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Hike is the price
of reforms, says Minister Public school
girls in flesh racket
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Senegal embassy
pays Rs 50 lakh damages to mother of killed driver Criminal shot at
on court premises
HC quashes govt
order to pay fine for overstay in Italy Tariff hiked to
benefit distribution cos: BJP MCD poll
expenditure up World Day
dedicated to domestic help Trader himself
planned the drama of his loot Another torture
complaint with HR panel Two held for
murderous assault on student leader
Cops charged
with diluting paper leak case get bail Aged woman held
in dowry case
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Hike is the price of reforms,
says minister New Delhi, June 11 “There is a total gap of Rs 1,762 crore between revenue and expenditure for the electricity sector for 2004-05 of which the Delhi Government will provide Rs 690 crore as support,” DERC Chairman V.K.Sood told reporters. The remaining gap of Rs 1,072 crore would be met partly through the hike in tariff, which would bring in Rs 376 crore, and partly by creating a Regulatory Asset for which Delhi Transco Limited and the distribution companies would raise Rs 696 crore as loans. The DERC chairman said the tariff would have risen by 30 per cent if the stakeholders (DERC, Government of NCT of Delhi and the three distribution companies) had decided to meet the revenue gap by increasing the tariff only. He justified the 10 per cent increase on the ground that the quality of supply (read trippings) was poor and there were problems in billing and metering. He also felt that the merging of the 0-to-100 and 101-to-200 categories would reduce the burden on domestic consumers. The DERC yesterday revised the tariff for domestic consumers and industrial users. The new tariffs will come into force on June 19. The Delhi Power Minister, Mr Haroon Yusuf, said that the distribution companies had sought a higher tariff from the DERC and that it (DERC) had rejected that request in the larger interest of consumers. If people want the reforms to succeed, they should bear with the hike, he said. Describing the hike as reasonable, Mr Yusuf said that going by the annual revenue requirement submitted by the transmission and distribution companies, “we were expecting a bigger hike”. He said privatisation of power distribution was going in the right direction. In a significant move, Mr Yusuf said that the DERC would soon have two more members besides the chairman, Mr V.K. Sood. He said two new members would be appointed to the Commission, making it a three-member body to improve its functioning. Meanwhile, the DERC has pulled up BSES Yamuna and BSES Rajdhani (Reliance Group owns both the distribution companies.) for poor capital expenditure on the development of supply infrastructure in their respective areas of operation. It has penalised the two power-distribution companies by deducting Rs two crore from their annual revenue requirement. Mr Sood told reporters that the penalty was imposed to send a “clear signal” that poor performance in future may invite severe penalties. The DERC censured the two companies a few weeks ago for the frequent trippings and the inadequate development of infrastructure. It instructed them to provide generator sets in residential areas and to give priority to developing the infrastructure. |
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Public school girls in flesh racket New Delhi, June 11 The sleuths said that there was an advertisement in a leading daily about a “Relaxation Point Massage Parlour” and a mobile phone number was provided in the advertisement. Accordingly, a decoy customer struck a deal with the kingpin Sonia and her sister Soni, alias Suman, who had agreed to provide a girl for Rs 6,000. Sonia and Soni had paraded five girls in the age group of 19-25 years before the decoy customer. The sleuths descended on them at that point and nabbed all seven of them, including the two pimps. Sonia revealed that she operates from an office in Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar, and the girls had entered the flesh trade on their own. The girls told the sleuths that since they found the trade to be very lucrative, they decided to continue with it. On several occasions, they had offered services in five-star hotels to affluent customers. The sleuths said that the girls belonged to good families and one of them was the daughter of a senior government official. All of them were pleasant, well-mannered and had been educated in public schools.
Woman pimp escapes from custody A woman who was arrested by the Nangloi police for allegedly forcing a 22-year-girl into prostitution escaped yesterday after pushing a woman constable from Nangloi police station. The accused Ranjit Kaur, a resident of Nihar Vihar, Nangloi, was arrested by the police on Tuesday for allegedly using a girl for prostitution. The victim was rescued by the police and was sent to Nari Niketan. On Thursday, Kaur on the pretext of going to the toilet pushed a woman constable and fled the police station. The police said that they have launched a hunt to nab Kaur.
