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Cost-effective backpack to fight fires in Capital New Delhi, April 16 A fire which generally requires 6000 litres of water, equivalent to the capacity of almost two to three fire engines, can now be extinguished with only nine litres of water. The DFS chief said that apart from being four times cost-effective, the new system requires much less manpower as one man can carry the nine-litre system on his shoulder as a backpack or it can be mounted on motorcycles or jeep. This will allow easy access for fire-fighters to reach the narrow bylanes and crowded places, which is generally not possible with existing big-sized fire engines. The machine built by the German company, AFT, will be supplied to the DFS by the Delhi-based B.L. Health and Safety Private Limited by the end of this month. The DFS has ordered five backup systems of nine litres and five trolley systems of 50 litres. The DFS chief said, “The new machine will not replace the present fire fighting system but will supplement the traditional fire engines. With the backpacks the fire-fighters can easily access the narrow bylanes, crowded places and slums, where fire accidents are common during summers. Apart from this, new machine uses very little water. Elaborating the latest technology of fire fighting, the Country Manager of the AFT, Mr Dipak Kumar Mitra, said, “This is AFTs patent technology and is being used in Germany, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Africa. The AFT’s water mist, with a droplet size of 100 to 150 microns, penetrates deep into the flame and smothers the fire at its core or root. These
droplets having penetrated into the fire get converted in steam and
expand by 1640 times to form a steam blanket over the fire to cut off
air supply at the same time takes away heat from the fire while forming
steam. Thus, the fire cools down and does not re-ignite. |
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HC stays price hike of Noida flats Noida, April 16 The two-member bench of the High Court had given its verdict accepting the petition filed by 15 allottees of Sector 71, Noida. The 15 members of EWS organisation of Sector 71, including Muna Kumar Sharma, who was one of those who had spearheaded the agitation against the Noida Authority’s order, had filed a petition in the High Court on April 13. The two-member High Court bench had accepted the plea of the petitioners and stayed the price hike. The
petitioners had pleaded that the Noida Authority had no reason to hike
the price of flats after giving the possession. Along with the Noida
Authority, the petitioners had also made industries department of the
state government a respondent. The matter had become a hotly contested
public issue when on February 6, 2004, the Noida Authority had chosen to
announce a price hike retrospectively while the allottees were to
deposit their last installment of the payment as per the provision of
allotment orders. This price hike ranged from 30 to 50 per cent.  |
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Bribing one’s way to property registration Sonepat, April 16 It is learnt that the unofficial commission being charged is unaccounted for and is distributed among the clerical staff and officials of the sub-registrars’ offices. The officials, while admitting that the unofficial commission is being charged, say that they have to incur huge expenditure during VIP visits and in various government functions, for which funds are not provided by the State Government. It is also alleged that the officials also have to spend money for the entertainment of the high officials who stay at rest houses for official or even personal work. The practice has been going on for the last few decades. However, the State Government has not taken any action in this connection so far. The posts of the registration clerks as well as licensing clerks are ‘lucrative’ and these are filled on the recommendations of bureaucrats and legislators of the ruling party. Once these posts are filled, the registration clerks and the officials mint money. Meanwhile, the government has raised the licence as well as registration fees for the motor vehicles and the vehicle owners have been burdened with extra expenditure. The officials of the licensing and registration authority in this district have not stopped charging ‘suvidha shulk’ from the people, seeking registration of new vehicles and renewal as well as issue of fresh driving licences. These officials seem to enjoy the blessings of the
authorities concerned and that is why no action was taken to curb this
menace. Leaders of various parties, including the Congress and the HVP
have demanded a high-level probe in this scandal. |
