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Uphaar victims
still crying for justice Mahanagar
Congress leader’s son murdered
HC order tightens
noose around drug peddlers |
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Transfer no
substitute for punishment: CAT Insurance cover
likely for DU students Onus on maker to
notify beer shelf-life: Forum Bus dacoity
foiled, four held Gang of truck
robbers held Trans-Yamuna to
have three new fire stations Watch out! Your
crowning glory is on the wane Hospitals should
give free iron supplements to women: Sheila
Neelam, wife of Delhi Police ASI, with her son sitting on dharna outside the residence of Delhi High Court Chief Justice B. C. Patel in the Capital on Sunday. Eight held for
impersonation Pre-medical test
result announced
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Uphaar victims still crying for justice New Delhi, June 13 The fire, which broke out in a transformer in the parking lot on the ground floor of the cinema complex, had left 28 families in extreme distress. “We have lost faith in the system. It is a system which allows victims to be accommodated and victims to be further victimised,” said Shekhar Krishnamurthy, general secretary of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) after a meeting in memory of the victims at the memorial in front of the cinema hall in Green Park area of South Delhi. The main trial is on in the Patiala district courts here with Sushil Ansal, owner of the Uphaar Cinema, and others like MCD, Delhi Fire Service and PWD as the defendants. The Delhi High Court in a related case last year ordered a compensation of Rs 15 lakh plus nine per cent interest for the next of kin of each of those among dead, who were less than 20 years of age and Rs 18 lakh to dependants of those above 20 years. It also ordered Rs 100,000 to be given to those injured. Besides, Ansals were to give Rs 250 lakh to the government for setting up a trauma centre. The Ansals have to share 55 per cent of the compensation and the Delhi Vidyut Board, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Licensing) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi 15 per cent each. All these parties have now gone to the Supreme Court disputing the amount of compensation and percentage of share to be paid by them. The AVUT has filed two cases in the High Court. One challenges the grant of bail to Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal and other accused. The other is contempt of court case against the accused for failing to give them compensation ordered by the court. Mr Krishnamurthy said that the sister company, Ansals Housing and Estate Pvt Ltd, have mortgaged the Uphaar Cinema hall with the Punjab National Bank, so there is also a confusion about who is the real owner of the property. |
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Mahanagar Congress leader’s son murdered Ghaziabad, June 13 His throat had been slit with a sharp-edged weapon. But the postmortem report could not give the exact cause of his death. Ranjan, 30, son of Mrs Marwaha, a resident of Sunderpuri was engaged in the sale and purchase of electronic goods and also used to lend money on interest. He had left for Delhi on Thursday evening with Rs 25,000 for some purchases, the family members said. They said they had no idea as to who could have murdered Happy. The G.R police had found the body near the shunting line. A wristwatch and Rs 142 were recovered on the remains. GRP in-charge Vimal Srivastava said that even the postmortem report had not given the cause of death. The victim’s head had been severed and not cut or slit. They felt that the murder had been committed elsewhere and the body dumped near the railway line later. A political motive is not ruled out in the murder. According to his mother, he had informed them on phone on Friday morning that he would come home in the afternoon, but he did not return. Ranjan, according to the police, was a habitual gambler. He has left behind an 11-year-old daughter, Shaili and two-year-old
son, Vishoo.
