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265 Ghaziabad buildings unsafe for habitation
Metro’s new section to be inaugurated today
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Kids playing outdoor games have healthier eyes, says study
Help Centre for customs and service tax payers
Man, son thrashed for delay in paying loan installment
Institute to hold workshop on cardiopulmonary life support systems
Government needs to implement rain water harvesting measures: PHDCCI
LSR introduces diploma in ‘Conflict Transformation and Peace Building’
‘St Stephen’s has to keep seats vacant for Christians’
Murder case solved
Khora family says ‘no’ to pulse
polio drops
Seven dead in various incidents in Faridabad
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265 Ghaziabad buildings unsafe for habitation
Ghaziabad, July 1 Two days ago in Vijay Nagar area, the collapse of a boundary wall of an apartment building had killed two young boys and seriously injured three others. But many families continue to occupy the buildings termed as dangerous by the Nagar Nigam. The Nigam feels that it has done its duty by issuing a notice. Who will be responsible for the loss of life in case of a building collapse? The Nigam authorities’ response to this is that it is the responsibility of the owners to raze their buildings. Tulsi Niketan in Hindon colonies and buildings of Nagar Nigam on Ramte Ram Road, Ghaziabad, have been declared dangerous. Besides, many GDA and Nagar Nigam buildings themselves are in a dilapidated condition. In Vaishali Kamna II, Sector-2, a large part of the building and a tubewell structure on Rakesh
Marg, Ghaziabad, are in a state of disrepair. Mr RC Singh, Chief Engineer of Nagar Nigam, says that they have issued many notices. “Many of these buildings are not able to withstand any natural calamity. Two years ago, some 415 buildings were listed. Of them, 150 were considered strong enough for the earthquake tremors. But 265 were notified as
dangerous. GDA Chief Engineer SP Raghav says the owners of 265 buildings have been asked to make them fit to withstand natural calamities. After the 1997 earthquake, the GDA is constructing its own buildings in such a way that they can withstand natural calamities, Mr Raghav said. According to Choudhry Brijender Singh, president of Vasundhra Property Dealers,
GDA, the realtors and the Nagar Nigam simply do not own any responsibility after the sale of property.
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Metro’s new section to be inaugurated today
New Delhi, July 1 The 6.3 km long Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate section with seven stations completes the underground Line 2 of Delhi Metro built at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore. Ms Gandhi will flag off the first train from the Central Secretariat station of the section at a function to be attended by Lt Governor B L Joshi, Union Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. With seven stations at Kashmere Gate, Delhi Main, Chawri Bazar, New Delhi, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat, the stretch will be covered in under 13 minutes. It will also connect Connaught Place with the outer areas of the Capital Kashmere Gate onwards. The Kashmere Gate-Delhi University section of the underground stretch was inaugurated in December last year by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “This was the most difficult and formidable section in Phase I to build because of the tunneling involved in the construction,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan told reporters here after a media preview of the underground stretch today. Chawri Bazaar, at a depth of 69 feet, is the deepest station in the section. It is the only station with a pre-fabricated platform to be built by the tunneling method as there was no space on the crowded surface. Cross passages are provided for public movement He said a major achievement in building the section was that despite the dangerous and difficult nature of the work, there were no casualties.
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Kids playing outdoor games have healthier eyes,
New Delhi, July 1 What’s more, the television and the computer are not the only culprits. Junk food too contributes to make the eyesight weak, says the study, conducted in a private school in the capital. Dr Vipin Buckshey who conducted the study claimed that the children living in slums and on streets have better eyesight owing to the time they spend in playing outdoor games. The fact that outdoor games teach them to focus on distant objects is in itself an excellent eye exercise, said Dr Buckhsey. He pointed out that the average age for corrective glasses is much lower these days and the study conducted on the students of a public school, G D Goenka School, showed that nearly 60 per cent of kids between eight to ten were already wearing spectacles because of several reasons. Dr Buckshey blamed shrinking green spaces and playgrounds as a factor in this situation. Children living in slums, unlike their privileged counterparts, are not tempted to spend time in the safer environs of the house watching television or glued to the computer, the study noted. Pointing out the cause of the growing problem in schoolgoing kids, Dr Buckshey said the average distance maintained between the eye and the television is 10 feet, while in case of the computer screen, it is just 12 inches, and if the kids start off very early it affects their vision. Dr Buckshey cautioned parents against turning the TV into a babysitter, saying it should not be relied upon for pacifying children or coaxing them to finish meals. Saying that although genetics play an important role in determining health of eyes, Dr Buckshey pointed out that it would make a significant difference if parents monitor their children’s exposure to TV and computer screens.