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Red Fort shootout case shifted to DJ New Delhi, April 16 Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Ashfaq’s case is likely to be taken up by District Judge J P Singh tomorrow. Additional Sessions Judge O P Saini refused to record depositions by witnesses after the Pakistani national moved an application submitting that he did not have faith in the court. Directing the transfer of the file to the District Judge, Mr Saini said the accused was free to put forth his grievances before him. He ordered that the file be sent to the District Judge expeditiously so that he may give a hearing tomorrow. Further, he refused to record depositions by four witnesses, CFSL expert Amichand, public witness Raghubir Singh, Inspector Sunderlal and Sub-Inspector A Jain summoned by the court for evidence today. The prosecution, however, said that the High Court had designated the court as a special court for trial the case on a day to day basis. The court has already examined over 200 witnesses in the case. The prosecution has listed 222 witnesses in the case in which two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants made their way into the historical monument and killed three persons, including two army jawans. The court had framed charges against the 11 accused on January 7, 2003, two years after the two LeT militants opened fire inside the Fort on December 22, 2000. The main accused, LeT’s Ashfaq, was charged under Sections 121A (Waging War Against The Government), 120B (Criminal Conspiracy), 302 (Murder), 420 (Cheating), 468 (Forgery), and 471 (Using A Forged Document) of the Indian Penal Code. He had also been charged under Foreigners Act, Explosives Act
and the Arms Act. His wife Rehmana and Babar were charged under Sections
120B (criminal conspiracy) and 216 (harbouring an accused) of the IPC. |
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India forced to use resources to find alternative
technologies: Kalam New Delhi, April 16 This had been achieved by bringing together the best brains in the country, Dr Kalam told a delegation of 50 students, faculty and management representatives of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, which called on him today. He was asked by a student to clarify his statement that “technology denied was technology gained,” according to a release from the institute. During his interaction with the students, Dr Kalam was asked how technology could be taken to rural areas. He said the PURA (Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas) programme was ideal for this purpose and could create jobs in villages. The President stressed that it was necessary to have a ‘Second Vision’ for the country so that it would become a developed nation by 2020, the release said. Dr Kalam also advised the students
to transform themselves into leaders characterised by a quality of
selflessness. He told them to teach at least five persons from the
outskirts of Delhi who did not know how to read and write and also plant
five saplings each. |
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A new chapter in the life of disabled children New Delhi, April 16 The two states that have recently sent the plea are Orissa and Karnataka. The governments of both the states want to train 70,000 and 73,000 teachers respectively. The RCI, in collaboration with the District Institutes of Education & Training in the two states, will train these teachers on disability management. The 45-day training (face to face) or alternatively, a 90-day distance mode training to the teachers will enable them to imbibe knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills to impart education to children with various disabilities. “The best way to educate a disabled child in a country like ours is to send him/her to a normal school. However, to facilitate that, it is important that the existing infrastructure is strengthened and the component on disability in SSA is fully understood and implemented thereafter,” says Major HPS Ahluwalia, Chairman, Rehabilitation Council of India. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSsA) has devoted a chapter to integration of children with disabilities in regular schools and defined the role of each one of the stakeholders— teacher, parent, principal, special educator, other students, etc – for speeding up the integration of disabled children into regular schools. As a result, SSA, a well-defined infrastructure at the state, district and block level, has also been created to look after the education of children with disabilities. As many as 20 states have coordinators to look after the inclusive education programme under the SSA. The SSA has
also emphasised the need for a resource teacher in every block. Resource
teachers are specially trained teachers, capable of teaching children
with special needs in all settings. Their main role is to provide
remedial assistance to a child in those content areas in which he/she is
having comprehension problems in a regular classroom. |
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Life term for murdering trader Faridabad: A fast track court here has sentenced a person accused of looting and murdering a trader at Ballabgarh town in 2002 to life imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000. According to the prosecution, the accused, identified as Ajit Kumar, and an accomplice had attacked the shopkeeper, Mr Vinod Kumar, when he was alone and preparing to down the shutters at night on July 20, 2002. While the victim succumbed to the stab injuries in the hospital, the accused fled with the cash in the shop. They were arrested later. Life term for
killing beloved’s brother
New Delhi: A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for
killing his girl friend’s brother who disapproved of their relationship.
