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August 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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PM to commission Metro corridor on Oct 2 New Delhi, August 27 The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is operating between Shahdara and Tis Hazari (8.3 km.) After October 2, the DMRC’s service will extend to 12.8 km. There will be three stations on the 4.5 km-long corridor between Tis Hazari in North Delhi and Tri Nagar in West Delhi. They are at Pul Bangash, Pratap Nagar and Vivekanandapuri. DMRC Chairman Madan Lal Khurana today told mediapersons the Tis Hazari–Tri Nagar corridor was being constructed at a cost of Rs 270 crore. In Phase I of the project, the DMRC’s service will extend from Shahdara to Barwala. The Shahdara–Tis Hazari corridor was inaugurated in December last year. The Prime Minister will commission the Tis Hazari–Tri Nagar corridor on October 2. The 8.5-km corridor between Tri Nagar and Rithala will become operational by March 2004. The corridor between Rithala and Barwala is expected to be commissioned sometime in 2005. The total length of the Shahdara–Barwala section will be 28 km. Mr Khurana also announced that the Union Government had accepted the recommendations of the committee headed by Urban Development Secretary N. N. Khanna. The committee was constituted to study the compensation in terms of providing alternative shops and residential units to the people displaced by the project. Mr Khurana said he had urged the Union Urban Development Minister that pending construction of permanent alternative shops the affected traders be given temporary sheds on nominal charges. As many as 533 shops were likely to be affected by the construction of the Metro. |
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Haryana Govt determined to root out illegal pumps Gurgaon, August 27 The district administration has constituted four teams, each consisting of a hydrologist, for door-to-door visits. After soft-pedalling the issue for more than a year, the administration launched action head on to seal the unauthorised installations a few days ago. Although direct action has not been taken so far in spite of the teams visiting questionable pump sites, the administration is expected to gradually turn on the heat. The move is a sequel to the proactive role of the Central Ground Water Authority in curbing wanton exploitation of underground water resources. The Authority, after a survey in 2002, had blacklisted major parts of Gurgaon and Faridabad districts, where the water table was fast depleting. It had directed the administration in both the districts to register the existing pumps. It had also put a moratorium on installation of new pumps. The pumps could be installed only after prior permission granted by the Deputy Commissioner. Thereafter, the authority took several measures to raise public awareness about the impending water crisis. Almost all parts of Gurgaon city and 70 villages in the district were included in the danger zone by the Central Ground Water Authority. However, in the year-long drive, only about 8,000 pumps were registered out of the existing one lakh pumps. While the commercial consumers can get the registration done after paying Rs 1000, the domestic users have to shell out Rs 100 for the purpose. According to Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr Anurag Rastogi, action will be first initiated against the commercial operators who sell water by exploiting the water base through pumps. The affected public, however, is opposing the move and demanding that the administration should first provide ample water before disturbing the pumps installed by them. Many people feel the government had given cart blanche to the private builders to set up structures without keeping the water factor in mind. However, the government feels that more than a legitimate share is being tapped by the public, especially the commercial operators. |
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LIVING IN TERROR New Delhi, August 27 No one was reported hurt in the incident which caused considerable panic in the commercial centre. Employees of various offices located on the same floor and a large number of visitors rushed out in panic after hearing the gun shots. Coming close on the heels of the Mumbai blasts, many thought that a terrorist had struck. However, with the immediate arrival of the police and the building security guards, the public was reassured and a hunt was launched for the suspect. Teams of armed policemen searched the entire building for over an hour before realising that the suspect had made good his escape. Initial reports had suggested that he had fortified himself in one of the bathrooms on the fifth floor. However, when the police searched the bathrooms, there was no sign of the desperado. The police said that the description of the suspect had been flashed to all the police stations and a case of robbery and another under the Arms Act had been registered. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Manoj Lal said that at 4.55 p.m. a five feet and nine inches tall, thin man walked into the fifth floor office of Swiss Air, fired two rounds and decamped with over Rs 10,000 and a mobile phone.” “Incidentally, nobody was hurt during the melee. It is a case of robbery and he (robber) has apparently escaped after the incident,” Lal said, adding a manhunt had been launched to ferret out the assailant. The dark complexioned suspect, in a jeans and full sleeves t-shirt, was wearing a golf cap and goggles. |
