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August 12, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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MEN IN KHAKI Ghaziabad, August 11 The ruckus over the suspension of SSP Lucknow, B B Bakshi, and the transfer of his entire police team had not even blown over when the hapless SSP of Bulandshahar and his subordinates were found guilty of having crossed the path of the Chief Minister’s father. Of course, the SSI, C P Singh, who misbehaved with the CM’s father, was suffering from an exaggerated sense of self-importance. But for the SSI’s impertinence, SSP Avinash Chandra, who attempted damage-control, has been shunted to Lucknow. Incidentally, Avinash Singh was lauded the other day at Moradabad by the Secretary to the CM, Dr Kashmir Singh, for his role in crime control. For the Bulandshahar faux pas, along with the SSP, the Police Circle Officer (a DSP) and the incharge of the police station have also been sent packing. The Bulandshahar episode has, according to observers, has unnerved the zone IG and DIG as a few days earlier Muzzafarnagar SSP, Rajesh Kumar Rai, had been suspended in similar circumstances due to the Bhandoor shootout. During Ms Mayawati’s last tenure as CM, SSP (Ghaziabad) Arun Kumar was placed under suspension simply because he had called a spade a spade. On being asked what action he had taken against the mafia, he had told the CM that the BSP had exalted their status by giving them tickets and making them people’s representatives. Mr Arvind Kumar, the other Ghaziabad SSP, had been punished with a transfer because the police escort of the Chief Minister deviated from the charted course. Today, Mr A K Jain is an IG while Mr Arun Kumar is a DIG. There have been scores of cases, the source says, when Ms Mayawati has punished senior officers for the fault of juniors. Observers feel that the Khurja episode is not the end of the story and some more heads could roll in the days to come. Officers are keeping mum for who knows where the lightning may strike next. |
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Stand-off takes its toll, MCF faces a Faridabad, August 11 While the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has hinted that it could be dissolved due to the ‘stand-off’ between the elected members over the mayorship, many elected members do not favour dissolution and want the MCF to find a solution to the crisis. The corporation, which came into being in 1994, did complete its five-year term in 1999-2000. This is the second term. The last two years saw a lot of political drama while the elections were held in March 2000 and the results declared in the first week of April. The mayoral election was held after about two months, when the issue came to the notice of the Chief Minister. The first mayor of the second term was Mr Devender Bhadana, who was ousted from his seat through a no-trust vote by the elected members in July 2001. This was the first time when a mayor was voted out of power in this manner. The senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, perhaps the senior-most member of the House, was appointed acting Mayor for about a month. As he was a Congress supporter, the state government did not agree to his continuing on the post. However, the Chief Minister got a supporter of his party, Mrs Anita Goswami, installed as Mayor in August last year. Mrs Goswami was inexperienced. Soon her functioning became irritating to many members who alleged that the Mayor was interested in development works only in her ward and they were being ignored in the functioning of the House. As the resentment simmered, the majority of the elected members decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the Mayor. However, this move was not liked by the government and the dissident members were not given permission to bring no-trust motion against the Mayor. This made them move the High Court where the issue is likely to come up for hearing next month. The dissidents also received a shot in the arm when five members of the House who were either suspended or are facing suspension got a respite from the High Court and the Supreme Court. Their suspension was stayed. The dissidents who claim majority with them have stated that they had every right in a democratic set-up to bring a no-confidence motion against the Mayor and alleged that the state government was denying them this right. They see the struggle as an ego tussle and blame the interference in the matters of the MCF as the main cause. While they do accept that the Chief Minister could go in for dissolution, they have asked him to give a patient hearing to the dissidents so that the matter could be solved through a dialogue. The senior Deputy Mayor, Mr S L Sharma, said that the state government should not go in for dissolution as the case was pending in the High Court. He said if it was done, the members would have to seek legal help to stop the authorities from doing so. He claimed that although the Chief Minister had hinted at dissolution, it might not be done so as it was not in anyone’s interest, including the elected members of the MCF. |
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GURGAON Gurgaon, August 11 According to reliable sources, hundreds of residents, upset by the ‘indifferent’ attitude of Huda, approached the District Consumer Dispute Redressal forum on various ticklish issues. Ironically, the residents often win the cases in the forum, but Huda does not follow its directions. Instead, it goes to the State Consumer Commission almost in every case, lamented an affected resident. To cap it all, Huda loses many legal cases, and then goes to the National Consumer commission. What surprised the residents most is that even after losing the cases in the National Commission, Huda does not implement its order. An annoyed resident, Mr Sunder Lal Gupta narrated his Ordeal: he fought for more than three years and won in all the consumer commissions but of no avail. Mr Gupta said he won his legal case in the District Consumer Forum in June 2000 and in State Redressal