Additional Sessions Judge R K Yadav also imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 on
Shyam Singh who killed Banwarilal after he refused to divulge the
whereabouts of his sister Sunita who had been shifted to their native
village in Rajasthan. TNS
Two killed in mishaps
Jhajjar: Two persons
have been killed in different road accidents in the district today. Samunder Singh, resident of Suhra village, was coming towards Jhajjar on
his tractor along with his son Akshay on the Gurgaon Road, when a
private transport bus coming from the opposite direction collided with
it. The driver, Samunder, died on the spot. In another incident, Ikbal,
son of Ramkumar, resident of Alwar district in Rajasthan, was knocked
down by a speeding Maruti car when he was checking the headlights of his
tractor by parking along the roadside. He died on the spot. OC |
Three-member panel to monitor poll ads New Delhi: The Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi today constituted a
three-member committee to scrutinise and monitor poll advertisements for
the Lok Sabha elections. Joint Chief Electoral officer of Delhi SS
Ghonkrokta would head the committee and Sadar Chandraker Bharti will be
the returning officer. Deputy Secretary in the Information and
Broadcasting Ministry Seema Jerevisht will be the member, CEO Arun Goyal
said. The committee, which will be on the job from today itself, will
receive and consider applications from all parties and individuals or
organisations having registered offices in Delhi, he said. The Election
Commission had issued the guidelines for constituting the committee
yesterday in the light of the Supreme Court order of April 13. TNS |
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BJP can’t win
under its own steam in Haryana: Chautala Rewari, April 16 Mr Chautala made these comments while addressing a massive election rally in support of his party nominee, Swami Dharma Dev, in the Ram Lila ground here this afternoon. He said that it was disdainful that the BJP had fielded Mahant Chand Nath, who was an accused in a case of murder in the neighbouring Alwar constituency of Rajasthan and also bestowed respectability on INLD defector Kartar Singh Bhadana by making him its nominee from the Dausa constituency of Rajasthan in utter disregard of the sanctity of the provisions of the anti-defection Act. He expressed the hope that the electorate of Alwar and Dausa would frustrate the designs of the BJP by giving a resounding defeat to such candidates at the hustings. Ridiculing the much hyped “ feel good and India shining” propaganda of the BJP, the INLD chief said that puffed up at the landslide victory in the assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh the BJP opted for a snap poll in the hope of securing similar rich dividends whereas the truth was that the people of these three states, who were fed up with the misrule of the Congress, had virtually voted the Congress out of power. As regards Haryana, Mr. Chautala explained that he had taken great pains to make the BJP leaders realise the truth that they could not contest any election here without crutches. But they insisted on going alone in the Lok Sabha poll and now things were there for everyone to see. He said that such was the state of affairs in the BJP that even at this late hour the final announcement of its candidate was lying in abeyance. He also said that by fielding candidates enjoying a clean image and healthy reputation the INLD had further made things tougher for the BJP as well as the Congress in Haryana. Reiterating that his government had carried out stupendous development throughout the state during the past four years he said that he now wanted the people here and elsewhere to repay him in the form of their support to the INLD candidates. The Chief Minister also made it a point to declare that no one should remain in doubt that the assembly elections in Haryana would be held in March 2005. The meeting was also addressed by Swami Dharam Dev who earlier
filed his nomination papers as well. |
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It’s bahu! New Delhi, April 16 The actress, who became a member of the BJP a few weeks ago, has been pitted against Mr Kapil Sibal of the INC. A senior advocate in the Supreme Court, Mr Sibal is a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha and the spokesman of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Ms Smriti Malhotra Irani became a household name after her role as Tulsi, the ideal Bahu (daughter-in-law), in the popular television serial “Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thee”. The BJP and the INC have now declared their candidates for all seven seats in the NCT of Delhi. The declaration of Ms Smriti Irani has put an end to speculation about the party’s choice of candidate for the Chandni Chowk seat. Incidentally, the BJP decided on Ms Irani’s name a month after it renominated six Members of Parliament in the 13th Lok Sabha. The trading community of Chandni Chowk was pitching for a local as opposed to the party nominating an outsider. Secretaries of the Federation of Delhi Trade Associations Narender Madan and Satender Jain had said that Chandni Chowk was traditionally a “traders’ seat”.
