 |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Contempt notice to DDA Vice-Chairman, two others New Delhi, April 14 Justice S K Kaul issued the notices to Commissioner, Housing, Asma Manzar and Director, Finance, S K Goel besides the Vice-Chairman for not properly implementing the court’s order of September 9, 2003, by which the DDA was told not to charge money from an allottee of a flat for five years between the date of allotment in 1992 and the date of issuance of a ‘demand letter’ in 1997. Petitioner V J John through counsel T L Garg claimed that the DDA refunded only Rs 34,155, instead of Rs 44,399 after much persuasion as the amount charged from him for the said period. The judge directed the DDA to respond within three weeks to the petition, which alleged that there was wilful disobedience by the officials, as the court order was not implemented in ‘true letter and spirit’. The court on September 17 has ordered the DDA to pay the same rate of interest on amounts deposited with it by the applicants as it charged for delay in payments. The court had said that if the DDA charged interest from the petitioners for the delay in making payments after the allotment letter had been issued, the petitioners too were entitled to interest at the same rate, on the amount deposited by them, for delay on the authority’s part. ‘’Thus, while calculating the cost to be paid by the petitioners, interest as per the policy of the DDA can be charged for delay in payment from the date of issuance of the allotment letter till the date of payment but simultaneously interest shall also be paid on the amount deposited by the petitioners at the same rate,” the court had said. Normally, the DDA charges about 18 per cent interest on delay in payment by the allotees but does not pay any interest for delay on its own part. The court was dealing with a plea by three petitioners, who were members of the same family, seeking adjacent houses. In 1984, they had sought three Middle-Income Group Scheme flats in East Delhi, but one of the flats turned out to be a case of ‘double allotment’. In 1988,
they sought an upgradation to Self-Financing Scheme flats in South
Delhi. In 1992, they were allotted the flats but in two different
colonies. The petitioners deposited the money in 1997 and the possession
was given to them in 1999.  |
|
Mining grinds to a halt as row erupts over free coupons
Faridabad, April 14 This seems to be related to the political moves of a former Haryana minister, who reportedly owns at least three stone crushers and a fleet of trucks for transportation of the material. It is claimed that the leaseholder of the mines located at Sirohi-Khori villages has stopped obliging the former minister with free coupons for stones after the latter joined another party. This led to a protest by the stone crusher owners which was probably triggered by the influence wielded by the former minister. Sources close to the stone crushers association and the former minister claimed the problem surfaced after they had stopped paying ‘goonda tax’ to the men of the leaseholder. Things became murkier when trucks carrying the material came to a halt on the road leading to the Pali crusher zone here and the leaseholder stopped the entry to the mines yesterday. There is said to be a dispute over the rates of royalty being paid for taking out the stone from the area. According to certain crusher owners, the official rate of royalty was about Rs 24 per tonne but it is reported that a majority of the crushers were being asked to pay the rate of Rs 70 to 85 per tonne. The issuance of free coupons by the leaseholder to certain influential persons, including the former minister, and subsequently their withdrawal led to the problem. The state government had auctioned the mines of the Sirohi-Khori villages on a five-year lease about two years ago. This is the only mining area in the district which does not come under the purview of the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on mining in the Aravalli hills. The state government reportedly gets a revenue of about Rs 25 crore per year through royalty and sales tax. There are about 350 crushers in Faridabad and Gurgaon districts which depend on this mine for their supply of stones. The crushers then prepare building material like stone dust, rori and bajri which is an important ingredient of the construction work. The retail price of rori and bajri in the market is between Rs 15 to 18 per square feet. It is reported that a large part of the supply of the building
material was also being supplied to Delhi and nearby areas of the NCR
from the crushers here. The local authorities seem to be watching the
development closely and are perhaps awaiting directions from their
seniors at Chandigarh. |
|
