TOP STORIES

Research projects held up over animal rights issues?
New Delhi, April 19
The Delhi High Court has directed the Committee for Prevention, Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals to respond to allegations that about 200 research projects at AIIMS involving experiments on animals were held up and awaiting its clearance.

Children form a human chain in solidarity with their brethren who have been deprived of education, at Jantar Mantar in the Capital on Monday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

MCD chief hints at new building bylaws
New Delhi, April 19
The Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Rakesh Mehta, today said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which maintains most areas of the Capital, needs to formulate new building bylaws and promote transparency in their implementation as the existing bylaws were outdated. (These bylaws were laid down two decades back).

city scan
Cable theft bid plunges E Delhi in darkness
New Delhi, April 19
Several parts of East Delhi eked it out without power from 0200 hours to 1130 hours today due to the snapping of conductors in the Kondli Dallupura 66 KV line circuit.

NDPL receives ISO certificate
New Delhi, April 19
The North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) today announced that it has received the ISO 9001:2000 certificate for its quality management system from Det Norsek Veritas (DNV). The ISO standard is an internationally recognised quality management system developed by the International Organised of Standardization, Geneva.

macabre
Bodies of kids found stuffed in carton at rly station
New Delhi, April 19
There was a major flutter this morning at the New Delhi Railway Station, when highly decomposed bodies of two children in the 6-9 age group were found in a cardboard carton.

Unreserved ticketing system extended to 31 locations in Delhi
New Delhi, April 19
The Northern Railway has extended the unreserved ticketing system to 31 locations in the national Capital, spelling relief to a major segment of passengers who travel in unreserved compartments, an official spokesman release said today.

ELECTIONS—2004

BJP will fail to win a seat in Haryana: Chautala
Sonepat, April 19
Signaling the end of the BJP in Haryana, the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, predicted that the BJP would not be able to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The bahu is back to claim the beti’s rights
New Delhi, April 19
Claiming to be the ‘beti’ of the national Capital, the famed ‘bahu’ of the idiot box, Smriti Irani, chose to give an insight into her blueprint, should she be elected to Parliament from the Chandni Chowk constituency.

BJP candidate from Chandni Chowk, Smriti Irani, addressing a Press conference in the Capital on Monday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Poll arena
BJP’s ‘feel-good’ campaign misleading: Rajesh Khanna
New Delhi, April 19
Superstar of yesteryears’ Rajesh Khanna today tried to justify Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, relying on his characteristic rhetoric. Canvassing for the Congress candidate, Mr Ajay Maken, Mr Khanna dismissed the issue, saying, “Ghar mein beti hoti hein, bahu to bahar se hi aati hein (daughter belongs to the house while daughter-in-law comes from outside).”

Sangwan’s Z security raises hackles
Sonepat, April 19
The former minister and HVP candidate, Mr Jagbir Singh Malik, has taken strong exception to furnishing of “Z” security to BJP candidate Kishan Singh Sangwan and alleged that it was a political stunt. He further alleged that it was an attempt to give an impression to the voters that there was a threat to his (Sangwan’s) life from the chief minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala.

Semi-final for Assembly polls?
Rewari, April 19
The senior Congress leader and party candidate from Mahendergarh parliamentary constituency Rao Inderjit Singh has stated that the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Haryana were virtually a semi-final for the Congress party in its run-up to the coming Haryana Vidhan Sabha polls.

Central observers to oversee elections in Faridabad
Faridabad, April 19
Two of the three central observers appointed by the Election Commission to oversee the poll process in the Faridabad parliamentary constituency have arrived here. The third observer is expected to arrive by tomorrow morning.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with Congress party candidate from the Outer Delhi parliamentary constituency Sajjan Kumar during the inauguration of the central election office of the party in the Capital on Monday. — Photo by Kamal Singh

Every third polling booth in Meerut is sensitive
Meerut, April 19
With every third polling booth in the Meerut division being declared as sensitive, the administration faces a mighty challenge in the form of conducting free, fair and peaceful elections in the division.

