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No take over, only tech import: DJB
133 schools clamp down on junk food
Round II for colleges keen on CPE grant
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Husband, in-laws held in dowry death case
Fake currency racket busted
HC notice to GNIDA
Hoax call on Patna Rajdhani
Artscape
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No take over, only tech import: DJB
New Delhi, January 23 ‘’There will be no sale, no transfer of assets. We will not allow anybody from outside to manage our affairs. Our engineers are going to do it all,’’ Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Mohan said here in the latest and most categorical ever denial of the privatisation move. However, he said the DJB will not hesitate to welcome the best technologies available in the world to make the utility more efficient. Earlier, Lieutenant Governor BL Joshi and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit have also strongly denied any move to hand over water to private hands. However, all the denials of the Delhi Governments have so far failed to convince the opponents of privatisation of water in the Capital. They suspect that the government might inject privatisation in the name of upgrading the technology. Moreover, the recent hike in water tariff, they say, is a precursor to the sale of the utility to private hands. A similar water tariff hike followed by privatisation had taken place in Bolivia, Manila, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and, recently, Mexico and was unsuccessful in all these places, says environmentalist Dr Vandana Shiva. Dr Shiva demanded that water tariffs should be reasonable and re-adjusted after consultations with people’s representatives and the water categorisation should be re-worked to remove anomalies like agriculture being placed in industrial category and schools in commercial category. Canada-based Polaris Institute Director Tony Clark, who was recently in the Capital to attend a seminar on water, says it was important to note that the water tariff hike had been carried out just before the World Bank promise of 400 per cent increase in loans for water projects in India. Increase in rates and ownership issue of community / local / municipal local water sources have to be centralised as a pre-condition to such World Bank loans, he said. Ms Agnes Bertrand of Observatoire de le Globalisation of France said big French and US companies were using the World Bank and IMF-WTO to serve their interest and petty minded politicians in many countries were extending a helping hand to them in this task. Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana claims that a report ‘’secretly prepared’’ by a multinational company on the assessment of Delhi Jal Board properties at the instance of the World Bank has been submitted to the Delhi Government. Mr Khurana said that nearly 3,900 assets covering an area of 6,000 acres, whose market value is at least Rs 48,000 crore, are being offered by the government for a meagre Rs 1,500 crore to foreign companies which have failed and subsequently moved out of some developing countries. The undervaluation of properties and the constitution of a regulatory commission for water is a precursor to placing the ownership of the DJB in their hands and ultimately towards privatisation. ‘’If at all there is no move to privatise as the Chief Minister says, then why set up a valuation committee,’’ he said. The Jal Board CEO says those raising the privatisation bogey were confusing commercialisation with profit making. The Jal board is not going for commercialisation of water but it certainly wants to go for profits, which are ultimately to be invested back in the system to further improve it.
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133 schools clamp down on junk food
New Delhi, January 23 According to the Directorate of Education, “Information received from District South and South West clearly shows that although there are canteens in certain schools, yet junk food is not on sale”. The Education Department had made the submission before the Public Grievance Commission (PGC), which had hauled up the Delhi Government last month over availability of banned food items in school canteens. Though information from rest of the districts is yet to be received, the Department said there was a “persistent confusion” about the food items that may classify as junk food. There were certain food items such as samosa, kachori, puri etc that could have the same ill-effects as junk food; they too can lead to obesity and hypertension. The PGC is seized of an appeal under Section 7(1) of Delhi Right to Information Act filed by Tapas, an NGO, which has sought to know how many schools have implemented the two-year-old order banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in Delhi schools. Welcoming the progress made in the implementation of the child health-friendly order, Tapas chief V K Jain said: “So far people were only talking about ill-effects of junk food on children. Now, it is good to see the ban being implemented.” Jain expressed the hope that the Government would ensure that the December 27, 2002 order was implemented in letter and spirit in the Capital. Earlier, the Delhi Government had asked all Deputy Directors of Education to collect information specifically indicating the number of schools, including public schools, which had implemented the ban order. Tapas approached the commission after the Education Department gave a “general response” to its query on the extent of implementation of the ban order. The NGO had cited a study by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that had linked diseases like obesity, hypertension and diabetes to junk food.
