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MCD nod to professional tax
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Abattoir shifting: Govt
Land scam worth Rs 1.50 cr unearthed
Noida officials get an earful for tardy progress
Probe wealth, property of all CMs: Vidrohi
Mend your ways, Khurshid to UP Govt
Gail’s gesture to the elderly
Kulwinder Singh, accomplice of Chhota Shakeel, in police custody in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune photo
Nine-yr-old rescued, relative arrested
Pak troupe enthrals Nirankari devotees
Health care system should focus on women, kids: Sheila
Legal experts to examine foreign guardian issue
Exhibition on Cong leaders
Eco-friendly technology for making bricks
135th birth anniversary of Jainacharya celebrated
Software on registration of societies
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MCD nod to professional tax
New Delhi, November 17 The levying of the tax is likely to enrich the cash-strapped MCD by a sum of Rs 120 crore. The tax rate are Rs 240 per annum to Rs 2,500 and professional earning more than Rs 5,000 per month are covered under the professional tax net. All professionals, including a rickshaw-puller will have to pay the tax. The MCD has estimated that around 20 lakh professionals will be encircled in the category of professional tax-payers. This kind of tax is already in practice in Mumbai and authorities are getting Rs 700 crore revenue per annum. The BJP leader, Mr Vijender Gupta, opposed the proposal saying that it would anti-citizens. They are already under the burden of high inflation and the professional tax will further effect their economy. When the ruling Congress party approved it, the opposition boycotted the meeting. Standing Committee Chairman Mukesh Goel approved the proposal saying that MCD was under financial crisis and there was no violation of bye-laws of MCD Act by levying of he new tax. Vijender Gupta said that imposition of the professional tax would strengthen the inspector lobby in the tax department and it would be emergence of the ‘inspector raj’. The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Dr Jagdish Mukhi also opposed the approval of the professional tax on
traders, industrialist, government and non-government employees. The professionals like doctors, architects, advocates, chartered accountants, engineers also come in the tax category. He said that non-plan expenditure of the MCD had been increased and establishment expenditure were on high side. The MCD should recover the taxes properly to over come its financial crisis. The professional tax proposed was unjustified. He said like the sales tax, professionals would have to maintain accounts, which would ultimately lead to red tapism. Instead of imposing professional tax, the MCD and the Delhi Government should take care of tax evaders and recovery of proper tax, Dr Mukhi said.
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Abattoir shifting: Govt ready to act
New Delhi, November 17 Union Urban Development Secretary Anil Baijal and Delhi Chief Secretary S. Raghunath, who were summoned by the Court to explain the reasons for the issue being precipitated by the Centre and NCT Government, submitted that there were no differences between them on the matter. The joint stand of the Centre and the Delhi Government would ultimately pave the way for shifting the abattoir, which had threatened to snowball into a major controversy. Central Government agencies, particularly the IAF and Delhi Government, which were at loggerheads on the shifting of the abattoir, were during last hearing pulled up by the Supreme Court for trying to push the matter before it for a decision when executive found it difficult to take a firm decision. In view of this, the Court had sought the presence of the two officers today. Solicitor General G E Vahanvati told the Court that both Centre and the Delhi Government have taken a joint stand on the issue that the ultra-modern slaughterhouse being built in Ghazipur would not dump any meat waste in the open that could attract birds, a major concern of the
IAF. However, the Solicitor General in an affidavit, signed by Baijal and Raghunath, submitted before a Bench of Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde, Mr Justice S. B. Sinha and Mr Justice A. K. Mathur said that the new abattoir would not dispose any waste in the open and treat the same under the roof. It said that the existing bird threat to IAF plane was mainly due to the Ghazipur landfill site, where nearly 3,000 tonnes of city waste, including 300 tonnes of abattoir waste was being dumped every day. The new slaughterhouse, in fact, would minimise the bird threat, as no abattoir waste would be dumped in the open once it becomes operational, the government counsel said. Meanwhile, the Court sought a status report from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) about the functioning of the Idgah abattoir, where the animals were allegedly being slaughtered even outside it on streets due to paucity of space and in excess to the permitted limit. The Court also dismissed the plea of a welfare association of Ghazipur residents, opposing the setting up of the slaughterhouse in the area.
