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Schools feeling the pinch of Urdu books’ shortage
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Fire safety norms to be made compulsory
Another petrol pump looted in Faridabad
Robbers find Noida a happy hunting-ground
IG, DIG rush
to Noida
Noida authority sitting on applicants’ money
An apology for a deer park
Deer fear!
Power infrastructure better, claims govt secretary
Respite from heat, dust-storm
BJP demands white paper on desilting of drains
Goods worth Rs 60 lakh gutted in factory
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Schools feeling the pinch of Urdu books’ shortage
New Delhi, June 14 “The Delhi Government made it mandatory for us to switch to SCERT (State Council for Educational Research and Training) books for classes VI to VIII. But the SCERT did not publish any Urdu text, so we had to use the NCERT text. As for the NCERT texts, we did not receive books for subjects other than Urdu and even the corrected texts were not provided,” said the principal of Anglo-Arabic School, Mr Akhtar-Uz- Zaman. The schools claim that they had to resort to translating English and Hindi texts to Urdu for teaching the students. “We were particularly concerned about the class X and XII students. So the teachers began translating and teaching from their own notes,” said a teacher from Hakeem Ajmal Khan Girls Senior Secondary School. Farqan Ahmed, who teaches Economics at the Quami School, pointed out, “for the student of senior classes who study Science, it was not that difficult since they also refer to books other than the NCERT, but for students studying Economics, Political Science and History, it was difficult to score good marks on the basis of class notes.” The teachers are unanimous that in the absence of textbooks, it is the results that take a beating. “There is a lot of discussion and debate on why the results are poor each year, but it is essential that the absence of textbooks be seen as a vital cause for appalling pass percentages,” said Zaman. “In my school, Sociology and Geography had more than 98 per cent pass percentage, because the books were available. In Science also, students performed well, because there were books and practical examinations where they could score. To have a book on hand adds to the confidence of a student and helps them study better,” he added. Hopeful that this year the students will have books in most, if not all subjects, these schools are now awaiting July 1, to “see what progress has been made”. The NCERT on its part claims to be “ready”. Blaming the schools for not “procuring books through the right channel”, the officials in the NCERT said, “they should come to the NCERT or collect the books from the Urdu Academy. They cannot expect booksellers to stock the NCERT texts,” “We want to assure the schools that the work is on and we have already printed 52 titles and by the time schools reopen we should have at least 70”, he added.
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Warring groups authorise Sonia
New Delhi, June 14 The DPCC delegates also “authorised” Mrs Gandhi, who recently had to intervene to bring about truce between various warring factions, to elect new delegates to the All India Congress Committee, members of the Election Committee besides Pradesh Congress Committee office bearers. The proposal to this effect was moved by Sricharan Gupta and seconded by R. K. Dhawan, Tajdar Babbar, Jagdish Tytler and Ajay Maken and others at the first formal meeting of the PCC members here. Returning Officer Mahesh Joshi, who presided over the meeting, later denied that the decision to authorise Mrs Gandhi was taken because of widespread differences over the list of delegates, which would have made election difficult if not impossible. “The election of the PCC delegates has been smooth and there were no differences whatsoever. There was no problem in the entire process,’’ he said. On the ongoing acrimony between various factions within the party, Mr Joshi said they were minor issues, which would be ironed out soon. There are no differences in the party and everything was fine, he added. Among the leaders present during the PCC meet were Delhi Chief Minister Mrs Sheila Dikshit, Mr Mahinder Singh Saathi, Mr Janardan Dwivedi, Mr Safdar Hashmi, Mr Pervez Hashmi, Mr Haroon Yusuf, Ms Krishna Tirath and Mr R. K. Anand. The rift within the DPCC had come out in public when the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, had walked out of a coordination meeting last month specially convened to let the DPCC members and party office bearers to air their grievances over certain key issues of public concern. Mrs Dikshit had justified her walking out of the meeting, claiming that the outgoing DPCC president, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, and his supporters had virtually turned the meeting into a forum for levelling personal allegations against her. The incident had left a lot of red faces in the DPCC and even Mrs Dikshit was made to cool her heels when the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, declined to meet her. The matter was subsequently sorted out at her intervention by setting up of a committee, which would meet regularly to iron out differences between the party cadre and the Delhi Government. However, party sources said that despite the attempts, differences between the various factions continue to fester and this was precisely the reason that the newly elected committee of PCC members decided to play it safe and leave the matter in the hands of the party president. Mrs Dikshit, who is credited with the party’s impressive performance in the last elections which enabled her to continue in the office for the second successive term, has a number of detractors in the DPCC, who have been clamouring for a change in the leadership. So far Mrs Dikshit has been able to fend off all attacks of the detractors. What the state of affairs is going to be in the coming months will depend entirely on the new president and his team the Congress president chooses to nominate.
