ASSEMBLY
Thank your stars for the trickle in taps
Tribune News Service

For the record, DJB’s supply of 655 mgd falls short of the requisite demand by 200 mgd. The shortfall, the chief minister said, would be overcome once the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant is commissioned. “That plant is set to add another 1 crore 40 lakh gallons by 2003-end,” she told reporters.

But No dearth of mineral water

“Ganga” water for parched throats? The brand of purified water will hit the markets from August 1. Manufactured by the Government of NCT of Delhi, Chief Minister and Chairperson of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Sheila Dikshit hopes the 20-litre cans of bottled water priced at Rs 10 will be the answer to Delhi’s water woes.

Announcing the government’s decision to commission a water bottling plant in south Delhi, the chief minister said the cans would be marketed in south Delhi colonies where “availability of potable water is low at present.”

The investment on setting up the bottling plant, the chief minister told media persons, would come good in the long term as the demand for potable water was set to rise steadily over the next few years. “There has been a quantum jump in the demand for water and the government thought it fit to make optimum utilisation of the funds allocated for improving water services by setting up this plant,” she added.

FOLLOW-UP
Lecturer gets marching orders for daring to speak
Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, July 17
You will have to pay a heavy price if you make a representation against your higher-ups, even if the issues raised in it have serious financial implications and academic irregularities. This is the message gathered from various quarters following an order of the Director of the Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU)

National Law College, Dr L.C. Dhingra. The order has relieved a lecturer of his services in the institute after he had made allegations against the former Director of the college, Dr K.P.S.Mahalwar, in representations to the Governor of Haryana and Chancellor of MDU, Babu Parmanand and the Vice-Chancellor, Major General (retd), B.S.Suhag. Dr Dhingra issued the office order on Tuesday, specifying that it was done on the verbal order of the Vice-Chancellor.

Reacting sharply to the order against the lecturer in sociology in the college, the Maharshi Dayanand University Teachers’ Association (MDUTA) president, Dr Wazir Singh Nehra, said that it was highly undemocratic.

The Vice-Chancellor cannot run the affairs of an esteemed institute such as university as if he were running his home. The Vice-Chancellor’s duty is also to protect the sanctity of the university’s rules, he added. Dr Nehra confirmed that MDUTA has received a copy of the representation made by the lecturer to the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor. He further said that the issue was discussed in its executive committee on Tuesday.

He said that as Dr Mahalwar is a regular member of MDUTA, things would be first discussed with him. The MDUTA could not take concrete decision, but only forward the case to the authorities as the lecturer was not a regular member of MDUTA, he added.

Dr Mahalwar has already rebutted the allegations against him.

The lecturer, who was a non-teaching staff in the University College in the MDU at Rohtak, has been asked to report to the Registrar of the University. He will have to take up his old duties. He was appointed on contractual basis in the National Law College. His service was to be reviewed for the third term from this month onwards. While his other colleagues got their contracts renewed for three years, from July 1, he was allowed to continue till further orders. The reason being that Dr Mahalwar, who was the then Director, gave an unfavourable appraisal report against him. Incidentally, Dr Mahalwar was Director of the college as stopgap arrangement and he has now rejoined his teaching assignment in the faculty of law on the MDU campus in Rohtak.

The lecturer pointed out in the representation that Dr Mahalwar was not happy with him as he had refused to be party to his (Dr Mahalwar’s) acts of “embezzlement” and that he (Dr Mahalwar) wanted to cover up his own questionable deeds as head of the college.

Many eyebrows have been raised on the summary removal of the lecturer even before inquiring into his complaints against the former Director. This assumes significance as the representation was forwarded by the present Director to the authorities for “consideration and necessary action”.

Even if the complaints were motivated, their veracity should have been first ascertained. Now, even if an inquiry is conducted, it will be difficult for the inmates of the college to give testimonies.

Also, such an inquiry would now seem biased in favour of the former Director in the eyes of the pubic.

There is another angle to the order. Even if the services of the lecturer were to be dispensed with on the basis of the appraisal report, natural justice demanded that he be given a chance of hearing and defend himself.

Kharif crops run to seed in Rohtak
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, July 17
As the monsoon is playing truant this year, the standing kharif crops in the district have almost withered. The failure of monsoons has posed a serious shortage of green fodder for the cattle, already facing scarcity of drinking water as the village ponds have dried up.

