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248 MCD students ill after eating mid-day meal New Delhi, March 11 This is the fourth incident of this nature in recent times. The students started vomiting after taking the mid-day meal (khichri) supplied by the Stri Shakti in both the schools. The school authorities took this seriously and reported the matter to the police. The students were taken to the hospital in a police van. Doctors on duty said that the students were out of danger. One hundred sixty-two have been discharged while the rest 86 are under observation. “About 20 children had bad symptoms of food poisoning,” the doctors said. They were being given intravenous fluids due to dehydration caused by vomiting, they added. The Chairman of Education Committee in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Mr Farhad Suri, today said that he would take action against the person concerned who was supposed to taste the food before it was taken out from the kitchen. He had issued direction to the officials concerned to taste the mid-day meal before taking it out from the kitchen. In all the zones except Najafgarh, the direction was followed, he said. When the incidents of vomiting took place last time in Civil Lines and South Zone, the Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, said that those were not the cases of food poisoning. However, the laboratory report is still awaited. The Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, said that some conspiracy is working behind these incidents. |
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CAT swayed by sympathy for nurses? New Delhi: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Delhi Government to give a group of nurses, who had rendered services during strike but were later denied a regular job, preference over fresh candidates during future appointments. The CAT Principal Bench said in its order, “Though the courts and tribunals should not be swayed by sentiments and sympathy, yet the important fact that cannot be lost sight of is that the applicants (21 nurses) rendered services to the government hospitals at a time when everything was in a mess, during the strike of nurses in hospitals.” “The applicants at that point of time acted as angels to the suffering patients and on account of that reason they deserve sympathy and consideration,” a CAT member said. The member added, “One can only imagine their untold miseries and of their families, if they are left midstream.” Directing the government to give them preference in future appointments, the tribunal also asked the government to give them age relaxation. The applicants, Prabha Abbey, Neelam and others, were recruited in May 1998 to various Delhi Government hospitals after being interviewed by the Technical Recruitment Cell. At that point, an indefinite strike was declared by the permanent staff nurses. On September 1, 1998, the nurses had submitted an application on learning that the Delhi Government was to absorb/confirm staff nurses who had joined during the strike period. However, their regularisation was denied on the ground that they had crossed the age bar of 32 years, the applicants said. The recruitment rules did not permit regularisation of those above 32 years of age, the government said. But at the time of their appointment during the strike, the government had invited applications from candidates up to age of 65 years, the applicants said. However, the government took the stand that the nurses were employed on a contract basis for three months and the appointment was for a short-term, as there was no implicit or explicit understanding about their regularisation.
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Appointment of disabled lecturer cleared New Delhi: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Delhi Government to appoint a physically challenged woman as a lecturer, who was rejected for the job despite having cleared the selection test of IAS examination. The order was given amidst raging controversy over physically challenged candidates being denied entry to IAS and allied services. According to CAT Principal Bench, “The fact which cannot be lost sight of is that in any case the reserved vacancy could not go to any other general candidate. The post was to be filled by a blind candidate and such a candidate was not available. There is nothing to indicate that it could not be given to other disabled persons like the applicant (Priyanka Ray).” The judgement was given by CAT Chairman Justice V S Aggarwal and Member (Administrative) S K Naik. According to the bench, “Orthopaedically challenged” Ray had eight years teaching experience in a school and holds a PG Degree in Political Science. Besides, she has also done B.Ed and had applied for the post of a lecturer in Political Science Department in response to an advertisement on August 7, 1998. Though Ray was declared successful in the written test, she was not considered in the handicapped quota. The Delhi Subordinate Staff Selection Board prepared a merit list of 29 candidates in which instead of two blind, it included two Orthopaedically challenged persons, since no blind candidate had cleared the examination. However, the Delhi Government did not select Ray, contending, “It was not possible to appoint orthopaedically challenged persons because the posts were meant for visually handicapped.” However, Ray contended that the advertisement for the post of the lecturer did not specifically mention “Reserved for Visually Handicapped.”