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Round II for colleges keen on CPE grant
New Delhi, January 23 The UGC has written to the Vice Chancellors of the eligible universities to send in the applications by February 11, 2005. The UGC had identified 47 colleges in the first round, including Gargi College and Sri Venkateshwara College of the Delhi University. Many colleges in the city that missed the opportunity to apply last year or were not selected are getting ready with their proposals. Dr. Bhim Sen Singh of Kirorimal College said that though he is yet to receive formal intimation from the university, he is readying to apply for the grant. “I could not apply last year as I was travelling abroad, but this year the college will surely apply”, he said. Dr. Kavita Sharma Principal, Hindu College, who also did not apply last year, refused to reveal whether the college would apply or not. She, however, pointed out that the University is yet to send her the information for applying for the grant. The commission had fixed a quota for each state under the CPE scheme. The quota for a state was fixed after taking into account the total number of colleges under Section 12 B of the UGC Act in that State. In many states either few slots have been filled up or none at all, following which the commission has decided to fill up the slots on priority wherever vacant slots are available. After this process is over, a review will be undertaken with a view to increasing the slots available to all the states. At that time, all the above four States will also be covered again. While the first level of screening is to be done at the university level the second level will be undertaken at the UGC. The screening of colleges for selection at the first level is done through a committee appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, with each university being allowed to nominate the names of six colleges as recommended by the Screening Committee.
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Husband, in-laws held in dowry death case
New Delhi, January 23 The police had received a call that a woman was lying dead in a pool of blood near a tube well in Sangam Vihar on January 20. The deceased was identified as Rekha, wife of Ashok Kumar, and a resident of Malviya Nagar. During investigation the police found Rajender was a prime suspect and arrested him. It was during the cremation that the victim’s relatives became suspicious and charged that her husband and in-laws were responsible for the murder. The case was then transferred to the Crime Branch and during investigation the sleuths found that Ashok, a dhobi by profession, used to play the role of Ram in Ramlilas. Ashok and Rekha fell in love and got married against the wishes of Ashok’s family; however, later even though it was a love marriage, Ashok’s family began harassing Rekha for bringing inadequate dowry. In between, Ashok’s relative, Rajender, a native of Rajasthan, started visiting the house frequently. Since Rajender was unemployed and a drunkard, he would demand money from Rekha. On one occasion Rekha abused him and even chased him out of the house. Rajender, who was furious, took a vow to kill Rekha for humiliating him.
Man arrested
Greater Noida, January 23 In may be recalled that the victim, identified as Anjali, was reported to have shot herself in Beeta-II in Greater Noida on Friday. The father of the deceased, Mr Pratap Singh, and her brother had lodged a compliant with the police alleging that the woman had been pushed into committing suicide by her husband due to his ever increasing demand for dowry. It was alleged that her husband, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law used to harass her for her failure to meet their dowry
demands. — OC
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Fake currency racket busted
New Delhi, January 23 The accused have been identified as Shahid (21), a resident of Chauhan Bangar, Sumit Kumar (20), a resident of Loni and Satish (32), a resident of Meerut. Acting on information,
a trap was laid near Millennium Park. The person identified as Shahid was nabbed and a packet containing Rs 10,000 in fake currency was seized from his possession. Based on his information, the police nabbed Sumit and recovered Rs 10,000 from his possession in Sadat Nagar. Subsequently, another person, Satish, was nabbed from Meerut and the machines used to prepare the fake currency were recovered from his possession.
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HC notice to GNIDA
Greater Noida, January 23 Meanwhile, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Noida Authority, Mr Rakesh Bahadur, has directed all officers and employees of the GNIDA to furnish full details of their property within three days. This step is understood to have been taken as a sequel to the uproar in the draw of residential plots, where rigging was alleged. It is alleged that the employees and the officials had made money in connivance with property dealers in the area. According to the officials, action will be taken against those found to have property disproportionate to their known income. Many of these officials have been charge-sheeted and actions have been initiated against them.
