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| Thursday,
April 17, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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SC sends NOIDA officer to jail for contempt New Delhi, April 16 A Division Bench, comprising Justice S N Variava and Justice B N Agrawal, had refused to accept an apology tendered by Pabreja and sentenced him to a week’s simple imprisonment. “We are not satisfied that the apology tendered in this case is genuine or bona fide. We do not see any reason for accepting such an apology,” the Bench had said. The court had also ordered that Pabreja be taken into custody immediately and remanded to Tihar Jail. “Pabreja does not even point out that the allotment in favour of the society stands cancelled. On the contrary, the impression sought to be given to the court is that the allotment in favour of the persons, whose names are mentioned in the list annexed to the affidavit, still stands,” The Bench observed, adding that he had clearly stated that no plots were available, which was a “false” statement. The petition in question was filed by the UP Employees Cooperative House Building Society for allotment of accommodation to its 242 members, for which an order was passed on April 4, 1991, by the court, which had recorded the statement of the Noida authority that it would make the allotment in either Sector 40, 41 or 42. After some time, when no plot was allotted, the question arose whether or not the plots were available in Sector 42. Pabreja, in his affidavit, had stated that no plot was available in Sector 42. |
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PROMISES,
PROMISES... New Delhi, April 16 In a statement issued here, the Director of the council, Prof J. S. Rajput, said the council was facing a unique situation wherein the new syllabus drafted as per the National Curriculum Framework for School Education was being implemented and more than 200 textbooks for student of classes I to XII were being brought out in record time. Explaining the hike in the prices of the books, it was pointed out that colourful paper had been used and the textbooks had been richly illustrated, complete with graphics and photographs. Professor Rajput also cautioned consumers against unfair trade practices. “Cashing in on the popularity of the NCERT textbooks, they are pushing up prices by binding them. Sometimes, they are also forcing the consumers to buy other books in combination with NCERT textbooks. This should be resisted.” He said police action would be taken against specific complaints. It was also pointed out that books for primary stages, classes I to V, were available. Except one book of English text for class VII, all other texts for classes VI to VIII were available. Professor Rajput promised that students of class XII, who had opted for Political Science, Economics, History, Sociology, Accountancy, Mathematics and Geography, would get their books for the fourth semester by end of May. A Delhi court had earlier issued an order to the NCERT to provide books on time to students. |
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Condemned
to a rough ride, but still in use Faridabad, April 16 It is learnt that in every state government department 30 to 50 per cent of the vehicles had completed the kilometre target allotted to them. However, most of the vehicles, which have overrun their total mileage, continue to be used, if they are still in ‘affordable’ shape. According to information, a jeep or a car (light vehicle) needs to cover a distance of about 2,50,000 km or be in use for a few years, whichever is earlier, to be declared as unfit. But it has been found that most of these vehicles have touched the 2.50 lakh km mark and, sometimes, it is well above the 3,00,000 km mark. The official car of a senior official in the Transport Department had run over three lakh kilometres and it was still in use. Similarly, two Gypsy jeeps in one of the state government departments had covered about 2.80 lakh km but were still being used to carry the officers to the field and the offices. According to sources, the maintenance cost of these vehicles had gone up in the recent past owing to frequent breakdowns. The driver of one such vehicle revealed that the cruising speed of the vehicle was only 50 to 60 km per hour. When a VIP, which could be the Chief Minister, visits the area the officer travelling in the jeep is always a laggard. It is also reported that inadequate care and maintenance at the initial stage results in poor condition of a large number of official vehicles. It has been found that drivers of new vehicles normally drive them in a rash and irresponsible manner. The wear and tear of vehicles of senior officials in the district is much more compared to other department vehicles as they were put to maximum use and the average speed of such cars was also very high. These vehicles normally travel at top speed as these are a part of the VIP motorcade for several months in a year. But vehicles of senior officials are replaced frequently and the authorities do not wait for the completion of the time period target. The Public Relations Department of the state government normally is a victim of vehicle shortage or is burdened with outdated vehicles. The department has to requisition vehicles from other departments during official functions but normally the vehicles provided are again in poor shape. |
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Father poisons kids, leaves
