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Special cell to monitor safety of
IPS man, 5 others suspended for communal flare-up Seven kids among 10 charred as transformer explodes |
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Delhi, Mumbai traders duped Reghunathan tipped to be Chief
Secretary BJP attacks
government's stand on Gujarat encounter Monsoon held up, but will keep its date with Delhi Homeless children: A lot more needs to be done HC notice to police on NGO’s plea to trace child Fishery project runs aground Six Kishan Pehalwan gang members held Strike call by Bharat Petroleum employees Health check-up camp for cops Discovery to showcase Indian cowboy Varsity to provide training in drip irrigation Talkatora rocks to Punjabi
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Special cell to monitor safety of senior citizens New Delhi, June 21 The decisions was taken at a meeting specially convened by the Delhi Police in which matters relating to the safety and security of the senior citizens were reviewed by the Lt. Governor, Mr. B L Joshi. The Commissioner of Police, Dr. K.K. Paul, who briefed the new LG, said measures were being taken to enhance the security of senior citizens. Among the issues addressed were the need to publicise special helpline numbers 1091 and 1291 for senior citizens, re-sensitising the senior citizens through the media, asking them to register the names of domestic help with the local police. The verification of servants and drivers was also stressed and it was pointed out that the employers should seek at least two references from servants. The
Delhi Police, it was pointed out, has already launched a programme ‘adoption of senior citizens by school children’. This programme is aimed at decreasing the vulnerability of the elders and their dependence on outside, unknown elements. The scheme, which was started in South District, has been extended to other districts; under this scheme, school students are mobilised and motivated to visit senior citizens at weekend at their residences and share their problems. The interaction also enables them to provide emotional support to the lonely. Senior citizens are also being sensitised on issues like safety of the houses, installation of grills on doors and windows, the need to keep lights switched on at night-time if they are alone, installation of a bell wired to a neighbour’s house, which can be used as an alarm, and ensuring that there are no gaps in windows fitted with coolers/ACs. The senior citizens have been advised to avoid keeping objects like ropes, ladders and other tools in the courtyard or the balcony. They have also been advised against withdrawing large amounts of cash in front of the servants; extra care should be taken if there is a marriage in the family. As for tracking down the killer of Lt. Gen. Harnam Singh Seth and his wife, the police said they had launched a massive hunt and had begun questioning suspects. |
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Five probe teams on the job New Delhi, June 21 The police has made a list of persons who used to visit the couple’s house and have started interrogating them. A list of domestic servants, who worked for them, has also been prepared. All the domestic servants and maids are being interrogated in the area. The Additional DCP of South West district, Ms Shalini Singh, said the police was hopeful of making an arrest soon as they had picked a minor clue during interrogation. The experts of the Finger Print Bureau had lifted 12 fingerprints from the scene of crime. These fingerprints would be matched with the sets available with the police. Besides, the police will collect fingerprints of the suspects. It was still not certain whether cash and valuables had been looted from the premises. However, almirahs were found ransacked in the house. During investigation the police came to know that H. S. Seth did not keep much money in the house. The couple had two sons; one lives in New York and the other in Gurgaon; the latter is on an official trip abroad. The Additional DCP said that the police expected two or three assailants to be involved in the crime, who broke into the couple’s house with the aim of robbing them. The murder was possibly not premeditated. It seems that the suspects were aware of the family background of the couple. They knew where the couple kept their cash and valuables. This was apparent from the fact that only one room was ransacked, the police said. The police said that if the murder had been premeditated, the assailants would have brought a weapon with them. |
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Sena unit chief blames nuclear family trend New Delhi, June 21 |
