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Kidnapped child rescued
Train catches fire, goods worth lakhs gutted
Two NRIs held for cheating exporters
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Search for JNU V-C: Committee to consult with faculty
Electricity Act to be reviewed
The gutted remains in a shop at Bhagirath Place.
— Tribune photo
HPSC donates boats to tsunami-hit families
BJP opposes computerised draw of plots
3-year-old falls prey to meningitis
Delhi toll reaches 30
DU Open Days to help students
Mystery shrouds woman’s death
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Kidnapped child rescued
New Delhi, May 20 The police received a complaint from one Bhasker Victor that his son had gone missing on April 30 and he received a ransom call for Rs 15 lakh on May 16. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Anurag Kumar said during investigations, the police found that the calls were emanating from Azamgarh, and a team was sent to investigate. In the meantime, another call was made on May 19 for the delivery of money in Bareilly. Since the technical surveillance revealed that the child could be taken to Etawah by train, another team reached there and rescued the child with the help of Etawah police. The accused Rakesh was picked up from Bareilly. During interrogation, Rakesh told the police that he came into contact with one Dabbu Shukla, resident of Faridabad, who hails from Jaunpur. The duo hatched a conspiracy to kidnap the child and demand ransom. Accordingly, they spotted the child in a park on April 30 near Kishan Ganj and kidnapped him.
Brothers get 3-yr term for kidnapping
A Delhi court today sentenced two brothers and their accomplice to three years’ imprisonment for kidnapping their five-year-old cousin for ransom about two years ago. Additional Sessions Judge Rajiv Mehra also imposed a fine of Rs 2,500 each on Anil Kumar Sharma, Sunil Kumar Sharma and their accomplice Somveer Singh for kidnapping the boy from the Tulsinagar area of Najafgarh area on August 4, 2003. The accused, who lured the boy on the pretext of taking him for a ride on a motorcycle, took him to Khatkhut village in Sonepat and demanded a ransom of Rs 15 lakh.
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Train catches fire, goods worth lakhs gutted
Ghaziabad, May 20 Due to the fire, train traffic remained stopped for over four hours between Sahibabad and Ghaziabad. The cause of the fire
could not be ascertained immediately. The officers concerned have started an inquiry into the fire. Lichhvi Express had left New Delhi at 4 pm on Thursday for Muzzafarpur in Bihar. After Dankore station in Gautam Budth Nagar, an SLR coach just after the engine, caught fire due to some unknown causes. Soon the blaze assumed in menacing form. However, after the fire, the guard B. S. Yadav had informed the train driver J. P. Martin about the fire in a coach, the train was stopped at Ber station. Later, the SLR coach was delinked from the engine and rest of the train.
But the blaze could not be controlled with fire fighting equipment available in
the train. The power supply, therefore, had to be stopped. Fire tenders from Khurja, Ghaziabad and Secunderabad were summoned. By the time the fire tenders reached the spot, all goods in the coach were gutted, which included motorbikes, garments, textiles, sweets etc. The detained trains were later allowed to proceed, once the fire had been doused.
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Two NRIs held for cheating exporters
New Delhi, May 20 The accused were identified as Sandeep Chowdhary (41) and Vijay Chowdhary (45), both residing in Model Town. The accused who have taken citizenship in Dubai would often visit Delhi to meet some rich traders and induce them in the trade. The sleuths received a complaint from one Manish Jain, of an export house M/s Jainart Jewels, that the accused had cheated him out of several lakhs of rupees by fraudulent means. Jain in his complaint said that he came into contact with the accused in August 2003 and they introduced themselves as exporters dealing in stainless steel utensils. The accused also claimed that they were having huge orders from various parties. Since Jain trusted the accused, he purchased finished steel utensils from various firms through Vijay and Sandeep Chowdhary and exported goods on payment-on-delivery basis as well as against Letters of Credit. Initially, the complainant earned fair profits and in January 2004, the accused told Jain that they were having huge orders and he should pay Rs 77 lakh to M/s Prime Entreprises as advance money. However, Jain did not receive any consignment after paying the amount through cheques. When questioned, the accused told Jain that there was some manufacturing defect and that they had asked the firm to refund the money. The accused also paid Rs 35 lakh to Jain and said that the remaining Rs 41 lakh would be paid later. When Jain met the Directors of M/s Prime Enterprises, he was shocked to know that such firm did not exist. When the sleuths investigated the matter, it was revealed that Vijay Chowdhary opened an account in the name of M/s Prime Enterprises in Federal Bank, Connaught Place and was introduced by his brother Sandeep Chowdhary. After their arrest, the accused told the sleuths that they used to visit Delhi to find some gullible traders and they had even cheated one Tarun Vij of M/s Premier Rice Land out of Rs 21 lakh. Inquiries also revealed that cheques worth Rs 2.5 crore had been deposited in the account of M/s Prime Enterprises.