Anita Arya files
nomination The BJP candidate in the Karol Bagh (Reserved)
constituency, Ms Anita Arya, today filed her nomination papers for the
Lok Sabha election. Mr Javed Abidi of the Disabled Rights Group also
filed his nomination. He is contesting as an Independent candidate. Ms
Anita Arya is contesting the election from the Karol Bagh (Reserved)
constituency. Ms Krishna Tirath of the INC is her rival. Ms Arya was a
member of the 13th Lok Sabha. Ms Tirath, who is Deputy Speaker of Delhi
Legislative Assembly, is making her debut. |
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Goel rakes up the ghost of Sikh riots New Delhi, April 16 “The who’s who does not mention Tytler’s educational qualification.... Why is he hiding his educational qualification.... There is something fishy in it”, Mr Goel told mediapersons after being introduced to the media as the BJP candidate in Sadar by Union Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley. Meanwhile, the party’s candidate in the South Delhi parliamentary constituency, Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, today said that the Sikh community had not forgotten the misdeeds of the Congress and that come May 10 the Sikhs would give a befitting reply to the INC candidates in Sadar, Outer Delhi and elsewhere. Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who was the chief guest at a public meeting organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal in Govindpuri, said that the INC had rubbed salt into the wounds of the Sikhs. The INC, he said, did not care for the sentiments of the minorities in general and the Sikh community in particular. Meanwhile, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) has fielded its candidate in the East Delhi parliamentary constituency from where Mr Lal Bihari Tiwari of the BJP and Mr Sandeep Dikshit of the INC are contesting. The party has nominated Mr Harish Tyagi, who filed his nomination papers today before the returning officer in Shastri Nagar. On the occasion, Mr Tyagi said
that both the BJP and the INC were trying to divert the people’s
attention from the devastating effects of the policies of liberalisation,
globalisation and privatisation being pursued by them since 1990. He
called for a militant mass movement against such anti-people policies. |
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SAD attacks Cong for fielding Sajjan, Tytler New Delhi, April 16 “The move has pulled the mask of secularism off the Congress face”, said SAD Delhi chief Avtar Singh Hit, a close lieutenant of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the wake of the INC naming Mr Sajjan Kumar and Mr Jagdish Tytler as its candidates. In a separate statement, the Sikh Forum headed by Lt-Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora (retd) also slammed the INC. “For some time, it was heartening to observe the reversal in approach of the Congress when it joined other groups to get justice for the victims of the Gujarat riots”, the statement read, “but it has turned out that the Congress party has no regard and respect for the sentiments of the Sikhs”. However, DSGMC
President Prehlad Singh Chandok refused to comment. “I have nothing to
say till I meet Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit”, he said but several
other Akali leaders loyal to Mr Badal said they would raise the matter
in the election. |
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Faridabad Faridabad, April 16 The measures announced earlier by the district administration to check the problems connected with the plying of the three-wheeler autorickshaws here has not been able to bring the desired results. Although, the authorities had announced to ban the plying of the vehicles older then 15 years, but it is learnt that there were hundreds of outdated autorickshaws that were speeding on the city roads as usual. While the authorities had directed the plying of these vehicles on odd and even number basis, but it is the fact that many of the three-wheelers had not been following this rule as they had hardly any number plate or proper registration number. As the number of such vehicles in the town has been nearly 1,5,000 at present, the authorities are still to chalk out and prepare any strategy to introduce CNG-based autorickshaws here. The town, which is already in the list of the ten most polluted cities of the country, is still to have any CNG pump here although such a demand had been raised by the locals from time to time. Even the owners and drivers of the smoke spewing autorickshaws have also supported any such move. A demand in this regard was raised by a delegation of the three-wheeler autorickshaw union, which met the district authorities here yesterday. The union had gone to submit a