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Sheila’s image endeared her to the middle
class New Delhi, December 10 A woman of determination, she has emerged as a leader who managed to reach out to the people and addressed their issues and concerns. A former MP from Kannauj, she has earned herself a “clean reputation” apart from the urbane and dignified image. The 70-year-old energetic Chief Minister with a penchant for movies has consciously presented an image of a lady with middle class moorings and appearance. With development being her pet word, she is aiming to transform Delhi into a modern city with clean roads. Delhi, according to her vision, will soon have 52 flyovers. The Metro too will find itself going to more parts of the city and power and electricity woes will also be tackled. An alumnus of Jesus and Mary school and Miranda House, where she completed her post-graduation in history, Ms Dikshit brings to the administration vast experience in administrative and parliamentary matters. She was a member of the eighth Lok Sabha and had represented the Kannuaj parliamentary constituency from 1984 to 1989. As an MP she had served on the Estimates Committee of the Lok Sabha and later became a minister in the Union Cabinet (1986-89), first as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and, later, with additional charge as Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. She also chaired the Implementation Committee for Commemoration of Forty Years of India’s Independence and the Jawaharlal Nehru centenary. In May 1998, Ms Dikshit was appointed President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), and she led her party to a sweeping victory in the Delhi assembly elections the same year. During her stint as Chief Minister, her initiative vis-ŕ-vis Bhagidari system and the momentum given to development works were the two major planks of her dispensation. As part of the Bhagidari system, she set up District Development Committees with people’s representatives and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) for making her government responsive and transparent. Ms Dikshit has also represented India on UN Commission on the Status of Women (1984-89). In Uttar Pradesh, she, along with her 82 colleagues, was jailed in August 1990 by the state government when she led a people’s movement against some incidents of atrocities against women. |
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Fatal attraction New Delhi, December 10 The accused have been identified as Meenu Deewan, her husband K. S. Sirish, and two employees of Meenu, Deepak and Amit. “The doctor was initially strangulated to death by three persons, including a woman, in Vasant Vihar. Later, his body was burnt with kerosene and diesel on the Gurgoan-Rohtak road,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Ranjit Narayan. Since the body had burnt beyond recognition, the confessions of the accused and the DNA tests conducted on the bones helped establish that the victim was indeed Dr Gupta. The doctor went missing on Friday. His family members lodged a complaint at the Rajinder Nagar police station the next day. The family members also reported that they had received a ransom call for Rs 1 crore from the kidnappers. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Arvind Deep said, “The main accused, Meenu Deewan, and R. K. Gupta were having an illicit relationship. While Meenu wanted to put an end to the relationship the doctor did not agree to it.” Dr Gupta had left the hospital for home around 1 pm on Friday and received a call from Meenu to meet her at her office in Vasant Vihar. Gupta reached Vasant Vihar and parked his car near the Punjab National Bank and reached her office, Mercury Solutions. Immediately, Meenu took him to the first floor. In keeping with the plan, Deepak and Amit also reached the first floor and found Gupta and Meenu in a compromising position. They tied Gupta’s hands and legs and with the help of a rope and strangulated him to death. Later, the trio put Gupta’s body in his Cielo car (HR-26-J-67470 and drove it to the Gurgoan highway. There, they burnt the body. Later, the car was parked in NIT-3, Faridabad. While Meenu came back in her Wagon R car, Amit and Deepak took different routes to reach their homes. To project the murder as handiwork of professional killers, Meenu directed Amit and Deepak to make a ransom call to Gupta’s family from Noida the next day. Mr Narayan said Meenu had gone for her hip bone and tuberculosis treatment to Dr Gupta 12 years ago. They later developed a liaison and continued to interact even after Meenu’s marriage seven years ago. Since Meenu was having problems due to their relationship, she, along with her employees, decided to eliminate Gupta. The police also said both the families were aware of their relationship. |
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Dacoity bid foiled at petrol