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Passengers force GRP cops to return extortion sum Sonepat, August 27 According to information, Udai Veer of Uttar Pradesh, along with three other youths, was going to Delhi by the Uchahar Express last evening. During a check between Panipat and Ganaur, the GRP personnel reportedly took four passengers inside the toilet and allegedly took Rs 7,400 from them. The victims promptly reported the matter to the daily passengers who were travelling in a large number in the compartment. The daily passengers caught hold of the GRP personnel and took them to the GRP post at Ganaur railway station. When the GRP men tried to strike a compromise by returning Rs 500 to the passengers, the daily passengers demanded recovery of the full amount and started raising slogans against the GRP. The train was not allowed to move from the railway station for more than 15 minutes. On receiving information, GRP Inspector Balraj Singh reached the spot. On directions from the higher authorities, the amount was reportedly returned to the passengers and departmental action was being initiated against the police personnel. Commuters allege that such incidents of extortion by the GRP personnel on duty are quite common. |
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60-year-old dies in police custody Panipat, August 27 Although the villagers and sons of the deceased have alleged that Jagphul died on account of torture by the CIA staff of the Samalkha police, the police maintain that the accused died of a heart attack. The accused, a drug addict, was picked up by the CIA staff from his house on the charge of smuggling narcotics and possessing 300 gm of charas. As soon as news of the death reached the village, hundreds of residents thronged the Community Health Centre (CHC), Samalkha, and resisted the move of the police for over eight hours to remove the body to the Civil Hospital, Panipat, for a post-mortem examination. They only relented when the Samalkha DSP, Mr Badan Singh Rana, assured them an impartial inquiry would be held into the causes leading to the death. Later, it was announced that the Samalkha SDM, Ms Pankaj Chaudhary, will hold an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death. On the other hand, villagers, led by the senior general secretary of the youth wing of the HVP, Mr Surinder Ahlawat, met the SP, Dr Suman Manjari, and demanded the suspension of the accused police personnel. Mr Brijinder Singh, a son of the deceased, claimed that though his father was a drug addict yet he never indulged in smuggling of narcotics. He alleged that his father was framed by the police and a sum of Rs 25,000 was demanded from the family to set him free. Another chink in the police theory was that although Jagphul was picked up from his house, in the FIR it was shown that he was arrested from the Bhapra road. Mr Rana will inquire into the allegation of cops demanding money. Mr Brijinder Singh alleged his father was mercilessly thrashed by the police as was evident from the fact that the lower portion of his feet was swollen and had turned blue. On the other hand, the police claimed that the accused suffered a heart attack last morning and died on his way to the health centre. |
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Man found hanging in YMCA hostel New Delhi, August 27 The woman came in the evening and Michael ordered food for two persons, they said, adding that the woman was seen leaving at around 9.30 pm. The death was discovered in the morning. A suicide note was allegedly found in which the deceased had mentioned among other things that “God knows the reason” for his taking the extreme step. In the note, he also allegedly requests that his children be taken care of. Michael’s background was not immediately known but he was believed to be working for some project in Delhi.
Criminal with Rs 20,000 reward on head nabbed Noida: Dreaded criminal Vicky Tyagi of Muzzafarnagar, who carried a reward of Rs 20,000 on his head, was nabbed from the Sector 22-56 crossing in Noida. His wife Chandana alias Sonu and mother Supriya, who were also allegedly involved in the criminal activities, have been arrested. Vicky was wanted by the Delhi, Hardwar and Muzzafarnagar police for a number of crimes. Under pressure from the Muzzafarnagar police, Vicky had quietly shifted to Sector 22 in Noida. Later, he had shifted to Sector 12 where he was living with his wife and mother.
