TOP STORIES

SC allows govt to register 5,000 autos
New Delhi, December 20
The Supreme Court today amended its order banning fresh registration of autorickshaws and permitted the Government of NCT of Delhi to register 5,000 new autorickshaws.

Cylinder blast causes heavy damage to house
Faridabad, December 20
A massive explosion in a house in the NIT area here this morning resulted in heavy damage to the building and household items. Fortunately, no one was injured in the blast, reportedly caused by a leakage of LPG from a cylinder kept in the kitchen.

Shradhanand College reader shot dead
New Delhi, December 20
M N Singh, a 55-year-old reader in the Department of Botany in Swami Shradhanand College was shot dead by four armed assailants in full view of students and teachers in the afternoon today on the college premises in North-West district of the Capital.

SHADES OF MONA LISA

Lisa Ray along with co-star Rahul Khanna in the Capital to promote their film Bollywood-Hollywood. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Ahulana villagers ‘on the breadline’
Sonepat, December 20
The president of the Haryana Krishak Samaj and veteran Congress leader, Mr Samsher Singh Surjewala, has accused Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala of blackmailing the people of Ahulana village by threatening them with the closure of the Chaudhary Devi Lal Sugar Mills.

Brother flays Chautala for sugar mill crisis
Rohtak, December 20
Mr Pratap Singh Chautala, a former MLA and brother of Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, has alleged that the Chief Minister played a cruel joke on the farmers of the region by suspending the functioning of the mills. Addressing newsmen here today, Mr Pratap Singh Chautala alleged that the Chief Minister had acquired nearly 85 acre worth several crores of Ahulana gram panchayat for setting up the mills.

GANGRAPE CASE
Life sentence for five
Meerut, December 20
Life imprisonment was awarded to all five accused in the much-awaited Chirori gangrape case. The court also ordered them to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the girl.

COMMUNITY

Romeo gets his just deserts
Noida, December 20
A roadside Romeo who had been stalking a young woman was taught a befitting lesson. While chasing the hapless damsel, the Romeo unwittingly followed the girl to her house the other day and that proved to be his undoing. The man is in the house of correction now! As soon as the woman reached home, she raised an alarm. As a result, the man was overpowered and given a sound thrashing by the residents of the locality, who later handed him over to the police.

IPS told not to discharge effluents into Yamuna
New Delhi, December 20
Indraprastha Power Station, the Capital’s oldest power generation centre, had been asked to avoid discharge of polluted effluents containing high suspended solids into the Yamuna, the Rajya Sabha was told today. 

Metro a dream come true, says Sheila
New Delhi, December 20
“A dream come true,” exclaimed a visibly moved Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday after inspecting the tunnel built by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC.) The 905-metre-long tunnel extends from Patel Chowk to Connaught Place. Work on drilling the tunnel had begun in July.

NCR BRIEF
Khurana made DMRC Chairman
New Delhi
Delhi Pradesh BJP president and member of Parliament Madan Lal Khurana has been appointed Director and Chairman of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

• Surajkund fest: Is it for 9 or 7 days?

Load-shedding for seven hours
New Delhi
The North Delhi Power Ltd today announced there would be load-shedding for seven hours due to maintenance work at two substations.

Speaking out
The ICS (Indian Civil Service) was the backbone of the British Administration in India. It gave way to the IAS after Independence. Despite producing some of the country’s best administrators and diplomats, the premier service (IAS) continues to be criticised by the media, politicians, non-IAS services and the people.

• Non-working ticket counters

• Which court shall I go?

• Kelkar Committee Report

• Relief for senior citizens

A BALANCING ACT!