New Delhi, October 22
The Delhi Police have arrested five Pakistani nationals, including two women, with 201 fake currency notes of Rs 1,000 denomination, amounting to Rs 2,01,000. The accused were arrested last evening and will be produced before a Delhi court.

The accused have been identified as Sayed Abbas Mehdi (41), Javed Haider (44), Mohammed Talubdin (44), Batool Farima (34) and Naheed Fatima (46).

While one of them was arrested while trying to palm off fake notes in a transaction outside the railway reservation counter at Paharganj the others were caught from a hotel nearby. The counterfeit notes were seized from their hotel room. The accused had come to India from Karachi on October 15, the police said.

The police said that the accused had arrived along with their families to avoid drawing attention of the authorities.

New Delhi, October 22
Towering effigies of the mythological evil king Ravana, along with his son Meghnad and brother Kumbakaran, were consigned to flames on the occasion of Dussehra after most Ramlila committees and priests gave their nod to the festivities here today.

After nine days of festivities and fasting, the grand finale was Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh shooting an arrow at Ravana’s effigy at the historic Ramlila ground to symbolise the victory of good over evil.

Among those who witnessed the moment were Congress President Sonia Gandhi and a host of other dignitaries.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Singh exhorted the countrymen to take inspiration from the festival, which reminded people that good always triumphs over evil. “Such festivals being celebrated since the centuries teach us the value of truth, amity and brotherhood, ‘’ he said and called upon the people to work for strengthening the unity, integrity and prosperity of the country.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Dr Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur were also present on the occasion.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made by the Delhi Police. This year the Dussehra celebrations were marked by confusion over the date of the event. While a section of Hindu almanac followers claimed that Vijaya Dashami falls on Friday, another section said it falls on October 24.

However, the head priest of the Lakshminarayan temple dispelled the confusion and said that Mahanavami (ninth day of the Navratri) will be celebrated in the morning at the time of sunrise, and Vijaya Dashami in the evening.

As per the Hindu calendar, Vijaya Dashami marks the victory celebrations of the battle when Goddess Durga kills the demon Mahishasur. It is celebrated in northern India as Dussehra, marking the triumph of Lord Rama over Ravana.

Apart from the major Ramlilas performed in the city, effigies were burnt in various parts of the Capital. Towards the evening, city roads were a motorist’s nightmare with seemingly endless jams and diversions.

New Delhi, October 22
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to close down its 27 primary schools in different areas of the Capital. This decision was taken after the corporation received a proposal from various zones for merger of schools.

The schools in question have a poor enrollment, primarily due to the shifting of population from one area to another.

According to Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Mehta, the low enrollment results in unproductive expenditure on classes and under-utilisation of staff. The teachers and other staff rendered surplus by the decision of the MCD will be posted against vacancies in other schools of the zone. Most of the affected schools that have been merged are in Civil Lines and in West district.

The commissioner disclosed that mostly people of lower strata, particularly jhuggi dwellers, get their children admitted in the corporation’s schools. Since a number of jhuggi clusters have been demolished, resulting in the residents shifting to other places, the schools hardly have any students left.

According to the Leader of Opposition in the Standing Committee, Mr. Vijender Gupta, as per a survey done in Rohini, about 1300 children in the age group 6-14 from the middle and lower strata have been deprived of their constitutional right to compulsory education. He says that the proposal to merge 33 schools in 2004-2005 on the basis of low enrollment was a ploy to keep the bad financial position of the corporation under the wraps. Education is an obligatory duty of the corporation, he added.

The government should raise the standard of MCD schools rather than closing them.

New Delhi, October 22
IGNOU has introduced a PG certificate course in copyediting and proof reading. The course is open to graduates with English as one of the subjects and they must be familiar with computers and word processing.

The course fee for the programme of six months duration is Rs. 3,300. The course can be completed in two years and comprises a four-course programme meant to develop editorial skills.

All four courses are compulsory and include introduction to editing, copyediting, language editing and manuscript preparation apart from conventional copy editing and electronic copyediting.

Faridabad, October 22
Alleging mass-scale ‘bungling’ in the procurement of paddy crop in the various mandis of Haryana, the Member of Parliament from Rohtak, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said the farmers were not being paid the Minimum Support Price (MSP) as announced by the Union Government.

Alleging the involvement of the State machinery in the “bungling” process, he has demanded a high-level enquiry into the matter.

Speaking to The Tribune here this evening, Mr Hooda, who is all set to launch his statewide ‘Rath Yatra’ from November 1, claimed that his visit to the various mandis and interaction with the farmers had revealed that a nexus of the officials and the rice millers was active at the procurement centres, which was depriving the farmers of the MSP fixed by the government.

