TOP STORIES

MDU joins elite club of five-star varsities
Rohtak, April 2
The Maharshi Dayanand University has been accredited for five years with an institutional score between 80-85 per cent (B++grade). The University Grant Commission’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) carried out the assessment for accreditation during a visit to the university for three days from February 18 to 20.

Thankfully no cases, yet alert for fatal flu in Capital
New Delhi, April 2
Health authorities in the Capital have finally sounded the alert. While the Delhi Medical Association has issued an advisory to doctors, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has geared up services in the hospitals to identify possible cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The disease has claimed 64 lives and affected more than 1,600 people overseas, mostly in Hong Kong.

KEROSENE SCANDAL
Penalised for not signing receipt for undelivered consignment
Sonepat, April 2
The Food and Supplies Department has penalised a depot-holder of Ward No 30 for not signing the receipt for kerosene which was not supplied by a wholesale dealer. 

Mohammed Kaif with children at the Reebok showroom, which was inaugurated in G.K. Market in the Capital on Wednesday. — Photo Anil Sharma

Move over Harry Potter, ‘Chota Jadugar’ is here
New Delhi, April 2
It’s time to wave the magic wand once again and conjure that extra dimension on the silver screen with Shringar Films’ release of a Navodaya presentation, “Chota Jadugar”, a 3D film in Hindi, and called “Magic Magic” in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam this summer. It’s another magical fantasy tale targeted at the family audience and scheduled to hit the silver screen by April 11.

CBSE CONCESSION
Re-exam for those affected by March 10 VIP traffic curbs
New Delhi, April 2
The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) has given relief to students who reported late for their March 10 examination because of VIP traffic curbs, imposed to facilitate the passage of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s cavalcade.

CRIME SPIRAL
Kidnapped child’s decomposed body found
Ghaziabad, April 2
A three-year-old boy kidnapped for ransom from Asoda village in Hapur has been found murdered. Villagers of Asoda, carrying the child’s body to the Meerut Road tri-junction, raised slogans against the police and blocked traffic on the highway.

Another arrest in DDA scam
New Delhi, April 2
In its ongoing crackdown against the corrupt officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the CBI today arrested Ashok Kapoor, former private secretary to ex Vice-Chairman P. K. Hota, for his alleged role as a conduit in a land deal between Modern Public School and DDA officials. Kapoor, who was produced in a local court today, has been remanded in five days’ custody of the CBI.

Onkar Singh Thapar, Ashok Jain file papers for mayoral poll
New Delhi, April 2
Nominations for elections to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor were filed today by both the Congress and the BJP candidates, as the one-year term of the present Mayor came to an end on March 31.

COMMUNITY

Include houses built on private land in Lal Dora: Khurana
New Delhi, April 2
Delhi Pradesh BJP president Madan Lal Khurana and Lok Janshakti Party vice-president Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Wednesday met with Union Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar and urged him to include the houses built on private land in the Lal Dora.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON PANIPAT

Salary on platter for doing nothing Panipat, April 2 The railway authorities here do not seem to be serious about reducing expenses. Over 50 employees of the Panipat subdivision under the Delhi Division of the Northern Railway are drawing salary without doing any work. Though their services have become redundant after various modernisation schemes, they have not been re-deployed in other sections.

Assandh flyover: A fine example of faulty planning Panipat, April 2 The Assandh road in is a crucial state highway connecting the city and the Haryana’s biggest thermal power station with Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts. While crossing the main railway line from the prestigious Lal Batti Chowk on G. T. Road, one has to cross the Assandh road flyover. Because of the narrowness of this flyover, traffic jams are a routine here.

Workers’ death: Farmers fear for their wells Sonepat, April 2 The recent tragedy in which two persons were killed while digging a well in Sandal Khurd village is likely to create problems for the farmers in the region where a large number of tubewells have either gone dry or are pumping out very less water due to the receding level of subsoil water.

Livid over excise duty, Panipat units down shutters 
Panipat, April 2
In protest against the Central government’s decision to impose 11.5 per cent excise on blankets and shoddy yarn and VAT on velvet, handloom and other items manufactured in Panipat, all the manufacturing units of velvet, handloom fabrics, shoddy yarn manufacturers and blanket manufacturers of Panipat, have decided to close down their units for indefinite period from today.

‘Benami’ purchases of paddy cause huge loss 
Sonepat, April 2
The market committee of Gohana town in the district had suffered a financial loss of about Rs 30 lakh on account of the ‘benami’ purchases of paddy by the owners of certain rice shellers and unscrupulous traders from the market as well as the paddy growers during the procurement season of paddy which ended on March 31.

