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Job seekers
duped of lakhs Kidnapped youth rescued DU declares results Confusion reigns over property
tax rebate recommendations Dump saffronised history texts: Students |
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Chandok ties with SADD under strain The president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Prehlad Singh Chandok’s ties with the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi (have come under strain after the general secretary of the party told him (Chandok) to stay away from office till he was cleared by the Akal Takht of any wrongdoing. Revelry turns into grief at wedding as boy is shot Police post attacked against alleged torture
Brij Ghat trader missing, dharna held Noida has only 128 poor families, say records Seminar on opportunities
in merchandising Max launches clinic for spinal ailments Making childbirth more comfortable Selection process of lecturers challenged Revised building code to be enforced
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Job seekers
duped of lakhs New Delhi, June 23 The sleuths recovered incriminating documents, a blank identity card of the Qatar High Commission, passports of several job seekers and copies of appointment letters from the possession of the accused. The accused had charged Rs five lakh for each visa from the victims. The sleuths received a complaint from one Feroz Zaidi, a resident of Mandawali Fazal Pur, that in October 2003 he came into contact with Iqbal who promised employment to him and his wife in New York. The sleuths said that the accused had told the complainant that his brother Afzal Parvez Siddiqui, alias Shammi, was an influential person in the Consulate of Qatar at United Nations and could easily arrange a chauffeur’s job in the consulate. To win over Feroz, the accused also made him to speak to Shammi in New York, who also promised to help Feroz in this regard. Iqbal had allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh for arranging visas for Feroz, his wife Anzum Zaidi and son Shuaib Alam Zaidi for which the complainant had agreed. The complainant was also asked to pay Rs four lakhs as advance and the accused returned two post-dated cheques to Feroz against the cash payment. On February 23, the accused informed Firoz on phone that his appointment letter had been dispatched from New York; later, he also showed the copy of the letter to Firoz. After showing the letter, he again demanded Rs two lakh from the complainant. The complainant promptly paid Rs two lakh and also gave three passports to the accused for the further process. According to the sleuths, Firoz became suspicious after Iqbal started ignoring his telephone calls and also avoided meeting him at home.
Kidnapped youth rescued The Central district police today rescued 19-year-old Mohit, who was allegedly kidnapped on June 19, from Karol Bagh area. The police also arrested three persons allegedly involved in the kidnapping. The police had received a complaint from the victim’s father, Vinod Kapoor, that his son had been kidnapped on June 19. The kidnappers demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom within 48 hrs, failing which his son’s “bits and pieces” would be parcelled to them. The victim’s father has a shop in the Karol Bagh area and Mohit was looking after the shop. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M M Oberoi said that the police, on a tip-off, arrested Vineet Bajaj, alias Sam (28), a resident of Patel Nagar who was working at a Call Centre in Janakpuri, on the night of June 22, after the police got a clue to his having met Mohit last. “His interrogation led to the arrest of Ram Sagar and Hussain , who were ‘guarding’ the victim at a rented flat in Pandav Nagar in East Delhi. The teenager had been drugged regularly to prevent him from escaping or creating problems for them. The victim was called by Bajaj to Patel Nagar on the pretext of showing him some machines which he wanted to dispose of. There, he was offered a drink containing drugs after which he was kidnapped, said Oberoi. “The main accused later told the police that he had planned the kidnapping with the help of Ram Sagar and Hussain after he came in contact with them, along with one Nasir, all residents of Bihar, and who had earlier sold some machines to Mohit.”
