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Assembly building to regain old glory
Lid off mobile showroom heist, 2 held
Ground reality belies claims of falling crime rate
Man shot dead for Rs 500, guard battered to death
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Pupils fall ill after taking mid-day meal
BSNL has ambitious plans for Noida
VSNL held guilty of deficient service
Indian films lack creativity and quality, laments Jaya Bachchan
Artscape
Advocates baulk at VAT
Cylinder explodes in SI’s car
Entrepreneurs hurl graft charges in meeting
Haiderpur slum dwellers clamour for power supply
RWA makes a novel move
Man gets life term for killing father
Bioinformatic students felicitated
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Assembly building to regain old glory
New Delhi, December 19 In an ambitious plan approved for the purpose under the guidance of INTACH, the Delhi Assembly will be restored to its former glory. Sources in the Assembly pointed out that encroachments, alterations and additions have been removed from outside the building and work is now being carried out to refurbish the interiors. Outside agencies, functioning from within the premises to date, have also been asked to vacate, leaving the premises only for the activities relating to the Assembly. The building has a long front and two lateral structures, curving gracefully in the centre like half moon. There are two minarets at each end and small towers decorate these corners with placid domes. It became the seat of central legislature when the capital of British India was shifted from Kolkata in 1911. The Old Secretariat building was designed by E Montague and its construction completed in 1912. The first sitting of the Legislative Council was held here on January 27, 1913. Among the historic events in the central hall, the distinguished Parliamentarians opposed the Rowlett Bill tooth and nail. The bill proposed humiliating curbs on the civil liberty. In 1926, the building was given to the Delhi University to hold its functions. It however, regained its importance in 1952 when Delhi as a Part-C state was given an Assembly. But that Assembly was disbanded in 1956. In 1966, Delhi was given a Metropolitan Council which held its sessions in the building. Now since 1993, the Old Secretariat continues to be the seat of Delhi Vidhan Sabha. Ten acres attached to the historic building has been converted into a garden, including an oval shape park in front of the Assembly Hall. This park has a huge fountain, which was made operational on important occasions, it was pointed out.
Resolution on MCD trifurcation ‘ultra vires’
New
Delhi:
The MCD was constituted under Act number 66 of 1957 as the Municipal Government of Delhi. He has stated that the amended DMC Act 2003 based on Act number 67 of the 1993, contains the specific areas where the Delhi government can intervene in the municipal administration of Delhi. According to the recommendations of the Bal Krishanan Committee, the corporation administration has been decentralised and 12 zones have been constituted. The recommendations were approved by Parliament in 1993. The 14th schedule of the amended DMC Act 2003 contains the number, names and areas of various zones, and the 15th schedule has power and functions of the Wards Committee, under the decentralisation of the MCD administration scheme. He said that the Delhi government under the provisions of the amended act has not even been delegated powers to change the boundaries of the wards. This power has been kept by the Central government itself, under certain provisions. The MCD has never been informed about the facts and reasons to divide into three independent municipal corporations.
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Lid off mobile showroom heist, 2 held
New Delhi, December 19 They also snatched the wallet and credit card of the owner Sanjeev and a gold chain from an employee Navneet Kaur. They were identified as Dinesh Kumar, alias Deenu, (23) and Rajeev (24), both residents of Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. During investigation, the police looked into the records of over 258 criminals in the area and also questioned a few in this regard. Mobile dealers of Punjabi Bagh and Paschim Vihar were also examined for any clue to the disposal of the property. In the meantime, the police learnt that one Dinesh Kumar, alias Deenu, residing in Rani Bagh, has been involved in more than 10 cases of mobile phone robbery in Delhi and UP. The police also received a tip-off that Deenu would be coming to Madipur on December 18 to dispose of the property. Deenu and his associate Rajiv were nabbed and one country-made pistol, two new Nokia phones and 18 dummy phones were recovered from their possession. In another case, the North-West district police today claim to have further seized Rs 8 lakh in the Rs 44-lakh robbery case in the Model Town area. The police arrested another accused Abid (19), resident of Adarsh Nagar and recovered Rs 8 lakh from him. Abid was caught near Ramlila Ground and
the looted money was seized from the house of one Amroz in the Jahangirpuri area.
