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Cong names Outer, Chandni Chowk,
E Delhi nominees New Delhi, April 15 Sajjan Kumar will contend with Sahib Singh Verma in the Outer Delhi constituency. The son of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Mr Sandeep has been fielded from the East Delhi constituency. He will be making his political debut. The party has selected sitting Rajya Sabha MP and AICC spokesman Kapil Sibal to contest from the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Sibal, like Mr RK Anand, who is contesting from the South Delhi seat, is a senior advocate and is making his debut. The party has now declared its candidates on all seven Lok Sabha seats in the NCT of Delhi. The first list declared five days ago, contained the names of Ms Krishna Tirath, Mr RK Anand, Mr Ajay Maken and Mr Jagdish Tytler. The BJP, which bagged all seven Lok Sabha seats in the 1999 election, has retained all its Members of Parliament (MPs) in the 13th Lok Sabha with the exception of Mr Madan Lal Khurana who is Governor of Rajasthan. The BJP is still in a fix over its candidate for the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency. The BJP general secretary, Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, told media persons that the nominee for this seat would be announced soon. Sajjan Kumar was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Outer Delhi parliamentary constituency in 1984. He was denied nomination in successive elections after his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots that claimed the lives of several hundreds of Sikhs in the Capital. The Delhi High Court has absolved him of the charges. The Sikh Forum, in a media release issued today, has criticised the INC for giving tickets to Kumar and Tytler against whom “8-B notices have been issues by Nanavati Commission”. The statement read: “[The] Congress party has no regard and respect for the sentiments of Sikhs by giving tickets [to them] …. In the eyes of our countrymen and particularly Sikhs, their hands are soaked in the blood of innocent persons.” Tytler, another accused in the 1984 riots case, makes it to the list after being cleared by the Delhi High Court. He is contesting from the Sadar parliamentary constituency, a seat he has won in the past. Vijay Goel of the BJP is his main rival. The delay in declaration of the candidates in the Outer Delhi, East Delhi and Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituencies is attributed to the wrangling between Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and the faction within the party that is opposed to her. The party, however, explained the delay as a minor hiccup. A member claimed that they were not worried about the campaigning as the party had got maximum number of MLAs in the NCT of Delhi. |
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Canadian mission worker held for extortion bid New Delhi, April 15 The accused who were identified as Harpreet Singh (29), a programme assistant with the Canadian High Commission here and his associate Arvinder Singh Gulati (30) were arrested from the Bengali Market area. A complaint was received by the police from one Gurvinder Singh, resident of Rohtak, that he was receiving calls, threatening to get his visa application cancelled if he failed to pay Rs 50,000. Later, on the advice of the police, Gurvinder met Arvinder, the caller, who was arrested from the Bengali Market area. During interrogation, Arvinder told the police that he was acting on the instructions of Harpreet Singh who worked with the Canadian High Commission. Harpreet was later arrested from his residence in Jangpura. The police said that Arvinder deals in the sale and purchase of old cars. Harpreet was also present while the ‘transaction’ was being carried out, but escaped from the scene after the arrest of Arvinder. |
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NDMC reclaims Rs 1 cr as dues from MPs New Delhi, April 15 An official release of the NDMC claimed that from March 20 till April 4, an amount of Rs 82,202 had been recovered from the members or ex-members of the Rajya Sabha and Rs 12,03,878 recovered from the ex-members of the Lok Sabha in respect of arrears of billing cycle. The release claimed that major defaulters still are ABA Ghani Khan Chaudhary who owes Rs 30,58,499 to the NDMC in addition to the arrears of two discontinued bills amounting to Rs 7,63,776, (a court case is pending against him), Jai Narain Nishad Rs 12, 18, 748 plus one discontinued bill, and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar Rs 5, 00, 610. He is making payment in instalments. The NDMC has yet to recover Rs 63,91,107 as on April 4 from the MPs of the Rajya Sabha out of arrears. Other MPs who owe Rs 20,000 as arrears in respect of electricity and water bills are Rajesh Ranjan Rs 2, 14, 883, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh Rs 92, 063, Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy Rs 91, 017, Ashok Kumar Singh Chandel Rs 54, 557, Pritish Nandy Rs 65,222, Sona Ram Choudhary Rs 43,662, Omar Abdullah Rs 42,179, Shyama Charan Shukla Rs 41,685, V.P. Goyal Rs 36,842, Mahender Baitha Rs 35,026, G. Mallikarjunappa Rs 27,296 plus Rs 25,702, in the name of Mallikarjunium, Sis Ram Singh Ravi Rs 27,166 and S.S. Ahluwalia Rs 23,418. The due date for the payment of these arrears was March 31 and now the amount had been increased by current dues plus element of surcharge. The dues of Chandel and Shukla are subject to further adjustment. A number of MPs are approaching the NDMC for issue of an NOC and making payment of outstanding dues.