The University of Delhi has declared the results of its annual examination 2004. Results have been declared for second and third year B.Sc. (Hons.) Bio-Chemistry, B.Sc. (Hons.) Chemistry, B.Sc. (Hons) Microbiology, B.A. (Hons.) Persian, B.A. (Hons.) Psychology and BA (Hons.) Sanskrit. Results for MA Philosophy part I and II, BA (Hons.) Philosophy part II and III and for certificate course in Forensic Science have also been declared. |
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Confusion reigns over property
tax rebate recommendations New Delhi, June 23 The confusion began after the Standing Committee members today refused to implement the recommended rebates in property tax that were recently announced by the chairman of the Hardship and Anomaly Committee, Mr. Dharmarajan. The members said that the chairman had no authority to announce any rebate in connection with property tax. Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Mehta, replying to the Standing Committee members, said he was not aware of the announcements that were made by Mr Dharmarajan. Interestingly, Mr Dharmarajan, who had announced the rebate, had said that the recommendations would be implemented from the day of announcement. The chairman had also said that the corporation had taken permission for the rebate from Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. This also makes apparent the absence of coordination between the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation, both of which are led by the
Congress. The rebate announcement was made in the presence of a Congress Councillor Sanjay Puri; in his presence, Mr Dharmarajan had also clearly said that the corporation had obtained the CM’s consent. While officials are refusing to give rebates and the Standing Committee members have refused to implement these recommendations, a member of the Hardship and Anomaly Committee, Mr Sanjay Puri, reiterated that rebates would be implemented. Meanwhile, the Municipal Commissioner has announced that students in MCD schools would be imparted computer education from the new session onwards. In the initial phase, computers will be installed only in 1,000 schools. The commissioner said Internet connections will be provided in schools and the students will be taught to use the net Appreciating the commissioner’s effort in the direction, councillors Sanjay Puri, Zameer Ahmed and a few others demanded installation of water coolers and concrete structures in the corporation schools. |
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Dump saffronised history texts: Students New Delhi, June 23 “We are confused. There are contradictions in what we have read in the NCERT texts used at school and between records of History elsewhere”, complains Sahir Raza, a class XII pass out from Spring Dales, Dhaula Kuan. Raza is joined by scores of others who are on the threshold of entering the echelons of higher education, but are finding themselves at crossroads. “We plan to take up History in college, but there is a whole lot of difference between what we read and what is the fact”, he asserts. These anxious and agitated students have raised their voice against the continuation of “saffronised History texts”. In a memorandum signed by 282 students from across the country, which has been presented to the review committee set up to examine the texts, the students have demanded an “immediate withdrawal of these books”. “The excuse that they have given us is that it is too late for them to discontinue the books, but when we were introduced to these books the session was half way through. These books were introduced in September and now its only June”, protested Kandala Singh, also a class XII pass out. The memorandum, which was submitted to Prof. Grewal of the review committee here this morning in protest against the current NCERT texts, states: “History was distorted to evoke a false and communal vision of our syncretic past and culture, the values that illuminated our freedom struggle were sought to be extinguished and both overtly and subliminally minorities were demonised and gender, caste and communal prejudices and stereotypes deliberately fostered”. Encouraged by the elders, who have been vocal on the issue of “saffronising young minds”, the youngsters also voiced their concerns over the threat to “secularism”. “There are many portions in the books, which can create a bias in the minds of people. Amongst our own classmates we saw some becoming biased against a particular community”, said Kandala. Urging the government to refer back to the old texts the youngsters in the memorandum pointed out, “If the new government does not identify and weed out all these elements expeditiously and decisively, they will continue to poison the hearts and minds of the people, particularly the young”. |
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Chandok ties with SADD under strain New Delhi, June 23 The Akal Takht has issued a notice to Mr Chandok on a complaint filed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal. The seat of the Sikh temporal authority has summoned him for having presented a Siropa (holy stole) to Union Minister of State for NRI Affairs Jagdish Tytler in Delhi recently. In its complaint, the SAD had sought excommunication of Mr Chandok for presenting Mr Tytler, who allegedly was involved in the 1984 riots in which several thousands of Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and elsewhere, with a Siropa and for hosting the event at a club and not a religious place like gurdwara. Mr Chandok has challenged the general secretary, Mr Harvinder Singh Sarna, and certain members of the SADD to prove their strength in the DSGMC’s annual elections. It was Mr Harvinder who