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Nine murders in 10 days in
Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, April 13 The police, who have failed to check the violent incidents, underplay the gravity of the situation. “There is nothing special about it,” they say. Five out of these murders had taken place in areas under Sihani Gate police station. The criminals in western UP seem to have shaken the police force. The incidents of murders which started on April 2 continue unabated. The policemen breathe easy when a day passes without a murder in Mahanagar. On April 2, Mohan of Anand gram was shot dead for having illicit relations. Police has arrested two accused, but others are still at large. The very next day Supriya, wife of Suresh, a Nagar Nigam employee was murdered in Sihani village. Her body tied with a cot was recovered from her house. Assailants had even tried to kill her one-and-a-half-year-old son. The police could not nab the killers even after they had been named in the report lodged. On April 6, the body of Amit of Atour Nangla village was found. He had been hit with bricks and stones. The police could not even spell out the cause of the murder. On April 6 again, the body of Munshi was found from Patel Marg under Kotwali area. The police declared that it was a death due to consumption of excessive liquor, but his family said he was murdered. His family alleged that police were deliberately trying to underplay the murder. The same night, the body of a young man was found in a drain in Vijay Nagar. He had been stoned to death. The deceased could not be identified. On April 7, the owner of a dairy was killed after being hit with stones and bricks under Mussori police station. The Mussori police have, however, arrested the assailants. They are in jail now. Conclusive action in other murder cases is still awaited. |
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Noida may have municipal bylaws now
Noida, April 13 The Noida Authority Chairman-cum-CEO, Mr Vinod Malhotra, said while the draft bylaws had been sent to the government for notification, the laws had been “promulgated in the city”. For 28 long years, Noida was without any municipal bylaws. What has happened is only the first step in this context. The usual excuse handed out by the Noida Authority was that this was an industrial city and did not need any municipal bylaws. But that is going to change now. The respective roles of residents and the Noida authority have been defined in these bylaws. Though the government was yet to notify these laws, the authority had issued directions to its officials to implement the new bylaws, Mr Vinod Malhotra said. But it was only after the government notification that these laws could become enforceable and penal action taken against violators. Though theNoida Management of Waste and Maintenance of Drains and Streets Rule 2004 has banned throwing garbage on roads and drains, spreading construction material on roads, encroachment (both temporary and permanent) of roads and other public spaces, the physical effect of these laws in the town is yet to be seen. |
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Down memory lane of trams
in Chandni Chowk
New Delhi, April 13 The Transport Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi, Mr Haroon Yusuf, says the Ministry of Railways will take further action towards implementing the plan after studying the report. The plan, which Mr Haroon refers to, details a proposal to revive this popular means of transport of yesteryears as part of the measures being taken to decongest the Old City. The minister says the idea to reintroduce the tram was mooted as part of the government’s plan to provide varied modes of transport to make Delhi a world-class city. The trams will retain their old charm but will be tempered with some modern features. He says the new tram will be aesthetically designed and an improved version of the earlier one. The old tram consisted of a coach almost double the length of a bus. It had engines on both sides and ran on tracks that were level with the road surface. As the population increased and smaller motor vehicles and rickshaws multiplied in number, the movement of trams became a problem and finally they were out of circulation in the 60s. The government feels trams will reduce the number of smaller vehicles like rickshaws and autos in the Old City, especially Chandni Chowk, which is a cultural and commercial hub. Traffic today comes to a standstill at peak hours. Besides eliminating that problem, trams might also reduce encroachments that were destroying the beauty of Chandni Chowk. The city is already going ahead with its Metro Rail project and the service has become operational between Shahdara and Rithala, which is line one of phase one of the ambitious project. |
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Women gherao Noida Chairman
Noida, April 13 The women were protesting against the construction of a wall by the owner of a restaurant. CEO Malhotra had to order his officials to demolish the wall forthwith. The residents have also protested against the ‘ineffective’ cleanliness operation and waste collection and management in the town. It was pointed out to the Chairman, Noida Authority by the residents that the heaps of waste and litter on roadsides and in vacant plots, parks and clogged drains were an eyesore and a source of breeding diseases in the city. The Noida Authority campaign did not seem to have any effect on Sectors 7, 8, 9,10, 11 and 12. The encroachment on roads and pavements were, however, removed by the Authority squad from road between Sectors 5 and 8. Addl. CEO Debashish Panda had given strict orders to remove encroachment by hawkers on pavements and roadsides in the town. |
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FILTHY LUCRE
