TOP STORIES

KILLER ROADS
4 die as truck ploughs through crowd

New Delhi, February 26 Four persons were killed and a Delhi Police constable was seriously injured when a truck reportedly ploughed through a crowd waiting at a bus stand in front of Hanuman Mandir on Ring Road in the Kotwali area late last night. The police said that the accident occurred when the truck tried to overtake another truck on the usually crowded road and collided with a car, a TSR and a jeep before ploughing through the crowd.

One of the trucks involved in the mishap near Hanuman Mandir on Ring Road on Tuesday night. — Tribune Photo

• Traffic cops pat themselves on the back

Woman booked for sending 10 on foreign jaunt
Noida, February 26
The Union Labour Ministry has filed an FIR against a woman living here and her Delhi-based firm for illegally sending 10 job seekers to Sudan. The persons were furnished with illegal documents.

Traders to down shutters against VAT
New Delhi, February 26
The trading community is up in arms against the implementation of the Value Added Tax. To register their protest, the traders owing allegiance to the Confederation of All India Traders would down their shutters on the eve of presentation of the Union Budget 2003-2004 by Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh.

Traffic grinds to a halt New Delhi, February 26 Traffic in the Capital was disrupted today for several hours as thousands of activists of the United Forum of Bank Unions staged a rally in support of their demands. The activists marched from Ramlila Grounds towards Parliament. As a result, the traffic on the busy Vikas Marg, ITO, Mathura Road, Connaught Place and Delhi Gate remained choked for hours. Even later, the vehicles were found moving at a snail’s pace, putting the commuters to much hardship.  A view of protesting bank employees on the Ranjit Singh flyover in the Capital on Wednesday. The protesters marched from Ramlila Ground to Parliament, sending traffic for a toss. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

KNEE-JERK RESPONSE
Landlords on leash, told to furnish details about tenants
Faridabad, February 26
The Deputy Commissioner has invoked Section 144 of the IPC and directed all house owners in the district to refrain from letting out their accommodation to any person whose name and permanent home address had not been intimated to the nearest police station and verified by it. The order will remain in force till April 22.

Old woman rescued from couple’s clutches
Sonepat, February 26
A 70-year-old woman, Mrs Ram Kali, was freed from the clutches of her abductors here last evening, thanks to the prompt action taken by the police. A young housewife, Neeta, and her second husband Balraj were arrested in this connection and a case of alleged abduction has been registered against them. A hunt is on to apprehend the other suspects involved in the case.

GENDER EQUALITY
SWA asserts Sikh woman’s right to undertake seva
New Delhi, February 26
The Sikh Women’s Association today urged the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to immediately facilitate gender equality, so that Sikh women may undertake all types of seva at Sri Darbar Sahib Ji, Amritsar, and at all other gurdwaras.

COMMUNITY

Uday Chopra and Kabir to shoot for Charas in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

NCR given the go-by in Railway Budget: PHDCCI
Gurgaon, February 26
The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Gurgaon Chamber of Commerce and Industry reacted sharply against the Railway Budget tabled in Parliament today. While the PHDCCI president, Mr P.K. Jain, said that the Railway Budget fell short of the expectations of the industry, the former GCCI president and now an office-bearer of PHDCCI, Mr Sunil Sabarwal, said that the National Capital Region has been neglected.

MCD ‘helpless’ to check stray cattle
New Delhi, February 26
A Delhi court today directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi government to employ sufficient staff to deal with the stray cattle and locate their owners. The stray animals in the city distract the traffic besides polluting the environment.

Noida, Ghaziabad may get Ganga water from June
Noida, February 26
Noida and Ghaziabad may start getting Ganga water by June this year, according to Noida administration sources. This optimism was expressed during an important meeting of the Rs 122 crore Ganga water project held here on February 22 in the Noida administration office.

Civic body to conduct house survey for tax
Sonepat, February 26
Following the state government’s directive to implement the new changes in the assessment of house tax, the Municipal Council, Sonepat, has decided to start a survey of houses within its municipal limits immediately and have it completed by March 15.

Centres that can detoxify drug addicts and rehabilitate their families 
New Delhi, February 26
Rehabilitating drug addicts is a highly specialised and multi-pronged effort. Not only detoxifying the addicts, but helping them and their family members cope with the after-effects, both physical and psychological, is also part of that effort. This is especially difficult in Delhi considering that the number of addicts has been increasing while the centres that can address the problem in its totality are too few.

Delhi In parliament
No person eligible to be enumerated as ST
New Delhi, February 26
No person is eligible to be enumerated as Scheduled Tribe in the NCT of Delhi. Union Minister of State of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Harin Pathak on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that the Presidential Order does not contain any list of the Scheduled Tribes in respect of NCT of Delhi.

IFTU stages protest march against ‘anti-labour’ policies
Panipat, February 26
The district unit of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions staged a protest march in the town against the ‘anti-labour’ policies of the central and state governments and handed over a memorandum of their demands, addressed to the President of India, to Deputy Commissioner M. R. Anand here today.

• Havaldar robbed

53 chaupals to be rebuilt in urbanised villages
New Delhi, February 26
Urban Development Minister A. K. Walia today said 53 chaupals would be renovated or reconstructed at a cost of Rs 4.18 crore in various urbanised villages in the NCT of Delhi.

