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Centre, state rapped on relocation
Tibetans down shutters on chhang trade
MLA Prahlad Singh Sawhney distributing a rehabilitation package to a Tibetan chhang dealer at Majnu Ka Tila in the Capital on
Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal
Pak students arrive for a verbal duel
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Cong colluding with big houses: CM
Mulayam harps on UPA govt’s failures
Mystery death of maid at BPO owner’s house
Pataudi turned into sub-division
Delhi to cough up 26 times more for water
Six months’ RI for power theft
Charges framed against CGHS Director
Technical snag hits power supply to Faridabad
Rs 2.5 cr worth of heroin seized, three held
Missing boy recovered
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Centre, state rapped on relocation
New Delhi, November 30 “You have compulsions, political or otherwise, but we have none. We have to see that the changes (in Master Plan) are within the constitutional framework,” a Bench of Mr Justice Y K Sabharwal, Mr Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Mr Justice P P Naolekar observed. Taking a serious view of the Centre and the NCT Government taking shelter under the 2001 Master Plan, the court said “see how the Union of India has been changing its stand inside and outside Parliament and how the NCT is changing its stance. We have to see that the changes are in consonance with the law”. Not satisfied with the contentions of the Centre and the Delhi Government counsel, the court directed them to file a status report on shifting, giving details whether industrial units in the areas which were being contemplated for regularisation, had been closed. The court sought information whether the court’s direction of May 7 about the ‘offending’ industrial units had been complied with.
IAF pulled up on Ghazipur abattoir
The Supreme Court today took strong exception to the Indian Air Force (IAF) raising the issue of prior clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for setting up of a modern abattoir at Ghazipur, adjoining the Hindon air base even when the Defence Secretary had attended a high-level meeting on the issue. “The matter was cleared after your (IAF) representative and the Defence Secretary were present in the meeting,” a Bench of Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde, Mr Justice S B Sinha and Mr Justice A K Mathur observed when Air Force counsel stated that the DGCA permission in the matter was mandatory. “IAF has no knowledge of existing situation at Ghazipur landfill site. We don’t think IAF officials have visited the spot to satisfy themselves about the land and the abattoir,” the court said. The court allowed four weeks to the Government to make it clear whether DGCA permission was necessary. The IAF counsel today raised the issue of prior sanction from DGCA for setting up the slaughterhouse near any airbase, saying that under the relevant rules, it was mandatory. He said under the law no slaughterhouse could be set up close to any airbase without the DGCA permission as it always posed danger of birdhit to the aircraft. However, the court in its order recorded that in the high-level meeting, also attended by the Defence Secretary, a decision was taken that there was no ‘danger’ of birdhit due to the new slaughterhouse at Ghazipur. This was mentioned in the order by the court after perusing the minutes of the high-level meeting, placed on record. The court, which had ordered the shifting of slaughterhouse from the congested Idgah area in the walled city to Ghazipur, also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to place before it the final plan on construction of the abattoir on the next date of hearing.
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Tibetans down shutters on chhang trade
New Delhi, November 30 The drink, made by fermenting barley or rice, is not a certified liquor and has been found to have ill-effects on health. The majority of Chhang vendors have been women, who used to sell the drink for Rs 10-15 a glass. “Apart from the health aspect, there have also been law-and-order problems due to consumption of this intoxicating drink,” said DCP North District Rajesh Khurana. Describing the ban as voluntary and not an enforced one, Welfare Officer Sonam Tsering said, “When Tibetan refugees came to India in 1964, they had no other means to earn a livelihood. So, brewing of Chhang was started on a commercial scale, but today with improvement in sources of income and realising the bad name it brings to the community, the vendors themselves want to give up this profession.” Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has lauded the effort and sanctioned Rs 17,25,000 for the rehabilitation of Chhang vendors, which was distributed today. Speaking at the function, local MLA P S Sawhney said Delhi Government would consider granting some valid Tehbazaris to these people so they could start another business and not resort to the Chhang business again.
