NCR SPECIAL
Many South Delhi areas bone-dry
TERI experts predict acute water shortage in coming
summer months
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
A study conducted by the experts of the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) here has predicted acute water shortage in the coming summer months, unless immediate remedial steps are initiated. The report, which is yet to be made public, claims that the water table in most parts of the metropolis is falling rapidly and in many places in South Delhi is almost bone-dry. The crumbling of the over half-a-century-old supply infrastructure and the burgeoning population have compounded the problem.

According to the report, Delhi “attracts more than 4 lakh people each year. Even as it accepts, within its fold, all these new citizens, the city’s infrastructure is on the verge of a breakdown”. The study suggests that the groundwater level is receding steadily, and at places, rather rapidly. Due to unbridled urbanisation, the scarce rainwater runs off without being tapped, which is a complete waste of resources. Delhi receives its water supply from surface flow and groundwater. The availability from surface sources, that is, Yamuna, Ganga, and Bhakra is approximately 1150 MCM (million cubic metres) and, of this, 60% is available from Yamuna.

Delhi gets an average rainfall of 600 mm per year, of which 80% is received in three months (July–September). More than half the rainwater runs off into the Yamuna. It is ironical that while the Yamuna is frequently in spate, during monsoon it reports ‘zero flow,’ and that too in peak summer. The pressure on ground water is already beyond capacity and recent reports suggest that people are increasingly tapping this water resource. Even the DJB depends on groundwater.

Though the courts have put curbs on new tubewells, those already installed are gnawing at the dwindling reserves. The latter operate without any restrictions, some even for 24 hours. According to the study, the groundwater table in the Delhi region, at varying depths of 20 to 50 metres below ground level, is saline. In some areas near the Yamuna, these saline aquifers occur at a depth of about 65 m. This effectively makes the water unfit for consumption within that level. Electrical conductivity is also reported to be high, making the groundwater further unfit for consumption. In few areas, comprising blocks of Najafgarh, Alipur and Mehrauli, the salinity is as high as 3000 to 5000 micro siemens/cm. Nitrate concentrations have been found to be higher than the permissible limit of 100 mg/l in IIT Delhi, NCERT campus, Mehrauli and a few Shahdra and Nazafgarh blocks. The status is similar with respect to fluoride levels in certain areas. Already, the average level of water table for blocks away from Yamuna is between 15 to 20 m. The water table has receded by 10 m in many areas during the last two decades. Nazafgarh and some city and Mehrauli blocks have shown a decline of more than 10 m. South and south-west districts have shown a fall of 10 to 30 m in the last four decades.

As if the scarcity is not enough, the municipal infrastructure is 50 years old and ill-maintained . This is evident from the fact that nearly 15 per cent of the water supply is lost in transit and a whopping 40 per cent remains unaccounted for.

The gap between waste water discharges and treatment capacities is seriously worsening the quality of the existing water sources and, if not managed properly, it will increase considerably in the future.

Buses pass the buck
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
With more and more operators opting to pay the Rs. 500 per day fine imposed by the apex court and preferring to ply their buses on the Capital’s roads, the overall situation has improved considerably. But, at the same time, the operators have ingeniously passed on the “financial burden” to the already beleaguered and harassed commuter. A large number of passengers, who were happy to see so many buses back on the roads, were shocked to learn that the operators had virtually done away with the minimum ticket priced at Rs. two and were arbitrarily charging Rs. four as the minimum fare.

At several places there were angry outbursts and heated exchanges with the conductors. The message was clear: Either cough up, or walk. When the passengers tried to lodge a complaint, they were dissuaded by the officials on duty who contended that at least there were enough buses, an indication that the fare hike may have the tacit approval of the powers that be. After the Supreme Court’s order last week, a large number of bus operators had decided to withdraw their buses, claiming that the fine would ruin them financially. They had also approached the Delhi government and pleaded that the latter should pay a part of the fine, as it too was party in the ongoing CNG crisis. But the Delhi chief minister and the transport minister had categorically told them that since the Supreme Court had imposed the fine on the operators, they were liable to pay it.