suicide note to fool cops Ghaziabad, April 16 The police are veering around to the view that Salim, by leaving a suicide note by the side of his four kids, stating that he was going to kill himself, had tried to hoodwink the police. The Ghaziabad police suspect that he is hiding with some relatives or friends. In the last 30 hours, the police have raided at least four places to ferret him out, but drawn a blank. Salim, 30 a mason, is facing a murder rap for having killed his four children — Rukhsar (6), Reshma (5), Sameer (3), and Wasim (1). They were given tea laced with poison.. It is learnt that Salim was extremely quarrelsome. His relatives had virtually snapped their ties with him. His wife Nargis’ brother, Gulsher, of Mohalla Pappu of Sahibabad, has lodged an FIR, accusing Salim of the murder of his four children. Gulsher has alleged that Salim was in the habit of beating up his wife Nargis without any provocation. She was beaten up on the night of the murder and had left the house in a huff, and had sought refuge in Gulsher’s house. Salim has claimed in his note that he is going to kill himself and that the cops will not be able to find even his body. The police sources, however, indicate that Salim has not yet committed suicide. Possibly, he has no such intentions and the note was intended to dupe the police into believing that he is dead. In a telephonic conversation with the wife of his maternal uncle, Nawab, he had requested for refuge in Mohalla Bahaduri Ganj, Badayan, his native place. Later, he had talked on the phone with the widow of another maternal uncle as well. However, the relatives are adamant that they will not give him refuge. |
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Fears fuel vegetable prices New Delhi, April 16 “There is no shortage of potatoes and onions, wholesale prices are stable but the retailers are taking advantage of the truckers’ strike,” said PM Sharma of PM Company. Another dealer said that potatoes, which were priced at Rs 2.75 per kg in the wholesale market and should not cost more than Rs five per kg, were being sold at Rs eight per kg. He said the case was the same with tomatoes. The wholesale market rate of Rs 10 a kg should translate into Rs 14 at retail but the actual retail price was closer to Rs 20 a kg. “It is the peak season for green vegetables and any rise in prices was artificial and motivated for which the wholesalers cannot be blamed,” he added. Truckers have gone on a strike demanding stable fuel prices, scrapping of the Value Added Tax (VAT), halt in replacement of 15-year-old vehicles and fixing of minimum freight rates. |
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Bid to hush up gang rape case? Sonepat: The Rai police are allegedly hushing up a gang rape case. The victim belongs to Jajal Tonki village in this district. According to a report, the woman had stepped outside her house on the night of April 11 when she was waylaid by four youths of the village. She was taken to a deserted place and raped. When she resisted and tried to raise an alarm, she was beaten up. The woman was rushed to a private hospital by her family members from where she was shifted to the local civil hospital for treatment. The doctors of the civil hospital discharged her after two days on April 13. It is stated that the woman was already pregnant and the gang rape had resulted in a miscarriage. As the four youths are stated to be well-connected, the police are reluctant to register a case. The youths are also trying to hush up the case with by striking a deal. The Rai police are tight-lipped and have declined to comment on the case. OC
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NCP dreaming of forming secular front Sonepat, April 16 Talking to mediapersons at the Rai PWD (BandR) Rest House, 13 km from here yesterday, he termed the NDA government at the Centre as ‘anti-people and anti-farmer’ and said that the people were fed up with its functioning. He said that the alliance politics had proved successful and it was a ‘necessity in the country’. The NCP leader declared that his party would launch an agitation to protect the rights of Dalits and other downtrodden people and they would be given financial, social and political assistance. He said that the party would set up units in all the districts of Haryana so that its base could be strengthened. Referring to an alliance with the Congress Party, he said that the party is opposed to the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and it would never allow her to become the Prime Minister of the country. He said that his party would seek the help from all the secular and non-communal forces, including the Congress Party, for forming the government at the Centre and the states. |
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SPECIAL FOCUS ON PANIPAT Panipat, April 16 Under the operation, the police personnel will keep a close watch on traffic violations like overspeeding, jumping traffic lights and driving vehicles on high beam. Besides, the police will also check the documents of the vehicles. Besides this, the police intend to put a check on the activities of anti-social elements, such as bail jumpers and auto thieves. However, there seems to be no plan to make the people more aware about traffic rules. Thus harassment of the general public, at the hands of the police personnel, cannot be ruled out. This would defeat the very purpose of the special operation. Sources said the present operation is not likely to meet with much success if the past experience is any indication. In the past, various operations had been launched with initial euphoria. However, in the absence of the homework by the police and any follow-up action, the operations had ended up in failure. To top it all, the police personnel are not imparted any specialised training to ensure the success of such operation. With their hands already full in the wake of rising crime in the state, it is anybody’s guess if the present operation will end up with success. It may be recalled that the police had launched two major operations against offenders this year. “Operation Alert” was aimed at apprehending anti-social and criminal elements. The official claim notwithstanding, independent inquiries revealed that it met with only ‘marginal success’. Another major
operation, "Operation Talaash” aimed at flushing out illegal Bangladeshis from the state in the wake of the directives from the Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, too, came a cropper. Pressure from the vested interests, mainly the powerful handloom manufacturers and exporters lobbies, was cited as the primary reason for its failure. Dharna by journalists:
The journalists today decided to launch a signature campaign against the Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Ram Pal Majra, who is the mastermind behind the registration of the case against the scribe. Demanding the immediate withdrawal of the case, removal of Mr Majra and a high-level independent probe into the matter, the scribes resolved to continue the agitation till justice was done to Mr Bhardwaj. Wheat procurement:
