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October 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Designer
effigies for bonfire in backyard New Delhi, October 14 Blame the general threat perception, in view of the terrorist strikes, or simply the compelling desire to live life to the full, or perhaps both, the Capital tomorrow will witness Ravanas being consigned to flames not just in parks and maidans leased out by the Ram Lila committees, but also the ones that have been commissioned for private bonfires. Effigy makers in the Capital have been commissioned to make designer effigies, varying from a modest five feet to an imposing 10 feet and even taller. These effigies will be consigned to flames in the farmhouses and backyards of residential houses. “We have delivered around 500 effigies to people who said that they wanted smaller ones for their homes”, said Mohammed Rafiq, an effigy maker. These smaller versions come with various price tags, but mostly Rs 250 and above. “People do not want to risk their lives owing to fear of terrorists striking at the festivities. At the same time, they want to go through the motions of the festival and not miss out on the fun. Therefore, they have opted for safer solutions”, a seller of these effigies in a South Delhi market said. That the fad of private Dasehras is catching on could be gauged from the crowds that were seen at the shops selling these effigies. At some of the places there was a virtual stampede as children steered their parents to the effigy they had set their heart on. Among the buyers of these effigies were a large number housing society associations that have come up in almost every nook and corner of the Capital in the last few years. “ The idea is to provide the spectacle to our children under our watchful eyes rather that pass tense, agonising hours waiting for them to return from the Dasehra sites”, explained a shopper who did not want to be identified lest she be marked as a future target by extortionists. Obviously, the fear psychosis and the general erosion in the law and order situation has much to do with the trend. The police and other law enforcement agencies are apparently happy with this emerging trend as there will be now thinner crowds at the 1000-odd Ram Lilas sites. That is one less headache for them at a time when almost every member of the force is deployed on the street to provide security to the revelers. Whether making a bonfire in the close confines of one’s backyard is a safer solution is open to question. The fire department would certainly not smile at these private ceremonies, considering that the essential fire safety norms are sure to be flouted. Not all of these private bashes will be equipped to handle exigencies and with no professional help they may pose a greater security hazard, an officer of the Delhi Fire Service, which is on a high alert, said. |
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Mining survey report to be
submitted soon Faridabad, October 14 An earlier committee set up under the chairmanship of Mr Bhure Lal, a senior bureaucrat, had also conducted a survey of the region on the directions of the court. But several lease holders, including politicians and influential persons, had filed a petition in the court objecting to the findings of the survey report. They had pleaded that several mining areas had not been covered in the report and claimed that they had not flouted any mining norms. The court, in the last hearing, ordered formation of a new committee, which included Mr Bhure Lal, scientists and engineers of the Central Ground Water Board, the Forests Department and the Mining Department, to conduct a fresh survey. The Bhure Lal committee, in its report, had supported the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on May 6 this year. |
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MCD has no fuel to
ply garbage trucks New Delhi, October 14 The sanitation department was scheduled to receive Rs 23 crore in July from the Delhi Government but the payment was stalled by the Finance Minister, Mr Mahender Singh Saathi, who asked the corporation to submit details of its expenditure first. Since then, the MCD has been making all payments towards sanitation works from its internal sources. The sanitation department’s monthly expenditure is Rs 10 crore, which includes salaries and upkeep. Since it has exhausted all its sources of income, no more funds are flowing in and trucks used for loading and unloading garbage and other materials from different areas of the Capital are standing idle, the sources said. When the Congress wrested power in the MCD, the Delhi Government, also led by the Congress, announced that three installments would be sanctioned before details of expenditure are sought. But contrary to its assurance, the finance minister sought the details of overheads after releasing the first installment. Worried at the state of affairs, the sanitation department feels that if funds don’t start flowing in, it would jeopardise their major works. Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition in the MCD, Mr Subhash Arya, has levelled allegations against the corporation of bungling of lakhs of rupees. The corporation withdrew Rs 1.17 crore to disburse salaries of daily wage workers in South Zone of Shahdara. It is alleged that the entire amount was not distributed among the employees, the officials bungled a major part of it. |