had asked Mr Chandok to stay away from office. Mr Harvinder is the brother of Chandok’s predecessor, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna. Mr Chandok described General Secretary Harvinder Singh Sarna’s remarks as an expression of crestfallen leaders who have lost support of the members of the DSGMC. He also vowed extensive probe into what he called massive corruption when the DSGMC was headed by Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna. The SADD, on its part, has upped the ante by demanding that the president of the DSGMC, Mr Prehlad Singh Chandok, hold the annual elections of the DSGMC on July 24 instead of September 24. Mr Harvinder Singh Sarna said his party was ready to face elections immediately. “Why wait for September?” he asked. Mr Sarna countered Mr Chandok’s assertions by asking why the DSGMC president involved the gurdwaras to celebrate the swearing-in of Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister by decorating them with lights. He also wanted to know why Union Minister of State for NRI Affairs Jagdish Tytler was honoured with a Siropa. |
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Revelry turns into grief at wedding as boy is shot Faridabad, June 23 According to reports, the fateful incident took place when a marriage party was moving towards the function venue and the ‘baraatis’ were dancing on band tunes. A 12-year-old Dalit boy, identified as Rajender, son of one Samay Pal of Phulwari village, where the baraat had arrived, was standing nearby when one of the baraatis took out a revolver and opened fire in the air as a sign of joy. But the weapon misfired and the bullet hit the chest of the boy who fell down. The victim succumbed to his injuries soon after. The body of the deceased was handed over to his kin after a post-mortem at the Civil Hospital this morning. The police is stated to have booked a case and started investigations but no one has been arrested. The aggrieved villagers staged a demonstration and blocked National Highway 2 for about half an hour to demand the arrest of the accused. They, however, lifted the dharna after an assurance was given by the authorities. The police have stated that they have confiscated the vehicle of the accused and sent a team to nab him from his village in UP from where the baraat had come. According to a resident of a nearby village, the use of firearms at marriage functions was common among almost all communities in the district, especially in rural areas. Such an incident had been perhaps the first in the past about one year. However, the Manav Sewa Samiti, a social body here, has demanded a ban on using firearms at marriage functions and strict action against those violating the rule. Meanwhile, in another incident the police have registered a case in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a two-year-old boy from Shiv Colony here. It is learnt that the boy had been kidnapped by certain unknown persons a few days ago while he was playing outside. Personal enmity is suspected behind the incident. In still another case, thieves made their way into a locked house in Sector 16 here and decamped with a cash amount of Rs 11 lakh. It is stated that the family had gone to Delhi to see someone in the hospital yesterday but found the main door of the house and the almirah where the amount had been kept open and the money
missing. The complainant claimed that that this money had been received after he sold a plot and was preparing to buy another plot from this amount. |
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Police post attacked against alleged torture Ghaziabad, June 23 The crowd pelted stones on the police post, damaging furniture and a motorbike. Two cops were also beaten up by the mob. One person was also injured in stone pelting. The police circle officer had assured the guilty policemen would be suspended. SP (Rural) B. K. Shekhar visited the police post later and suspended the in-charge of the police post and transferred two other cops to the Police Lines. Dewan Karan Singh, cops Chhaterpal and Ram Avatar had brought Iqbal from Moti Colony. Iqbal was allegedly beaten up mercilessly by the policemen with his hand bones being fractured. After beating, Iqbal was let off. A crowd had later carried Iqbal on a cot to the police post. Raising slogans against the police, some people indulged in stone pelting. The crowd also beat up Dewan Karan Singh and policeman Chhaterpal Singh Tewatia. CO Umed Singh soon reached the police post with police force. He was told by people the police post cops had let loose a reign of terror. Daily, they rounded up innocent people and beat them up mercilessly or released them after taking some money. The CO has assured people of taking action against the guilty cops which Mr Shekhar later announced. |
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Brij Ghat trader missing, dharna held Ghaziabad, June 23 The angry people of Brij Ghat gheraoed the police post and took out a torchlight rally in the evening. The traders downed the shutters today and are squatting in the pilgrimage town in protest against police negligence. Besides, religious rituals will also remain suspended on the banks of the Ganga and even firewood will not be made available to cremate the bodies, the protesters say. Pradeep, 20, a resident of Brij Ghat, had gone to the residences of Anil and Veerpal on June 19 to collect two months’ rent. He has not returned yet. Pradeep has lost his parents and his sister was married off recently. Thus, he was living alone. Pradeep had been called by his tenants Veerpal and Anil to Sisauli to take two months’ rent. Certain villagers told a few traders who had gone to Sisauli in Pradeep’s search that Veerpal and Anil were both bad characters. Veerpal and Anil had both come to Brij Ghat while there was no word about Pradeep. Local traders had caught hold of Veerpal and Anil and handed them over to the police. They were reportedly let off by the police soon thereafter. When local people reacted to it very strongly the police again detained Anil and Veerpal and assured the missing Pradeep would be recovered within 24 hours. After the expiry of this time limit, traders had a panchayat at the old Ram Lila ground and decided to take out a torch rally in protest against police failure to recover Pradeep and close the market today. An 11-member committee has been set up for starting a hunger strike on the issue. Hundreds of sloganeering people marched towards the police post and gheraoed it. |
