TOP STORIES

DVB PRIVATISATION
Anti-theft law to woo bidders
New Delhi, April 15
Determined to go ahead with the privatisation of the Delhi Vidyut Board despite the recent setbacks, the Delhi government has offered to enact an anti theft legislation to minimize transmission and distribution losses.

CNG buses: When CM & statistics don’t agree
New Delhi, April 15
Chief Ministers are loath to admit their failures. Sheila Dikshit is no exception. The “marked improvement” in the transport situation, she believes, is on account of the commissioning of newer CNG filling stations.

Land deal could cost MCF Rs 6 cr
Faridabad, April 15
The fund-starved Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, is in for a major financial jolt. The corporation could lose about Rs six crore from the sale of a 5.5-acre plot. The MCF authorities have questioned the role played by a senior official of the Labour Department in the deal, which has caused them the monetary loss. The dubious role of the official has been revealed in a letter sent to the authorities at Chandigarh.

Two more units for ‘super thermal plant’ at Panipat
Panipat, April 15
A cheque of Rs 42.25 crore was handed over to the Additional General Manager of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Mr K. C. Banerji, for the construction of the 240-MW seventh and eighth units of Tau Devi Lal Panipat Thermal Power Station by the Chief Engineer (Construction) of the power station, Mr N. N. Vaid, here today.

New Delhi, April 15 Oscar or no Oscar, Aamir Khan is a winner hands down. If the euphoric response that the actor elicited is any indication, Aamir is still the numero uno. Winning the heart of the frenzied crowd with his cherubic smile, Aamir just had the damsels swooning over him. Even the hardest to please were seen eating out of his hands. He enticed the gathering to listen to the extracts of the book, ‘The spirit of Lagaan’ penned by Satyajit Bhatkal.

Rachna Govil: Down, but not out
No one can predict destiny. Rachna Govil, an Arjun Award winner, had never expected that destiny could play such a cruel joke on her. Just in a few minutes, her well-furnished house at Asiad Village Complex turned into ashes. 

DTC in race to flout norms
Gurgaon, April 15
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and its Haryana counterpart are engaged in a strange game of one-upmanship: Each is trying to outdo the other in flouting the directive of the district administration.

COMMUNITY

IN PARLIAMENT
Rent Control Act to minimise distortions
New Delhi, April 15
The new Rent Control Act envisages to minimise distortions in the rental housing market and encourages the supply of rental housing both from the existing and the new housing stocks, the Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya, informed the Rajya Sabha today.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and new MCD Mayor Jaishree Panwar at a lecture on ‘Women Power’, organised by the Capital Foundation Society to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the Ford Foundation in India in the Capital on Monday. —Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Property tax rationalisation top priority of MCD Commissioner
New Delhi, April 15
Rationalisation of property tax, improvement in sanitation, health and education facilities and overall improvement of civic amenities in slum and JJ Clusters are the priorities of the newly appointed Municipal Commissioner of the MCD, Mr Rakesh Mehta, a senior IAS Officer of AGMUT cadre who has taken charge today from his predecessor, Mr S. P. Aggarwal.

CPM asks Chautala to clarify stand on ties with BJP
Rohtak, April 15
Condemning the conduct of Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi and the BJP national executive on communal violence in that state, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has asked Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Parkash Chautala to clarify his political relationship with the BJP-led NDA. 

Sarpanch authorised to rein in work-shy PHC doctors
Jhajjar, April 15
The residents of Badli village have been up in arms against the doctors and other workers of the Public Health Centre (PHC) in the village. The panchayat of the village had complained to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Khemka, that the doctors and other staff of the PHC staff turned up for duty only occasionally. 

Sonepat depot in the black
Sonepat, April 15
The Sonepat depot of the Haryana Roadways has registered an increase of 33 per cent in the collection of traffic receipts during the year ending 2001-2002. Disclosing this, Mr S N Roy, Deputy Commissioner told mediapersons here today that it earned a revenue of Rs 9.83 crore during the year 2001-2002 as compared to Rs 7.39 crore earned during the preceding year.

Serving humanity is their second nature
New Delhi, April 15
It is the love of nature and humanity that brought them together. For the members of the Thakurdwara Trust, nature is sacred and paying obeisance to it, is a rite they dutifully follow.

FACE TO FACE
‘Education system has failed to live up to its principle’
To criticise the existing set-up is easy, but to come up with pragmatic solutions is not. Meet the man who has come up with the solutions. He believes in giving each student his due and the complete freedom to exercise the choices that are rightfully theirs.

Dairies to be shifted out of Rohtak town
Rohtak, April 15
The Nagar Parishad has started proceedings to shift a large number of dairies located in the town to the outskirts. Talking to ‘NCR Tribune’ the Nagar Parishad chairman, Mr Om Parkash Bagri, said the parishad would develop 270 plots for setting up dairies on the Kanheli road.