Wheat crop, fodder perish in Sonepat fires Sonepat, April 14 According to a report, the fire was brought under control by the municipal fire brigades. It caused a loss of about Rs 10 lakh. It is stated that the fire was caused by a spark from a tractor-thresher in Nathupur village, burning wheat in two acres, a tractor and a thresher. In another incident of fire at Khurampur village, fodder in 1.5 acres was burnt in a fire which broke out after the sparks from the transmission lines. At Jagdishpur village, a fire broke out and the
wheat stock was burnt in it. The villagers brought the fire under
control and saved the crops of other farmers. At Barwasni village, wheat
crop in one acre was burnt in the fire. The affected farmer suspected
that someone had burnt his wheat stock. He has approached the district
and the police administration and urged them to arrest the miscreant. |
|
Every third house has a polio patient here! Meerut, April 14 Recently, the WHO officials declared after a survey that Meerut was one district in the country where polio thrived in large numbers. If the polio virus still remained alive in the world,Meerut would be responsible. The state government and the Union Government both rejected the WHO report but it can easily be corroborated in Khivai village. When a team of journalists visited the village and asked about the polio patients, more than 50 children accompanied by their parents arrived. They include Allu (3), Zubair (5) Parvej (5), Talim (3) Nadim (3), Rehana (3), Gulshana (3). Abrar told the ‘NCR Tribune’ that hundreds of children had become handicapped due to polio. These included one-year-olds to 25-year-olds. When queried about this, the deputy pradhan of the village, Abrar Ahmad, claimed that polio drops were given to every child. Even the health officials claimed that every child in the village had been administered polio drops during every campaign. Meanwhile, considerable panic prevailed in the district Health Department. A team of doctors rushed to Khivai village on Tuesday where the doctors camped and examined over 500 patients. Most of them were down with scabies and asthma while several villagers were suffering from dehydration and vomiting. The head of the team of doctors, Dr S. K. Singh, also confirmed this. He said more than 300 patients of scabies, asthma and dehydration were found in the village. Besides, hundreds of polio cases were detected. Health officials and mediapersons found at least 92 polio patients were deaf and dumb. Several families have more than one child who is deaf and dumb and affected by polio. The doctors and mediapersons were in a fix to see
such a large number of patients of polio and other disease in the
village. The number of deaf and dumb children is more than 125 and most
of them are male. |
|
childhood lost Sonepat: Three child prisoners were injured, two of them seriously, in a clash between two groups of prisoners in the Bal Sudhar Graha around nine last night. The injured prisoners were identified as Bijender of Garhwal village, Sunil of Tarkha village in Jind district and Sunder of Sargathal village. All three were rushed to the local civil hospital by the Civil Lines police station officials. They were discharged after first-aid. The trouble arose when the prisoners were taking meals. Sunder assaulted Sunil with some sharp weapon over a minor issue. Thereafter, Sunil along with Bijender attacked Sunder. All of them sustained injuries. On seeing the clash, other child prisoners raised the alarm and the officials of the juvenile home rushed to the site and intervened. Sunder and Sunil sustained serious injuries whereas
Bijender suffered minor injuries. After getting the information, the
officials of the Civil Lines police rushed to the site and took all the
prisoners to the local civil hospital. It is stated that Sunder is
involved in nine cases of murder whereas Sunil is involved in a case of
dacoity. Sunder is 22 though he had shown his age at 12 years when he
was brought to jail. It is alleged that most of the prisoners have
crossed the age of 16 years and now they are between 22 and 25 years.
Still they are housed in the juvenile home. OC |
BJP seeks dissolution of MCD New Delhi, April 14 He
said that last meeting of the Standing Committee was held on March 29
and it was not likely to be held until the general election to the Lok
Sabha were over. The Standing Committees and the Wards Committees had
financial powers. Similarly, there would be no meeting of the
corporation to hold elections for the special committee - Ad hoc and
Statutory Committees. Therefore, there was total breakdown of the
constitutional machinery in the corporation at present. Quoting from
the item number 349 of the urgent business and item number 21 of the
April meeting on the agenda of the corporation, Mr Gupta stated that
both these items were on the subject of computerisation of the toll tax
collection system in Delhi. However, these had been placed separately.