At the same time, the government had threatened to withdraw their permits if they did not put the buses back on the routes. Then, ensued several meetings with political leaders, who have played an active part in what is now being dubbed as the “Capital’s CNG politics”.

A large number of operators, who were initially adamant, suddenly decided to pay the fine and operate, but only after carefully considering the financial aspect. At several busy bus stops in the city, particularly at the ITO and the Central Secretariat, agitated passengers told the NCR Tribune that there was virtually no checking by the authorities and the operators were arbitrarily charging inflated rates.

“First, it was the auto rickshaw driver, then the RTV operators and, now, it is the regular bus operators” said an angry Madan Lal, who regularly commutes from Mongolpuri to his office at the ITO. A DTC officer, who for did not want to be identified, said that there had been no formal complaints of over charging by private bus operators but admitted in private that he too had heard of the minimum fare being done away with.

CRIME-BUSTERS
This cop has western UP gangs on the run
Nalini Ranjan

Ghaziabad, April 14
In a district, which is notorious for its criminal gangs, this police officer has achieved the unthinkable. He has most of the gangs, which operated from Ghaziabad and made occasional forays into Delhi’s posh colonies, on the run.

In fact, in the last two years, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Prashant Kumar, an Indian Police Service officer of the 1990 batch, has notched up a record of sorts.

He has been involved in more than a hundred encounters so far and has always emerged unscathed on the top. His much touted catch was the dreaded Angrez Singh gang, which had spread terror through kidnapping and looting in the Western Uttar Pradesh areas. So impressed was the political leadership of the state that the then chief minister gave a cash reward of Rs. One lakh to the SSP and his team.

“When I took charge, the common man was totally terrorised. We focussed on this aspect and were successful in eliminating the Ravindra Dhola gang, the Rohtas Passi gang and the Sarpanch gang. Now, mercifully, the district is a lot more secure”, he told the NCR Tribune.

For the ever smiling, bespectacled police officer, every posting is a challenge. For instance, when he was posted as SP, Sant Ravi Das Nagar, Badhoi in 1993, he found that the residents were terrorised by an organised gang of thieves which struck at least half a dozen times daily. “ I concentrated on this and made a breakthrough when one night, while patrolling, we caught some of the gang members while they were moving about suspiciously in the wee hours. Their interrogation led to the smashing of the gang and the recovery of property which virtually filled the police station”, he recalls.

The smashing of the gang had such a salutary effect that those who had bought stolen property from the gang emptied their goodies on the road, to escape the wrath of the crime buster.

Earlier, during a stint in Sonbhadra as SP, he was in the thick of police action against Naxalites. During the investigation, he also earned the ire of some politicians when he booked a sitting MLA, who had a criminal record as long as his arm, under the National Security Act (NSA).

Married to an Indian Administrative Service officer (incidentally, his wife is the district magistrate in neighbouring Bulandshehar), Prashant Kumar believes in leading from the front and dedicates his time to leading police teams in raids and encounters.

Visually able will be envious of their drive
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
An all-woman car rally for the visually impaired, “The Drive with Insight Challenge 2002”, organised by The Empress Club and National Association for the Blind, was flagged off by the Minister of State of Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Vijay Goel, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today.

The rally comprising over 100 women from corporate executives, doctors, teachers, housewives and students will cover a distance of 65 km, with the visually impaired navigators who would take the help of Braille route maps.

Mr Goel said, “I am overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm of the visually impaired and I feel very much honoured to be amongst them. Such events should be encouraged more in the future to help and instil confidence in them.”

Ms Kamayani Nagar, president, the Empress Club, said, “The Drive with Insight Challenge 2002”, exemplifies the concept of the Empress Club and fulfills the objectives of contributing the best to society.”

The others who were present at the rally are Ram Jethmalani, Yogendra Sahai, general manager, Indian Oil Corporation, Jagdish Kapoor, chairman NAB, A K Rawtany, vice-president, North Tudor India Ltd, Neeraj Saroj, area manager, Mahendra and Mahindra.

