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No new tax in
Rs 2601.76 cr MCD budget
Abducted boy killed in Ghaziabad
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NCERT all set to rebuild education system in tsunami-hit areas
JNU students vote down coffee kiosk
Over 60 Noida staff sure of getting plots
Noida firemen to be armed with latest equipment
Siti fest to give voice to budding talent
Woman among six held with fake
currency
Fridge company found guilty of poor service
Road to Dadri project still a far cry
President’s Police Medal for Noida cop
Mobile workshop for cars launched
VAT Bill to be finalised for scrutiny soon
Rain forecast today
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No new tax in
Rs 2601.76 cr MCD budget
New Delhi, January 28 The Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr Mukesh Goel, announced that there was no need for levying new taxes as it had enough finance to meet its expenditure. Rumours regarding levying of new taxes were spread by the Opposition to tarnish the image of the ruling Congress party in the corporation as well as in the national Capital, he alleged. Before finalising the budget proposals tabled by the Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, the chairman pledged to strengthen, rationalise and bring about transparency in tax collection, particularly in property tax, toll tax, license fee, tehbazari, remunerative projects and advertisement tax. The corporation also decided to ensure optimum utilisation of available man, material and financial resources. It decided to further empower the municipal councillors and increase the working capability and efficiency of municipal officers and employees. Delivering the budget speech, the chairman highlighted the new schemes initiated by the corporation, particularly the Unit Area Method (UAM) for assessment of property tax, construction of modern parking sites, computerisation of toll tax collection and the new advertisement policy. He assured that the corporation will achieve it target revenue of Rs 1,245 crore through the UAM of property tax collection. He recommended the increase of councillors fund from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per year. It was also decided to allot mobile PCO booths to physically challenged persons, as there were not enough kiosks to help them earn their livelihood. The corporation will also sanction Rs 5,000 to widows to help them in the marriage of their daughters. The MCD also decided to make structural changes by implementing new building bye-laws, which is now in the process of being finalised.
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Abducted boy killed in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, January 28 The boy had been kidnapped from Buklana village yesterday evening. S.P. Rural
B.K. Shekhar said that the police have recovered his body in the morning today, and it appeared to be a vengeance killing. Gaurav, son of Karan Singh in Buklana village, had gone out to play yesterday evening. When he did not return home and the family failed to trace him till late night, they reported the incident to the police, the SP said. Meanwhile, someone informed the police in the morning today that a boy’s body was lying in the jungle between Buklana and Faridpur villages. The cops went hunting for him and found the body which was later identified as that of missing boy Gaurav. The police have sent it for autopsy and are questioning some suspicious characters in the village, the SP Rural added.
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Passengers feel the pinch as
New Delhi, January 28 Passengers at these places were seen waiting for hours together to get alternate transport to take them to their destinations. The leaders of the auto-rickshaw operators unions here said that the Delhi Government has been insensitive to their demand of reducing the fitness charges and instead had unleashed a reign of terror against them. The authorities have launched a continuous campaign to tame the auto-rickshaw operators, who are known for rude behaviour, over charging and refusal to carry passengers to their destinations. It was only through sustained effort by the authorities that the majority of auto-rickshaw drivers have been forced to run their vehicles and charge fares according to the new electronic meters. And this is what is believed to be the main reason for them to go on a strike. Meanwhile, the authorities said that the Delhi Transport Minister had already scheduled a meeting with the union leaders to discuss their problems on Tuesday and there was no reason for them to go on a strike before that. “It is obvious that the auto-rickshaw operators are adopting blackmailing tactics to pressurise us,” a senior officer said.
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NCERT all set to rebuild education
New Delhi, January 28 The relief work will focus on management of posttraumatic depression among children and teachers, and support the children in their studies and help them prepare for their forthcoming examinations. In a meeting held here today, it was decided to send a special group to assess the damage and to take measures to rebuild the education system in the tsunami-hit areas. It was pointed out that since schools are often converted into relief camps during calamities, education is the worst affected. The loss of human life and assets also contributes to children bowing out of schools and colleges. The team will be concentrating on the various methods to extend help to the tsunami-affected population to provide support. The students and the faculty of Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs) of NCERT will aid in the rehabilitation process. The professionals from the RIEs and Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations of Education (DEPFE) are likely to be deputed for providing the necessary guidance to teachers for classroom management. NCERT textbooks, teachers’ guide etc., will be provided on the immediate basis by the Publication Department to the schools using NCERT books. Where the school labs are destroyed, the Department of Education in Science and Mathematics (DESM) will provide the Science kits manufactured in NCERT workshop. Addressing the meeting, the Director of NCERT, Prof. Krishna Kumar, said that India as a nation is facing grave consequences of the tsunami disaster, which has also affected children and schools located in these areas.
