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Noida shudders at its new status Noida, January 14 While the BJP unit has said that it will appeal to the PM and urge him to counsel Mulayam Singh Yadav, so that he can undo his decision, the Union Minister of State, Mr Ashok Pradhan, former state minister Nawab Singh Nagar, BJP district president Bhatti, BSP leaders, local industrialists, traders and common citizens have condemned the decision as retrograde and anti-people. Nawab Singh Nagar declared that BJP will continue to agitate till the decision was withdrawn and Noida’s status of a separate district was restored. The decision of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav can mar the development of the area and jeopardise the industrial growth of Noida and Greater Noida, which are known internationally as industrial hubs. The local entrepreneurs have said in one voice that the retrograde decision can play havoc with the development of infrastructure in the state. While padlocks have been put on the 40 government departments in Noida, the people will now have to trudge to Ghaziabad for obtaining birth and death certificates, self-employment loans, driving and arms licenses, ration cards and pension etc. The DM’s office, the SSP’s office, the district courts and the consumer redressal forum will all be located in Ghaziabad, the district headquarters. Vehemently opposing this decision, the advocates have gone on a strike. The decision has been criticised even by many of Samajwadi Party’s own cadre. According to President of Noida Entrepreneur’s Association, Rakesh Katyal, politicians of different hues had made big joke of carving out and abolishing districts. One chief
minister establishes a new district and the other dissolves it. Nobody is bothered about the inconvenience the flip-flop causes to traders, entrepreneurs, professionals and the common man, who is the worst sufferer in this nefarious game, Mr Katyal said. The district had progressed only due to its proximity to the national Capital. Now, Noida and Greater Noida will have to pay a heavy price for becoming a part of Ghaziabad district, which has a bad image. Not many entrepreneurs will be keen to invest in Noida, and it may result in relocation of industries. The progress made thus far will be frittered away in no time. Mr.P.S.Jain of Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations said it was a rash and bad decision, which will adversely affect the trade and industry and dent the excellent image of Noida town as also of upcoming Greater Noida. There was no justification in abolishing this district when smaller and far less significant districts like Bagpat and Amroha were untouched. There was a semblance of law and order in Noida with a DM and SSP posted here, but now with DM and SSP based in Ghaziabad, the new dispensation is bound to encourage criminals and anti-social elements. ”Who will drive late at night the Sector 18 now?” he said. Noida had come to symbolize resurgent India, said Joginder Awana, a Congress leader. He felt Mulayam Singh Yadav should have consulted the Congress before taking a decision with far-reaching ramifications. Farmer leader Pitamber Sharma dubbed it “Mualayam Singh’s Tughlaqi order,” which tantamount to stabbing the farmers in their back. |
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Chopper on R-Day duty from today New Delhi, January 14 The helicopters used thus far for this purpose during the R-Day celebrations were owned and operated by the Army and the Delhi Police never used them for both traffic and security purposes. The Delhi Police, considering the heightened threat perception, has cleared the proposed chopper for surveillance. The public sector Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd would deploy a Bell L-4 206 chopper equipped with night-vision devices for a fortnight during the Republic Day celebrations. Surveillance will be carried out even during night-time, weather conditions permitting. The police have not worked out the cost as it is going to be a trial run for the time being. This time, Pawan Hans will render the service free of cost. Besides, the police are also considering deploying OB vans to help them get on the spot images of surveillance areas. Incidentally, the chopper would be flown by PHHL pilots; it has been fitted with Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) cameras besides other sophisticated surveillance equipment, to carry out the job even at difficult times. The chopper, besides two pilots, can ferry two passengers. The sophisticated equipment can also pick up objects at long distances, the sources said, adding that the chopper had earlier been used by the Customs Department for anti-smuggling operations. After the trial demo is over, the Delhi Police can decide on whether they want to use it for a longer duration or not. The Delhi Police does not want to take any chances at this point of time, especially since there is a thaw in the Indo-Pak ties. Intelligence reports suggest that terrorists might strike on or before the Republic Day celebrations. The chopper will also regulate the VVIP traffic as it can immediately inform the Control Room of traffic jams. The surveillance by chopper comes at a time when there is serious threat to VVIPs, including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and some of the cabinet ministers. |