Arms licences much in demand in Sonepat
Sonepat, February 26
More and more people are reported to be seeking arms licences here and elsewhere in the district in view of the deteriorating law and order situation and increasing activities of criminals and anti-social elements.

Haryana PFA chief honoured
Gurgaon, February 26
The Chairman of People for Animals, Haryana, Mr Naresh Kadyan, was honoured with the merit certificate for his services in checking cruelty to animals by the former President, Mr K. R. Narayanan, recently.

Workers not paid four months’ salary
Faridabad, February 26
At least 200 workers of a manufacturing unit located on Mathura Road near Sector 6 here, have asked the district authorities to get their four months’ salary and bonus released from the management.

Rs 2.4 lakh fine paid for evading tax on rifles
Ghaziabad: The Trade Tax Department has recovered Rs 2.40 lakh as penalty from a person who was transporting 15 rifles from Sunam in Punjab to Kanpur via Ghaziabad in an Indica car.

NCR BRIEFS
Railway Budget ‘anti-Haryana’
Faridabad, February 26
The president of the Janata Dal unit of Haryana, Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi, said that the Union Railway budget presented in Parliament today had failed to offer anything to the state.

• Three killed
• One dies in tempo-truck collision
• Charas seized
• Man electrocuted
• Stabbed to death
• Sarpanch booked

Middle, high schools to be upgraded in Sonepat
Sonepat, February 26
The Directorate of Education has ordered the upgradation of 75 middle schools to high schools and 106 high schools to senior secondary schools with effect from May 1 on the recommendations of the Government of Haryana.

• Crop damaged
• Bail to gangsters
• Unauthorised colonies
• One killed

Delhi digest
Petrol pump dacoity foiled; 5 held
New Delhi, February 26
With the arrest of five persons, the North-East district police today claimed to have averted a dacoity at a petrol pump in Bhajanpura. Two countrymade pistols, four live cartridges and three knives were recovered from their possession.

• Four gangsters nabbed
• Police transfers
• Suicide by architect
• Hawala operator held

EDUCATION

CAMPUS
Student body reluctant to buy plaza concept

THE announcement by Delhi University to create plazas on the campus has failed to get the nod from the student’s union. What was aimed at wooing the students, has been ruled out as “commercialisation of the campus”. “We don’t need plazas that are a replica of the Dilli Haat, what we really need is more hostels for students,” said Nakul Bhardwaj, the president of the DUSU. International Education Fair Corporate Quiz Tips on Cult Branding

Matthew W Ragas speaking on cult branding at the Amity School of Communication, Noida.

CAREER OPTION Pay on Placement APTECH Computer Education has introduced a unique offer, ‘Pay on Placement’ for its premier career course offering, ‘ACCP World Programme’. Students undergoing this programme will avail of the benefit of paying part of their course fee after placement by Aptech.

• IT Training

Fest to sharpen managerial skills A ‘Management Fest’ for students from various management, engineering and graduate colleges was organised by Wigan & Leigh College, India. The ‘Management Fest’ was organized simultaneously at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi, Fort William Stadium, Kolkata and Wigan & Leigh College Campus in Mumbai. Students enjoying themselves at Dum Duma Lake during an ‘Integrity Workshop’. Cultural Conclave

Changes in ninth class syllabus from next session
Sonepat, February 26
The Board of School Education Haryana is contemplating to change the academic course of ninth class students from the next session in the state. Giving this information, Mr Mahinder Singh Mor, Secretary of the Board, told mediapersons at Gohana town, 35 km from here yesterday that the Board had decided to change the syllabus of ninth class from the next academic session to lay stress on Haryana culture and social values.

SPORTS

Deepak Joon bowls Sonnet to victory
New Delhi, February 26
A crushing 4 for 8 spell by left-arm spinner Deepak Joon helped Sonnet Club beat Subhania Club by five wickets in a DDCA Super A Division match at the Ferozeshah Kotla No 1 ground.

• KPMG down Canon

• JRA crush Reckitt

Rajesh, Sanjeev star for External Affairs
New Delhi, February 26
Dashing knocks by Rajesh (61, 4x6, 6x4, 39b) and Sanjeev (42 n o, 7x4, 41b) helped Ministry of External Affairs XI defeat Sri Lankan High Commission by six wickets in a league match of the Commonwealth Cricket Tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ground. Rajesh was named the man of the match.

• G E Capital beat Xansa

LG edge past Microsoft New Delhi, February 26 L G defeated Microsoft by two wickets in the Brandmen-11 Cricket Cup Tournament. Sixteen teams are taking part in the tournament. The teams have been divided into four pools of four teams each. The LG team which beat Microsoft in the Brandmen-11 Cricket Tournament.

Telugu School celebrates sports day New Delhi, February 26

Colourful physical training display, fancy dress competition and cultural activities were the highlights of the Annual Sports Day celebrated by the Telugu Primary School and Telugu Middle School, Sector 2, R K Puram, at the school premises. Telugu School society president B P Rao, secretary U Viswanadham and treasurer S Suryanarayan with the winners of various sports competitions at the Annual Sports Day function of the Telugu Primary and Middle School at R K Puram.

Rekha, Kusum shine at Hindu Girls College meet
Sonepat, February 26
Rekha and Kusum, students of BA (IInd year), were adjudged the ‘Best Athlete’ and ‘Sprint Queen’ respectively at the two-day annual athletic meet of the local Hindu Girls College, which concluded on Tuesday.