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HAM operator helps families connect with tsunami victims
State Govt flags off aid for tsunami-hit
Concern over availability of obscene VCDs
Governor told to shun tainted schools
Night shelter throws out inmates in biting winter cold
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Santro car murder
case solved
CBI catches senior manager red-handed
NCERT reviewing art education curriculum
Keyboard wizard believes music captures one and all
Artists invoke Hashmi, Prem Chand’s legacy
MCD drive to remove encroachments
Hospitality English programme launched
Foggy conditions likely to persist
Indian delegation visits Myanmar
64-year-old commits suicide
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HAM operator helps families connect with
New Delhi, December 28 Sitting at his terminal Tuesday afternoon, Baruah told The Tribune that he has received 10 “calls” over the past 48 hours. “I have received e-mails and
SMSes from several places at home and abroad … Bangalore, Ranchi, Pune and Thailand …. I have relayed all their messages to this team of HAM operators stationed at Port Blair and forwarded the replies from them to the families wherever they are,” he said. One such distraught family is from New Delhi. Dr Karan Singh Chauhan, who teaches in a college here, was holidaying with his two sons and a daughter on the island when the
tsunami hit the shore. It had only been a few days from the time they reached Port Blair. “Fortunately,” Dr Chauhan recalled, “There were these people staying on the fifth floor of the hotel where we were put up … they had this equipment (HAM), so we asked them if they could relay the information of our well-being to people back home.” Within hours, Sandeep Baruah was on the telephone informing Dr Chauhan’s domestic help of their whereabouts. Dr Chauhan and his family, who returned to the Capital last night, have not spoken with Baruah yet but he is all praise for him and the amateur radio operators on the island for coming to his help in their hour of need. Baruah, meanwhile, has no regrets. He has no time for that for there are other calls to be attended to, he says as a distant station crackles at his terminal. Like Dr Chauhan, Mrs Cesar Maia from Bangkok, Thailand, has established contact with Baruah. She wants to if her husband is safe and sound on the island. “I have not received any news about her husband but I am trying … the audio quality today is poor, so I might have to wait longer to hear from my counterparts stationed on the island,” says Baruah, who is happy being Good Samaritan for people he has come to know only in the past few days. Meanwhile, Dr Chauhan is still to recover from his harrowing experience on the island. “Buildings were literally swaying from side to side, the hotel where we were staying was damaged … there were cracks in the walls, the sea was violent and washed away anything and everything that came in its way … even the boundary wall of a college nearby was swept away … all of us spent the first night outside,” he recalls before he, his children and one other family flew to Kolkata on way to Delhi.
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State Govt flags off aid for tsunami-hit
New Delhi, December 28 Lieutenant Governor BL Joshi flagged off the trucks from the Raj Niwas. Chief Fire Officer RC Sharma presented a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh on behalf of the Fire Service Officers Benevolent Fund to the Lieutenant Governor, a release from Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat said here. Deputy Mayor Ramesh Dutta also handed over to Mr Joshi Rs 71,000 raised from citizens through door-to-door collection for the calamity-hit people, it said.
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Hundreds gather at India Gate to mourn
New Delhi, December 28 The activists wore black cloth, covering half of their face, to pay tribute to those killed in the worst earthquake in 40 years. The quake jolted several South Asian countries, including South Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Andamans. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bitta appealed to all citizens to come forward and help the suffering humanity in the moment of crisis that had impacted both life and property. He said that people should extend help in every possible way by donating clothes, money, food and medicines to fulfill the basic needs, till further reinforcements and arrangements of settling them by the authorities are taken care of. Expressing his deep concern over the huge loss of life and property, the AIATF chief said that there was a certain lack of disaster management despite the global warning by scientists that such cataclysmic sea surges and flooding was inevitable. He also praised the way relief and rescue operations were being carried out and called for extra efforts to rehabilitate those displaced by the sudden onslaught of tragedy. He also urged the people to come forward and volunteer to help those influenced by the crisis to speed up the relief and rescue operations. He also hoped for the safety of people reported missing after the tsunami wrecked southern parts of India.