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FLY-BY-NIGHT
OUTFIT New Delhi, March 11 The accused, identified as Anand Sundaram, was apprehended in DLF, Gurgaon, after a massive hunt by the sleuths on March 10. Earlier, when the complaint had been registered by the trainees against the director and his associates, the sleuths had dispatched teams to Chennai, Gurgaon, Kolkata and Mumbai and apprehended Sundaram’s three associates — Alok Jain, Vivek Jain and Anand Ramachandran. However, Anand, was evading arrest and had applied for anticipatory bail, which was subsequently turned down by the court. The company, Ms Skyweb India Ltd, had put out advertisements in leading newspapers in May 2001 and guaranteed attractive pay packages, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 per month, after completion of six months of computer training on self-support basis. In response to the advertisement, several persons had submitted their applications; each applicant was charged Rs 48,000. However, the company, after a period of erratic training for a month in November 2001, closed down and the director and his associates went underground. The closure had left many anxious trainees on the road. Some of the victims, who were already employed and had left their jobs in response to the advertisement, were also left high and dry, said the sleuths. |
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JUSTICE, AT LAST New Delhi, March 11 Bhola Nath and Harichand, the two convicts were then posted as SHO and constable at Bhatinda Railway Station in Punjab. Special Judge P K Bhasin also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on Bhola Nath and Harichand for accepting Rs 7,000 from Jai Prakash on November 2, 1986. According to the Anti-Corruption cell, On October 28, the two policemen came to Jai Prakash’s factory at Anand Parbat and informed him that they had an arrest warrant against him. They said they had already arrested his brother and would arrest him also if he did not pay the bribe. Jai Prakash who owns a voltage stabilizer manufacturing unit at Anand Parbat here, lodged a complaint on October 29, 1986 that the duo demanded money for not implicating him in connection with a robbery case at the Bhatinda Railway Station. On November 2, the culprits came and the Anti-Corruption branch caught them red-handed while they were accepting bribe. |
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Rice sheller fined Rs 8 lakh for power theft Sonepat: The officials of the vigilance wing of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) conducted a raid on a rice sheller on the G T Road near Garhi Kalan village about 20 km from here yesterday and detected a case of power theft in the unit. According to a report, the officials also imposed a fine of Rs 8,92,618 on the owner of the rice sheller and lodged an FIR with the Ganaur police against the erring consumer. This is the first-ever penalty imposed on a consumer involved in power theft in this area. Meanwhile, the cases of power thefts are on the increase in the sub-divisions of Ganaur, Murthal, Sonepat, Kharkhauda, Gohana and some other sub-divisions due to the failure of the UHBVN officials. It is alleged that some officials are in league with the unscrupulous power consumers, including the owners of industries, rice shellers, dhabas, hotels and restaurants and banquet halls. These officials take bribe regularly, it is also alleged.
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Family feud toll 11 Jhajjar: Yet another aged person, an eyewitness of his brother’s murder, was reportedly shot dead by some unidentified assailants on the outskirts of Issarheri village last evening. The murder took place due to an old rivalry between two neighbouring families of the village, which ensued about six years ago on a petty issue of constructing a street. The toll in the feud mounted to 11 as both the sides have lost 10 lives so far. According to information, deceased Kartar Singh was coming to his village from Najafgarh on bicycle when some gun-toting youths fired shots at him outside the village. He died on the spot while the assailants walked away.
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Cong yet to name Sonepat candidate; BJP campaign at full throttle Sonepat, March 11 The BJP candidate and sitting MP Kisan Singh Sangwan’s campaign began from the villages adjacent to Delhi border in the Rai assembly constituency three days back, on the other hand, the INLD nominee Krishna Malik preferred to start it from village Chulkana in the Kailana assembly constituency the same day. The election campaign of the HVP candidate and former minister Jagbir Singh Malik was started by the party’s secretary general Surender Singh from Badkhalsa village of the Rai assembly constituency. The other candidate Capt Shamsher Singh Malik of the Lok Janshakti party whose name was publicly announced by party president Ram Bilas Paswan at Panipat rally on January 27, is yet to come in the field waiting for the seat-sharing compromise between the Congress and the LJP in Haryana. Krishna Malik, considered a new entry in politics, has been seeking votes in the name of record development works and stable government