The economy of the farmers of Rohtak and its adjoining districts depends upon milch cattle besides agriculture. Rohtak, it may be recalled, is also known for producing internationally famous ‘Murrah’ buffaloes. The drought-like conditions, that prevail in the district now, may adversely affect the export of the milch cattle.

Owing to the dry spell, the prices of green vegetables and other essential commodities have shot up.

The prices of vegetables like tinda, ghiya etc have almost doubled during the past fortnight. The wheat which has been selling since harvesting at the support price of Rs 620 per quintal, is now selling at Rs 650 per quintal. The sarson prices have shot up from Rs 1,250 per quintal to Rs 1,500 per quintal.

Mr Narain Parsad Goyal, president, Haryana Foodgrain Dealers Association, told the ‘NCR Tribune’ that the prices of mustard cake and seed cotton have also registered an increase. According to the Deputy Director, Agriculture, Mr Om Singh, paddy crop has been hit the most due to failure of monsoon. Against the target of 18,000 hectare, paddy was transplanted in only 5,500 hectare. Even this crop has been damaged due to failure of rain and lack of canal water. The canals have gone dry today and water would be released in them after 21 days for a week only.

The district has 1.40 lakh hectares of cultivable land of which 1.21 lakh hectare is irrigated. The irrigation system depends on canals and tubewells. The canals do not cover the whole area and even in the area so covered, the intensity of irrigation is not sufficient to produce two or three crops. Of the 1.21 lakh hectares of irrigated land, 90,000 hectare is irrigated by canal and the rest by tubewells.

The sowing of crops, dependent on rain mostly, has not been done as per the target. The Bajra crop, targeted to be sown on 18,000 hectare, has been sown on 9,500 hectare only. Nearly 50 per cent of the standing Bajra crop has been damaged and if the monsoon fails further, the entire crop may wither.

The gowar has been sown in approximately 5,000 hectare against the target of over 6,000 hectare. Similar is the case with the pulses.

Owing to the remunerative support price fixed by the government for sugarcane, the area under this crop had increased from 14,000 hectare to over 16,000 hectare, an increase of nearly 10 per cent. But due to failure of rains and short supply of canal water, between 20 and 25 per cent of the crop has already been damaged. Though cotton is the only crop which could weather such humid conditions, its growth has been checked because of delay in monsoons. The rainfall in the district has been very erratic this year. It recorded only 3 mm rain in June as against 170 mm in June 2001.

THE ACHIEVERS
To hell and back, cruising through life with 
sheer grit
Garima Pant

New Delhi, July 17
She is a reader of zoology, a doting mother of two who has also been awarded the “Ideal Mother Award” by the Nehru Bal Samiti in 1999. She has been taking undergraduate classes since 1975 and is an active member in all the extra-curricular activities. All these things haven’t changed or have gone out of bounds ever since she met with a serious accident in

1993, which paralysed her body down below her chest. She is still alive and kicking. With a cast-iron will power, she is the epitome of courage. Meet Dr (Ms) Komal Kamra, reader of zoology and teaching at the Khalsa College, New Delhi.

It was the ill-fated November of 1993, while going on for a holiday to Jammu-Kashmir, she along with her entire family met with a tragic accident. She lost her two elder sisters and her brother-in-law. She herself as well as her mother got severe spinal injuries. Her husband and two children were also seriously injured. Her injuries left her paralyzed from chest below and she couldn’t move at all. She lost her mother in February which was a big blow to her. After intensive nursing and physiotherapy for a long time, she is now able to sit and move in a wheelchair.

“My husband played a very major role in my recovery. He did whatever he could in spite of his being badly hurt. But after I lost him in yet another accident in 1997, it was quite backbreaking,” she said.

However, she did not give up hope for the determination to look after her children was stronger. And today, after her son has finished schooling and the daughter is about to finish her final year in graphic designing, she is surely proud of her decision to soldier on despite all odds.

“I don’t term my actions as bravery or anything of that sort. It was more of a question of survival. This innate feeling of survival is there in everybody along with the feelings of helplessness when we do give up. But I have this habit of leaving things aside and keep them away for the next day. I believe every tomorrow brings with itself the solutions to our problems,” she said.

Dr Kamra believes that a positive attitude is a part of the survival instinct. At that moment in her life when the tragic incidents happened, she was beside herself with grief and not in her proper senses. Things just happened and they happened for the good, she feels. Right from her childhood, she was taught to make her own decisions. This kind of upbringing was quite helpful at the most testing time of her life.