Obviously, the reasons were that both had contradictory
recommendations. He also alleged the Congress had even violated the
provisions of the Act and knowingly delayed the constitution of the
Standing Committee and Ward Committees with the intention of not
finalising the new computerised toll tax collection tender in time. |
|
Chandni Chowk Inc canvassing for local candidate New Delhi, April 14 Secretaries of the Federation of Delhi Trade Associations Narender Madan and Satender Jain have said that the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency is traditionally a “traders’ seat” and that nominating a trader will have a positive impact on the adjoining seats as well. Mr Jain said that the Chandni Chowk seat has always returned a trader because of the strong presence of more than 250 big and small trade organisations operating there which, he asserts, are capable of influencing the result of the election. Mr Madan, in turn, said that 50 per cent of the traders are registered as voters in the Chandni Chowk constituency and the remaining 50 per cent in adjoining areas that fall in other parliamentary constituencies. “Nominating a trader here will benefit the party in other seats,” he said. Supporting
the candidature of a veteran trader for the Chandni Chowk seat, the
secretary of the Chemical Merchants Association, Mr Shyam Sunder Gupta,
claimed that the nomination of a trader would infuse a sense of
‘feelgood’ in the trading community. TNS |
|
Cong, a party of sycophants: Malhotra New Delhi, April 14 The delegation comprised senior advocates and representatives of the Delhi Bar Council, Delhi Bar Association, South Delhi Lawyers Forum and members of the BJP’s legal cell.Also present in the meeting were former presidents of the Delhi University Teachers Association, former members of the Academic Council and others. A statement issued by the media secretary to Mr Malhotra said that the advocates rubbished the claims of Mr R.K.Anand that the legal fraternity was supporting him.A senior advocate and sitting member of the Rajya Sabha, Mr R.K.Anand is the Indian National Congress (INC) candidate in the South Delhi parliamentary constituency. Mr Malhotra, in turn, described the INC as a party of sycophants, courtiers and power brokers, who have mastered the art of glorifying the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Meanwhile, the party’s candidates in the other constituencies continued their election campaign, besides addressing meetings organised to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi. The BJP candidate in the Outer Delhi parliamentary constituency, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, today toured the Mehrauli Assembly constituency where he addressed street-corner meetings. In his speeches, Verma targeted the Sheila Dikshit ministry for hoodwinking the people in the name of promoting the Bhagidari (citizen-government partnership) programme. Verma also criticised the chief minister for allegedly putting road blocks in the drafting of a ‘Mini Master Plan’ that could protect the interests of the Delhiites. The BJP candidate in the Sadar constituency, Mr Vijay Goel, today flagged off a Shobha Yatra organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr B. R. Ambedkar in Timarpur. He addressed a number of functions on the occasion. He unveiled the statue of Dr Ambedkar in Kabir Basti. He also addressed a gathering in Aryapura in the evening. Meanwhile, the
party’s candidate in the Karol Bagh (Reserved) parliamentary
constituency, Ms Anita Arya, today inaugurated her election campaign
office in Naraina Vihar. She also addressed several meetings in Naraina
Vihar, Naraina Village, Raigarpura, Ranjit Nagar, Zakhira, Patel Nagar,
Bapa Nagar and Baljit Nagar. |
Who is to pay VRS to
former DVB staff? New Delhi, April 14 The
Chief Executive Officer of the BSES, Mr Rakesh Agarwal, was responding
to a media report that quoted the Power Secretary of the Government of
NCT of Delhi as having said that the private distribution companies
should pay the VRS benefit. Mr Agarwal claimed that as per the transfer
agreement signed between the BSES and the Government of NCT of Delhi
prior to the unbundling of the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) the government
was to pay the terminal benefit. He said that it was the distribution
companies’ (discoms) view that the VRS fell under that benefit. The
discoms also say that the payment should be made from the Employees
Terminal Benefit Fund created by the government. The government,
however, insists that that money was meant for those who had reached the
age of superannuation. With the government and the discoms claiming that
the payment was not their responsibility, the uncertainty persists. |
|
Gurgaon gets Pind Village Gurgaon, April 14 The joint, inaugurated today by the pop star Daler Mehndi further added Punjabi punch to the public function. The visitors, a majority of them from the Sikh community, were mainly from Delhi. Incidentally, the promoter of GrandVatika, Mr J. S. Chadha, also hails from Sikh community. The specialty of Pindi Village, an addition to the Grand Vatika restaurant near the well-known Leisure Valley here, is that it has successfully brought the ambience of village and its prototype house by providing an ideal setting. Spanning over about 400 sq ft, it is divided in three sections. The first part has a set-up like a village restaurant with the furniture identical with the theme. The interiors have an ethnic touch. One can enjoy food here with star-lit night scece, just like the villagers have alfresco dinner. The second section brings one near the fields in a village. The third one has thatched roof with thick mud walls to bring alive the village home. To give an all-out ethnic impression, all attendants in the joint will don ethnic outfits. According to Mr Chadha, the main highlight of the restaurant
is the changing weather effect in a village. Apart from Punjabi cuisine,
the visitors can also have their fill of dishes of Rajasthan and Jammu. |
|
Education must before waging struggle for rights:
Governor Rewari, April 14 Delivering his keynote address as chief guest at a function organised to mark Bharat Rattan Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s 113th birth anniversary here today, the Governor said that if the message was followed in letter and spirit it could be instrumental in forging social unity and equality in the country. Lauding the invaluable services of Dr Ambedkar as an architect of the Indian Constitution, Babu Parmanand said that the great task of moulding and raising a free India as enshrined by Dr Ambedkar was still incomplete. He said that the people still stood divided in the name of religion, caste and community while social equality, freedom and brotherhood were the need of the hour. The Governor also called upon the people to put in unified endeavour to take the country on the path of peace and progress to ensure holistic development of all sections of society. Mr Jagdish Prasad Dahinwal, Dr Jag Ram, Principal Ram Lal Sachdeva, Mr Mahesh Kumar Khinchhi and several others also highlighted the life and teachings of Dr B. R. Ambedkar on this occasion. Earlier, the Governor along with his wife,
Mrs Sudesh Kumari, laid floral wreaths on the statue of Dr B. R.