pump Sonepat, December 10 According to a report, one of the hooligans, Sandeep, sustained bullet injuries. He was arrested along with four others. The arrested persons were identified as Sandeep of Rajthal, Hisar, Paramjit of Kamla Nagar, Rohtak, Virender, alias Dharinder of Buddha Khera Lathar in Jind district, Surinder, alias Shaili, of Railway Colony, Rohtak, and Krishan of Vijay Nagar, Rohtak. The police seized two countrymade pistols, four live cartridges, some iron rods and a Maruti car (DL 8CA/5626) from the possession of the arrested persons. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat, told mediapersons here today that a party of the Gohana police was patrolling the area near the bus stand at Khandrai village in connection with Operation Sadbhavna when information was received that five youths armed with pistols were planning to commit a dacoity at the petrol pump on the Gohana-Jind road. The police immediately swung into action and conducted a raid on the place. On seeing the police, the youths tried to escape. One of them fired shots at the police party but the officials escaped unhurt. The SHO, Gohana, also fired shots at the miscreants. One of them, Sandeep, fell down after sustaining bullet injuries. Thereafter, the police overpowered Sandeep and the other four. The SP further disclosed that the police had registered a case and further investigations were in progress. The injured youth was immediately hospitalised and is stated to be out of danger. |
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Pay property tax, book a park on
Net New Delhi, December 10 The Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, said this facility could be used for making payments of property tax, obtaining birth and death certificates, and booking parks and community centres. The modalities were being worked out to provide more services through Internet banking. Now, people do not need to go to corporation offices to pay property tax and for booking of parks. People who are in foreign countries and have their properties in the national Capital can deposit the tax using the online facility. The banks will have nominal charges for providing the gateway facilities to the people. The MCD will not incur any financial liability on this account. Efforts are being made to tie up with other banks also for the convenience of the citizens. For making payments through the Internet gateway, citizens need to access the MCD’s website, choose the payment option and fill the details of credit card to complete the transaction. For directly debiting the payment, a citizen will check the details of the services proposed to be utilised by him. He will then opt for the payment facility and the payee bank and enter his user ID and password. He will then be taken over to the bank’s website, where he can complete the transaction. On conclusion of the transaction, the account of the citizen will be debited and payment credited into the MCD account, the Municipal Commissioner said. |
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No escape from killer
intersections Gurgaon, December 10 More than 40 villages fall between the 42nd milestone and the 248th milestone on National Highway-8. With villagers often plying their trucks, and trailers on the wrong side of the road, the highway is home to accidents on a regular basis. The villagers have also made illegal breaches on the national highway, lamented a senior executive of Intertoll ICS Cecons, the company authorised by the National Highway Authority of India for maintaining and operating this stretch. On the 206-km stretch, the company has six patrolling vehicles to check violators and three ambulances to provide first aid and ferry patients to nearby hospitals, in case of a mishap. On an average, this stretch witnesses around 100 accidents in a month. More than 100 persons have succumbed to injuries suffered in these accidents during the year, informed the officer. More than 40 villages fall on the ‘killer’ stretch. The villagers often use the wrong side of the road as a short cut, putting their own and other passengers’ lives at stake. The villagers had also breached the national highway at several places to access their villages. Of course, there are other reasons for accidents on this road. The truck drivers, generally illiterate, cannot read signboards. Mostly, truck drivers are involved in such accidents. |
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Milk van
carrying liquor impounded Faridabad, December 10 The van, containing about 140 cases of liquor, was intercepted near Badoli village by a team of the Sector 7 police. It is reported that someone had tipped off the police about the vehicle (HR-38A-4966). It is believed the liquor had come from Jhajjar district and was on its way to a godown near Sector 7. A case has been registered.