Devotees throng Jhandewala Temple

New Delhi, April 15 Thousands of devotees are thronging the Jhandewala Temple to pay obeisance to the Goddess during the Navratras. The temple is one of the most worshipped ‘Shakti peeth’ in North India and hordes of devotees come everyday to seek the blessings of the Goddess. The temple is open to devotees from four in the morning till midnight during the Navratras. Special arrangements have been made to extend comfort to the devotees.

Award to help nail corrupt officials
Faridabad, April 15
Perhaps for the first time in the state, the authorities of a district have announced a scheme of cash award for those who help bring the corrupt officials to book.

NCR BRIEFS
MDU allots Rs 7.83 cr for projects
Rohtak, April 15
Maharshi Dayanand University has allocated an amount of Rs 7.83 crore for various construction works in the year 2002-2003 which would be utilised for completing various ambitious schemes of the university as a part of its silver jubilee celebrations.

Funds for mandis

Wheat burnt

• Minister fails to turn up

CRIME

Watch shop adjacent to police station burgled
Jhajjar, April 15
Burglars reportedly struck at a watch shop, Kumar Watch Company, situated adjacent to the city police station here, and decamped with around 1,000 watches estimated to be worth Rs 4.50 lakh on Sunday night.

Job recruitment racket unearthed
New Delhi, April 15
The Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch today claimed to have busted a gang of manpower agents involved in duping persons on the pretext of getting them jobs abroad.

Seven-yr-old family feud behind murder
Faridabad, April 15
The Sunday’s murder of Rishal Singh in Budena village was the result of a bloody feud between two families. As many as eight persons, including seven members of one family, have been killed in this feud that has been going on for the past seven years so far.

• Three killed in mishaps

EDUCATION

Courses get foreign recognition
Sonepat, April 15
The Bhagwan Mahavira Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sonepat, has been granted ‘Quality Certificate’ by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand. 

4,000 schoolteachers to be trained in road safety norms
Jhajjar, April 15
In order to create awareness about the road safety norms and the necessity to observe them among the prospective road users in an effective and forceful manner, the Haryana Highway Patrol and Road Safety at Karnal has been organising teacher training programmes at the government as well as private schools throughout the state with the assistance of the Rashtriya Yuva Sangathan, an NGO.

SPORTS

17 boys join North Zone National Cricket Academy
New Delhi, April 15
Seventeen out of the 20 boys selected for the North Zone National Cricket Academy, being run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), joined the academy at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in the Capital on Monday.

Karun finishes fourth at British F3
New Delhi, April 15
Karun Chandhok, the 18-year-old JK Tyre-sponsored Formula Asian 2001 winner, driving for “T-Sport, the Junior Carlin Team”, scored his best in Formula 3 till date, finishing fourth at the Donington Park curcuit, which hosted the second round of the internationally-coveted championship on Sunday, according to information available in the Capital.

Deepak Anand powers Pelican to victory
New Delhi, April 15
Dashing all-round performance by Deepak Anand (65, 1x6, 7x4, 53b and 3 for 23) helped Pelican Club beat Rohtak Road Gymkhana by 45 runs to enter the pre quarter-final of the 12th All-India Om Nath Sood Memorial Cricket Tournament for the HRS Trophy at the Khalsa College ground in the Capital on Monday.

Saurashtra annex veterans’ cricket crown

New Delhi, April 15 A stroke-filled 74 by Mahender Jhala and sharp bowling by Kahshyap Mehta (3 for 21) enabled Saurashtra beat Vidarbha by eight wickets in the final of the fourth National Inter-State Veterans Cricket Championship at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground. Put into bat, Vidarbha scored 178 for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 40 overs. The champs: Former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi with the Saurashtra team, which won the veterans’ cricket title.

Gyan Prakash Cricket from today
New Delhi, April 15
The first Gyan Prakash Memorial Cricket Tournament, organised by the Madan Lal Cricket Academy, will begin at the Siri Fort Sports Complex on Tuesday. Twelve teams, divided into four groups, will participate in the tournament. The opening match will be played between Madan Lal Academy and S B Youth.

Hemant, Nitin star for United Selection
New Delhi, April 15
A fine all-round performance by Hemant Dogra (2 for 40 and 42) and unbeaten knock of 58 by Nitin Kumar helped United Selection beat YMCA Green Park by seven wickets in the first Najafgarh Cricket Tournament for the Rajdhani Cup at the Najafgarh Sports Complex. 

Madan Lal Academy win
New Delhi, April 15
Deadly bowling by Karan Singh (5 for 42) helped Madan Lal Cricket Academy beat Rajinder Pal Cricket Academy, Dehra Dun, by three wickets in the seventh All-India Maharaja Agarsen Stanford Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the Mohan Meakin ground.

ADMINISTRATION

DM orders sugar mills to pay arrears to farmers
Ghaziabad, April 15
The District Magistrate, Mr Debasish Panda, has issued strict orders to sugar mills to immediately pay Rs 63.38 crore which they owe to sugarcane growers in Ghaziabad. In case the mills delay the payment, the administration will take strict action against the mill owners.