Ambedkar at the Garhi Bolni Chowk here today. |
|
Massive stamp duty evasion in Noida banks Noida, April 14 According to Assistant Stamp Commissioner Ajay Goyal, most of the cases of stamp evasion have been found in the State Bank of India branch in Sector 2, Noida. Two stamp papers were found to be fake, he said. Mr Goyal said though most of the parties, banks and financial institutions, were using proper stamp papers in finalising deals of multi-storied buildings between themselves but while making payments to government revenue the same people were known to resort to stamp duty evasion and thus harm the interest of government revenue collection. As a result, the government had lost revenue of Rs 1 crore from stamp duty evasion. Cases had been filed against the defaulters, he said. Mr Goyal said inquiries were being conducted on stamp evasion in various banks. All agreements were being looked into minutely, he said. Penalties had also been slapped on many defaulters. “We are keeping an eye on all valuables, agreements and documents kept in the bank lockers. Agreements of sale and purchase and rentals property etc in all multi-storied buildings constructed by builders are being finalised on a Rs 100 stamp paper only. The members of such societies as well as the builders were trying to evade stamp duty. If anybody paid less stamp duty at the time of registry he would have to pay the stamp duty later. Nobody should, therefore, try to save on stamp duty. It was an illegal act and the defaulters would have to pay the stamp duty and penalty later, Mr Goyal said.
Drugs worth Rs 17 lakh seized Ghaziabad:
Trade tax department sleuths have seized drugs at the Vijay Nagar
checkpost worth Rs 17 lakh. The medicines belong to a well-known
manufacturer. They were being transported to Ghaziabad from Delhi
without proper documents. Besides, the mobile unit of the trade tax
department has seized pipes worth Rs 3 lakh from the UP
border. Assistant Commissioner Trade Tax Veer Bhan Singh said a
drugs-laden truck was checked at the Vijay Nagar checkpost yesterday and
it was found to be carrying medicines worth Rs 17 lakh without proper
documents. A detention memo has been issued to owners of the
consignment. Deputy Commissioner Ranjit Rai said a truck with pipes
worth Rs 3 lakh was detained at TP Nagar. These pipes were also being
transported without proper documents. |
|
Prisoners to make a choice in Lok Sabha elections Sonepat, April 14 According to directives issued by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEE), the prisoners would be allowed to mail their ballot papers or through other means adopted by the administration before May 13, the date of the counting of votes. The District Electoral Officer has dispatched copies of the directives of the CEC to the Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, and the Superintendent of the district jail, enabling them to take possible steps in this regard. Sources revealed that there were at least 900 prisoners and undertrials housed in the district jail of Sonepat at present. It is
learnt the administration will not set up any polling booth in the
district jail but would allow the prisoners to send their ballot through
post. It may be recalled that Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency has a total
electorate of 11,39,770. |
|
Remote sensors to detect vehicles causing air pollution New Delhi, April 14 The pilot study follows a test run of the equipment in Pune and is being demonstrated under a partnership between the city’s transportation department, the Automotive Research Association of India and Environmental Systems Products. The US Agency for International Development is supporting the inspection and certification methods that aim to curb air pollution from the city. The remote sensing technology detects a vehicle’s emissions when it drives through an invisible light beam, projected across a roadway and can be placed at different locations around the city. The devise identifies polluters and helps evaluate control programmes such as Pollution Under Control Centres. The technology measures carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides
of nitrogen and smoke opacity exhaust emissions of thousands of vehicles
per day. The technology is recognised by the US Environment Protection
Agency and is used in about 11 countries. |
|
NCR BRIEFS Rewari, April 14 It is reported that the gangsters were hiding in a government building near Khaliawas village on the Delhi-Jaipur highway where they were planning to loot truckers. The Police also seized some lethal weapons from their possession. The arrested gangsters were identified as Kaushal alias Ashok, son of Chet Ram of Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, Satish alias Vijay, son of Hari Chand of Ghaziabad, Rajesh, son of Rohtash and Dinesh, son of Bhoop Singh, both of Mohalla Sanghi Ka Bas, Rewari. The Police have registered a case under Sections 399 (Preparation to commit dacoity), 402 (Assembling for purpose of committing dacoity) of the IPC and also section 25/54/59 of the Arms Act against the gangsters.
