TOP STORIES

CHANGE IN CROP PATTERN
Mewat finds isabgol more lucrative
Nuh (Mewat), November 20
The change in the cropping pattern in favour of aromatic and medicinal plants experimented by the Mewat Development Agency (MDA) has found favour with the people of Mewat.

MAMC ASSAULT CASE
Identikit out, but still no arrests

New Delhi, November 20 The Delhi Police today claimed to have questioned hundreds of young men bearing the name “Rahul” in their efforts to trace the suspect who had in a brazen day light attack criminally assaulted a fourth year student of Maulana Azad Medical College.

OUTRAGE: MAMC students march to the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday in protest against the alleged rape of a student on the college campus. — Tribune Photo

A protest against female foeticide and gender discrimination at Parliament Street in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

DOWRY DEATH CASE
Three acquitted for lack of proof
New Delhi, November 20
Acquitting three people charged with abetting suicide, a Delhi court has blamed the city police for shoddy investigation in a dowry death case. The acquitted persons, including the husband of the deceased, were released for want of sufficient evidence.

Livid villagers try to choke IOC supply line
Faridabad, November 20
After failing to elicit a favourable response from the authorities regarding the demand to get jobs in lieu of the land acquired by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the agitated residents of nearby Asavati and Pyala villages today started blockade of the link road connecting the bottling plant of IOC at Pyala village in the district.

Dangerous triangle ends in murder
Noida, November 20
A youth shot dead his eldest brother in Bamhota village under Kavi Nagar police station. The youth was fed up of his brother’s illicit relations with a woman, who was the wife of their tenant. Both the brothers had a liaison not only with the woman, but were also making eyes at her daughter. The police have arrested the younger brother, Rakesh Yadav, and recovered the murder weapon, a countrymade gun.

With pizzas once a year, what more do underprivileged kids want!

New Delhi, November 20 A choice of five different pizza toppings to suit your taste and a special screening of a movie. Not a marketing gimmick this, the occasion for the dream outing was the International Children’s Day. Barely six days after the Children’s Day, it was time again to celebrate, this time the International Children’s Day. WHAT ABOUT THEIR SQUARE MEAL: Domino’s Pizza celebrates the International Children’s Day with underprivileged children.

COMMUNITY

How to get panchayati raj institutions going?
Faridabad, November 20
Although the panchayati raj system was introduced several years ago and the state government claims to be making satisfactory progress in its implementation, the financial and administrative autonomy for local bodies seems to be still far away. While these bodies are crying for more funds, excessive red-tapism has been a bane of the system. These issues came before the Second State Finance Commission, which held a meeting with district officials and elected representatives here.

National Human Rights Council activists burn an effigy of Union Minister Pramod Mahajan during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in the Capital on Wednesday. They were demanding the scrapping of SMS and want all incoming cellular calls to be free of cost. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

COUNT DRACULA: Delhi’s Devils, Capital’s hep hangout, played host to the ‘vampire night’. The party continued till the eerie hours.

CM is neglecting farmers’ plight: HPCC
Rohtak, November 20
The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) has charged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, with adopting a negligent attitude towards the sufferings of the drought-affected farmers in the region. Mr Krishan Murti Hooda, HPCC spokesman and a former minister, said today farmers in several parts of the region suffered heavy losses due to the unprecedented long dry spell. 

ANMC-21: A springboard for Asia
New Delhi, November 20
The Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, in the presence of Governor of Tokyo, H.E. Shintaso Ishihara, and other heads of the member cities of Asian Network of Major Cities-21 (ANMC-21) inaugurated the plenary meeting of the Second Summit Conference of ANMC-21 here today.

‘Social Justice Front’ to fight communalism
Rohtak, November 20
Representatives of various political parties, social organisations, prominent citizens and mass organisations have decided in a meeting to float a platform, “Social Justice Front” to launch a campaign against the communal and casteist forces in the wake of lynching of five persons at Dulina in Jhajjar district on October 15.

One crore houses for working class soon
Panipat, November 20
Underlying the need to amend various labour laws to check the exploitation of the working class, the Union Labour Minister, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, on Tuesday declared that the Central government proposed to built one crore houses for the working class in the unorganised sector.

IN PARLIAMENT
No increase in Delhi crime rate: minister
New Delhi, November 20
The Capital has witnessed as many as 813 cases of sexual harassment against women and children in the past 10 months. The Minister of State for Home, Mr Vidyasagar Rao, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said that till October 31 this year the number of cases of sexual harassment stood at 813 as against 928 during the corresponding period of the preceding year.