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Delhiites chip in with relief
New Delhi, December 28 A meeting of the BJP legislature party was called in this regard and it observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the deceased. The BJP legislators have also decided to donate their one-month salary for the victims. Meanwhile, the NDMC Vice Chairperson, Tajdar Babar, has moved a resolution for contributing
Rs. One crore as financial assistance from the municipal funds. This is in addition to the token contribution from NDMC employees for the quake victims of Tamil Nadu. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has also decided to pay Rs. 4 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief fund. This fund is being raised by way of contributions from MCD councilors who are contributing their one month’s stipend and employees who are contributing one day’s salary. The contribution of the latter adds up to Rs 3 crore. According to the mayor, the MCD has set up collection centres in all 12 zones under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner to collect relief materials. The material collected would be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs for transportation to the affected areas.
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Concern over availability of obscene VCDs
New Delhi, December 28 The issue, it may be mentioned, was also raised at a meeting jointly organised by the Delhi Administration and the NCW for firming up the gender profile in the Capital. Calling such material a grave threat to the morals of the society, NCW Chairperson Poornima Advani said the NCW had been receiving complaints about the sale and circulation of obscene material like
pornographic VCDs, tapes etc in the markets all over the Delhi. “ The Palika Bazar is often mentioned as the hotspot for the trade,” she added. Referring to the infamous pornographic VCD case involving former Miss Jammu Anara Gupta, in which the beauty queen is an accused, Ms Advani said the family of Anara had also informed the commission about the circulation of such VCDs freely in the markets of Delhi. “ It is besides the point of course that the family has denied Anara’s involvement in the episode and blamed mischievous use of electronic technology,” she added.
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Governor told to shun tainted schools
Faridabad, December 28 The general secretary of the Manch, Mr Kailash Sharma, said here today that it had come to their knowledge that the school was embroiled in several controversies, including the violation of the rules of the Haryana Urban Development Authority. The institution had been issued a notice earlier by the authorities concerned for not following the guidelines. He claimed that the CBSE had also set up an enquiry committee to probe into certain allegations levelled by the Faridabad Abhibhawak Manch in April this year. Moreover, the school had been in the dock over some ‘fraud charges’ and a case had been pending in the local court regarding alleged misuse of funds and complaints about forcing the teaching staff to relinquish a part of their salary to the school, he added. He said any visit of a VIP like the Governor to such a school would not be in the best interests of
the society and such a development ought to be avoided. The manch has also charged certain district officials of attending the functions of many tainted schools in the town. Recalling a recent incident, the manch claimed that a senior official of the HUDA had been the chief guest at the function of a school in Sector- 16 here which, he
said, had been in receipt of a show cause notice issued by the same department. Protesting over such developments, the manch claimed that these tendencies of the officials had been creating a hurdle in
the proper implementation of the rules and regulations in the education sector. In its first meeting, which was held here on Saturday, the Haryana Abhibhawak Ekta Manch decided to set up units in all districts of the state, raised its demand of implementing the Haryana Schools Education Policy – 2003 and taking action against schools which are flouting the rules. In a resolution adopted at the meeting, the members of the manch asked the political parties to clarify their stand on the issue before the elections. It said that the government would have to bring some drastic steps to effect the required changes and claimed that it is not possible till the commercialisation of the education sector is not stopped. The privatisation should not have an adverse affect on education, which is the basic right of every child. The members of the manch also discussed in the meeting the manner in which the private school education had shot into prominence and the standard of education had gone down in government-owned schools. Demanding enhanced budgets for this sector at both the Centre and the state, the manch appealed the government to set up regulatory and monitoring bodies involving some NGOs and parents associations to check the misuse and ensure proper use of funds. Seeking the withdrawal of the policy of ‘rationalisation’ implemented by the state government, the participants in the meeting demanded the authorities concerned to appoint more teachers in the government schools and make them accountable for the result.