“I am a firm believer in the institution of family. A solid family spirit and a firm bond between the four of us were the strength behind all my decisions. I have grown up in a joint family that makes you realise how many friends you actually have, how much you are cared for when you are in trouble,” Dr Kamra said.

She has been teaching undergraduate classes since 1975 and does not find herself in any peculiar situation. There are no pities, tantrums or concessions for her. She feels quite normal just like any other teacher when she is in college. Equal duties and opportunities are given out to her. Her students are far more sensitive to her special needs and requirements though they don’t show it. She is involved in every college activity just the way any other teacher is. She makes arrangements for fests and little outings and so on. Being at Khalsa has been a richly satisfying experience for her. She believes that if one channel is closed in life, do not crib, but look for another channel. You have to believe that you can do it, and that you can do definitely.

“One burning desire of my life is that at the end of the day, I should feel that I’ve made a proper use of my day and I should be happy about it,” she said.

Dr Kamra is happy that her children despite all adversities, handled themselves well and are making their mark in life. During the time she was bedridden and couldn’t do much work, she met people who made so much difference in her life. People who gave her the confidence and made her realise that she could make it. She wants to pass on the same confidence to the people who need it. She wants to go across to people who have lost all hope but still can do it. It requires a great deal of time and money but she is trying her best to make it happen. She feels that it is a commitment, a debt she owes to society. She is the living example of valour and resolve.

DU’s affiliation monopoly ends
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
Delhi University’s exclusive right to grant affiliation to colleges and academic institutions in the national Capital ended today with the Rajya Sabha unanimously passing a Bill amending the existing legislation and extending the powers to the newly established Indraprastha University. The decision has to be viewed against the backdrop of an increasing number of students failing to get admission in a college and course of their choice despite securing high grades in the 12th standard examinations.

There are more than 80 colleges under the aegis of the Delhi University offering graduate and post-graduate degree courses in a number of disciplines. Besides, there is the School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education and the Non-collegiate Women’s Education Board which also offer graduate and post-graduate degree courses.

The existing legislation (sub-section 2 of Section 5 of the Delhi University Act, 1922) prohibited affiliation of any educational institution or college within the territorial limits of the National Capital to any university other than Delhi University, unless specifically permitted by the Union Government. The other major universities in the city, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Hamdard and Indira Gandhi National Open University, are all stand-alone universities; they are not mandated to grant affiliation to any college or academic institute.

The Delhi University ( Amendment ) Bill, 2002, which was passed by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha today, does away with this exclusive right of the Delhi University. Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, introduced the Bill in the Upper House, which was subsequently passed without any debate.

Experts, however, fail to understand why a relatively fledgling university – Indraprastha – is being vested with the affiliation power. Established universities like the JNU or Jamia could have been entrusted with this power, it is pointed out.

Indraprastha University was established in 1998 to meet the growing demands of the student population, mainly in vocational courses. It is difficult to say whether the focus of the university will now gradually shift to more conventional courses. 

Sarna-Ranjit rift widens

New Delhi: The rift between the SAD Delhi president, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, and the former Akal Takht Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, appears to have widened with six supporters of the latter invalidating their votes in the polling today to elect the two co-opted members for the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. The SAD Delhi nominee, Mr Surjit Singh, and the SAD (Badal) candidate, Mr Manmohan Singh Sachdeva, were declared co-opted members in the elections held on single transferable vote system.

IN PARLIAMENT
AIIMS developing new long-term 
male contraceptive
Our Correspondent

New Delhi, July 17
The Minister of State for Health, Mr A. Raja, today informed the Lok Sabha that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) were developing a male contraceptive and that the clinical trials of the contraceptive, ‘RISUG’, were in its final phase.

He added that the drug molecule was a single intra vas deferens injection with long-term contraceptive action and with potential of reversal. The Phase-I and Phase-II clinical trials had been completed and the restricted phase-III clinical trial was in progress, which was being coordinated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In a written reply to the question regarding the malfunctioning of equipment in Safdarjung Hospital, the Minister of State for Health, Mr A. Raja said that the bedside monitors were in proper working condition. Apart from this, the 13-bed ICU had ultra-modern air-conditioning and the respiratory department had two ultra-modern ventilators in good working condition. The burns ward, which was in a shabby state, had new and well-equipped operation theatre.

Mr Raja added that the burns department had taken all steps to decongest the burns ward and a new ward was opened where each patient had his/her own cubicle.

