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Inderlok-Rithala Metro to be operational from March 30 New Delhi, March 29 The Inderlok-Rithala section, which is about 8.8 km in length, touches eight stations: Kanhaiya Nagar, Keshav Puram, Netaji Subhash Place, Kotat Enclave, Pitam Pura, Rohini (East), Rohini (West) and Rithala. The stretch is fully elevated with all stations at a height of about 13 meters above ground level. With the opening of this section, line one of the first phase of the Delhi Metro Project will be complete. This line consists of 18 stations covering a distance of 21 kilometers. |
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Naresh Bhatti of BSP gunned down in gang war Greater Noida, March 29 Naresh’s killing is an outcome of a gang war. The assailants, who came in a Tata Sumo car and a Maruti van, used automatic weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, to target Bhatti’s
Matiz. Bhatti was a history-sheeter of Ghaziabad area and wanted in 24 cases in police stations of Ghaziabad, Agra, Gokulpuri Delhi, Moradabad, Dadri and Keshav Puram for murder, dacoity, kidnapping and other heinous crimes. Some 200 rounds were fired in the 10-minute-long shootout in which Naresh Bhatti’s security guards had also retaliated. In all, six persons, including two passers by, were seriously injured. Bhatti had spent many years behind bars in connection with numerous cases filed against him. After release from jail, he had tried to shed his criminal image, but had not fully succeeded. He was elected as Zilla Panchayat Chariman of GB Nagar after his release from jail. Sunder Bhatti of Secunderabad is considered his arch rival. Four persons from both sides have died in the bloody gang feud – three owing allegiance to Naresh and one to Sunder Bhatti. A murderous attempt was made on Naresh’s convoy 18 months ago, in which his gunner was killed. Apart from Sunder Bhatti, some people in DP Yadav group are also reported to have been unhappy with Naresh Bhatti. Prakash Lakhanwali and Parmanand were also considered his opponents. Naresh Bhatti had started his criminal career in 1986 and was wanted in many cases of murders, attempt to murder, assaults, collecting protection money etc. One of his modus operandi was to capture workers’ unions; but in the process he often created enemies, who had eventually succeeded in eliminating him. It is learnt that his assailants had known that Naresh Bhatti was travelling in a Matiz car and not in his ambassador with a red beacon light, when he was returning from the house of the in-laws of a relative in Rithori village yesterday. |
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TOLL TAX COLLECTION New Delhi, March 29 He said, when the privatisation report of toll tax was tabled before the Standing Committee, a sub-committee was constituted under the leadership of the then Standing Committee Chairman, Mr. Ram Babu Sharma, and only four companies— M/S IRB-IRD, M/s Banas Sands, M/S Delhi Toll Tax and M/S Noida Toll Tax — were eligible to apply for the toll tax collection contract. The other companies were rejected on one ground or the other. . Mr Goel alleged that the Municipal Commissioner had appended the name of the fifth company to the list of the four shortlisted companies. This was not in the knowledge of the Standing Committee. Mr Goel expressed doubts about the intention of the Municipal Commissioner and sought an inquiry. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Rakesh Mehta, said that in the beginning, when only two companies were identified for the purpose of toll tax collection, the Mayor, Mr Ashok Jain, in a letter, sought competition for the shortlisted companies. Again, when four companies were identified, the Mayor wrote a letter urging tougher competition. In this way, he had written five letters, urging the commissioner to add more companies to the list for the purpose of intensifying the competition. He said that he had no interest in adding names of new companies to the list. He claimed that he took a personnel interest when the National Highway Authority of India and the Surface Transport Department of the Central government opposed the erecting of barriers on the highways. He said, the elected body and the executive wing of the corporation had taken a number of historic decisions. The Leader of the Opposition in the Standing Committee, Mr. Vijender Gupta, said that the present contract would expire on May 1. Therefore, it was imperative that the new contract should be given from the same date. The MCD had called for tenders for awarding computerized collection of toll tax to private parties. In response, 14 firms had applied, of which only five were found eligible. The commissioner brought a proposal before the Standing Committee that only two firms be considered for awarding the contract. The commissioner objected to this on the ground that poor competition would not be in financial interest of the corporation. The chief minister intervened in the matter and directed the commissioner to consider all the eligible five firms. The matter is also being investigated by the Anti Corruption Bureau. The Mayor had also sought some clarifications from the commissioner in this regard. |
