TOP STORIES

Road rage: Good Samaritan motorist shot dead by driver
New Delhi, May 3
The Capital was witness to another incident of road rage last night. Only, this time the victim was an innocent motorist who had tried to pacify two road users engaged in a slugfest. The slugfest ended in her death. The victim of the livid motorist, a mother of three, had tried to intervene in a fight between a scooterist and a Ceilo driver on Ganda Nallah in Sector-18, Rohini.

Tehsildar, on transfer, issues 600 registries overnight
Noida (Javer), May 3
The Tehsildar, Javer, before proceeding on transfer, reportedly issued registries for 600 bighas of land overnight. He accomplished the task in connivance with a suspended patwari of the village.

Fleecing of farmers by arhtias with tacit approval of govt ?
Sonepat, May 3
There is widespread resentment among the farmers of this district who are being fleeced by the arhtias for cleaning their produce. According to a report, the arhtias are reportedly charging extra amount from the farmers.

You can keep out fog, but not haze

New Delhi, May 3 It wasn’t a good morning that greeted the Capital today. The Delhiites woke to a morning clouded by dust and haze, forcing asthmatics and people prone to dust allergy to stay indoors. The poor visibility was reminiscent of the foggy conditions in winter and the dirt seemed to cling to one’s clothes with the tenacity of a leech. Delhiites woke up to a morning clouded by dust and haze on Saturday morning. — Photo Anil Sharma

Three die in cracker blast
Faridabad, May 3
Three members of a family were charred to death following a blast in Palwali village in the district last evening. The blast occurred while the family was engaged in making crackers. One person was injured in the incident.

WALKING TALL: A model showcasing the Spring-Summer collection in the Capital. — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

PROTEST ZONE
DFO sent to ‘rescue’circus lions sent back empty-handed
Meerut, May 3
It was panic time with tempers running high on the Mela Nauchandi premises when a team of Forest Department officials arrived to take into their possession eight Asiatic lions. An order had been pronounced by the Central Zoo Authority against Apollo Circus and as a consequence of that Forest Department officials came armed with cages and a directive from the CZA.

COMPUTER SAVVY
Rs 25 crore set aside for cyber Delhi
New Delhi, May 3
The Government of NCT of Delhi has set aside a budget of Rs 25 crore for buying computer hardware to make the Capital a full-fledged cyber city by this year end. All departments, including education, land and building, and birth and death, besides hospitals and transport and service centres will be computerised and linked through the internet, S Raghunathan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, said on Saturday while inaugurating Infotech Forum 2003 organised by VAR India, a computer magazine.

RLD to support HVP candidate
Rohtak, May 3
The Rashtriya Lok Dal would support the Haryana Vikas Party candidate, Mr Prahlad Singh, in the Fatehabad by-election. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state executive committee of the party held at the office of the state unit here today.

COMMUNITY

BREAK-UP
Govt spent Rs 3.03 cr on Sonepat’s development
Sonepat, May 3
The Haryana Government has spent Rs 3.03 crore on the development of Sonepat city, which is a district headquarters in Haryana during the financial year 2002-03. Deputy Commissioner Balwan Singh told to the mediapersons here today that the government led by Indian National Lok Dal chief, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, was committed to develop the city as a model one in the state.

Prof Darshan Singh, former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, inaugurating Guru Nanak Hospital at Gurdwara Nanak Piao on Saturday. The president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, is also seen in the picture. — Photo Anil Sharma

Chautala opens call centre
Gurgaon, May 3
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala inaugurated a Call Centre, ‘Prefaxa Solution’, set up by an American-based NRI in the local UNITECH Park, and used the occasion to emphasise the growing attraction of Gurgaon city to the foreign investors.

Panel to push for Punjabi as second language in Delhi
New Delhi, May 3
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has constituted a Punjabi Vikas Committee under the chairmanship of veteran Akali leader and advocate Birinder Singh to chalk out a detailed programme to get the second language status for Punjabi language in Delhi.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON REWARI
Money spent on canal-based schemes goes down the drain
Rewari, May 3
Thousands of residents of about 40 villages in the Salhawas assembly segment, a major portion of which falls in the Kosli subdivision of Rewari district, are facing considerable hardship on account of dismal functioning of various water supply schemes.

