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Charitable hospitals catering to rich: PAC
Job racket busted, innocents cheated of Rs 30 lakh
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Diesel ‘theft’ rocks MCD House
Woman gang raped in Faridabad
70 bonded labourers freed, sent homes
Farmer electrocuted, road jammed in Dadri
Man posing as cop cools his heels in jail
Recording of statements in Katara murder case halted
UGC to monitor deemed-to-be varsities
Tax payer’s money wasted by V-C: DUTA
District economic survey in June
Anonymous complaints to be entertained: Judge
Ritual murder rocks Loni
Man held for murder
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Charitable hospitals catering to rich: PAC
New Delhi, April 28 Indicting the Ministry and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) under it, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its report (2004-2005) tabled in Parliament said the records of allotment of land to 42 hospitals and dispensaries revealed various irregularities, which undermined the very purpose for which they were allotted land. These government bodies failed to enforce the terms and conditions of allotment of the land on the allottees and there was no monitoring of their activities in this regard, the report said. The PAC reached these conclusions after going through records of allotments for the period from 1981-82 to 2000-2001 and records of the Land Sales Accounts (Nazul Accounts) branch relating to recovery of dues. Till May 2003, the DDA had allotted land to 65 social and charitable institutions for construction of 53 hospitals and 12 dispensaries at varying concessional rates. The concession was given on the condition that the beneficiary hospitals shall serve as a general public hospital with at least 25 per cent total indoor beds reserved for free treatment to poor patients and that they would provide free treatment to 40 per cent of outdoor patients. ‘’The committee is surprised to find that the DDA did not impose this mandatory condition without assigning any reason in allotment letters in 24 cases during 1982 to 1999,’’ the report said. The PAC has pointed out the cases of allotment to three institutions in total contravention of guidelines, which deprived the DDA of a revenue of Rs 38.54 crore. The first is that of Arya Vaidyashala Kottakkal, a public charitable trust founded in 1902. It was allotted a plot of land measuring 0.95 hectares in Karkardooma complex. This was despite the fact that the institution was not registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, a requirement under Rule 20 of the DDA Rules, 1981. Similarly, Unique Hospitals and Research Institute were allotted 8,907 square metres of land despite the fact that the institution was registered under the Companies Act 1956 and got its registration under the Societies Act only in the year it applied for the land. The Audit found that the institution to all intents and purposes remained a company. The Dharmshila Cancer Foundation and Research Centre was also allotted two acres of land at Rs 14.25 lakh per acre in March 1990 though it was also not registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. According to the Audit, there had been absence of a clear demarcation of responsibilities between DDA and Directorate of Health Services of the Delhi Government to monitor the enforcement of the provisions of the allotments. Moreover, no system has been laid down either by the DDA or the Directorate of Health Services to deal with complaints received against the functioning of hospitals in contravention of terms and conditions of allotment of land, the report said.
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Job racket busted, innocents cheated of Rs 30 lakh
New Delhi, April 28 The accused were identified as Kuldeep Sharma (32), resident of Dwarka and Manoj Pawar, alias P. K. Tandon (34), resident of Muzaffar Nagar. The sleuths received a complaint from one Braham Prakash, resident of Jatkhore that one Kuldeep Sharma had cheated him of Rs two lakh after promising a government job for his niece. The complainant also said that the accused had promised a job of ‘Branch Manager’ for Ms Usha Panchal, resident of Bawana, in the “Kendriya Consumer Co-operative Bhandar,” in the Janakpuri district centre. The accused also received an advance of Rs 1 lakh and asked the complainant to pay Rs 1 lakh after the job was offered. During investigation, the sleuths conducted raids and nabbed the accused. During interrogation, the accused told the sleuths that they had opened the organisation in January this year and even displayed a huge board of “The Kendriya Consumer Co-operative Bhandar,” outside their office. They had employed five persons in their organization including an administration officer, a LDC, receptionist and a peon. In order to dupe people, applications were invited through advertisements mainly in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for different outlets in Delhi. Later, interviews and medical tests were conducted before issuing them appointment letters. They had issued such appointment letters to over 20 applicants and appointed them with a salary of Rs 5,000 per month.
