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People make merry while the sun shines New Delhi, January 11 However, the warm sunny sky is short-lived, claim the weather experts, who have predicted colder days ahead. The temperature in the city has been steadily increasing, and Sunday recorded a minimum of 8.2 degrees Celsius, an increase from Saturday’s low of 7.7 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature on Saturday was 22.2 degrees Celsius, almost a degree above Friday’s high of 21.3 degrees. Officials at the Met Department have, however, warned that the temperatures are bound to come down in a few days with a cold wave, which might again disrupt the normal life. Although flight operations continued normally during the week, train services were hit due to poor weather conditions in the neighbouring states. A Northern Railway spokesman said seven trains leaving New Delhi had been cancelled while around 35 trains operating in northern India were running behind schedule. Meanwhile, parks and roof-tops are crowded by the people soaking sunshine in the Capital. Delhi had been left freezing in the winter chill and most people were forced to stay indoors. “We were not able to step out of the house and were constantly made to sit covered with blankets,” recalled a youngster who was out playing cricket “while the sun shone”. |
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MCF staff to rally against transfers on Jan 15 Faridabad, January 11 The district unit of the Haryana Nagarpalika Karamchari Sangh which has announced to challenge the orders in the court, also decided to protest against the move. At a meeting held here yesterday, the Sangh leaders declared to hold a protest-cum-demonstration against the transfers outside the office of the MCF here on January 15. They alleged that the transfers had been unjustified and discriminatory. They said the relocation of employees by shifting them to the newly set up improvement trusts at various places was not acceptable. Sending them in such a manner to the distant places was like a ‘forcible’ retirement. It is not the first case of transfer or relocation of the staff of the MCF here, but the government had earlier also ordered the transfer of some employees, including senior officials. It is reported that some of them were able to get their transfer cancelled due to their connections with the ‘higher authorities’. The MCF has a staff strength of over 5,000, which include many daily wagers and contractual employees. The civic body had retrenched about 1,500 of the employees in 2001. But this order was challenged in the High Court and as some of the staff got a relief. The case is still pending. An office-bearer of the Karamchari Sangh claimed that the new policy of transfer of the lower and middle staff was improper. He alleged that the state government had made the MCF as a top-heavy body with a large number of officers, whose salary and allowances had been a major burden on the finances of the civic body. |
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BSNL cheating case: Property dealer quizzed Sonepat, January 11 However, Om Prakash said that Ramphal and Ramesh struck a deal between themselves, so much so that he was not given even his commission for the rent deal. Since then, the duo had not met him. He came to know about their illegal activities only when it was highlighted in the newspaper. Regarding the telephone connections, the property dealer stated that he had told Ramphal that Ramesh wanted to get a telephone connection, as he wanted to start a business. He assured that Ramesh would deposit the security amount in the BSNL office. Thereafter, the duo worked out a compromise in this regard. He was nowhere in the picture, the property dealer said. He also denied that he had ever met Sandeep, the other man accused of cheating the BSNL. Ramphal also appeared before the police yesterday. The police had asked Ramphal and Om Prakash not to leave the city without informing them. However, it is learnt that Ramphal told the police that he had helped Ramesh in getting two telephones connections installed in the house. On the basis of the statement of Ramphal, the police officials had summoned Om Parkash for recording his statement. |
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Crime maze New Delhi, January 11 The police have formed several special teams and deployed as many as 300 policemen to identify the culprit, allegedly a railway employee, This is a matter of serious concern and we want to detect and prevent such fire incidents in future to restore a sense of security among the passengers, said a senior railway official. The trains which mysteriously caught fire are: two coaches of Kaifiyat Express on November 11; two III tier AC coaches of Brahmaputra Mail on November 21; 21 ceiling fans and four motors of Delhi-Rewari passenger mail, burnt on December 3; eight seats of III tier AC coach in Mumbai Rajdhani express, burnt on December 6; III tier sleeper class seats of Purshottam Express, cut and burnt on December 18; one coach of Prayag Raj Express, burnt on December 18; four coaches of Lucknow Mail, burnt on January 6; and a coach of Ashram Express, burnt on January 8. According to the police, the mysterious arsonist is allegedly a railway employee who is setting the coaches on fire for some unknown reason. Apart from the policemen on duty in the railway station, several plainclothes men have also been deployed to find out the culprit, said the official. House burgled; cash, jewellery stolen Noida: Burglars broke open the padlock on a house in Sector-23 under Sector 24 police station here and decamped with jewellery, cash and valuable goods worth lakhs. One Arvind filed a report in this connection. Arvind and his family had gone out of station when the criminals struck after breaking open the locks. In another incident in Phase-II, unidentified criminals stole a Maruti van. Banghel resident Budh Ram Sharma has filed an FIR that his Maruti van No. DLA/2783 had been stolen. It was parked in front of his house. Dreaded criminal