Cricket ball
proves fatal A seven-year-old boy became the victim of a cricket ball at a village in the district yesterday. The boy, identified as Babloo, was hit by a hard ball when he was watching a match in Alli Brahaman village in the district. The ball hit the boy in the groin and he fell down unconscious. He had breathed his last by the time he was taken to a doctor. |
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Parties put women on top to woo
voters Panipat, December 10 The increasing profile of Shashi Luthra, the joint-secretary of the Haryana Congress, with the implicit support of the Party High Command, has unnerved many in the district, including the sitting MLA of the Congress party, Mr Balbir Pal Shah. The ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), not wishing to be seen as lagging behind in giving high profile political roles to women in the district, has nominated Ms Krishna Gahlyan as the district president of the party’s mahila wing. Even the independent candidate of Sarv Jaatiya Panchayat, Mr Om Prakash Jain, who won the 1996 Assembly election with a margin of over 20,000 votes, has Ms Usha Chauhan as the party’s district president of the mahila wing, so as to attract the women voters in the coming Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Ms Jyotika Saxena as their district president, even though her opponents alleged that she had little hold over any particular vote bank. With the appointment of Ms Saxena as the district president, it is alleged that the control of the district had now indirectly come under the BJP stalwart, Mr Niti Sain Bhatia. The outgoing district president of the BJP, Dr Manohar Lal Suneja, confirmed to NCR Tribune that they were dedicated workers of the party and were ready to serve in whatever manner the party High Command desired. However, some of the BJP activists alleged that that Ms Saxena did not have the backing of any particular caste. When asked by the NCR Tribune about her vote bank, the district president said she had the support of all the castes in the district and she did not require the support of any particular caste to make a mark in the politics of the district. Having been a member of the Municipal Council, she had the support of the public and was ready to be the candidate of the party in the coming Assembly elections if the High Command wished, she said. For the present, however, her only aim was to revitalize the BJP in Panipat. Having a cordial relationship with the top brass of the BJP, she said the party High Command had given her the post after assessing her dedication to the party, apart from her non-controversial relationship with the district leaders. She said that she would try to measure up to the expectation of the party leadership, and would make all efforts for the revival of the party. With dedication and teamwork, she was confident of winning the approval of the voters and “capture” the Panipat Assembly seat. She said the reorganisation of the party at the booth level and sangathan (Mandal) level would be her first priority. A meeting to finalize the remaining mandal and block elections would be held on December 12, and a district meeting would be held to formulate future plans and action of the party on December 14, she added. Though she admitted to the presence of factionalism in the party, she promised to make an effort to carry all sections of the party. Moreover, efforts would be made to persuade those who had left the party to rejoin it and enlarge the mass base of the party, she said. However, her detractors said that her task in revitalising the party would not be easy, particularly in the light of the prevailing factionalism in the district party unit. |
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SAD (B) leader complains to Dy
PM New Delhi, December 10 In a letter addressed to the DPM, Mr L K Advani, Bhogal has alleged that on December 1, he was “physically assaulted” by the supporters of his opponent at polling booth number 21 in Lajpat Nagar. Jathedar Bhogal who was the joint candidate of the Akali Dal-BJP in the Assembly elections went on to add that the police officers visiting his residence have hitherto made promises to look into the matter, but no steps have been taken till date. He alleged that the police have failed to record the statement of the eyewitnesses and that while he was being assaulted, the government officials on poll duty continued to watch without taking any action against the culprits. |
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Rally demands end to ‘mad rush for boys only’ New Delhi, December 10 Raising slogans and armed with the placards that highlighted the bias against the girl child, a large number of women, children and men sought an end to the sex determination tests and female foeticide. They pointed out that the ‘mad rush’ for the ‘boys only’ is responsible for the decline in the male-female ratio. It was also pointed out that the eagerness for boys was baseless as girls are proving worthier in every field. Addressing a seminar on Human Rights and Female Foeticide, Women and Child Development Minister Jaskaur Meena said, “We have to give due credit to our people in the villages, most of whom may be illiterate, but they are aware of the dignity of women.” Ms Meena went on to blame the urban society for the increasing gap in the male-female ratio. “There are several reasons for this, dowry is only one,” she said. The minister pointed out that families are even reluctant to spend money on the education of girls and choose instead to shower their wealth on the boys, even sending them abroad for higher studies. “In the end, the parents do realise that only their girls will be there to care for them while the boys continue their lives in the West,” she said speaking at the seminar, organised by the Delhi Social Welfare Advisory Board. The marchers, holding placards and banners, walked in a procession from the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra at Chanakyapuri to the nearby Teen Murti Bhavan. The Central Social Welfare Board has organised similar programmes in 32 states and union territories on the occasion of Human Rights Day. |
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Traffic disrupted over police
inaction Ghaziabad (Hapur), December 10 The body of the young man of village Dastoi under Kharkhoda police station, who had gone missing three days ago, was found dumped in a sugarcane field near village Goyana. In view of the protest by the villagers, the Hapur police registered a case and sent the body for the postmortem examination. A guard in the nearby sugarcane field was detained for interrogation in this connection. According to police, one woman grasscutter had spotted the body in the sugarcane field near village Goyana on Tuesday and reported the matter to the police. The dead body had been identified by the villagers of Dastoi as that of 25-year-old Naresh, son of Nepal Jat. The victim had been strangled and had injury marks on his head. The people were angry that neither the Hapur police nor the Kharkhodea police had bothered to remove the body, to say nothing of tracing the killers.