Commission in September 2000 and finally in the National Consumer Commission
in February 2002. The legal history of his case is that Mr Gupta was allotted a plot No 3890, Sector 23-23A, Gurgaon, but the possession could not be given to him as the plot was under litigation. After a long while, Huda issued an allotment letter bearing No 1684, dated 3.7.95 and Mr Gupta was asked to pay the enhanced price of the plot at the rate of Rs 403 per square yard whereas other allottees have been charged only at the rate of Rs 193 per square yard. All three consumer commissions ordered Huda to charge at the rate of Rs 193 per square yard as it was Huda’s fault in not delivering the possession of the plot to the party in time. He regretted that Huda has not implemented the order despite the lapse of more than five months. Mr Gupta said that he wrote a number of letters to the senior officers of the department but in vain. He alleged that some staff members of Huda approached him and promised to solve his case if he is ready to pay some ‘fixed’ amount to them. Another hassled resident who was made to go from pillar to post for the last six years, questioned the validity of the consumer commissions. He said that their orders are not implemented in the majority of the cases. He said that many property dealers, working in connivance with the senior officials of the department, contacted him and offered their services at a price. A number of affected residents used their services and got the plots of their choice, Mr Gupta added. |
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Sharma expected
to move HC today New Delhi, August 11 The Crime Branch sleuths raided several places in Hardwar on Friday, hoping to ferret out R K Sharma and his accomplices, but returned to the Capital empty handed. Apart from the hotels at Har Ki Pauri, the police also searched some ‘’dharamshalas’’ and ‘’ashrams’.’ The police also searched an ‘’ashram’’ of a saint who hails from Haryana, but again drew a blank. On Saturday, in Panchkula, the anticipatory bail petition of the absconding IPS officer was rejected by Additional District and Sessions Judge H S Bhangoo. ‘’If Sharma moves an anticipatory bail application in the delhi High Court tomorrow, the Crime Branch will oppose it,’’ said Special Public Prosecutor S K Saxena. However, Advocate Surat Singh, appearing for another accused, Sri Bhagwan, said: ‘’If I am contacted by Mr Sharma, I might move an application for his anticipatory bail.’’ Disclosing their strategy, Saxena said, ‘’The Police would put forth before the court the volume of evidence so far collected and his alleged link with the crime.’’ Shivani Bhatnagar, a Principal Correspondent with the Indian Express at Delhi, was murdered at her apartment in East Delhi on January 23, 1999. |
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FATAL ATTRACTION Meerut. August 11 According to the police sources in the office of the Inspector General of Police, Meerut zone, the man was living with his wife and children in Kheri Karmu village. He worked as a labourer at a brick kiln and was living peacefully with his family. A new chapter began in his life when his 20-year-old nephew started living with him. An illicit relationship developed between the wife and the nephew. He beat up his spouse and her lover two days back after catching both of them in ‘flagrante delicto’. The man also asked his nephew to leave the house. It is reported that one night as the man was away at work, his wife eloped with her beau and took away some jewellery and cash, leaving her five children weeping. The Shamli SHO has assured the man that he would try his best to bring about a satisfactory solution to the case. |
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Maximum
alert for I-Day New Delhi, August 11 With just four days to go for I-Day, unprecedented security arrangements have been made to thwart any militant strike. Last night, the Delhi Police Commissioner, R S Gupta, accompanied by other senior officers, travelled through the city to review the security arrangements. During the patrolling, around 1300 police personnel were deployed and over 2000 persons were detained under various sections of the CrPc and the Delhi Police Act. Besides, 72 persons were arrested under the Excise and the Arms Act. The police chief assured that the security cordon would prevent any untoward incident on I-Day. “The threat perception remains very high. Intelligence reports also warn of the possibility of such attempts. But we have monitored and increased the security and will be able to avert any untoward incident,” he said. As part of the heightened vigilance, security has been particularly beefed up at all entry points and border check-posts. ``We have to review the security at the border check-posts at regular intervals. But this time security has been beefed up across the city and not just at borders and at the Red Fort,” said Mr Gupta. Areas around the Red Fort, where the main function will be held, have been closed to public; besides, additional forces have been deployed in sensitive areas. |
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Deserter
soldier arrested Meerut, August 11 Arun revealed that he had stolen the rifles to settle scores with his erstwhile girl friend and her husband as she has rebuffed him. He reached Delhi directly from Jaisalmer and then proceeded to his native village, Dhampur, via Parikshitgarh. He hid in a sugarcane field after concealing his rifles and the cartridges in the field. PRO Anil Kumar Sachan told media persons that Arun’s two Brothers, Kishanpal and Brijpal, were posted at Jallandhar and Jammu, respectively. Arun was in great mental agony as his girlfriend had deserted him. His mother expired last year but he could not get leave as his unit was deployed at the border.