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Fog is back with a vengeance New Delhi, January 14 However, there was no fall in the minimum temperature, which was recorded at 9.0 degree Celsius, two degrees above normal, the same as yesterday. The sun emerged around mid-day. An Airport Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said that no morning flights could operate after 0500 hrs, when a dense fog descended on the runaway. He said the fog had reduced Runway Visibility Range (RVR) to just 125 meters. The first arrivals and departures were possible only after 1100 hrs, he said. The fog also slowed down rail traffic, due to which a number of trains were cancelled. Several trains had to be rescheduled and many more were arriving here behind schedule. The New Delhi-Lucknow Gomti Express, the Delhi-Muzaffarpur Sadbhwana Express, the Sriganganagar-New Delhi Intercity Express and the New Delhi-Bhatinda Intercity Express have been cancelled in addition to the Unchahar Express, the Kalindi Express and the Lal Quila Express which have been cancelled for over two weeks. According to a Northern Railway release, the New Delhi-Patna Shramjeevi Express is rescheduled to leave at 21.15 hours, as against its scheduled departure at 13.15 hrs. The Hazratnizamuddin-Chennai Rajdhani Express that leaves around the same time will now depart at 19.00 hrs and the New Delhi-Varanasi Kashivishwanath Express will depart at 18.30 hrs, instead of 13.30 hrs, which is its scheduled departure time. The New Delhi-Howrah Poorva Express will leave at 22.50 hrs and the New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express at 21.40 hrs. The Delhi-Raxaul Satyagraha Express has been scheduled to leave tomorrow at 0500 hrs. Besides, the Sultanpur-Delhi Sadbhawna Express was running late by 21 hrs, the Dibrugarh-Delhi Barhmputra Mail by ten hrs, the Patna-New Delhi Sampurna Kranti Express by 11 hrs, the Azamgarh-Delhi Kaifiyat Express by 0600 hrs, the Patna-New Delhi Magadh Express by 1100 hrs, the Darbhanga-Delhi Shaheed Express by 9 hrs, the Bhiwani-Malda town Farakkha Express by 1900 hrs and the Varanasi-N Delhi Kashivishwanath express by nine hrs. |
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4-year-old rescued from kidnapper New Delhi, January 14 The father of the victim is Mohammad Monu, who is also the Secretary of the Residents Welfare Association. The kidnapper has been identified as one Asif (18), a resident of Bihar and a labourer, who had worked in Mohammad’s house two years ago. The police received a complaint from Mohammad that his child, who was playing near the house, was missing since 4 p.m. on January 13. The victim’s father received a first ransom call at around 5.30 p.m. and the caller demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom. Thereafter, the family received at least 10 calls from the accused, who finally scaled down the ransom demand to Rs two lakh. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Vivek Gogia said that the police immediately put the phone under tab and started tracing the calls. The police also constituted 12 teams to trace the child by checking the guesthouses and other hideouts. However, the search yielded little. Finally today afternoon at around 1.30 pm the police spotted the accused in an STD booth in Kanchan Puri near Rajghat and apprehended him while he was making another ransom call. Under interrogation, the accused told the police that he knew the financial status of the victim’s family as he had done some work at Mohammad’s house. He was in dire need of money and wanted to set up a business with the ransom money in Bihar. He also told the police that he was inspired by Bollywood films. The accused kept the child all the time in his custody to ensure nothing went wrong. |
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Passengers cool their heels on platforms Sonepat, January 14 The rail traffic was badly hit due to dense fog, resulting in cancellation of some long-distance trains and rescheduling of others. Nearly a dozen trains ran behind schedule, stranding thousands of passengers at Sonepat and nearby railway stations. The cancelled trains included the Unchhar Express running between Allahabad and Ambala Cantt and the Amritsar Super fast running between Amritsar and New Delhi. Dense fog had reduced visibility to a few metres, disrupting the movement of vehicular traffic on National Highway No. 1 and other state highways. The drivers Had to use headlights until 10 am. However, there was no report of any accident. Meanwhile, severe cold wave conditions prevailed in the district, following a perceptible fall in the day temperature. |
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Sonepat turning into lottery hub Sonepat: Sonepat, a district headquarter of Haryana, has turned into a gambling and betting hub, resulting in thousands of persons, mostly from the lower classes, becoming paupers. According to a report, men, women and even school-going children buy lottery tickets and scan newspapers and draw sheets, dished out ever day to find out whether they are among the lucky few. Several shops have mushroomed in different parts of the district to sell “dreams that inevitably go sour”. It is big business for the government, private lottery sellers and their agents, but a loss for daily wage earners, small businessmen and professionals. Boys and elders can be seen hawking tickets at bus stands, railway stations, markets and cinema houses. Several organisations want the Central government to enact a law to check gambling. The lotteries may augur well for those in the trade, but threaten to become a serious affliction for those wanting to make a quick buck. OC