Need for Labour Lok Adalat Noida: In view of the increasing number of pending labour disputes in the Labour Court, Ghaziabad, the need for a ‘Labour Lok Adalat’ in Noida was stressed by the Labour Commissioner, Ms Anita Bhatnagar, here yesterday. Commenting on the large number of complaints by labour unions on the non-payment of their wages by the employers, the Labour Commissioner said that the Labour Department will look into it and strict action will be taken against unit owners who had violated the law on the subject. The Labour Commissioner was addressing officers of the Labour Department from Noida and Ghaziabad here. Later, Ms Anita Bhatnagar listened to the grievances of the entrepreneurs and industrialists. She said Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad were the industrial hub of UP and the industrial development of the state was depended on the productivity of this belt. This area also employs a large number of skilled and semi-skilled workers. It is the responsibility of the Labour Department to provide all facilities to them, she said. “It is our effort to talk to all concerned people and to build up a conducive and friendly atmosphere for work for everyone,” Ms. Bhatnagar said. The Labour Commissioner said a ‘Labour Lok Adalat’ had a sitting in Kanpur recently where a large number of long-pending labour disputes were sorted out. Similarly, we need to have a ‘Labour Lok Adalat’ in Noida so that a considerable load of pending labour cases in Ghaziabad court could be speedily decided upon. Ms Bhatnagar said the department was receiving a large number of wage related complaints and would ensure that such disputes don’t originate in the district. A registration camp is being organized in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar from January 14, where all shops, commercial establishments and industrial units could get their registration renewed, she added.
School inaugurated A new educational institution known as Mayoor School has come up in Noida. Lauding the vision of the Trust of the school, the Union HRD Minister, Dr Sanjay Paswan expressed his confidence that Mayoor School will produce worthy and brilliant students, who would make contribution to the progress of the country. Dr Paswan assured the trustees that he will render all help to the school in its effort. It was claimed that Mayo College, Ajmer, had granted collaboration to the Mayoor School.
Polio Case detected A new polio case was reported in Gautam Budh Nagar. Rotary Club member SS Goel received the information that a 5-year-old girl, Guddi in Sector-29 Noida, was suffering from polio. Mr Goel passed this information to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr R.C. Goel, and the medical surveillance officer of World Health Organization, Dr Danish Ahmed. Interestingly, a two-year-old girl, Rashmi of Dadri, had been diagnosed as suffering from polio. Rashmi was declared as suffering from polio in spite of the fact that she had been administered polio drops during last four campaigns. |
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Prisoners shifted to ease pressure on district
jail Sonepat, December 10 According to a report, the jail authorities have also prepared another list of 50 prisoners, who will be shifted to the Central Jail at Gurgaon within a couple of days. Even though the capacity of the Sonepat district jail was for only 900 prisoners, more than 1,300 prisoners have been kept here. According to another report, the jail authorities had recovered ‘sulfa’ from the possession of an employee on duty in the jail, but the case was reportedly hushed up when he offered an unconditional apology and promised not to keep such “stuff” in the future. The Jail Superintendent had, however, warned the staff and officials that stern action would be taken against them if they were found in possession of ‘sulfa’ or any other contraband articles on the jail premises.