He alleged that while the farmers were being issued the receipts for the MSP, which was Rs 590 per quintal for the ‘A’ grade paddy, but were being paid Rs 540 per quintal.

He alleged that those involved in the nexus were cornering an amount of Rs 40 to Rs 70 per quintal, depending on the variety of the crop.

The farmers were being told that their paddy was not upto the required standard. Even while agreeing that the recent inclement weather could have led to some damage to the crop in many parts of the State, he said it was “insensitive” on the part of the government machinery to penalise the farmers on that account.

He claimed that perhaps for the first time the ongoing bungling in the mandis were being done “openly” as one could easily see the discrepancy in receipts and the amount being paid to the farmers. To make matter worse, there were no officials to take action against those involved in the bungling, he added.

He alleged that the State government had ‘failed’on all fronts and the rampant corruption prevailing

at various levels was an indication of the seriousness with which the Chautala regime was tackling these issues.

Describing the recent announcements by the Chief Minister regarding provisions for employment and unemployment bonus as a mere ‘eyewash’, he said Mr Chautala was ‘fooling’ the people as the Assembly elections were nearby and he would have to answer for his lack of vision in the last five years.

Stating that there were over 12 lakh registered unemployed youths in the State, he claimed that no more than 3,500 youths would be eligible for such bonus in view of the strict norms laid down by the government.

Alleging that 35,000 State government employees had been retrenched in the past 6 years, he said at least two lakh workers have become unemployed due to the closure of about 14,000 industrial units in the state since 1998.

He also claimed that the State was on the verge of a financial collapse as the liabilities of the government had soared to Rs 36,000 crore from a mere 16,000 crore in 1999.

New Delhi, October 22
Kala Academy Goa is presenting ‘Gomant Darshan’ at the Siri Fort Auditorium here on October 26, 2004. ‘Gomant Darshan’ is a composite programme in musical ballet form, depicting the rich cultural heritage of Goa.

The Kala Academy Goa has taken up the grand production of music and dance under the guidance of great stalwarts in the respective fields. This production depicts the distinct traditions imbibed by the local people from various historical events and also explains how the folks of Goa culturally enriched themselves.

It is a kind of trailer of different folk forms of music, dance and theatre, linked with history and lifestyle of the people. The production also highlights important feast and festivals, which are considered the face of folk-culture. The first part presents the historical outline beginning from the mythological concept of the creation of Gomanta Desh, (Goa) till the liberation of Goa. The second part of Gomant Darshan depicts the folk life and its rich cultural patterns, including various feasts, festivals, rituals, dances and other cultural expressions nurtured uninterruptedly by the people.

New Delhi, October 22
It is a mini Gujarat in the city’s eastern part. The Gujarat Vihar Housing Society in the Capital is the perfect place to participate in the delightful festivities of Navratri complete with the popular Garba, the dance form that has inspired many to don the colourful Gujarati attire to try their hands at dancing.

Women and men in colourful clothes armed with ‘dandias’ dance in circles around a pot containing a lamp and idol of Goddess Ambaji. The Navratri festival is being organised by the Gujarat Youth Club for the past two decades, maintaining all the traditional nuances.

The festival was first organised in the city way back in 1983 on a small scale, by the club. However, an increase in the population as well as interest has led to a whooping amount being spent on the nine-day celebrations.

On the Asthami day, Maha-arti is performed with as many as 700 lamps. And what’s more, the festivities being open to even the non-community members, the spirits are at an all time high with merry makers making the most of everything. On Vijayadashmi day, Dandia-Raas is arranged on a large scale and people vie for prizes for the ‘best-couple’, the best-child artist and even the best attire.

Rangoli and ‘art-sajawat’ competitions are also arranged. The expenditure, which is close to Rs. three lakh for the nine-day festival, is met from donations and contributions from sponsors.

Ghaziabad, October 22
The Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad has issued notices to 294 flat allottees under the ‘Bhau Jee Devras Ashray Yojna’ to pay their installments or face cancellation of the allotments. Despite repeated reminders, not a single allottee has paid the installment so far.

The scheme had been introduced by the then Municipal Development Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Laljee Tandon, in early 2001 for the weaker sections of the society at Nand Gram area of Ghaziabad.

The cost of the flat at the time of the allotment had been determined at Rs 30,000, with the allottees having to pay just Rs 3,000 as registration fee. They were required to pay the rest of the amount in a monthly installment of Rs 300. Interestingly, however, not a single allottee has turned up so far to pay its installment.

Meanwhile, a senior officer of the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad said on condition of anonymity that there was little hope that anyone would pay the installments.