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Changing
foundation stones is Cong priority New Delhi, October 14 The Department of Health says the foundation stones of all the seven hospitals were laid between March and September 1998 without getting either the Plan passed or the Department of Finance’s approval. The seven projects are : BC Roy Hospital on the campus of Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Moti Nagar Hospital, Superspeciality Hospital in Janakpuri, Lajpat Nagar Hospital, Balak Ram Hospital, Health Cum Maternity Centre in Kanti Nagar and Health Centre with AIDS Control Office in Vasundhara Enclave. Health and Public Works Minister AK Walia says the Congress-administered Government of NCT of Delhi is now expediting the construction of those hospitals. “It is only now that the plans have been passed or the financial approval taken,” he says and lists “changing” the foundation stones of those projects as his priority. “Since the BJP’s interest was limited to the laying of foundation stones and it is the Congress Government that will be completing the work of constructing the hospital buildings, the foundation stones bearing the names of BJP legislators and parliamentarians will have to go.” For the record, says the minister, the BC Roy Hospital’s foundation stone was laid without getting possession of land or entering into an agreement with the Jawahar Lal Nehru University. Work on the Moti Nagar Hospital has begun but the plan is still to be passed and the financial approval taken. The approvals for the Superspeciality Hospital are being sought and construction is likely to begin soon after inviting tenders. In contrast, construction of the Health Cum Maternity Centre in Kanti Nagar has begun but without the proper sanction. While the Lajpat Nagar and Balak Ram hospitals have since been handed over to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Department of Public Works (PWD) would construct the other hospitals. All the projects are estimated to cost in the region of Rs 25 crore with the exception of the Superspeciality Hospital in Janakpuri that will be constructed at an estimated Rs 80 crore. With the issue becoming politicised already, the minister says the foundation stone of the Moti Nagar Hospital has been changed and a new one will be erected for the Superspeciality Hospital in Janakpuri. |
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NSUI activists seek CBI probe into ‘rape’ New Delhi, October 14 Led by Anil Chowdhary, state president of the NSUI, the demonstrators included Ragini Nayak, this year’s losing DUSU presidential candidate, and Ashok Basoya, DUSU joint Secretary. They shouted slogans for hours in a bid to deliberate an inquiry. Kuntal Krishna, NSUI spokesperson, said: “There must be a CBI inquiry into the alleged relations between Avdesh Sharma and certain influential politicians.” Avdesh Sharma, DUSU president for the year 1991-92 and an ABVP worker, and four friends were accused of gangraping a dancer of the Bittoo Music Group and physically abusing her companions. The dancer was abducted from Amar Colony after being chased from India Gate, where she had gone for having an ice cream at 1.30 am. The police had arrested Avdesh on the basis of her statements but the investigations hit a roadblock when she refused to identify him as the rapist on October 10. The police have alleged that Avdesh belongs to the world of organised crime and had threatened the witness into refuting her own statement – of accusing Avdesh – to the police. They had further stated that it was not a setback to the investigations since they had other incriminating evidence against Avdesh from the flat in which the rape had taken place. The investigations have continued since then with the police arresting the rest of the suspects. |
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Ambedkar villages are stragglers in Mayawati land Meerut, October 14 In the five districts of Meerut Division - Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar - 429 Ambedkar villages are still waiting far power, and 211 villages have no sanitation system. Whatever be the government claims to the contrary, 128 villages have no lavatory, some don’t have potable water either. Canals under the Indira Awas Yojana are yet to be constructed and widow and old-age pensions yet to be sanctioned in several villages. These data have been given by chief development officials of these districts. A total of 11 development works are to be done under the AGVY, but works in not even a single village are running according to the schedule. As many as 638 villages in the Meerut Division are selected for the AGVY. The progress of development works is very low even after the take over of the government by Mayawati. This could be grasped by the fact that 429 villages are still waiting for electrification and 57 villages have no connecting roads. According to the scheme, each AGVY village has to be connected with at least one road. As many as 211 villages have no sanitation facilities; 128 Dalit majority villages have no safe and clean lavatory; and 175 villages are waiting for digging of boring wells for potable water. Indira Awas Yojana canals are still to be constructed in 338 AGVY villages. Old-age pensions are yet to be sanctioned to eligible persons in 310 and widow pensions in 353 villages. Bulandshahr district is the most backward in the implementation of the scheme. Of the 57 villages having no connecting