TOP STORIES

Taps could go dry in South Delhi, but DJB not guilty
New Delhi, April 21
Taps in East and South Delhi colonies could go dry as early as Wednesday after the Upper Ganga Canal stops releasing water to the Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plant.

No move to dump Khurana: Naidu
New Delhi, April 21
The speculation over whether or not Delhi Pradesh BJP President Madan Lal Khurana will lead the party in the coming assembly polls in the Capital was put to rest with Party President Venkaiah Naidu today scotching all the rumours.

Banks’ plea to quash DDA proceedings
New Delhi, April 21
Several nationalised banks, operating from residential colonies of the Capital, today requested the Supreme Court to quash the proceedings initiated against them by the Delhi Development Authority in view of a Delhi Government notification permitting them to do so.

Operation speed-breaker: Putting brakes on traffic violations
Sonepat, April 21
The Haryana Police have launched a special drive, called Operation Speed-breaker, against traffic violators on the national highways passing through the state.

Truckers’ stir: Factory workers fear lay-offs

Faridabad, April 21 The manufacturing sector, which generates employment for lakhs of people, has begun to feel the pinch of the truckers’ strike. Although the captains of industry are confident that they will be able to ride the crisis, provided it does not last for too long, workers fear that they might be laid off anytime. Tempo and light motor vehicle operators joined the truckers’ strike in the Capital on Monday. — Tribune Photo

GONE AWRY
Groom shot at during marriage ceremony
Ghaziabad, April 21
Unidentified assailants last night fired at the would be son-in-law of the Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party leader Narender Bhati during the marriage ceremony, injuring him seriously.

LETHAL MIX
Ayurvedic doctor’s narcotics factory unearthed

New Delhi, April 21 The Delhi Police Narcotics Branch has arrested two persons, including an Ayurvedic doctor, and recovered from their possession 24 kg of heroin worth Rs 24 crore in the international market. The sleuths have seized 40 injections of diazepam, gas cylinders, five kg of paracetamol, acid and some chemicals used in the preparation of drugs. The drug factory paraphernalia.

One killed as bus ploughs into eatery

POLITICS

Swaroop to be joint candidate of Left parties in Assembly poll
Rohtak, April 21
The CPM, CPI and Lok Janshakti Party have today decided to project the CPM nominee, Mr Krishan Swaroop as a joint candidate of the ‘Left, democratic and secular forces’ in the by-election to the Fatehabad Assembly constituency, slated for May 21.

COMMUNITY

DELHI IN PARLIAMENT
Pesticide residue in vegetable samples in Capital
New Delhi, April 21
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Ajit Singh, informed the Lok Sabha that there is a need for more detailed studies related to the contamination of food products. He said the accumulation of heavy metals could be reduced by controlling pollution load in irrigated water by shifting to non-leafy crops in semi-urban areas.

BRASS TACKS
In search of the mighty Saraswati for that missing link
RIVER valleys over the centuries have cradled and nurtured some famous civilisations. For obvious reasons, this pattern has continued and even today most of the large cities continue to flourish on the river banks.

FACE TO FACE
‘Punjabi should be an official language of our nation’
AFTER holding several key posts at a very young age in many prominent social service organisations such as the Delhi Sikh Parishad, the Delhi Sikh Citizens Council, the Delhi Akali Dal (Longowal), the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (minority cell) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), Mr Kuldeep Singh realised that working for such organisations was somewhat restrictive, as the genuine sufferers often did not get the benefits reserved for them.

L-G urged not to approve electricity price hike
New Delhi, April 21
The Leader of the Opposition in the Standing Committee, MCD, Mr Vijender Kumar Gupta, appealed to the Lt-Governor not to approve the demand of the private electricity distribution and transmission companies to revise the tariff.

Activists of Surbhi Parivar demanding that candidates with more than two children be banned from contesting elections at Jantar Mantar in the Capital on Monday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

129 centres set up for Class V exams
Sonepat, April 21
As many as 129 examination centres have been set up in this city and elsewhere in the district for conducting the Class V annual examinations commencing from today. According to a report, the examinations would be concluded on April 24 and would be monitored by the Headmasters of the High Schools and the Principals of the Senior Secondary Schools in the district.

• Youth killed

• SUCI rally

• Monkey menace

NCR BRIEFS
Sodomy case registered against schoolteacher
Rohtak, April 21
The police registered a case of sodomy against a teacher of a ‘Gurukul’, following direction by a local court today. In his complaint, Naveen (14), a student of Class VII at a Gurukul, located at Bhaiyapur Ladhaut village, alleged that his teacher Dharmender had summoned him to a room on November 11. 

• Youth commits Suicide

• Commotion at petrol pump

• Drive to recover dues

CRIME

17 motor vehicle thefts solved
New Delhi, April 21
With the arrest of seven robbers, the Central district police today claimed to have solved as many as 17 cases of motor vehicle theft in the district. The police also claimed to have averted a dacoity plan by the gang at a money exchange shop in Pahar Ganj and a jewellery shop in the Gandhi Nagar area.

Probe demanded into fraud by bank
Sonepat, April 21
Four members of a village Mini-Bank have demanded a vigilance inquiry and immediate action against the salesman of the bank, alleging that he had misappropriated thousands of rupees from their bank accounts.

BUSINESS

Truckers’ strike hits business of dhabas 
Sonepat, April 21
The prices of essential commodities have been constantly rising on account of the indefinite strike by the truck operators in this city and other parts of the district. According to a report, the strike has severely affected the business of dhabas, restaurants and hotels, and roadside shops on the national and state highways, which are mainly dependent on the truck operators.

EDUCATION

Sena slams govt for disinterest in providing books
New Delhi, April 21
The Shiv Sena has accused the city government of being insensitive to the needs of school students. The allegation was made with regard to the non-availability of NCERT textbooks in the city.

Hospital staff ‘appropriates’ phone meant for visitors
Faridabad, April 21
A local phone installed for the benefit of the patients and their attendants at the Bhadshah Khan Civil Hospital had been allegedly misused by the staff of hospital. This was exposed when a Divisional Engineer of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) conducted a surprise check and found that the staff had been using the phone for themselves and patients attendants were being deprived of the facility.

SPORTS

U-19 cricket camp begins New Delhi, April 21 The Indian Under-19 Cricket team, who will be undertaking a short tour of Kathmandu from April 26 to play a one-day series, assembled in New Delhi for a brief condition camp. Promising batsman A. T. Rayudu of Andhra Pradesh being introduced to DDCA president Arun Jaitley by National Cricket Association vice-chairman C. K. Khanna in New Delhi on Monday.

AJIT SINGH HOCKEY
Jalandhar, Delhi schools enter semis
New Delhi, April 21
Doaba Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar trounced Guru Harkrishan Public School (GHPS), Delhi 7-0 to enter the semi-final of the first All-India Sahibzada Ajit Singh Gold Cup Hockey Tournament at the Shivaji Stadium on Monday.

• Bal Bharti lift cricket title

• Salwan Boys annex Hedgewar Cup

• Saumik, Hitesh shine for Sumit Dogra

• Delhi Police whip Daryaganj

• Rajasthan Colt beat Sonnet Club

Administration opens 14 wheat purchase centres
Panipat, April 21
Elaborate arrangements have been made by the district administration for purchasing wheat, which is coming in the district purchase centres in a big way. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. R. Anand, said this while addressing the farmers at a formal meeting here today.

Opposition leader opens MCD can of worms 
New Delhi, April 21
The Leader of the Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Mr Subhash Arya, has alleged that the first year of the Congress party rule in the corporation, which ended in March, was “a year of scandals”.