Three die on the spot Noida: Three persons, including a girl, were killed in a bus-car collision near Luharu village on the G T road. According to Dadri Police, some people were travelling from Bulandshahr to Delhi. Near village Laharu, a roadways bus collided with the car, killing Kumari Shalu, 24, of Bulandhshahar, Bhuder, alias Pappu and Krishanl Pal of Sher Garh Gadiva. All died on the spot. Car driver Bidhu was seriously injured and removed to a Delhi hospital.
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BJP in conference mode ahead of Assembly polls New Delhi, August 11 The significance of the event is not lost on Delhi state BJP office-bearers. Delhi is among 10 states where Assembly elections are due next year. The BJP President, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, will also be there on 17th August to deliver the concluding address to the delegates. Delhi state BJP sources say the political conference will chalk out an action plan to lead the party into the polls. Besides enlisting the outstanding problems facing Delhiites, the conference will devise an appropriate response (“agitation,” says an office-bearer) to the Congress-led Government of NCT of Delhi’s neglect of civic issues. “The focus,” according to the office-bearers, “will also be on how best the Centre can be involved in offering solutions to the people of Delhi who are having to go without adequate potable water, electricity and transport services”. On Tuesday, the Delhi state BJP’s executive will meet to approve the agenda of the political conference. Incidentally, the conference will be the first major event to be hosted by the party since Madan Lal Khurana became president of the Delhi BJP. It will also be the first time that a new team under the stewardship of Khurana will be coming together. In a move aimed at rejuvenating the party, Khurana had last week brought in 12 new faces. The new team comprises five vice-presidents, three general secretaries and five secretaries. “Old foundation, new construction,” he had described the revamp then. The central leadership of the party, he had asserted, had given him the brief of leading the party to “victory” in the elections. The political conference will, therefore, be a test of Khurana’s leadership skills as much as the collective will of the BJP cadres to surmount the reverses the party has suffered in the civic elections. |
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Caste feud over land leads to arson Meerut, August 11 Several district officials also visited the scene. Additional police forces and PAC have been deployed in the village. According to some sources, tension had been brewing between the Jatav and Tyagi communities over possession of village committee land in Bhadurpur village. The SDM, the circle officer and SHO Ashok Kumar had held a meeting of both the parties on August 6 and managed to affect a compromise. The Jatavs claimed that the land belonged to them. Therefore, rightfully they should have possession and the water from Tyagi lands should not flow into their land. The Tyagis claimed otherwise. The SHO also challaned eight persons of both the parties in this matter and deployed two constables in the village. But, as things turned out, peace remained a distant dream. Last night, some miscreants of a particular caste torched the house of Chunni Jatav. The fire soon spread to several other houses of the Jatavs. Several houses were gutted. Tension prevailed in the village and the Jatavs alleged that some Tyagis had torched their houses to create a scare. The Tyagis refuted the charge. As news of the fire spread, the District Magistrate, the SSP, the SP and the ADM along with a large contingent of cops rushed to Bhadurpur village. The district authorities requested the villagers to maintain harmony and assured the Jatavs of taking action against the culprits. The SSP also ordered the suspension of Constables Rajkumar and Manvir Singh and told the SHO to report to the Police Lines. The DM also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Tension prevailed in the village as the Jatavs were feeling insecure. Some of them have already started fleeing the village. A large contingent of PAC and police force have been deployed in the village. |
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MOVING FINGER There can be jokes in public life anywhere in the world. They become bigger jokes if they happen to be seen and experienced in very important places like the National Capital. The recent decision of the Delhi Government to declare Delhi a drought affected area is one such joke. After all, Delhi is an agricultural state where the distinction between urban and rural areas is difficult to find! The villagers have all the amenities of urban living. Some of the corporate offices of multinationals have moved into villages. At some places, the landowners in villages have been growing money and not crops. Farmhouses are luxury villas of the rich urbanites. The monsoon was delayed and there has been a dry spell in Delhi as well as the neighbouring states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The farmers in these states have been going through extreme misery. These states have taken their own time declaring a drought –Uttar Pradesh doing it bit by bit, Rajasthan doing it in routine like many previous years and Haryana doing it last of all. Punjab has still not decided that it has reached that state. Delhi, of course, was very prompt in doing so. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced an immediate relief of Rs 3 crore for the farmers of Delhi and put in a demand for more with the central government. There was the usual sob stuff in support of the farmers facing the hardship caused by the dry spell. Why was the Chief Minister of Delhi so prompt in coming to the rescue of the farmers of Delhi? The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has decided to launch a crusade in support of the people of Delhi, both urban and rural, keeps on looking for occasions to undertake these exercises. Its leaders had said their bit about the power crisis and water shortage. What more could be taken up? The weather came to their help and they found the dry spell to be a handy stick to beat Delhi’s ruling Congress. Fortunately for them, former Chief Minister Sahib Singh, himself a leader of rural folk (read kisans), is a minister in the central government and could mobilise support from the Union Government for the farmers of Delhi. They were discussing the issue with him and were planning to come up with some sort of a package for the Delhi farmers which would reach them with the Delhi Government doing nothing for them. Now all chief ministers have agencies keeping a tab on such information. Delhi’s Chief Minister is no exception. As soon as she came to know about it, she decided to pre-empt the BJP plan and announced relief for farmers, declaring a drought in Delhi. There are a handful of villages in Delhi but there are hundreds of colonies, slum areas and even posh colonies which have been affected by the dry spell. The people had to spend a lot of hard earned money to buy water. Those who could not afford to buy it suffered the hardship of going without it. The Delhi Jal Board got a bright idea and felt it had struck a gold mine by deciding to sell water in containers instead of supplying it through taps. Thus, it could make more money from the same water for which the taxpayer is already paying. The fashionable citizens, who keep pace with times, got busy with launching water harvesting schemes, knowing fully well that there is hardly any rain water to be harvested. There were fights for water in poverty-stricken colonies. There were protests, demonstrations and blockade of traffic in the better off areas. The Chief Minister did not get any ideas for coming to the rescue of these people, both urban and rural. The government and the civic authorities did nothing to augment the water supply. Of course, the announcement of relief through money would not have helped here for the people wanted water and not monetary relief. Perhaps a time will come when political parties of all kinds, including the Congress and the BJP, will give up the game of one-upmanship and will care for the people’s needs and solve their problems instead of out manoeuvring each other. They should set their priorities right. After all both the Congress and the BJP have been rulers of Delhi state by turns and could have done a lot during their tenures so that the people do not have to cry for essentials like water. Sweat it out Peculiar are the ways of the authorities, whether in the public sector or the private sector, who look after the electricity needs of the people in Delhi and other towns in the National Capital Region. Those in Delhi announced the duration and areas which would have to forbear cuts in different parts of the city. When the people planned their work and life schedule accordingly, they were in for a surprise. The announced schedule was never adhered to. The period of power cuts was often much more than what was announced. As if that was not enough, there would be unscheduled cuts and breakdowns too. The authorities in Noida opted for long cuts straight away and the people who could afford inverters had their batteries exhausted and generators overrun in most cases. Those in Gurgaon had thought of a novel way—cut power supply for an hour or so, restore it for a few minutes, cut it again, to be restored after some time. It looked like a game of hide and seek with power in this town. Perhaps those managing power had a sense of humour. The power would be off and on for scores of times during the 24 hours. If people cursed the powermen scores of times, they would bless them an equal number of times for restoring it! The tone of curse and blessing would naturally be stronger at night when the residents wake up several times and go back to sleep again after a gap. The more sensitive sleepers did not get sleep at all. The result—they were all miserable, irritated and even angry during the day whether they were in their respective offices, shops or homes. And they expressed their anger before anybody who came their way. Many people lost their temper, many drivers picked up fights on road and marital bliss was lost several times in a day.