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Hoax call on Patna Rajdhani
New Delhi, January 23
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Artscape
New Delhi, January 23 The Gallery is showcasing the paintings of flowers of self-taught artist, Bhavna Pandey, from January 21 to January 24 to raise funds for the welfare of HIV/AIDS affected children. According to Mr Vipul Kant Upadhyay, CEO and managing director of IAP Company which is sponsoring the unique exhibition, the funds raised from the sale of Bhavna’s paintings will be donated to an NGO, “ Salaam Balak” which has been working with HIV/AIDS affected children. Bhavna Pandey is a self-taught artist, who has been freelancing for the last five years and her paintings have been displayed in many exhibitions both in India and abroad. She has worked in several mediums like acrylic, oil and canvas, water colours on paper and silk, clay with oil, stain glass, mirror and mix media and the result has often been amazing. Bhavna has worked as a compere and newsreader with the All India Radio in Agra and is also a postgraduate in Music. Her paintings of flowers at the exhibition here are amazingly realistic, minutely catching all the nature’s details in colour on canvas.
Showcasing heritage
The Art Lounge at the Ashok Hotel here is showcasing the creations of artist Saranjit Singh Sarna, who excels in reproducing heritage, buildings, monuments et al. The exhibition, which is on till January 25, also includes some of the paintings of Rajput maharanis captured in various poses resplendent in their traditional jewellery.
Voice of Silence
The Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, here is showcasing the paintings of surrealistic artist, Vijender Sharma, entitled, “Shunya Ka Swar” (Voice of Silence). Some of the paintings are so real that one expects the characters to just walk right out of the canvas. Emotions of love, hate and pain have been aesthetically painted on the canvas. The exhibition is on till January 28.
Tribute to a legend
The well-known danseuse, Geeta Chandran, gave a brief but brilliant Bharatanatyam recital in the Capital as a tribute to M. S. Subbulakshmi at a function last week, where vintage film ‘Meera’, featuring the legendary vocalist, was also screened. Organised at the start of the ‘Chinmaya Bhakti Pravah’ last week by Chinmaya Centre of World Understanding, the event subtly sent the message of the capacity of classical arts to remain unbroken over time. A versatile artiste trained under the Thanjavur and Vazhuvur schools of Bharatanatyam, Geeta, whose career entered its 30th year, performed for half-an-hour with focus on aesthetic embellishment of the ancient
dance form. The 42-year-old dancer, who has lately been staging items of contemporary interest, portrayed ‘Madhurastakam’ followed by ‘Shikshastakam’, much to the delight of the audience. What followed was clippings of Subbulakshmi playing the lead role in the film ‘Meera’. The 1945-made black-and-white movie depicts the life and times of the saintly bhajan-singing woman that the ‘Nightingale’ made immortal on the silver screen. The two-hour-long film was interspersed with the songs given life by
Subbulakshmi.
Bookshop for art lovers
Art lovers in the national Capital Territory of Delhi have finally a bookshop for themselves. The Art Book Studio in Khan Market, which was inaugurated by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali over the weekend, promises to be a place just for art lovers, collectors and connoisseurs. The niche bookshop, equipped with computers to help the clients browse art websites, has on its shelves books on textiles, art and craft, interior design, photography, travel and even jewellery. “We just want to create some space where one can sit and look at art without anybody pushing at you,” says Shekhar Malhotra of Full Circle publishers, which has opened the new bookshop. Housed on the first floor of the Full Circle store, the bookshop is described as the first of its kind in the city. ‘’Delhi’s art lovers needed a bookshop like this,’’ said Ali. Among the books are ‘88 Husains in Love,’ ‘Zoraostrian Tapestry,’ ‘The Art of East Asia,’ ‘The Complete Costume History,’ and ‘Costumes and Textiles of Royal India.’
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