Scrap dealer held, lid off auto theft cases The special staff of West district police today arrested Surjan Singh, a scrap dealer, who received stolen heavy vehicles and then disposed of the parts. With the arrest, three cases of motor vehicle theft have been worked out. A stolen motorcycle, a colour TV set, six bundles of clothes, a truck and an RC of one matador have been recovered. Besides, the police arrested auto thief Deepak Kumar Kochhar, alias Deepa. A motorcycle has been recovered from his possession. |
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Senegal embassy pays Rs 50 lakh damages New Delhi, June 11 The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed the payment of the compensation in a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). In her complaint to the commission, the driver, Dilver Lal’s mother Bhagwanti had alleged that her son was murdered at Hotel Taj Palace during the Africa Day celebrations by the son of the Senegal diplomat he was serving. The commission forwarded a copy of the complaint to the Ministry of External Affairs for comments and requested that MEA communicate to the commission whether any compensation could be paid to the next of kin of the deceased. In August last year, the MEA informed the commission that the government was willing to take up the issue of compensation on behalf of the driver’s family with the Senegal Government as the driver was the only breadwinner of the family. Appreciating the stand taken by the MEA, the commission said that it would like to be informed of the outcome of the government’s efforts. The MEA, in its letter dated April 30, informed the commission that the embassy of Senegal had paid Dilvar Lal’s mother a full compensation of Rs 50 lakh. |
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Criminal shot at on court premises Noida, June 11 Sanjay Bhatti who is facing trial as key suspect in the murder case of controversial Madan Bhaya’s brother Manoj Kasna, had a narrow escape. However, a constable is said to have been injured in the shootout. It may be recalled, another undertrial Dabloo Yadav, facing trial for attempted murder, had escaped from the Court Complex on Wednesday for which SSP J.N Singh had suspended all the five policemen escorting Dabloo Yadav. After the assailants had shot at Sanjay, the policemen also fired in retaliation, but the attackers managed to escape. Sanjay Bhatti had been brought to the Court of Addl. District and Sessions Judge Noida in Phase-II Court Complex from Dasna jail. Sanjay is accused of having murdered Madan Bhaya’s brother Manoj Kasna, along with girlfriend and another accomplice. Sanjay was shot at by two assailants as he was being taken to the lock-up on Court Complex from the Court of Addl. District Session Judge under police escort. As the shots missed Sanjay, his assailants fled. Policeman Ved Prakash fired from his service rifle at the fleeing assailants. Sanjay Bhatti has filed a report naming two persons Sheru and Parveen of Chitehra about this attempted murder in Phase-II police station.
12 illegal Bangladeshi migrants held Faridabad: As many as 12 Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested in the last few days. These migrants had been residing illegally in jhuggi cluster in Sector-15 and Bhadkhal village here for the last few months. The police had also arrested as many as 12 such illegal immigrants in 2001-2002. According to a report, the police have failed to flush out the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in various slum colonies and jhuggi clusters. It is learnt that the number of such migrants in the district could be several hundred. According to Mr Kailash Sharma, a resident of Sector-10 here, there were over hundred families, which had been living in Sector 10, 11, and adjoining areas. They have been working as manual labourers, including the work of domestic help and collection of ‘kabari’ items. And some of them are engaged in criminal
activities. — TNS |
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HC quashes govt order to pay fine for overstay in Italy New Delhi, June 11 Justice Manmohan Sarin quashed a Ministry of Human Resources Development order asking the lady, Sushma, to pay the amount within 30 days failing which she would have to pay an additional interest of 18 per cent on the amount. The penalty was charged allegedly for violating the scholarship bond, which required Sushma to immediately return to India after completion of the study and inform the Ministry upon her arrival in the country. Sushma, who had gone to study the Italian language at the University of Foreigners, Perugia, Italy, for a two-month course, had ‘’overstayed’’ in Italy for about three weeks after completion of the course. Sushma approached the High Court challenging the government’s order to pay the penalty claiming that she could not come earlier as tickets were not available and produced a letter from a travel agent to the effect. The court, however, held that there was no violation of the bond as no time period had been specified for the return, hence ‘’immediate return’’ would mean a ‘’reasonable period’’. Besides, the Government of India lost or spent no money for the period of overstay by the petitioner, it was added. She had received Euro 619.75 per month for stay and course fee for the duration of her study and had to bear the cost of air passage herself. Viewed from another angle, the purpose of the scholarship under the cultural exchange programme was to promote cultural ties, interaction and tourism between the countries. So for a candidate, who had gone to learn the language, such a stay would complement the purpose of her course, the judge opined. |