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Ground reality belies claims of falling crime rate
Faridabad, December 19
At least 66 persons have been murdered this year while 57 murders took place last year. In at least a dozen cases, the murderers are still to be traced; the figure last year was marginally lower at 11. However, there has been a sharp rise of 85.7 per cent in dowry-related deaths in the district this year. The police booked 26 cases this year as against just 14 last year. The police department perhaps has no record of cases of dowry harassment that were reported this year. It is claimed that many of the cases were settled following the intervention of the women cell of the department. Again, most incidents of chain and purse snatching, which have become the norm, hardly get registered. According to police records, 22 major cases of looting were registered this year, as against 20 last year. Despite the department’s claims that patrolling and overall vigilance have improved, the incidence of vehicle thefts seems to be veering out of control: 769 cases were booked this year as against 655 in 2003, a rise of over 17 percent. Sources said that sometimes thefts are clubbed in one FIR to show that the crime graph is not going up. The department reportedly busted 72 gangs this year, leading to about 196 cases being solved and valuables worth Rs 1.88 lakhs being recovered. As against this, 58 gangs were busted last year. Incidentally, the total recovery last year was about 1.21 lakhs. The police keep harping on the fact that the district registered a total of 9,675 cases in 2004 as against 11,374 cases last year, a decrease of about 15 per cent. Though these figures do show a decline in cases relating to kidnapping, attempt to murder and burglary, it is an open secret that many cases were registered following the intervention of influential persons; thus many others who had no approach went unnoticed. A wife of a doctor residing in Sector-16-A, who had been deprived of cash and jewellery worth over Rs one lakh in June this year by some unidentified persons in the market, is still to hear from the police. Similarly, a youth, who was a victim of loot and attempt to murder by some miscreants on the Faridabad-Gurgaon Road recently, is still to get justice. The police, on the other hand, have been holding corner meetings in various colonies and schools as part of the ‘sadhbhawna campaign’ on the directions of the DGP of the state, in a bid to improve its image and performance.
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Man shot dead for Rs 500, guard battered to death
Ghaziabad, December 19 Tula Bahadur, 50, originally of Nepal, was a security guard in Mool Raj Arora’s godown in Bojha area of Patel Nagar. A youth asked him to open the godown gate. As Tula Ram took some time to open the gate, the intruder lost his temper and repeatedly hit Tula Ram’s head against the wall, as a result of which the security guard died on the spot; the youth, said to be the son of an advocate of the area, fled from the spot. The police have registered a case of unintentional murder. In the other incident, 25-year-old Raju, who used to sell chow mein on a cart in Vivekananad Nagar, had just finished his dinner when he was called out of his house by his two acquaintances. He was shot dead by one of the youths. There was a dispute over a petty sum of Rs 500 between Raju and the two friends. Incidentally, Raju had been jailed for molesting a girl in Vevekanand colony. He had been released on bail recently. That too could have been the cause of the murder, the police said.
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Pupils fall ill after taking mid-day meal
Noida, December 19 It was alleged by the villagers that contractors start cooking the food at 2 in the morning which is served to kids 10 hour later. The people have also questioned the quality of Daliya and Khichri being served to school students. Complaints have been made many times that students fall sick on eating mid-day meals, but no remedial action has been taken by the authorities. Many times students have vomited after eating Daliya.