Fire service finds 17 govt buildings unsafe

New Delhi, April 14
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has recently carried out a survey of high rise buildings in the Capital during which it found that 17government buildings and 52 private buildings do not have fire safety equipment and have not been issued a no-objection certificate. The government buildings include the Russian Science and Cultural Centre on Ferozeshah Road, Super Bazaar in Connaught Place, the DVB headquarters on Kotla Road near the ITO, Patel Chest Institute in Delhi University and three properties of the Railways. The three railway properties are: M.S. Building near New Delhi Railway Station, Northern Railway flats on Panchkuian Road and the Rail Niwas.

The DFS Chief, R.C. Sharma, said that most of the government buildings are old and there is no provision to install fire-fighting equipment. In December last year, 83 buildings were found to be unsafe. Sixty-nine buildings continue to flout the fire safety requirements. Though there is a general improvement in the fire-fighting infrastructure in skyscrapers in the Capital, it has been noticed that such facilities, in general, were better in government buildings, he said. TNS

Two killed as houses collapse after LPG blast
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
Two persons were killed and seven others injured when two triple-storey buildings collapsed owing to an LPG cylinder blast in Shastri Nagar area of the North-East district.

One of the victims was recovered dead from the debris of the two houses. Five victims were admitted to the GTB hospital and three were in the trauma centre. One of the injured succumbed to his injuries in the GTB hospital.

The victims were identified as Shanaz, Akhtar, Noor Alam, Ansar and Zahid. Two other victims could not be identified, the police said.

The explosion occurred in house number E-24 owned by Iqbal in street number four in Shastri Nagar. The impact of the blast was such that the adjacent house, E-25, also collapsed. There was an embroidery factory on the ground floor of E-24 and a lady, Shanaz, lived as a tenant in that house. The other house was owned by Nasim. The rest of the victims lived in his house, the police said. Fire fighters reached the spot within a few minutes.

Besides, teams of Disaster Management and local police also reached the spot. It is feared that more victims are buried under the debris of the building.

The police said that so far no case has been registered. The cases will be registered after an inquiry into the incident, the police said.

No water for six months
Tribune News Service
Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, April 14
The residents of Raiala Khurd village in Hathin sub-division of the district are without water for the last six months.

As a result, the women in the village, which has a population of 8000, have to walk about two km daily to fetch water from the neighbouring village. The residents of Raiala Khurd, which incidentally has a woman sarpanch, have now decided to stage a ‘matka’ demonstration at the sub-divisional headquarters in protest against the delay in rectifying the fault in the supply line. The village has two wells but the water is unfit for drinking, according to a resident of the village.

The villagers are unhappy at the pace of work on the pipe line. They allege that there is a technical fault and that there is hardly any pressure in the pipeline. Reports of shortage of water and supply of contaminated water have also surfaced in several other areas of Faridabad. Residents of Shiv Durga Vihar in the NIT area have to depend on private suppliers for their ration of potable water. These suppliers reportedly charge Rs 200 per house per month. The complaints of water scarcity have surfaced even in posh sectors. The residents of various colonies recently lodged their protest in the office of the Mayor.

COMMUNITY

Breaking new ground in road safety
Deepender

Jhajjar, April 14
The Haryana Highway Patrol and Road Safety, a division of the transport department, has come out with a novel strategy to ensure the safety of the motorists and other travellers on the National Highways in the state. A multi-objective 11-member Highway Care Group (HCG) consisting of people from various sections of society is to be formed which will look into the different aspects of road safety and take possible measures to lower the rate of accidents.

The official sources informed that the HCG will work in tandem with the Traffic Aid Centres of the Haryana Highway Patrol and Road Safety, and its members would be nominated from within the jurisdiction of the each of the TAC on the highways. The HHPRS was constituted in Haryana in 2000 on the recommendations of the national Road Safety Council.