New Delhi, April 13 The drama unfolded during an in-camera proceedings of a gang rape case in a city court today, when a sum of Rs 30,000 was recovered from a 38-year-old woman who allegedly blackmailed the four accused and accepted money to turn ‘hostile’. The incident happened in the court of Additional Sessions Judge (Mahila Court) Swaran Kanta Mehra who in a complaint to Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Reena Singh Nag asked her to take action against Meera, alias Brind Vasni, from whom the money was recovered. It all began while the testimony of Meera, the victim of the alleged gang rape, was being recorded. The accused informed the court that they had been implicated and she had been blackmailing them and their family members to pay Rs 60,000 for turning hostile. The accused, Sunil Kumar (30), Hari Om (30), Sandeep Bajaj (23) and Surinder Kumar (21) said since they wanted it to be brought to the notice of the court, they had paid Rs 30,000 to Meera on the court premises today. ASJ Mehra directed woman Head Constable Muneesh posted in the court as Naib Court to search Meera, who voluntarily took out Rs 10,000 from inside her blouse and handed it over to the court. Following this, Meera stated on oath that she did not have more money. When the accused insisted that Meera had Rs 20,000 more with her, the court asked the woman Head Constable to search Meera again. On a subsequent search, one more bundle of notes amounting to Rs 10,000 was taken out from her right armpit from inside the blouse. Meera again told the court that she did not have any more money with her. But on the insistence of the accused, Meera was again searched all over and Rs 10,000 were recovered from her left armpit. She, however, told the court that two men outside the court forcibly inserted the amount in her blouse. The angry ASJ Mehra asked her as to why she did not inform the court of the incident despite the judge asking Meera to make a voluntary statement being recorded on camera. |
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Varun chants development
mantra
New Delhi, April 13 Without touching upon the foreign origin of the INC president and his aunt, Ms Sonia Gandhi, Varun Gandhi said, “Is baar ladaiyee apnon aur beganon ke beech hai” (the fight is between us and them). Speaking at his first public meeting in Delhi, he said that this election would decide the fate of the country, its future and its youth. He asserted that the feel-good slogan was reflective of the hope prevailing in the youth of the country and their can-do spirit. “I too am a youth and I am feeling it,” he said, “with more opportunities before the youth today, he sees a window of opportunity for his own rise and a role for himself in the country’s development.” |
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NARROW ESCAPE Sonepat: Panic prevailed among the passengers when they noticed smoke billowing out from a coach of the New Delhi-bound Bhatinda Intercity Express between Sonepat and Rathdhanna railway station about 8 km from here yesterday. According to a report, the panicky passengers pulled the emergency chain of the train and stopped it at Rathdhanna railway station. They also informed the engine driver who rushed to the site and brought the fire under control. Thereafter, the train was allowed to proceed after it had been delayed for 10 minutes. The cause of the fire was not yet known. The GRP and the railway officials are still investigating. OC Sheila moving towards
privatising DJB: BJP New Delhi: The BJP has said that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit concealed the truth when she ruled out privatisation of Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Jagdish Mukhi said that the Government of NCT of Delhi took the first step towards privatising the water utility when it appointed a DJB Regulatory Commission. “Regulators are appointed only in private sectors to settle the issues between company and consumers… this never happens in a government organisation… this clearly reflects that she is taking a step forward for privatising the water utility,” Mr Mukhi said.
TNS
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Cong demands probe into job theft charge against BJP man
New Delhi, April 13 The president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), Mr Prem Singh, today said that this was a fit case for registering a case against that politician. He also sought an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged sale of high-quality coal to a company (allegedly fictitious) floated by that politician and his family. This coal was then resold at a profit after “making some cosmetic cleaning”. He said the alleged coal scam in Chhattisgarh ran into crores of rupees and that the Government of Chhattisgarh had suffered losses to the tune of Rs 100-odd crore. He claimed that the alleged malpractice could not have escaped detection without the complicity of the “top brass sitting in Delhi and Chhattisgarh”. “Only a CBI inquiry could uncover this massive fraud”, he added. |
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Hot days & sweaty nights sans power, a routine
here
Sonepat, April 13 On account of the rising temperature and diminishing water levels despite a good monsoon last season, long and frequent power cuts have become a routine, forcing the people to suffer. Blackouts at night and hot conditions coupled with the menace of mosquitoes are commonplace. This is the situation both in the urban and rural areas of this region. All promises of the state government in general and the Chief Minister in particular and the claims of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) have proved to be wrong. Most upset are the housewives and the students who need electricity not only in the morning but also during the night. If there is a three-phase electricity supply in the villages in the morning then either due to rotation (a term for load shedding) or due to tripping there is a blackout in the same villages in the night. People point out that this system of rotation has actually belied the claim of the government about regular power supply. While the students are forced to study in the light of kerosene lamps during nights people are questioning that even if there is uninterrupted supply of electricity for eight hours to the farmers the common man continues to be burdened. They point out that the power cuts are not felt so strongly during the day as most are busy in some chores but the situation becomes unbearable during nights with mosquitoes swarming all over. |