Other agencies—Food and Supplies Department (5,750 metric tons), FCI (4,962 metric tons), Haryana Warehousing (3,889 metric tons) and Haryana Confed (4191)—have also procured wheat from the farmers. This year 14 procurement centres and mandis have been set to procure wheat. These are Ahar, Atta,Bapoli, Babarpur, Bawail, Chhichrana, Israna, Jorasi, Matlauda, Naultha, Panipat, Samalkha, Sanoli and Urlana Kalan. |
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Illegal
vendors thriving with official blessings Panipat, April 16 In effect, a ‘parallel catering service’ is operating on the Panipat-Delhi section with the connivance of the railway staff and law enforcement agencies. A group of about 150 youths under the supervision of a gang leader are alleged to be operating on this section with the reported support of railway officials. The reported income of about Rs 7,000 to Rs 10, 000 per day is shared among the law enforcement agencies and other officials for ‘turning a blind eye’ to their activities. These unauthorized vendors are reportedly inflicting revenue loss of lakhs of rupees to Northern Railway. It is alleged that law enforcement agencies, patrolling these trains, collect their ‘Nazranas’ and turn ‘a blind eye to their activities’. A constable of the Government Railway Police (GRP), on condition of anonymity, told the NCR Tribune that the police chowkis of all railway stations have to ‘provide fixed amount to superiors’. Besides, the circulating areas of railway stations, particularly in Panipat, are also encroached upon by these unauthorized vendors with the connivance of senior officials and law enforcement agencies. These unauthorized vendors not only sell unhygienic food articles, but also banned stuffs like liquor and cigarettes. When the Chowki Incharge of Railway Protection Force (RPF), Inspector Subash Chand Kataria was asked to comment on ‘uninterrupted activities of unauthorized vendors’, he said that they were ‘overburdened’. He said that his staff had to do escorting duties, mela duties as also other petty works in addition to the duties at the police chowki. Mr Kataria said that during the current financial year, they had booked as many as 72 vendors, against whom charges were proved and were penalized. When the senior Commandant was contacted by the NCR Tribune, he promised to ‘tone up of the force’ and take appropriate action. |
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Devotion
is the hotline to god: Baba Hardev Sonepat, April 16 Speaking at a religious congregations here last evening, Baba Ji said that a true devotee did not only praise God, but also lent expression to his devotion through his conduct. He observed that all great devotees of God like Meera, Kabir, Ravidass, Tukaram and others were not recognised as such on account of what they said or wrote about God, but because of the way they lived, based on complete surrender to the Almighty. He said that the Mission believes that service to humanity is one way to express our devotion to the Almighty, Nirankar. He also asked the devotees to serve the people, particularly the poor and downtrodden. Earlier, a kavi darbar was also held on this occasion. Noted poets recited their poems about nationalism and patriotism. Rice, bags burnt: According to a report, on seeing the fire, the panic-stricken workers rushed out of the mill and informed the officials of the fire brigade about the fire. The fire was brought under control after a few hours. However, no loss of life was reported in the fire. A short circuit is stated to be the main cause of the fire. The police are still investigating into the case. The police have registered the case and further investigations were in progress.
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Sonepat
truckers plying only within state Sonepat, April 16 According to information, there are over 2,500 trucks operating in the district under 10 different truck unions. As claimed by the president of the Sonepat Truck Operators Union Satinder Singh, most of the trucks have been off the road during the three days and the strike would continue till their demands were accepted. Contrary to the claims of the president, the union treasurer, Mr Charanjit, has stated that there were nearly 800 trucks in the union, and none of the truck owners has participated in the strike. “We have been sending the trucks to the traders on demand. But we are not making an out-of-state bookings. Even today also, we have sent the trucks for local journeys,” he said. Similar situation is reportedly prevailing in Gohana town.
The strike impact is reported to be minimum in the market as the prices of fruit and some of the imported vegetables have registered an average hike of 20 to 30 per cent. Though the prices of tomatoes and potatoes have increased, this hike was due to seasonal change as reported by the commission agents in Sonepat vegetable market. However, the Haryana Beopar Mandal district president, Mr Pawan Goyal, said that if the strike prolonged, it would definitely create problems for the traders as well as the consumers besides losses to the truck operators. Ghaziabad Although vegetables, fruit and milk, etc had been exempted from the ambit of strike, the prices of fruit and vegetables have shot up by 30 per cent as compared to the prices two days earlier. It has also reduced the daily arrivals in the vegetable market. The strike has started affecting other aspects of life and availability of consumer goods. The truck drivers are trying their best to make the strike a total success. No truck is allowed to transport the commodities. In the days to come, the situation could become grim, president of Vegetable Market Vyapar Association, Sahibabad Giyan Chand Yadav said. |
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NCR BRIEFS Sonepat, April 16 Shopkeeper robbed Mr Mukesh, a shopkeeper was allegedly assaulted by some youths when he was sitting in a shop in Chhotu Ram Chowk here last evening. According to a report, the assailants have also snatched a gold ring, a wristwatch and a purse from him. The police have registered a case and launched a hunt to apprehend him.