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Tariff hiked to benefit distribution cos: BJP New Delhi, June 11 The BJP has dubbed it as unfortunate. The Delhi Pradesh BJP President, Mr Harshvardhan, said that the hike in tariff was on the cards for a long time; the Sheila Dikshit ministry was waiting for the elections to be over before announcing the revised tariffs. The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Mr Jagdish Mukhi, said that the increase in tariff was a punishment for law-abiding and honest consumer and an allurement to electricity thief. “Instead of reducing the theft of electricity, the government has chosen to impose additional burden on the honest consumer,” he said. The Delhi Pradesh BJP Secretary, Mr Vijender Kumar Gupta, in turn, said the increase in the tariff was “an act of naked support to the financial interests” of the distribution companies. He claimed that the government’s ultimate aim is to transfer the government shareholding of 49 per cent to the private companies. A similar fate, he said, is awaiting the Delhi Jal Board. The PHDCCI President, Mr Ravi Wig, has said that the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has failed to take into account the continued power losses and theft in the Capital for checking which adequate initiatives have not been taken by the distribution companies. “In fact, distribution companies have not even spent the money sanctioned to them for upgrading the distribution network. This is causing continued losses necessitating high increase in tariff,” he said. The decision of the Government of NCT of Delhi to withdraw subsidy on power and increase tariffs, apart from hitting the common man hard, would also prompt further theft of electricity, he said. Mr Wig underlined that substantial hike in fixed charges would also add |
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MCD poll expenditure up New Delhi, June 11 The demand for hike in expenditure limit was made by the Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Mr Subhash Arya,
recently. — TNS |
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World Day dedicated to domestic help New Delhi, June 11 This year, the World Day Against Child Labour, which is being observed on June 12, has been dedicated to the plight of the “invisible children” — the domestic child worker.. According to an ILO estimate, 20 per cent of children working outside the family take domestic employment in India. More girls under 16 work in domestic service than in any other stream, the estimate said. Recognising the efforts of Prayas in eliminating child labour, the ILO entered into a partnership with them to organise the World Day Against Child Labour 2004. Prayas is a national level voluntary organisation working for the elimination of child labour, empowerment of marginalised women and youth in Delhi, Bihar and Gujarat. On this day, the child workers interacted with an eminent panel of politicians, academicians, social activists and journalists. Some of the notable
panelists, who were grilled by the children, included Mr Managatram Singhal, Labour Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi, Mr Rajender Kumar, Director, Directorate of Education, Delhi Government, Mr Maurizio Bussi, Deputy Director, ILO, Mr Amod Kanth, Secretary, Prayas, Mr Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude, Dr Mohini Giri, Former Chairperson, National Commission for Women, and Ms Mohuya Chaudhary of NDTV. Mr Abhinav Chaturvedi, a well-known media personality, facilitated the deliberation. According to Mr Kanth, Secretary, Prayas, “In India, there are almost 70 million children who do not go to schools and it is our belief that all these children are working in one form or the other. Unless options are provided to these children, the elimination of child labour is not possible and Prayas, through its various activities, is providing the alternatives for their development.” On the occasion, children also presented a skit highlighting the issue of domestic child labour in the country. Parents of former child workers, who are now being educated, also recounted their stories. |