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Help Centre for customs and service tax payers
Gurgaon, July 1 The centre was inaugurated by the Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Assembly, Mr Azad Mohammad. Speaking at a public function in connection with the launch, the Commissioner, Central Excise Delhi-111 Commissionerate, Gurgaon, Mr Piyush Patnaik said that the aim of the centre is to help tax payers and importers/exporters by providing an institutional mechanism to guide them in matters related to customs, central excise and service tax. The centre will make them aware of their rights and obligations as also advantages of tax compliance and consequences of non-compliance. The non-filers, stop-filers of returns and defaulters of monthly payment of duty will also be an area of focus, he added. He said the centre will not be a forum for grievance redressal for which a public grievance committee is already operational in all commissionerates. The move is a follow-up of the Budget speech of the Union Finance Minister for the year 2005-06 in which he had said that the government proposed to set up help centres in cooperation with the industry associations, professional bodies and NGOs. This commissionerate has Gurgaon, Rewari and Mahendragarh districts under its command area. Mr Patnaik said that such centres would not be run from the Central Excise and Customs offices, but from the places where the business is located. Accordingly, they would function in close cooperation with the local chambers of commerce and trade associations in their offices earmarked for the purpose. The Deputy Speaker, Mr Azad Mohammad, expressed hope that the tax payers would take benefit from the centre and help expand the base of tax collection. The GIA president, Mr V.P.Bajaj, also expressed the same view and assured the commissionerate of all possible cooperation of the GIA.
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People should take to public transport to ease congestion: CM
New Delhi, July 1 Assuring that the Delhi Government was committed to providing safe and pollution-free public transport system, Ms Dikhsit said that Delhi has more than 45 lakh vehicles running on its roads apart from one lakh vehicles from neighbouring states. Speaking at the inaugural function of a state-of-the-art computerized vehicle inspection and certification unit and driver training institute in Burari, she said that there is immense pressure on the Delhi roads and the government is not in a position to expand roads or making over-bridges. She said the increasing pressure of traffic has made it necessary that the drivers were trained and well-versed with traffic rules to prevent accidents.
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Man, son thrashed for delay in paying loan installment
Faridabad, July 1 They are still to come out of the trauma that followed their alleged abduction and the beating they received at the hands of ‘goondas’ of this company recently. Though the police have booked a case under various sections of the IPC against some persons, no arrests have been made. According to the complaint lodged with the police, Ramprakash had purchased a motorcycle a few months ago which was financed by this company, located in the NIT area. It is stated that as there was delay in the payment of one of the installments, someone from the company contacted them a couple of days ago to know about their whereabouts. Soon after, four persons landed up at their residence and took them away on a motorcycle to an undisclosed place where the father and son duo were allegedly confined against their will and thrashed for several hours before being released. It is stated that they were threatened with dire consequences if they informed the police. The police have registered a case under Sections 365, 342, 384 and 506 of the IPC against the accused. According to a social activist, Mr K.L. Gera, the city is under threat by the ‘finance mafia’ these days. The ‘mafia’ lures people to take loans by using various inducements and then tries to grab their land or property. He claimed that those who failed to deposit the loan installments are beaten up and their financed items unceremoniously confiscated by the ‘mafia’.