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IPS man, 5 others suspended for communal flare-up Meerut, June 21 This historical step was taken in ‘Mayawati style’. It was taken soon after ADG (Law and Order) Bua Singh submitted his preliminary reports to the DGP, UP police. Prabhat Kumar of the 1988 batch has taken over as the new SSP. The newly appointed SSP, Mr Prabhat Kumar, told the mediapersons that his priority would be to restore law and order in the affected areas along with maintaining peace. He also said those who did not act, be it personnel or officials, had no place in the police force. The SSP also added that criminals would be dealt with operationally on the ground. He also sought public cooperation for that. Commenting on the incidents of increasing eve-teasing, he said a special work plan would be introduced with some crack teams to put a check on these incidents. Meanwhile, the small town of Saradhana is still reeling under incidents of violence. Miscreants once again pelted stones and opened fire at a particular community in the presence of the ADGP and other senior officials, including the IGP, the DGP, the Commissioner, the District Magistrate. Senior administrative and police officials reviewed the situation on Monday noon. Officials also visited Saradhana town today. A curfew is still on in the town. A search operation was also on in the violence affected areas. Curfew orders were implemented with full force. The IGP, the DGP and other senior administrative officials are camping there. Leaders of several political parties also headed towards the affected areas but nobody was allowed to enter the town. A large number of knives, firearms and other objectionable items were seized during the search operation. The situation is still tense and more than 100 persons have been taken into custody in this regard. |
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Seven kids among 10 charred as transformer explodes Ghaziabad, June 21 The transformer, lying out of order for the past eight days in Pooja colony of Loni, exploded as the power supply was suddenly restored. The huge flames, a result of the burning oil from the transformer, badly charred 10 persons passing near it. These included seven children. The injured were rushed to Delhi’s Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital. A large number of people, livid at the Power Department for its failure to supply electricity and the injuries caused to people because of the transformer explosion, came out on the Delhi-Saharanpur road and squatted there for hours. The 63 KVA transformer near the bus stop in Pooja colony had suddenly exploded. The explosion was so powerful that the flames from the burning oil had spread up to 20 metres, burning everything that came in contact with it. A maize cob seller, Heera Lal, his daughter Neetu, 8, and customers
Nadim, 12, Savir 12, Aslam, 6, Yamin, 10 and Salim sustained burns. Dinesh, 13, and
Samo, 8, and a labourer Ran Sewak and nut seller Leela all became victims of this explosion. People in their immediate vicinity tried to douse the fire by squirting water and throwing sand on the burning clothes of the victims. The police rushed the victims to SGTB Hospital, Delhi, for treatment where all of them were reported to be in a serious condition. According to Pooja Colony residents, a transformer had been lying out of order since eight days. The Power Department technicians had suddenly restored power supply to the transformer. After a few minutes it exploded with big bang. People blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur road for hours. The pradhan of Sadiqpur village, across the road, has accused linemen Sadhu Ram and Rampal for the tragedy and filed a report against them with the police.
Most wanted criminal falls in police net The Ghaziabad police have reasons to feel relieved at the arrest of one of the most wanted and dreaded criminals of UP, Vijay
Phuphrana, who carries an award of Rs 20,000 on his head. He was heading the list of dreaded criminals in Ghaziabad. He was wanted in over two dozen cases of murder, attempted murder, looting and dacoity registered in various police stations. Most of the 35 criminals killed in encounters in the past year were outsiders. The police always felt that a gang war between Phuphrana and his rivals could break out any time. The SSP, Mr J. N. Singh, had mentioned it more than once that Vijay Phuphrana was on the top of his hit list of wanted criminals and he had always wanted to see him either eliminated like most dreaded criminals or behind bars. But none of Ghaziabad’s police inspectors could muster up the courage to capture Vijay Phuphrana or any other listed criminal. Vijay Phuphrana was arrested by the Delhi police in an encounter. But the UP police say he had virtually surrendered in Delhi. The Ghaziabad police had put the Modinagar and Loni police SOs on the job of netting
Phuphrana. During elections Phuphrana had been seen moving about. The Ghaziabad police could not do anything to nab him. The Ghaziabad police claim when the UP police had made things hot for him Phuphrana had moved over to Delhi and had ultimately surrendered there. The local police are trying to take him on a remand from the Delhi
police. Phuphrana, wanted in a triple murder case since the past two years, had spread terror from Uttaranchal to Western UP, Haryana and Delhi. |