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Pak students arrive for a verbal duel
New Delhi, November 30 In India for the first ever Indo-Pak Students’ Seminar–Debate, the Pakistani representatives are amazed at the similarities on the two sides of the border. “The first thing that you expect when you touch down is a difference in temperature and the way people look, but surprisingly neither changes”, exclaimed Sofyan Sultan, a businessman from Karachi. The visitors are on an invitation from Miranda House, which is hosting ‘Manzar,’ an event that aims at boosting ties between the two hostile neighbours. As for the debating team, which has won the Pakistan National Debating Championship 2004, the trip is not just about exhibiting their verbal prowess; it is also about buying “sarees, slippers and chandelier earrings for their families and friends”. “We have two days for sight seeing and shopping,” point out the Aishwarya Rai fans, who rue the fact that the Pakistani film Industry is no match for Bollywood. Agreeing that Munnabhai MBBS was a comical riot, they are however quick to point out that the Pakistani music industry is a notch above its Indian counterpart. When asked what the peace process means to them, they come up with a wish list that includes, “free movement, easy visas, not bribing the guards and access to Bollywood films”. At ease in the country, they had until now only heard, now they are ecstatic that they could pass off as Indians on the road. “There is a slight difference in the language though…the dialect is different. Even though we are used to Hindi thanks to Bollywood, we could barely understand what the airhostess said in Hindi”, they said, recalling “tough words like dhumrapan (smoking) and suraksha (safety)”. While the older representatives in the entourage are concerned about the country, the lack of leadership and the economic and social conditions, the youngsters are thankful for avenues that afford them education at par with their British counterparts. “Those who can afford it, go to public schools”, they say, scoffing at the standards in the government-run schools. Naem Ahmed, an IT professional who returned to Pakistan after 9/11, laments the fact that the country “has missed the opportunities and cannot make up”. He is saddened by what his generation perceives as “being let down by the generation before us, which is responsible partly for the dearth of a political leadership in the country”. Naem, however, points out that educated Pakistani youth like him are considering returning to their homeland. Taking questions on the emerging fundamentalism in the country, he says, “Owing to a clash between civilisations and because the community feels it is losing its identity there is a tendency to return to dogmatism”. The event, which began here today with a seminar, will culminate with the final debate on December 1 at the India International Centre.
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Cong colluding with big houses: CM
Sohna, November 30 Unveiling a statue of the former Deputy Prime Minister at the Chaudhary Devi Lal Stadium here, the chief minister said the “unholy” nexus between the Congress and the industrial houses has resulted in a hike in prices of essential commodities. The masses had been reeling under inflation within a few months of the United Democratic Front Government taking charge at the Centre. He alleged that the Congress party had always followed a policy of “divide and rule” to stratify the polity with the sole aim of collecting votes. Referring to the assertions by certain leaders of the state that the statues of Mr Devi Lal would be demolished if they come to power in the forthcoming polls, Mr Chautala cautioned that the people of the state would teach them a befitting lesson on the issue. The INLD chief said while the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, was talking of demolishing the statues of Devi Lal, he was forced to join the Congress party after he did not see any prospect for his Haryana Vikas Party in the forthcoming elections. He assured the people that the stadium here would be upgraded, so that international tournaments could be organised. During his visit to the district, he also presided over the monthly meeting of the District Public Grievances and Redressal Committee.
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Mulayam harps on UPA govt’s failures
Ghaziabad, November 30 After inaugurating the Ganga Project in Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad, yesterday, Mr Yadav said, “We had supported the UPA government at Centre without their request, thinking that it will really prove to a progressive alliance, but the UPA government has accomplished absolutely nothing good for the people and the common man. Mr Yadav said, “We had supported the alliance on the principle that the communal forces in the country will be kept in check, but no progressive work has been done by the present government.” Asked why he was continuing his support in these circumstances, Mr Yadav said he still had some hope that he might be able to bring the Congress and the UPA government on the right track. The Chief Minister said he did not anticipate any adverse effect on the mega power project being set up by Reliance Group in Dadri in the light of the tussle between the Ambani brothers. The plant will be completed within two years, Mr Yadav said. He promised that the question of Jal Nigam employees not having been paid wages for four months will soon be resolved. “We had inherited Jal Nigam in a very bad shape, so bringing it on keel will take some time,” the CM said. The Samajwadi Party chief asserted that there is considerable improvement in the law and order situation in the state. But
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Mystery death of maid at BPO owner’s house
Noida, November 30 The police, which reportedly reached after a few hours of the incident, have termed the maid’s murder as mysterious and are known to have turned the needle of suspicion on the householder. Incidentally, no dog squad or fingerprint experts reached the site of murder. N. K. Bhalla, the house owner, had rented out the first floor of the house to one Lovesh Chaturvedi, who runs a call centre office in Sector-18, Noida. Lovesh, his wife Shweta and their one-year-old son had been living there for the last few years. They had engaged a domestic maid, Karuna, 15, from Agahpur, who was originally from Nainital. On Monday morning, Lovesh had reportedly dropped his wife and son at his in-laws house in Sector-41, Noida, on way to his office. He had come home for lunch and in the evening had gone to fetch his wife and child from his in-laws house. On the fateful evening, Karuna was alone at the house. Some assailants reportedly barged inside. At that time, the house owner and his family were watching TV on the ground floor. At around 8.30 pm, when they heard a scream from the first floor, Mr Bhalla and his family members rushed upstairs but found the door was bolted from inside. Later, Lovesh was informed on the cell phone who, along with his wife, reached within a few minutes. As the front door could not be opened, Lovesh stepped into the balcony from a neighbour’s terrace and got inside by force. Karuna was found dead, lying on the floor between the kitchen and the pooja ghar. She had been strangled with her dopatta. Two bedrooms had been ransacked and the lockers in the steel almirahs had been opened. The back door of the other bedroom was ajar. Subsequently, the CO of Sector-58 police station, Sewak Ram Yadav, and SP, Noida, A. K. Jain, reached the spot. There were no sign of any assault marks on Karuna’s body. However, there was some whitish substance oozing out of her mouth, which made the police suspect that she had been either poisoned or had swallowed the poison herself. Lovesh said an imported video camera, a CVD player, a watch and Rs 1,000 were missing from the house. But the police found the circumstances of murder suspicious.