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Employment exchange official gets RI for
forgery New Delhi, April 15 Banarsi Lal in conspiracy with the head office tampered with the official records to get his full salary released for 17 months, during which he remained absent from duty. Special Judge P K Bhasin also ordered Lal to pay a fine of Rs 2,000. On August 24, 1993, Lal, the then Lower Division Clerk in the Shahdara Employment Exchange had submitted leave application to R B S Tyagi, the then Joint Director at the head office, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) said. Since disciplinary proceedings were pending against Lal, he was not to be paid till January 1994. But Tyagi and Agrahari, the then Sub Regional Employment Officer, along with Satish Kumar Sharma (UDC) conspired to release Lal’s pay by showing that he was present on duty, the ACB alleged, adding that Tyagi, Agrahari and Sharma were to get Rs 10,000 each for the favour. Lal then gave the application showing that he joined duty on February 23, 1992, which in fact he never did, the ACB said. However, the court acquitted Agrahari and Sharma, as there was no substantial evidence against them. Tyagi had passed away during the period of trial. Girl student killed in crane accident Noida: Anupama Saxena, 22-year-old student of Rai University, Badarpur, was killed this afternoon here. She was in a rickshaw which was hit by a towaway crane of the traffic police. Anupama Saxena was in Noida along with a group of eight students. They were completing a project as part of the postgraduate course in advertising of the Rai University. Anupama sustained a head injury in the accident.
She was rushed to Kailash Hospital but the doctors declared her brought dead. The deceased who belonged to Meerut, was living in the Rai University hostel, it is learnt.
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Tax scam in cement purchase Sonepat, April 15 The scandal was unearthed following the reports published in a section of the press. The officials of both the income tax and sales tax departments swung into action and started an inquiry into the scandalous purchases of the building material. The officials of both the departments hoped to recover the tax and penalty from the erring officials of the panchayati raj institutions. It is also stated that the officials of an audit team had also detected this scandal but the case was hushed up by the officials after taking ‘nazarana’. Meanwhile, several sarpanches, panches, members of the block and panchayat samitis and the Sonepat Zila Parishad have urged the state government to order a vigilance inquiry into the scam and punish the officials responsible for the racket. They also criticised the district authorities for their failure to take action against the erring officials. |
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Sticking to DSIDC post
just not on: Mukhi New Delhi, April 15 |
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Land mafia harvesting crop on govt land Greater Noida, April 15 The government is thus losing crores of rupees. The Consolidation Officer of Dadri had transferred 2800 bighas of land under Khasra No 84 in Nalgatha village to 64 persons in an illegal manner. After this matter was highlighted in the media, District Magistrate Santosh Yadav had got an inquiry conducted and later quashed the orders of the Consolidation Officer, restoring the land to the gram sabha. The land is under wheat crop now. One of the accused, Amarjit, in connivance with some others, has started getting the crop harvested. According to the claimants, after the orders had been cancelled by the DM, harvesting the standing crop was their right, or alternatively, the administration should get the harvesting done so that government does not lose its bona fide revenue. The administration should decide this matter urgently otherwise the government will suffer a loss of crores of rupees in the bargain. |
Observers appointed to monitor Sonepat elections Sonepat, April 15 According to a report, the observers are Mr Satyanarain Murti Tala, Mr Padamvir Singh (Madhya Pradesh) and Mr V K Suburaj, who would reach Sonepat on April 19 and keep a close watch on the conduct of the election process in the constituency. It may be recalled that the Election Commission had received a number of complaints regarding the misuse of the official machinery by the ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD. The Election Commission had also received complaints regarding the misuse of the state government machinery, particularly in favour of Mrs Krishna Malik, wife of the Director-General of Police (DGP) Haryana. The DGP, M S Malik, had to proceed on leave after the Election Commission directed the state government to replace him as his wife was the INLD candidate from Sonepat. Meanwhile, the CEC has authorised the electorate to exercise their franchise by showing their driving licences, ration cards and identity cards issued by the income-tax department if they have not yet been issued the photo identity cards by the Election Commission. According to information, of the total 11,34,762 voters in the Sonepat Parliamentary Constituency, the Election Commission has issued photo identity cards to 87.21 per cent of the voters. As many as 1,271 polling booths have been set up in the 509 villages which come under the jurisdiction of the constituency. The Kisan Credit Cards issued before March 31, and student photo identity cards can also shown as proof of identity to exercise their franchise.  |