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Fire safety norms to be made compulsory
New Delhi, June 14 According to a senior officer of the Engineering Department of the MCD, the new building bye-laws are being prepared by an expert, Mr Vimal Patel in Maharashtra. The new bye-laws will be implemented from next year. Since the Capital has been left with very little vacant space because of the so called faulty planning, experts now have to consider the changes to be made in the old laws or alternately demolish the entire city to make a new one. A team of experts is working on five pilot projects to make it a success. If they are successful, they will work on such projects in all the 134 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The fire safety norms for high-rise buildings are mentioned in the existing bye-laws. But in the new bye-laws fire safety norms will be made compulsory for all buildings. “The new bye-laws will correct the loopholes in the existing bye- laws,” the officer said. One of the main features of the new bye- laws would be the simplification in the laws relating to residential buildings, which would require the approval of an architect. Once the new building bye- laws are put into practice, it will be easy for Delhiites to acquire approval of the building structure, said the Superintending Engineer, Mr M. M. Dass.
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Another petrol pump looted in Faridabad
Faridabad, June 14 According to the reports, three persons armed with a country-made revolver came at the pump around 12 noon today and took the sole employee inside the room and asked him to hand over the cash. As the latter resisted, the employee identified as Dharmender was beaten up and the accused snatched the money from him. As the incident caused a commotion, the residents of the nearby village rushed to the spot. The criminals then escaped towards the jungle on foot. The mobike on which the accused had come, was seized by the police. The employee of the pump who was assaulted by the robbers, received injuries in his head. A case has been booked. The police are still to crack the loot case that had taken place on Saturday last near Pali, in which four youths on a motorcycle had snatched the mobike of the employees of a petrol pump. The employees had been carrying Rs 2.86 lakh and were on their way to the bank. The victim was intercepted near a crossing near Pali village and the accused armed with a firearm, snatched the two-wheeler of the employees. The cash was kept in the vehicle. The district police chief has, however, appealed to all the petrol pumps and the financial institutions to avail themselves of the facility of the armed police escort provided by it in matter of cash transfer from one place to another and desist from keeping heavy cash at unsafe place. They have been advised to form a pool daily for the safe transfer of the cash.
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Robbers find Noida a happy hunting-ground
Noida, June 14 The inability of the police to stem the tide has left the residents a harried lot. While they blame the police for the rise in crime, the police say security has been beefed up. Day patrolling has been intensified and the residents are being informed to stay alert. According to Piyush Mordia Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gautam Budh Nagar (GBN), a number of thefts take place during the time the houses are locked and people go out on vacation. So, at least the area beat policemen, and the private guards in various sectors, should know when entire families are away. Locked houses are an invitation to burglars. Those going out of town should inform the RWA, the beat constable or their neighbours before leaving. Also, avoid leaving behind cash and jewellery in the house, advise the police. Rattled by the spurt in the incidents of robberies, the police have planned special operations. “It has often been observed that burglars keep a watch to fix their ‘target’ in a housing colony or society before committing crimes. Housing societies have been asked to keep ‘neighbourhood watch’. Among other measures, records of robbers and burglars are also being studied and a list of habitual offenders being narrowed down. Also, verification of domestic servants, tenants and security guards is being undertaken. Some 150 guards for Greater Noida and 100 for Noida are being deployed to supplement the cops deployed. “Our endeavour is to provide a society free from crime and fear,” says
Mordia.