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Diesel ‘theft’ rocks MCD House
New Delhi, April 28 He alleged that 50 per cent of the diesel allotted to nearly 450 trucks for transporting garbage from dhalaos to landfill sites were sold by the drivers to private taxi owners. Each of the trucks engaged in this work is allotted 30 litres of diesel daily. Mr Gupta had photographs of the diesel theft scenes in Rohini. He had loaded the photographs in a laptop to show it to the entire House on a screen. However, the screen of the laptop was damaged by the Congress councillors when he tried to show it in the House, alleged Mr Gupta. He claimed that Rohini was not the only place where diesel from MCD trucks is sold to taxi drivers. There are 500 such places in the national Capital where diesel from MCD trucks is sold. The truck drivers are given the diesel to make two rounds from dhalao to landfill sites to transport the garbage. They are given slips by an official posted at the landfill sites after completing the rounds. In connivance with the officials, the truck drivers managed to get the slips after an alleged payment of Rs 50 to make the authorities concerned convinced that they had done the job, he alleged. He claimed that there was an annual expenditure of Rs 18 crore for diesel in the corporation. Diesel worth Rs 8 crore are sold to taxi drivers, he alleged. Mr Gupta said that the special House meeting was called to discuss the sanitation problems in different wards after a demand by the Opposition in the corporation. The councillors appealed to the Municipal Commissioner to finish the desilting work of drains before the commencement of the monsoon.
Demolition drive in Chandni Chowk
The anti-encroachment drive by the MCD continued in the Chandni Chowk area. The demolition squad today removed concrete structures made on the footpath in the area. Two fire brigade vehicles were parked and the police was deployed in full strength in the area to meet any emergency. There was no resistance from the shopkeepers during the demolition drive. The MCD officials said that the shopkeepers had already been served notice to remove the encroachments from the pavements.
— TNS
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Woman gang raped in Faridabad
Faridabad, April 28 The victim, who is a resident of a colony here, is in a state of shock as the rapists had threatened her with dire consequences if she discloses the incident to anyone. The victim has approached the Deputy Commissioner for help as the police are allegedly trying to shield the accused. According to a report, on April 5, the victim went with her neighbour after she had been told that a leading company was holding interviews for certain posts and he could help her get one. But the neighbour, who was joined by some other youths, got her drugged. She was then taken to an unidentified place and raped by turns. According to a report, the victim was dropped in her house recently after her mother lodged a complaint with the SP. It is claimed that since one of the accused is a policeman, the police officials are not taking a proper action. Later, on the orders of the district authorities, the victim was sent for a medical examination. Meanwhile, in a similar incident reported from the Palwal sub-division, a married woman was abducted and raped by some unknown persons. She was also kept in illegal confinement for about two months. The woman, belongs to Khajurka village, had been abducted on February 20 from the bus stand at Palwal town by a person known to her. The victim was taken to several places and raped. The police managed to recover her recently. This matter was also brought to the notice of the district authorities. A case has been booked against three persons.
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Sarna snaps ties with SAD (Badal)
New Delhi, April 28 The DSGMC chief, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, snapped ties with the SAD with whom he had joined hands in November last year after ending the Badal-led party’s two-decade sway over Delhi’s Sikh politics in 2002. Mr Sarna told a news conference here that the secretary-general of SAD, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, had ‘’threatened to use money power’’ to defeat his brother, Harvinder Singh Sarna, in yesterday’s co-option. “The alliance has no meaning now,” Mr Sarna said, while claiming that his brother had won the co-option by a margin of two votes because of his party’s ‘‘religious credibility’’. But Mr Dhindsa, MP and a former Union Minister, said he regretted that ‘’the gurdwara leader is bringing disrupt to the Sikh religious administration by levelling such allegations’’. The president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Santokh Singh), Mr Manjit Singh, whom Mr Sarna accused of political opportunism because of its support to Badal-backed candidate Gaganpreet Singh in the co-option, asked, ‘’What is so special about the DSGMC that Mr Sarna wanted his brother to become its member and maybe his successor as its president. It’s high time we stopped this religious administration from becoming a tool of furthering one’s personal and political interests. Let’s face the Sangat now.’’