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It is a time of relaxation for govt PR men Faridabad, April 15 The Public Relations Department, which is usually headed by an official known as the District Public Relations Officer in each district, is perhaps one of those offices which have a ‘relaxed’ air these days. The department, which used to issue press notes before and after every function headed by the CM or other VIPs, is now absent from such functions. While the CM had visited the district at least three times during the past one month no press release was issued. The department cannot issue any press note about the visit of the CM or any other VIP due to the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission as part of the model code of conduct during this period as it could amount to violation and misuse of the official machinery, said an official. According to the sources in the department, the ratio of the of press releases issued after the election notification had reduced by almost 60 to 70 per cent. Now, the employees neither have to rush to every official function nor do they have to distribute the releases to every office of the media. And this will continue till the elections are over next month. Taking advantage of this, certain employees and officials of the government department have reportedly made a move to take leave and visit their relatives. Some have availed of LTC. However, there is a section of officials and employees who think that though there may be a short period of relaxation but the workload of the election duty will increase. It will be maximum on the polling day as they will be expected to perform various functions in a judicious manner. The Public Relations Department has also been circulating and issuing press notes regarding the decisions and the activities of the district and state election offices. While the office can not issue any press note regarding the development work or achievements of the government it has to circulate news of the developments connected with the election process. The Deputy Commissioner who works as the District Election Officer is expected to inform and create an awareness regarding the election process and redress the grievances related to it. The district administration is expected to provide security to the CM or the VIPs and not to follow them or ensure their attendance. The election process has also put a stop to the monthly grievances redressal meetings headed by the Chief Minister, the fortnightly open darbar of the Deputy Commissioner and other regular meetings of the district officials regarding the development schemes and related projects. However, the district officials are expected to redress the grievances of the common man regarding the basic amenities and ensure a proper law and order situation without any bias. |
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Subhash Arya ridicules Cong statement New Delhi, April 15 He disclosed that the Congress party members in the corporation were compelled to elect Vijender Gupta to hide their defection and infighting. Had election to this post been held many Congress councillors would have voted in favour of the opposition party due to infighting in the party. Mr Arya recalled that he had earlier said the Congress-ruled Delhi Government was bent upon making the MCD bankrupt and was taking steps to infringe upon the functions of the corporation which was a major cause of resentment amongst the councillors. He said that two nominations for the coveted post of Mayor was clear indication of infighting in the ruling party. Though one of the councillors withdrew his candidature two members voted against Mr A. R. Verma who had been elected as Mayor. |
Nostalgic Punjabis get together for a musical extravaganza New Delhi, April 15 The event organised here last evening by the World Punjabi Organisation (WPO), had Pakistani singers Khalil Haider, Samina Iqbal, Saira Naseem and melody king Shaukat Ali singing Punjabi and Urdu songs in a style that reminded the audience of the golden age of Punjabi music. For the elderly Punjabis, who had migrated to India after the Partition, jokes and mimicry by comedian Irfan Khoosat in a typical ‘’Lahoria and (Rawal) Pindi’’ diction was also a welcome break from the slapstick comedy that one gets to see on the tube. International WPO president Vikramjit Singh Sahney said the WPO is working to revive and spread the folk heritage of undivided Punjab, which unfortunately has been overshadowed by pop. He said they are planning a series of concerts in India, Pakistan, Britain, Dubai and the US. The event, he added, marked a clear distinction between pop and culture. He said the idea is to revive a culture currently confused with pop. Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner Munnawar Bhatti, National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chief Tarlochan Singh, former CBI Director Joginder Singh, former BSNL Chairman Prithipal Singh and leading entrepreneurs and professionals from the global Punjabi diaspora were present at the show. The WPO also honoured leading Punjabi personalities like Thailand’s Tirlok Singh Chawla, Pakistan’s Chaudhary Qadir Ahmed and orthopaedic surgeon P S Maini. Pop singers Mika and Kaptaan Ladi also performed during the event. |
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NDA has looked after interests of govt employees: Malhotra New Delhi, April 15 Malhotra told a news conference that this, and other steps taken by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government for the benefit of the government employees, had created a groundswell of support for the BJP. “This goodwill is a manifestation of feel good factor”, he said. The BJP-led NDA government, he said, had increased the DA by two per cent and restored the Leave Travel Allowance (LTA). If voted back to power the BJP would hope to raise the income tax exemption limit to Rs one lakh, he asserted. “I hope that the standard deduction would be increased to Rs 50,000 also when the Budget is presented …. I will do my utmost to persuade the government to set up the Sixth Pay Commission,” Malhotra added. Meanwhile, the party’s candidate in the Sadar constituency, Mr Vijay Goel, today campaigned in Moti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Sudershan Park and Karampura. In his public meetings, he promised to make Sadar into a model constituency. The party’s candidate in the Karol Bagh (Reserved) constituency, Ms Anita Arya, will file her nomination papers tomorrow in Rampura. |
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Excise Dept turns a blind eye to sale of illicit arrack Sonepat, April 15 According to a report, the residents of a large number of villages complained that were helpless as the Excise Department and the police officials have failed to act upon their repeated complaints. The villages located on the Delhi and UP borders are the worst affected. It may be recalled that the police had intercepted several vehicles carrying smuggled liquor and seized a large quantity of English wine and country-made liquor last month during the search operations. Later, a number of cases were registered under the Excise Act. Signs of a flourishing trade are visible in the villages bordering UP and Delhi. Used pouches can be seen everywhere. Every one in the villages, including the children, were aware where the liquor was sold. A resident standing at a bus stop wanted to know how many times he would have to complain for the authorities to initiate action against the culprits. The gram panchayat is worried that the youths are being lured into this trade. The unemployed youths find themselves attracted to this lucrative trade. Reportedly, at least a dozen youths have been employed for the sale of liquor pouches. Obviously, the illegal activity was encouraged in the absence of any checking by the officials of the Excise Department and the police. Land prices have gone up considerably and small and marginal farmers were selling off their land. A number of influential people have built their farmhouses in these villages, where liquor is served openly during social functions. |
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Eight injured as truck rams into three-wheeler Sonepat, April 15 According to a report, all the injured persons were rushed to the local civil hospital for treatment. The injured persons were identified as Satish, the driver of three wheeler, Akhaya Jain and Sunder of Railway Road, Ms Usha of Sudama Nagar, Ms Sunita of Jeewan Vihar, Ms Mrignaini and Ms Madhu Jain of Halwai Hutta, Sonepat. The police have registered the case and further investigations were in progress. The truck driver who had managed to escape immediately after the accident was later arrested. According to information, the driver of the three-wheeler tried to save a cyclist who suddenly came in front of his vehicle, which led to the accident. According to another report, a rehriwala of Baye village sustained serious injuries when he was hit by a speeding car on the Ganaur road, about 20 km from here last evening. It is stated that the victim, Mr Mahipal, was immediately hospitalised. The police are investigating into the case. Two persons injured Two persons, including a woman, were injured in an accident last evening. They were identified as Ms Sunita of Jeewan Nagar and Jagan of Tikola village. Both the injured persons were immediately hospitalised and were stated to be out of danger. The police investigations into the cases were still in progress. Meanwhile, a four-year old child, Sonu, sustained