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Trader himself planned the drama of his loot Ghaziabad, June 11 According to the police, businessman Vipin, his brother Amit and two others were also involved in the conspiracy. The Indira Puram police have arrested Vipin and Amit, while a hunt is on for the other two accused involved in the drama. According to SSP J.N Singh, Vipin Jain, son of S P Jain of BR Apartments, Shalimar Garden, Extn-2 had filed a report in the police station that when he approached his car after withdrawing Rs 9.40 lakh from the Bank of Baroda on April 5, two youths snatched the briefcase from him. The SSP said that the police were suspicious of Vipin Jain’s statement from the very beginning. After the incident, Vipin talked from his cell phone No 9891380003 to his brother Amit on his cell phone No 9810323840 for more than half an hour. When the printouts of the cell phones were taken out, it transpired that both of them were near the site of loot in Kaushambi whereas Amit had maintained that he was in Preet Vihar. This had almost confirmed the police suspicion. The brothers were interrogated separately. Their statements were found at variance. When further interrogated, they broke down. Vipin said he had suffered Rs 20 lakh losses in business. He enacted this drama so that he could make good his losses from the insurance claims. |
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Another torture complaint with HR panel Ghaziabad, June 11 He was tortured as he allegedly refused to pay the bribe to the police. In their complaint to the HRC, Om Dutt Tyagi and Karan Singh Tyagi, of village Chamri under police station Hapur, have stated that Braha Dutt Tyagi, alias Titu, was going to Delhi in his car in the evening on June 7 when the car broke down near Sahibabad Railway Road. Amir Kumar, in charge of Rajinder Nagar police station, accosted him and took him to the police post. Tyagi had been detained there illegally for three days. The SI is alleged to have demanded Rs 30,000 for releasing Braha
Dut. |
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Two held for murderous assault on student leader New Delhi, June 11 The suspects have been identified as Prashant Kumar Sehrawat and Ram Chand Solanki. Their associate - Tarun Jain, alias Lovely, is absconding. According to the police, the assault had taken place on May 29, creating a sensation in the cantonment area. The suspects had chased Karambir Solanki, the victim, in their Ford Ikon vehicle and fired at him near Air Force Museum, Palam. The injured had been ferried to Safdarjung Hospital in a PCR van. The police identified the suspects on the basis of the statement of the victim recorded by the police. The victim had told the police that on the fateful day, he, along with his brother Dharmbir and uncle Mahesh had gone to Munirka for swimming, where Prashant and Jogender quarreled with him. Prashant threatened him of dire consequences. At about 8.45 am, when the victim, along with his friends Bittoo and Sanjay, were moving in his Maruti car towards Air Force Museum, Prashant, Joginder and Tarun caught up with them in the Ford Ikon car and started firing. Prashant had fired at the victim, injuring him in his left hip. Joginder and Tarun had hit his head with a brick. During investigation, the police came to know that the victim and the suspects were ex-students of Moti Lal Nehru College; they had known each other for a long time. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to having attacked the victim. The Ford Ikon and Santro car, used in the crime, have been seized. The fired cartridge has also been recovered, the police said.
Kidnapping case solved With the arrest of three persons, including a woman, the South district police today worked out a blind case of kidnapping-cum-murder of 10-year-old child, Dev Anand. The suspects were identified as Sonu, his friend Ravi and sister Seema. The victim’s mother had died in 1994. Thereafter his father Jagmohan, a TSR driver, married another woman Seema in Rudrapur, Uttranchal. Seema also had a child from Jagmohan. Seema’s brother Sonu, with the help of his friend Ravi, conspired to kill Dev Anand. On the fateful day when Jagmohan had gone to work, Sonu allegedly took the victim to Rudrapur and killed him there in jungle. The decomposed body of the victim, identified by his father, has been recovered from the jungle, the police said. |
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Cops charged with diluting paper leak case get bail New Delhi, June 11 Granting bail to Investigating Officer Sanjay Gupta and Constable Umed Singh on a bond of Rs one lakh each, she said the circumstances of the case and the fact that the statement of material witnesses have already been recorded, the accused are admitted
to bail. Ms Rani, however, noted that the order would be subject to the accused not influencing or tampering with evidence or contacting witnesses. |
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New Delhi, June 11 The police arrested the woman, Karamjit (60), and her son, Gurbax Singh Sahini (45), after Sahini’s wife Harmit Kaur had been found dead with serious burn injuries in the toilet of their house. The victim was survived by two daughters and a son. The police received a tip-off that there was some commotion in the victim’s house this afternoon at around 1.30 pm. However, when the neighbours tried to intervene, the accused did not open the door. Later, when the police reached the spot, the victim was found lying dead in
toilet. — TNS |
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