memorandum to seek construction of a proper auto stand at the Badarpur border. Claiming that the police had been harassing them for parking the autos at the border, they said chaos like situation was prevailing due to no permanent stand there. They also added that the administration had promised to construct permanent parking stands for the autos in the town, but said nothing had been done so far. Demanding that the limit of the age of the auto be raised from the present 15 years to 20 years, they said the owners be allowed to purchase new vehicles on the old permit only and all the irrelevant taxes be withdrawn. Alleging that adulterated petrol and diesel was being sold by many pumps, they said the authorities should keep a check on such a practice. According to certain members of the union, the autorickshaw owners were ready to switch over to the clean fuel like CNG if the authorities adopt a cooperative attitude and provide such facilities. It is stated that the
introduction of the ‘city bus service’ had not been able to provide the
much-needed relief and the auto were still the main medium of local
conveyance for majority of the residents. |
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HC notice to
Delhi Govt over autorickshaw quota New Delhi, April 16 Justice Manmohan Sarin asked the Delhi Government and its Road Transport Secretary to file their reply and fixed September 6 for further hearing. In the meantime, all permits issued by the Government to the ‘autorickshaw wallahs’ would be subject to the outcome of the writ petition, Justice Sarin said. Petitioner Bhartiya Tipahya Chalak Sangh alleged that by not adhering to the quota, the Delhi Government was violating its own notification of July 7, 2003. Petitioner’s counsel Pramod Kumar Sharma submitted that the Supreme Court had on December 20, 2002 allowed issuance of 5,000 new CNG-run autorickshaws. Later, by a notification in July 2003, the Delhi Government said of these, 750 permits would go to the SC category while 375 and 1350 permits would be given to the ST and OBC candidates respectively. The rest 2,525 permits were to go to the General category candidates. Stating that there was no problem with the permits issued under SC category, Mr Sharma alleged that the Transport Department did not deal with the applications under OBC and ST categories properly. Only 140 OBC applicants were issued permits
despite the fact that there were only 750 applications for 1350 permits,
he alleged, apprehending the Department might divert the OBC quota to
the General category. |
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Wheat crop worth Rs 4 lakh destroyed Sonepat, April 16 Reports of the fire were also received from Jhundpur, Jakhauli, Kakroi and Mohana villages where the standing wheat crop in 11 acres of land and a trailer of a tractor were burnt. The municipal fire brigade from Sonepat rushed to the site after receiving information and brought the fire under control. Meanwhile, the district administration has cancelled the leave of employees of the municipal fire brigades at Sonepat, Ganaur and Gohana towns. This step has been taken in view of incidents of fire reported from the various villages in this district. Labourer killed Shiv Ram, a labourer from Rajasthan, was
killed on the spot when the wall of a shop in the foodgrain market
collapsed at Kharkhauda town, 19 km from here, on Thursday evening. The
victim was easing himself near the wall when a truck hit the wall from
the back which collapsed on him. The victim belonged to Somra village in
Rajasthan. The truck driver, however, managed to escape. The police have
registered a case against him. A hunt is on to apprehend him. The police
have sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Sonu, a four-year-old
child, succumbed to his injuries in the PGIMS at Rohtak on Thursday. He
was hit by a truck and injured seriously at Kharkhauda town on Wednesday
and rushed to the PGIMS, Rohtak, for further treatment. The child had
come to Kharkhauda town along with his mother for attending a marriage
party there. Court directs ‘piada’
to beat drums outside college Mr Rakesh Singh, Judicial Magistrate
First Class (Senior Division), yesterday fixed April 20 as the date of
next hearing in a petition filed by Geeta, a BA Part III student of
Hindu Girls College, Sonepat, who had challenged the withholding of her
roll number by Dr Shamim Sharma, Principal of the college. The
magistrate had issued summons against the Principal for appearing in the
court on April 15 but the summons were returned after the reported
refusal by the Principal to accept it. Thereupon, the Magistrate
directed the ‘piada’ of the court to inform the Principal concerned
about the next date of hearing by beating drums outside the
