TOP STORIES

Four cops being held hostage 
Irate Kiloi villagers want BKU leaders released
Rohtak, May 17
The inhabitants of Kiloi village near here have been holding four policemen as hostage since last night to pressurise the government to release the arrested leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU). The policemen— ASI Shiv Narain, head constables Lal Singh and Lakhmi Chand and constable Jagbir Singh — had gone to Kiloi on Thursday night to reportedly arrest district BKU leader Dharamvir Hooda.

Fire in Shastri Bhavan, 12 rescued

New Delhi, May 17 A fire broke out today in two rooms of the law ministry in Shastri Bhavan, a stone’s throw from the Parliament House, extensively damaging furniture, computers and some documents.

Firemen rescuing the trapped inmates of the Law Ministry in Shastri Bhavan on Friday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Delhi sweats it out but Maken is cool about it

New Delhi, May 17 Even as several localities in the Capital reeled under long hours of power shedding, Delhi Power Minister Ajay Maken today claimed that the situation was not alarming. “Most of the power problems faced by the people are due to local faults. We have made arrangements to supply 3200 mega watts and the peak power demand this season is yet to touch that level,” Mr Maken told newspersons here. On Thursday, the Capital witnessed its highest power demand when it touched 3066 mw. Several areas in the city witnessed power cuts ranging from an hour to several hours. Delhi’s Power Minister Ajay Maken at a press conference on Friday. — Tribune Photo

Prickly row in Khalsa College Hindi Dept
New Delhi, May 17
A rather prickly issue has cropped up in the Hindi Department of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College with accusations flying thick and fast over the appointment of the convenor of the department.

After gas, lordships have water on their minds
New Delhi, May 17
Passing strictures against the Delhi Jal Board for the ongoing water crisis in the Capital, the Delhi High Court today directed the board to ensure equal supply in the entire city.

• Sheila’s ambitious project

Gurgaon residents take on cable cabal
Gurgaon, May 17
The residents of the city have taken on the local cable TV operators for hiking their rates arbitrarily. In fact, the residents of Sector 4 and Sector 7 have decided not to cough up the new rate. This, they have done under the aegis of the Residents Welfare Association. Incidentally, these are the posh sectors of Gurgaon.

Fake notes worth Rs 8,000 confiscated
Gurgaon, May 17
The police seized fake currency worth Rs 8,000 and arrested a person who was trying to use them in the market here in the afternoon. According to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Kuldeep Singh Siag, the district police got the information that Sudhadev, a resident of West Bengal with the fake currency of Rs 100 domination had been roaming in the Sikanderpur market, DLF area.

COMMUNITY

IN PARLIAMENT
Vehicles cause 64 pc of Delhi’s pollution
New Delhi, May 17
Vehicular pollution contributes 64 per cent of the total pollution in the Capital, informed the Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr T. R. Baalu, told the Rajya Sabha today.

Crisis in BJP ‘blows over’
Panipat, May 17
The ongoing tug-of-war between the Municipal Council of Panipat (MCP) chief, Mr Sanjay Bhatia, and the rebel BJP councillor, Mr Harish Sharma, ended today with the latter withdrawing his resignation letter. With this, the crisis in the local unit of the BJP seems to have blown over, at least for the time being.

Huda to turn Sonepat into another Gurgaon
Sonepat, May 17
Located on the northern side of Delhi, Sonepat is one of the important cities of Haryana under the National Capital Region (NCR). The government has accorded top priority to its development as a full-fledged city, as has been done in the case of Faridabad and Gurgaon, that will have over 20 lakh prospective population by 2020 AD.

Hafed stops procurement of sarson
Rewari, May 17
There are reports that the cessation of procurement of sarson by Hafed in the mandis at Rewari, Bawal, Narnaul etc is causing hardship to the farmers. A spokesman of Hafed told the ‘NCR Tribune’ that the procurement had been suspended because of paucity of storage facilities and they were on the lookout for additional storage capacity.

Choosers? No, but beggars can be innovators 

New Delhi, May 17 Innovation keeps them ticking. Like perfect salespersons, they know how to make you shell out the dough. So if it isn’t a bandaged hand, it could well be a false pregnancy. The beggars you meet at almost every red light are aware that you may soon find out their secret, so to keep the income from dwindling, they rely on innovation.