COMMUNITY

They get water for 15 minutes in the morning
Sonepat, April 19
Drinking water problem continues to haunt the residents of the city with a population of more than two lakhs and a district headquarters in Haryana.

Demand to extend timings of Metro Rail
New Delhi, April 19
The leader of the Opposition in the Standing Committee of the MCD, Mr Vijender Kumar Gupta, has demanded that the timings of the Metro Rail services be extended from 10 AM to 11 PM. He said this was necessary as the Metro rail services has now been extended up to Rithala. There is an urgent need for increasing the frequencies from the existing 6 minutes to 4 minutes.

FACE TO FACE
Expensive cigarettes are no less harmful
Tobacco consumption in India is increasing at an alarming rate, the current number of smokers and tobacco users in the country being as high as 18.4 crore, says Dr Deepak Talwar, Chairman and Chief Consultant Pulmonologist, who is working in the field of respiratory medicine with the Metro Group of Hospitals in Noida.

DELHI DIGEST
Mock fire exercises held at Palika Kendra
New Delhi, April 19
The New Delhi Municipal Council today demonstrated mock fire exercises at Palika Kendra. The mock exercises were organised as part of the Fire Week celebrations of the Delhi Fire Service.

A fire drill carried out by the Delhi Fire Service outside the NDMC building in the Capital on Monday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

NCR Briefs
Proclaimed offender arrested
Jhajjar, April 19
The district police have arrested a proclaimed offender wanted in a number of cases of looting and dacoity in the Line Par police station area.

CRIME

Three persons held under ‘Operation Alert’, 23 cases solved
Sonepat, April 19
With the arrest of three persons, the special staff of the Sonepat police has solved 23 cases of thefts committed in and around Sonepat during the past two years.

Car-jackers arrested
New Delhi, April 19
With the arrest of four persons, the South-West district police claimed to have busted a gang of car-jackers involved in a sensational car-jacking-cum-kidnapping case. A stolen Toyota Qualis, country-made weapons, wireless set and a mobile phone were seized from their possession.

• Notorious robber held

EDUCATION

Amity hosts cultural and technical fest
New Delhi, April 19
The Amity School of Engineering organised its first two-day cultural and technical festival, ‘ACT’04 - Walking towards a new horizon’ on its campus.

DUTA on hunger strike against VC
New Delhi, April 19
The representatives of Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) today started their weeklong relay hunger strike at the office of the Vice-Chancellor office. The teachers alleged that they were on hunger strike to oppose the arbitrary functioning of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Deepak Nayyar.

HEALTH

Sanjiv Malik elected president of IMA
New Delhi, April 19
Dr Sanjiv Malik was today declared elected as the national president of the Indian Medical Association (HQs). Dr Sanjiv Malik, who is presently the secretary-general of the Indian Medical Association, has made tremendous contributions to the healthcare scenario of the country.

SPORTS

Pelican Club pip Patel Nagar in DDCA League
New Delhi, April 19
Pelican Club defeated Patel Nagar Gymkhana by 216 runs in an A-II Division match of the DDCA League on the RSC ground.

Somesh Goyel wins PHDCCI Golf title
New Delhi, April 19
DIG of National Security Guards Somesh Goyel became the overall winner in the PHDCCI Golf Tournament at the Golden Greens Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon. Bhutanese Ambassador to India Lyonpo Dago Tshering teed-off the tournament.

PHDCCI vice-president K N Memani presenting the golf trophy to NSG DIG Somesh Goyel at the Golden Greens Golf Club.

Navy sail into Sood Cricket semi-final
New Delhi, April 19
Deadly bowling by left-arm spinner Arun Sharma (3 for 22) enabled Indian Navy defeat Rajdhani Sports by eight wickets to enter the semi-final of the Om Nath Sood Memorial Cricket Tournament on the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce ground, Pitampura.

Sudhanshu, Manika bag TT titles
New Delhi, April 19
Sudhanshu Grover defeated Raghav Pangasa 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 in the kids boys final of the Hans Raj Model School Open Table Tennis Tournament at the school premises. In the girls final, Manika Batra beat Priya Mittal 11-5 11-4, 11-9.

• Ratan Rawat shines with bat