Missing Hapur trader’s body found in gutter A rice trader, Sanjay Sharma missing since June 2 from Mohalla Gandhi Vihar, Hapur, had been murdered the same day and his body dumped in a gutter in Sahibabad police station area. The body which remained unidentified was cremated by the police two days later. It is suspected that a dreaded criminal of Hapur, who had taken him along from his house that day, killed him and dumped the body in a gutter later. Sanjay Sharma was reportedly having a wholesale rice trade in New Delhi’s Nai Sarak in partnership with Sanjay of Gannaur area of Haryana. Two months ago, Sanjay Sharma had supplied three trucks of rice to one Satya Narain for which the payment had been made promptly. He had often talked to Satya Narain on phone subsequently. On June 2, he was called to Delhi for some business talk with Satya Narain. But as he did not return home or to his shop, his partner and family members became anxious. His brothers, Laxman and Lalit could not get any information about Sanjay Sharma. It has now transpired that Satya Narain was not a rice merchant but a dreaded criminal who committed criminal acts by often changing his guise. He is expert in changing his looks and voice. Though the police were informed, they did not take the matter seriously. Later, when Sanjay’s photos were shown to his relatives by the Dehat police, they identified Sanjay Sharma’s body. The Sahibabad police had found his body on June 3 from a gutter with injury marks, including strangulation marks on his neck. |
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HC order tightens noose around drug peddlers New Delhi, June 13 With the order coming into effect, it leaves no scope for drug peddlers to escape the dragnet of law. Justice O. P. Dwivedi said, “The Act does not prescribe any minimum percentage purity/potency of diacetylmorphine for its possession to be unlawful. Whatever be the strength/potency of the diacetylmorphine, its possession is unlawful and punishable under the Act.” The court said, “Any preparation weighing more than 250 grams containing diacetylmorphine of whatever potency it may be, will fall within the limits of commercial quantity and the rigours of Section 37(1)(b) of the Act will apply to such cases.” The order came on a bunch of petitions seeking bail on grounds that the total weight of diacetylmorphine content in the contraband samples was less than the commercial quantity, that is, 250 grams, for the offence to be covered under the Act. However, the court held the small quantity and the commercial quantity of the said drug as prescribed by the notification dated October 19, 2001, will be the same for any preparation thereof be it in the form of mixture, solution in whatever physical condition it may be. |
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Transfer no substitute for punishment: CAT New Delhi, June 13 The Tribunal further noted with concern that the KVS had ordered the transfer of Mrs Harpal Sodhi, an English teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, R. K. Puram (sector II) from Delhi to Silvasa as a punishment for absenting without proper leave applications. “Mere transfers as a substitute for punishment has been deprecated by the courts,” the Tribunal said, adding that if she was really at fault, that called for some appropriate action, including disciplinary proceedings. On the KVS dismissing her after she did not join work in Gujarat due to illness for over four months since her transfer, the Tribunal said: “It appears strange that the medical certificates furnished by the applicant have been brushed aside as fake. There is nothing to suggest that the certificates submitted by the accused were fake.” Setting aside the transfer order while reinstating her, the Tribunal directed the KVS to allow her to join at Delhi and regularise her period of absence. Mrs Sodhi, who joined the KVS in 1986, was transferred to Silvasa in October last year and dismissed in March this year after she did not report for work due to medical reasons. In the petition before the Tribunal, she alleged that she had been victimised after she refused to withdraw a complaint against harassment by the school principal. She said she had sent a representation to KVS Commissioner after the principal repeatedly harassed her. |
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Insurance cover likely for DU students New Delhi, June 13 The scheme, which will benefit nearly three lakh students, is likely to be finalised soon, the Delhi Government sources said. Under the plan, each student will be provided accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh by a nationalised company for which the Government will pay the premium of Rs 5 per person per year, they said. The scheme is expected to cost the Government Rs 10 to 15 lakh per annum “but this is a small amount considering the benefit it will provide to the students,” the sources said. The proposal had been mooted by Delhi University Students Union DUSU which was concerned over several cases of accidents involving students, they said. DUSU president claimed that the scheme was discussed with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and she had promised to sanction it when it came up before her for clearance. Under the scheme, the students will also be eligible for reimbursement of medical bills up to Rs 2,000, he said. Chaudhury claimed this was the first time such a scheme was being mooted by any university in the country. The Delhi University attracts students from all over the country, including significant numbers from eastern and north-eastern parts of the country. The DUSU president also claimed that the students having limited financial support found it hard to foot hefty medical bills. Travelling on the city’s roads was also an ordeal for the students with most of them forced to depend on private buses, which were responsible for a large number of accidents, he said. |
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Onus on maker to notify beer shelf-life: Forum New Delhi,