Parliament Street I have often sympathised with the people who have to visit Parliament Street in New Delhi. There are important offices there, even a major police station, general post office, several banks and insurance company offices. Most people who come there cannot avoid doing so. The problem they invariably encounter is that of parking their vehicles. The road is often blocked and barricaded because of demonstrations by some organisation or the other whenever Parliament is in session or even otherwise. There are lots of buses parked on the road to carry the protesters away in case they have to be arrested. There are fire engines in case somebody has indulged in a spot of mischief. Of course, there are vehicles of hundreds of policemen and paramilitary forces. There are large building complexes in front of the police station. These buildings are separated by fairly wide roads between them. At one time, the people could park their vehicles there. Now they are barred to non-permit holders and the entrance has barricades and private agency securitymen. The permit holders are those working in these buildings and they get ample space to park their vehicles, the remaining space can remain vacant but visitors cannot park there. There is an apology for a parking lot on the pavement on a small stretch of the road and there are more people waiting to get in there rather than those who have managed to get it. Ashoka Road nearby has been taken over by the Metro Rail project. As if all this was not enough, there is that private contractor’s crane hunting for vehicles that have been wrongly parked. They can be parked wrongly only if there are right places to park. Maybe, the authorities will think of such visitors some day.
Cablewalas again! Cable TV operators seem to have become an important part of city life in and around Delhi. They have managed to be in the news very often of late. Recently, they have been pestering customers of their cable service for enhancement of their fees. They come up with lists of the payment they have to make to the broadcasters for paid channels. They cite the number of channels they are providing, not caring to know how many channels are received clearly or how many channels the customer actually watches. Quite a few of my friends say that more than half of the channels are no use for them—what can one do with four sports channels or four Punjabi channels or three Tamil channels or a channel in French, German or Japanese? Every day, an average TV watcher chooses from among 10 or 12 channels and he is told that the cable operator is offering him a bouquet of 70 or more channels. As for payment, many of them are demanding Rs 275 per connection or more. They say that they have to pay the broadcaster for every connection, knowing fully well that they show much fewer customers than they actually have. Anyway, some of them can be flexible in demanding the cable fee. A friend in Gurgaon was asked for Rs 250 per month instead of Rs 200 he was paying earlier. When he protested, he was told, “Keep paying Rs 200 if you cannot afford Rs 250. There is another operator who charges anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 250. Yet another one in Noida, who had started offering his service for Rs 33 per month only about six months ago, is demanding Rs 250 now. All this sounds funny but perhaps it is time to put some order into the whole system.
Milk dairies The Haryana Government is kind enough to think of shifting milk dairies from municipal limits in its towns, many of which are in the National Capital Region. These dairies may be catering to the genuine needs of some residents but they do create problems for the civic authorities and even the residents of these towns. It is in this context that the Haryana authorities have started the process of shifting them from the municipal limits. Faridabad has already prepared a scheme for shifting of milk dairies in the Ballabhgarh zone. For the sake of easy implementation, the scheme will be completed in phases. Twelve towns of Haryana have been selected to be covered in the first phase. These towns have a large number of dairies in the interior of towns and are creating pollution. Out of these 12 towns, six fall under the National Capital Region, including Rohtak, Panipat, Sonepat, Gurgaon, Bahadurgarh and Rewari. The plan for these towns has been prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board and is expected to be implemented in a year’s time. The Haryana Government has also constituted district-level committees in each district for monitoring and implementation of the scheme. These committees are headed by deputy commissioners and have representatives from other departments concerned and the civic bodies. |
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IGP recommends five increments for gallant cops Rohtak, August 11 Rajesh, son of Sewa Singh and resident of Babail village in Panipat district, was wanted by the police in the Panipat, Sonepat, Hisar and Fatehabad districts in about two dozen cases of murder, robbery, kidnapping and thefts etc. The police party headed by Inspector Badan Singh of Panipat had gone to Pehowa to arrest Rajesh on charges of kidnapping and murdering one Rameshwar, son of Gopi Ram, of his native Babail village on August 3. It was alleged Rajesh and his associates had kidnapped Rameshwar when he was going home on his cycle from the fields on August 2. After the kidnapping, he was allegedly taken in a car and his body was found in the rajbaha (canal) near Jhinwarheri village under the jurisdiction of the Madhuban police station. Inspector Badan Singh of the CIA, Panipat, got information through his source that Rajesh and his associates