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LETHAL AIDS Noida, March 29 An AIDS Detection Centre was opened in this hospital last year, which has not elicited a very good response owing to poor publicity. As the centre is not equipped to undertake complete investigations, patients are referred to National JVK (NIV) Institute in Sector-62. The UP Aids Control Society had opened the investigation centre in the government hospital here in 2003. Till now, cases of some 150 men and 100 women have been investigated, of which five men and four women patients have been found to be HIV positive, the youngest being a 26-year-old cycle rickshaw puller. Investigation of HIV positive cases is conducted here on the basis of rapid tests. Till two months ago patients were referred for NIV tests to sector-62 NIV centre, but now they are being refused admission there. Five killed in mishaps Faridabad: At least five persons were killed in various accidents in the district in the past 24 hours. These include four persons who lost their lives on the road. Two youths going on their bicycles from Ballabgarh to Faridabad town last night were crushed to death last night. Another person who also became the victim of this mishap was injured seriously. He has been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. It is stated that the incident took place around 10.30 pm last night when a truck coming from behind ran over the victims, identified as Pramod, Sonu and Farooq, near the YMCA crossing. While Sonu and Farooq died on the spot Pramod was injured grievously. He was shifted to the hospital by the local residents and passersby. In another accident that resulted after a light commercial vehicle overturned near Palwal two persons, identified as Mathuri and Sumera Singh of Gangora village, were killed. The police have booked the driver of the vehicle for rash driving and causing death of these persons by negligent driving. Both the victims succumbed to their injuries in the hospital after a couple of hours.
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Restrained by model code, NDMC chief coy on projects New Delhi: As per the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the News Delhi Municipal Commission (NDMC) declined to provide any information about the new projects initiated during the Budget presentation here today. Presenting the budget, Chairperson of the NDMC, Ms. Sindhushree Khullar, said that in 2003-04 the NDMC had spent Rs. 883.77 crores against receipts worth Rs. 886.52 crores, resulting in a surplus of Rs. 2.75 crores. This, she said, has accrued after contributing to various reserve funds created by the NDMC for replacement and renewal of assets as well as for pension payments. Choosing to highlight the “major achievements” of the past year, Ms. Khullar pointed out that the NDMC took measures to improve the water supply by the provision of a feeder line, installation of tube wells and replacing GI pipes with polythene pipes. Seven lines, laid prior to Independence, were replaced. It was also pointed out that in compliance with the Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules, door to door garbage collection was started at 39 places. Garbage receptacles were modified with provisions for disposal of bio and non-degradable waste. Apart from rectification of road surfaces, more greenery and landscaping work was carried out, said the NDMC Chairperson
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HVP highlights imbalance in development process in Gurgaon Gurgaon, March 29 The Gurgaon Assembly segment falls in Mahendergarh parliamentary seat encompassing about half of Gurgaon district, Rewari and Mahendergarh districts-constituting the core of the Ahirwal belt of South Haryana. The general-secretary of HVP and nominee from Mahendergarh parliamentary seat for the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Anil Rao, was also present in the meeting. The HVP set the political circles abuzz by its decision to hold the meeting in the Gaushala ground, which is considered one of the bigger grounds in the city. The political parties have been reluctant to hold public meetings here. Moreover, the city is traditionally considered to be the bastion of the Congress. The star speaker, Mr Bansi Lal, provided a moffusil touch in his speech. He promised that if his party was voted back to power in Haryana, it would sanction a national level project for the Ahirwal belt. Touching upon the sensitive issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link(SYL) canal project, he promised that he would get it completed. In his speech, Mr Anil Rao alleged that the policy makers had neglected the development in Old Gurgaon and highlighted the ramshackle amenities there. He said that his party would try to bridge the development between the two areas if his party was voted back to power. The residents of the entire Gurgaon have stakes in the growth of the city and no segment should feel deprived, he added.  |