roads in Meerut Division, 43 fall in Bulandshahr district. In the village electrification again, Bulandshahr lags behind other districts with Meerut coming to the second last position. One hundred and fifty-five villages in Bulandshahr and 149 villages in Meerut are yet to be given power connections. Bulandshahr is also behind in sanitation facilities and clean streets. Eighty-eight villages in Bulandshahr, 61 in Baghpat and 48 in Gautam Budh Nagar are lagging behind in these fields. In the matter of safe and clean lavatories, progress of in Bulandshahr and Ghaziabad is the most disappointing. These are yet to be constructed in 93 villages in Bulandshahr and 34 villages in Ghaziabad. Divisional Commissioner N. S. Ravi has now delegated this liability to the Panchayat Department. In digging free borewells, 117 villages of Bulandshahr and 24 of Baghpat are waiting for their turn. The record of canals constructed under the Indira Awas Yojna in Bulandshahr is also very disappointing; as many as 190 villages have no such canals till date. While the government is projecting itself to be that of Dalits, 65 villages in Ghaziabad, 47 in Gautam Budh Nagar and 36 in Baghpat are also waiting for canals to be constructed. Gautam Budh Nagar also has made zero progress in providing potable water. There has been no work in 52 villages of this district in this field. In the case of old age and widow pensions, Bulandshahr is the most affected with work on these is yet to be completed in 150 villages. People of 64 villages in Baghpat, 48 in Ghaziabad and 42 in G B Nagar are yet to receive old age pension and those of 168 villages in Bulandshahr, 72 in Baghpat, 66 in Ghaziabad and 47 in Gautam Budh Nagar are waiting for widow pension. |
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Front burns the Ravan of terrorism Sonepat, October 14 Carrying an effigy of Ravan, epitomising the evil heads of terrorism, and raising anti-Pakistan slogans, they marched through the main bazaar of the city and reached Subhash Chowk, the hub of the city. The procession was led by Mr Satish Bansal and Mr Arun Jaitly, president and general secretary, respectively, of the Haryana unit of the front. Other office-bearers of the front, including Mr Parveen Sharma, the press secretary, joined the procession. When the procession arrived at Subhash Chowk, a huge crowd had assembled there and they, too, raised slogans against Pakistan. A rally was organised and it was addressed, among others, by the leaders of the front. They strongly deplored anti-India propaganda by Pakistan and alleged that the latter was instigating cross-border terrorism and creating chaos in India. The leaders of the front also criticised the US and other countries, which had failed to prevent Pakistan from stoking cross-border terrorism. They warned that if Pakistan did not mend its ways, the people would be forced to exert pressure on the central government for attacking the training camps across the border. The police had made elaborate arrangements to check any untoward incident during the procession. |
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‘Corruption can only be contained’ Rohtak, October 14 Delivering a lecture on ‘Corruption: causes, consequences, scope and cures’ at a refresher course organised by the Department of Economics, Kurukshetra University, he said that corruption was not a new phenomenon. Kautilaya had discussed it and seven centuries ago, Dante placed bribers in the deepest parts of hell. Shakespeare gave corruption a prominent role in some of his plays. Nearly 35 lecturers from different universities of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan are participating in the refresher course. Dr Dahiya said that the most popular and simplest definition of corruption was that it was the abuse of public power for private benefit. He said that corruption had attracted a great deal of attention in all countries in the 90s. Earlier, it had been largely ignored, as there was a tendency not to focus on corruption in centrally planned economies. Discussing the factors contributing to the menace, he said that corruption was generally connected with the activities of the state, especially with its monopoly and discretionary powers. The other factors are low wages of the tax administrators, lack of transparency in administrative procedures and the licence raj. The zoning laws, decisions on privatisation of state-owned enterprises and financing of political parties were the other important factors contributing to corruption. Dr Dahiya said that in some countries of South East Asia, it was reasoned that corruption could enhance efficiency because it removed government-imposed rigidities that impeded investment and interfered with other economic decisions favourable to growth. Thus, corruption “oils the mechanism” or “greases the wheel”, he said. Dr Dahiya felt that honest and visible commitment of the leadership in the fight against corruption could help in reducing the menace. But the leadership must show zero tolerance, he argued. By introducing transparent and non-discretionary policies and increasing public sector wages, incentives towards honest behaviour and instituting effective controls and penalties on public servants, the government could reduce corruption. Last but not the least, to reduce corruption, one must find out methods to solve the problem of financing of political parties, he concluded. |