The Delhi Police have sent a proposal for the addition of 442 PCR vans to their existing fleet of about 338 vans, informed the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr. Vidyasagar Rao, in the Rajya Sabha today.

Answering a query whether the PCR vans take up to two hours to reach their designation, Mr Rao said that PCR vans take about five to eight minutes to reach the place of incident during rush hours and about three to five minutes during lean hours and on holidays. He added though a proposal for increasing the number of vans had already been sent to the Government of the NCT of Delhi, it was yet to make a recommendation for accepting the proposal by the central government.

Mr Rao also informed the House that a team of Delhi Police officials had visited Hyderabad in May this year for the selection of sniffer dogs and the government had accorded sanction for purchasing 33 sniffer dogs while sanctioning the creation of three bomb squads, nine bomb detection teams and nine mobile crime teams. The Delhi Police had floated a tender for the procurement of 47 dogs, as there was a shortage of 14 dogs in the existing team. The procurement took six months and cost Rs 8.52 lakh.

The Rajya Sabha was also informed that the number of cases such as dacoity, rape and murder reported during the last six months was 736 as compared to 849 cases reported last year.

He added that though some cases of crime against the old were reported in the Capital during the last six months, no organised gang was held responsible. As for the steps taken by the police to prevent crime against the elderly, a data of those who live alone was compiled and the beat staff had been asked to stay in regular touch with them.

Mr Rao also informed the Rajya Sabha that the Bureau of Police Research and Development, which had been assigned to make a study of the manpower and modernisation requirements of Delhi Police, had made certain recommendations, including the setting up of norms for new police Stations, separation of crime investigation and law and order duties, traffic management and upgradation of training facilities.

He added that the recommendations related to the separation of crime investigation from law and order duties had been accepted in principle by the government and it believed that this could be done if each police station was provided with sufficient number of dedicated investigation teams.

The Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology, Ms Sumitra Mahajan, informed the Lok Sabha that the MTNL had revised the charges of various phone plus facilities and when taken as separate individual facilities, the rates for call-transfer facility had been reduced to Rs 20 per month and the rate for Calling Identification Presentation (CLIP) had been reduced from Rs 50 to Rs 20 per month.

A package of services like call transfer, hotline, three-party conferencing, abbreviated dialling and CLIP was being offered at a reduced rate of Rs 75 per month from September 2001.

IN ASSEMBLY
Congress pulls up Centre for CNG crisis
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
After facing the flak over the excise policy from the Opposition yesterday, it was the Treasury Benches’ turn today to turn the heat on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The short-duration discussion on the acute shortage of CNG leading up to a transport crisis presented the Congress with the opportunity of exposing the forked tongue of the BJP’s leadership in the Assembly and at the Centre. Accusing the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of doing precious little to mitigate the commuters’ woes, the Congress members took turns in establishing that the CNG crisis was born of the Centre’s apathy.

Initiating the debate, Ms Kiran Choudhry of the Congress said the Centre was trying to place the blame at the Congress’ doorstep even when the Sheila Dikshit Ministry was doing its best to tide over the crisis. “The Government of NCT of Delhi,” she said, “was doing the best out of a bad situation brought about in the first place by the skewed policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.”

Citing the handicap of far fewer dispensing stations than the requisite number, Ms Choudhry said there were only 17 mother stations of CNG to cater to an estimated 4,500 private CNG buses and another like number of buses plied by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). She said the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) was supplying only 5.3 lakh kilogramme of gas per day when the Supreme Court had directed it to supply 16.1 lakh kilogramme.

Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Mukhi sought to counter the Treasury Benches by pointing out that the fault lay equally with the DTC. “The DTC is having 10 mother stations. They are having 2,141 CNG buses in their fleet. The utilisation of their mother stations is only 60 to 70 per cent. Earlier, the DTC mother stations were allowing 250 cascades with 300 kg in each cascade. In the month of May, however, they stopped this practice, which has created a lot of problems. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has taken a serious note of this,” he asserted.

He further said the apex court had never suggested conversion of three-wheelers to CNG mode. The court, he said, had only asked for clean fuel. “The Government of NCT of Delhi, however, decided on its own to do so. Now out of 58,127 CNG vehicles registered up to March 2002, 36,565 are autos. That was the main reason for the shortage of the gas,” he said. The IGL, he added, was working in a planned manner but the Government of NCT of Delhi had made a mess of the situation.