At the time of allotment, a number of well-connected people of the area
succeeded in “grabbing these flats”.

These people have even made some illegal construction around their flats, the officer revealed.

An allottee, Mr Ramvir Sharma, said that at the time of the allotment the Corporation had promised to provide a number of facilities, including drinking water, electricity, sewer system, sanitation, security measures etc., which have failed to materialise.

“When they are reluctant to provide any facilities, why are they expecting installments?” asked Mr Singh.

Meanwhile, even as the officials of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation claimed that efforts were continuing to recover the dues, he admitted that it was a difficult task, as “politics” was involved in the allotment process. 

New Delhi, October 22
For the aid of children of SOS village, an art auction is being organised in the Capital tomorrow at the Austrian ambassador’s residence in Chanakyapuri,

Dr. Jutta Stefan-Basti, ambassador of Austria, in association with the Delhi Art Gallery, has decided to lend support to the programme, ‘Nurturing Tomorrow’, which aims at raising funds for children at the SOS village.

Seventy senior artists in Indian Contemporary Art will present their works and creations of eminent artists, including M F Hussain, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Amitva Das and M Senapathi.

The artists will focus on the theme of ‘nurture,’ exploring the power of visual elements. The paintings of Gationde, Sadwelkar, Ambadas and Bimal Dasgupta can be seen as colourful forms play hide and seek with the pictorial surface to release the untamed creative energies.

A painting of a child running towards his mother with open arms will symbolise the care, affection and protection that the SOS affords to its children.

New Delhi, October 22
A large number of teaching and non-teaching staff demonstrated outside the Vice Chancellor’s office in the Delhi University yesterday.

They were protesting against the “apathetic attitude of the authorities at various levels”. The DUTA and the DUCKU are protesting against what they allege are the “arbitrary actions” of the Principals of Shivaji College and Shaheed Bahgat Singh College.

The DUTA is also protesting against the UGC and the MHRD’s failure to resolve the pending issues related to the third promotion of teachers and parity of librarians with teachers. —TNS

New Delhi, October 22
About 30 artisans and craftsmen, who have been brought here by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) from different parts of the country, are showing their skills at a specially organised workshop here.

The workshop has been organised by the IGNCA to enhance its collection of art, creating a cultural landscape that would complement its aims and activities. These works are not products of mass commercial production, but a process in which the involvement of the artist is complete.

How a coarse piece of iron sheet could be turned into an extremely beautiful and intricate figure of a dancer is difficult to believe unless one sees Nandlala Vishwakarma, an Adivasi artist from Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh at work.

Proudly showing his candle stand decorated with dancing figures, he said he could hammer the iron into these moulds mainly because he has put in great labour in learning the art from his fathers and grandfather. “I learnt it not because it is a family profession, but also because I had an interest in the art,” he said.

Madhubani painter from Bihar, Urmila Devi, Warli painter from Maharashtra, Balu Lakdke, painter Har Singh from Gujarat and terracotta artist from Tamil Nadu, R. Tangaia, are equally proud of their creations. It is through long devotion to these arts that they have achieved perfection.

“There are very few local buyers. Either our products are purchased by art galleries and museums or by foreigners,” said an artist. The IGNCA authorities said they wanted the workshop to showcase the rich cultural traditions of folk and tribal communities.

New Delhi, October 22
The Delhi Police has rescued a minor girl from the clutches of her abductor. She was abducted on November 23 last year from her residence in Samay Pur Badli area. The accused has been identified as Davender Kumar, who was working as a ‘halwai’ with the father of the victim.

According to the police, on November 24, one Mohar Singh reported to the police that his daughter was missing. On December 5, he again contacted the police and reported that he suspected that one Davender Kumar, who was his former employee, had abducted his daughter.

The case was given to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police. Finally, last night Mona (name changed) was traced in Sarai Kale Khan area.

New Delhi, October 22
The last date for filing of Income Tax Returns for assessment Year 2004-2005 is October 31. The PAN has to be duly quoted in the return and in cases where PAN has not been allotted a copy of application for allotment of the PAN is to be enclosed with the return.

Returns of salaried taxpayers, pensioners and senior citizens having no income from business or profession should be filed at Mayur Bhawan, Connaught Place, till October 27. After October 27, no such returns will be accepted at Mayur Bhawan. From October 28 to 31, including Sunday, such returns will only be accepted at Special Counters set up at Pragati Maidan, a press release said.

The special counters have been set up only for salaried tax payers, pensioners and senior citizens, having no income from business or profession, in hall number 18 in Pragati Maidan.

These counters will run from October 28 to 31 from 10 am to 5 pm. There will be separate counters for senior citizens (above 65 years of age) who derive income from pension.