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500 idols ready to make Yamuna more toxic New Delhi, October 14 Though the pollution control authorities had floated the idea to limit immersions of clay idols of Durga and her progeny to certain areas of the river rather than the entire 22-km stretch in the city, there seems to be little hope that the idea will be adhered to. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had advised idol immersion in certain stretches of the river, use of natural dyes and recyclable material in making idols and a greater role by the civic authorities in combating the harm done to the river. Along with the CPCB, NGOs had also taken up the cause of saving the river from further pollution. Clean (Community Led Environment Action Network) India an organisation working with the students to create environment awareness and undertake environment improvement actions has been working with children in the city to save the river water from pollutants released during Visarjan (immersion of idols). The organisation has roped in as many as 25 schools as its members, who are actively involved in monitoring the quality of Delhi’s environment. A campaign called Eco-Visarjan to prevent water pollution was launched in the Capital’s schools. The organisation asserts that our rivers and water bodies are polluted by the immersion of idols during festivities like Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi and the like. Immersion of idols made of plaster of Paris, lime and cement may contain toxic substances and silt the water bodies, they claim. The chemical colours used to paint idols contain toxic substances like mercury, lead, and cadmium, which pose a threat to the lives of water bodies and are detrimental to health. The revellers, however, show little concern; the number of idols set for immersion vouched for the fact. The CPCB, on its part, claims to have issued guidelines that are largely meant to create awareness. They are also contemplating to take action to restrict the offerings that harm the health of the river. The entire 22-km stretch of the Yamuna is counted as the most polluted, primarily owing to the huge amount of waste that flows into the river from the city everyday. |
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FACE
TO FACE The leader of the Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD), Mr Subhash Arya, has been active in politics since he completed his schooling from DAV School in
Daryaganj. Mr Arya was born in Jhelum, now in Pakistan. He was inspired by the RSS ideology espoused by his father, who was the ‘Sarsanghchalak’ at his birthplace before partition. He used to attend RSS shakahas even as a child. When his family members shifted to Delhi after partition, they settled down at Jatwara in
Daryaganj. When emergency was imposed by the late Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, most of the RSS activists along with other non-Congress politicians were arrested. Then, in the guise of a Sikh youth, he would visit the Tihar jail and convey messages to his colleagues. When parliamentary elections were held after emergency, Mr Arya was made the election in-charge of South Delhi, from where Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra was elected. In 1983, Mr Arya contested and won the Metropolitan Council elections for the first time from Rajouri Garden, where he presently resides. Mr Subhash Arya’s reputation has been responsible for garnering votes for the BJP in both parliamentary and Assembly elections. Mr Arya won the MCD elections from this area in 1997 and 2002, even though his party lost the majority in the 2002 MCD poll. The NCR Tribune caught up with him and tried to find out his views on many of the burning issues in the national Capital. As an Opposition leader, what are you doing to check corruption in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD)? As you know, the BJP is not the ruling party in the MCD. Therefore, it is the Congress Party, which is responsible for whatever is going on in the corporation. However, as the leader of the Opposition, I have always tried to highlight the shortcomings of the ruling party, particularly when they happen to undermine the interests of the people. I highlighted the case where a false Scheduled Caste certificate was submitted before the Election Commission by Sunita Bharati for contesting the MCD election from Subhash Nagar, a reserved segment. I had also raised the case of Sunita
Maggo, who had not attended the corporation proceedings for three months without intimation. According to the law, if a councillor does not attend the corporation’s proceedings for three months, his membership stands cancelled. Unfortunately, instead of taking action against her, the Congress Party supported her. Moreover, the Congress Party has been exposed by the behaviour of its
councillors. Take the case of Atma Ram Gupta, who was killed allegedly by Sharda
Jain, a woman councilor of the Congress Party. Ms Memwati Barwala has been expelled from the party when her name was disclosed by Sharda Jain in the ‘love triangle’. Not only this, near and dear ones of Congress councilor’s are also involved in tender mafia activities. Recently, Braham Singh Nagar, brother of Nathu Ram Nagar, councillor from Rana Pratap
Bagh, was arrested while threatening a contractor for allegedly demanding money for obtaining a tender. A letter has been sent to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr.