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Water crisis disrupts normal life
Sonepat, April 13 To make matter worse, the repeated complaints about the disruption in water supply have been ignored by the officials of the PHD. Residents alleged that they have been facing the waster shortage since March 15. The inadequate water supply has also been accompanied with low pressure, which has made it difficult even to store the water on account, they added. Some other residents complained that they had to fetch water from distant places in order to meet their requirement as the water in the interiors was saline and unfit for human consumption. They alleged that the PHD had utterly failed to make alternative arrangements to supply water to the residents through tankers. Blaming the officials of the PHD for the ongoing water crisis, representatives of some women organisations have alleged that the district authorities too have remained a silent spectator on this issue. They have threatened to launch an agitation and gherao the officials if the water supply was not restored immediately. They have also urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, to order a high-level probe into the public complaints about the inadequate and erratic water supply and punish the officials found responsible for the water crisis. |
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Fire Service Week aims to spread awareness about safety
norms
New Delhi, April 13 He said that the ‘Fire Service Week’, which is being observed from April 14 to 20, would highlight the need to spread awareness of fire extinguishing techniques as well as prevention methods. He said that it was always difficult for fire tenders to reach areas covered by narrow lanes and roads. So the people must be aware of the fire extinguishing techniques and prevention methods. Elaborating on the techniques and latest equipment employed by the Delhi Fire Service, he said that in most cases it had been seen that the people were unaware about the fire extinguishing systems and therefore, could not react in time. He said that the Fire Department had organised demonstrations and awareness shows in schools of Delhi so that the children would be able to react in time. The firemen also demonstrated the working of the fire latest extinguishing equipment recently purchased by the department to combat natural calamities like earthquake, gas leakage etc. Mr Sharma said that the death rate and the property losses have declined during 2003-04. During the year 2003-04, as many as 14,595 distress calls were received by the control room. As many as 1,334 persons were injured and 135 persons killed in these fires. Mr Sharma said that DFS planned to construct 26 new fire stations in the city to reduce the response time. The work is in progress at 18 sites, while four temporary fire stations have already been built at Shastri Park, Gokul Puri, Okhla Phase-1 and Paschim Vihar. |
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Farmers plagued by frequent fires in wheat fields
Sonepat, April 13 A major fire in the fields of Kheri Gujjar village on Monday destroyed the standing wheat crop in 21 acres of area. This included 10 acres of Karambir, four acres of Bhim Singh, three acres of Babloo and one acre of Jai Bhagwan. The fire was reportedly caused due to a short circuit. The fire could be put out with the help of fire engines from the Sonepat fire station. Wheat crop in four acres belonging to Attar Singh of Bali Kutubpur village was destroyed in a fire yesterday. Similarly, a fire broke out as a result of a short circuit in the fields of Tek Ram of Mohana village, resulting in a loss of crop in four acres. The areas which suffered crop losses in other incidents which took place on Monday included more than five acres in Rajlu Garhi village and nearly one acre in Turkpur village. Similar incidents were reported on Sunday also. In three incidents of a major fire in wheat fields, standing crop was gutted in 15 acres. A tractor and a thresher were partially burnt and one person suffered burn injuries. The losses in these incidents are estimated up to Rs 10 lakh. At least 80 per cent of fire incidents during the harvesting season were caused by a short circuit. Electricity wires passing over the fields hang precariously close to each other. When the wind is strong sparking invariably leads to fire. The farmers have alleged that despite complaints to the electricity department authorities the wires are not tightened up. Interestingly, there is a fire engine in the fire station at Ganaur but there is reportedly no driver for driving it. Hence, whenever there is any incident of fire engines are requisitioned from Sonepat, at a distance of more than 20 km. |
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With glut in mandis, farmers being denied
MSP