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Delhi, Mumbai traders duped of crores New Delhi, June 21 The suspect, identified as Rajat Khanna, was arrested from Kailash Nagar in the North East district. He allegedly cheated traders of Okhla, Chawri Bazar and Chandni Chowk of Rs 2 crore. He is also wanted by the Mumbai Police in cheating cases. He had been evading arrest since January 2003, the police said. According to the police, in January last year Sanjeev Singhania of J.J. Textiles, who has his office in Okhla Industrial Area, Phase – II, was approached by a person, who introduced himself as Vikas Mehra, alias Rajat Khanna, from Bandini International, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase – II. He represented himself as proprietor of a firm dealing in bulk purchases of fabrics, after which Singhania supplied him fabrics worth Rs 7.36 lakh. The police said that Mr. Singhania was given post-dated cheque of the Citi Bank that bounced when it was presented. When Mr Singhanai went to the office of Bandini International, he was shocked to find the office locked and there was no trace of Vikas Mehra and others. Mr Singhania lodged a complaint in the Economic Offences wing against the suspect. Besides, the police had 10 other complaints against Vikas Mehra. The police said that the accused had cheated I.D. Goel and Sons Private Limited, Ashok Sureka and Net Creations, Madan Lal Nanda of Chawri Bazar, International Metal Industries of Churiwalan and Rajdhani Sales Corporation, Jhandelwalan, following a similar modus operandi. The suspects had gone underground for some time last year due to police pressure. He restarted the racket in the name of a bogus firm, Shri Balaji Agency, with an office at Rajender Nagar. To evade arrest the suspect fled to Mumbai and started the same racket. He floated a fake company, M/s Vinayak Overseas, and duped a number of traders. All the time he continued operating under different names. The goods taken from the businessmen were allegedly sold in the black market. The Economic Offences wing constituted a special team to investigate the case and finally arrested the main suspect from Kailash Nagar in East district. According to the police, the accused, who hails from Amritsar, has been taken on police remand. |
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Reghunathan
tipped to be Chief Secretary New Delhi, June 21 While a decision is likely to be taken shortly for choosing a replacement for Chief Secretary Shailja Chandra who is retiring on June 30, the sources said Mr. Reghunathan, a UT cadre IAS officer, who was Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit before his elevation to the Union Secretariat, is a “strong contender”. During his stint as principal secretary in the Delhi government, Mr Reghunathan is reported to have enjoyed a cordial relationship with Ms Dikshit and gained her confidence. The Principal Secretary, Health, in the Delhi Government, Mr SP Aggarwal, who has also been the Commissioner of the MCD, the Union Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Mr Naveen Chawla, and Mr VK Duggal, the Union Secretary, Water Resources, are also in the race for the post. Sources point out that Mr Aggarwal, who was earlier posted in the Delhi Secretariat, is not likely to be chosen. As for Mr Chawla, he may not like to swap the Information and Broadcasting Ministry post with a posting in the Delhi Government. Mr VK Duggal, who has earlier been Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, has also served in the MCD as Commissioner for three years. He was a strong contender for the post earlier, but now Mr Reghunathan is tipped to be the frontrunner. The
announcement on the post of Chief Secretary is expected shortly. |
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BJP attacks
government's stand on Gujarat encounter New Delhi, June 21 The Congress, the RJD, the Samajwadi Party and the NCP, by doubting the intention of the police and the security agencies, were dampening their enthusiasm in their fight against terrorism, Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan said here. He said it was shameful that Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal had ‘‘declared Ishrat and her Lashkar accomplices innocent without conducting any inquiry into the matter. Such conduct did not
behoove those who had the reins of the government in their hands.” The Delhi BJP said the Lashkar-e-Toiba was involved in the attack on Parliament and Red Fort; according to Intelligence input, it was trying to commit more such crimes in the Capital. To defend members of such outfits was a crime against the nation. The evidence available with the Gujarat police had established that Ishrat had close relations with terrorists, he added. |
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Monsoon held up, but will keep its date with Delhi New Delhi, June 21 The monsoon, going by the developments early last week, was expected to hit the Capital two days before its scheduled arrival on June 29.It may now take a few days longer to reach the Capital, but it is not expected to be delayed beyond its scheduled date. Though the Bay of Bengal monsoon current has weakened in the last two or three days and it has not advanced beyond the eastern part of west Uttar Pradesh, still there is a week’s time for it to make up the delay, a senior Met official said. It is possible that the other systems in the Bay of Bengal might come in to play and reinforce the current, he said. ‘’The monsoon current in the periphery of the Capital is also getting some help from the Arabian sea current because of which it can be expected in the north western plains on time,’’ he said. At present, the northern limits of monsoon are Barmer, Udaipur and Kota in Rajasthan, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and
Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. The monsoon trough has shifted upwards, because of which the foothills of Himalayas in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir were getting rain. But the situation may change in the next two to three days after fresh currents arrive. Last year monsoon had kept its date with the Capital and the north west region, breaking many records.