college. The student, in her petition, has stated that her roll number
was issued by Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, but it was
withheld by the Principal for reasons best known to her. |
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Sonepat residents plagued by shortage of water Sonepat, April 16 The member of the Residents Welfare Association, Mr K. K. Sharma, said the entire city has been divided into zones and its residents get water for about half-an-hour or so once in a day. The evening supply had been cut off since March 15 last without any prior information and or reason. In fact, several areas in the old section of the city and the Indira Colony have not been getting water for the past one week. All our complaints to the officials of the Public Health Department have gone unheeded, the residents alleged. The situation in other areas was the same. The residents have complained of shortage in water supply and its odd timings. “We get water only for about 15 minutes daily that too at 3 or 4 am. Besides, the pressure is so low that it does not reach the first floor, said many residents of Mohalla Kot, Mohalla Kalan, Ram Bazar and Mohalla Mashad etc. Even when there is water in the taps, there is so much of dirt that it is not fit for human consumption, they added. Some other residents point out that they use water purifiers, but even then, they are not sure whether it is safe enough. The amount of dirt that settles down in the purifier tells the whole story, they said. Elsewhere, the scene is more or less similar. Mr Sharma blamed the superintending engineer, the executive engineer and the SDOs for the mess and alleged that they have no control on the Junior Engineers, keymen and the operators of the main waterworks at Murthal and the boosting stations in the city. He also alleged that
these officials do not bother about the public complaints about the
inadequate, erratic and contaminated water. |
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Dadri, April 16 The funds meant for disbursement, as wages to these labourers, are understood to have been usurped by the dealing officials in the office of the CMO, Gautam Budh Nagar district. The case pertains to year 2002 and 2003 when the Government Hospital, Dadri, had employed a number of labourers for spraying insecticides and pesticides in the villages during the period of suspected epidemics. According to labourers, Rajpal, Amarnath, Karan and several others, they have not been paid any money for the work done by them. The amount involved is estimated to be around Rs 6,000. According to the labourers, whenever they made enquiries in the Dadri or Noida CMO’s office, they were told by the officials that “the budget is yet to come and when we receive the funds, you will be paid your dues”. The government had however, sanctioned Rs
30,000 for the purpose, considering it an emergency service. Enquiries
in CMO Office, Noida, revealed that the amount for payment of wages to
labourers had been withdrawn in December 2003 itself, but nothing has
yet been paid to the workers till date. OC |
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Baba Saheb’s birth anniversary celebrated New Delhi, April 16 Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab and Sind Bank, Mr V. K. Chopra, inaugurated the function. Addressing the gathering, Mr Chopra appealed to the employees to make more efforts for the bank’s development. He also assured the employees that the bank would adopt Government’s reservations policies in true spirit. Mr R
Sareen, General Manager of the bank, was among others who attended the
function. |
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Rights group protests eviction in Yamuna Pushta New Delhi: The ‘forced eviction’ of Yamuna Pushta residents in East Delhi had activists, organisations and groups staging a protest today against what they alleged was the ‘’high-handed’’ ways of the government to uproot people from their dwellings. Calling upon the people to join the movement against this injustice, activists under the umbrella of Visthapan Virodhi Abhiyaan have asked for immediate halt to evictions. ‘’Besides being a human disaster this was a violation of the citizen’s human and constitutional rights,’’ said Ranjana of the VVA. Stressing that the government had refused to engage in a dialogue with the slum dwellers or any one else, she said the action even lacked the basic tenet of adhering to the ‘masterplan’ and ‘national slum policy’. Charging that wrong figures were being presented by the
government, Lalit Batra of Hazards Centre alleged that only 16 per cent
of the 8,800 evicted families had been relocated with most ‘resettled’
having lost their jobs and children unable to appear in their exams.