might go to Pehowa (Kurukshetra) to participate in a festival. Inspector Badan Singh constituted a party comprising of Head Constable Ishwar Singh, Constables Ashok Kumar, Jai Bhagwan and driver Harnarain to arrest Rajesh and his associates. Mr Resham Singh said the raiding police party reached Pehowa via Kurukshetra-Dhand. When they were waiting for the informer, the policemen spotted Rajesh driving a Maruti Zen (DL-6C-1446). They gave chase to the criminals in their official vehicle. Mr Resham Singh said that when the police party overtook the Maruti Zen and turned their vehicle towards the Zen to stop it, Rajesh fired at the police party. A bullet hit Inspector Badan Singh in the left arm. The police returned the fire. Constable Ashok Kumar, who was sitting in the jeep, fired at Rajesh and a bullet hit the gangster on the right side of his head. Upon this both the vehicles stopped and associates of Rajesh - Lakhvinder and Vivek-fired at the police in a bid to escape. Both Lakhvinder and Vivek too were injured in the police firing. Both these desperadoes along with their leader Rajesh were taken to the government hospital at Pehowa where Rajesh was declared brought dead by the doctors. The other criminals have been admitted to the PGI at Chandigarh. |
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Grid collapse averted New Delhi: Thanks to timely detection, Delhi was saved of another power collapse due to overdrawing by the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB). The staff at the Western Regional Load Despatch Centre (WRLDC) detected the snag and rectified it, the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) said in a statement here. “A grid collapse was averted by the timely action of the WRLDC when the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board was overdrawing at low frequency,” the statement said. “Apparently lessons have not been learnt even after the recent grid collapse on July 30 when the entire Western Region plunged into darkness,” PGCIL said. The statement said on August 9 and 10, due to over-withdrawal by the CSEB even after repeated reminders, the frequency level came down, forcing the PGCIL to take emergency measures. This reduced the CSEB withdrawal by 75 mw and the frequency then improved. TNS
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, August 11 Mr Ishwar Kaushik, general secretary of the samiti, said here today the haste shown by the Delhi Police to arrest Mr Ravi Kant Sharma, an IG of the Haryana Police, was suggestive of a political conspiracy hatched by some influential persons. He said announcing a cash reward on the arrest of Mr Sharma was tantamount to treating a senior police officer like a terrorist.
Purse snatched Three unidentified youths snatched a purse containing Rs 50,000 from a woman at a village in Palwal subdivision on Saturday. The victim, identified as Suman, and her husband Rattan had withdrawn the amount from the Punjab National Bank branch at Palwal. While her husband asked her to go to board a bus for home he said he would join her after getting some work done. As the woman started towards her home three youths came from behind, snatched the bag and fled. A case has been booked.
Rape alleged Jhajjar Another of the missing girls said on getting late she went to Chhudani village along with her maternal uncle. The rape victim told the police that one Sudhir, resident of Bilota village, lured her and raped her. The police have arrested the accused after registering a case under relevant sections of the IPC.
Booked The Crime Branch of the police has arrested a youth and seized a .315-bore country-made pistol and four cartridges from him. The accused, Tarif Singh of Matan village, was booked under the Arms Act. |
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Uttam Nagar murder solved by Delhi Police New Delhi, August 11 During preliminary investigations, a friend of the deceased Manoj alias Ballu, identified Yashpal alias Monu as the murderer. He said that the accused, Yashpal, had borrowed Rs 500 from one Nutan Tyagi and the deceased Rajesh was given the task of collecting Rs 20 from him every day. On 26th June, Rajesh and Yashpal, under the influence of alcohol, had an altercation as the deceased demanded the borrowed money from him. Later, when the three of them reached the Nilothi bridge in an auto-rickshaw, Yashpal hit Rajesh with a blunt object and threw him in the drain. Subsequently, Manoj, who was also present on the occasion, ran away from the spot fearing the wrath of Yashpal. |
Industrialists renew demand for incentives to set up shop in Bawana New Delhi, August 11 “The industry is in a slump…who has the money to construct a building in Bawana, let alone start operating from that place?” Mr Bandhu had said last week in defence of the lukewarm response to the Government of NCT of Delhi’s scheme of relocating polluting industries on the outskirts of Delhi. “How can the units shift to these areas without the infrastructure ?” asks the president of Delhi Factory Owners’ Federation, Mr J.R Jindal. “The units should be given time to relocate after the basic facilities have been put in place. They should also be given incentives to relocate as the production in the existing units would otherwise come to a standstill.” The convenor of the Water and Environment Panel of Confederation of Indian Industry’s Delhi State Council, Mr V.N. Das, offers a similar take on the issue of relocating the industries. “The government,” he says, “has still not come out with a clear vision. What type of industries can actually relocate in Bawana and elsewhere? Is there going to be proper segmentation among the different types of industrial plots? These are