In charge of Traffic Aid Group Centre would be its president, while other members of the HCG includes: one representative from each village falling on the National Highway, a doctor from TAC area, a member from the area’s presspersons, an advocate, a representative each from truck and tempo unions, a member of the local municipal committee, a member of the dhaba/restaurant union, a social worker, principal of each of the collage falling under the jurisdiction of the TAC and a senior student from each school located on the National Highway, the highway patrol sources said.

A six-point agenda of objectives has been put forward to this group: finding out the main reasons which cause accidents; involving themselves in the affairs and activities concerning road safety within their respective jurisdictions; discussing the problems with the group and suggest solutions; taking all possible measures to enhance road safety; taking steps to protect the signages/sign boards/ road safety equipment from stealing, defacing and destruction etc; with the help of the Haryana Highway Patrol and Road Safety officers, the group will organise awareness campaign and other road safety activities within their jurisdiction.

The HCG has also to be assembled on first Sunday of the first week in every month to achieve the objectives. In the meeting, the president will discuss each accident happened during the month with the group and seek their suggestions for improvement in the road safety situation.

Rs 13-cr NCR plan to shift dairies
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 14
The National Capital Region Planning Board has sanctioned a Rs 13.07-crore scheme for shifting the milk dairies in six municipal towns of Rohtak, Panipat, Sonepat, Gurgaon, Bahadurgarh and Rewari, falling under the National Capital Region (NCR).

According to official sources, a loan amounting to Rs 98 lakh has already been sanctioned for the civic bodies to implement the scheme.

Similarly, the piggery units would also be shifted out of the municipal limits in the state. The state government has already received the requisite information from 31 civic bodies. The Haryana State Slum Clearance Board has undertaken a scheme for the modernisation of solid waste management and repair of roads in 16 towns falling under the National Capital Region at a cost of Rs 56.56 crore which would be financed by the National Capital Region Planning Board.

The scheme included Rs 18.80 crore for repair of urban roads. The solid waste management scheme for 10 more towns has also been sanctioned by the government at a cost of Rs 45.23 crore. Meanwhile, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has launched a campaign to check power theft in the state.

The maximum number of 4,300 cases of power theft had been detected in Sonepat district, followed by 3,433 in Karnal, 2,644 in Jind, 2,376 in Rohtak, 2,089 in Panipat, 1,701 in Kaithal, 1,691 in Ambala, 1,614 in Jhajjar, 1,303 in Kurukshetra, 819 in Yamunanagar and 139 in Panchkula district.

The UHBVN had also checked 2,42,222 premises of the consumers and found over 46,600 defective electricity meters during the period under review. The Nigam had imposed a penalty of over Rs 18.29 crore on the erring consumers and recovered Rs 8.78 crore from them.

Under the scheme to release domestic and non-domestic electricity connections in rural areas, the Nigam had released 20,222 connections in 734 villages in its area.

No power, yet recovery of dues in full swing
No let-up in load-shedding
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, April 14
After a little respite, the power scene is back to normal, with the daily quota of prolonged power cuts and load shedding both in Noida and Ghaziabad.

In Ghaziabad, the power scenario is worse, with 12-hour power cut in the Mahanagar area, affecting in turn, the supply of potable water to the residents.

However, one operation of the Power Department has not slackened. It is

the collection of arrears and dues for which special camps and campaigns are being organised through out the districts.

The power crisis in the state has virtually affected all segments of life- trade and industry, business and commerce, agriculture, education, health services and even the law and order.

For obtaining potable water, people around Hindon areas had to fetch water from Hindon. Moreover, even the water tankers were

not available as announced by the water works authorities.

According to K.P.Varshney, Deputy Chief Officer (City), this campaign for collection of arrears will continue upto April 30 and strict action will be taken against the defaulters.

The defaulters are advised to pay their arrears at the special camps being held at their respective sub-stations, otherwise, he warned, that harsh action would be taken by the power authorities.

Leave applications of all officials has reportedly been rejected by the power corporation, so that they are available at these special camps.

