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Tenant held for kidnapping, girl rescued
Lid off land scam worth Rs 520 cr in Ghaziabad
Body of abducted boy found
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NCERT panel takes stock of discussions in focus groups
Public may air grievances on education system today
Gurgaon gets third five star hotel
Stress on leprosy prevention
Demand for sanitation work in unauthorised colonies
Memorandum on low sex ratio
Knee surgery, a simple operation now
Turnover tax ‘to sound death-knell’ for units
Muzaffar Ali opens short digital film fest
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Tenant held for kidnapping, girl rescued
New Delhi, January 29 Acting on a complaint by Charu’s mother that her daughter had been kidnapped by her tenant from Vijay Bharti School, the police found a letter in Bunty’s room, which mentioned that he was taking revenge as the victim’s mother was instrumental in driving away his wife Sunita Devi. Based on a tip-off, when the police questioned Bunty’s sister in Mahipalpur, she disclosed his address in Agra. Today the police received a tip-off that one person resembling Bunty was seen roaming around with a girl in Mahipalpur. When the police reached the spot, the accused tried to escape. However, the police overpowered him. During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had kept the girl in confinement in Agra and Gujarat, threatening to kill her brother if she did not cooperate with him. In another case, the South district police claimed to have nabbed three inter-state auto-lifters, who were allegedly involved in at least 43 criminal cases including car jacking, robberies and vehicle thefts. The police also seized two pistols, one live cartridge, one knife and three stolen vehicles from their possession. The accused persons had committed several car robberies in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Delhi. They were also involved in a number of robberies in Lajpat Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Badarpur and Yusuf Sarai. Keeping in view the gravity of the situation, the police had kept the gang members under surveillance. On January 28, the police received a tip-off that three persons would be coming from Agra to rob a businessman. When the gang leader saw the police team near Pul Prahladpur border, he fired at them. The police fired back in self-defense and overpowered them.
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Lid off land scam worth Rs 520 cr in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, January 29 The latest scam was effected by tampering with the government records and producing doctored documents, it is learnt. A report about the swindle, involving over 52.90 hectare (205 bigha) land in Arthla area, has been lodged in Sihani Gate police station, Ghaziabad, in which the notorious land mafioso Moti Lal Goel and 11 others have been named. According to Addl. District Magistrate Rajesh Prakash, scam worth crores of rupees had been detected in which some people had tried to get the valuable land transferred to their name by tampering with the government records. Till January 19, land scam worth Rs 530 crore had been confirmed. The investigation completed yesterday has brought to light another land scam worth Rs 520 crore. Hence to date, the total land scams worth a whopping Rs 1,050 crore have been detected in Ghaziabad district alone. The Addl. DM said that during his interrogation, Amin (Revenue official) Lalu Singh had told that Moti Lal Goel and 11 members of his syndicate had got the land transferred to his name by tampering with the government correspondence and through doctored documents. Moti Lal Goel’s other accomplices include Rakesh Chand, Ms Kasturi Devi, Sushil Bhatia, Deepak Kumar, Jitender, Sanjiv, Raghunath Sahai, Om Prakash, Rohtash, Sanjay Goel and many others.
Rakesh Prakash said that the accused had got transferred 205 bigha (52.93 hectare) land to their names in a fraudulent manner. This land includes barren, marshy and saline land also. Its value has been estimated at Rs 520 crore. The Addl DM said an FIR against 11 accused has been filed in Sihani Gate police station, Ghaziabad under Sections 102-B, 420, 466, 468, 469, 472 and under Sections 13(2), 13(1) d of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1998. Arthla revenue official Rakesh Kumar Sharma has filed the report. In spite of reports of successive land scams having been registered with the police, the Ghaziabad police have failed to arrest any accused so far.
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Body of abducted boy found
Faridabad, January 29
He was a student of class three and did not return home from school on December 22. While the father of the boy suspected the involvement of one Chanderpal who worked as a servant at his shop, the police allegedly kept assuring the family till the very end that ‘they would take the necessary action’. The boy was kidnapped by the accused, who had been sacked after a controversy over certain payment. The kidnapper had reportedly contacted the family a few days ago and demanded ransom in return for the boy. Meanwhile, some residents of Korali village in the district informed the police about a body lying near a building, yesterday. It is reported that the kidnapper who was arrested from his native village in UP, admitted that he had contacted the family for ransom on January 21 and later killed the boy. While the police are examining the statements of the accused, the family members of the victim are in a state of shock. Mr K.L. Gera, a social activist based here, has demanded a high-level enquiry into the incident and asked for a strict action against all those responsible for the alleged police inaction. Describing it as a sensitive case, he said it was more serious than the incidents of child kidnappings in Bihar.