in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. She does not spare the BJP, accusing that it was a party of opportunists. The BJP candidate, Mr Sangwan, will be testing his popularity without support from any political party for the first time after winning two elections in 1998 and 1999 with the support of INLD. While criticising the Congress, he claims that Sonia Gandhi is no match to Vajpayee. He does not miss the opportunity either to criticise the Chautala government for its ‘autocratic’ rule. His candidature was announced with great enthusiasm by the party president Vankaiah Naidu at Gohana rally. While launching the election campaign of HVP candidate Jagbir Singh Malik, general secretary Surender Singh on Wednesday criticised the BJP and the INLD. He alleged that the real victim of the Chautala rule has been Jagbir Singh Malk who was implicated in false cases and put behind bars. “Chautala and Sangwan are still one and Chautala has always looked after the interests of Sangwan,” he pointed out. From the preliminary assessments, it appears that the INLD and the BJP candidates are concentrating more on criticising each other’s party and leadership. The Congress is criticised for its leadership of Sonia Gandhi and deep differences among the state Congress leaders, whereas the HVP of Bansi Lal is blamed for the failure of its prohibition policy and large-scale liquor smuggling. The HVP’s main thrust is against both the BJP and the INLD. The BJP is flayed for being a party of the opportunists and the INLD for creating a reign of terror in the state. |
Mehta flouts Mayor’s directive, plays truant at meeting New Delhi, March 11 Officials of the Flood Department and the Public Works Department and the Delhi Government were also asked to attend the meeting but they did not turn up. The desilting work of nullahs is done in cooperation with the Delhi Government as both the governments are responsible for maintaining of drains. Councillors present at the meeting expressed surprise over the absence of these senior officers. Mr Arya said 2000 nullahs were under the jurisdiction of the corporation. Of these, the action plan was prepared to desilt only 1,166 nullahs. The work of desilting was to be started from March 15. So far, the MCD has issued 590 notices for inviting tenders out of which 40 per cent tenders have not been sold. Of these, 126 tenders related to desilting of about 350 nullahs in the trans-Yamuna area, Karol Bagh Zone, West and Civil Line Zones. The main reason for non-sale of tenders is that the MCD has failed to make payment of outstanding dues to contractors who did desilting work last year. Councillors representing Shahdara North and Shahdara South were victims of the lackluster attitude of the corporation as both the areas were low lying and often water was found stagnant there. Zameer Ahmed Munna, a Congress councillor from the Chauhan Bangar area, said he was being gheraoed by the area residents. The water is not being drained. Rains are full of silt. The water is stagnant in the narrow street. In some houses water has entered the ground floor. When he lodged a complaint to the Commissioner he did not pay attention. He raised this issue even at the House meeting. Mr Jagdish Pradhan who represents Karawal Nagar segment of the corporation said the drain on the main road of Karawal Nagar was full of silt. The corporation had done nothing to desilt it. If action is not taken on time there will be a flood-like situation in the area in the rainy season. He had been raising this issue in almost all meetings but the officials concerned are adamant. At the meeting meeting corporators from all parties raised this issue and held the senior officials concerned responsible for the delay in desilting of drains. |
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28-day Rajput Adhikar Yatra from March 14 Rewari, March 11 Talking to the ‘NCR Tribune’, the state organising secretary of the Rajput Mahasabha, Mr Rajesh Singh, informed that the 28-day Rajput Adhikar Yatra would be formally launched from the historic Kasan village, 40 km from here on March 14. Before the yatra, prominent functionaries, along with numerous other members of the Rajput Mahasabha, would offer prayers at the prestigious temple built in the memory of the celebrated Rajput saint Bhagat Pooran Mal at Kasan to seek the saint’s blessings for the mission’s success. Thereafter, the Rajput leaders would address the Yatra’s inaugural rally at Kasan which is a Rajput-dominated village of the Sohna constituency of Gurgaon district. The yatra, which would be led by Thakur Attar Lal, state president of the Rajput Mahasabha, would be fully assisted by the Mahasabha brass, comprising its state vice-president Dharam Pal Singh Parmar, its two general secretaries Pooran Singh Parmar and Pawan Tanwar, its organising secretary Satbir Singh Chauhan and several others. Making a specific mention of their longstanding grouse against the Congress, Mr Rajesh Singh said that it was painful that the Rajputs, which constituted 14 per cent of the total electorate of Haryana, had aligned with the Congress which had persistently ignored their claim in the matter of party nomination in Lok Sabha as well as Vidhan Sabha elections in the past three decades in Haryana. He said that the Rajput Mahasabha now wanted the Congress high command to undo this injustice by providing party nomination to their representatives in at least one parliamentary constituency during the ensuing Lok Sabha polls as well as from 10 Rajput-dominated constituencies of the state during the future Vidhan Sabha elections. Simultaneously, he said that they would mobilise the Rajputs throughout the state to press the Congress high command for acceptance of their rightful claim. He said that the yatra, which would cover as many as 46 Rajput-dominated assembly segments of the 10 parliamentary constituencies of the state, would conclude at Ranila village in Bhiwani district on April 10, 2004. |