NCR BRIEFS
NTPC sets target for current year
Noida, April 2
The National Thermal Power Corporation has fixed a target of producing 140,000 million units of power during 2003-2004. The NTPC has also set a financial target of Rs 5471.64 crore and a net profit target of Rs 9.77 per cent to be achieved. It has also been decided to keep the productivity level of 86 per cent in the coal-based units of the corporation.

MDU pharmacy course HVP dharna

Schoolkids stranded

DELHI DIGEST Woman consumes pesticide, dies  New Delhi, April 2 Basanti, 50, a resident of Basti Nangla Machi, reportedly committed suicide in her jhuggi by drinking pesticide. She was married to Genda Mal 15 years ago and used to sell vegetables at Yamuna Pushta. She was taken to RML Hospital by her neighbour where she died.

CRIME

Woman poisons sons, self over trivia
New Delhi, April 2
An young mother reportedly gave poison to her two children and committed suicide in Manglapuri village under the Dabri police station in North-West district last night over an altercation with her husband over cable TV installation. While Pinki (26) died on the spot, her two sons, Saurav (5) and Gaurav (2) died today at DDU Hospital.

EDUCATION

CAMPUS
Season of vocational counselling for opportunities abroad
With the board examinations having concluded, students wishing to pursue higher education overseas have started the tedious task of seeking information to help them realise their aspirations. Inadequate and often incorrect information coupled with scepticism creates hurdles that most students and their parents find difficult to overcome.

Study tour Multimedia course launched

Moot Court held to provide practical experience Melange 2003 fest celebrated

A school where children would love to learn Gurgaon, April 2 Founded on the principle that every child has a special ability to learn, Shikshantar, a school promoted by Unitech, has developed its own educational curriculum. The curriculum is based on the principles of child psychology, educational philosophy and school effectiveness.

COURTS

HC summons SP, SHO in minor’s rape case
Sonepat, April 2
In a case of missing of two youths of Kakroi village from the alleged custody of police, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has summoned the Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, the SHO, the minor girl of Kakroi village who had allegedly been kidnapped and raped and the girl’s father to appear before the court on April 10.

CULTURE

Shubha communicates social message musically

New Delhi, April 2 Singing for a cause do have takers. Yet recording companies show reluctance to back musical projects. Reason? Abysmally low record sales. “Recording companies have their doubts about launching songs with a social message, because the sales records of such songs in the past have been a deterrent,” says noted singer, Shubha Mudgal who has lent her voice to an album with a social message, this despite being aware of the unpredictable sales market.

Prima donna of classical music Shubha Mudgal lends her voice for the cause of the needy children.

HEALTH

Health scheme for ex-servicemen 
Meerut, April 2
Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), providing medical cover to the ex-servicemen and their families, was finally launched here today, with the inauguration of ECHS clinic here on the premises of military hospital, Meerut Cantt.

SPORTS

Harinder cards best score
New Delhi, April 2
Promising junior golfer Harinder Singh led the field with a top score of 155 on day two of the first National Golf Championship at the Noida Golf Club course on Wednesday. Harinder Singh of Chandigarh scored 72, which was the best card among all categories.

Shooter Ankur Singh felicitated
New Delhi, April 2
Ankur Singh, who won a silver and a bronze medal in the World Cup for shotgun and the Asian Clay Shooting Championship held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi last week, was felicitated by Satyawati College (Evening) principal Dr Satender Singh Joshi. Ankur Singh is an undergraduate student of Satyawati College (Evening).

Shastri Club, Sonnet sail into semis
New Delhi, April 2
A deadly bowling of 4 for 20 by Amit Mishra and a rapid knock of 50 by Sumit Dogra helped Lal Bahadur Shastri Club defeat Collage Sports by three wickets and enter the semi-final of the Davinder Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament for the Tara Devi Mathur Trophy at the Central Secretariat ground.

Vivek, Jitender help Youngsters win 
New Delhi, April 2
Fiery bowling performances by left-arm spinner Vivek Khurana (3 for 25) and Jitender Solanki (3 for 43) helped Youngsters Club beat Malviya Club by 12 runs and entered the quarter-final of the 13th SAIL Trophy Cricket Tournament at the Mohan Meakins ground, Mohan Nagar. Jitender Solanki was adjudged the man of the match.

NIIT win in Reebok cricket
New Delhi, April 2
NIIT defeated Standard Chartered Bank by five wickets to record their third straight victory in the Reebok Cricket Tournament.