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JNU students vote down coffee kiosk
New Delhi, January 28 The much talked about Nestle kiosks selling ‘MNC coffee’, which incidentally even the indigenous dhabawalla sells, became not just a discussion over a cup of tea, but an important election issue. “The students have finally given their verdict, they don’t want the Nescafe outlet on the campus,” said Muqbil Ahmar, General Secretary, JNUSU, announcing the decision taken at the University General Body Meeting (UGBM), which lasted till early this morning. “It was made clear that the students will not tolerate any MNC presence on the campus and we are now awaiting for the administration to do the needful,” Ahmar added. While some sections in the campus supported the presence of the Nestle kiosk, most others were vehemently opposed to it. The argument put forth by the supporters that those who can afford to have Nescafe should not be denied the chance, was rubbished by the opponents as its presence on the campus goes against the “culture of JNU”. “JNU has a socially sensitive admission policy, where we have students from economically and socially deprived sections walking alongside others. There is a deliberately cultivated culture in JNU, where there is no difference between the haves and have-nots. So the argument of affordability does not stand,“ said Ahmar. He went on to add, “if they can afford Nescafe today, tomorrow they can afford Nirula’s or some other such outlet. So does that mean we have to create space for these outlets also and in turn create a divide and cause the deprived ones to have an inferiority complex?” Claiming that the students have been against “globalisation and the MNC culture”, the students’ representative said there is a lot of discontent amongst the teachers as well as the students over the presence of an MNC in the campus, and should the administration not comply, they would protest. “We want to promote a culture where people from diverse backgrounds can coexist. The government spends about Rs 90,000 per year on each students here and to create an atmosphere where one section would be uncomfortable would be totally unwelcome,” Ahmar pointed out. The UGBM, which continued till early this morning, was adjourned and a date is yet to be announced for the next meeting.
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Over 60 Noida staff sure of getting plots
Noida, January 28 Two out of them are sure to get a plot of the biggest size–450 sq mt each. The authority has decided to have the draw of plot conducted by Tata Consultancy, it is learnt. At present, work of screening the applications is in progress at a fast pace. A seniority list is also being prepared for it. Among the Noida Authority employees, 54 applied for the first category, 10 for second, 21 for third and two for fourth category plots. The second reserved class applicants to benefit in a big way are from the commercial and institutional category. Every fourth applicant can get a plot in this section as there are only 440 applicants for 125 plots in this category. There are 30 applicants for category one, 43 in two, 260 in three and 107 for category four. Only 219 plots are to be allotted in industrial category for which 1,036 applications have been received. These include 90 for category I, 96 for II, 457 for III and 393 for category IV.
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Noida firemen to be armed with latest equipment
Noida, January 28 Like Gurgaon, Noida has also witnessed tremendous construction activity with several highrise residential and commercial buildings coming up during the last couple of years. The decision to streamline the force was taken at a high-level meeting between the Noida Authority chairman and the senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Services. ‘’The government was aware of the weakness in the Noida fire force. The recent fire in DLF highrise in Gurgaon forced us to relook at our preparedness to handle such a situation,’’ a Noida Authority official said. The Noida Fire Service lacks sophisticated equipment like hydraulic platforms, gas masks and the requisite training for firemen. For want of these technologies, the Noida fire force had requisitioned the services of the Delhi Fire Service several times to extinguish fires in the past. ‘’We placed our demands to the Noida Authority. The chairman has now sanctioned funds for the purchase of urgently required equipment,’’ the Noida Fire Service Chief Officer, Mr R P Gupta, said. Initially, the Noida Authority plans to purchase one hydraulic platform, water mouser, two water tenders, jeep toying vehicle, portable diesel pump and two smoke exhausters. At present, the Noida fire force has only three
fire engines, a fire force official said.
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Siti fest to give voice to budding talent
New Delhi, January 28 The six-day event scheduled at Talkatora Grounds will hunt for not only bhajan singers but also pop, gazal, folk, and classical singers. The selected participants will perform on stage with their icons. Selection will be done through an audition scheduled for tomorrow and Sunday at Essel House, B-10, Lawrence Road Industrial Area. The budding singers would do an audition to be tested by experts like Sarod maestro Ustad Amzad Ali Khan Saheb and Gajendra Singh of the Antakshari fame. The selected participants will be groomed by a brief training before being presented in front of the audience. The celebrity performers will be selected by the city people who can send their choice through SMS or by logging on to the website. During the Siti Mahotsav, special awards would also be given to the personalities who have gained global heights in their fields and contributed to the uplift of the city. These awards would be Siti Vaijayanti for the personality who has achieved international standards, Siti Pushp for the person who has achieved national standards and Siti Karnik for the one who has achieved regional standards.