in police net Noida police claimed a big success when head of an inter-state criminal gang Tofique, alias Vasir, carrying Rs 2,500 reward on his head was nabbed after an encounter. S.P. City Anand Dev Tiwari said today that Tofique had organised his own gang in 1984 and had committed dozens of crimes, including 14 dacoities in Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahar, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Aligarh, and in Rajasthan at Alwar and Bharatpur and in Punjab. Tofique was arrested after an encounter near DND flyway. Property dealer stabbed Ghaziabad: A property dealer in Rajinder Nagar colony of Sahibabad was stabbed a number of times for resisting armed criminals who tried to rob him. He was hit with the butt of the revolver also and was later admitted to Narinder Mohan Hospital, Ghaziabad. Property dealer Ajay Sharma was returning home in Rajinder Nagar, from Lajpat Nagar, when four criminals accosted him at gun-point near DAV school and asked him to hand over whatever he had. But Sharma resisted and slapped two of the miscreants. But the criminals assaulted him with the revolver butt, and stabbed him repeatedly with a knife. They fled from there after snatching Sharma’s cell phone and purse. |
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Check murders in the name of family New Delhi, January 11 “According to the statistics that we have collected from the authorities, there is an increase in the cases of violence against young people for transgressing caste, religious boundaries in the choice of their partners. Effective measures are needed to end such incidents,” said Ms Brinda Karat, general secretary of AIDWA. Addressing a convention here, she said the matter is serious as such incidents are on the rise and the form of violence is ‘inhuman’. Ms Karat pointed out that the incidents which include lynching of the couple, murder, murder made to appear as suicide, sexual assault, public humiliation, stripping, shaving of head, forcing the couple to drink urine or eat excreta, social boycott and huge fines are evils that the perpetrators resort to. She said Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh are among the worst affected regions in the country. “In a single district of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, in the first nine months of 2003, as many as 13 ‘honour’ killings took place. It has been estimated that in the Punjab and Haryana region, 10 per cent of all murders are ‘honour’ killings,” she said. Describing the ‘caste panchayats’, a platform directly responsible for the incidents of violence committed in the name of honour, Ms Karat demanded a ban on all decisions of such caste panchayats, which ‘militate’ against the constitution. Alleging that the mainstream political parties of the country are using the caste panchayats for electoral gains, Ms Karat said all political parties should give a commitment to uphold the right of ‘own choice’ marriages. Stating that the procedures of the Special Marriages Act make it a hurdle for the couples opting to get married under it, Ms Karat said that the Act should be simplified to help such pairs. A resolution adopted by the convention also demanded that the police should not act on the complaint of a third party if two adults have a consensual relationship and also sought relevant changes in the laws to encourage courts to take suo motu notice of the crime. Several young victims, who attended the convention, narrated the violent incidents they had faced. |
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Farmers to launch agitation against INLD government Sonepat, January 11 The BKU alleged that the present INLD government led by Mr Om Prakash Chautala had adopted ‘anti-farmer and anti-people’ policies in the state. He said that Mr Chautala had come to power with the support of the farmers, but had adopted ‘anti-farmer attitude’ and let loose repression on the leaders of the BKU and other farmer organisations. He accused the state government of instituting false criminal cases against them. He also alleged that the farmers were being imprisoned on some pretext or the other. He also accused the Union Government of phasing out subsidies in the farming sector. Expressing his concern over the erratic supply of canal water, Mr Khokhar said that the rabi crops had been severely affected. He also said that the farmers had been put under debt due to the faulty policies of the Union Government. The financial position of the farmers, he said, had deteriorated to the extent that they were committing suicide. He called upon the farmers to remain united and continue their struggle against the ‘anti-farmer’ policies of both the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the INLD government in Haryana led by Mr Chautala.