DELHI DIGEST
Water vending station inaugurated
New Delhi, November 20
Zero-B inaugurated its first water vending station in New Delhi at the IITF 2002 on Wednesday. The water vending station dispenses water at the price of Rs 3 per litre (refill bottle).

Plea to probe misuse of funds by MC
Sonepat, November 20
Representatives of various political parties, social and voluntary organisations and trade unions today urged the state government to order a high-level probe into the misuse of funds by the Sonepat Municipal Council authorities.

• Three hurt in collision

NCR BRIEFS
11 criminals expelled from Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, November 20
The Ghaziabad administration has expelled 11 criminals from the district, including seven from Hapur tehsil. A case had been filed in the court of the Additional District Magistrate (Admn), Mr Rakesh Chandra, against these seven in view of their background and their image in public. 

• One dies of snakebite

• Garment shop burgled

• Probe into cow’s death

CRIME

Two youths held at ISBT flyover, 1 kg charas seized
New Delhi, November 20
The North district police today arrested two youths of Himachali origin and recovered one kg charas from their possession. They were arrested from the ISBT flyover where they had gone to deliver the consignment to their contact in the Capital.

A new loan scheme for your dream home

New Delhi, November 20 Birla Home Finance today launched its Easy Home Loan Deposit Scheme in the Capital. “The scheme, which was first launched in Jaipur around two months ago, is tailor-made to suit the Indian market”, said Mr H. S. Bawa, Chairman, Birla Home Finance, while addressing a press conference. Mr H. S. Bawa, Chairman, Birla Home Finance, unveils the Easy Home Loan Deposit Scheme in the Capital on Wednesday.

EDUCATION

CAT countdown begins
IT'S the final countdown,” the words of the band Europe resonate in the ears and minds of lakhs of students across the country. The day of reckoning has almost arrived, a day when ‘fortunes’ will be decided. A day which will separate the men from the boys, the survivors from the have-nots, the achievers from the seekers or in simpler words – the corporate leaders from mere managers.

Festive fever in Delhi University GTBIT launches new campus Education UK Samaritans of MDI celebrate C-Day

BMW encourages research Courses in media studies NIIT celebrates World Literacy Day My Vidya from APTECH

HEALTH

EECP a boon for poor heart patients
New Delhi, November 20
Eminent cardiologist from America, Dr S. Ramaswamy, said that now heart patients could avoid heart surgery. This was possible through new revolutionary Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) system. It is a proven non-invasive out-patient procedure to relieve angina by increasing the oxygen delivery to the heart muscles.

SPORTS

SAI puts off lights, WWE sponsors fall in line
New Delhi, November 20
Lights off. Action. A pulsating drama, lasting several hours, was enacted at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium complex on Wednesday when DNA Network, the Bangalore-based event-management group, played ducks and drakes and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), failing to get its quota of complimentary passes for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to be held at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium on Thursday evening, in a desperate bid, resorted to arm-twisting tactics to make DNA fall in line.

Apex hold Aizawl in Subroto Cup
New Delhi, November 20
Defending champions Government Higher Secondary School, Aizawl (Mizoram) were held to a one-all draw by Apex Public School, Sant Nagar (Delhi) in the Under-17 section of the Subroto Mukherjee Cup Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium on Wednesday.

FOOTBALL
Anup Bisht to lead Delhi Under-16 soccer team
New Delhi, November 20
Anup Bisht will lead a 20-member Delhi team to participate in the Sub-Junior (Under-16) National Football Championship (North Zone) for the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, which began at Chamba in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. Mid-fielder Anand William has been named the vice-captain.

CRICKET
Salwan Boys lift Sistani cricket title
New Delhi, November 20
Deadly bowling of 4 for 18 by Vinay Sheel Banwan and a fine knock by Shikhar Dhawan helped Salwan Boys School defeat hosts S S Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Lajpat Nagar by nine wickets and retain the Sardar Harbans Singh Sistani Memorial Inter-School Cricket Tournament at the S S Khalsa School ground.

• Sonnet in semis

• Apollo Tyres win

MRF India Rally from Dec 6
New Delhi, November 20
MRF India Rally, the biggest rallying event to be held in the country, will be held from December 6 to 8. The MRF Rally, being organised by the Himalayan Rally Association, under the aegis of the Motorsports Association of India, will be held in Bangalore, and will be a candidate event for the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

ADMINISTRATIONS

Only structures built on public land razed: DC
Sonepat, November 20
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S N Roy, today defended the anti-encroachment campaign to give a face-lift to the town of Sonepat and claimed that the district and civic administration had demolished only those unauthorised structures and concrete platforms which had been built on the municipal and public land by the residents, particularly the shopkeepers.