serious injuries when he was knocked down by a tractor on the Kharkhauda-Delhi road, about 22km from here last evening. The injured child was rushed to the community health centre, Kharkhauda, from where he was referred to the PGIMS at Rohtak for further treatment. The child was staying at his relative’s house for a marriage ceremony. The police are still investigating into the case. Wheat crop gutted Wheat crop in an area of 1.5 acres of land worth several lakhs of rupees was gutted in a fire, which broke out due to short-circuit at Kathura village, about 50 km from here last evening. According to a report, the municipal fire-brigade was rushed to the site and brought the fire under control. Bal Sudhar Graha It is an amazing feat. Four employees are manning the Bal Sudhar Graha of Sonepat, which houses as many as 156 child prisoners. A number of them are involved in cases of murder, loot, dacoity and assault. According to a report, the officials of the Bal Sudhar Graha have failed to lodge any complaint about the clash between the rival groups that occurred on Tuesday night in which three prisoners sustained injuries. HVP candidate from Sonepat The candidate of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) from Sonepat Lok Sabha seat, Mr Jagbir Malik, will file his nomination papers on April 23. According to Mr Rajiv Jain, General Secretary of the party, Mr Surinder Singh will accompany him on that day. |
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, April 15 Protest by traders New Delhi: The Sadar Bazar Traders Welfare Association protested against the enhancement of storage fee by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. President of the Association, Mr Brij Mohan Wig, Secretary General, Mr K.C. Kapoor and Rakesh Jain said that the MCD had enhanced the fee by 50 per cent. The President of the Association has written a letter to the Municipal Commissioner and newly elected Mayor and demanded the withdrawal of the enhancement. Girl raped by
two youths Sonepat: An 18-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two youths while she was returning to her house after fetching water from a tubewell at Silana village, about 15 km from here last evening. According to a report, the youths were identified as Rajesh (27) and Rakesh (19), both belonging to the village itself. The two culprits, however, managed to escape immediately after the crime when they were spotted by the mother of one of the youths. The girl was immediately rushed to the community health centre at Kharkhauda town from where she was shifted to the local civil hospital. Her condition is stated to be serious. Investigations by the police were in progress. However, no case has been registered so far. Youth commits suicide A 22-year-old youth, identified as Ravi Chhabra, was reported to have committed suicide by taking sulphas tablets in his house in the Model Town area here last evening. According to a report, he took this extreme step after being upset over a family dispute. The police have sent the body for the postmortem examination. |
SFS flats scam: DDA employee held New Delhi, April 15 According to the DCP, EOW, Mr Dinesh Bhatt, “On March 31, 1999, DDA announced a policy that the original allottees who had deposited 90 per cent of the demanded amount till August 22, 1996, would be given SFS flats at the old cost. But the scheme remained confined to some of the property dealers only. With the connivance of some of the DDA employees the property dealers submitted fake applications and withdrew the refund amount.” He said that during the investigation it was revealed that V. D. Nanda was not competent to allow the refund. He said till now the police had arrested 10 DDA officials, five bank officials and 20 property dealers who were involved in the scam. RI for molesting
minor girl A city court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment of one year and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 for molesting a five-year-old girl. Additional Sessions Judge Bimla Makin found the convict, Mohammed
Arif, guilty of outraging the modesty of the girl on March 26, 1999, near Sarai Rohilla after taking the girl from her house to a nearby ‘dhobighat’ on the pretext of buying her some sweets. The court also directed Arif to pay the fine to the victim as compensation. The prosecution had examined 15 witnesses to prove its case. |
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Ghaziabad: A 22-year-old youth, Ramesh Kumar of Vivekanand Colony here was killed by his friend and his body was thrown near the railway line carbon factory. Vijay Nagar police sent the body for autopsy after a passer-by had informed the police about it. Later, he was identified as Ramesh Kumar, son of Hira Lal of Vivekanand Colony. Ramesh, according to his elder brother Dinesh, was an electrician who used to undertake electric fitting and was also studying at Indira Gandhi
University. Ramesh’s cell phone, some cash and motorbike are still untraced. His throat had been slit with sharp-edged weapons.