Making a statement in the House, Transport Minister Ajay Maken said in spite of making available adequate number of CNG vehicles and converting the DTC’s entire fleet to CNG mode, neither the IGL nor the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas made any effort to improve either the quantity of CNG supplied to the Capital or increase the number of dispensing stations.

List of sacked panches gets longer by the day
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, July 17
The list of sarpanches, panches and members of panchayat samitis facing action for various irregularities is getting longer by the day. While at least 51 members of these bodies have been removed from their posts, four members of the zila parishad have been suspended by the authorities so far in the district.

According to official sources, representatives of the local bodies whose services have been terminated from their post include as many as 20 sarpanches, 26 panches and five members of the panchayat samitis. These members were sacked under Section 175 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act for having more than two children.

The Act states that a person having more than two children or somebody who has a third child after being elected stands disqualified to hold the post of sarpanch, panch, member of zila parishad, panchayat samiti, municipal council (committee) and even municipal corporation.

The members who have been disqualified under the Act in the past one year include six women panches, one woman sarpanch and one female member of the panchayat samiti. The authorities have terminated the services of three sarpanches on charges of financial irregularities or frauds so far during the period. Notices have been issued and some others have also been facing inquiry on similar charges under Section 51 (3) of the Act. As many as four zila parishad members have also been placed under suspension. The zila parishad has a total membership of 18, which includes six women members at present. The total number of the panchayats in the district is 338. Out of these, 337 have their elected heads and bodies. While there are 225 male sarpanches, the district has 112 women sarpanches at present. The total number of panches is 3,159. Out of these, 1,053 are women.

In bodies like panchayat samiti (block samiti) and zila parishad the number of women members is 48 and six, respectively.

Mor accuses Chautala of harming Jat interests
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
The Haryana Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti’s co-convenor and spokesman, Mr Tara Chand Mor, charged the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, of harming the interests of Jats. He told mediapersons that 75 per cent of Army jawans who laid down their lives for the sake of the motherland in Kargil War were Jats. The Jats were known for their dedication to the nation. Despite job reservation for Jats in Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Chief Minister of Haryana was still silent on this issue.

Mr Mor reminded the Chief Minister that when the struggle for job reservation for Jats in Rajasthan was going on, he had assured the people of Haryana that the moment job reservation for Jats in Rajasthan was announced he would declare the same the next day in Haryana also.

Mr Mor told newspersons that job reservation for Jats for Rajasthan and Delhi was done in October 1999. It may be recalled that the Haryana Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti had given a memorandum to the Haryana Chief Minister on November 4, 1999, when he was in Jhajjar. The samiti had demanded that he should announce job reservation for Jats in Haryana as soon possible. Now more than two and a half years had passed but till date he had not done anything in this regard. As a result of unnecessary delay in announcing job reservation for Jats in Haryana Jat youths and students were the worst sufferers. The All-India Jat Mahasabha at its mahasammelan in Delhi last month had unanimously passed a resolution for giving all Jats the benefit of job reservation in all states, including Haryana, but it was very unfortunate that the Chief Minister has still not issued requisite orders so far.

Dehat Morcha opposes supply of water to Delhi
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, July 17
The Dehat Morcha has called for a meeting of panchayats in a number of village in the Dasna-Mussori belt. These villages have opposed the proposal to allow supply of Ganga to Delhi. This has been done under the save water campaign.

The Dehat Morcha, as part of its save water, save farm, save the country campaign, today called panchayat meetings in Nahal, Dabarsi, Galind, Bhovapur, Mussori and Mubarkpur villages.

Addressing the meeting, Panchayat Chairman Satpal Chaudhri said that by allowing canal water to Delhi the UP Government was playing a cruel joke on farmers, labourers, industrialists and common residents of this area.

Delhi is being supplied water almost free of cost while the Delhi Government had passed on water to a foreign company under a contract. The Delhi Government was thus acting against the interests of the people of Western UP.

The canals, ponds and other water bodies were being made pucca and water sources were being drained out. This was slowly converting Hardwar, Kanpur, Agra and Mathura areas into a desert, Mr Chaudhri said. State general secretary Sant Ram Nagar stressed the need for starting a village-to-village campaign to inform the people and build up public opinion. A region-level panchayat had been called for July 28 to plan a final strategy.

Morcha leader Riaz Ahmed appealed to advocates and the business community too to support this campaign.