June 13 The court has held the M/s United Breweries Ltd responsible for not displaying on the labels of bottles the relevant information with regard to the ageing of beer and its fitness for consumption. In an order, Sheikh Sarai District Consumer Forum, said: “If for the sake of arguments, it is conceded that after a lapse of six months, ageing and chemical changes take place in the beer bottles resulting in organic growth, in that case, it is the responsibility of manufacturer to inform consumers that the beer should be consumed within six months.” Awarding a compensation of Rs 9,430 to N. K. Gupta, a resident of R K Puram, the forum further observed that the complainant had done a “good service to the consumer movement” by pointing to the deficiency on part of the manufacturer. Mr Gupta, who was advised by a medical practitioner to take beer, had bought 12 bottles of beer manufactured by the Bangalore-based company from the DTTDC outlet in Vasant Vihar. However, he found suspended particles in two bottles. |
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Bus dacoity foiled, four held New Delhi, June 13 The accused were arrested after the police had received a tip-off that the gang members would assemble near the Ring Road in the Delhi Cantonment area at around 9 pm. The persons were identified as Raj Kumar, alias Bhai, resident of Uttam Nagar, Pratap, Mahesh Chand, alias Pappe, residents of Mangolpuri and Raj, resident of Mangolpur Kalan. During interrogation, the gang leader, Pratap, confessed that he was involved in at least 40 cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity, snatching and assault. In another case, the West district police claimed to have solved six cases of vehicle theft. The police arrested two auto-lifters and seized a stolen car from their possession. Based on a tip-off, the police nabbed the auto-lifters, both residents of Najafgarh, and seized a stolen Maruti 800 car from their possession. Meanwhile, with the arrest of three snatchers, the North district police claimed to have solved three cases of snatching. The police also claimed to have seized a TSR, three gold chains and Rs 35,000 from their possession. |
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Gang of truck robbers held New Delhi, June 13 The accused persons, nabbed from the Ridge road last night, were involved in looting trucks and killing their drivers if faced with resistance. The police also claimed to
have seized one country-made weapon from their possession. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Mr Ajay Choudhary, said that the accused persons were arrested after the police received a tip-off that a gang involved in looting highway trucks would assemble near the Ridge road. They were later identified as Devinder, resident of Mathura, Ashok Sharma and Raj Kumar Sharma, both residents of Saharanpur, Ravi and Rajinder, alias Kake, residents of Kapshera. During interrogation, the accused persons confessed to have looted nearly 50 trucks at different places in Uttar Pradesh, including Tundla, Bewar, Agra, Rampur and Kanpur. Mr Choudhary said that Devinder Singh, who was suspended from the UP Police in 2000, was also wanted in seven cases of murder, the latest one committed on June 5 at Kosi Kalan in UP. He carries a reward of Rs 10,000 on |
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Trans-Yamuna to have three
new fire stations New Delhi, June 13 With these stations, Trans-Yamuna will have nine small and big fire stations. Recently, two small stations with the capacity of one fire tender, each have been opened by the fire department at Gokulpuri and Shastri Park of East Delhi area. Till recently, over the huge population of over 30 lakhs, there were only four fire stations at Shahdara, Laxmi Nagar, Mandawali and Geeta Colony in Trans-Yamuna area. Besides, Laxmi Nagar station, remaining all other stations have only two fire tenders each. Laxmi Nagar station has four fire tenders, apart from one specialised state-of-the-art fire tender. Among them, the condition of Shahadara fire station is very deplorable. Despite being the oldest and major fire station of East Delhi area, it is deprived of even basic infrastructure and facilities these days. Even the station building has developed cracks on many places. It has no proper water tank for the filling of fire tenders. |
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Watch out! Your crowning glory is on the wane New Delhi, June 13 In fact, as many as 50 per cent of men suffer from baldness at some point in their life. Male Pattern Baldness is characterised by receding hairline with moderate to extensive hair loss at the crown. Medical advice from a qualified dermatologist may be imminently helpful, and may check the signs of this disease if diagnosed in time. Says Delhi-based Dr Simal
Soin, Consultant Dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, “This is a fairly common form of hair loss found frequently in men. In fact, androgenetic alopecia accounts for 95 per cent of men’s hair loss. In India, at a young age of 20 years only, approximately 30 per cent of men show signs of Male Pattern Baldness. The cause of concern for the medical fraternity is that the incidence of such baldness is increasing at the rate of 10 per cent per decade! Male Pattern Baldness
(MPB) is an inherited condition caused by a genetically determined sensitivity to the effects of male hormone dihydrotestosterone
(DHT). DHT is believed to shorten the growth or anagen phase of the hair cycle, causing miniaturisation of the follicles and producing progressively finer hair. Says Dr
Soin, “Interestingly, this form of male baldness can begin at any time in a man’s life, even during his teen years. Androgenetic alopecia could be caused by heredity hormones and age where physiologically there is progressive miniaturisation of hair follicles and shortening of the hair’s growing cycle.” Since androgenetic alopecia is very common, it may accompany other forms of hair loss. Dr Soin recommends search for causes such as iron deficiency, telogen effluvium, hypothyroidism, drug intake, and protein deficiencies to treat the baldness accordingly. Besides, other reasons such as drug interaction, medical illness and trauma can also cause hair loss. Explains Dr
Soin, “Certain medications such as lithium; beta-blockers; the ‘blood-thinners’, warfarin and heparin; amphetamines;
levodopa, and other drugs have hair loss as an annoying side effect.