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74 more villages declared sensitive Sonepat, March 11 According to official sources, these villages are Issapur Kheri, Matand, Siwanka, Dhanana, Mahra, Bhanderi, Madina, Chhichhrana, Chhapra, Kahlya, Mirzapur Kheri, Khandrai, Mohana, Badshahpur Machhri, Rewli, Hassanpur, Dhaturi, Bhuri, Ram Nagar, Tajpur, Umedgarh, Zainpur, Tikola, Giaspur, Shahpur Turk, Nangal Khurd, Kishora, Nandnaur, Rai, Aurangabad, Baroli, Nahra, Nangal Kalan, Kundli, Janti Kalan, Rohna, Barona, Gopalpur, Pipli, Jhinjholi, Jatola, Thana Kalan, Sehoti, Kirohli, Jharot, Sisana, Garhi Sisana, Gorar, Farmana, Khanda, Bidhlan, Matindu, Chhinauli, Rohat, Barwasni, Mehlana, Gumar, Shekhpura, Bajana Kalan, Sanpera, Dubheta, Pugthala, Anwali and Katwal. Moreover, the villages of Beedhal, Jasrana, Chitana, Busana and the areas of Delhi Camp, Patel Nagar, Jatwara, Garhi Bhahmanan and Kalupur octroi post area have also been declared as sensitive. |
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Half-burnt body recovered from cremation ground Sonepat, March 11 The police have, however, failed to identify the body and registered a case in this connection. Further investigations were in progress. It is stated that a khes, a blanket and shoes were found near the cremation ground. The incident has caused panic among the residents of the village following the recovery of the body which was found burning in the cremation ground. Police sources said it was a case of murder and the alleged assailants had thrown the body in the cremation ground and set it afire so that the body could not be identified.
Youth arrested for murder With the arrest of a youth, the Ganaur police have solved a case of murder by identifying the body of the victim which was found in the fields of Datauli village on January 14 last. The body has been identified as that of Maman of Bhajanpura (Delhi). Rinku alias Sanjay of Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura (Delhi). An old enmity is stated to be behind the murder. The police are still investigating.
Mother of four kids elopes A woman, Janab, mother of four children, was reported to have eloped with an Army man, Jasbir, from her house at Mohana village, about 19 km from here, on Wednesday. Jasbir was posted at Ambala and used to frequent the house of the woman and stay there for 15 days at a stretch. The husband of the woman has informed the police in this connection and sought help in tracing the woman and her paramour.
Cyclist killed in road mishap A cyclist was killed and another injured seriously when they were hit by an unknown vehicle on the GT Road near Rai village, about 13 km from here, on Wednesday night. Both the victim and the injured were employed in a factory and they were returning home. The victim was identified as Hari Singh and the injured as Rajinder. The police have registered a case and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. A hunt is on to apprehend the culprit.
Sec 144 enforced around exam centres The District Magistrate of Sonepat, Mr M. R. Anand, has enforced prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC banning the assembly of five or more persons and carrying of firearms within a radius of 200 metres around the examination centres set up for the matric and senior secondary school examinations by the Board of School Education, Haryana, beginning from March 12 and 13, respectively, in this district and elsewhere in the state. The District Magistrate has also ordered the closure of all photostat shops within a radius of 200 metres of the examination centres. Any violation of this order will attract penal action against those who are found guilty of the violation of this order. However, this order will not apply to the police officials and the supervisory staff on duty for the examination centres. This order which comes into force from March 12 ends on April 7 next. This step has been taken for the smooth conduct of annual examinations in the district.
Load shedding The North Delhi Power Limited has announced load shedding in the Model Town, Civil Lines and Pitampura areas on March 12 from 10 am to 5 pm due to some maintenance work. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, March 11 According to DUTA president Aditya Narayan Misra, “We have already sent a white paper to the Chancellor and the Pro Chancellor in this connection and are on the way seeking an appointment from the Chancellor.”