Four children injured Sonepat: Four children were seriously injured when an autorickshaw turned turtle at Rubra village about 45 km from here yesterday. According to a report, one of the injured boys succumbed to his injuries while being taken to a hospital whereas the other died in the PGI Hospital at Rohtak during treatment. The victims were identified as Dilsher and Deepak. It is stated that all the four children were playing in a street of the village where an autorickshaw was parked. The children sat in the autorickshaw and one of them started it. It overturned after some distance. On hearing the hue and cry, the residents rushed to the site and took the injured children to the hospital.
Park encroachments New Delhi: Chandni Chowk member of Parliament and Union Minister of State for Labour Vijay Goel on Wednesday visited the Netaji Subhash Park (Edward Park) and Jama Masjid and instructed the officials accompanying him to remove the encroachments. The officials were also told to give a new look to the two entrances to the park, make suitable arrangements for lighting up the area and reconstruct the roads. He also told the officials to shift the police booths from the two entrances to the park, install grills so that greenery is visible and plant saplings inside the park.
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Four firemen suffer burn injuries New Delhi: Four firemen and an official of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) were injured in a fire that broke out in a chemical factory in Okhla Industrial Area in south district this afternoon. The victims were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Three of them were discharged after the first-aid while one is still admitted to the hospital. The victims were identified as Badri Prasad, official, Kalpanath, Mohan, Rajender Prasad and Ajaib Singh, firemen. Six vehicles of the DFS were rushed to douse the blaze. The fire took place around 1.25 pm and it was controlled one hour after the incident, a spokesman of the DFS said. TNS
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Kerosene trader burnt to death New Delhi, April 16 The servant belonged to Bihar and had worked for a number of years with the victim. He stabbed Vipin and then burnt the shop to destroy the evidence. The incident occurred when Vipin was about to close up his shop. A case of murder has been registered in Chitranjan Park police station. The victim had two servants Hare Ram and Balan Singh Bishth, police said. The police had constituted a special team to work out the murder case. The suspect lived at Sangam Vihar in South Delhi. Cops were sent to his residence but he had made himself scarce. The police managed to get the addresses of his relatives in the Capital and raids were conducted, but he was not found. The police said if need be the police team would be sent to his native place to arrest the suspect. According to the police, the suspect attacked the victim to take revenge. Once Vipin scolded Hare Ram on some ‘trivial’ issue. The servant felt so insulted that he decided to settle accounts. While they were going after closing up the shop yesterday, Bishth felt that something was happening in the shop basement and told the victim about it. When the victim along with the suspect went to the basement to check out, the suspect stabbed him. He set ablaze the body of the victim to destroy the evidence. As there was kerosene in the shop, the fire caught the entire basement. The victim managed to escape due to the smoke caused by the fire. Bishth seemed to have no knowledge of the murder. He informed the Delhi Fire Service. The vehicles controlled the devastating fire and recovered the charred body of the victim in which stabbing marks were visible, the police said.
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Man attacks wife, paramour Sonepat, April 16 According to information, one Maman of Gannaur town who was recently released on parole from the district jail, suspected liaison between his wife Santosh and his friend Baljit of Dehra village in Panipat district and allegedly planned to eliminate both of them. On Monday night, Maman, Santosh and Baljit were returning to Gannaur from Rajasthan. After alighting from a vehicle near Bari village on GT Road near Gannaur, they started walking towards Gannaur to avoid the police checking as Maman had not reported back to the jail authorities after the expiry of his parole period. He was subsequently was declared absconder. When they reached near Gannaur village via Lalheri Road, Maman first attacked his wife with knives inflicting serious injuries on her. Then he fired at Baljit. The bullet hit him in the stomach. After injuring them seriously, Maman escaped. |
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Dadri history-sheeter killed Ghaziabad, April 16 Later, the deceased was identified as
Dhiraj, a criminal of Dadri. He was wanted in the murders of Manoj, cousin of MLA Madan Bhaya and Adesh Bhatti. Dhiraj’s brother Ved Prakash, in his statement to the police, said Dhiraj had gone to his sister’s house in Delhi. On his way, he was abducted and killed by some unidentified people.
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Youth
kidnapped in land dispute Bhiwani, April 16 |
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