some of the questions to which no answers are available.” Bawana, Narela, Patparganj and Jhilmil have been identified for relocating the polluting industrial units that are operating from non-conforming areas. In Bawana, out of the 28,000 applicants found eligible for allotment of alternate industrial plots, only 7,311 allottees have made 100 per cent payment towards the cost of plot. Furthermore, only 750 allottees have so far taken physical possession of the industrial plots in Bawana. Some 200 individuals have declined to take possession. Another 24,000 applicants had sought refund of their money. This, when there are barely four months to go for the deadline set by the Supreme Court to expire. In spite of certain reservations, Mr Jindal favours the closure and relocation of polluting industries. “However,” he says, “we differ with the view that the industrial units are the major source of pollution.” Statistics tell a similar story. More than 75 per cent of the air pollution in the Capital is due to the 36 lakh-odd vehicles in the Capital. About 1.36 lakh vehicles are added to this pool each year. Compounding matters is the air pollution caused by commercial vehicles transiting through the Capital. Another major source of air pollution is the power generating stations in the Capital. They contribute about 18 per cent of the pollution. The industrial units, argues Mr Jindal, are responsible for only two per cent of the air pollution. “We are being unfairly targeted, and that is not justified.” The Supreme Court’s order on the closure of industrial units in non-conforming areas, he surmises, is a veritable death knell for this sector. There are over 1.50 lakh industrial units with a total investment of about Rs 3,500 crore. The total turnover of these units comes to about Rs 6,300 crore. Almost 50 per cent of the Capital’s population are directly or indirectly linked to the industrial activity that provides 33 per cent of the income to the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Mr Das agrees with Mr Jindal to the extent that industries have come to be unfairly blamed for the rising pollution levels. Another concern is the mandatory provision of installing and using combined water treatment plants (CETPs.) “Who will bear the costs and how ? And if CETP has not been installed what alternate arrangements can one possibly think of ?” he wants to know. |
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‘Water
has wealth attached to it, New Delhi, August 11 Stating that not many units in the Capital have set up water treatment plant in their establishment, he said the premier industry organisation would be holding a workshop later this month to highlight the need for water management – sustainable solutions for tomorrow. He said the electroplating units and chemical industry requires huge quantity of water and other industrial units use comparatively less amount of water. These units can set up recycling plants as the water is less contaminated. This would, in the long run, reduce the amount of recurring investment on water each year and this would bring about profit to the units. Apart from buying water, Mr
V.N. Das said the units could set up water harvesting plants in their industrial establishment, which would in the long run reduce the industry’s dependence on outside source for water. Mr Das said there is an urgent need for the industry to look at water as a precious commodity and try to conserve it as the water table in the Capital was going down each year. About 86 per cent of the Delhi’s total water supply is from surface water, most of which comes from the Yamuna and 282 million cubic meters
(mcm) of allocated water flows unutilized. The unutilized rain water run-off, from a rainfall of 611.8 mm in 27 days is 192
mcm. Increasing domestic and industrial activity have led to greater generation of wastewater. There also exists a wide gap between wastewater discharge of 4,225 million litres per day and treatment capacity of 1,332 million litres per day. Further, the ground water table in the Capital, which was at 30 to 40 feet at the time of Independence, is now close to 350 feet. Experts have assessed that the ground water resource in Delhi was as 292
mcm, while the present withdrawal is 312 mcm, indicating that the water resources is depleting fast in the city and there is an urgent need to check the phenomenon. Mr Das said the setting up of water harvesting plants should become the order of the day in the city and the industrial units can take the lead in this direction. Had the pre-monsoon showers, in the first rainfall of the season in Delhi, been harvested, 19,305 million litres would have been added to the city’s aquifers and could have generated enough water for over 1,000 tube-wells to run for 100 days, he said. Stating that rain water harvesting is the need of the hour if Delhi is to survive, Mr Das said the workshop would bring about awareness to the captains of industry about water harvesting, costing and long term benefits and success stories. |
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SHOWCASE Tej International Pvt Ltd, is all set to rock the domestic market with their TSF brand of shoes. The company is launching semi-formal and casual shoes for men, which will set new trends in the country. The shoes have been designed specially for people who prefer casual wear with TSF kind of shoes to giver their attire a completely updated look. Daljeet Singh, managing director, TSF shoes, said that “the company is the first one in India to introduce a wide range of ‘directly injected’ PU sole with the help of highly advanced German technology, thus revolutionizing the shoe manufacturing industry in the country.”