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Night shelter throws out inmates in biting winter cold
New Delhi, December 28 The plummeting mercury worries Rampyari, whose only wish is to be relocated to a “decent shelter”. And lying barely an inch away from her is Shanti Devi, a mother of six. An immigrant from Bihar who is trying to raise her children and nurse an ailing husband, Shanti Devi’s priority these days is to hunt for a roof. While the women have a grouse against the NDMC for “taking away their shelter,” the NDMC on its part claims “it was not obliged to keep the women in the Palika Hostel”. Director Public Relations, NDMC, Madan Thapliyal said, “We run these night shelters for just two months each year. The one in Palika Hostel was run from December to February and these women had been asked to evict. When they failed to comply, we had to evict them”. The women, who are back on the streets now, are not just agitated over the eviction, but also with the conduct of the NDMC staffers. “On October 16, 2004, NDMC employees armed with brooms came and beat us for resisting eviction”, they allege. Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), which has been highlighting the plight of these women, claims that the
NDMC had passed a resolution making this place a shelter home for women and children with the help of some NGOs, but later decided not to adhere
to the decision. The NDMC, however, claims that, “there is no reason for them to run the shelter as there are industries and work places in the NDMC area. The women taking refuge in the hostel did not even work in the NDMC area”. Thapliyal said, “We have recently opened another night shelter in a Primary School in Sarojini Nagar. It will cater to those who require shelter, especially those who accompany patients to hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung”. Refuting his claims, Ram Kishan, a co-ordinator with AAA, said: “Most of the women and children in the New Delhi Area belong to the unorganised sector, they sell products on streets and, therefore, NDMC should make provision for these people”. He added, “The provision to turn Palika Hostel into a permanent shelter dates back to 2002 and it is for the NDMC to run such shelters as a responsibility, not an obligation”. And while the NDMC and the AAA trade blame, it is yet another night for these women out in the biting cold.
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Santro car murder
case solved
New Delhi, December 28 The victim’s wristwatch, a Nokia phone and Rs 15,000 were also found missing. The accused persons who were arrested have been identified as Mrs Munesh Chowdhary, wife of a dreaded criminal Dimple Tyagi, a resident of Ghaziabad, and his associate Manoj Kumar Sharma, a resident of Baghpat. Based on a complaint from one Purushottam Das Dhawan, a resident of Govindpura extension, that his son Anmol Rattan was missing the police had launched investigations and analyzed his mobile phone records. His friends and other persons residing near the Subzi Mandi Dadri area were also questioned. During investigations the police found out that the Nokia phone was used by Manoj and arrested him immediately. Under interrogation, both Munesh Chowdhary and Manoj confessed to their crime. In another incident, the East district police claims to have rescued a six-year-old child who was kidnapped from Geeta Colony area on December 15. Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, the police found out that the child was last seen with a small girl who is a resident of Bihar. A special team was immediately rushed to Samastipur in Bihar and the child was found abandoned in the village. The police have now launched a massive hunt to trace the persons involved in the crime.
MCD CMO honoured
The Chief Medical Officer of MCD’s Indian Population Project has been conferred the prestigious “DR. A.K.N. Sinha national award for the year 2003-2004” for outstanding and distinguished services to the medical profession. The award is annually given by the Indian Medical Association, the apex national professional body of doctors in the country, in recognition of outstanding contribution to the medical field. This award was presented at a special award presentation ceremony in MEDICON 2004 at 79th Annual Conference of the
IMA. — TNS
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CBI catches senior manager red-handed
New Delhi, December 28 According to the CBI sources, the complainant had earlier deposited some amount as security money with the ITDC when he was awarded with the contract of a civil work. The work was completed in August 2003 and final payment was released but the security amount was still with ITDC. On December 24 this year, the complainant met with the accused in the parking of Hotel Janpath. There, the accused asked the complainant to write an application stating that he had received the cheque of Rs. 1,20,275 that was deposited with the ITDC as security money. However, to obtain another cheque of Rs. 56,000 that was also with the ITDC, the accused demanded a bribe of Rs. 15,000. The complainant reported the matter to the CBI; its sleuths caught red handed the accused while accepting the amount.