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70 bonded labourers freed, sent homes
Noida, April 28 The brick kiln owner had detained them for the last six months. It took the police team seven hours to free the workers and put them aboard vehicles. Women and children were also among 70 bonded labourers at Maha Kali Int Bhatta in Patwadi village. The workers accused the owner Ghanshyam Das of forcibly taking work from them and whenever they demanded wages, he would call his musclemen who thrashed them. The labour was not allowed to go out of the premises. Three workers, Harveer, Udham Singh and Rajaram had somehow sneaked out of the Bhatta at 4 am three days ago and reported the matter to Bisarakh police station. However, the police did not help them. In fact the workers were sent packing by some policemen. The unfortunate labourers then contacted the Human Rights Commission through an advocate. When some correspondents reached there on Tuesday morning, the workers, including women and children appeared terrified. The musclemen of the owner threatened the workers to keep their mouth shut. It was a pitiable sight when the women and small children were beseeching the journalists with folded hands to get them freed from the clutches of the brick kiln owner. Meanwhile, the owner called his musclemen who started pelting the hapless labourers with stones. Luckily, SO, Bisarakh police, R.K. Paliwal with his team arrived on the spot. The police took all the workers to the police station. Police CO Treveni Singh and Tehsildar Uday Bhan Singh had sent all the labourers to their homes in Bulandshahr and Abjili after recording their statements. Labour contractors Udyay Singh and Harveer had taken Rs 1.50 lakh as advance payment for workers, the kiln owner’s brother Brahpal Singh said.
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Farmer electrocuted, road jammed in Dadri
Ghaziabad, April 28 A 4 KV power cable was lying snapped in the field and the electric current had run in the water, killing Jaggi, the farmer on the spot. The livid farmers had also surrounded a sub-station in Manak Pur village and stopped the power supply to the entire area. The Dadri Kotwali police have registered a case against SDO, JE and a lineman of UP Power Corporation on a written report by the deceased’s son. In no time, hundreds of farmers collected there and jammed GT Road demanding action against the officials of UPPC. The agitated farmers had closed all the feeders from sub-station up to Dadri, stopping power supply to the whole area. The Power Corporation employees fled from the duty, seeing the marching farmers closing in. Eventually, the farmers lifted the jam on police Circle Officer Treveni Singh’s assurance that the action would be taken against the guilty officials. Navin, son of the deceased farmer Jaggi, had filed a report against SDO SP Singh, JE Kailash Chander and Lineman Subash Sharma in Dadri Kotwali. A three-km-long queue of vehicles was found on either side of the road due to the blocking of the GT Road. The UP Power Corporation executive engineer, Mr Prakash Narain, said a departmental inquiry is being conducted in the matter.
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Man posing as cop cools his heels in jail
Noida, April 28 The Noida police arrested him near the Amarpali crossing and recovered a fake identity card No. 0716329 of Delhi Police, a duplicate pistol and four plastic rounds. He identified himself as Ravi Kapoor of Lado Sarai, Delhi. He was nabbed by SI Sushil Kumar Dubey and constable Bhim Singh of Noida’s Sector-39 police station while they were on patrol duty. The imposter had identified himself as Shiv Shankar, a policeman posted in Delhi. Dubey and Bhim Singh noticed that the cartridges in his holster looked much different. When Dubey examined one of them, it turned out to be a plastic cartridge and the revolver was also found to be fake. During further interrogation, the man confessed that he used to make illegal collections posing as a policeman. He had successfully defrauded a number of people during the last six years. He said his actual name is Sanjay Malik and he is a native of Bhatinda, Punjab. Three other identity cards were also found on his person. He had a driving licence issued from Ferozabad and a membership card of Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. Sanjay Malik had earlier been sent to jail by Delhi’s Naraina and Malviya Nagar police stations in 2000 for vehicle thefts, the police said.
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Recording of statements in Katara murder case halted
New Delhi, April 28 In his order, Justice H. R. Malhotra also directed the trial court to keep in abeyance the order dropping Bharti Yadav, sister of the accused, as a witness in the case. The court issued notices to the two accused—Vikas and Vishal— son and nephew of former Rajya Sabha MP D. P. Yadav and prosecution on an application filed by Neelam Katara, mother of the victim seeking setting aside of the trial court order dropping Bharti as a witness in the case.e. The apex court sought their reply and posted the matter for hearing on May 19. Bharti was dropped as witness on March 30, following United Kingdom’s refusal to execute
the non-bailable warrant against her. There were 36 witnesses in the case and Bharti was the only one left for examination. The stage is now set for recording the statements of accused persons. The testimony of Bharti was significant in the case, as it was her alleged relation with the deceased Nitish that was being cited by the police as the motive behind the murder. The police had named her as the key witness in the case and had made all possible efforts to call her from UK, where she is pursuing her studies, to appear before the court. It may be recalled that the young Nitish Katatra was murdered in a brutal manner for his
alleged ‘relationship’ with Bharti Yadav.