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Assembly poll in Haryana on schedule, says CM Sonepat, March 29 He also reiterated that his government would fulfil its five-year term in March next and thereafter the Assembly elections would be held. The BJP, he said, wanted to hold the Assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha elections for the success of the party, but he had rejected the demands of the BJP leaders and this was the main cause for the break in the alliance. Mr Chautala asked workers and legislators of the party to go ahead with their election campaign vigorously and mobilise the electorate in favour of the party candidate. Referring to Devi Lal, Mr Chautala claimed he was a true follower of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and had done commendable work for improving the lot of farmers and the downtrodden. The nation, he said, would not forget the sacrifices he had made in the freedom movement. He also listed the achievements of his government during the past four years and handed over the entire amount of Rs 13 lakh to Mrs Krishna Malik, which was presented to him by the people of the area for election campaigning. |
Women celebrities to walk the ramp in aid of cancer patients New Delhi, March 29 The annual charity event travels to New Delhi after shows in Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore. The likes of Shahnaz Hussain, Illoosh Ahluwalia, Kiran Segal, Shallu Jindal, Nidhi Kulpati, Raseel Gujral, Sushma Seth, Sumiko Nanda, Anita Basu, Saba Pataudi etc will share the ramp in aid of the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA). Says Ms Sunita Ramnathkar, Joint Managing Director, Fem Care Pharma, “It will be a ramp walk with a difference, where womanhood, more than the woman walking the ramp, will be celebrated. The programme was conceptualised to raise funds for the CPAA, a non-profitable charitable organisation that has been working towards the cause of cancer patients in India for the past 33 years. Having created Fem, a brand that is closely linked with women, I am tuned to the likes, dislikes and needs of the Indian women. I staunchly believe that what really matters is, one’s achievements and contributions to the society. With this philosophy Fem associated itself with the Women Achievers Show.” Says Ms Kiran Hukku from CPAA, “The incidence of breast cancer and cervical cancer among urban women has risen sharply in the past 10 years in India. With a special focus to help those patients in need we started with this show where women who are achievers in their own right will walk the ramp for a cause.” The show will be choreographed by Hemant Trivedi and Shaina NC has designed the saris to suit the personalities of each of the participant achievers. Beauty for Fem, the CPAA and the women walking the ramp is not just skin-deep, they are women of substance who have all joined hands to celebrate the triumph of womanhood. It is an annual charity event that truly celebrates the achievements of women and also contributes to a serious cause, that of cancer patients. |
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Brick kiln workers allege non-payment of wages Sonepat, March 29 In a joint statement issued here today, Mr Chander Bhan, president of the district unit of the Lal Jhanda Brick Kilns Mazdoor Union, and Mr Howa Singh, vice-president of the Haryana committee of CITU, stated the owners of the brick kilns had denied the new wages fixed by the government to the workers employed there despite the fact that the new working season had started. They said the officials of the Labour Department were duty-bound to enforce the labour laws on the brick kilns strictly and take action against those owners of brick kilns who were found violating the laws with impunity. Both the leaders warned the district and Labour Department authorities that the exploitation of brick kiln workers would not be allowed by the owners of brick kilns and if the authorities failed to take action then the brick kiln workers would come to the streets and gherao the officials and stop work there. Both the leaders also appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to take serious note of the exploitation of brick kiln workers and direct the district authorities to take stern action against the owners of the brick kilns. |
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Mulayam to visit Faridabad tomorrow Faridabad, March 29 |
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Residents demand CBI inquiry into Sonepat, March 29 A number of associations, including the Residents Welfare Association and the Sonepat Citizens Council today sent a joint memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding a CBI inquiry into the “scandalous working” and misuse of funds. According to a report, the memorandum alleged that most of the works executed by the Sonepat Municipal Council were sub-standard. It also alleged that the majority of the councillors were in league with the unscrupulous contractors, who are involved in the misappropriation of public funds. The memorandum pointed out that repeated complaints to the municipal authorities in this regard have fallen on deaf ears. Fire breaks out in shop A fire broke out in an utensil shop at Kharkhauda town, about 19 km from here last evening. However, the fire did not cause any major damage. The shopkeepers of the area brought the fire under control. According to a report, the cause of the fire was not yet known and the police are still investigating into the case. Four persons injured in group clash Four persons, including a woman, were injured when two rival groups clashed at Mehlana village, about 5 km from here last evening. According to a report, lathis and weapons were freely used in the clash. The injured persons were hospitalised, but were stated to be out of danger. |