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Institute to hold workshop on cardiopulmonary life support systems
New Delhi, July 1 Briefing mediapersons here on Friday, Dr Manju Mani, organising secretary of the workshop and Director of Critical Care and Anaesthesiology at DHLI said that the workshop would be conducted by Dr Alpana Chandra, an Associate Director of Medical ICU from Albert Einstein School of Medicine, New York. She said that 70 doctors have registered for the workshop which will be preceded by a conference on critical care. Dr R.K. Mani, President-elect of the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine and Director of Pulmonogy, Intensive Care and Treatment at DHLI said that ACLS (Advanced Care Life Support) drill should be reached to as many doctors as possible. “ACLS training is for the medical professionals and Basic Cardiac Life Support training is for the community. So many patients who suffer a heart attack die on the way to the hospital. In the developed world, BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) is disseminated to large a number of citizens to save lives and improve chances of survival.” According to the Delhi Medical Association president, 24 lakh patients die of heart attack every year in India. Of these, 18 lakh die before they can be taken to the hospital. Dr Chandra used a dummy to demonstrate how simple cardiac compression by an untrained medical professional within three minutes of a cardiac arrest can save the life of a patient.
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Government needs to implement rain water harvesting measures: PHDCCI
New Delhi, July 1 PHDCCI has pointed out that these problems are due to poor maintenance and sheer neglect on the part of the authorities. Citing the examples of water-logging in major commercial hubs and industrial estates, PHDCCI has said that only one shower has resulted in potholes, overflowing of drains and traffic snarls across Okhla, Mayapuri and Wazirpur industrial areas. This is hampering the commercial activity leading to revenue loss to the state. PHDCCI said that the water harvesting measures undertaken by it haven’t been able to bear the desired fruits. Even the proposal to make flyovers as catchment areas for harvesting water has not been effectively implemented. The Delhi Government would have to proactively promote the measure as water tables are alarmingly going down every year. Monsoons season is the time to preserve as much of the natural resource as possible for the lean months that lies ahead when Delhi has to plead to its neighbours for its water needs, a PHDCCI release said. Though monsoons have brought respite for the Delhiites from the summer heat, delays in proactively meeting these problems would only make the Delhi denizens vulnerable to many diseases. The Delhi Government should gear up in advance to meet any exigencies leading to sanitation problems and diseases like Malaria, Denge and other water borne diseases. According to PHDCCI, the government should install special medical camps that would help reduce the overburdening of government hospitals due to the outbreak of various waterborne diseases during the rainy season. PHDCCI has also suggested that safety guidelines for DISCOMS be listed out so as to ensure least number of accidents pertaining to breaking-up of high-tension electric wires due to squalls that accompany monsoon
showers.
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LSR introduces diploma in ‘Conflict Transformation and Peace Building’
New Delhi, July 1 The two-year programme, ‘Conflict Transformation and Peace Building’ which is likely to begin in August, will have place for male students as well. “We have decided to reserve 15-20 percent of the seats for men. The other details like the timing and schedule is still being worked out,” said Ms Kanika Khandelwal, faculty member. With the United Nations having asked Universities to include conflict resolution in their teaching programmes, the initiative is being seen as “both timely and in keeping with the requirements of the present day world”. “We have observed that students who are vital to peace process are not included in any serious discussions. In fact there is hardly any serious discussion involving the academia in matters like conflict resolution. This programme aims at bridging the gap between the academia and the civil society,” said Ms Khandelwal. It was further pointed out that the growing realisation that the world has not yet effectively devised systems to cope with intra and inter national conflicts has contributed to the conceptualisation of the course. The two-year Diploma Course is offered in an integrated programme. It will be open to undergraduate and graduate students, NGO workers, media persons and grassroots workers. Drawing on resources from sociology, political science, media studies and psychology, the course uses an inter-disciplinary approach. “It is interactive, combining lectures, case studies, panel and group discussions, seminars, role-playing, field trips, film screenings and interactions with senior practitioners and scholars,” it was added. The faculty includes LSR’s own teachers and various reputed Universities as well as educators who have worked in conflict regions.
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‘St Stephen’s has to keep seats vacant for Christians’
New Delhi, July 1 The direction was given by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions on petitions filed before it by the students. St Stephen’s College is a minority educational institute under the Constitution and has to reserve 50 per cent seats for students of Christian community, according to a Supreme Court directive. The Commission directed the college to show cause why a direction should not be issued that all applicant students be enrolled under the quota reserved for the community. “You are furthur directed to keep ten seats in the concerned subjects vacant in the reserved quota for the Christian community till decisions on their (the students’) application are made,” the notice said. The Commission fixed the matter to be heard on Monday when the college can file its reply or rejoinder. In case no representative of the college appeared before the Commission, the petitions would be decided ex-parte, the notice said. The Principal of St Stephen’s College could not be contacted for comment despite several attempts.