Abhey Singh on
Inauguration spree Mr Abhey Singh Chautala, MLA, and president of the Haryana Olympic Association, inaugurated a fire service station, an old age home and an auditorium in the Panchayat Bhawan at Ganaur town, about 16 km from here last evening. According to a report, a sum of Rs 10.50 lakh was spent on the construction of the fire service station, whereas Rs 3.50 lakh was spent on the construction of the old age home. A sum of Rs 3.75 lakh was spent on the construction of the auditorium. Later, Mr Chautala distributed prizes to the winners in the two-day state-level Haryana style kabbaddi championship, which concluded at Purkhas village, about 20 km from here last evening. The Mokhra village bagged the championship by defeating Chhaju Garhi team in the final match.
Court work
suspension ends The District Bar Association has withdrawn its decision to suspend work in the courts with immediate effect. According to a report, it has also decided to continue the inquiry into the complaint of Mr Anup Dahiya, a lawyer alleging that he was looted by some miscreants on the Sonepat- Gohana road, near Pinana vilage on January 2. The police had failed to register an FIR in this connection. |
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Special Focus on
SONEPAT Sonepat, January 11 Kharkhauda town with a population of just more than 25,000 on the Sonepat-Rohtak National Highway is directly linked by road with Delhi, Bahadurgarh, Sampla, Gohana and villages of the area. It has been recently re-upgraded to a municipal committee. In order to decongest the vehicular traffic passing through the town, the government has sanctioned a bypass linking Delhi road, Sampla road, Bahadurgarh road, Matindu road, Thana Kalan road with Rohtak-Sonepat highway. This six-kilometer bypass is estimated to cost around Rs 2.50 crore. As the government notification has already been issued and it is expected that the bypass would be constructed within one year. The compensation of the land acquired for the purpose is likely to be paid in March. According to government sources, the public health department has increased the water storage capacity of the water tanks to augment potable water supplies to the people and has also got sanction from the government for installation of a treatment plant. The municipality has also received government approval for a planned housing board colony and the power sub-station is being upgraded to 132 KV sub-station to ensure full voltage supply in the town and villages of the area. After its upgradation to tehsil status, most of the offices of the public dealing government departments have been opened in the town. Though the town might not be having a government senior secondary school, but a girl college has been opened in the town to encourage girls’ education in the area. The construction works of a drain is in progress to improve the drainage system of the town and the municipality has also received green signals for laying sewerage system in the town. The streetlight is being improved at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakh and BSNL has planned to install a transmission tower for launching its mobile phone service in the town. Though a bus stand was sanctioned for the town on the Sonepat-Rohtak highway nearly a decade back, but none of the government so far provided funds for its construction. During recent visit of the Chief Minister in the town, it was the first demand of the people of the town and the CM promised to get it constructed at the earliest. The biggest problem of the town has been the frequent traffic jams on the main road of the town as thousands of vehicles including trucks, oil tankers and other heavy vehicles cross through the town and there hardly any arrangements of traffic police to regulate the traffic on the crossings and in the market. According to shopkeepers, there is only one person of traffic police, who remains on duty and it is difficult for him to man the crossings. |
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Need to provide quality life to police New Delhi, January 11 Mr Goel said “The police personnel in Delhi worked under tremendous pressure and in odd circumstances,” and added that he would meet the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, to highlight the problems faced by the police personnel. Mr Goel had already discussed the matter with the Delhi Lt-Governor, Mr Vijay Kapoor and the Delhi Police Commissioner, Mr R. S. Gupta. He said that the basic pay scale of a Constable in Delhi starts at Rs 3,050, where as it is Rs 3,200 in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Due to this disparity there was stagnation in the police force and the policemen in the national Capital were less enthusiastic in carrying out their duties in a professional manner, the Minister said. So it was necessary to provide better service conditions and facilities in order to inspire them to work with utmost sincerity, added Mr Goel. Highlighting the problem of accommodation, he said that the police personnel were generally not allotted government accommodations, forcing them to spend most of their salary on paying rent.