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Search for JNU V-C: Committee to consult with faculty
New Delhi, May 20 In what could be the first-ever such initiative, the search committee comprising Prof. Yashpal as the Chairperson, Prof. R P Bhamba, former Vice-Chancellor, Punjab University, Chandigarh and Prof. S R Hashim, Chairperson, Union Public Service Commission, has decided to interact with the faculty to seek their opinion. “Though the work of the search committee is confidential…we are trying to get to know the expectations and the aspiration of the faculty. We are trying to find out their dreams and what they expect of the university and the Vice-Chancellor,” said Prof. Yashpal. Outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Prof. G K Chadha, pointing out that it is the students and the teachers whose views matter most, said, “I don’t think it is some politician or a bureaucrat who can best tell and decide what is best for the university. I have believed in this… the students and the teachers and their opinion are vital for the university.” Ironically, not all faculty members are even aware of the committee’s proposed interaction. “There was no notice put up and most of the staff are not aware of this,” said a staff member, adding, “If it true, it is truly wonderful.” Teachers are also upset that instead of representatives from each school, only a “few chosen faculty members” have been informed of the meeting with the committee here tomorrow. “Ideally there should have been all deans and chairpersons of each school present for the interaction. It would be effective if the opinion of a larger section is taken into account,” a senior faculty member, Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy, said. It was, however, pointed out that the reservations about the process of “seeking feedback” apart, the teaching community has appreciated the initiative. “There may be misgivings over who gets to meet the committee, but the fact that the opinion of the teachers is being sought is a welcome step,” another senior faculty member added.
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Electricity Act to be reviewed
Faridabad, May 20 Several trade unions, including the National Coordination Committee of the Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), had opposed the Act and have been seeking its withdrawal. In this regard, the NCCOEEE and the employees and engineers of all the state electricity departments have given a 48-hour nationwide strike call on May 31 and June 1. However, the Union Government held a meeting with the trade unions concerned on May 2 in this regard. According to Mr Subhash Lamba, a spokesperson of the All Haryana Power Corporation Worker Union and a member of the committee of the employees at the national level, the Union Power Minister had responded positively and written back to the trade unions that the government was ready to review the Act and had already extended the last date of the implementation. The issues included in the discussion include ‘unbundling of the State Electricity Boards (SEB), Central Government’s role in the rural electrification, elimination of the cross-subsidy and extension of the date for Re-organisation of the SEBs. The letter of the Union Power Minister states that the government would consider taking suitable steps to address the concerns regarding the provisions of elimination of the cross-subsidies in the Act, launching the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna for the fulfillment of the National Minimum Common Programme objectives. It is added that the government would take care of the concerns regarding the misperceptions about the creation of the urban-rural divide in the Act. According to the Minister, there is hardly any need to review the provision of the re-organisation of the State Electricity Boards (SEBs) in the Act. However, it is stated that the matter of extension of the date of re-organisation of the SEBs would be examined in consultation with the Law Ministry. It is concluded that the date of the implementation of the Electricity Act shall be extended under the provision 172(a) for a period of six months beyond June 9, 2005. It is added that during the next six months, the government would continue the process of review of the provisions related to re-organisation or restructuring of the SEBs in the Act based on status and impact of its implementation so far.
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Fire in Chandni Chowk shop
New Delhi, May 20 The fire sources said that the fire broke out in three shops situated near Gurdwara Sisganj at around 7 am and immediately 23 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. The fire tenders after battling for about two hours extinguished the fire, which was caused due to short circuit, fire sources added.
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HPSC donates boats to tsunami-hit families
Faridabad, May 20 The representatives of HPSC handed over the boats equipped with nets and engines recently to the affected families at Palanadukuppam village of Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu. According to Mr S. D. Jain, President of the HPSC, the Progressive Schools had collected about Rs 15 lakh towards the relief of the tsunami victims in Faridabad and Gurgaon districts from its members and well-wishers. The conference has a total membership of about 270 in Haryana.