The corporation has also taken a tough line against those who have managed illegal connections in the city.

Recovery of liquor bottles raises questions
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, April 14
The recovery of a large number of liquor bottles from Hindon river has raised many questions in view of the fact that the police are allegedly trying to hush up the incident.

The police failed to recover even a single bottle from a house in Din Dayalpuri Colony where the bottles were kept reportedly fished out from the river by people. According to an officer, the police think that the quality of liquor was substandard.

The authorities tried to find out if any drinker had been taken ill. They even issued the instructions that the samples of the liquor recovered might be sent for a laboratory testing. But, in spite of many unsolved questions, the matter seems to have been brushed under the carpet.

On Wednesday, Nandgram Police had recovered 17 bottles of liquor with the labels of Central Distilleries and Breweries, Meerut Cantt, pasted on them. These were ‘Shabnam’ country liquor bottles.

Six bottles in this lot were of ‘Angoori’ brand, manufactured by the Cooperative Distillery Ltd based in Yasufpur Tapri area of Saharanpur.

According to Jaynender Upadhya of excise department, the bottles are available freely in Ghaziabad and their godowns are also located in Lohia Nagar.

However, it appears that the police and the administration do not have the answers to the questions: why were the bottles thrown in the Hindon river? And whether it was harmful liquor.

THE ACHIEVERS
Deaf and dumb artists make their mark
Tribune News Service

This has happened for the first time in Delhi thanks to the joint efforts initiated by Excel Events, a small Event Management Group and Ek Prayas, a Delhi-based voluntary organisation.

Together, they came out with a special exhibition of paintings by some 15 artists—all deaf and dumb. The exhibition was on view till April 14 evening at Palm Court Area, India Habitat Centre. It had all young artists – in the age group of 16 to 25 which include three women. These artists belonged to different art colleges of Delhi and Allahabad.

To make this first-ever exhibition happen, the Excel Events, founded by three young persons: Amber Agarwal, (25), Vineet Tiwari (30) and Kamesh Tiwari (34) had to go through a lot of physical and emotional ups and downs. “It was not easy to persuade the apprehensive deaf and dumb young artists but it was definitely interesting. We had to first learn their sign language to communicate with them, attach with them emotionally to ward off their inhibitions to face the world outside. It took us two months to find out artists of this category and establish a rapport with them,” recalls Yogesh Shukla, executive member of Excel Events.

The idea to bring the hidden talent out of these physically challenged persons was also Yogesh’s brainchild. “I had seen Ram Raghubir’s (22-year old deaf and dumb artist) artworks. It struck my mind that there might be other talented artists like him looking for an avenue to display their talent. Hence, the idea to organise such an exhibition exclusively for them crept into my mind,” he reasons.

Finding these young members of Excel Events enthusiastic and determined, Ek Prayas joined them. Together, they roamed around Delhi art colleges and deaf and dumb organisations to pull out hidden talents. “We had completed our job in January only but could not find any art gallery to display their work as they were all booked till the end of this year,” says Kamesh. He however feebly complains about the exorbitant rents the art galleries charge.

Excel Events which organises “exclusive and focused theme events” had organised ‘National and International Yoga Championship Competition’, inviting some 18 states last year. This competition was held keeping health, social, innovative, educative aspect in mind. It was a huge success because through this competition, many yoga students and instructors got to know how perfect a yoga posture can be effectuated and how does it affect a person’s state of mind and health.

This year the group is all set to hold ‘all Delhi schools (music) band competition’ in mid-August.

Modernisation of parks gets nod
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 14
The district administration has decided to develop and modernise the parks of the city which is a district headquarters in Haryana.

The Deputy Commissioner told mediapersons here today that by widening the main roads and giving a new look to the main crossings in the thickly populated areas, the administration has not only removed congestions but has ensured free flow of traffic.

He said that the administration had decided to modernise Indira Municipal Park on Subhash Chowk in a big way. It has also decided to close the windows and ventilators and other structures raised by the shopkeepers and house owners in the park as they interfere with the privacy of the visitors to the park.