IAF officer, wife injured Mr M S Singh, a retired Indian Air Force personnel from Noida and his wife were injured when the car in which they were travelling dashed against a culvert on the GT road, near Kuber Hotel, Murthal, about 10 km from here last evening. According to a report, the car was on its way from Noida to Chandigarh. Both the injured persons were rushed to a private hospital in this city for medical treatment. The condition of both the injured persons was stated to be out of danger. According to another report, two persons, namely Sandeep Singh of Partap Garh (UP) and Ramphal of Zainpur (UP), were injured when they were hit by an unknown vehicle on the G T road near Murthasl, about 8 km from here last night. Both the injured persons were sent to a trauma centre at Delhi for further treatment.
Insufficient allocation of funds Can an amount of Rs 7,000 be enough to organise two district level festivals, including the distribution of prizes among the winners? Probably not, but the local district sports authorities have no other option but to organise a women sports festival and a cultural festival. A financial grant of Rs 7,000 is provided by the sports authority of India (SAI) to the local sports office to organise the two events every year. The amount included Rs 4,000 for a cultural festival and Rs 3,000 for the ‘Mahila’ festival. Hundreds of youths take part in the festivals. Even within the small amount sanctioned, it is the duty of the district sports authorities to meet out all the expenses of the two festivals, including boarding and lodging of the participants as well as prizes for the winners. A large number of girls take part in the sports-kabaddi, hockey, athletics, wrestling and volley ball-included in the women sports festival. Overall the two events do not attract the best participants due to the shortage of funds. In effect, the sports authorities are reportedly made to run around to moblise finances for the two festivals. The festivals are organised with the aim to choose the teams for the state level competition. The sports authorities and the leading sports persons of the district are of the opinion that an increased allocation of funds would help in the promotion of sports at the grass root level. |
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IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, December 10 Replying to written questions, Minister of State for Home I D Swami said while 297 persons were killed due to heavy vehicles like goods carriers, 60 were killed by private passenger buses and another 35 by Delhi Transport Corporation buses. The figure of the injured stood at 880 till November 30 this year, he added. He said that Delhi Police have so far suspended permits of 21,286 vehicles for rash and negligent driving. As many as 7,402 vehicles were stolen between December 1, 2002 and November 30 this year from the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Of these vehicles, 1,364 were recovered and 1,278 handed over to the owners, Minister of State for Home I D Swami said during Question Hour. Investigating officers
being rewarded In reply to another question, Swami said as part of an incentive, the investigating officers whose probe led to winning of cases were being rewarded suitably. He said the Delhi Police had filed 24,793 cases this year in various courts and there were 429 acquittals. The acquittal reports received from the courts were examined at length and if at any point, it was found that there was some lapse at the investigation level, strict action would be taken against the officer concerned, the Minister said. |
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Amend building laws, urges MCD
leader New Delhi, December 10 He said that the national Capital had undergone phenomenal growth due to population pressure. The need for housing has proportionately increased but the number of dwelling units has not been increased. The same is true of commercial activities. The present building bylaws have become obsolete since they are not capable of catering to the people’s needs in the sphere of both residential and commercial sectors. Mr Ram Babu Sharma, who has been elected as MLA from Rohtas Nagar Assembly constituency and will resign in a few days from the corporation, said that the existing laws need vast amendments to be realistic. A subcommittee constituted by the Standing Committee in its |
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NCR BRIEFS Jhajjar, December 10 According to the information reaching here today, a woman Chando Devi (50) was cooking in the morning of December 5. Suddenly, the cylinder burst, and the woman and her husband Ishwar Singh (55) received injuries. They were admitted to hospitals in a serious condition. Both succumbed to their injuries on December 8. Rail line demanded The District Bar Association submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding to link the district headquarters with the railway line. In its memorandum, the Bar Association held that almost all the district headquarters in Haryana have Railway facility barring Jhajjar town. Couples arrested Two couples were arrested by the district police in the town yesterday. A police party raided a lodge on a tip-off and found two men and two women inside the room in a compromising condition. All the four persons were