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The red planet is in our backyard New Delhi, August 27 |
DPCC won’t allow CAS at any cost New Delhi, August 27 Delhi Pradesh BJP president Madan Lal Khurana had on Monday said the Union Government had agreed to defer the CAS till the Assembly elections later this year. DPCC president Prem Singh said his party would make an issue of CAS and expose Khurana’s nefarious game plan during the election campaign. He said the aim of delaying the implementation of CAS in the Capital was that Khurana had sensed that CAS would become an election issue. The BJP, he said, had deferred CAS not because it did not want to burden the people but because it wanted to mislead them and derive some political mileage. |
Govt rules out ban on production of milk items New Delhi, August 27 The minister blamed certain dairies and private suppliers of milk for the shortage in many parts of the Capital for the past several days. He said certain private suppliers had begun diverting milk to outside of NCT of Delhi after samples were lifted for conducting tests for traces of urea, etc. The tests on all the 115 samples reported negative for urea and other harmful content. That could be one of the reasons for the shortage in Delhi, the minister said. The random tests would continue. The other reason for the shortage, Yusuf said, could be the sudden rise in the demand because of the Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami festivals. As a contingency, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Federation and the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation had assured the government of supplying an extra one lakh litres of fresh milk every day. The two agencies had also promised to supply skimmed milk powder and white butter to bridge the shortfall which, Yusuf said, stood at only 1.5 per cent. The NCT of Delhi is supplied with 47 lakh litres of milk daily: 22 lakh litres by the Mother Dairy and the Delhi Milk Scheme and the rest by the private players in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. Yusuf clarified that the ‘crisis’ had nothing to do with the discontinuation of supply of electricity to certain unauthorised dairies. The government, he said, was only implementing the directions of the High Court. The court had directed the government to discontinue the supply of electricity to certain dairies to stem the menace of stray cattle. |
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Only Ambedkar villages mattered in Maya land Ghaziabad, August 27 All other issues and problems, including the development of the two districts on the whole, just did not matter to the officials and the police. Soon after assuming power, Ms Mayawati had issued orders to all district magistrates that land allotment letters should be issued to
Dalits, possession of land given to them and encroachments on their land be removed. In fact, the latter was given top priority. Orders had also been issued to allow the Dalits use of the government land that had been in their possession for an unspecified period. These possessions should be regularised and legal allotment letters issued to them, said her directive. The Ghaziabad district administration had accordingly issued a large number of allotment letters for government agricultural land which Dalits had occupied. More than 135 allotment letters in the Garh area were cancelled last year on the ground that they had been issued to undeserving people. These allotment letters, as a matter of fact, were handed over during Ms Mayawati’s last tenure as CM by an SDO who was her known loyalist. Regarding the development of Ambedkar villages, the UP Chief Secretary, Mr D. S.
Bagga, used to review the progress at a monthly meeting of the officers concerned. The entire government machinery was galvanised for the development of 54 Ambedkar villages selected during 1995-96. When the Chief Minister displayed her annoyance at the pace of work in these villages during a review in June, a number of heads had rolled: the DM, Ghaziabad, Mr Ram
Krishen, and the District Panchayat Raj Officer, Mr S. K. Saini, had been suspended. |
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Monsoon rains, official apathy makes travelling a nightmare Sonepat, August 27 Overturning of vehicles on this road has become common and trucks and other big vehicles are stranded everywhere on this road. The bridge on the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC), near Barwasni village, has become unsafe for plying of vehicles. The patch-up work on potholes by the PWD (B and R) has been “an eyewash”. The road is in a bad shape and there are three major speed-breakers on the road near this village. Similar condition persists between Barwasni and Rattangarh villages, as well as near Machhri and Mohana villages. The bridge on the culvert near Machhri village has also become unsafe due to the number of potholes on it. The road between Mohana village and Pinana village has been damaged during the current monsoon season. There were three speed-breakers near Pinana village, which have become “death traps” for the vehicles passing by. A part of the road near Bidhal village has given way because of a huge pothole on it. Similarly, the bridge on the canal near Lath village has become unsafe as the road has been severely damaged. The traffic on this bridge has been restricted and the authorities have constructed speed-breakers on both sides of the bridge. The one-km-long stretch of the road near Kheri village has been damaged and big potholes have appeared on this road between Kheri and Barauta villages. There are four speed-breakers within a distance of 500 metres between Nagar village and Gohana town. Another speed-breaker has been constructed as one enters Gohana town, which has resulted in inconvenience to the drivers. According to an estimate, at least 20 speed-breakers have been constructed on the 35-km long Sonepat-Gohana road. There is an inter-state bridge on the Yamuna river between Sonepat and Baghpat. The condition of the Sonepat-Kharkhauda road is also stated to have become unfit for vehicular traffic. Trucks and other big vehicles have been stranded everywhere on this road. As a result, the truck operators are forced to ply their vehicles via Kharkhauda-Narela road and Sonepat-Narela road. The condition of rural link roads is no better and many link roads have become unfit for traffic. |