L.K. Advani, requesting a CBI inquiry into the alleged role of Braham Singh Nagar. Earlier a sub-committee was constituted to discuss the issue of privatisation of toll tax. Later, it was dissolved. What were the reasons behind it? The committee was constituted by the members of the Standing Committee to discuss the privatisation of toll tax, which is an important source of income for the corporation. Three meetings of the committee members took place under the leadership of Atma Ram Gupta, who was the convenor of the sub-committee. Suddenly, after the murder of Atma Ram Gupta, I read in the newspapers that the sub-committee had been dissolved. I could not understand the reason behind the dissolution of the sub-committee. I came to know through the media that it was dissolved by the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr Ram Babu Sharma. Frankly speaking, the Chairman of the Standing Committee has no power to dissolve any committee without tabling the resolution before the committee members. He is just a member of his party. What would you like to say about the problems of the MCD employees like teachers who do not get their salaries on time? It is very shocking that employees are not given their salaries on time. When the BJP came to power in 1997, the liability of the corporation was Rs 300 crore. But after the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission, it had increased to Rs 1,400 core. Even then, we managed to fulfil the liabilities of the corporation. Moreover, the salary of the employees is paid from the plan money. If the plan money is not enough to pay the salaries to the employees, the ruling party should try to increase its income. As far as the teachers are concerned, their problems should be taken up on a priority basis. We have complaints that the standard of the MCD schools is not at par with other schools. If we want to compare schools of the corporation with those run by private management and other organisations, it is necessary to provide proper facilities to teachers and other staff members to boost their morale. In rainy season, water logging in colonies and main roads is a major problem. Why are the drains not desilted before the monsoon begins? I fully agree that water logging is a major problem in the Capital during the monsoon season. The reason for this seasonal problem is the multiplicity of authorities. Some areas are controlled by
MCD, some by NDMC and remaining parts by DDA and PWD. It is the responsibility of the authorities concerned to look after their respective areas to make the Capital free from water logging. The MCD alone should not be held responsible for water logging in the Capital. The problem of water logging is worse in unauthorised colonies where the MCD gave permission to construct link roads and drains. Proper drains have not been constructed in the streets, resulting in water logging. When the BJP was the ruling party in the
MCD, it had tried to impose house tax in the unauthorised colonies. However, it was opposed by the Congress Party in the House and it could not be passed. Had it been passed, the residents of the unauthorised colonies would have been in a position to demand the over all development of their areas. |
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Rohtak rally to expose ‘misdeeds’ of government
Jhajjar, October 14 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Hooda criticised the Centre and the state government for their failure to give compensation to the drought-hit farmers in the state. He regretted that the state government first declared the entire state as drought-hit and later allegedly withdrew the status.
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Radio taxis launched in the Capital New Delhi, October 14 A fleet of 87 cabs will soon be seen plying on the roads. The Mega Cabs are fitted with tamper-proof electronic fare meters and the charges are as per the Delhi Government rates of Rs 15 per km, less than the usual DLY or taxi fares for a luxury car. The Mega Cabs have invested in a 24-hour operational control room and another hub close to the airport. Two more hubs will be made operational in Noida and Gurgaon. Speaking to the media here today, Mr Kamal Lalani, managing director of Mega Cabs, said, “In spite of various administrative hurdles and difficulties, it is our conviction that this service is critical to the success of an efficient transportation model for Delhi and that without Radio Taxi operation, needs of a city such as Delhi cannot be met.” |
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NCR BRIEFS Rohtak, October 14 Mr Majra presided over the meeting of the District Grievances Committee at Vikas Sadan here yesterday. A majority of 21 complaints related to different departments were settled on the spot and the officials were directed to resolve the rest of the problems soon. Mr Vinod Mittal, a resident of Para Mohalla locality here, stated that his son Rohit was murdered on January 23 last. He alleged that the police had so far failed to trace the culprits. The DSP, who was investigating the case, told Mr Majra that three inspectors separately inquired into the case and interrogated two suspects named in the FIR but to no avail. Mr Majra handed over the investigation of the case to the Crime Branch of the CID.
Encroachments cleared A team of district officials cleared the encroachments at `Kushtha (leprosy) Ashram’ in Indira Colony here on Sunday. A spokesman for the district administration said six residential houses and a dairy had been constructed on a three-acre piece of the ashram. Ms Suman Duggal, Secretary, Hind Kushtha Nivaran Sangh, had visited the ashram a few days ago and apprised the district administration of the encroachments.