Man stabbed, robbed of Rs 4.7 lakh at traffic lights Two motorcycle-borne youths armed with knives stabbed an employee of a metal shop while returning from a bank and snatched the bag containing Rs 4.7 lakh near the traffic lights on Mandir Marg this afternoon. The incident occurred this afternoon at around 12.30 pm when the victim Rajesh (22), the pillion rider, and his colleague Amit (32), who was riding the motorcycle, were returning from the ABN-Amro Bank branch on Barakhambha Road after withdrawing Rs 4.7 lakh. After the incident both Rajesh and Amit who work for a metal shop in Bara Tuti reached the shop and narrated the incident to their owner. The owner took Rajesh to St Stephens Hospital where he has been admitted for treatment. The incident came to light only when the owner reported it to the police. When the duo reached near the Mandir Marg traffic lights, the two motorcycle-borne youths in their twenties stabbed the pillion rider Rajesh and snatched the bag from his possession. The brazen daylight robbery created considerable panic in the congested area. No one made an effort to help the victims. The police said that they had obtained the description of the suspects and launched a massive hunt for them. |
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NCR BRIEFS Sonepat, March 11 The students agreed to end the boycott of their classes after negotiations between their parents and the Principal of the institution. Trouble arose when a coach slapped a student and he developed ear pain. This led to resentment among the students who were snubbed by the Principal and asked to quit the classrooms Thereafter, the students started boycotting their classes to show their resentment against the action of the coach. The parents of the students had to intervene in the case as the annual examinations of the students were to commence from March 13. They approached the Principal to resolve the issue. The Principal agreed to their request allowing students to sit in the classes with immediate effect. He, however, warned that indiscipline in the institution would not be tolerated in future.
Two acquitted Judge Rakesh Singh on Wednesday acquitted Salmuddin and Aslam, who had been arrested in a case under the Arms Act because of lack of evidence. Both the accused were arrested on October 22, 1999, following the recovery of two countrymade pistols from their possession. The police had sent the challans of both the culprits to the court.
New initiative
from Touchtel Gurgaon: Touchtel, India’s first private fixed-line telecom service provider from Bharati, has launched “On the Customer’s Doorstep” initiative in its service areas to promote itself. According to one of its functionaries, the service areas are Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka circles. The initiative will comprise a team of 350 persons, 20 of whom will exclusively cater to customers in Haryana and Delhi circles. The initiative will also have active participation of all channel partners. The initiative is claimed to be in commemoration of Touchtel crossing the six lakh customer mark. The functionary said that Touchtel, which had always striven to offer the best of services to its customers, was now offering features like astrology, personalised greeting and a host of updates ranging from cricket news to the stock market. |
Dreaded criminal killed in encounter Ghaziabad, March 11 Thirty heinous cases were registered against him while he was wanted by the police of a number of districts. Soon after coming out of jail, he had committed a number of crimes and created panic in the area. The SP (City), Mr Umesh Srivastava, said Vijay Nagar police SO Anil Somanya got a tip-off last night that some criminals astride a motorbike, were out to commit a crime in the area. Mr Anil Somanya informed CO Dharamvir Singh about it after which the police team encircled the criminals. Near a carbon factory, an encounter ensued in which Ganesh was shot dead. The SP said Ganesh was a history-sheeter from D-28, Bulandshahr. Circle officer Dharamvir Singh said a charge sheet had been filed in a court during 1999 against this criminal in connection with cases of dacoity and rape in Sabri under the Vijay Nagar police station area. Ganesh had masterminded these crimes. The killing of this criminal is in accordance with SSP J. N. Singh’s vow that his force will decimate only those criminals who are active and dreaded in public perception and not those leading a retired life. |
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Frustrated with expenses, minor kills cousin New Delhi, March 11 The accused was studying in a computer institute in the Tilak Nagar area and allegedly wanted some money to support his education. Failing to spell out the demand, he finally decided to kill Dipu. The accused took Dipu to a deserted area near the Keshavpur bus depot on Outer Ring Road and smashed his head with a big stone. After killing Dipu, he dumped the body in the area and covered it with dry leaves.
Land grabber nabbed The Economic Offences Wing has arrested a land grabber, P. C. Gupta (49), resident of Malviya Nagar, for preparing forged documents of disputed properties situated at posh colonies and worth several crores of rupees. The accused used to prepare forged documents of properties to blackmail the owners.
Auto thieves held With the arrest of two auto thieves, the East district police today claimed to have worked out five cases of auto theft in the area. The police also claimed to have recovered six stolen vehicles from their possession. Based on secret information the police apprehended Ravi Tiwari (22) and Amit Sharma (20), residents of New Ashok
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