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NCERT panel takes stock of discussions in focus groups
New Delhi, January 29 The two-day meeting was chaired by Professor Yashpal. The discussions centered round the emerging areas of concern such as elementary education as a Fundamental Right and its implications for curricular reform; flexibility of curriculum and plurality of textbooks; role of teachers and teacher educators, reforms in the examination system and the importance of building a culture of peace and harmony in a pluralistic society. Addressing the meeting, Prof Yashpal said the act of pooling such vast expertise in area of school education has indeed generated hope for meaningful curricular reforms. He was optimistic that given the introspection, a fresh approach to school education and its related concerns would soon be in place. A coherent vision is emerging from the work being done by the focus groups, he added. Professor Krishna Kumar, Director, NCERT, informed the group that curriculum and syllabus review was being carried out with the goal of reducing the burden of joyless learning. This exercise was an act of wide social deliberation trying to create a new educational ethos across the country. The Steering Committee noted that the draft Free and Compulsory Education Bill was being reviewed by a committee constituted by CABE. The committee was of the view that the implications of the bill for the proposed curricular reforms must be taken into account while developing the new document. Professor Shanta Sinha, Chairperson of the National Focus Group on systemic reforms, highlighted the problems faced by rural children from poverty-stricken backgrounds. The rigid school system, curriculum and examination present insurmountable problems to such children. She suggested a continuum between pre-school and primary education. Elaborating on the evaluation and examination system in general, Mr Ashok Ganguli, Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education, said that although the Board had made efforts to maintain objectivity, the factor of human error was indispensable. Mr Ganguli said that the burden on classes XI and XII children studying Science and Mathematics had increased over the recent years. He reminded the Steering Committee that there were 43 Boards in the country, many of which lacked support systems to undertake curricular and pedagogic reform. Other issues discussed in the meeting included peace education, the need to organise Science and Mathematics curricula and evaluation procedures to make these subjects non-threatening.
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Public may air grievances on education system today
New Delhi, January 29 It was pointed out that there are more than 15 lakh out-of-school children between six and 14 years in the Capital. Of the five lakh population in Bhalaswa-Jahangirpuri area, one lakh is that of children who are out of school and are forced to work. As per estimates in the area, more than 50,000 children are engaged in ragpicking, agricultural work, domestic work, matchstick work and sibling care. A mere 47,000 students are enrolled in the 32 MCD schools and 15 government-run schools. And these children, who do manage to go to school, have to put up with difficulties such as shortage of teachers, absence of basic infrastructure like drinking water, toilet block, adequate number of classrooms, cleanliness, playground, desks, blackboards, books, ramps, and even toilets. In Mukandpur alone, which is part of Bhalaswa-Jahangirpuri area with a population of 1.5 lakh, there is no government school. A single MCD primary school has about 2,700 students on rolls. Taking cognisance of these difficulties and the fact that despite repeated complaints from the parents, the government and the MCD have failed to pay any attention, a public hearing is being organised, which will allow parents to voice their grievances.
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Gurgaon gets third five star hotel
Gurgaon, January 29
Rather, it is the first Park Plaza in the National Capital Region. The Carlson group has opened the five star boutique hotel having 45 rooms in Sushant Lok Phase-I with the Bestech Group, the owners of the hotel. The functional arrangement of the joint venture is that Carlson has signed management and franchise agreement with Bestech Group, claimed to be a leading construction and real estate companies of northern India. The Group Director of Bestech, Mr Dharmendra Bhandari said that his company is making a foray into the hospitality business through this hotel project. The Director of Bestech Group, Mr Snuil Sati Satija expressed the hope that the opening of the hotel will add to the overall development of tourism infrastructure of Gurgaon and the state of Haryana. The management authorities of Carlson Group said that another three star hotel would be opened in this city in about two years. With regard to opening of Park Plaza, they said that presently there was shortage of about 500 good hotel rooms in Gurgaon. The demand will increase with the continued shifting of corporate base here by leading companies. According to them, Park Plaza here is the fourth in succession with Ludhiana, Agra and Jaipur already having one each. The fifth one will be set up in Pondicherry by the end of this year. According to many, apart from the three five star hotels, there are a number of hotels and fast food joints that are dotting The residents are happy that they would ultimately be the winners by the hordes of units in the hospitality sector setting up shops here.
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Stress on leprosy prevention
New Delhi, January 29 Advances in dermatology coupled with an intense worldwide campaign initiated by the WHO have made it possible to foresee eradication of leprosy from the country in near future. He said even the WHO has emphasised that the National Leprosy Eradication Programme in India is on the right track and has made commendable progress. The prevalence of leprosy in India has markedly reduced from four million to 1.3 million patients. India is making concerted efforts to reach the goal by December 2005, he claimed. Elaborating on the expanding scope of dermatology in the country, Dr V. K. Upadhyaya, President of the DERMACON added, “Now we are moving on to the advent and public acceptance of emerging fields of cosmetology and advance dermatology surgeries. These include techniques like laser lipolysis which can burn fat accurately and safely using laser beams. Monochromatic excimer lights are being successfully used to treat white matches or lucoderma. Hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers to instantly remove wrinkles are also gaining popularity in the country. Other new fields of interest are melanocyte rich transfer and synthetic hair implantation which can open newer vistas in future.