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Woman among six held with fake
currency
Ghaziabad, January 28 The Indica car coming from Hapur was stopped accordingly, and on checking, swathes of currency notes in Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 50 denominations were found concealed in the car. As the notes were found to be fake, all the occupants of car–Rakesh, son of Satya Prakash, Sanjay Colony,
Meerut; Jagat of Khanpur, Meerut; Syam Chand of TP Nagar, Meerut; Sunder of Civil Lines,
Meerut; and Rajiv Yadav, alias Babloo, of Roorkie were arrested. During interrogation, Rakesh told the police that they had handed over Rs 1.50 lakh in fake currency to Naginder and Vir Bahadur, Army jawans in
Roorkie. Rakesh said they used to bring these notes from one Satish in village Khanpur under Jani police station in
Meerut. They had contacted these jawans for marketing the notes who used to meet them in a Begum Bridge restaurant in
Meerut. Naginder and Vir Bahadur used to buy these notes at half the value. The Ghaziabad police have informed the Army authorities about the involvement of jawans in the racket. The Army authorities would take further action against Naginder and Vir
Bahadur. — OC
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Fridge company found guilty of poor service
New Delhi, January 28 After he lodged complaints, Godrej-GE’s mechanic replaced the drier and compressor besides refilling the gas in the fridge, he said. Maurya in his complaint claimed that despite the repair work, the refrigerator did not function properly, following which he approached the consumer court claiming the refund of the fridge’s cost and Rs 20,000 as compensation. The company claimed that the fridge did not have any manufacturing defects and all the problems arose due to the complainant’s mishandling of the fridge. The court noted that the appliance developed defects during the warranty period and despite several complaints, the defects were not rectified and rejected the company’s contention that all the alleged problems occurred during summer when there is excessive load-shedding and very low voltage during the day.
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Road to Dadri project still a far cry
Ghaziabad, January 28 The estimated cost of the land is pegged at Rs 3.75 crore and the land will have to be acquired from the farmers of 10 villages in the area. The contract for the construction of the road to the power plant was first awarded to the state Public Works Department, but on MLA Surinder Kumar Munni’s complaint to the Chief Minister, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, that there had been some anomalies in the award of this work, the contract has now been awarded for Rs 24 crore to UP State Construction Corporation. The State Construction Corporation has now demanded more land for widening this road. The executive engineer, Mr Y.P. Singh, has confirmed that 1.45 lakh sq.mt land needed for the road is being acquired soon for Rs 3.75 crore by the state PWD.
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President’s Police Medal for Noida cop
Noida, January 28 Commandant Joginder Singh, presently posted in the HQ of Central Reserve Police Force, Delhi, hails from Sun Pur village in Gautam Budh Nagar. Coming from an ordinary family, Joginder Singh was selected as a Dy SP in the CRPF in 1975. After a year’s training at Internal Security Academy, Mount Abu, Joginder Singh has served in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram Meghalaya, Bihar, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. Born on June 24, 1952, Joginder Singh had passed his B.Sc. from Meher Mauj College Dadri and M.Sc. from MH College, Ghaziabad. He was awarded a police medal in 1997 for distinguished services.
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Mobile workshop for cars launched
Gurgaon, January 28 Unveiling the service here, the Managing Director, Mr Jagdish Khattar, said that the customers have become busy due to the increasing work pressure, leading us to start this special service. He claims that it is the first initiative taken by the company in the country. He further revealed that the pilot project would be studied minutely for six months and later expanded in other parts of the country. The mobile service workshop would also be sent to the remote areas of the city so that rural persons can get their vehicles serviced in their villages, explained Mr Khattar.
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VAT Bill to be finalised for scrutiny soon
New Delhi, January 28 The Additional Commissioner (Sales Tax), Mr Ashish Verma, has said that one could expect many changes over the next two to three years in order to make it more compliance-friendly. Speaking at an interactive meeting on Delhi VAT, organised by PHDCCI today, Mr Verma said, “At this juncture, we need all the support from trade and industry. There has to be a spirit of co-operation between the department and those affected by VAT.” He said the residents of the national Capital were highly aggrieved by the continuation of central sales tax, which was not compatible with VAT.
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Rain forecast today
New Delhi, January 28 The city received some 2 mm of rainfall during the night, that can be attributed to local weather factors, the Met Department said. However, temperatures showed an increase, with the minimum rising from yesterday’s 5.5 degrees Celsius to seven degrees Celsius, which is still a degree below normal. The maximum temperature yesterday stood at
22°C, normal for this time of the winter. The Met Department, meanwhile, forecast a partly cloudy sky for the city in the next 24 hours,
with possibility of light rain or thundershowers in some areas. There was respite from fog this morning in Delhi, but mist or fog has been forecast for tomorrow and the minimum temperature was expected to stay around
8°C.
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