Fly over opens at busy GT Road intersection
The Delhi Development Authority opened a flyover today at the intersection of G T Road (No 66), Seelampur, in East Delhi. This flyover has been constructed over an extremely busy intersection in East Delhi that has traffic intensity of about 10,000 passenger car units per hour in peak hours. The main flyover is 672 meter long and 10 meter wide. The total cost of the project is about Rs 2,449 lakh, including the cost of the construction of single-carriageway flyover, widening of a bridge over trunk drain No. 1 on both sides, a cycle-cum-pedestrian subway and widening of roads etc. This is the 11th flyover constructed by the DDA and opened to traffic.
TNS
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NCERT reviewing art education curriculum
New Delhi, December 28 A two-day meeting of National Focus Group on Art Education to work out the details concluded in the NCERT under the chairmanship of noted personality Ms Shubha Mudgal here today. The group, comprising 15 specialists from the field of art, is providing inputs in designing the reviewed curriculum in school education at different stages. The group will work on the different stages of school education, starting from pre-primary to higher secondary stages. The focus will be on the objectives of teaching art education, present status of teaching-learning in art education, pre-service and in-service teacher training, implementation strategies for effective curriculum transaction, role of NCERT in designing the curriculum framework, syllabus, preparation of teachers’ resource material and conducting training programs for teachers. A meeting of the National Focus Group on Work and Education also began its meeting here yesterday. The group will review the NCF 2000 with respect to Work Education Component of the Curriculum under the leadership of Prof. Anil Sadgopal. The recommendations of the NFG -Art Education and Work and Education will be considered for the ongoing National Curriculum Framework Review.
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Keyboard wizard believes music captures one and all
New Delhi, December 28 Teri Kasam, the latest album of Adnan Sami, has been released by T-Series. This is his third consecutive album after his earlier albums Lift karade... and Tera Chehra.... The music videos of three of Adnan’s songs from the album Teri Kasam have already come out. Besides Amisha Patel, Bhumika Chawla and Diya Mirza are the other Bollywood actresses who have appeared in the video. The singer believes that love is an element that blends well with people of all generations. Teri Kasam is another romantic collection brought about by Adnan. Being a multi-faceted singer, Adnan has also sung for popular Bollywood films, besides music albums, which have become topped the charts. This singing sensation has surely made his mark nationally and internationally through his melodies voice. The singer says he has along way to go and always has his options open, whether singing or even acting in future. Truly passionate about his work, keyboard wizard Adnan Sami believes that music captures one and all, which reflects in his compositions that have become instant hits with young and the old generation alike.