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Two criminals held with smuggled arms Ghaziabad, April 15 The police have seized 27 country-made revolvers and two rifles from them, which were being smuggled into the national Capital. The Superintendent of Police (City), Mr Umesh Srivastava, said that the police had been tipped-off about arms being smuggled to Delhi via Loni. Circle Officer Sanjay Kumar had alerted Loni SO Vishesh Kumar Singh, who put up a barrier at Khujri Pushta road near Shobhapur check post. When the police directed two men on a motor bike to stop, they tried to flee. However, the police overpowered them and arrested them. The criminals identified themselves as Salim and Wasim, who were brother and were residents of Murad Nagar. When they opened the sack they were carrying, it was found to contain 27 revolvers and two local rifles. The police later recovered some instruments and tools for manufacturing arms from the nabbed criminals. The arrested criminals confessed that they were carrying the arms to Delhi for its use during the elections, the police said. The SSP Ghaziabad has announced a reward for the police team, which seized the arms in Loni today. |
BSES starts Rs 1.6 cr network to curb pilferage New Delhi, April 15 The scheme envisaging 115 transformers each of 25 KVA capacity and associated systems has been completed on a turnkey basis in a record time of the three months. The system is expected to not just ensure stability and quality of supply but would also decisively curb the theft of electricity. Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, CEO, BSES Discoms, said, “This state-of-the-art HVDS network will help curb the problem of theft as this system eliminates the LT network. The system will help in the reduction of pilferage, lower system losses, enhance reliability and the quality of power. This is a pilot project, which will be replicated in other areas, especially unauthorised colonies”. Based on the pilot project, the electrification of the remaining regularised and unauthorised colonies is also scheduled to be accelerated to grant individual connections and do away with any existing SPD connections in a progressive manner. |
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GAIL opens branch office in Delhi New Delhi, April 15 The Delhi branch office of GAIL was inaugurated by Mr Proshanto Banerjee, Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL, with more than 200 of the existing customers of re-gasified liquid natural gas, petrochemicals, retail products attending the inauguration. The new branch office is
located on the ground floor of the GAIL corporate office in New Delhi. Although gas transmission and marketing is the core business of GAIL the company has also taken notable strides in other gas-based products and services, such as petrochemicals, propane, SBPS, pentane and leasing bandwidth. To ensure customer satisfaction, GAIL has already established 10 zonal offices in important marketing locations across the country. Commenting on the inauguration of the new office, Mr Proshanto Banerjee, Chairman and Managing Director, Gail (India) Limited, said, “The Delhi branch office will provide a single-point destination to our customers located in the NCR. The branch office will enable customers to acquaint themselves with the products and services offered by GAIL. We have also put in place an accounting system which will allow our customers to have instantaneous access to their ledger details over the Internet”. During 2003-04 the Delhi branch office which had been merged with the Delhi corporate office had total sales of Rs 1,805 crore. It catered to 296 customers, comprising 20 natural gas and R-LNG customers, 138 polymer customers, 42 propane customers, 89 SBPS customers and 7 pentane customers. The major customers include Indraprastha Power Generating Company Limited, Maruti Udyog Limited, Kajariia Cermaics, Parle Biscuits, Honda SIEL, Yamaha Motors Private Limited, OSRAM, Duraline India Private Limited and Resham Polymers. |
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Maya offers visual effects training course New Delhi, April 15 The parent company, Maya Entertainment Ltd, is currently processing a big chunk of visual effect work in the country for leading television channels and the movie industry.
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