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BJP opposes computerised draw of plots
Noida, May 20 The contention of the BJP is that draw of the residential plots on May 23 should be held manually and not by Desco, a UP government computer agency. Earlier, draws were conducted by Tata Consultancy, which commands high reputation for its transparency and efficiency. According of MLA Nawab Singh Nagar, the reputation of UP agency selected for the draw is not impeccable. There had been instances of malpractices creeping into the draws. “We, therefore, insist that draw should be conducted manually involving small children to pick up the chits of the successful applicants.” According to the Chairman, Mr Deo Dutta, the Noida Authority had invited bids from different computer firms for conducting the draw and the bids of M/s Desco was the lowest while Tata Consultancy Services and other agencies had quoted much higher. “We had taken the matter to Noida Board, which has approved it. There is no question of going back on it under any pressure. The draw will be held at 3 pm on Monday May 23 positively.” The other agencies and a retired High Court Judge have been invited to oversee the draw. While Nawab Singh Nagar’s aim is to get the draw postponed, a delegation of Uttar Pradesh Vapar Udyog Mandal office-bearers, Samajwadi Party leader Ashok Chauhan met the Noida Chairman and told him that they are in favour of a computerised draw.
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3-year-old falls prey to meningitis
Noida, May 20 Meanwhile, a woman was admitted to an Employees’ State Insurance Hospital on May 13. She had been discharged from the hospital on Thursday. The total number of patients of meningitis in the district has reached to eight. Another woman Susheela, 23, a resident of Mamura, had been admitted to an ESI hospital on May 13. During investigations, it was found she was suffering from meningitis for which she was treated. After her condition improved, she was discharged from the hospital on May 18.
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Delhi toll reaches 30
New Delhi, May 20 They said that there might be more patients who could not approach the hospital on time. According to the Director, Health Administration, MCD, Dr J.N.
Banavaliker, “We are continuously issuing directions through media to inform people of the precautions to be
taken.” —TNS
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Say ‘no’ to cancer stick!
New Delhi, May 20 Listing the merits of giving up smoking, it was pointed out that tobacco is responsible for over half of the deaths caused by cancer. A 2004 report states that cigarette smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body and that it is conclusively linked to leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of cervix, kidney, pancreas, stomach, oral cavity and lungs. Claiming that the reasons for smoking are psychological, it was mentioned that smoking can be discontinued by following some easy steps: replacing a pack of cigarettes with a picture of a loved one or a souvenir; not carrying matches or lighters; recalling the health hazards posed by tobacco; keeping a tally of cigarettes not smoked and the money thus saved, are some of the ways to quit smoking. A tableau depicting the evils of smoking will be taken around on the city on May 30 and 31, which is also observed as the ‘World No Tobacco Day’. Heart Care Foundation of India, Delhi Medical Association and Department of Health Services in association with NDMC, MTNL, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Shree Cement and Indus Ind Bank, have jointly launched the Campaign. The workshop will be held at E-215, East
of Kailash.
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DU Open Days to help students
New Delhi, May 20 To begin with, the university has announced the holding of Open Days wherein students along with their parents are given details on the various courses and their queries answered. Admission committees for the reserved categories as well as those with special needs will also be part of the process. Another first this year will be the provision for providing counselling to the students by psychologists. “We will help the students in all possible ways and the whole admission process will be explained and simplified. We are talking to some faculty members in the Department of Psychology to have them counsel students and their parents. The details are still being worked out,” said the Dean of Students Welfare, Prof. S K Vig. This year the Open Days will be conducted on May 26 and 27 on the North Campus at the Convention Hall, Arts Faculty and on May 30 and 31 in hall number 115 at the Arts Faculty on South Campus.
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Mystery shrouds woman’s death
Noida, May 20 The victim, Mansha Devi of Aazamgarh, was married to Jaunpur’s Chander Bhan Yadav. Chander Bhan Yadav is a RTV driver. They were living in first floor of a house in Sector-15 with their six-month-old daughter Kajal, while his brother Udai Bhan lived with his family on the ground floor. Uadi Bhan’s wife and his three kids had gone to his parent’s house a few days ago.
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Newspaper workers want wage board
New Delhi, May 20
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DU members meet Arjun Singh
New Delhi, May 20 They urged the minister to order an impartial inquiry headed by a retired judge or an independent agency. It was earlier brought to notice that 38 persons in a written complaint had claimed that on May 12 they had found the Bhawan littered with garbage, leftover food and empty bottles of
alcohol. — TNS
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Driver gets RI for robbery
New Delhi, May 20 Additional Sessions Judge S C Rajan also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on Vinod who robbed one Amresh of Rs 6,000 and his luggage on April 26, 2003. The accused stopped the autorickshaw near a tea stall while on his way to the station and offered him tea laced with sedatives. He fled with his belongings and cash after he lost consciousness.
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New Delhi, May 20