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HVP to showcase its strength on Jan 18 Sonepat, January 14 The rally would be addressed, among others by the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal. He alleged that “a reign of terror” had been let loose on the people of the state, “who would teach a lesson to the INLD” led by Mr Om Parkash Chautala in the next Assembly elections. Mr Jain said that the BJP, an alliance partner of the ruling INLD, was also fed up with Mr Chautala and had been openly criticising the functioning style of Mr Chautala. He also said that the leadership of the state BJP had apprised the party ‘High Command’ repeatedly that BJP should disassociate itself from the INLD. He also said that the Chief Minister had been visiting Sonepat district every week but had failed to redress the grievances of the people living in this city and elsewhere in the district. Meanwhile, Mr Surinder Singh, a former MP and the secretary-general of the HVP as well as other senior leaders were touring the villages to mobilise support for the Sonepat rally being held on January 18. |
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MCD proposal for new taxes comes in for flak New Delhi, January 14 In their budget speech they said that the Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, proposed to implement four new taxes – betterment tax, tax on professions, parking charges and transfer of duty fees-to enhance the income of the corporation. The estimated income can be covered by exploiting existing resources of the corporation, they said. Mr Ashok Jain said that financial resources could be strengthened by recovering outstanding arrears of property tax, improvement in existing advertisement policy, adequate management of parking sites and increasing revenue from toll tax. The MCD can fetch a lot of money as compounding fee if the owners and builders are insisted upon to obtain completion certificate, and in case of failure, action should be taken under provisions of the DMC Act. He suggested that corporation could enhance its income by implementing recommendations of the Second Finance Commission. This should be done after consultation with the Delhi Government. Besides, crores of rupees are to be taken from private power agencies as power tax. While delivering the estimated budget speech, Mr Brij Mohan Sharma pointed out that outstanding amounts to Rs 3,900 crore were due against government departments and private property owners. The corporation could recover this amount. Special incentive scheme has been introduced on January 1, under which 20 per cent rebate was being given on payment of current dues as well as outstanding dues. He stressed that there was an urgent need to strengthen Land and Estate Department with a view to explore development of commercial ventures on municipal land. He disclosed that an income of Rs 100 crore could be earned by selling developed properties on municipal lands. All property owners who have constructed unauthorised construction at shops given on lease by MCD should be levied damage charges. Shop owners who have sublet or sold their shops should also levied damage charges. He informed that the corporation had recently approved levy of charges from owners of towers on rooftops by communication companies. But this scheme has yet not been implemented. If it is implemented, it will fetch Rs 10 to Rs 15 crore. Implementing of new licencing policy will also fetch money for the corporation. |
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Station supervisor row blows over Sonepat, January 14 The staff members admitted that they were wrongly briefed about the incident and all the allegations levelled against the GM were false and unfounded. They explained that the meeting between the GM and the station supervisor, Jai Kishan on January 5, was a routine one in connection with the official work and the GM had not issued any warning to the supervisor. The staff leaders - Virender Singh, Suresh Chauhan, Ram Niwas, Kishan Lal, Rajinder Dahiya, Sube Singh, Baljit Singh and Randhir Singh clarified that the station supervisor have been found suffering from mental depression for the last many years due to family problems. As stated by them, the supervisor was admitted in the PGIMS Rohtak, in July 1999, due to depression problem and he even got himself treated in AIIMS Delhi in June 2002. Even the supervisor has submitted his resignation on August 11, 2001, stating domestic problems, but it was not accepted by the GM. It may be recalled that in an incident on January 5, station supervisor attempted to commit suicide by trying to jump from the first floor of the depot’s building after his meeting with the GM. However, he was timely caught by an employee standing there before he jumping from the floor. After shouting for a while, the supervisor reportedly fell unconscious and was admitted to the hospital? This incident spread resentment among the depot employees and in protest, they blocked the road for six hours on January 7, and demanding action against the GM, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner for registering a case against the GM and immediate transfer. However, after investigations by the employees, it was found that the supervisor has been a patient of high blood pressure and mental tension. However, some of the employees affiliated to the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, are still blaming the GM for the incident and plans to organise demonstration against the GM on January 15. But majority of the employees have come in favour of the GM and they have ruled out any agitation against the GM.