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Artists invoke Hashmi, Prem Chand’s legacy
New Delhi, December 28 To commemorate the death anniversary of Hashmi on January 1 and to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary year of Munshi Prem Chand, a special exhibition is being organised in the Capital. An art exhibition showcasing works of eminent painters and designers, who have intertwined Prem Chand’s writings with their own creative endeavour, is going to be mounted at the Safdar Memorial in the back lawns of the Vithal Bhai Patel House, Rafi Marg. Among the artists who will put on display their creative best to celebrate the work of both Hashmi and Prem Chand are Gulam Mohammad Sheikh, Arpana Caur, Haku Shah, Veer Munshi, Shamshad, Eleena Banik, Avani Kant, Ratnabali Kant, Nand Katyal, Gopi Gajwani, Hem Jyotika, Sanjay Sharma, Saba Hasan, Ram Rahman, Parthiv Shah and Rajinder Arora. A selection from these works has been published as a full-colour calendar, which will be released on the occasion. This is the first time that painters and designers have engaged with the text of a major writer on such a large scale and with such enthusiasm. Readings from Prem Chand’s writings by film-theatre-media persons, writers and poets and a short play by Jan Natya Manch will also be enacted. The programme on January 1 will commence at 2.30 pm with a performance by a theatre group — the Players of Kirori Mal College — and will be followed by a tribute to legendary singer M.S.Subalakshmi by Vaishala Venkatachalam and Navtej Jauhar. Artist Ratna Bali Kant will do a piece of performance art. Punjabi urban folk and Sufi singer Jasbir Jassi, Shubha Mudgal, Madangopal Singh and Imran Khan and Tanveer Ahmad Khan of the Delhi Gharana will also perform. Another highlight of this year’s programme will be the rendering of urban-folk music by a leading urban folk artist from Cameroon, Prince Eyango.
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MCD drive to remove encroachments
New Delhi, December 28 The MCD has already served notice on the residents who have made the encroachments. The Municipal Commissioner said that a total of 430 houses had been constructed on the stretch. Some of the residents are removing the encroachments themselves while others are being removed by the MCD. When the demolition was started, hundreds of people protested against the drive and tried to get it stopped. About 400 police personnel were deployed to control the protestors. The Commissioner said that because of the encroachments the desilting work of the drain was not done, resulting in the clogging of the Gokulpuri-Jafrabad drain and others which fall into it. When it rains, a flood like situation develops in the area as there is no way to drain out the
rainwater. — TNS
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Hospitality English programme launched
New Delhi, December 28 As the Indian tourism and hospitality sector is witnessing rapid growth, there is a greater need for the hospitality professionals to communicate in internationally understood English. The ‘Hospitality English’ programme aims to bridge the identified need gap and arm hospitality professionals with world-class language training. Commenting on the launch, Asheesh Gupta, Business Head, Hero Mindmine, said: “The Indian hospitality industry is growing at a rate of 15 per cent annually. With the rapid growth, it has become critical to train our hospitality professionals in a way that helps them match up to international standards. Our unique hospitality training module aims to equip the hospitality industry professionals with the knowledge and skills required to win in today’s highly competitive environment.” Hospitality English has six sub-modules on Reception, Restaurant and Bar, Cashier and Checkout, Guest Services, Guest Relations and Telephone, in addition to an assessment module. This globally benchmarked programme has been authored with the English Language Center of Michigan State University. The programme uses state-of-the art speech-recognition and interactive technology to train in an engaging manner. It is estimated that such technology-assisted learning is up to 40 per cent more effective in training adult learners.
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Foggy conditions likely to persist
New Delhi, December 28 Vehicular movement remained slow and most motorists relied on foglights and blinkers to navigate. The minimum temperature in the Capital today plunged to a new low of 5.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal, the Met office said. It was 5.7 degree Celsius yesterday. The department has cautioned that the foggy conditions are likely to continue for some time. Fog engulfed most parts of the Capital just after dawn but did not disrupt flight operations much to the relief of the passengers and the air carriers. The foggy conditions, however, continued to disrupt railway service with Northern Railway being forced to cancel seven trains while several others were running up to 24 hours behind schedule.
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Indian delegation visits Myanmar
Faridabad, December 28 Sharing his experiences with The Tribune here today, Dr Singh claimed that Myanmar, erstwhile Burma, is a unique place without any sign of fast life which is the case in several developing countries. As part of a special campaign, ‘Vipasyana’ (meditation), an Indian delegation had toured the country from December 8 to 20.
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64-year-old commits suicide
New Delhi, December 28 Madan Lal, the deceased, poured kerosene on himself in his Hari Nagar home and set himself ablaze this morning. He was rushed to hospital with 99 per cent burns, where he was declared brought dead.
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