Art exhibition inaugurated The Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Mr. Oscar Fernandes, today inaugurated ‘Infinite Possibility’, an art exhibition, at the India Habitat Centre here. The exhibition was organised by Wigan Design School. |
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Homeless
children: A lot more needs to be done New Delhi, June 21 According to Joint Commissioner of Police Amod Kanth, who is he general secretary of Prayas, an NGO, 35 million children need shelter in the country. However, the state infrastructure cannot accommodate all of them. The government hands are tied owing to the resource crunch. “‘The shortfall is acute and the voluntary agencies need to be encouraged a lot in this field,” he said. Presenting a picture of the state of juvenile homes in the country in a paper presented to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar today, Mr Kanth said a lot needed to be done for the children of the country. “There are not enough resources. So, as each child turns 18, he has to move out of these homes. However, the vocational training and the education holds them in good stead for some time in the future.” Speaking during a tour of the shelter home for girls at Tughlakabad, set up by Prayas, Ms Kumar noted that children represent the future of a country. “I cannot reveal what the coming budget allocation will be for my ministry and how much of it will be for such needy children but I promise to do my bit for them”, she said. In his presentation, Mr Kanth listed out the several recommendations made for the 10th five-year plan which included the establishment of children’s homes in all districts of the country which do not have such establishments yet and implementation of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act, 2000. “To begin with, there are several expectations which are yet to be fulfilled and only then can the bigger tasks be undertaken. Even an annual report from the States on the present state of affairs is held up. Neither has the notification for a Central Advisory Board been made yet”. “Different states have different sets of parameters, which instead of helping these children only confuse matters and delay justice,” he said. |
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HC notice to police on NGO’s plea to trace child New Delhi, June 21 A Division Bench comprising of Justice M.B. Lokur and Justice B.N. Chaturvedi asked the police to file its reply to the petition filed by the NGO, ‘Hum Aap Ke’, urging the court to issue a habeas corpus writ directing the police to produce the child Saddam Hussein dead or alive. The petitioner also sought a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the parents of the missing child. |
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Fishery project runs aground New Delhi, June 21 The project, aimed at generating employment, had initially employed over 100 people who. The project had been initiated by the then Delhi government to provide employment opportunities to local residents. Under the project, about two dozen big and small ponds were created for breeding fish. Arrangements were made for the regular supply of fresh water in these ponds. Dozens of watchmen and fishermen were also deployed for the smooth operation of the ambitious project. And there is no doubt that the government has spent lakhs of rupees on the project. A fisherman, on the condition of anonymity, said that there was a big natural lake and two artificial ponds where the Seelampur Metro station is today situated. Three such ponds were swamped by the DDA flyover project in the area. The rest of the land is now lying barren, bereft of all facilities required for the project. |
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Six Kishan Pehalwan gang members held
New Delhi, June 21 According to the police, Narender, Jagpal, Bijender and Sanjay were arrested in the first week of June. A revolver with four live cartridges, one star mark pistol with five live cartridges and two country made pistols with ammunition were recovered from their possession. The other two suspects were arrested on June 19. The police said that they had been involved in a number cases of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and extortion. Narender had escaped from police custody while being taken to the Jhajjar court and Jagpal had escaped from police custody from the PGI Medical College. Pradeep and Nangal were arrested from Nangloi, Rohtak Road, while they were travelling in a black Scorpio. One revolver with five live cartridges and a country pistol were recovered from their possession. They were found to be active in Delhi as well as Haryana. The police disclosed that Pradeep Surayan also acted as a muscleman for Bhagat Singh, alias Bhagte, brother of Kishan Pehalwan. He also forcibly intervened in property disputes and in allotment of tenders. These suspects were also asked to eliminate members of the rival gang. The police said that the Kishan Pehalwan gang had intervened in allotment of tenders, rows over disputed properties and extortion cases. The gang has a running feud with the Balraj gang. Balraj belongs to Mitraon. Both the gang members in the past have indulged in shootouts that had led to the death of their relatives and other members of the gang. Luggage lifters nabbed With the arrest of Mohammad Mehmul and his associates, Mohammad Naiyan, Mohammad Kamru Jahan, Mohammad Awakal, the Crime Branch today claimed to have solved six luggage lifting cases from various railway stations. The gang members used to sedate passengers and steal their luggage. The suspects were arrested from the Old Delhi railway station. During interrogation they disclosed that they had been involved in luggage lifting for over a year. |