According to the DC, in order to check the unauthorised entry of the people, the authorities of the Sonepat Muncipal Council has decided to keep its main gate closed for the movement of traffic before and after the working hours of the office.

The aim of the administration is to remove encroachments made by the shopkeepers and house owners in the municipal park. He said that the administration had put some playthings for the children in the park. New kinds of flowers and ornamental trees will be planted and the walking tracks within the park would be modernised. A water cooler has been installed to provide drinking water to the visitors. A number of benches have also been provided.

Some canopies to provide shelter to the people during the rainy season are also proposed to be erected. A cafeteria is in the offing.

The district administration has also taken a series of steps to provide security to the people visiting the park at night and early in the morning. Instructions have been issued to the officials of the nearby civil lines police station to ensure frequent patrolling in the park to check anti-social elements.

The authorities of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) have also launched a project for the modernisation of the parks in Sector 14 and 15. At least Rs 25 lakh would be spent on the face-lifting programmes launched in this city. Referring to the construction of shops on the Municipal land near Shani Mandir, the DC disclosed that these shops would be demolished in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict.

He said that these shops had been built illegally a few years ago on the municipal land.

Guffaws galore as Bhatti enters the scene
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 14
The Hindi comedy scene is all set to hot up with the poker-faced comedy king, Jaspal Bhatti, today expressing his desire to enter the Hindi small screen in a big way.

Bhatti, who was here to receive the “Shiromani Award” of the Punjabi Ekta Manch, Haryana, told the ‘NCR Tribune’ that with his highest-rated Punjabi comedy serial “Professor Money Plant” going off the Alpha TV shortly, he was toying with the idea of producing a Hindi comedy serial. The project will begin when he comes back from London after shooting for a Hindi movie in a week.

A freelance cartoonist with ‘The Tribune’ before shooting into fame with his immensely popular “Ulta Pulta” on DD, Bhatti is currently working with the big Bollywood names. The current projects include, ‘Shakti’ with Boney Kapoor and another big-budget, ‘Roshni’.

Accompanied by his actress wife Savita, he had a large gathering into splits as he narrated anecdotes and cracked jokes in his unusual style. He took a dig at the civic amenities of the city, saying that bad condition of roads was one of the hallmarks of the development and greatness of a city. He also took a potshot at the long list of speakers.

Earlier, a non-political function turned into political with speaker after speaker highlighting the plight of the Punjabis in Haryana. The speakers, while demanding the post of the Chief Minister, urged the Punjabis to seize political power otherwise they would continue to suffer. Prominent among those who spoke were Mr Roshan Lal Arora, state president, and Mr Ashok Khanna, Panipat district chief. Meanwhile, the manch honoured several persons for their outstanding contribution to society. Prominent among those were veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar (Saraswati Award) and president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Subhash Chopra (Anmol Arttan).

Parents and tiny-tots compete for top honours
Parmindar Singh

Noida, April 14
As many as fifty parent-couples coming from Noida, Mayur Vihar, South Delhi and other adjoining areas participated in the open house competition organized by Rysssk’s Modele Portare, an event and campaign marketing company, pursuing a mission to spot uninhibited talents.

The competition not only chose three best parents from the region but also threw up number of tiny tots with talents for fashion modelling. In age groups of two to five, Tweety, Anurag and Aashis won the top positions for their abilities to face the camera and for their solo dance performances. In the

four-year plus category, Miss Toddlers Care 2002, Karizma, surprised all by her versatile performance in singing, compering and dancing. Ankan Bose featured as the top model in the senior age group.

Nandagopal, Pandey and Kripal Singh couple were adjudged the top three parents on the basis of an on-the-spot quiz by a senior journalist and Mrs and Mr J.P.Bharghava, a noted educationist.

Mr T.S.Bedi was a surprise find, who entertained the audience with his anchoring and singing.

Prof Sandeep Marwah, Director of the Asian Academy for Films and Television gave away the awards, assuring his help to the talented tiny tots.