Boy crushed by truck Jhajjar: A
nine-year-old boy, identified as Azeem, was reportedly crushed by a
truck on the Badli Road in Bahadurgarh today. According to information,
the child, son of Mohammad Nyeudeen, resident of Preetam colony, was run
over by the truck when he was crossing the road.
Shopkeeper
injured Sonepat: A shopkeeper, Braham Dutt Tyagi, was seriously
injured when he was knocked down by a car while he was crossing the road
near Teha village, about 15 km from here last night. According to a
report, the injured shopkeeper was immediately hospitalised and was
stated to be out of danger. He was returning to his home after closing
his shop at night. |
|
DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, April 14 He said Baisakhi is a festival that symbolises prosperity and peace. He congratulated the people for the forthcoming 500th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Sahib on April 18. Special celebration will be held at Khadur Sahib. As many as 200 buses from Majnu Ka Teela will leave for Khadur Sahib on April 16. Sangat are coming from major Sikh shrines such as Patna Sahib and Hazur Sahib. Loadshedding
announced The North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) has announced
loadshedding in the Saraswati Nagar, Pitampura, Shaktinagar and Moti
Nagar areas on April 15 due to maintenance work. The details of the
loadshedding are: Saraswati Nagar from 9.30 am to 6 pm; Pitampura from
10 am to 5 pm; Shakti Nagar from 10 am to 2.30 pm and Moti Nagar from 8
am to 3 pm. |
Bodies of two boys
found in Loni Ghaziabad, April 14 The
police are finding it difficult to identify them as the faces of the
deceased had been crushed. Police Inspector, B.K. Singh, is trying to
identify the victims as well as trace the killers. According to the
police, the bodies were recovered from the wheat field of one Swaroop
Singh of Garhi Kotoya by the river bank road. A labourer who was going
to harvest the wheat noticed the bodies of two boys under a culvert.
The bodies with injuries on their hands have not been fully
identified. The ground where the bodies were recovered were
blood-soaked, indicating that the murders had been done at the very
spot. Boy missing
Sonepat: An 11-year-old boy has been missing from
his house since April 11 at Harsana Malcha village in this
district. According to a report, the boy, identified as Rahul,
disappeared while playing in the street outside his house. No clue has
been found to his whereabouts so far. His parents have now lodged an FIR
with the Sadar police station in this regard.
Girl kidnapped A minor
girl was reportedly kidnapped by a youth at Ahulana village, about 50 km
from here yesterday. According to a report, the parents of the girl had
gone to the fields for threshing of wheat when the incident occurred.
The suspect was identified as Sunil and the police have registered a
case against him. A hunt is on to apprehend him and trace the girl. The
incident has caused tension in the village. |
|
Sonepat: Four youths sustained knife injuries when they were attacked by two persons of the same village while they were returning from the fields at Thana Kalan village, about 15 km from here last night. According to a report the assailants were under the influence of liquor. The injured youths were identified as Zile, Vikas, Kale and Binde, who
were rushed to the community health centre at Kharkhauda town. They were
later referred to the PGIMS at Rohtak for further treatment. It is
stated the victims had spotted the assailants removing iron goods from
the Drain No. 8 and had tried to prevent them from doing so. While
trying to escape one of the assailants was overpowered by the local
residents after a chase. OC |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