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Land scam worth Rs 1.50 cr unearthed
Greater Noida, November 17 The officials came to know of a land scam in which some people were trying to usurp public land worth Rs 1.50 crore and seized the file of the dispute. The Dy District Magistrate ordered that a report be prepared and submitted to the government and action initiated against all those involved in the scam. Hundreds of farmers from Vijay Pur, Rohilapur, Nangli, Nangla, Shahpur and Goverdhanpur villages had come to attend the open house meeting. The Dy District Magistrate had resolved about a dozen cases in the meeting, one after the other. The presence of divergent groups in the meeting had worked as a check and counter-check with the result, no group could get away with any mischief. The attempts by Vinod and Vikas, sons of Nand Kishore to get the gram samaj land transferred to their name were resisted by the villagers who said that these two were not residents of the village. They requested the Dy Collector to have the matter probed further. When the SDM examined the issue, a scam of Rs 72 lakh came to light. According to information available, the then Dy District Magistrate Mange Ram Dhiman, Revenue Inspector Rampal Saini, Naib Tehsildar, RP Chaudhri and accountant Sanjay had colluded in 2002 to transfer the highly valuable 23 bigha village samaj land of Goverdhanpur along with Expressway in the name of Vikas According to rule, this land could be transferred in the name of a landless person of the scheduled caste only. None from outside the village could get it transferred to his name. The transfer of this land was cancelled when the SDM found something fishy in the whole case and ordered that action against the guilty government officials be initiated and its report submitted to the administration. Similarly, the false case filed to usurp the village gram land was cancelled by the SDM. This case had been filed by Rakesh, son of Ramswarup and Shyam Lal, son of Shri Ram and orders were passed to file cases against them.
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Noida officials get an earful for tardy progress
Noida, November 17 The Chairman gave a piece of his mind to each one of them for dereliction of duty. “If you are not interested in rural development work, you better pack up,” he warned. Adverse entries were made in the dossiers of several officials on the spot. The villagers had made complaints against the lack of progress on Banghel-Gojha Road, besides roads in a number of villages, including Harola and Nithari village within Noida town. Construction of Barat Ghar, community centre in Sector -56, sewer lines, sanitation in the area, were some of the other issues raised during the meeting that the chairman had with the officials. The Chairman was shocked to learn that even before completing the repair work on leaking water mains by the water works department, road was being completed. It will result in the road being damaged after a short while. Atta villagers highlighted the lack of sanitation and heaps of waste littering the village. Damaged sewer lines bothered the Nithari residents. The Chairman gave a patient ear to the public representatives and was quite annoyed with his engineers and JEs. He then gave an earful to the staff for failing to complete works in different locations despite the administration and financial sanction having been accorded. The Chairman called for full details within three days on various projects and left nobody in doubt that the projects of rural development would be started and finished on predetermined dates. He made it quite clear to all officials that he would hear no excuse and they would have to deliver the goods. “Those who fail to deliver, including project engineers, will face the music,” Chairman Deo Dutt warned.
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Probe wealth, property of all CMs: Vidrohi
Faridabad, November 17 This, he said, had become important in view of the ‘chargesheet’ prepared by the Congress against Mr Chautala, and the denials made by the latter. In a statement here today, Mr Vidrohi said Mr Chautala need not to go to the court to sue the Congress leaders for the alleged defamation, he should do something concrete to ‘annul’ the allegations of ‘accumulation’ of wealth and property by setting up an independent commission. He said in every elections, the leaders and activists of various political parties resort to allegations against each other for amassing wealth. As the state is facing the Assembly elections, it is the time that a commission should launch a probe into the wealth accumulated by the individuals, who had been the chief ministers of Haryana in the past 38 years, Mr Vidrohi said. Referring to the ‘chargesheet’ prepared and submitted by the Congress against the present Chief Minister, he said, such an allegation had been common and it was the right of the people of the state to know the truth behind these charges. However, he said, the probe should be against all the chief ministers and not just one. It may be recalled that the Congress has sought the dismissal of the Chautala government on basis of the chargesheet against him. On the other hand, Mr Chautala has described the chargesheet as defamatory and a bundle of lies. He has also threatened to file a suit against the Congress leaders. Regarding the setting up of the Ch. Devi Lal Trust in the state, Mr Vidrohi asked whether the trust was a public or a private body. He claimed that the public land and other such property could not be acquired in the name of a trust, which was owned by a family only. About the funds collected by the political parties, he said there was a need to enquire which party had collected how much money and how it was being used in the past five years. He alleged that the misuse of such funds had become common in the recent years.
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Mend your ways, Khurshid to UP Govt
Noida, November 17 “We have supported the Samajwadi government in the state, but have not at all compromised on our stand or shirked our responsibility to the people of the state,” the state Congress president said. Corruption and crime have constantly increased in UP ever since the Mulayam Singh government was installed. This has increased the problems of all sections of public. So, the Congress is being forced to adopt a stiff policy towards the state government, Mr Khurshid said. “Our party had supported the Samajwadi Party in the state in the overall interest of the people. No sign of weakness should be read into it. We have not compromised on our policy, philosophy or ideology,” he asserted. “The state government should correct its policies and mend its ways or else the results could be disastrous,” Mr Khurshid warned. The Congress state chief said the party will develop concrete policies to address the important issues of increasing unemployment, crime and problems of the farmers in the state. Everybody knows as to how much importance the present government was attaching to solve the problems of people. The Congress will do all in its power to solve the problems besetting the people of UP, he said. The recent election in the state had made the Congress conscious of its power and influence. No, we shall not rest before solving the problems of the people of UP, Mr Khushid promised. Earlier, Legislative Party leader Promode Tiwari had highlighted the plight of UP farmers. All important local Congress leaders were present to welcome the new state Congress president Salman Khurshid.