Chautala opens HSIDC complex at Kundli
Sonepat, May 17
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, inaugurated a Rs 3-crore office complex of the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) on the premises of the Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Kundli village along the Haryana-Delhi border, about 25 km from here, on Thursday evening.

Influx into HVP after Bansi Lal’s rally
Rewari, May 17
Activists of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), who had become demoralised in Ahirwal after the ouster of the Bansi Lal government in 1999, have been enthused once again following the success of the recent Bawal rally of the party supremo, Mr Bansi Lal. 

Speaking out
This refers to a news item entitled “A Museum that Trashes Rare Objets D’Art” that appeared in your esteemed daily on 15.5.2002. I would like to inform you that the allegations made in the said article are absolutely baseless.

NCR BRIEFS
Hardcore criminal held from court complex
Jhajjar, May 17
The Crime Branch of the district police arrested a criminal, who has been involved in a dozen cases of murder, looting, theft and rape, when came to meet other members of his gang in the local court complex here on Thursday.

House ransacked

Health workers

Probe into pregnant woman’s death begins
Faridabad, May 17
The district police officials have started a probe into the death of a pregnant woman of Sector 14 at a private hospital here. It is alleged that it was due to the negligence and lack of knowledge of a woman doctor running a private nursing home that had led to the untimely death of the mother and baby.

CRIME

Son, daughters behind man’s murder
Rewari, May 17
In a dramatic twist to a murder case, the complainant himself has turned out to be the killer. And the deceased is the father of the complainant. The murder of Bir Singh (45) took place in Dhakia village under the Jatusana police station of the district on the night of May 7.

• PGIMS docs go on strike

DSIDC officer held for taking bribe
New Delhi, May 17
The Anti-Corruption Branch today claimed to have arrested an Accounts Officer of the DSIDC, K. K. Gupta, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 3, 300 from Mr Chander Prakash, an industrialist.

Village youth catch car used in loot
Sonepat, May 17
Residents of Kathura village have set a fine example by identifying a Maruti car used in a case of loot and handed it and its driver over to the police for further investigation.

Cash, jewellery worth Rs 1.28 lakh stolen from house 
Jhajjar, May 17
Cash and jewellery worth around Rs 1.28 lakh were stolen from the residence of the Station Superintendent of Bahadurgarh Railway Station, situated in the railway staff quarters complex, in broad daylight today.

• 3 kill driver, flee with taxi

SPORTS

Shradha, Vikas Sharma annex double crown

New Delhi, May 17 Shradha Chhabra and Vikas Sharma annexed a double crown each in the Pt. Tirath Ram Memorial Badminton Tournament played at the New Era Public School courts. Shradha Chhabra of hosts New Era Public School, Mayapuri, claimed the girls under-19 and women’s singles titles while Vikas Sharma performed a similar feat in the boys under-19 and men’s singles finals. The title winners of the Pt. Tirath Ram Memorial Badminton Tournament which concluded at the New Era Public School in the Capital on Friday.

DSJA honours Sehwag, Malleswari and Harbinder
New Delhi, May 17
The who’s who of Delhi’s sports fraternity were present to savour in the atmosphere dipping in sports talk and sportsman spirit as the Delhi Sports Journalists Association (DSJA) held the much-awaited annual awards function to honour top sportspersons from this part of the country at the sprawling National Sports Club of India lawns on Thursday night.

Sahil Guleria, Mrigank move up in TT
New Delhi, May 17
Sahil Guleria of New Era Public Schooland Mrigank Malhotra entered the third round of the sub-junior boys event of the Manavata Abhiyan inaugural Championship Cup Prize Money Open Table Tennis Tournament at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in the Capital.

Millennium Cricket

Young club win

Aditya stars in Frank Anthony’s win
New Delhi, May 17
Aditya Saini produced a remarkable all-round performance of 4 for 14 and 35 to help FrankAnthony Public School beat Mont Fort School by seven wickets and entered the quarter-final of the first Ravindra Malhotra Memorial Under-15 Inter-School Cricket Tournament at the Mont Fort School ground in the Capital on Friday.

ADMINISTRATION

CM orders filing of cases against sarpanches
Gurgaon, May 17
The monthly meetings of the District (Gurgaon) Public Relations and Grievances Committee, presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, are proving to be nightmares for public servants.