Son of engineer feared abducted
Ghaziabad:
The victim, Mohit, son of Sanjay Bhardwaj, who works as a research engineer in the Home Ministry, is a VII class student of Hans Raj Samark Senior Secondary School, Dilshad Garden, New Delhi. Mohit used to take the school bus from near a tea stall on the G.T. Road. Mohit had gone to school on Monday morning but didn’t return till late in the evening. Later, the family members of the victim contacted the Sahibabad police station. Though written information was given to the police, but the police are yet to register a case in this regard. However, the SO of Sahibabad police station, G. P. Yadav, said Mohit had been bunking school for the last
fortnight.—OC
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BSNL has ambitious plans for Noida
Noida, December 19 Eight lakh new telephone connections will be made available on demand in the country soon, he said. However, there still exists a waiting list of 17 lakh subscribers, of which 14 lakh applicants are from villages. ‘‘The BSNL is trying to usher in a telecom revolution in the rural India also,” he said. “Telephone services and connectivity have become fiercely competitive and we can survive only if we provide quality services, utilising the latest technology in the field,” Mr Dubey said. The ensuing three to four years will be a period of boom in mobile phones, which are likely to witness a six-fold increase from the current 1.4 crore connections. An additional 1.5 crore connections will be commissioned soon in the country, the BSNL Director said. Noida, which is an important telecom area, technically comes under Delhi. Four lakh new lines have been provided in Delhi for this purpose. It is a broadband service, which will facilitate high speed Internet. A program, ‘Always on Service’, which will be introduced soon, will obviate the need for extra
telephone charges for Internet use. BSNL and Airtel are also making plans for this service, which will be launched in Delhi by June 15, 2005. Hopefully Noida, too, will have this service soon afterwards. Earlier, General Manager (Telecom), Noida, A.K. Garg, said this was the
first ever English Telephone Directory catering to Noida. For long, the need for an English telephone directory covering all areas of G.B. Nagar district, including Noida and Greater Noida, was being felt, so that the ever-expanding commercial and industrial requirements of G.B. Nagar could be met. ‘‘We are determined to make G.B. Nagar a role model in the telecom sector as
well as in all other domains of economic activity,” Mr Garg said.
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VSNL held guilty of deficient service
New Delhi, December 19 The consumer court ordered VSNL to pay Rs 20,000 to SVAM Software as damages, litigation cost and as refund charge. The district forum, while observing that there had been no lease line connectivity for 24 days at complainant SVAM Software Ltd’s Janpath office here, said VSNL had not denied this and “therefore, by not adjusting the amount of these 24 days as per Disclaimer Clause 22, VSNL committed deficiency in service and is liable for the same”. Forum president L C Jain and member Janak Juneja said, “The opposite party (VSNL), before disconnecting the lease line connectivity on August 13, 2000, should have taken into consideration the amount for adjustment of the days when the lease line connectivity had not been functional.”
SVAM Software said that on March 15, 2000, it paid VSNL Rs 20,000 as registration fee for 128 KBPS Internet lease line connection at their Janpath office. The company also paid VSNL Rs 2,66,455 on September 14, 2000, for the actual connection. But VSNL installed the lease line only after a
165-day delay, SVAM alleged, adding that there had been no connection for 24 days. The consumer court accepted VSNL’s contention that the delay in providing connection was actually due to MTNL on which VSNL depends for connection. However, the court found VSNL deficient in service for the lack of connectivity for 24 days.
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Indian films lack creativity and quality, laments Jaya Bachchan
Noida, December 19 She said that the UP Film Corporation will support good film producers by giving them 25 per cent of production cost or Rs 40 lakh, whichever is less. This assistance will be in the form of a technical support in the field of post-production aspects like editing mixing, recording etc. Directors and producers will not be entitled for this grant which in designed only to be given to technical people who can improve the quality of films with lab work. The corporation is all set to promote UP talent, though its main objective is to enhance the quality of Hindi films in the country, Mrs Bachchan said. Elaborating on the five-day workshop, veteran film director Govind Nilhani said that the workshop would be a pioneering effort. In the workshop, people will come with an idea to be exposed to practical training in developing good scripts for Hindi films. Some well-known film personalities like director, producer writer Gulzar will also be associated with the workshop along with Krishna Shah, the eminent scriptwriter. Good scripts developed at the workshop could be taken up by the UP Film Development Corporation, he said. Govind Nilhani described that script writing is not the same as short story writing. It is a very intricate work, which require lots of technical skill and knowledge of filmmaking. Krishna Saha said that script writing has not been given proper importance in country’s film industry. And the workshop will be good a platform for the budding talents from UP, which is the birthplace of creativity with its rich cultural and mythical heritage. He also said one factor why Hollywood films are watched all over the world – the reason is their superiority in story and technique. They have conducted 5,000 workshops in English script writing, but not many workshops have been conducted in Hindi script writing in India though the country produces 3,000 films annually.