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Gail’s gesture to the elderly
New Delhi, November 17 The cheque was handed over by Mr Deepak Hingnikar, Director (Personnel), Gail (India) Ltd., to Wg. Cdr. S. S. Roy Choudhury, Country Head, Resource Mobilisation, HelpAge India, at Dr Shroff’s Charitable Eye Hospital here. The first camp to screen patients was held at Dr Shroff’s Hospital today, where the surgeries will be conducted over the next two months. Dr Shroff’s is the only hospital in Delhi, which also has a post-surgery rehabilitation facility.
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Chhota Shakeel aide held
New Delhi, November 17 “Kulwinder, a close confidante of Chhota Shakeel and his brother Anwar, managed to escape from the custody of Mumbai Police in 2000 and had been wanted in several cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and similar other heinous crimes,” said DCP Special Cell Ashok Chand. The police have recovered one 9-mm pistol along with some cartridges from his possession. Police said that ever since he absconded from Mumbai, they had been hunting for him and are presently being interrogated for his involvement in several daring criminal attempts, he added.
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Nine-yr-old rescued, relative arrested
New Delhi, November 17 According to the police, Brijesh Kumar Gautam (19), alias Kaloi was arrested from Sarai Chandi railway station in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh on November 15. He was then brought to Delhi on a transit remand. “He was the main accused in the kidnapping case. His associate Narender Maurya, who assisted him in the kidnapping-for-ransom, is absconding. A hunt has been launch to nab Narender,” said the DCP Northeast district Anurag Kumar. The police have also rescued Vijay, the kidnapped child from his possession. He bore some injuries marks on his body. “He told the police that they did not feed him properly, beat him at times and threatened to kill him if the ransom of Rs three lakh was not paid,” the DCP said. The original ransom, made on November 8, was of Rs four lakh, which was paid in Bargudar in UP, to where the family belonged originally. “We traced them in Allahabad, where they had been wandering aimlessly from one place to another to avoid detection, following the tapping of the phone call,” said Anurag Kumar. During interrogation, the accused revealed that the child came with him easily as he was related to the family and knew them well.
Four cheats held
The Delhi Police have arrested four persons who allegedly escaped after withdrawing Rs 7 lakh from the bank account of a businessman. The accused have been identified as Sonu (22), Rikki Singh (20), Satya Prakash (36) and Maya (43). According to the police, Satish Gupta, a businessman in Loha Mandi in Inderpuri, complained that his employee, Ajay Tiwari, escaped after withdrawing Rs 7 lakh from his bank account. Acting on a tip-off that Ajay Tiwari was coming to JJ colony Inderpuri, accordingly, a trap was laid and Ajay was arrested from there. Ajay revealed the name of Rikki and the police recovered Rs 50,000 from Ajay and Rs 20,000 from Rikki. At their instance, the police arrested Satya Prakash and Maya and recovered Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. The police are yet to recover the rest six lakh rupees from the accused. Ajay along with other three accused hatched a plan to escape with the money as Satish Gupta had given the responsibility to collect the money from market to Ajay. Satish sometimes sent Ajay to bank also to withdraw the money from there.
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Pak troupe enthrals Nirankari devotees
New Delhi, November 17 Known as Rizwan Khan-Muazzam-Mujahid Ali and party, the troupe is in India on a special invitation from a Nirankari devotee. They belong to the family of well-known qawal, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, originally from Jalandhar in Punjab. One of the members of the troupe, Farooq Ali was overwhelmed as the visit had given him a chance to meet his sister from Phagwara for the first time in life. The members of the troupe were quite happy to meet His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj and know his Mission where the ‘Kamil Murshad’ (Perfect True Master) is being held by his followers. The qawali, they performed, was rich with Sufi Kalam both in Urdu and Punjabi. They picked up some of the popular devotional songs of the Mission and sang in their own style which made them all the more friendly with
the audience.