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Noida, June 14 “Arrest the dacoits within three days,” Inspector General of Police, Meerut, Vipin Sharma as well as DIG Range R.K. Vishkarma, ordered the local police after visiting Noida for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation, including incidents of dacoity and murders. The last one month which seems to have been inundated with the incidents of crimes, housebreaks, loots, vehicle thefts, dacoity and murders in Noida and Greater Noida, posed a big challenge to the district police. Kaisrala and Phulpur villages in Kasna police station and Dadri area have raised big questions on the efficiency of the police force. Within 24 hours of a dacoity in Kaisrala village, Phulpur village was the scene of another dacoity and murder of a couple which had raised questions on the police force’s combing operations. Some industrialists are also reported to have sent an SOS to the government headquarters. The state government seems to have viewed the police failure to check crime in the area rather grimly. Inspector General of Police and Dy IG were apprised of the need to improve the law and order.
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Noida authority sitting on applicants’ money
Noida, June 14 Development authorities in western Uttar Pradesh, cashing in on public need or craze “for a house of their own” seem to have evolved a strategy to take advantage of people’s money which has been kept locked in the bank accounts of the authorities concerned for months together. The hapless 1,70,190 applicants, however, find it hard to swallow the explanation of “software bug” for the inordinate delay in announcing the draw. Even the money collected from the sale of application forms for Rs 750 a piece, works out to Rs.12.76 crore. How could the Noida authority fail to utilise this non-refundable money for contracting with an agency for conducting the draw in a fair manner? In any case, the applicants are not likely to get any benefit on their Rs 1,632 crore by way of interest etc. Relevant clauses, though conveniently ambiguous, only speak about interest payable in case of refund and are silent on the interest due for the period pending allotment. Even interest @ 8 % p.a. due for the past six months, since the authority received the application money, works out to a whopping rupees 65.28 crore. The applicants, cumulatively, are losing a shocking Rs 36 lakh a day. If challenged in a court of law, the Noida authority will find it difficult to defend such unfair practices. It is said that the authority is resorting to sheer exploitation of the public and its hard-earned money, in a scenario where there is a dearth of authorised housing space in the country, especially the NCR, says an expert on legal and financial matters. Asks A.S. Matharoo, an IT specialist, “On the one hand, the authority says that it has chosen UPDESCO, a state government undertaking, known for its competence, to conduct the draw. How does it then justify the agency’s inability to hold the draw within a specified period? Isn’t it shameful for the authority with a USP of a world-class IT destination, being unable to conduct a simple draw of lots, which required the most basic software,” says Geeta one of the applicants.
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An apology for a deer park
New Delhi, June 14 According to sources, it was in the early 90s, that the DDA decided to develop such a sanctuary in the sprawling 13.64 acres of green land of this area and it was inaugurated with much fanfare by the then Vice-Chairman of the DDA, Mr Sisir Naronha. Two deer, one antelope, about two dozen ducks and rabbits, some rare species of birds were kept in the sanctuary at that time. Separate cages and surroundings were developed for them to provide them with natural habitat at considerable expense. At that time, it had also been decided to arrange round-the-clock medical facilities for these animals. However, as the interest of the authorities flagged, things began to lapse. Consequently, the animals started suffering from various ailments in the absence of proper medical attention and the unsuitability of the environment. To cap it, it was revealed that the DDA had overlooked to take prior permission for setting up such a sanctuary as required under the law from the Wildlife Protection Authority. The then Central Environment Minister, Ms Maneka Gandhi, took this matter quite seriously and decided to shift the suffering animals to the zoos where they could be cared for properly. Subsequently, on May 15, 1998, some animals of this mini-sanctuary were shifted to a near-by zoo and the rest of them were shifted to the Kamla Nehru Open Sanctuary on August 22, 1999 on the Ridge. Since then, the Deer Park is lying in a state of disarray with vandals having taken over the green area. Cages have been broken and the spaces earmarked for the animals are now being used for recreational purpose by the children of the neighbouring areas. A senior DDA officer of the horticulture department said that they could not arrange proper medical facilities for the animals. “We had to call vets from the near-by zoos at the time of emergency. We had no permanent arrangement in this regard. And since there was no permission, it was only logical that it was closed down.” Senior officers, however, defended the decision to set up such a sanctuary as it would have provided a nice place for the residents of the area to visit with their families and would also act as lungs for the otherwise cloistered and clustered colonies around it. Another senior officer said that it was not too late to reclaim the area and at least restore the parks and greenery for the benefit of the residents without the animals.