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Pataudi turned into sub-division
Pataudi, November 30 Mr Chautala made the announcement while addressing his government’s ‘Aap ke sarkaar, aap ke dwaar’ programme. He stated that he would lay the foundation stone for the sub-division of Pataudi during his visit here on December 7. The programme was jointly organised both for Pataudi and Taoru Assembly segments. He announced some development projects worth Rs 20 crores for the Assembly segments. In the normal course, the government arranges separate programmes for each of the Assembly
segments in the state. Earlier, he laid foundation stones and inaugurated several projects claimed to be worth Rs 150 crores for Gurgaon during his visit to the city. They include foundation stones for a flyover at Daulatabad and Basai railway crossings. Also, he inaugurated a police station in Sector 5. He also laid the foundation stone for a water scheme, claimed to be worth Rs 73 crores, being set up by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). According to the official version, the completion of the scheme will enable the water treatment plant at Basai to get additional 300 cusecs water every day.
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Delhi to cough up 26 times more for water
New Delhi, November 30 For use of water more than six kilolitres, the charges will be based on the broad principle of “use more, pay more,” Mrs Dikshit told reporters. The new tariff structure comes into effect from tomorrow. “After the last revision of rates in 1998, the cost of providing water has gone up substantially. While operating costs have gone up from Rs 276 crore in 1998 to Rs 600 crore in 2004, the actual cost of production has gone up from Rs 3.60 per kilolitre to Rs 6.97 per kilolitre during the same period,” said Mrs Dikshit, who heads the Board. A third category of billing will be for commercial establishments like shops, offices, restaurants, etc. In principle approval had been given to the rationalisation of water tariff at a meeting of the Board headed by Dikshit last month.
Rainwater harvest projects launched
Two projects with an annual potential to harvest more than 75,000 litres of rainwater were launched today in Pockets C-8 and C-9 of Vasant Kunj. The rainwater harvesting projects have been set up by Coca Cola in association with Delhi Government’s Bhagidari Cell, Central Ground Water Board, the Army Welfare Education Society and the Resident Welfare Associations. The projects would benefit over 1,600 families. On the occasion, MLA Vijay Lochav said that the projects would help improve the water situation in the area. In the past, Coca Cola has set up such projects in Greater Kailash, Tihar Jail, Neeti Bagh and Delhi Police Public School.
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Six months’ RI for power theft
New Delhi, November 30 Additional Sessions Judge R K Jain also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on convict Ram Sahay saying he deserved no leniency as there is widespread tendency among people to commit theft of electricity as a matter of right. The court said that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had committed theft of electricity. On February 24, 1999, the then Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) officials conducted a raid at a slum cluster in Ashok Vihar and apprehended Sahay.—TNS
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Charges framed against CGHS Director
New Delhi, November 30 “Apparently the orders of transfer (to the office of CGHS’ Central zone) were passed after the complainant had agreed to pay bribe and formal orders were to be delivered to him after the bribe had been paid to the accused,” the court added.
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Technical snag hits power supply to Faridabad
Faridabad, November 30 The power crisis was due to a breakdown at the Panipat thermal power plant, said the Superintending Engineer of the DHBVN, Mr V.K. Jain. The continuing power crisis has not only affected the daily routine of the common man, but has adversely affected the commercial and industrial activity in the region as well. It is stated that further power cuts would be imposed if the supply position does not improve soon.
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Rs 2.5 cr worth of heroin seized, three held
New Delhi, November 30 The Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested the accused from Burari. The police estimated its cost at Rs 2.5 crore on the international market.—TNS
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Missing boy recovered
New Delhi, November 30 Initially, the police suspected that he had been kidnapped. Subsequently, the police, along with Mewa Ram, father of Rohit, started searching for the boy at all the railway stations. According to the DCP East district, Nuzhat Hassan, “During a search at the Sahibabad railway station, the police team had received information that such a boy was seen there and kept in the house of one of the railway employees at the railway colony.”
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New Delhi, November 30