Viva members at a talent hunt organised by Channel V in the Capital on Saturday. — Photo Anil Sharma

Survey to identify BPL families
Rewari, May 3
A district-level survey to identify families living below the poverty line (BPL) will commence in the district from May 7. As many as 330 numerators, 26 supervisors, seven inspecting officers and five block-in-charges (executives) had been appointed for this purpose.

Check effluents’ discharge, plead villagers
Sonepat, May 3
Residents of Hassanpur, Kurar, Murthal, Jahri and other villages on National Highway 1 today urged the state government to direct the Haryana Pollution Control Board authorities to take immediate steps to check the discharge of effluents from the distillery at Jahri village and rice shellers on the GT road and save their cultivable land from being rendered unfit for cultivation.

Residents demand Noida land be made freehold
Noida, May 3
Representatives of various organisations which attended a meeting called by the Noida Authority yesterday opposed the imposition of amenities tax on Noida residents. They rather demanded that land in Noida should be converted into freehold as against leasehold now.

Rampdolls during a fashion show, Spring-Summer 2003, in the Capital. — Tribune photo

SEARCH WITHIN
Will peace as a strategy break the chain of hate ?
Will this 50-year-old bloody game end or not?” Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee wonders while announcing his “last-effort at peace making during my life time”. Saner people of India and Pakistan—except the extremists on both sides—have been asking themselves this question while precious lives have been lost in senseless fighting and huge resources diverted to the arms race in both countries.

NCR BRIEFS
Krishnamani elected president of Supreme Court Bar Association
New Delhi, May 3
Senior advocate M. N. Krishnamani and Rupinder Singh Suri were elected president and vice-president respectively of the Supreme Court Bar Association. The elections for these posts were held on Friday.

• Admissions at Motilal School

• Man arrested

• One killed

CRIME

Inter-state vehicle thieves’ gang busted, arms seized
New Delhi, May 3
With the arrest of four persons, the Delhi Police today claimed to have worked out an organised inter-state gang specialising in lifting vehicles and selling them to the underworld as well as in the North-East. They were also involved in murder, attempt to murder, robbery, vehicle theft and disputed property cases in Haryana and Delhi. They belong to Vikram gang.

BUSINESS

BHEL gets OHSAS certificate
New Delhi, May 3
All major units of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd have secured the prestigious OHSAS-18001 certification for occupational health and safety management system with the awarding of this certification to its Industrial System’s Group, Bangalore.

Petitioner fails to explain, plea thrown out
New Delhi, May 3
The Delhi High Court refused to hear a Public Interest Litigation following the petitioner’s failure to explain the contents of his plea. A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice A K Sikri on Monday, dismissed the petition and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the petitioner, social worker S C Jain, after he admitted to being ignorant about the contents of his plea, filed through counsel Sugriva Dubey.

SPORTS

Delhi soccer team move into final
New Delhi, May 3
Delhi defeated Himachal Pradesh 1-0 and entered the final of the 12th National Football League (North Zone qualifying) Championship for the M Dutta Roy Trophy played at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.

Thrilling soccer action on Star Sports
New Delhi, May 3
The Spanish Primera Liga lines up for the big season kick-off and there are high expectations across Asia where ESPN Star Sports coverage of Europe’s most exciting league has earned the competition huge fan interest.

Najafgarh enter Rajdhani Cup final
New Delhi, May 3
An all-round display by Bharat Rishi (35 and 3 for 30) and a fine knock of 48 by Dhiraj Sharma helped Najafgarh Sports Club beat Lal Bahadur Shastri Club by seven runs and sailed into the final of the second Rajdhani Cup Cricket Tournament at the Najafgarh Sports Club ground.

• Wrestling trials

• Goswami Tourney bars CWC

Delhi Admn down Karma XI
New Delhi, May 3
Despite a strokeful 62 by Ajay Jadeja, hosts Karma XI went down to Delhi Administration by one wicket in the Millennium Cup Inter-Institutional Cricket Tournament at the Harbaksh Singh Stadium on Saturday.

• Varun, Rana shine

Jindal win in Vij Tourney New Delhi, May 3 N C Jindal School beat Paschim Vihar Coaching Kendra by three wickets in the inaugural Bhagatram Vij Memorial Under-19 Cricket Tournament at the Paschim Vihar Sports Complex. Veteran coach Ramakanth Achrekar inaugurated the tournament. Veteran coach Ramakanth Achrekar inaugurating the Bhagatram Vij Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Paschim Vihar Sports Complex.