arrested under the Immoral Trafficking Act. Youth held for bid to snatch necklace Sonepat: A youth Ajay was arrested when he allegedly snatched a necklace from a woman in the Model Town area here last evening. According to a report, the youth tried to escape but was chased and apprehended by the people who handed him over to the police. A case has been registered against the youth. Body found The Mohana police found a decomposed body of an unidentified youth (25) lying in the area of Murthal police station last evening and sent it for the postmortem examination at PGIMS Rohtak. According to a report, the body remains unidentified and the police have registered the case in this connection. According to another report, the police also found the body of a woman lying on the road near Mamoon Bhanja Chowk here last evening. The victim belonged to Mandwa Raipur (Chhatisgarh), and the body has been sent for the postmortem examination. The police suspect that it is a case of heart attack. Petrol pumps raided The officials of the food and Supplies department conducted raids at five petrol pumps in the district yesterday and checked the weight and records of these petrol pumps. According to a report, this step has been taken to check the sale of adulterated petroleum products and short weight. During the raids, the records of the petrol pumps were found correct. However, it is alleged that the owners of the petrol pumps got prior information about the raids by the district authorities. The district administration has decided to conduct a fresh survey for the delimitation of the wards in this city for holding civic elections. According to a report, the survey will start from December 15 and continue for a week. At least 102 officials and employees of various government departments have been deputed for this purpose who will visit every house during the period of the survey. |
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LG Prayas to work for deprived kids New Delhi, December 10 The programme would target 1,000 underprivileged children, including slum dwellers and street children, Prayas founder general secretary Amod Kanth said. |
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Workshop owner held for chassis
racket New Delhi, December 10 The suspect was identified as Thakur Dass. He used to change the chassis number and engine number of the vehicle and gave registration number of new valid vehicles. He ran motor workshop in the name of Thakur Motor Workshop at Main Road Sanat Nagar Burari from where he used to carry out the racket. He would purchase 15-year-old Matador which is invalid to ply in Delhi. He purchased Matador of valid registration number (less than 15 years) but unfit to ply due to severe accident, police said. The suspect along with his associate Ram Phool used to cut a portion of chassis number of 15-year-old Matador tempo. Similarly, a portion of valid registration number vehicle was removed and affixed in old vehicle very cleanly. Thereafter, the engine number and registration number of valid vehicles were affixed in invalid vehicles and sold to the gullible persons, the police said. Ten pieces of chassis number, 64 plates of engine number and 52 registration certificates of vehicles kept for making such changes in the vehicles were seized from his possession. The police have arrested three more persons who had knowingly got altered the chassis number of old vehicles with that of usable new Matador from Thakur Dass. In another case, the South district police arrested three members of a Meerut-based gang of auto thieves. The suspects, Manoj Kumar, Sikander and Mohammad Sarfaraz, were arrested from near Giri Nagar Masjid in Kalkaji. The police seized 13 stolen vehicles, including Tata Sumo, Toyota Qualis, Zen, etc. They were arrested following a tip-off that a Meerut-based gang of auto lifters was moving in Kalkaji area. During interrogation, the suspects disclosed that Manoj Kumar was a constable in the UP Police. He was posted in 26th battalion of PAC at Banaras. He had taken leave for five days and come to Meerut to meet his associates–Babloo, Afzal, and Shokeen, notorious auto thieves of Meerut. Manoj along with Afzal reached Delhi to steal vehicles. Manoj had been engaged in this activity for the last two years. He came in touch with the criminals when he came to their garage in Meerut for the repair work of government vehicles, the police said. |
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Held for promising investors the moon Rewari, December 10 It is alleged that the functionaries of the company used to lure the residents to invest their money in the company on the promise of doubling the deposit in a short time. The complainant Mrs Rajrani, who fell in their trap, had deposited Rs 7,500 with the company. When the term of the deposit expired, she made repeated pleas to the company officials to return her deposit along with the promised high amount of interest. But when nothing emerged, she approached the police. They had allegedly duped a large number of investors. The police have registered a case of cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy under Sections 420, 406,467, 468, 506, 120-B against the accused who all have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a local court. |
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