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Two persons killed as truck rams into Tata Sumo jeep Jhajjar, March 29 According to information, the Sumo was carrying passengers from Jhajjar to Rohtak, when the truck rammed into it from the opposite direction. The driver of the Sumo, identified as Ramesh, resident of Kheri Jatt village, and another unidentified youth was killed on the spot. The six injured persons, identified as Sona Lal, Raj Kumar, Sonu, Dipak, Dinesh, and another person were referred to the PGIMS at Rohtak. The driver of the truck escaped leaving the vehicle at the accident site. Road blocked over erratic power supply Angry over the disruption of electricity supply, the residents of Kheri Khummar village here blocked the Jhajjar-Dadri road here today. The villagers raised slogans against the district administration and the Power Department for their inefficiency in providing uninterrupted power supply to the village. The cavalcade of the INLD nominee from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat was also held up in the road jam, which continued for about 2 hours. The residents complained that electric poles, which had been uprooted in their village about three days ago, were not repaired by the department. Despite repeatedly informing the office to repair the poles, no one had come to the village. When some INLD workers informed the Deputy Commissioner about the road blockade, senior officials of the UHBVN rushed to the spot and assured the villagers that their complaints would be redressed immediately. Later, the villagers lifted the blockade. |
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Kashmiri Samiti gets new chief New Delhi: Mr Sunil Shakdher has been appointed president of the Kashmiri Samiti, Delhi, a nodal agency of Kashmiri Pandits. Mr Shakdher along with vice-presidents Sanjay Wali and Rakesh Kaul and general secretary Dr Romesh Raina have been re-elected for the second term in office. The elections for the posts were held in the Capital yesterday. In the annual General Council meeting the KSD has rejected the “piecemeal” return of Kashmiri Pandits to the state. The KSD members pointed out that they were now awaiting the new government at the Centre to create a fresh initiative to resolve the Kashmir crisis.
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NCR BRIEFS Jhajjar, March 29 However, he returned from Chandigarh on Friday and met his wife, Renu, who was studying in Rohtak. Later, he came to his village and went to the fields. The next day, he was found dead in the fields. The villagers brought him to the Civil Hospital. When the news of his death reached his wife, who was staying with her parents in Rohtak, she consumed some poisonous substance.
Students in Merit list Three students of the PDM Engineering College, Bahadurgarh, have topped the merit list in different disciplines in the examinations. As many as 499 students made it to the merit list of the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Dr Rajesh Kumar, PRO of the College, informed that Vikram Kumar, a student of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Ajit Kumar of Mechanical Engineering and Amitender Singh of Bio Medical Engineering, (all 3rd semester) secured top position in the University.
Youth crushed by tractor Sonepat : An unidentified youth was killed by a tractor on the G T Road near Ganaur Chowk, about 20 km from here last night. According to a report, the youth was crossing the road when the tractor crushed him. The tractor driver, however, managed to escape and the police have registered the case against him. A hunt is on to apprehend him. The police have also sent the body for the postmortem examination. The body still remains unidentified.
Criminal released on parole The release of a dreaded criminal of the area, Yudhvir Singh, on 28-day parole here yesterday has put the district police on alert. Even as the police have been baffled by the order of the court, it has taken precautionary steps to check any untoward incident in the area. Above all, the police have made arrangements to keep a strict watch on his activities. Yudhvir Singh is stated to be a member of the Anup gang. In December 2003, he had assaulted a criminal of another gang in the Sonepat district jail.
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, March 29 In the tenth plan, the Ministry of HRD has emphasised the need for at least one special educator for physically challenged persons in upper primary schools. According to Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia, Chairman, Rehabilitation Council of India, “The demand can be met by both training the existing teachers and other aspirants through distance education programme and fresh appointment.” He said although the RCI launched the foundation course in 2002 to train in-service teachers and has trained around 4,000 of them across the country so far, there is a big demand for trained manpower that can only be met by having more professionals with diploma and B.Ed special education degrees.