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Widow of Sirsa scribe to get Rs 5 lakh Sonepat, January 14 According to a press statement issued by the president of the Haryana Patarkar Sangh, Mr K. B. Pandit, the Union Minister of state for home affairs, Mr I. D. Swamy, will preside over the function and nearly 300 journalists from all over the state will attend the junction. Mr Pandit has claimed that the sangh was the only and first journalist organisation in the country, which has provided insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to each member of the sangh for the last eight years. The entire annual premium of the insurance is deposited by the sangh, he stated. The sangh had deposited premium of Rs 2.17 lakh to cover its 580 members during this financial year, he added. The sangh has so far provided financial assistance of Rs 24 lakh to the families of eight deceased journalists, the statement added. In order to provide information on various fields of journalism, the sangh had decided to organise six workshops during the current financial year and to cover all the district headquarters with such workshops, Mr Pandit stated. |
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Series of rallies planned by Power Corporation Workers Faridabad, January 14 According to a spokesperson of the union, the demonstrations would be held outside the offices of the senior officials including the Chief Engineers of various zones. He said the Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, the largest organisation of the government employees in the state, had been engaged in collecting signatures in support of its drive to safeguard the right of the employees to go on strike. He said the Sangh would hand over about 3.5 lakh signatures to its national level body soon. The details of the planned demonstration are: Gurgaon on February 4; Faridabad on February11; Rohtak on February 17; Hisar on March 10; Panchkula on March 17, Panipat on March 24 and Yamunanagar on March 30. |
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ncr briefs Jhajjar, January 14 The five assailants, who were identified as Bijender, Kala, Naresh, Bachoo and Balwan, shot him dead outside the village. The deceased was the uncle of one Braham, a dreaded gangster who was killed in an encounter by the Delhi Police two years ago. An old feud between the two families was stated to be the cause of the murder. It is pointed out that a number of family members of the two sides have been killed in the rivalry. The police have registered a case of murder against the accused. None of the accused had been arrested so far.
Youths suffer burn injuries Faridabad: Three youths suffered serious burn injuries in Ballabhgarh town when they came into contact with high-tension wires passing overhead. They were admitted to the local civil hospital where their condition was stated to be critical. The victims, identified as Pawan, Jai Singh and Shiv Hari, were employed in a factory at a nearby village. It is learnt that they were drying their clothes on the rooftop of their house when they came into contact with high-voltage power line passing over the building. It may be recalled that several such incidents have taken place in the town in recent years in which a number of persons including children have been killed or injured seriously. There are over a dozen colonies and residential pockets in the town where the high voltage power lines passing overhead pose a major risk to the residents.
Labourer stabbed to death after altercation Sonepat: A labourer working in the foodgrains market was allegedly stabbed to death by a youth Vikas in Devipura Mohalla at Gohana town, 35 km from here yesterday. According to a report, the alleged assailant, identified as Vikas however, managed to escape immediately after the attack. The police have registered a case and sent the body of the victim for the postmortem examination. A hunt is on to apprehend the alleged assailant. It is stated that both the victim and the alleged assailant consumed liquor and were involved in altercations with each other, which led to the murder.
Makkar Sankranti celebrated Thousands of people, including women and children, took bath in the Yamuna on the occasion of Makkar Sankranti. According to a report, braving the dense fog and cold weather conditions, the devotees started pouring arriving for the holy dip at 3 a.m. Later, the devotees took part in religious congregations. Bhajans, kirtans and other programmes were also organised in various temples in this city and elsewhere in the district. |
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delhi digest New Delhi, January 14 The ISO 9001 certified ICA has been set to impart the latest training option in computerised accounting procedures adhering to global standards and procedures to students. Inaugurating the centre, the local MLA, Mr D D Solanki, said that with business being out sourced by major developed countries, India has a potential for skill based employment. Mr. N K Shyamsukha, chairman ICA, said that ICA has plans to open 200 centres in the country by August 2004 to impart computerised training to accountants. “Although a lot of private sector companies have started using computers for their accounting, this chain of exclusive computerised accounting training institutes will cater to only accountants and accounting students”. NDPL announces
Load shedding:
The affected areas will include Sector 8 in Rohini, villages Bhaktavarpur, Sungarpur, Tigipur, Jhangola and Bakoli from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Demand for elections to Party organisations:
The secretary of the committee, Jathedar Raja Singh Sethi, also demanded the revision of the electoral roles and the inclusion of all citizens above 18 years of age. He also demanded that every voter be issued photo identity cards before election dates are announced. |