The jury screening the parent couples in the preliminary rounds included Mrs and Mr Manju Sinha, Dr Uma Snehi, an educationist, Mrs and Mr J. Kumar and social activist Mrs Awasthi.

Khattar, Thapar elected
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
The Confederation of Indian Industry (Northern Region), has elected Mr Jagdish Khattar and Mr Gautam Thapar as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively, for the year 2002-2003.

Mr Khattar (59), a former IAS officer who took premature retirement from the government service, is presently the managing director of Maruti Udyog Limited. He joined the Maruti Udyog as its director (Marketing), and served as joint managing director before he was elevated to the post of managing director in 1999.

Mr Gautam Thapar is the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Ballarpur Industries and Managing Director of APR Limited. Thapar had directed his efforts towards cutting costs, focussing on specialisation and value-added products and committing money to research and development.

NCR BRIEFS
Grievances Committee settles 11 cases in Rohtak
Our Correspondent

Rohtak, April 14
Eleven complaints that were placed before the District Grievances Committee, held under the chairmanship of the State Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Rampal Majra, were settled today. According to official sources, a widow Shanti, a resident of Ismaila village had complained that the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam authorities despatched a bill for payment to her son even though he had got his power supply disconnected after depositing all the previous dues.

The authorities rectified the fault and punished the erring employee.

Ambedkar anniversary

Various social and political organisations paid tributes to the social reformer, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 111th anniversary here today. Capt. Shamsher Singh Malik, state president, Lok Janshakti Party offered garlands to the statue of Dr Ambedkar.

He said Dr Ambedkar struggled throughout his life for giving a better status to the dalits in our society.

Special campaign

The Deputy Commissioner has directed the authorities to launch a special campaign to round up stray animals in the cities.

He also directed the Executive Officer of the Nagar Parishad to shift the dairies, slaughter house and meat shops out of the town. He asked the authorities to carry out special drives for removal of encroachments on the national highways, highways and government and panchayat land.

Payments to teachers

The members of Haryana Rajya Vigyan Adhyapak Sangathan has appealed to the Board of School Education, Haryana, to release the payment of various teachers for checking answer sheets that has been pending for the last two years.

Mr Anand Swaroop Kaushik, press secretary of the sangathan today provided a list of several teachers, serving at Government Senior Secondary School located at Gandhi Nagar here, who had not received their payments for the answer sheets that were marked in March 2000. He said the affected teachers had repeatedly complained to the board authorities in this regard but no action had been taken so far.

Body found

An unidentified youth was stabbed to death by some assailants here last night. His body was recovered by the police near the cremation ground at Dairy Mohalla locality today.

According to police sources, the body, lying in a pool of blood, bore several stab wounds. It could not be identified.

CM criticised

Panipat
Coming down heavily on the Om Prakash Chautala Government for the imposition of taxes and retrenchment of government employees, the former Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, said here today that all unpopular decisions of the present government would be withdrawn once the Congress came to power in the state.

Addressing a rally organised by the Ambedkar Vichar Manch here, as part of Dr B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations, Mr Bhajan Lal said two great personalities, Dr Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi had shaped the destiny of India.

He alleged that the Haryana Government had not implemented several promises made to the people during elections, including that of free water and electricity. Moreover, the crime graph has shown an upward trend during the tenure of the present regime.

Sadbhavna Divas

In the wake of the communal riots in Gujarat, several Punjabi organizations, led by Mr Rajiv Ahuja, President of the Haryana Yuva Punjabi Morcha, celebrated Baishakhi as “sadbhavna divas” by organizing a “havan” for the peace of the departed souls.

CRIME

Old rivalry leads to murder in Faridabad
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 14
A 50-years-old man was shot dead allegedly by three armed persons in Budena village of the district this morning. The murder is stated to be a fallout of an old rivalry between two groups in the village.

Rishal Singh, brother of the Sarpanch Mohar Singh was sitting outside his house, when three youths came in a Maruti Zen car and started firing on him.