“Also, basic amenities like water, electricity, toilets, dispensaries,
schools are nowhere in sight, he added.” TNS |
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Sonepat Sonepat, April 16 According to the prosecution story, the Kharkhauda police had registered a case on October 11, 1997, against the duo following the recovery of 410 bottles of country liquor from their possession. The police had arrested them and sent their challans to the court. Anganwadi workers take out march A large number of anganwadi
workers and helpers took out a procession here on Friday in support of
their long-standing demands. Carrying placards and raising
anti-government slogans, they marched through the main bazaars of the
city and reached the office of the District Child Development and
Programme Officer where a rally was held. The speakers criticised the
government for not accepting their demands and warned that if these
demands were not fulfilled direct action would be launched to force it
to fulfil the long-standing demands of the agitating anganwadi workers
and helpers. The main demands, among other things, include the grant of
increased remuneration and other facilities on a par with other
government employees. The speakers also disclosed that a statewide
dharna in support of the demands would be held on April 25 at
Rohtak. Woman missing since March 14 Mystery shrouds the disappearance
of a woman, Mrs Kesar Devi, from Sewli village since March 14. She had
left her house for going to Narela (Delhi) but failed to reach there. Mr
Bhup Singh, a son of the woman, had lodged an FIR with the Rai police in
this connection. Two hit by vehicle,
hospitalised Two youths, Balwan and Devi Singh, were injured seriously
when they were hit by a vehicle on the Sonepat-Murthal road near Shubham
Garden, about 3 km from here, on Thursday evening. Both the injured
youths were immediately hospitalised and are stated to be out of danger.
The police are still investigating into the case. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, April 16 Three held for
cricket betting With the arrest of three suspects, the Crime Branch of
the Delhi Police on Friday claimed to have worked out a cricket betting
racket. The suspects were identified as Ram Swaroop, Naresh Kumar and
Raj Mohammad. The betting was on the match being played between India
and Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The police had information that satta was
going on at Munirka village on a cricket match. The information was
developed and premises which were taken on rent by the suspects were
raided. The suspects were arrested from Munirka village. The police
recovered one recording machine attached with two mobile phones, two
calculators, three WWL phones, one colour TV with remote, one set top
box and Rs 3000 in cash.
Two found murdered Two persons, including a
woman, were reportedly murdered in two different places in the city in
the past 24 hours. In the first incident, one Akhil (25), resident of
Baljit Nagar, was found dead with a stab wound in his chest last night.
However, his personal belongings were found intact. The incident came to
light when one Manmohan Duggal (65) saw the deceased lying dead in front
of his house while he was coming home with his family members. The
police said that Akhil used to work for a company called Flexione in
Green Park, which had some contract with the BSES. The police have
registered a case and are trying to solve the mystery behind the
murder. In the second incident, one woman, Prabha Jain (39), was found
murdered with her throat slit in her Bhajanpura residence this
afternoon. Prabha’s husband owns a thread factory in the same area. Her
body was discovered when her younger son, Amol Jain (7), in her house
this afternoon. |
The menace of copying in Matriculation and Secondary examinations could not be checked despite all the efforts put in by the Haryana School Board authorities. However, it was a matter of satisfaction that the Haryana School Board authorities and the district administrations were determined to check this menace. They took some vital decisions in this regard. Obviously, students are vulnerable to this menace, particularly when temptation is so high all around us. There were examination centres where invigilators and school staff members were fully involved in facilitating the use of unfair means in the examinations. A number of centre superintendents were even dismissed for being caught red-handed encouraging the use of unfair means in the examinations. It is a shame that those who had the responsibility of conducting the examinations have failed to maintain the sanctity of the examination process. A number of teachers involved in this ‘racket’ were found to be running coaching centres, which promises “hundred per cent results”. These coaching institutes or tuition centres attract students because they promise “hundred per cent results”. Selfishness and greed will have to be shunned by the teaching community if the board is to succeed in ending this menace. Teachers must halt the declining reputation of the teaching community. They should be attentive to the cause of the students throughout the year and not only in during the examination period. KARAN BAWWA