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Noida has only 128 poor families, say records Noida, June 23 It is, however, acknowledged that there are five slum colonies in Noida, which, as is well-known, support over a lakh of people. According to the Civil Supplies Department figures, during the past five years not a single family has joined the ranks of the below the poverty line category. The central government is known to have started a scheme to extend facilities to families with an income of less than Rs 1,000 per month. These poor families are supplied 23 kg wheat at Rs 2 per kg and 13 kg rice at Rs 3 per kg. The Civil Supplies Department makes these foodgrains available to them from the cooperative stores. According to the department’s report, the people below the poverty line live in Sectors 8, 16 and near Dharam Kanta while the jhuggi (slum) clusters, as any one can see, are spread in Sectors 5, 6, 8, 12, 16 and in many other sectors of Noida also. The officials of the Civil Supplies Department maintain that there are no poor people in other sectors of Noida. But it is not clear on what basis they make these claims because during the past five years neither has the state government conducted a survey of the people below poverty line living in Noida nor this department is known to have taken an initiative in this connection to know how many new families have joined the ranks of below the poverty line people in the town. In 2000 only 108 families were living below the poverty line. These numbers had shrunk to 98 families by 2004. According to SDM Yoginder Yadav, the state government has issued orders for conducting a survey to add new names to the list of below the poverty line residents. Only after the government orders are received can a survey be conducted to identify the new poor for addition to the list of below the poverty line people, the SDM said. |
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Seminar on opportunities
in merchandising New Delhi, June 23 “The $ 80 billion Indian exports and the booming domestic market calls for professional manpower, particularly trained merchandisers, especially in the fashion industry, ” says Dr K. L. Bhatia, Founder, FTDC. Dr Bhatia, an eminent economist and foreign trade expert, emphasised the dearth and paucity of industry specific training in merchandising. The seminar highlighted the tremendous choice of the consumers in the global market perspective and how the supply chain must constantly strive to improve the quality of the products and services to win the hearts and minds of the customer identifying a demand and then working backward to make it available for sale at a profit is where the merchandiser comes in. Although merchandising is one of the functional areas of exports, it is the function around which all other revolves. It is therefore very important that a merchandiser is trained adequately through specialised structured education and training. The need of the hour todayis to boost vocational training programmes in merchandising. |
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Max launches clinic for spinal ailments New Delhi, June 23 Orthopaedic surgeons at Max Spine Clinic also include Dr N. S. Oberoi who specialises in sports-related injuries and Dr Sanjay Sarup, whose special area of interest is the paediatric and adolescent spine. Dr Walia himself has served for 21 years with the Indian Army and won the Chief of Army Staff Commendation for distinguished services. Says Dr Walia, “Almost everybody suffers from lower back pain at some point in life. While most cases are not serious disorders, recurring episodic pain may be indicative of a spinal problem. This may be the harbinger of arthritis, osteoporosis, disc disease, infections and malignancy. The Max Spine Clinic is a unique programme providing a one-stop management unit for all problems related to the spine”. According to experts, back pain is the second most frequently reported reason for visiting a doctor and the third most frequent reason for surgery. Pain from the spine is caused by degeneration, deformity, trauma, infection, tumours or inflammation. The most common cause of pain results from degenerative conditions of the spine, which occur naturally with age. Degenerative changes cause spinal structures to harden, thicken, dehydrate, expand and lose elasticity. These changes reduce flexibility and functionality and the spine becomes less able to tolerate loads and is more susceptible to injury. The first changes from degeneration generally start in a person’s early 20s and continue progressively until death. While this process cannot be stopped degenerative effects can be slowed by regular exercise, proper lifting techniques, balanced nutrition and not smoking. “Generally, people perceive back pain as a small problem for which they do not want to visit a hospital where they had to undergo multiple consultations and tests to