Anti-ageing oil Mayor Biotech division now introduces the first of its kind Amla Hair Oil that will provide complete hair care to the modern Indian women. Bringraj and Henna enriched Sivananda Amla Hair Oil has been specially formulated to keep the hair black and beautiful and provide much needed nourishment to your hair. Amla is a powerful antioxidant that helps rejuvenate hair and promotes healthy growth while Bringraj, a potent anti-ageing agent, delays graying, reduces dandruff and preserves natural hair colour. Henna is a natural conditioner that makes hair soft, shiny and silky.
Premium
speakers Logitech has announced its entry into the premium PC speaker market in India with a new line of Z-series speakers. The Z-series family, which features the Z-540 and Z-340 speakers, combines spectacular performance with patented Logitech technology, to offer an attractive line of high-end audio products. The speakers offer tremendous power and clarity of PC gaming, watching DVDs and listening to CDs and MP3 files.
Intelligent
inverters Su-Kam, once again sets new performance standards in the world of power electronics. To Indian customers, it offers the sleekest and smartest inverter of all times – the new Chic inverter. Ergonomically designed, precision engineered and packed with a range of never-before features, this beautiful inverter is fitted with a unique micro-controller based intelligent control circuit that ensures ultimate performance for years to come. Kunwer Sachdev, CEO, Su-Kam, says “Our Mosfet technology based inverters are already acknowledged as No. one in the market. But we never preferred to sit on our laurels. That’s why, we constantly innovate, modify and upgrade our products so as to provide the best products to our customers.”
MK, with its British parentage, brings to India a unique styling of modular switches with a range of colours and textures to suit the mood and occasion. The MK wraparound range of modular switches, come in two types, colour and ‘D-zine’ in white, grey and black standard colours and in wood, marble and granite finishes.
Ortem tyres Metro group has introduced Ortem range of two-wheeler tyres in the market. Ortem is an existing brand of Metro group’s Metro Appliances Ltd–the company manufacturing and marketing Ortem range of fans in the domestic market. “Extension of ‘Ortem’ brand to the tyres business is a logical and well thought strategy by us. Ortem has created a niche for itself in the highly competitive Indian fan market. Today, Ortem commands a respectable market share and is known for its high standards of quality and performance.”
Baby care Baby and mother care products of Pigeon Corporation, Japan, are world famous for high quality and are designed and developed after extensive study and research of baby’s needs using the latest technology and best ingredients. All Pigeon skin care products are hypo-allergenic and made by using the natural jojoba oil, extracted from the jojoba seed, which has been scientifically proven to be safe and good for use in oils, lotions, powders, shampoo and soaps. Jojoba oil is an excellent emollient, which spreads smoothly onto the skin without leaving any sticky residue and makes the skin glow with health.
Kitchen sinks Anupam group of industries has launched its latest model of kitchen sinks with waste coupling. These kitchen sinks are different from traditional sinks in which water blockage is a normal problem due to garbage accumulation. Free flow of water is a special feature of these sinks. A special bucket is provided that stops the water blockage.
Fashion
footwear The Puma Complete XC III series in footwear is an absolute stunner. Its ravishing design and gorgeous looks is designed to give you the ride of your life. The German branch has recently launched its new range of high technology, elegant sports and fashion footwear. Targeted at the ‘Generation Y,’ the Complete XC III is one of the largest selling models of Puma. This pair of shoes finds its application in most activities due to its great looks and resilience, apart from being a great cross-training shoe.
Banana ice-cream Baskin Robbins launches its lip-smacking flavour of the month, ‘Banana Pecan,’ the luscious banana ice-cream with chunks of pecan, a dry fruit specially imported from Canada and deliciously roasted in rich butter that leaves a rich and creamy taste lingering in your mouth. Banana Pecan will be available at all Baskin Robbins parlours in August in scoops, sundaes, 500 ml and one litre pack. |
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