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Death of two sisters shrouded in mystery Ghaziabad, January 14 The bodies had been found from a railway track near Hindon River Bridge recently. They had been spotted at about 2.30 am by a railway employee. Both bodies were lying at one-meter distance with heads severed on the track. Why did the police readily record the cause of death as suicide in panchnama? But is it possible that one’s death takes place in such a simple way. Does one just go out of the home and lie down on a railway track without any apparent cause or provocation? How did two young girls choose the spot, which is ideally avoided by men during daytime? Why did they select the far-off place when railway track was available near their house? There is little possibility of the deceased sisters to have gone to Kanawani to their maternal uncle’s place, as they had not been on speaking terms with their uncle. It is quite possible that someone might have been strangled them and then thrown on the railway track to mislead the police and the family members. And the reason given for not conducting an autopsy is again a lame one – the doctor was not available for the comment. Both the sisters - Manju, 19 and Anju, 15, had enjoyed the image of good girls in the college and school. It is also not possible that two young, lively and confident girls would have decided to end their life just on a little reprimand from their father Risal Singh, a building contractor, for having been careless in maintaining the dairy account. Their brother, Rakesh, seems to agree with this. Circle Officer Dr Daharam Veer Singh, said: “We are investigating as to how the dead bodies were placed on the adjoining track than the one on which they were found in the first place.” |
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Gang of robbers busted New Delhi, January 14 A country-made pistol and Rs 35,0 00 were recovered from their possession. The policemen were making tenant verification in Mustafabad where they noticed the robbers. Seeing the police party, they tried to run away. But the policemen chased them and arrested them, the police said. Snatchers Arrested:
They mobile set had been snatched from one Ashok Kumar, who was travelling on his two-wheeler near Shivaji Park. Two policemen, who were on patrolling duty, apprehended the suspects when the victim raised an alarm.
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Women harassed for dowry by in-laws Faridabad, January 14 According to police sources, one Somanth Singh of Baselva Colony in Old Faridabad area had married his daughter to one Ashwani of Bhagat Vihar in Karawal Nagar. However, the in-laws of the woman tortured her since she could not fulfill their demand for a plot of land and Rs 50,000. The victim was even forced to leave the house. It is also alleged that the victim’s in-laws also refused to handover the items given by her parents during the marriage. In another case, a woman, resident of Dayalpur village in the district, lodged a complaint with the
police that her in-laws at Bukharpur village had been harassing her for
her inability to fulfill her dowry demands. She had been beaten up several times since her marriage in
February 2002. She has alleged that the police had not taken up the matter seriously despite her complaints earlier. |
Bank takes over defaulter film studio Noida, January 14 Supreme Court advocate B. S. Nagar said that most of the studios in Film City set up during Vir Bhadar Singh’s chief ministership are either closed down or are being used by the proprietors for securing bank loans against them. Srishti studio symbolised the mindset of the proprietors of the second category. Mr Nagar said the studio still owned Rs 100 crore to the bank. The studio had previously been sealed for it failure to pay the electricity bill. The studio, he said, had procured a loan of Rs.10 crore from Syndicate bank, Nehru Place, New Delhi. The studio owes Rs 18 crore to income tax department and some dues to Noida Authority and PICUP. The Rs 10 crore loan has now swelled to Rs 15 crore due to failure of the studio to pay back. The bank served the studio with a final notice on 21 July 2003, and in case it did not pay within 60 days, it had been warned decisive action against it after that. After studio’s failure and on expiry of the notice period, Syndicate Bank has filed a prayer before the district magistrate to take possession of the premises. The studio premises were occupied with the help of a police force and in presence of advocate and officials of bank and PICUP. |
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Telecom giant first to set up shop in Cyber City Gurgaon, January 14 An area of 100 acres has been earmarked for the Cyber City. According to official sources, the tentative cost of the project is Rs 7,500 crores. The Cyber City is located in the DLF City. Ericsson is the first corporate building to come up in Cyber City. Several other reputed IT companies are in the process of setting up their offices here. The Ericsson building was constructed by Hafeez Contrator — a well-known firm hired by the DLF. The building is spread on a sprawling 170,000 square feet plot. One of the unique features of the building is its huge six-level atrium with a glass curtain wall on all sides.. The building is claimed to be offering world class infrastructure, including dedicated global connectivity, 100 per cent power back-up, flexible floor plans, central air conditioning, large parking space, spacious, high-speed lifts and state-of-the-art fire safety standards. According to DLF sources, the upcoming project includes DLF Cyber Greens and DLF Infinity — India’s largest commercial complex. |
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DEA seeks subsidy for traders New Delhi, January 14 DEA President S. P. Agarwal pointed out that exporters who had booked the order long time ago were particularly suffering as dollar had depreciated a lot. Agarwal said that the Government should extend tax exemption to exporters in the domestic tariff areas on the lines of Special Economic Zones. He said service tax should also be done away with as it only inputs costs of the exporters who was already suffering from high transaction and banking costs. |
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