Model Code of Conduct It was heartening to learn that the Delhi Police Commissioner, Dr K. K. Paul, has convened a special meeting of political parties and leaders so as to successfully implement the Model Code of Conduct during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. I would also like to appeal to all the political parties to follow the Model Code of Conduct as announced by the Election Commission. Democracy means fair competition for the vote of the people. Those seeking the support of the people must adhere to the rules laid down by the Election Commission. And one of the most important rules is that the election campaign must be issue based. Above all, the election campaign must avoid personal attack. It is incorrect for the party to interfere in the private life of other candidate and rake up issues from their personal life. It is also important to see that criminals and anti-social elements are kept away from the election fray. If the wrong people manage to enter the political process, it is but obvious that the image of the political process will suffer a great blow. In that respect, the meeting called by the Delhi Police Commissioner is timely. Moreover, one such meeting is not enough. The police must keep up its guard to keep the election process free of criminal elements so that there is no law and order problem in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. SUBHASH C. TANEJA Positive issues need to be highlighted
India is the largest
democracy in the world. Since it declared itself a Republic, it has
successfully conducted a number of elections, both at the state and the
national level. It has even implemented a highly successful Panchayati
Raj institutions, which has helped to empower the masses at the village
level. It is a matter of pride that a number of developing countries
have sent observers to see the Indian democracy in action. However,
there has been a marked deterioration in the level of our democratic
experiment in the last two decades. Corruption and anti-social elements
have come to haunt our election process. Many fear that the present
elections to the Lok Sabha may show some of the worst side to our
electoral process. When the Bharatiya Janata Party won the recent
elections to the state Assemblies of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh on the plank of development, many looked upon it as a
positive sign for our maturing democracy. Quite rightly, construction
of roads, better water and power supply and ending poverty and
starvation were positive issues put in front of the electorate. In all
fairness, the people appreciated the effort of the Bharatiya Janata
Party to give a new turn to the electoral politics in the country.
However, the people of India have been disillusioned by the conduct of
the election process by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the early stage of
the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Some of the issues raised by the
party resemble propaganda, offering little choice to the electorate and
only showing the Opposition in bad light. Mr L. K. Advani is on a
`Bharat Uday Yatra’ and Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee is always taking a
‘moralist stand’ while his party men rake up personal issues. Few have
been convinced with its India Shinning’ slogan. No one has been
impressed with the slogan when poverty and starvation is all around
us. It has underlined the non-issues. It is more interested in washing
dirty linen in public. It has lost sight of the noble issues like
elimination of poverty, provision of employment, removal of illiteracy,
corruption and setting up of a transparent administration. Harping on
the negative aspect of Sonia Gandhi would not help the BJP in the long
run. Even the construction of the Ram Mandir would not be able to please
the electorate, which essentially is interested in basic issues of bread
and butter. The peace parleys with the minority community may click.
It will have a positive impact on its electoral fortune. The fear of the
minorities needs to be addressed. There is no point in harping on the
foreign origin of the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Even though she
was born in Italy, she is an elected Member of Parliament and the Leader
of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. By this account, she is no longer
a foreign lady. She has been accepted as an Indian citizen both by the
Constitutional norms and the people of India. She has made sterling
sacrifices and proved better than many other political leaders. UJJAL
PAL SINGH |
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Gulf Oil launches auto workshops New Delhi, April 16 The company is in the business of lubricants
and has ventured into an agreement with workshops for 24-hour preventive
automobile maintenance and service schedule for cars. The GAMS will be
spread across various cities and highways throughout the country. In
West Delhi, Nirmal Motors at Jhandewalan will be the GAMS offering its
services to the customers in the region. Other six GAMS, which were also
inaugurated the same day are: Noorie Service Station in Karnal Road,
Auto Engineers in Noida, Brooklyn Engineers in East Delhi, Saraswati
Automobiles in Faridabad, and Sharanam Motor Service in Okhla. TNS |
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