Sonepat, April 13 Although the wheat arrival this season seem to have broken all previous records, still a large number of farmers are forced to sell their produce below the MSP following the failure of officials of certain procurement agencies in buying wheat from the farmers. According to sources in various mandis in the region, about 30 to 35 per cent of the produce is being purchased by the government agencies on the pretext that the wheat is much below the norms laid down by the government. An interesting fact that has come to light is that small and marginal farmers are being offered a rate of Rs 550 to Rs 580 per quintal in their fields by private traders on the plea that there were numerous problems at mandis. Several farmers, who have only 10 to 50 quintals of surplus wheat prefer to sell their wheat to such traders as they do not want to go through the harassment at mandis and incur extra expenses on transporting the produce to mandis. Another point brought to the notice of mediapersons is that farmers producing other rabi crops like sarson and barley are forced to sell their produce to private hands much below the MSP. Most of the farmers are now diverting their produce to Narela mandi in Delhi to get remunerative price prevailing there. They alleged that the officials of the procurement agencies had failed to buy their wheat at the MSP after rejecting their produce on some pretext or the other. They are alleged to be hand in glove with the traders and are accused of minting money by getting money regularly as bribe from them. A high-level inquiry is likely to expose the misdeeds of such officials if they are transferred or suspended from the posts held by them. |
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DELHI DIGEST
New Delhi, April 13 The idea behind the workshops was to increase the interaction between the school children and artistes, which would help children from diverse backgrounds to enhance their creative abilities as well as generate awareness among them about the disadvantaged sections of society. The camps were held at Delhi Public School, Greater Noida, Sanskriti, Tagore International School, Delhi Public School Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, American Embassy School, Bluebells, Springdales, Dhaula Kuan and Pusa road, Modern School, Barakhamba Road. Creating these unique works of art was an extremely interesting experience for both the children and the artistes. A number of themes came up at the workshops, including ‘future and hope’, ‘time span’ and ‘wildlife conservation’. At the Sanskriti School, Jatin Das emphasised on the importance of being aware of ones surroundings. Dr Kiran Modi, Managing Trustee, Udayan Care, said, “We realize that for our disadvantaged children to be accepted in the mainstream life, there must be an interaction with their more advantaged peers.” Cancer detection camp held Punjab and Sind Bank organised a cancer detection camp in association with the Indian Cancer Society at Rajendra Place, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Mr V. K. Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, lauded the efforts of the Indian Cancer Society for organising the awareness camp. He said that the cancer can be cured if detected well in time. Prevention of the disease is better than its cure, added Mr Chopra. Aware of its commitments to the society, Mr Chopra said, the Punjab and Sind Bank has always supported such socially desirable activities while dedicating itself to the economic development of the country. In the past, the bank had supported cleanliness drives, blood donation camps, environmental projects and health melas. Mr R. Sareen, the General Manager of the Bank, who was instrumental in organising the camp, spoke of the long association that the bank has with the Cancer Society. He recalled that the bank has always stood for the cause of the society and has sponsored their cancer programme in past. He said that the present camp would be instrumental in creating awareness about cancer in our society. |
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NCR BRIEFS
Jhajjar, April 13 As soon as the youths went outside, they were forced inside a waiting Maruti car and driven away. Some eyewitnesses said that there were six kidnapers. However, no firearms were seen with them. The kidnapped youths were in the business of sale and purchase of cars. The police have begun investigation into the case. Lovers commit suicide Two lovers reportedly committed suicide in ward no 3 of the town yesterday. While the woman died yesterday, the youth breathed his last in PGIMS at Rohtak today. According to information, Savita, wife of an Army personnel, identified as Vijay, was having an affair with Anil, her neighbour, who also happened to be her nephew. Sources reveled that the families of both had objected to their affairs. Recently, some altercation had taken place a couple of days ago on the issue. Subsequently, both the lovers decided to end their lives yesterday and consumed some poisonous substance in their houses separately. While Savita died yesterday, Anil, who is younger to her, breathed his last today. In another incident, a Bihari labourer, Shiv Kumar, was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle near Prakash Surya factory on the National Highway no 10, near Bahadurgarh today. 2 acquitted in dowry harassment case Sonepat: The Civil Judge (Senior Division), Mr Rakesh Singh, yesterday acquitted two accused, identified as Virender and his father, Raj Kumar, in a case of dowry harassment on lack of evidence. According to the prosecution story, Mrs Santosh had lodged an FIR with the Women Police Station on April 2, 1998 against her husband and father-in-law for demanded a motorcycle and Rs 25,000 in cash. When she declined to meet their demand, she was harassed. Later, the police had arrested them and sent their challan to the court. Free eye operation camp A free eye operation camp will be held at the Flying Officer Primary Health Centre on April 15 at Ferozpur Bangar village in this district. According to a report, noted eye surgeons from Venu Eye Institute, Delhi, would examine the patients suffering from eye diseases and also perform operations. |
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Four held for robbery, pistol
seized
New Delhi, April 13 The accused were identified as Naseem (23), Shoaib Khan (20), Mohammad Akram alias Bhoora (19) and Bilal Akhtar alias Bundu (45), all residents of Welcome colony. They were nabbed by the police after being found moving in a suspicious circumstances in the Welcome area.