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UGC to monitor deemed-to-be varsities
New Delhi, April 28 This is being done, “to ensure that the objectives, for which these were set up, are being fulfilled”, it was pointed out. In a letter that the commission has dashed off to all directors/vice-chancellors of about 84 deemed universities, it forewarns them of “random inspections and close monitoring”. It further reads, “The expert committee constituted for the purpose may suggest any improvement required in the functioning and management of the institute and may even recommend for the withdrawal of the deemed-to-be university status if it feels that the objectives are not being met.” All universities concerned have been asked to send relevant information at the earliest for this purpose. Sources said that the move follows the MHRD having expressed ‘serious concern’ over the fact that some of the deemed-to-be universities are not following the prescribed guidelines with regard to admissions, fees, introduction of new courses, including courses offered through private franchising under distance learning and intake capacity of the students. UGC in its letter mentions, “Some of the deemed-to-be universities offering courses in Engineering and Technology have increased their intake capacity manifold without corresponding increase in the infrastructure and without seeking approval from any regulatory authority.” It has also pulled them up for not conducting regular meetings of the Board of Management and Finance Committee as per the provisions contained in their Memorandum of Association and Rules. Directing all the deemed to be universities to seek prior approval of the UGC for any increase in intake capacity or for starting any course, the commission has made it mandatory to follow the norms laid down by the statutory councils. A one-time opportunity is also being given to the deemed to be universities to obtain ex post facto approval against the enhancement in the intake capacity already undertaken or the courses which have already been started without the UGC’s approval, within three months of the issue of the letter. Regular meetings of the Board of Management and Finance Committee have been made compulsory and the information regarding the date of the meetings, agenda and the minutes have been asked to be sent to the UGC and the MHRD regularly.
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Tax payer’s money wasted by V-C: DUTA
New Delhi, April 28 The DUTA president, Mr Aditya Narain Misra, said, “this shows that our claims were all correct. An exorbitant amount of the tax payer’s money has been wasted by the Vice-Chancellor in fighting this case.” After being directed to appoint Prof. Bidyut Chakravorty as the HoD of Political Science by the High Court on two occasions, the university had filed a SLP in the Supreme Court. Prof. Chakravorty had moved the court when the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Deepak Nayar, appointed Prof Rajeev Bhargava as the HoD instead of him. The court was told that Prof Bhargava’s appointment was not constitutional since he was on deputation from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
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District economic survey in June
Faridabad, April 28 According to the district authorities, this is the part of the national-level survey undertaken from time to time to know about the economy and other issues facing the people and the country on the whole. And on basis of such reports, the long-term economic plans are prepared and executed. The Deputy Commissioner has been made the Chairperson of the Coordination Committee that will look after the work of collection of the relevant information and data, while the District Statistical Officer will be the Secretary-Member of the committee.
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Anonymous complaints to be entertained: Judge
New Delhi, April 28 Observing that the staff members were afraid of making complaints due to exposure of their names and apprehension of vindictive attitude, District Judge Shiv Narayan Dhingra said in a circular to all trial court judicial officers that such complaints can be sent to his official and residential addresses. “It has been observed that there are several irregularities, unwanted acts and corrupt practices going on” even in his own office, the Judge said, adding that “anonymous complaints with verifiable facts shall be entertained”.
— TNS
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Ritual murder rocks Loni
Ghaziabad, April 28 The killers are reported to have first slit his neck and later tore open his belly with daggers. The boy is believed to have been done to death in a vacant plot near the office of a property dealer, Vikas Dhama. The body was seen by the villagers early in the morning. Obviously, the boy had been killed the previous evening. The body bore deep wounds in the neck and belly with sharp-edged weapons. The police who were informed by the people reached promptly and started investigations. But nobody could identify the child. The police feel the child had been killed elsewhere and his body dumped here later. People feel it was a sacrificial killing and that is why his belly was also torn up with daggers. The police have sent the body for autopsy.
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Man held for murder
New Delhi, April 28 The accused has been identified as one Kamal Yadav (22), resident of Bihar, who was working as a labourer with the victim. The police received a call on April 20 that an unknown person was lying dead in the toilet with blunt injury marks in his throat, forehead and face.
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