The accused immediately slipped away in their car. The victim succumbed to his injuries soon after.

It is reported that several murders have taken place due to the enmity between two groups led by Amarjeet and Brahamjit Bhadana.

The murder today was allegedly carried out by the Brahamjeet group, according to police sources.

One person had been shot dead by other group about one and half years ago. A case has been registered.

Speeding bus rams into wall
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 14
An over-speeding private bus overturned and rammed into the wall of a house in R. K. Puram area in South-West district today. No one was reported injured during the accident. Police said that the bus driver on route no 56, Om Singh, was a resident of Munirka and was on the way to a petrol pump when the accident occurred.

The bus took a sharp turn on Vivekanand Marg and rammed into the house of Sardar Guru Singh, residing in house no 1515. The wall and balcony of the house was damaged. The police arrested the driver of the bus and a case of rash driving was registered against him.

BUSINESS

SHOWCASE
With flourish, Luxor pens yet another revolution in writing
Our Correspondent

Pilot pen brand introduced by Luxor has unveiled Pilot Gold, a pen with a metallic gold finish and a special golden clip.

Its unique three-dimple technology ensures the constant flow of ink resulting in a smooth and clear writing.

Offered in a special polypack, the Pilot Gold is available for Rs 27 a piece. Pilot Gold is the latest in the line of innovations like Parker Vector, Gujral Special, Special Moments and the Black and White series.

Inverter with futuristic tech

Su-Kam, the company famous for making inverters, now offers its customers an advanced inverter based on the DSP Sine wave output. Working on futuristic technology, the inverter promises to give 100 per cent pure Sine wave output, just like the main supply and at constant voltage.

Developed in technical collaboration with Analog Devices Inc., USA, this new inverter works on the cutting edge DSP technology. This technology is highly trusted in sophisticated fields like space, military and mobile telephony.

Su-Kam’s DSP Sine wave inverter employs a unique five stage charging process that charges batteries in half the time taken by other inverters.

Other unique feature of this inverter is that it does not create disturbing noise from the appliances. Available from 700 VA to 1000 KVA, it comes with a warranty of 18 months.

For a dignified look

Zodiac has announced the launch of ‘Gold Collection’ and the ‘American Plaid’ ties. The range comprises of four shades in navy, bordeaux, gold and grey. The ties are available in both silk as well as polyester. While silk ones are priced at Rs 850, the polyester ones cost Rs 425.

The fashion forecast for the year is plaid and gold ties and this collection presents an exclusive mix of latest designs and colour, giving you that dignified look.

Anti-radiation glasses

Thukral opticians present a new range of anti-radiation glasses from St. Martin, the ARC + PLUS anti-radiation glasses.

The St. Martin ARC+PLUS anti-radiation glasses are created specially for computer operators, scanning operations or driving against headlight at night. They are fitted on fully automatic Japanese machines and have more hardness and resistance to heat than ordinary products.

The glasses have been made keeping in mind the Indian climate. It has a unique ultra violet coat and characteristics to adjust to changing amount and strength of outer light at night. The glasses shut out the harmful ultra-violet and infrared rays.

The glasses are priced between Rs 925 and Rs 1025.

Herbal ‘Color Mate’

Black Rose Henna has launched premium henna-based hair colour called ‘Color Mate’. Color Mate is a mixture of henna, amla, shikakai and other herbs blended to give a perfect colour and sheen to the hair.

Available in three different shades of natural black, natural brown and burgundy, they have been specially developed for the Indian hair. A packet of Color Mate contains four sachets of colour and is priced at Rs 80.

Techno shirts

ZOD, the fast emerging male couture brand in the country has introduced ‘Furry Denim’ shirts designed for the contemporary Indian male.

The techno fabric is already a rage in the fashion capitals of Europe and America. It has been treated to give a denim look and has been specially brushed to give it a soft feel. Styled like the cowboy shirts, these shirts offer contrast stitching and pearl press buttons.

Available in two colours, blue and black, these shirts are priced at Rs 1085.