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Murder case solved
New Delhi, July 1 The deceased was later identified as Lalit Kumar, a resident of Sultanpuri. During investigations, the police got to know that the deceased was released from Tihar jail in January 2005, where he spent time for involvement in several criminal cases including theft and under the Arms Act. Further inquiry revealed that the Lalit had a liquor session with some fellow-criminals Sanju, Monu, Ganja and Jangli on the night he was killed. On May 15, they all had a liquor session after which Jangli and Monu alias Mohan allegedly planned to eliminate Lalit as he was reportedly taking mobile phone and money from them. The duo allegedly slit his throat and threw the body on the railway tracks to make it look like a train accident. The police have arrested the duo.
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Ram Babu Sharma to stay on as DPCC chief
New Delhi, July 1 Earlier, the Congress workers had delegated the responsibility for choosing a candidate for the post of Delhi Congress Chief to Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi. There were rumours that Mr Sharma would be shifted out from the post after his reported outbursts against the ‘working style’ of Delhi Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit. The decision of the Congress President came as a surprise to many congress workers and senior functionaries of the party. However, political observers believe that Mr Sharma was nominated for the second time after the party high-command was convinced of putting an end to the differences among various factions in the DPCC. They indicated that the coordination committee that was setup earlier last month to sort out issues between the party and the government was functioning smoothly. Mr Sharma who is also the MLA from Rohtash Nagar was backed by various leaders like Ahmed Patel and Ashok Gehlot.
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Khora family says ‘no’ to pulse
polio drops
Noida, July 1 Eight of the children of the family had died due to adverse reaction to the drops in the past, they allege. “Do whatever you like, we shall not budge from our stand,” they have curtly told the polio and administration officials. About two dozen officials, including the polio team, Loni BDO Rakesh Ranjan, several social workers, influential Muslim people of the area, had descended on Mohd Ali’s house to persuade the family to take the drops for their kids. But Mohd Ali refused. District Magistrate Santosh Yadav, who has been informed of Mohd Ali’s stand, has asked the Addl. District Magistrate to persuade Mohd Ali to change his stand. When the media asked Mohd Ali as to why he was against the drops, he said his family had lost eight children due to the adverse effects of the medicine. He would not allow anybody to administer the polio drops to the children in his family, come what may, the man said. But the administration has also stuck to its guns and keeps trying.
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Seven dead in various incidents in Faridabad
Faridabad, July 1 An employee of an establishment in sector 6 was killed after he was run over by a speeding vehicle on the National Highway on Wednesday night. The victim, identified as Jagdev, had been riding his bicycle at that time. One person identified as Chidha Ram of Asavati village also died in a road accident. In another accident, two persons who are yet to be identified were run over by trains near Palwal and Hodal stations in the district during the past 36 hours. In a case of heinous crime, the police have recovered the body of an unidentified youth from the banks of Gurgaon canal near sector 24 here. The body had several injury marks and it is suspected that the victim was murdered and his body dumped there. The police have registered a case. Meanwhile, the toll of diarrhoea victims in the district increased when a three-year-old boy died of it while he was being taken to the civil hospital. The boy, identified as Sharukh, son of one Habib, a resident of Alampur village in the district, had been suffering from the disease for about 4 days. With this, the toll of diarrhoea in the district during this season has crossed 10. About four persons of the same village are admitted to the civil hospital here for similar symptoms.
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Students off to Poland
New Delhi, July 1 The two students will have been selected to represent the country for the fourth consecutive year. The team was selected through the Indian National Olympiad in Informatics, a nationwide written test organised annually by the Indian Association of Research in Computer Science in association with the CBSE.
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Free sewing training for the poor
New Delhi, July 1 Mr Pradeep Jain, president, Rotary Club of
Delhi Vikas, affirmed this on Wednesday at the inauguration ceremony of Rotary Charitable Trust Hall. Delhi Finance Minister Dr A K Walia inaugurated the hall at Preet Vihar.
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