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In honour of a cultural colossus
Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 19 Curated by the legendary Roop Chand , the exhibition at Lokayata Mulk Raj Anand Centre in Hauz Khas village here was inaugurated on December 13 and will conclude on December 20. The exhibition will reflect Anand’s views and soul-searching experiences in the evolution of Indian Modern Art. The works range from that of a group of progressive artists to upcoming ones. Lokayata, a registered NGO, is a socio-cultural body founded by the celebrated author sometime in the seventies for promotion of art and culture. For over a decade now, Lokayata has been organising workshops for children during summer holidays in disciplines like painting, music and languages. An exhibition of “A Rare Collection of Paintings” by the renowned artist Ramgopal Vijaivargiya (1905-2003) at Kumar Gallery II in Sunder Nagar here is drawing huge crowds. It is indeed a rare opportunity for art lovers to soak in the beauty of the legendary master’s works from close range at the exhibition, which was inaugurated on December 18 and will be on view till December 30. Ramgopal Vijaivargiya was born in 1905 at Baler, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. When he was a young boy he was so impressed with the work of a wandering sadhu who drew rural scenes in red and blue pencil that Vijaivargiya decided to become an artist. He was encouraged by his father and he enrolled at the Maharaja School of Art, Jaipur; at the age of eighteen, he finished a five-year course in eight months under the guidance of Shailendranath De. In the next five years he had developed his own distinct style in the tradition of the Bengal school. According to critics, he also displayed a great talent for literature and poetry. He drew thematic inspiration from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, tales from the Jatakas (Buddha’s Life) and Ragamala (Indian classical music). Being a poet, he chose subjects from Kalidas’ Meghdoota, Raghuvamsa, Shakuntalam and Kumar Sambhavar, Jai Deva’s Geet-Govinda and Keshav’s Rasikpriya. Many of his excellent works are based on sensuous Persian poems — Gulistan, Bostan and Deewan-i-Hafiz and Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. According to critics, right from those early years until the end of his long life in 2003, Vijaivargiya enriched the world of Indian art and literature. His art, essays and poems appeared in many magazines, including the renowned Modern Review, which regularly publishes works of master artists. There have been numerous exhibitions of his works in major cities, the first of which was held in 1933. The Lalit Kala Akademi held a retrospective in 1983 and published a monogram in 1988. Among the various albums of his paintings are two Felicitation Volumes, Rupankan (1995). In this collection of 50 works — Buddha, Abhisarika-Meghdoota, Radha-Krishna-Geet-Govinda — all reflect Vijaivargiya’s typical early style of romantic innocence. His rendering from Omar Khayyam is masterly drawn, in a manner that owes little to the classical way of drawing but instead finds expression as free spirit that was so distinctive of this master artist. He drew lines as if he was composing a poem. Although he retained his stylistic roots, he evolved a vibrant palette, here it is reflected in the “Trees in bloom”. Vijaivargiya remained lively, vivacious and innovative, constantly changing in tune with the time. He was an acclaimed artist for more than 80 years. This exhibition is a tribute to a master who left an indelible mark on the Indian art and culture scene. A poetic dance drama in sutradhar style of Kathak, “Soumitra-Priya - A tribute to Womanhood,” based on the renowned poet laureate Maithili Saran Gupt’s epic “Saket,” was presented by Dr Neelam Verma under the aegis of Hindi Sahitya Parishad of Kamala Nehru College last week. It portrays the original and glorious aspect of “Saket”, a primordial town where Ayodhya (a land of no war) now exists. It extols the virtues of Rama, the beloved Prince of Ayodhya. He is the Supreme Force inspiring humanity to attain Divinity. Laxman’s wife Urmila is the central character or the `naika’ of the epic. The expression and dramatization of her emotions and vision show the dignity with which she withstood the pathos and pain of separation from her husband. The subtle and artistic expression of her perceptions add a new dimension to the theme for which ‘Saket’ can be called ‘A Tribute to Womanhood.’ she herself has choreographed this solo presentation in the traditional story telling style of Kathak and has improvised the dance form to emphasize the dramatic element of the theme. She enacts the role of sutradhar as well as those of various other characters. The narration and monologues are also by her. The music has been composed by Pt. Vashishta and sung by Nandini Bhattacharya.