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Health care system should focus on women, kids: Sheila
New Delhi, November 17 “India needs to focus on preventive healthcare and special emphasis must be given to women and children,” she said at the 2nd India Health Summit here. The chief minister announced the setting up of a new speciality liver institute in the Capital within two years. The hospital will come up in collaboration with the United States, she added. Though Delhi is a well-recognised medical hub, medical facilities should be spread not only in the Capital but in the entire National Capital Region and the rest of the country, Ms Dikshit said. She said the government could chalk out a policy on infrastructure development with suggestions from the healthcare sector. Tele-linking of rural areas was important to enable quality healthcare reach remote areas of the country, she added. Delivering the keynote address, Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Prathap C. Reddy said health must be declared as an infrastructure under a comprehensive National Health Policy. “If you infuse quality at all levels in healthcare, India could emerge as a global medical hub,” Dr Reddy said. Conference chairman and Fortis Managing Director Harpal Singh said private-public partnership should take on the role of a national mission to improve health care in the country. Confederation of Indian Industry’s national committee on health care chairman, Dr Naresh Trehan said minimum standards were needed for Indian institutions entering the international arena.
Cancer detection camp
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will organise a cancer detection camp for women in collaboration with the Indian Cancer Society at the Cancer Detection Centre, Babar Road, to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, on November 19. A number of tests, including total blood profile, chest X– ray and breast examination will be done, a press release said. The vice-chairman of the NDMC will inaugurate the camp. The NDMC has appealed to the women to avail of this opportunity, as cancer is curable and treated if detected at an early stage.
— OC
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Legal experts to examine foreign guardian issue
New Delhi, November 17 In response to the notice, the Centre today told the Delhi District Judge that the inter-country adoption cases were “important” and needed experts’ opinion at the “highest level”, including that of the Attorney General of India and the Law Ministry. The counsel for the Centre, Sanjay Agarwal, told Delhi District Judge Rekha Sharma that since the matter was important, it has to be examined thoroughly. The court was hearing a case in which a plea was made for handing over an orphaned child to a foreign guardian. The government counsel said that before any decision was taken in this regard, the matter needed to be examined carefully and he sought three months time to file its reply. The city government counsel Ashish Agarwal echoed the Centre’s views saying the matter has to be discussed with the Law Department for filing a reply. Concerned about the welfare of children given to foreign guardians, the court had on November 8 asked the Centre and Delhi Government whether it should still follow the Guardian and Wards Act of 1890 in the matter of adoptions or the Juvenile Justice Act of 2000, containing more specific clauses on inter-country adoption. It had issued notices to Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Department of Social Welfare of Delhi Government. “Should the courts still take recourse to the provisions of Guardians and Wards Act, 1890? Does the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 not take in its embrace the inter-country adoptions pertaining to neglected children,” the court asked the Centre and the Delhi Government.
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Exhibition on Cong leaders
New Delhi November 17 The unique exhibition, prepared from scrap, was organised at the Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. Inaugurating the exhibition, Mr Khurshid said that deep interest and conviction had made it possible to hold the exhibition. The exhibits are based on collection of educational material from scrap over the last four decades.
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Eco-friendly technology for making bricks
New Delhi, November 17 The eco-friendly brick making technology uses waste materials, including industrial pollutants like waste lime, gypsum. About 60 to 65 per cent hazardous fly ash of thermal power stations are utilised to produce first-class bricks. The fly ash bricks are included in CPWD, Department of Scientific Research (DSR) and conforms to IS: 12894. Nearly 200 such equipment’s have already been installed in India and abroad. The government has made it mandatory to use fly ash in the production of bricks. This has created a conflict between brick-kiln owners and the government due to non-availability of technologies. The machines and technology offer an amicable solution for the implementation of government developed machines for production of bricks. Apart from utilising hazardous waste materials, it offers employment to the unskilled labours and business opportunities for the entrepreneurs. The brick making technology eliminates consumption of top agriculture soil in manufacturing of bricks. The bricks are on display at the ongoing India International trade Fair at NSIC stall at Hall No 14.
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135th birth anniversary of Jainacharya celebrated
New Delhi, November 17 Jainacharya Shri Vallabh has been a great revolutionary saint of the era who undertook many an innovative project related to education, self-reliance, organisation, publishing and propagation of Jain literature and service to humanity. On the occasion of his 50th Swargarohan Ardhshatabdi this year, a series of programmes have been held all over the country culminating in to the final three-day programme held at Vijay Vallabh Smarak on October 8, 9 and 10. Prayers and meetings were held at Roop Nagar, Rohini, Shahdara, Mansarovar Garden where rich tributes were paid by the present Jainacharyas—Shri Vijay Nityanand Surishwar Ji, Shri Vijay Dharam Dhurender Surishwar Ji, Shri Vijay Virender Surishwar Ji and Shri Vijay Vasant Surishwar Ji and other office-bearers from the Jain Samaj. Subsequently, Sakranti Mahotsava—a memorable legacy of Jainacharya Shri Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Ji was held on November 16 at Navin Shahdara.
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Software on registration of societies
New Delhi, November 17
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New Delhi, November 17