Two cops arrested Sonepat: Two policemen, including a Head Constable, have been arrested on the charge of dereliction in performing duty while taking two notorious criminals from Kharkhauda town to a judicial court at Sonepat on October 11 last. According to a report, one of the most wanted criminals, Joginder, alias Jaggu, of Chamarian village managed to escape from police custody and could not be re-arrested so far. A criminal case against both the policemen has also been registered and further investigations are in progress. The Kharkhauda police, it may be recalled, had arrested Joginder and Mukesh of Kheri Damkan village while they were engaged in robbing passers-by near Khurampur village. However, the third suspect, Anup Singh of Chamarian village, managed to escape under cover of darkness. The police also seized a Maruti van, two countrymade pistols and some live cartridges from the possession of the arrested criminals. Meanwhile, a massive hunt has been launched to apprehend Anup Singh, who is still at large. The police officials have carried out numerous raids at a number of hideouts of the criminals but failed to apprehend them. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, October 14 International MBA plan Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in association with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouver, Canada, and in collaboration with the National Open Universities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, announces an open learning international Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) Master of Public Administration (MPA) Programme from January, 2003. The programme features a flexible learning system, affordable fees, intermediate exit points and awards (diploma, graduate diploma, graduate degree) with learning materials provided by leading universities in the Commonwealth. Relevant local learning materials and case studies shall be provided with facility of credit transfer between participating institutions in the programme, a release said. Admission criteria is a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university with a minimum of two years of relevant post-qualification work experience with residency in India, a good working knowledge of the English language and satisfactory score on the CEMBA/CEMPA admission test.
PTI staff union strike As the PTI Employees Union continued its fourth day of hunger strike against the PTI management, union president Vinod Kumar’s health deteriorated on Monday. Mr Kumar began his hunger strike on October 11 at Jantar Mantar after the management refused to discuss the union’s demands. |
Gang of thieves strikes at six shops Sonepat, October 14 According to a report, members of the gang broke open the locks of at least six shops last night and took away goods worth several thousands of rupees and cash. In one incident, thieves broke open the locks of a shop on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road last night and took away eight mobile phones, four batteries and some cash. The owner of the shop has lodged an FIR with the police. The members of the gang also broke open the locks of some shops in the Ashok Nagar and button factory areas, but they succeeded in stealing cash from only one shop, They failed to enter other shops as shopkeepers and neighbours woke up and raised an alarm. Meanwhile, a gang of transformer thieves has reportedly become active in the Ganaur sub-division and the officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) are worried about the series of thefts and removal of transformers from villages. An electricity transformer was stolen from the bus stand area on the G T Road near Ganaur, about 20 km from here, last night. As a result, the entire area plunged into darkness, causing inconvenience to the people. This is the third such theft committed within a week in this area and the police have failed to solve any of these cases. Electricity transformers were stolen from the areas of Garhi Kesri and Lalehri villages in this sub-division
also. Residents of Sonepat city and villages in the Ganaur sub-division have expressed concern over the increasing incidents of thefts and criticised the police for their failure to check the thefts. They also alleged that the police authorities had not undertaken patrolling in the night and this was the main cause of the rising incidents of thefts. |
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Depot-holder held for selling kerosene in black Rohtak, October 14 According to official sources, an official team comprising the City Magistrate, District Food and Supplies Controller and the police raided a factory on the Hisar road here following a tip-off and recovered four drums (cylinder like containers) filled with kerosene totalling 880 litres. When interrogated, the factory owner, Praveen Kumar, disclosed that the kerosene was purchased from a depot at Nidana village. The official team immediately raided the depot of Shiv Ratan at Nidana village and checked the stock register. During investigation, it was found that the depot-holder obtained 2,200 litres of kerosene from Brijesh Oil Company, Rohtak, while only 550 litres were found in the depot in separate containers. The depot-holder failed to produce the sale register showing the sale of 1,650 litres kerosene before the investigating team. Praveen Kumar and Shiv Ratan were arrested and a case under Sections 7/10/55 of the Essential Commodities Act was registered against the duo. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Yadav, warned the depot-holders in the district against black marketing of goods and said that surprise raids would be conducted on different depots to ensure proper distribution of ration commodities. He said a team of officials would also verify from the consumers in different villages about the distribution of PDS commodities and the functioning of depot-holders.