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And now, water pangs in ‘powerless’ Sonepat Sonepat, August 27 According to a report, the power supply breakdown occurred around 6.45 am and was restored around 6 pm. People, particularly women, were seen carrying pitchers on heads and fetching water from distant places to meet the requirement. Many people alleged the water supply always remained erratic and the pressure was always low. Their complaints in this regard to the officials concerned had fallen on deaf ears. Representatives of various political parties, social and voluntary organisations and trade unions today demanded a high-level probe into the public complaints about the erratic supply of power and drinking water in this city and stern action against the officials found guilty of power and water crisis. According to another report, a large number of residents held a massive demonstration in front of the office of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) at Bhatgaon village, about 15 km from here, yesterday to register their protest against the erratic power supply. They shouted slogans against the state government and the UHBVN for hours together. The angry residents threatened to launch an agitation and gherao the officials if the power supply was not made regular in the village. A memorandum listing the demands of the residents was submitted to the junior engineer present in the office. Many residents alleged they remained in darkness at night as the power supply was switched off by the UHBVN authorities. All their complaints made to the authorities concerned in this regard had fallen on deaf ears. |
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SPECIAL FOCUS ON PANIPAT Panipat, August 27 While the Municipal Council is ever ready to send notices to defaulters who have not paid their house tax, safai tax, fire tax and such other taxes, they have shown little inclination in providing basic civic amenities in the area. A shopkeeper in the area, Mr Ashok Kumar, alleged that sewers in this ward have remained choked for as long as he can remember, with the result that dirty water flows back onto the dilapidated roads in the area, making the area slushy and stinking. He said the road passing from Kalandar Chowk side and going upto the nala in this ward is in a “miserable condition”. Even as a number of accidents have taken place in the recent past as a result of the deplorable condition of the inner lanes of the ward, the Municipal Councillor appears least interested in the problems of the area. He said power disruption is common in the area and at times the residents have to do without electricity for several days altogether. In the absence of electricity, the water supply is frequently disrupted, he alleged. Parveen Kumar, a trader of the area, confirmed that majority of the residents use “Kundi” system to get electricity in metered houses. Monu, a social worker, alleged that administration has been unable to change the burnt out transformer on the Kutani road in the last six months. Repeated ‘plea’ to the Vidyut Board has fallen on deaf ears. The truth is that the Vidyut Board workers and officials are on the “lookout to make some money from the misery of the people,” a resident alleged. As a result, majority of the residents in the area use the ‘Kundi’ system to get electricity, he said. Residents of the area alleged that the present Municipal Councillor, Mr Santosh Saini, has little time for the public works in the ward, as “he is busy with his handloom unit”. “He does not have the time to listen to the grievances of the citizens, what to talk of rectification or any other help,” he alleged. Another resident said that even the district administration “has closed its eyes” as little development work has been done in the area. A woolen blanket dealer, Mr Naresh Kumar, said that the MC is “unable to face the residents” of the ward because of the large number of problems existing in the area. When the Municipal Councillor was approached by the residents, he was unavailable, alleged a resident of the area. |
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Bansi Lal favours army recruitment centre in Rewari Rewari, August 27 The apparent discomfort in the camps opposed to the HVP is not only on what is considered in several quarters a successful meeting in the nerve-centre of Ahirwal politics, but the utterances of Mr Bansi Lal. Mr Bansi Lal, virtually read out the party’s election manifesto in his speech promising several concessions to the people of Haryana in general, particularly South Haryana, which encompasses the Ahirwal belt. According to observers, Mr Bansi Lal in a deft move announced the restarting of the Rewari Regional Centre. The Centre was a subsidiary of the Maharshi Dayanad University and catered to the students of the Ahirwal belt seeking higher studies. The paradox of the Ahirwal belt has been that although there are shortages of academic institutes for higher studies, the area proportionately sends higher percentage in services of Indian forces. Besides, the number of professionals in other walks of life are high considering the shortage of study centres. In another move, Mr Bansi Lal made it clear that he preferred setting up the army recruitment centre in Rewari, scotching criticisms that he was averse to the centre being set up in Ahirwal belt. Criticising the INLD government, Mr Bansi Lal said that when he was in power, he had devised Rewari Lift Irrigation Scheme, which was to be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 47 crores. He charged that the INLD has forgotten about it. He promsied that should his party come to power, he would get the project completed. Mr Bansi Lal said that the construction work on the SYL will be completed, come what may. As if to put the record straight, he said that it was he who got the SYL project sanctioned from the Centre in 1976. |
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Pull out all the stops to check blasts, sleuths told New Delhi, August 27 Spurious Pepsi bottles With the arrest of two youths, Ramesh Tomar and Raj Kumar alias Raju, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a racket in manufacturing spurious Pepsi drinks. The police had a tip-off about the spurious drink. The information was developed further and a raid was conducted at a godown in Gokulpuri from where the suspects were arrested. During the raid, a number of bottles were seized from the godown, the police said.
