja Randhir Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Commission (IOC), has been appointed as a member of the “Olympic Study Commission” by IOC president, Dr Jacques Rogge.

SPORTS CORNER
Harish stars for Adidas in Teri Cup
New Delhi, February 8
A stroke-filled knock of 54 (eight fours) by Harish Doraiswamy enabled Adidas beat ICICI Bank by seven wickets in the ninth Teri Cup Cricket Tournament organised by TERI at the Central Secretariat ground. Harish was adjudged the man of the match.

• Tarun Chowdhary hits 73 for Salwan

• Cavalry take on Sahgal Stud in polo final

Sonnet Club lift cricket title

New Delhi, February 8 A fine knock of 63, studded with five fours off 99 balls by Rushil Bhaskar, and deadly bowling by left-arm spinner Darshan Kajaria (3/23), enabled Sonnet Club beat Frank Anthony Public School by 12 runs to lift the Roshanara-Pepsi Cup (Under-13) Junior Cricket Tournament at the Roshanara cricket ground. Sonnet Cricket Club, which won the Roshanara Pepsi Cup Junior Cricket Tournament.

The players of JCT-Punjab in red and Mohan Bagan in white in action. Mohan Bagan beat JCT-Punjab (3-1) during Durand Cup Football Tournament at Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Friday. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

ADMINISTRATION

MCF union opposes renewal  of Sulabh contract
Faridabad February 8
Hectic lobbying has begun as the deadline for the renewal of contract to Sulabh International for cleanliness work in the town approaches on March 31. The Municipal Corporation, Faridabad (MCF), had allotted the cleanliness work of the eastern region, mainly urban sectors, to Sulabh International, a voluntary organisation, in July 2001 on contract against a monthly payment of Rs 25 lakh.