Call for President’s rule in J&K
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
The Krantikari Manuvadi Morcha today condemned the Kasim Nagar massacre, saying that it was an inhuman act perpetrated by Pakistan-trained terrorists.

The morcha demanded that President’s rule should be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect instead of giving autonomy to the state, as being demanded by Chief Minister Farroq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah. The demand of autonomy is an anti-national act and an unpardonable offence. Incidents like Kasim Nagar will happen again in future if Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah are not taken to task for their utterances and demand of autonomy. Inaction against them so far was a proof of the Centre’s weak governance.

The morcha further demanded that K.P.S. Gill should be appointed the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir under President’s Rule without any undue interference from the Centre and human rights organisations.

The demand of the RSS and the VHP for trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir would tear apart the proposed Muslim-dominated part from the Indian Union, the morcha said.

DJB may install deep tubewells
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
As part of the contingency plan formulated by the Government of NCT of Delhi to ensure uninterrupted supply of water, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will explore the feasibility of installing deep tubewells in different areas of the Capital.

Chief Secretary Shailja Chandra, who convened a meeting of DJB officers and officials drawn from the departments of irrigation and flood control today, has directed them to have a proper liaison and coordination with the Haryana Government in this regard. According to the spokesperson, the officials have also been asked to keep a vigil on the banks of western Yamuna Canal and other vulnerable points so as to check any sabotage, blockade or breach of canal bank in the NCT of Delhi or Haryana. The Chief Secretary also reviewed the progress of desilting work pertaining to the drains in different areas. Officials were asked to ensure effective coordination to deal with the problems of storm water and desilting of drains before the monsoon.

Fire in plastic unit

A major fire broke out in an industrial in the Anand Parbat area of West Delhi in the early hours of today. The fire broke out at 5.10 am in a three-storeyed building that houses a plastic manufacturing unit. No casualties were reported. Twenty-two fire engines were immediately pressed into service and they took two hours to bring it under control.

CNG bus catches fire at filling pump
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
Panic gripped the CNG filling station near Chandagi Ram Akhara on Ring Road at 4 pm today when a fire broke out in a CNG bus while it was being filled up.

Immediately, attendants and others in the queue at the filing station ran for cover. A few of them even tried to drive away.

An attendant, who was filling the gas, sustained 30 per cent burns. He was admitted to a trauma centre, where his condition was stated to be serious. It took five fire fighters to douse the blaze. The bus (DL1P-8546) was damaged completely. The fire broke out when a bystander tried to light a cigarette at the filling station. The CNG gas is inflammable and smoking is not allowed at filling stations, but people do not take care, the police said. 

NCR BRIEFS
Four shoot man in front of wife, child
Our Correspondent

Jhajjar, July 17
Four unidentified armed assailants reportedly shot dead a 25-year-old man in front of his wife and two years’ old child near a brick kiln on the Kosli road today. According to information, the deceased, Joginder, along with his wife and child was going to his village, Dawla, from Jhajjar on his motor cycle. When they had almost reached the village a Qualis coming from the opposite direction rammed into the motor cycle. Joginder lost his balance and fell on the ground. In the meantime, four youth wielding pistols come out of the Qualis and attacked him. Joginder attempted to flee but he was shot at. Then assailants took hold of him and stabbed him many times. He died on the spot while the assailants escaped in their vehicle.

The police have registered a case on the complaint of the brother of the deceased. Four persons have been booked in this connection but no one has been arrested so far.

2 killed in mishaps

Two persons were killed in separate road accidents in the district on Wednesday. Police sources said Anoop Singh, son of Jage Ram, resident of Daryapur, was going towards his village on foot when a tractor loaded with bricks ran over him. He died on the spot. The driver of the tractor is at large. In another incident, Rishi Ram, a factory worker, died when a vehicle hit him near Jakhoda village on National Highway 10.

Ajit Singh flayed

Rohtak
The Haryana unit of the Lok Janshakti Party has condemned the reported statement of Union Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh that the drought would be declared only if there was no rain till July 31. Capt Shamsher Singh Malik, state president of the party, today alleged that the statement of Mr Ajit Singh depicted an anti-farmer and irresponsible attitude of the Union Government. He said almost the whole state had been affected by drought due to the delayed monsoon. He said even the cattle had been facing acute hardship as the ponds in the villages had dried up and the prices of fodder had increased manifold.