determine the exact cause of back pain. By the introduction of this concept which is happening the first time in India, in one visit a patient might see an orthopaedician, consult with a pain management specialist, then have a physical therapy session or else have a consultation with a neurosurgeon without leaving the building or waiting days or weeks for additional appointments” further adds Dr Walia. The Max Spine Clinic will act as a one-stop shop for the patients that combines physicians, surgeons, neurosurgeons, other medical specialists and diagnostic equipment in one facility to make patient care more efficient and timely. Patients may be initially screened by any of the specialists but will get automatically referred to the physician specialising in the area concerned. This will save considerable time, energy and money for the patients. The Max Spine Clinic will offer all essential facilities and investigations like X Ray, MRI, CT and bone densitometry. After necessary tests, a complete treatment plan shall be developed that may include medication, physiotherapy, immobilisation of the pain-inflicted part and minimally invasive surgery. The clinic will also offer advanced management options like endoscopic spine surgery, disc replacement, spinal cord stimulation and programmable drug infusion pump implants for pain and spasticity. |
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Making childbirth more comfortable New Delhi, June 23 To make “birthing” more comfortable, hygienic and classy in a “non-hospital environment” the Sunrise Medicare in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals today launched a special ‘Birthing Centre’ here. Christened ‘The Cradle’, it has been designed to make the birth both memorable and comfortable, said the Chairman, Sunrise Medicare, Naresh Talwar. Talwar claims the USP of the centre is its all-in-one Labour Delivery Recovery (LDR) Room, which prevents the mother from being wheeled into three different areas, when she is about to deliver. Special beds imported from the United Kingdom, which can be adjusted to provide maximum comfort during labour and optimal positioning during delivery are also a part of the grand cradle. The centre would have special classes for the expecting mothers to help them remain calm and think positive, CEO Apollo Hospitals Ratan Jalan said. The ambience, he claimed, has been designed considering the fact that the thoughts of the would-be-mother have significant effect on the development of the child. The centre has also tied up with Portland Hospital in the United Kingdom to share the latest technologies in the field with the doctors here, Jalan said. |
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Selection process of lecturers challenged New Delhi, June 23 The petitioners, Dr Naseeruddin and two others, alleged discrimination by University in its process of selecting persons for the interview stage. They claimed that the university had acted in an arbitrary manner by calling “inferior” candidates having “weak” academic career and experience for the interview and ignoring their “good/ remarkable” academic career and experience. The petitioners decried the university’s pick and choose policy and sought that they should also be issued interview letters and the interview date be shifted to accommodate them. The petition also stated that a representation in the regard had been made to the Vice Chancellor but there had been no reply so far. |
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Revised building code to be enforced New Delhi, June 23 She said the National Capital Region falls in high-risk seismic zone four and was vulnerable to building collapses and road accident besides nuclear, chemical and biological threats. Moreover, 50 per cent of the buildings in unauthorised/regularised colonies in the Capital were unprepared to cope with disasters as they did not follow the stipulated guidelines. Delivering her keynote address to the delegates attending a workshop on Capacity Building on Earthquake Engineering, Ms Chandra said that all stakeholders should be trained properly. Over 250 engineers from government and private concerns are participating in the four-day workshop. |
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Four killed in road accident Noida, June 23 Lack of streetlights on the expressway has been cited as the possible cause of the accident. It is not the first accident on this road during dark hours. Three of the victims died on the spot while the fourth died in hospital. The injured have been referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital. The dumper was badly damaged in the accident. According to the police, the truck (HR 55A-6668) had got a flat tyre. As driver Omi, cleaner Prem and owner Sunil were examining the tyre opposite Sultanpur village a DCM canter (UP-14-2769) loaded with domestic effects, which was being driven at high speed, lost control and hit it from the rear. The DCM driver, Nafees Khan, cleaner Rajender and dumper owner Sunil died on the spot. The dumper driver and cleaner Prem were seriously injured and rushed to Safdarjung Hospital where Omi also succumbed to his injuries. The dumper owner was crushed between the two vehicles. The highway patrol and the Sector 39 police with the help of villagers had pulled out the bodies and injured persons. The DCM canter was transporting the domestic effects of bank manager Vijay Pal from Allahabad to Gurgaon. Rajender was the bank manager’s servant who was accompanying the household goods. The DCM cleaner has not yet been
identified. |
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Minor held for murder New Delhi, June 23 |
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