Restrain order A Delhi court has restrained a man, who claimed to be a member of the Shiv Sena, from acting as a member of the party till the final disposal of a suit filed by the Delhi unit chief of the Shiv Sena, Mr Jai Bhawan Goel. Hearing a suit filed by Mr Jai Bhagwan Goel, the Civil Judge, Ms Veena Rani, “restrained” defendant Ajay Srivastava “from acting and functioning in such a manner as to give impression to the people that he and his associates were the members of Shiv Sena or Vidyarthi Sena or Yuva Sena till the final disposal of the suit.” The suit alleged that Mr Srivastava proclaimed himself as the president of the Delhi unit of Sena’s student and youth wings, even though he was not authorised by the party. Later, he was expelled from the party by the Sena pramukh, it claimed, adding the news was carried by the party mouthpiece ‘Samana’. However, inspite of his removal, Mr Srivastava continued to act under the banner of the Shiv Sena, forcing him to file the suit, Mr Goel claimed. |
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Homage to Shastri on his death anniversary New Delhi: The Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit along with Union and state ministers today visited the samadhi of the late Prime Minister, Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri, at Vijay Ghat to pay homage on his 38th death anniversary. His son, Mr Anil Shastri, along with family members was the first to visit the samadhi. The Delhi Government had organised a prayer meeting, which was followed by replay of speeches by the former Prime Minister. Apart from playing the recorded speeches of the Late Prime Minister, scholars of the LBS Vidya Peeth recited Geeta Path and Sumitra Guha sang bhajans.
Lori celebrations The ‘Noida Himachal Hitkari Sabha’ organised Lori celebrations in the Community Center at Sector 22, Noida, today. A cultural show, which included Lori sangeet and other traditional events, was attended by large number of people. Folk dance and music from Himachal Pradesh were also presented. Children also enthralled the audience with their performance. Apart from goodies, the revelers also enjoyed peanuts and revaris, which are linked with the festival of Lori. Rear Admiral R K Sharma, AVSM, VSM, was the chief guest on the occasion and said occasions such as this help people remain connected with their roots.
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Security guard sentenced to life imprisonment Sonepat, January 11 According to a report, the accused was also sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,000, or in default to undergo further one-year rigorous imprisonment on the charge of violating the Indian Arms Act. Both the sentences will run concurrently, the Judge ordered.
Trains disrupted Train service on the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka (DUK) section of the Northern Railway continued to remain disrupted today. Most of the long distance mail, express and superfast trains were running behind schedule. According to a report, the Amritsar- bound Barauni-Amritsar Express was late by nearly 10 hours, whereas the Moori-Jammu Tawi Express, bound for Jammu Tawi by over 5 hours. Similarly, the Himachal Express, bound for Una, was late by three hours and the Suryo-Yamuna Express were running behind schedule by 33 hours.
Grievances
Committee meeting The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Balwan Singh, disposed of seven complaints at a monthly meeting of the District Public Relations and Grievances Committee, held in the Panchayat Bhawan here yesterday. According to a report, complaints were also referred to the authorities concerned for disposal on priority basis. However, the Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, who was to have presided over the meeting, failed to turn up. |
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Armed assailants loot jeweller’s house New Delhi, January 11 As soon as the jeweller opened the door, the armed assailants entered the house and asked him to hand over all the valuables. The assailants were armed with country-made weapons. They later fled with the jewellery. Rajender has a jewellery shop at Beedanpura. The Sarai Rohilla police have registered a case and launched a manhunt to trace the whereabouts of the assailants. Robbers arrested With the arrest of two robbers, the South district police claimed to have solved a robbery case in Gandhi Nagar area. The police said that the robbers, identified as Ajay Kumar (22) and Chandan Kumar (25), both residents of Muzaffarnagar, were apprehended and two country-made pistols were recovered from their possession in the Kotla Mubarakpur area last night. The police also recovered some of the stolen money from the Gandhi Nagar area from their possession. Efforts were being made to recover the remaining amount, the police said. |
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showcase Red Tape has unleashed its trendy winter collection of formal and semi-formal shoes for men. Red Tape, high fashion range of semi-formal and casual wear shoes, is constantly designing fashion forecasts to satisfy the tastes of the fashion conscious individual, and is today one of the largest selling brands in its segment. The new winter collection for men offers a magnificent selection of stylish and fashionable shoes that you can slip into for office wear, party-wear or just to chill out.