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Advocates baulk at VAT
New Delhi, December 19 Accusing the Delhi Government of rushing the VAT Bill, he called upon the MLAs to rise above party affiliations and oppose the proposed law. “Imposition of hiked tax at the rate of a twelve and a half per cent on the unlisted goods is bound to shoot up prices which will hit the common man hard,” Mr Gandhi said.The forum also lamented the proposed law on the grounds that it, “empowered the sales tax commissioner with draconian powers”. Threatening direct action in tandem with several trader organisations against the anti-trade move of the city government, the forum president suggested that the government may enter into parleys with various stake holders, including the consumer organisations to finetune the bill in sync with the ground reality of the metro’s economy.
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Cylinder explodes in SI’s car
Ghaziabad, December 19 The gas cylinder in the Zen Maruti car of a police SI exploded in the collectorate complex on Saturday. The powerful explosion sent shock waves all around and people were seen running helter-skelter. The car was reduced to a wreck. Later, the fire tender brought the blaze under control. The incident took place when the owner of the vehicle, Sub-Inspector B. K. Bhatti, was coming in his Maruti car to join duty in SSP’s office after his posting in the district. Mr Bhatti, after parking his car outside the Collectorate, went to buy a recharge coupon for his mobile phone and around that time the cylinder exploded. The explosion occurred after fire smouldered in the car for about 10 minutes; the gas cylinder was thrown up in the air owing to the impact the explosion. Mr Bhatti said he had got a gas kit fitted a few days ago in Meerut.
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Entrepreneurs hurl graft charges in meeting
Noida, December 19 District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Singh has asked the entrepreneurs to furnish a written complaint, which will be forwarded to the GM, DIC. Even questions were raised about the status of the Noida Entrepreneurs Association (NEA). The other issue that dominated the proceedings was that of Transport Nagar and the corruption in government offices, especially the Registry Department. The NEA had complained to the DM that the Registry Department was issuing fudged notices to the entrepreneurs, which were withdrawn after money exchanged hands. For example, Arun Jain of G-38 in Sector-6 was issued a stamp duty notice with regard to a ‘newly built’ third floor; it was subsequently found that no third floor had ever been constructed on the premises.
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Haiderpur slum dwellers clamour for power supply
New Delhi, December 19 Thousands of residents led by the local convenors of the National Conference of Dalit Organisation (NACDOR), Mrs Madhuri Maurya, Uttam Singh, Vijay Kumar, Inderjeet Yadav and Mansukh Rathod, took out a march in the area. They also held corner meetings in nearby slum colonies, including Wazirpur, Swaroop Nagar, Sooraj Park, Bhalaswa Diary and other localities to fight the ‘callous’ attitude of the NDPL. While addressing the gathering, convenors held the Delhi Government responsible for power cuts in the slums. They rued the fact that during elections, the politicians come to the clusters and literally beg for votes. Once they are voted to power, they do not care for the development of clusters. To get regular power connections and supply, they decided to form a federation of various associations of slum dwellers and named it Sajhidar. The slum dwellers will hold a rally at Jantar Mantar on December 22 and give a memorandum to the Chief Minister for the resumption of the power connections.
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RWA makes a novel move
Gurgaon, December 19 The initiative is called ‘The DLF City Advantage’ – a preferred membership card exclusively for the members of the DLF City RWA. The DLF City RWA is claimed to have about 5,000 residents/property owners spread over across five phases of DLF City and condominiums. At a function, the president of the DLF City RWA, Mr Subash Gaurav, said that by issuing the card, DLF has made its members feel exclusive and privileged. —TNS
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Man gets life term for killing father
New Delhi, December 19 The Additional Sessions Judge also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Gobind Gopal who murdered his father Dwarka Prasad on June 15, 2000, and threw his body on the roof of his house in Sant Nagar in north Delhi. Gobind revealed during interrogation that he had committed the crime because his father used to abuse him quite often. The area was searched after the neighbours had complained of foul smell emanating from the house, the police said. The man slit the throat of his father with a kitchen knife.—TNS
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Bioinformatic students felicitated
New Delhi, December 19 Speaking on the occasion, Dr. A K Sengupta, MD, FITT, said, “The path-breaking partnership forged between IIT-D and NIIT is a proof of the immense scope of academia-industry collaboration. Such efforts go a long way in contributing to the growth of both the Industry, in this case Bioinformatics, and the young career aspirants in
the field”.
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