Extortion racket The North-West district police today arrested five suspects who were allegedly involved in extortion racket. They were identified as Praghuman Chauhan, Subhash, Mohit, Narender and Narender Sharma. They demanded an extortion of Rs 1.5 crore from a factory owner in Samaipur Badli. The victim reported the matter to the local police. After receiving extortion calls repeatedly, the victim decided to meet the caller near M.N. Convent School on Kushak Road. The caller disclosed his name as Thakur. The police were deployed at the spot in plain clothes. When the suspects reached there, he was arrested, the police said.
AICC concern at blasts The AICC general secretary, Mr Pramod Arya, expressed concern at the growing criminal activities in he country. Expressing regret on the killing of innocent people in bomb explosion at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar, he demanded that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh should be given to the family members of each victim.
Godrej products While buying the Godrej Products, the consumers should be careful as duplicate products are being sold in the market. Two shopkeepers have been arrested in Ghaziabad and booked under the Copy Rights Act, a press release said. |
Five of Chhota Nawab gang caught after encounter New Delhi, August 27 Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Ranjit Narayan said that based on a tip-off, the gang members would be coming in a Maruti Zen car No DL 9C-8843 to target a Chandni Chowk businessman, the police team spotted the car. When the team tried to stop the vehicle, the occupants tried to escape and started firing at the police party. The police, however, followed the accused and fired in retaliation. The accused were overpowered on the flyover towards the ISBT Kashmere Gate. The occupants were later identified as Ibrahim alias Pahelwan, resident of Muzaffar Nagar, Rustom Tyagi, resident of Muzaffar Nagar, Zafar Malik, resident of Dakshin Puri, Anil Kumar, resident of Faridabad and Gohar Alam, resident of Madan Gir. During interrogation, it was found out that the accused were involved in more than 20 cases of armed robberies in Delhi. They had looted Rs 15 lakh in Punjabi Bagh, Rs 1.20 lakh in Ambedkar Nagar, Rs 2.80 lakh in Okhla, Rs 2 lakh in Laxmi Nagar, Rs 1 lakh in Preet Vihar, Rs 3 lakh in Loni and Rs 2.75 lakh in Muzaffar Nagar. Apart from the cases in Delhi, they were involved in several cases in Muzaffar Nagar. The accused also disclosed that they had conducted a recce of IP estate Petrol Pump, Kalkaji and Moolchand for looting. The accused in their late 20s had a flamboyant lifestyle and used to enter banks on the pretext of opening accounts. They in turn watch the soft targets with huge cash. The gang is so desperate that once their target is fixed, they never hesitated to cause them injury even at the slightest resistance. |
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Three criminals escape Faridabad, August 27 The accused had been in police remand after their arrest on August 25. According to police sources, these persons identified as Naresh, Lallan and Raju, presently living in the jhuggis of Sector-11 and Baroli bridge had been booked under Section 454 and 380 of the IPC on July 25, in connection with thefts and robberies. While Lallan and Naresh hail from Bihar, third one is from Bijnore in UP. The accused managed to break the lock and fled last night. A case has been booked. |
Come October, and it’s time to visit Surajkund Tradefest Faridabad, August 27 The important feature this time is changing of the dates of holding the fair. Instead of organising it in the last week of December, the authorities this year have decided to hold it in October. It is reported that factors like extreme cold and lack of festive season in December have made the organisers put the show in October due to approaching holidays of Dassehra and Diwali. Moreover, it is believed the India International Trade Fair (IITF) is held annually at Pragati Maidan between November 14 to 27 and the residents of Delhi and NCR feel less attracted towards such an event held after the IITF in a place in the NCR. It is reported that the Trade Fair Authority of Haryana (TFAH) and the Haryana Tourism will jointly organise this fair. They have put an advertisement in some of the dailies inviting designers and companies for submitting proposals to develop the spot on the pattern of Pragati Maidan. The authorities feel that the process of developing an attractive fair site may start soon. The Mela authorities have also decided not to use the huts located in the Surajkund complex for the fair this time in the Trade Fest-2003, as it was done last year. |
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