Shopkeeper
rapes minor A minor girl was raped allegedly by a shopkeeper at Sample village recently. Although the crime was committed on September 27, a case in this connection was registered by the Kalanaur police on yesterday. Mr Dharambir, a resident of Sample village, stated in the FIR that his daughter, a student of class 8 at the government school in the village, was going to school after having lunch at the house during recess on September 27 when she was forcibly taken into a shop by the shopkeeper, Ram Avtar. He said he came to know about the incident when Mr Ram Niwas of the same village informed him about the matter. The complainant said he, along with his wife, rushed to the spot and found the shop locked from outside. Hearing the cries of her daughter from inside the shop, he tried to break open the doors. Meanwhile, he said a youth of the village provided him the keys to open the shop. He alleged that the shopkeeper then came out with a pistol in his hand and threatened of dire consequences if the matter was reported to the police. The father of the rape victim said initially, the matter was brought before the village panchayat, which could not resolve the issue for many days. Thereafter, the police were informed and they registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC. |
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Three held for making ransom call New Delhi, October 14 The accused, Deepak, alias Mangal (18), Satish Kumar (27) and Rajesh Verma (28) all residents of Brijwasan, were intercepted by the police when they reportedly went to get the money from Mr Ram Niwas Gupta, resident of Deepali Enclave. The police seized a countrymade weapon from Deepak, one of the accused. The police said Mr Gupta received a phone call from the accused and they demanded Rs 30 lakh, failing which they threatened to kill him and his family. The deal was finally settled for Rs 9.5 lakh. When Mr Gupta informed the police, they immediately swung into action and intercepted the accused when they were about to get the money. Deepak was earlier employed by Mr Gupta and later was thrown out as he was found involved in some corruption activities.
Auto thieves held The Anti-Auto Theft Squad of the West district has nabbed five auto thieves and robbers from Janak Cinema when they were planning to rob a businessman on Sunday. The police, acting on a secret information that some auto thieves would assemble near Janak Cinema, nabbed Chandan, alias Parmod, and Lakhan, both residents of Uttam Nagar, Inder Singh, resident of Gurgaon, Ravinder, alias Goru, resident of Uttam Nagar, and Dev Karan, alias Banti, resident of Kakrolla. A gold earring, gold chain, gold pendant, one knife, one countrymade weapon with three live cartridges were seized from their possession. Three iron rods were also seized when the police searched their Maruti car. All of them confessed to their involvement in earlier crimes in the district. In another case, the West district police arrested Santosh Kumar (28), hailing from Etah, after the police found he was carrying 1.35 grams of illicit opium worth Rs 50,000 near DDA flats at Bindapur.
Pirated CDs seized The Delhi police raided hideouts in Geeta Colony, Krishna Nagar and Sultan Puri and arrested four persons, Sanjay Saxena, Ashutosh Rana, Amit Sharma and Sushil Bansal, for possessing hundreds of pirated audio cassettes, CDs and MP3 albums. |
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Four of gang offer to clean bangles, purloin gold Rewari, October 14 The suspects include Vinod Kumar, Sharwan Kumar and his brother Uttam Kumar, all residents of Bhagalpur district of Bihar, and Sanjay Kumar of Muger district of Bihar. According to the SP, Mr Hanif Qureshi, Mrs Sushma Devi, wife of Jit Pal of Mohalla Kaziwara here, gave four bangles of gold to these persons for cleaning on Saturday. They immersed the bangles in some acid in her presence. After sometime, they took out the bangles, which were cleaned and bright. They handed over the bangles to the housewife, took their charges and went away. In the meantime, suspecting that the bangles had lost weight considerably, Sushma Devi got the cleaned bangles weighed again by a goldsmith who confirmed that they weighed only 29 gm against the original weight of 43 gm. She lodged a complaint with the police who registered a case of cheating under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC and launched a manhunt following which the four were apprehended. During interrogation, they told the police that they had been doing it for the last three years and used to sell the defrauded gold to a goldsmith, Shankar, of Nand Nagri in Delhi. |
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Youths
attacked Sonepat, October 14 According to a report, both the injured youths were rushed to the Civil Hospital and are stated to be out of danger. The police are still investigating into the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection. |
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