Noida students gets Kala Shri
Noida:
The award was given away to Namisha Singh, in a function organised in the Capital on Tuesday.—OC
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Demand for sanitation work in unauthorised colonies
New Delhi, January 29 The issue was raised by the Leader of the House following pressure from councillors, who have demanded sanitation work in unauthorised colonies. Chocked drains resulting in water stagnation on roads is a common sight in most of the unauthorised colonies. Often, it is the single most important factor for the outbreak of water-borne diseases in such localities. The councillors have pointed out that when the corporation could construct drains and link roads, it should make provisions for its maintenance. It was also highlighted that large areas of the Capital had unauthorised colonies and failure to have a clear-cut proposal for sanitation work will adversely affect the overall maintenance of the Capital as a clean and green city. They particularly pointed out that when the MCD could collect property tax from these areas under the Unit Area Method scheme, it had the duty to look after the sanitation work here. As such, the councillors have been persistent in their demand that the MCD should provide for basic sanitation in the unauthorised colonies of the Capital. However, the Municipal Commissioner said that street development work is done in colonies located on public property. Since a number of unauthorised colonies are on private land no development work can be carried out by the corporation. In such cases, the corporation has to take permission from the Union Urban Development Ministry for any such activity. In 1998, the corporation had approached the ministry, but “it had not been possible to carry out development work in these colonies due to stay by the High Court. It has granted permission for carrying out works relating to construction of roads and drains,” he said.
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Memorandum on low sex ratio
New Delhi, January 29 It was pointed out that some areas of the Capital have a sex ratio as low as 762. Presenting the memorandum to the Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, members of Citizen Against Pre-Birth Elimination of Daughters (CAPED) said at least one in seven girls is eliminated in the foetal stage in the Capital. Citing recent data of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the delegation lamented that only 819 girls were born to every 1000 boys in Delhi between January and June 2004. “The Chief Minister had assured to look into the matter. We have presented her with a three-point agenda to monitor the situation,” said activist Dr Uma Chakravorty. The delegation, which included members of the women’s group AIDWA and NGO Action India, suggested setting up of a task force to monitor implementation of Pre-Conception and Post Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT), apart from strict surveillance of ultrasound clinics. Pointing out that “educated South Delhi” had one of the lowest child sex ratios with a mere 762 girls being born to every 1000 boys, the activists suggested launching a programme to inform public about the action taken by the government for implementation of the law. They also demanded strict monitoring and audition of clinical records and registrations and the action taken in response to complaints.
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Knee surgery, a simple operation now
Noida, January 29 Dr Pushpender S Bajaj, a renowned surgeon, said arthroscopy technique has made knee surgery a simple operation. The patient can walk home on third or fourth day. The telescopic surgery cuts time as well as cost of surgery, Dr Bajaj said. Dr Bajaj said arthroscopy is a surgical procedure done by an orthopedic surgeon, to visualise, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint. The term literally means “to look within a joint”. In an arthroscopic examination, the surgeon makes a button-hole incision in the patient’s skin over a joint and then inserts thin pencil-sized instruments. These contain a small lens and lighting system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint.
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Turnover tax ‘to sound death-knell’ for units
Noida, January 29 In a meeting of the Udyog Bandhu with the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ajay Kumar Singh, the entrepreneurs said turnover tax would force the industrialists to close down their units. District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Singh made it clear that all will have to affix their photograph for getting the registration of property. Industrialists opposed the turnover tax. They said the government was putting excess burden on the entrepreneurs which will result in the closure of industries and relocation of units to other states—it can virtually herald the end of the development process.. The industrialists also demanded a one-way traffic on Udyog Marg. CO Traffic, Sewa Ram Yadav said that the road marked for traffic towards Naya Bans was full of encroachments and it was not possible to ply heavy duty traffic on it.
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Muzaffar Ali opens short digital film fest
New Delhi, January 29 While inaugurating the festival, the Padma Shree awardee, Mr Muzaffar Ali said that the medium of film has a great potential to explore and document human experience. He hoped that the filmmakers of the next generation will make use of the existing infrastructure at the film city in the National Capital Region, to do their work. The former director of the Film Festival Mrs Malti Sahai complimented Sandeep Marwah on establishing the International Film and Television Club. She said that the festival did go a long way to support production of good films. Mr P.K. Nair, former director of Pune-based National Film Archive of India who was also present on the occasion, said that as a connoisseur of film art, he is ever willing to lend all support to the students of cinema.
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Respite from cold
New Delhi, January 29
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