Daunorubicin, and other medicines used in cancer chemotherapy, can also cause sudden generalised hair loss. Hair loss can be a symptom of some medical illness, such as lupus
erythematosus; syphilis; thyroid gland disorder, sex hormone imbalance, or a serious nutritional problem, especially a deficiency of protein, iron, zinc, or biotin.” There are several scientifically developed formulations for treatment of male baldness. Elaborates Dr
Soin, “There are two FDA-approved medications currently available for treatment of androgenetic
alopecia: minoxidil and finasteride. Minoxidil is applied topically and available as 2% or 5% solutions. Finasteride is taken orally. Minoxidil appears to lengthen the duration of the anagen phase, and it possibly increases the blood supply to the follicle. Finasteride is not an anti-androgen and can be used only in men because of the risk of feminisation of the male fetus in females who are pregnant or likely to become in the near future.” Cautioning about the psychological damage caused to the ‘personality conscious’ working professionals, Dr Soin says, “Male pattern hair loss can have a substantial psychological impact especially in the urban Indian society where apt personality and grooming have come to achieve a vital role in every competitive sphere. Perception of aging and low self-esteem in males floridly confronts a dense feeling of being unattractive and unaccepted among his fellow comrades. Such fear of social dejection might dip him even further towards introversion and depression that invariably negatively affect the quality of his life.” |
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Hospitals should give free iron supplements to women: Sheila New Delhi, June 13 The Department of Health will draw up a plan for the distribution of iron tablets in all the hospitals and dispensaries. The Chief Minister inspected the Stree Shakti camp sites in New Ashok Nagar in East Delhi. East Delhi’s Member of Parliament Sabdeep Dikshit accompanied her. Since its inception in February 2002, the Department of Social Welfare has organised 130 Stree Shakti camps. |
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ASI accused of dowry harassment New Delhi, June 13 Frustrated with the harassment, she met the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court B. C. Patel and sought relief from him. Neelam, a teacher in a convent school, Gurgaon, informed Justice Patel that her husband had thrown her out of the house. Justice Patel directed
the senior police officials to settle the problem amicably. |
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Eight held for impersonation New Delhi, June 13 Based on a complaint by the principal of the school, the police arrested five B.Tech students, identified as Rahul Mishra, Brajesh Mishra, Vir Bahadur Yadav, Karminder Pratap Singh and Yuvraj Srivastav, all from Priyadarshini College. Two other students, identified as Ashish Kumar and Ashutosh, were from Guru Gobind Singh College. |
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Pre-medical test result announced
Meerut, June 13 Conducted by the CCS University, the result of the CPMT was declared by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ram Pal Singh. He made a declaration by submitting the result to the Principle Secretary for Medical Education, Mr Jagjit Singh. In his Press conference, the Vice-Chancellor said that 57,877 candidates were found to be qualified for the
counselling. — OC |
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The victims of the Uphaar Cinema fire
tragedy, which left 59 dead and left over hundred injured on June 13, 1997, are
still waiting for justice, as they are yet to get their compensation ordered by
the High Court.