Boy stabbed

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death by two teenaged boys at Bohar village today. The deceased has been identified as Ravinder, a resident of Bohar village. He had left the school after failing in the plus two examinations. The suspects — Sunil alias Sheelu and Narender, both 14 yearss’ old — have absconded.. It is learnt that the duo resorted to the step as the deceased had ‘dared’ to eve-tease the sister of Sunil. The police have registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC.

MDU meeting

The 160th meeting of the Executive Council of Maharshi Dayanand University would be held here under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor on July 19. A spokesman for the university administration today said eight items would be discussed during the meeting.

Eco rally held

Meerut
An environment rally was organised in the cantonment area today. The rally was flagged off by Sub-Area Commander Brig K. T. G. Nambiar VSM from Bhainsali ground here. Aimed at bringing about awareness amongst the residents, the rally passed through Sadar Bazar, Shiv Chowk, Abu Lane, Begun bridge and Delhi Road and concluded back at the Bhainsali ground.

Minister allays fears on hike in vegetable prices
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
Fearing a shortage of vegetables supplied to the markets in the Capital on account of the delayed monsoon, Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf has warned of taking action against hoarders. Allaying fears of a steep hike in the prices of vegetables, the minister said the vegetable markets had been asked to display the price chart prominently and also publish the same in newspapers. “People should rest assured that the prices of vegetables would not be allowed to rise and would be kept under control,” Mr Yusuf told mediapersons today. 

Khurana calls for Delhi bandh on July 22

New Delhi, July 17
The Delhi BJP chief, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, today called for a Delhi bandh on July 22 to protest against the power and water crises in the Capital. Addressing newspersons here, Mr Khurana said the Delhi Government should be blamed for the problems faced by the people of the city as the Sheila Dikshit-led government had not made any action plan to meet the situation. “The bad power and water situation in the Capital is the creation of the Congress-led Delhi Government .” TNS

Man arrested for rape of daughter
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, July 17
The police have arrested a person from nearby Chhainsa village on charges of raping his minor daughter. According to a complaint lodged with the police by Sunita Devi, wife of Pritam Singh, her husband had allegedly raped their nine-year-old daughter for about two months, while she was away to her parents’ house in Dundsa village of the district. The police arrested the accused and booked him under Section 376 of the IPC.

Bid to loot foiled: In another incident, two youth, identified as Suresh and Anil, have been arrested from Sector 23 for intruding in a house and attempting to loot the occupant there. It is stated that the culprits, posing as meter readers of the electricity department, entered the house, but took out a knife and asked for cash and jewellery from the woman there. But the accused were caught as the woman raised an alarm and neighbours rushed to her help.

Dowry murder: The police have recovered the body of a woman from Fatehpur Taga village here. The relatives of the victim, Santosh, have alleged that she was murdered by her in-laws for dowry. She was married to a resident of Sector 3 here, but belonged to Kheri Kalan village. A case has been booked.

Traffic jammed: In another incident, women residents of Nangla Colony and nearby areas blocked the traffic on the Nangla road here today in protest against the shortage in the supply of drinking water in the colony. They alleged that the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) officials had failed to provide water and to take action on the complaints lodged by them during various occasions. They also alleged that a `mafia’ of private water suppliers had emerged and charged that it had been `hand in glove’ with the authorities concerned.

Auto thefts: Incidents of auto thefts seem to be on the increase in the town. About a dozen motorcycles and other vehicles have been stolen in the city in the past fortnight. In the latest incident, a motorcycle, belonging to one Pramod, was reported to be stolen from Sector 7 here on Tuesday. A motorcycle of one H. B. Tiwari, a resident of Sector 9, was reportedly stolen on July 15 from the same Sector 7. The latest is the fourth such incident in the past four days. 

Three nabbed for MTNL officer’s murder
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17
With the arrest of three persons, the North-East district police today claimed to have solved the murder of a Junior Telecom Officer of the MTNL, Rajender Singh. He was murdered three days ago while returning home in Bhajanpura from his Kidwai Bhawan office. The police have recovered blood-stained clothes and the weapon used in the offence.

On July 14, one Bhagwan informed the police that a person was lying injured in C Block, Bhajanpura, and thought the police took him to GTB Hospital, he was declared brought dead. The person was identified as Rajender Gupta (44), resident of Bhajanpura.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Singh had left the office at 10 pm and had boarded a bus for his home. The police, while investigating the case, received a secret information about the persons involved in the murder.