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Strike call by Bharat Petroleum employees Noida, June 21 As a result of this nationwide strike, work in all oil depots, installations, LPG plants, aviation centres and refineries will remain suspended for one day. According to the vice-president of the Petroleum Technicians Union, Mr Tara Dutt Dhyani, the main demand of the employees is that employees’ contribution under the superannuation scheme, which was doubled in April 2004, should be rolled back. The pension scheme was introduced in 1987, he said. Without taking employees into confidence, the Bharat Petroleum management had doubled their contribution from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent, which was a gross injustice. Besides the superannuation scheme, the trustees had not made available the annual report, the balance sheet and periodical statements to the employees till date. The management has also taken a rigid attitude on many problems faced by employees. The employees are livid about these developments. The administration is all geared up to meet the challenge of the
strike. Contingency measures are being taken to ensure that the public transport fleet and private vehicles are not thrown out of gear due to the strike. |
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Health check-up camp for cops Noida, June 21 Policemen on the whole have a very hectic and stressful routine. Those on regular traffic duty at busy crossings develop symptoms of fatigue, stress, with a burning sensation in eyes, sinus problem, pain in joints and back. Some of them had symptoms of breathing problems. A lady doctor was also on duty for taking care of gynaecological problems of policemen’s family members. One aim of the camp, according to Dr Kachru of Prakash Hospital, was to make policemen aware of the need to maintain good health. The SP, Noida, Mr Anant Dev, said such camps were a good proof of cooperation among citizens and the police. Many policemen tend to ignore minor ailments, thinking they will attend to them or get them checked when they get some free time, he said. The DSP, Mr S. R. Yadav, said the president of the Noida Chemists Association, Mr Anup Khanna, had set up a counter at the health check-up camp with free supply of medicines for cops so that they could start treatment right away after the doctors had prescribed medicines. Dr M. S. Sidhiqui and Dr Ajay coordinated the camp. Policemen and their families were also given hepatitis B injections by the Chemist Association.
8,742 motorists
prosecuted New Delhi: During a drive, the Traffic Police prosecuted 8,742 motorists for violating the rules. The errant motorists included 789 for red light jumping, 6,030 for speeding and 1,923 for other miscellaneous violations. Besides, 209 vehicles were impounded for various traffic violations, the police said. |
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Discovery
to showcase Indian cowboy New Delhi, June 21 |
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Varsity to provide training in drip irrigation New Delhi, June 21 The university will provide training in the area of drip irrigation to farmers and field professionals. The university has 15 faculty members who have been taken from different disciplines like agronomy, agricultural engineering and management science. Announcing the launch, Zvi
Feler, Managing Director, Netafim Irrigation India, said Netafim had been providing training in drip irrigation in India since 2003 and had trained thousands of farmers so far. Drip Irrigation is a method of irrigation that delivers a measured amount of water through an emitter located near each plant to be irrigated at frequent intervals. Drip irrigation can take place above or below ground and is one of the most efficient methods of irrigating the crop, Mr Feler added.
Travel courses The NIS Academy, a division of NIS Sparta & Kuoni Academy of
Traven, would jointly offer a course on Travel and Tourism. The tourism industry is much in demand and more and more students are taking it as a career. Kuoni is one of the largest travel companies operating in India. |
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Talkatora
rocks to Punjabi pop as New Delhi, June 21 The ‘Crown Prince of Bhangra’, Jazzy B, thrilled a packed audience at Talkatora Stadium. He chose some of his popular Punjabi numbers for the evening that included ‘Oh
Kehri,’ ‘Naag’, ‘Dil’, ‘Hasna Marh Da’ and `Tera Roop’. “Husna di Sarkar” might have been released 11 years back but it is still extremely popular with the audience. His eight songs with dance performances by BMP Fire had the audience swaying. |
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