Notorious autolifter held The Delhi Police Crime Branch claimed to have nabbed a notorious auto-lifter near the Metro Station, Shastri Park. The police received a secret information that the accused, identified as Ravinder Kumar of Ashok Nagar, was using the parking area as a hiding stolen vehicles. Accordingly, a trap was laid and Ravinder was arrested and one stolen vehicle was recovered from his possession. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had stolen as many as 10 cars from South and West districts this year.
Liquor godown unearthed With the arrest of one person, the Crime Branch claimed to have unearthed an illegal godown with large quantity of illicit liquor at Dabri area. The sleuths seized 27 cartons of illicit liquor and arrested the owner of the godown, identified as Murari Lal. |
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Dreaded criminal shot dead in
encounter
Ghaziabad, April 13 The Superintendent of Police (City), Mr Umesh Srivastava, said that the police directed two men on a motorbike to halt during a routine checking of vehicles near Hindon Air Force station tri-junction at 1.30 last night. However, when they refused to stop and tried to flee, they were chased by the police. Subsequently, the criminals fired at the police. However, their motorbike slipped. During the encounter, one of the criminals was wounded, while the other managed to escape. The injured criminal was taken to the district hospital where he passed away, said the Superintendent of Police. The police seized the motorcycle (DL7-SW 5699) and a country-made revolver. The criminal was identified as Pappoo alias Dungar, son of Sher Singh Yadav of Brahrampur village, under Sector-58 police station, Noida. He was wanted in 17 cases of murder, loot, way-laying etc, said the city police chief.
Raid on Dasna
Jail A raid conducted on Dasna jail by a special team of police officials found criminals freely using cell phones in the jail. A dreaded criminal, Angrez Singh, was also found using in possession of a cell phone in the jail. The raid was conducted after the administration learnt that the criminals had been provided “unusual facilities and comforts” in the jail. Subsequently, the District Magistrate, Santosh Kumar Yadav, constituted a team under the Superintendent of Police (City), Mr Umesh Srivastava and the Additional District Magistrate, Mr M C. P. Pandey to conduct the raid. During the three hours raid on Monday, all the criminals lodged in Dasna jail barracks were individually frisked. The District Magistrate confirmed that the raid had highlighted several security lapses in the district jail. |
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Five autolifters held, 35 cases
solved
New Delhi, April 13 The police received a secret information that some autolifters would pass through August Kranti Marg in two cars, including a white Hyundai and Mahindra Scorpio with red beacon lights on April 11. A special team, which was stationed at the August Kranti Marg, spotted the two cars. (Accent car No AS-07-B-2837 and black Scorpio No AS-04-B-3993 with red lights) When the police party tried to stop the vehicles, the autolifters tried to escape. However, they were soon overpowered. Those travelling in the Hyundai car were identified as Sharad Pandey, resident of Uttam Nagar, Sanjay Patel, resident of Gorakhpur and Pappu Mahato, resident of Moradabad. The arrested persons from the Scorpio jeep were identified as Sunil Kumar alias Sonu, resident of old Raja Puri and Sumit Sharma alias Vikas, resident of Uttam Nagar. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that the vehicles were stolen from C R Park area and confessed to have been involved in as many as 35 cases of vehicle thefts. In another case, the North-East district police claimed to have arrested two autolifters and solved 10 cases of vehicle thefts. The accused were identified as Mohammad Musa, resident of Jafrabad and Abdul Anees, resident of New Seelampur. The police also claimed to have recovered three motorcycles, two scooters and engines and chassis of different scooters from their possession. The police team apprehended them after receiving a tip-off that the duo would be found moving around in Subhash Park. |
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Sonepat house robbed of gold,
silver
Sonepat, April 13 According to a report, the owner of the house, along with other family members, was away in Ahulana village for threshing of wheat. He has informed the police about the theft. Further investigations wore in progress. According to another report, three other cases of thefts were reported from the market at Pio Munyari village on the G T Road, about 15-km from here last night. The thieves reportedly broke the shutters of these shops escaped with variety of goods worth several lakhs of rupees. The affected shopkeepers have informed the police about these thefts. However, the police have failed to achieve any breakthrough in these cases. However, the spate of thefts have caused resentment among the shopkeepers and residents of the areas. They alleged negligence on the part of the police patrolling party at night, which had encouraged anti-social elements and criminals. |
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Attempt to loot motorcyclist foiled
Sonepat, April 13 Manish informed the police about the incident and further investigations were in progress. |
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