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Deer fear!
Faridabad, June 14 Sunder Singh, a resident of Badrola village in the district, has informed the SP that a deer often visited his tubewell and farm. He wanted the authorities concerned to take away the animal from there immediately as he feared that the stray dogs could kill it and he might be framed under the Wildlife Act. The SP has since asked the officials of the wildlife department to take suitable action, and if possible, take the animal to a sanctuary.
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Power infrastructure better, claims govt secretary
New Delhi, June 14 Addressing an interactive session with ‘Delhi Transco &
Discoms’, organised by PHDCCI, Mr Anil Sardana, CEO, NDPL, said the city’s own dedicated power generation plant has attained important dimensions in the backdrop of frequent power breakdowns and to meet the rising energy needs of the city by 2010. “This would work as a cushion to deal with voltage fluctuations in the northern grid that results in power cuts in the city,” Mr Sardana underlined. According to him, it was time for the government to consider inverted tariff structure to facilitate the industries in the Capital. This would work as a disincentive for the industries not to pilfer power, he said. The Special Secretary, Power, Delhi Government, Mr Arun Goyal, said the privatisation of power distribution in Delhi has resulted in huge amounts of capital expenditures by
Discoms, resulting in better power infrastructure in the city. Whereas under DVB the capital expenditure used to hover around Rs 450 crore per year, Rs 1,376 crore were spent by Discoms under the same head in 2004-05. Mr Goyal informed the participants that the state government was working in the right earnest to develop parallel 330 MW power generation unit at Pragati Maidan and to replace coal-based plant at Indraprastha with gas-based power plant to enhance self- sufficiency.
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Respite from heat, dust-storm
New Delhi, June 14 The hazy skies resulted from the dust particles blowing from Rajasthan, said the Director of Meteorological Department, Mr R. D. Singh. He said the Met department expected a fall in temperature tomorrow. The maximum temperature recorded today was 40.1 degree Celsius, which was almost normal and so was the minimum at 29.1degree Celsius. Mr Singh said the Capital and most parts of the northern plains were having a milder summer as compared to previous years. The temperature crossed 43 degree Celsius in Delhi only for two days during this season. Most of the time, the mercury did not go much beyond 40 or 41 degree Celsius, which was just about normal.
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BJP demands white paper on desilting of drains
New Delhi, June 14 In a statement on Monday, the BJP president, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said that even though the monsoon season is about to start, the civic agencies have not been able to clean most of the drains in the Capital. All the 28 drains including the main sewer lines are choked with silt, he alleged. The government should explain how it will get all the drains and sewers cleaned within the next 13 days, he questioned. Dr Vardhan said that every year the government spends crores of rupees in the name of cleaning drains and sewers in the Capital. However, the end result is there for everyone to see when waterlogging is a persistent problem during the monsoon months.
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Goods worth Rs 60 lakh gutted in factory
Ghaziabad, June 14 Short circuit has been given out as the cause of the blaze in Khanna Foam factory late yesterday evening. The fire tenders from Sahibabad and Ghaziabad had to struggle for four hours to bring the blaze under control. But before the arrival of police and fire tenders, almost entire machinery and finished goods had been gutted. Even a part of the factory shed was damaged. The estimate of the damage will be ascertained only after an inquiry, said fire officer Sanjeev Yadav. This accident in Khanna factory had once again highlighted the inadequacy of fire-fighting infrastructure in Sahibabad. In case of fire, tenders are normally summoned from Ghaziabad. But by the time they arrive from Ghaziabad, the blaze causes huge damage, said the scared industrialists of Phase-I.
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Three held for robbery
New Delhi, June 14
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