New courses at Amity institute Amity institute has decided to launch new courses in Urban Management, Cyber Crime, Law and Forensic Science and Nano Technology. The decision has been taken keeping in view the latest demands of the industry. The institute is planning to launch these new courses from the coming academic session. The managing committee of the institute announced the decision today in a press conference. Dr Ashok Chauhan, the Founder of Ritnand Baldev Education Foundation, said: “During my 30 years of stay in Germany I have seen that Indians are not less than any other nationals in brilliance and talent. Therefore, I have made my mission to build a large number of human resource, which in turn would help in developing the country.” |
Trigger-happy criminal nailed near Grand Hyatt New Delhi, March 29 Sandeep is the key person who had executed the murder of a criminal, Hemant Sharma, and a Haryana police constable on January 10, 2003, in the Gurgaon court complex in an encounter. He had also killed an ITI student in an altercation in a bus. Again in November 2003, he and his associates robbed one Mohit Malhotra of his Indica car in Sector 10, Gurgaon, and shot him when he resisted their attempt. The Inter-State Cell received secret information that certain criminals were looking for some soft targets to commit crimes in Delhi and its surrounding districts. Accordingly, a special team under the supervision of ACP Ravi Shanker was constituted. In the afternoon on March 26 the sleuths spotted one Maruti car and an Alto car near the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the accused engrossed in a discussion. The sleuths tried to overpower them but the suspects started firing at the police party. However, the sleuths managed to pin them down. They were identified as Sandeep, alias Amit, alias Mahesh (24), Manoj (20) and Satinder, alias Bholu (23), all residents of Haryana. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deependra Pathak said during interrogation the accused told the sleuths that they were waiting for their associate Hardutt who had found a target in the area. It also came to light that Sandeep was the one who planned the execution of a Haryana criminal, Hemant Sharma, and a Haryana police constable. However, during the encounter the Haryana police managed to kill three of Sandeep’s accomplices. Since elections are round the corner the accused also had plans to offer musclemen services to some politicians. While Sandeep was involved in at least 13 cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery and some under the Arms Act his accomplice, Manoj, had at least 10 cases of murder, robbery and jail escape against him. Manoj along with his
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With cops clueless about kidnappings, parents Sonepat, March 29 Despite all-out efforts the police have failed to make any breakthrough. The incidents have also forced the wardens of the school-going children to take all possible precautionary measures. Women from the localities adjacent to the schools have been seen going to the school with their children and also escorting them back after school hours. Sheela, whose son Montu is in early primary class in Rishikul Vidyapeeth, told NCR Tribune “tantriks” misguided the women, mostly those who were issueless or scared of being troubled by some evil spirit. “Why is action not being taken against ‘tantriks’ when everyone knows that they instigate people, mainly women, to commit crimes to get rid of the evil spirit,” she questioned. Sunita of Shashtri Nagar is also of the same opinion. “We are forced to verify the antecedents of the rickshaw-pullers before engaging them for carrying our children to school,” she remarked. Two children, Shahrukh (11) and Naushad (10) from the local Idgah colony, have been missing since March 12. They did not return from school. The parents of these children had lodged a complaint regarding their kidnapping but even after more than a fortnight there was no progress in police investigation. On March 14 three-year-old Ojaswi was kidnapped from Farmana village. There is no trace of him. There has been no demand for any ransom which the police are finding baffling. Two youths belonging to the trading community, Ashu and Sunny, were kidnapped on March 25 when they were on their way back to Sonepat from Gohana where they had gone for recovery of their payments. Their car was found abandoned on the Gohana road in Panipat, forcing the police to suspect that the kidnappers might be hiding in the adjoining areas of the state or in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, the parents of the kidnapped youths had informed that the kidnappers had given a phone call from Maharashtra, demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore. |
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Man held for forging documents to obtain loan New Delhi, March 29 The Economic Offences Wing received a complaint from one Gurcharan Singh, resident of Ghaziabad, that he had been summoned by the Debt Recovery Tribunal, even though he had not taken any loan from the bank. During preliminary investigation, the sleuths found out that the signatures of Gurcharan Singh were forged in the bank documents. The accused had produced one Ramswaroop impersonating as Gurcharan. The accused had opened an account in the name of Gurcharan Singh in the State Bank of Bikaner. Four persons held
for robbery With the arrest of four persons, the South district police today claimed to have solved the Zakir Nagar house robbery on March 12. The police also claimed to have recovered one country-made pistol, two knives and one mobile phones from their possession. The accused have been identified as Saleem (21), Akram (27), Firoz alias Tannu (28) and Mohammad Aslam (19), all resident of Zakir Nagar. Blind murder case solved With the arrest of one Sooraj, the North-West district police today claimed to have solved a blind murder case of one Prahalad on March 23. During interrogation, one Sooraj (19), resident of Sultanpuri, confessed to have committed the crime along with Amar Chand alias Matira, and Prem Singh alias Kale. The wristwatch stolen from the victim was recovered from him. |
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