One of them, Mohammad Akil alis Majhla (23), resident of Bhajanpura, was nabbed from Oasis Restaurant in Ashok Nagar and on sustained interrogation, he disclosed that Jamal alias Tarjen alias Taru (22) of Bhajanpura and Shabbir Admed alias Shabba (20) of Tripal Factory Mustafabad were also involved in the crime. Based on this information, the police nabbed the duo and they confessed to the crime. They told the police that on the fateful night, they wanted to rob Singh and in the process shot him on his left leg and fled the spot.

Girl rescued: The Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Crime Branch has rescued a girl, Purnima Hatua (14), who was kidnapped from Mandir Marg on April 27, from Jal Pur district in Orissa. The suspect, Subhash Chander Samal, was nabbed from Orissa by a special team of the Crime Branch, which was sdent there under the orders of the high court.

The girl’s father, Vishnu Poda Hatua, resident of Baljit Nagar, had lodged a complaint with the police that his daughter who went to school in Mandir Marg was missing and Subhash, who was staying as a tenant in their house, had also been missing from the same day.

Based on the preliminary inquiries about Subhash, the team reached Orissa and rescued the girl. The girl has been sent to the safe custody of her parents and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.

Heroin haul: The Delhi Police Narcotics Cell, in two different cases, has apprehended five persons, including three from notorious drug peddler Roshan Lal’s family, and seized heroin worth Rs 1.70 crore from their possession.

In the first case, the police apprehended Baleshwar alias Billa, Joginder Singh alias Gittoo and Rakesh Kumar, residents of Nawada and members of the Roshan Lal family, and seized 1.5 kg of fine quality heroin. In another case, Izazuddin alias Guddu and Mohammad Nafis, both residents of Ghaziabad, and recovered 200 grams of heroin from near Dayal Singh College pump on Lodhi road. All the accused have been booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Stabbed to death: The Central district police have arrested Vijay alias Kala (23), resident of Nabi Karim, for allegedly murdering his neighbour, Kailash (20), over an argument while playing cards. The police said that two days ago, the duo had an altercation while they were playing cards. Infuriated over this issue, Vijay stabbed Kailash in his chest.

Video piracy: Acting on a complaint by Super Cassettes, the Delhi Police raided Deepak Video in Ashok Nagar and seized 372 duplicate video CDs, 44 MP3 of T-series albums like ‘Hum Tumare Hain Sanam’, ‘Hum Kissi Se Kum Nahin’, ‘Shaheed’, ‘Kante’ and ‘Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare’ from the shop. The shop owner was arrested.

Businessman robbed of Rs 3 lakh
Our Correspondent

Gurgaon, July 17
Two unknown assailants robbed an entrepreneur of more than Rs 3 lakh at gunpoint near Jhundsarai village last night when he was returning home in his car.

According to police sources, Subhash, proprietor of Neha International, an electronic goods shop, was returning home in his car after closing his shop at Gurgaon. As he neared Jhundsarai, about 10 km away from here, around 9 pm, two youths on a Hero Honda motor cycle overtook him, forcing him to stop his car. Hardly had Subhash stopped his vehicle when one of the youths hurled some hard object towards the windshield of the car. He then threw some mixture of sand and gravel on his face.

Subhash felt confused and intimidated. One of the youths reportedly pointed a revolver at his head and directed him to hand over the bag containing Rs 3 lakh. Subhash handed over the bag to them. The assailants also took out Rs 400 from his shirt pocket and his wrist watch before leaving the place. An FIR has been lodged under Section 392 of the IPC against the two unknown assailants.

Exports from Faridabad touch Rs 363-cr mark
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, July 17
The total exports of industrial products from the district have reached the Rs 363 crore mark.

Claiming this, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, said here yesterday the industrial scenario in the district had improved a lot. It had become one of the most preferred destinations for industries in the NCR. As many as 19 major and medium type of units had come up in the district in the past three years. He added as many as 546 small-scale units had also come up in Faridabad during the corresponding period.

He said the new units, set up with a capital of about Rs 175 crore, had provided employment to over 10,000 persons directly and indirectly. He said attempts were being made to simplify the rules and regulations and provide a `single-window system’ to entrepreneurs. He said applicants for plots in industrial sectors were provided a 20 per cent rebate in cost for a period of three years.

He added that about 1,081 youths had been sanctioned loans for setting up their own trade or business during the past three years under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Rozgar Yojana.