Masters of the
Universe Mattel Toys has introduced ‘He-Man’, the most powerful man in the universe and one of the most successful action figure lines in Toy history. The ‘Masters of the Universe’, in all look, ranging from action figures to vehicles and playsets, the toys will be available in leading toyshops and departmental stores across the country. The launch of the all-new action toy line coincides with the return of ‘He-Man’ and ‘Masters of the Universe’ on the small screen in India.
Gas Room Heater Padmini Appliances has launched its new range of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) based high quality, state-of-the-art unique featured automatic ‘Gas Room Heater’. It is a highly economical in operation, which is 70 per cent cheaper than using electricity and suited to Indian weather conditions and frequent disruption of power supply. To provide immediate heating using the kitchen gas cylinder, Padmini Essentia gas room heater is fitted with wheels and slot for gas cylinder to make it potable without wires or pipes.
Home décor Folklore has unveiled its latest collection of home décor. The range includes a
myriad set of paintings, designer pots, pots, glass top tables, consoles, murals, figurines in varied sizes and finishes. The products made of the revolutionary material poly-stone, offer a unique blend of affordability and elegance. The home embellishments by Folklore offer products for a warm, intimate and a distinctively classy environment and can be used as personal gifts, corporate gifts or home décor items.
Kids World Asian Paints has launched the ‘Kids World–A Book of Ideas.’ This book contains a collection of simple yet attractive kids room designs for children of various age groups. Now, how will you choose the theme for your kid’s room? Depending on the age and the personality of your child, you can choose from five themes– ‘Cozy Room’, ‘Cheerful Room’, ‘Playful Room’, ‘Festive Room’ and ‘Cool Room’.
Total Audio
Experience Sony India has introduced the popular entertainment brand Aiwa. The range introduces the first USB DVD Hifi– AIWA BMZ–K7D in India and other trendy models that offer the total audio experience The launch of the new range of home audio systems is backed by Sony after sales service.
Shoes for all
seasons Woodland has introduced the lightweight shoes. With this new introduction, Woodland has ignited a fresh spark in the premium shoe segment. The new range of shoes is made of genuine nubuck leather, ‘Phylon’ shoes with imported fittings that keeps feet warm in winters and cool in summers. These shoes are best suited for trekking, biking with rugged and trendy look. These shoes look heavy but are actually lightweight.
Moonlight Phones LG Electronics has announced the launch of the new RD 2130, ‘Moonlight’ mobile phones for the style conscious mobile users. RD 2130, packed with style comes in a silver-finish and glows in the backlight of cool blue light whenever in use. This rich glow makes the user feel special and stand out in a crowd.
Elegance of Red After a long season of blond and earthy tones, hair designers the world over are going back to the flamboyance and elegance of red. Be it vibrant cherry red or the copper effect or the deep wine red, L’Oreal professional majirel range of hair colours has it all. Celebrity hairdresser, Charlie Sellari, says, “It’s a good sign to see the reds coming back in a big way. It is very feminine, elegant and universal, and the range of shades available can be used to give a tailor-made look to every client. In the Indian context, the reds are a natural choice for the skin tones.
Powder with added perfume Hindustan Lever has launched the ‘New Rin’ washing powder with a unique double whiteness proposition. Unlike other detergent powders that contain mud like ingredients, the ‘New Rin’ powder thoroughly dissolves in water. This path breaking innovation is patented by Unilever. The ‘New Rin’ powder with added perfume has a formulation far superior to the erstwhile ‘Rin Shakti’. The new Rin ensures longevity and keeps your clothes looking new.
Exclusive
Partnership Tata Indicom and the Nokia today announced the exclusive partnership for the launch of Nokia’s first CDMA colour handset in the Indian market at an attractive price. The Nokia 3586 handset combines a vibrant colour display with a whole range of attractive features and a stunning design. With Tata Indicom offering the elegant new handset at easy EMIs and attractive tariff plans, Tata Indicom customers can now add colour and high-speed data exchange to mobile communication at an attractive never-before cost. |
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