New Delhi, July 2
The Central Bureau of Investigations has registered a criminal case against the cardiologist of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The sleuths also raided his house and office besides several other places, and claimed to have seized relevant documents. The doctor has been identified as Dr R.K. Khullar posted as cardiologist at RML Hospital here.

As per an FIR registered by the CBI, the doctor entered into a criminal conspiracy with unknown suppliers of medical/surgical equipment and disposable with a view to cheating the government by giving false expense certificate. In the recent case, he allegedly cheated a peon working with the Department of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The CBI sources said that the accused advised the peon to have angiography and asked him to deposit Rs 6,200. The patient made a request to his department for sanction of the amount and on the basis of advice and expense certificate, given by the accused cardiologist, the Department of Chemicals and Fertilizers sanctioned the amount and issued a cheque in favour of RML Hospital on December 7 last year. Next day, the angiography was performed on the peon (complainant) and Dr Khullar further advised for angioplasty for which he asked the complainant to deposit Rs 1.58 lakh with the hospital.

At this, the peon approached the head of the Department of Cardiology of the RML Hospital and asked him to look into his case.

The head of the department again performed angiography on the patient before performing angioplasty and found that the peon was not suffering from any disease which needed angioplasty.

He discharged the patient and advised for regular medication for some time.

The CBI sleuths have reportedly found the accused had not deposited the angiography film in the hospital as required, rather he destroyed it to save himself from any action.

The CBI officials said that the accused has been in a habit of issuing exaggerated angiography report and receiving commission from the suppliers of medical/surgical equipment and disposable. 

New Delhi, July 2
Once the Phase I of the Metro Rail project gets completed by March next year, not only will the roads in the Capital be decongested but the average speed of vehicular traffic in the Capital will also increase.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new underground section of the Delhi Metro between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said as many as 2,500 buses and thousands of small private vehicles, including two-wheelers, were likely to go off Delhi’s roads as more than 22 lakh people would use Metro services every day by the end of Phase II.

After the unveiling of the 6.3-km technological marvel of the underground Delhi Metro corridor between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today, the section will be thrown open to the public tomorrow.

The state-of-the-art section between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat with its six sections complete the underground Line 2 of Delhi Metro, built at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore.

But just one ride from the Central Secretariat to Kashmere Gate is not sufficient to understand the hard work and intricate planning that has gone into putting together some of the most amazing technological feats for the convenience of public.

Perhaps, people of Delhi did not even realise the work going on beneath their houses and offices while constructing the six state-of-the-art underground stations and tracks in some of the most congested areas of the Capital, including the 67-foot-deep Metro station at Chawri Bazar, which was the most difficult and formidable for the DMRC and constructed using the tunnelling method, and the biggest interchange station in Asia with two concourse levels where Line 2 and Line 3 will cross each other together right in the centre of Connaught Place where the fountain once stood.

Foolproof emergency services have been installed in the entire underground section, including standby tunnel lights and diesel generating sets with autostart within 30 seconds of power supply failure.

All stations have CCTVs, fire detection systems, public address systems and special facilities for the disabled. Full evacuation from the station can be carried out within six minutes. Mobile phone users can also remain connected throughout the entire underground section.

At present, as many as 1.4 persons are using the Delhi Metro’s east-west Line I from Shahadara to Rithala that has already reduced the need for more than 1,000 public transport buses.

Mrs Dikshit said that with the opening of the entire underground Line 2 from Delhi University to Central Secretariat, more than 70,000 persons were expected to use the route daily, reducing the need for nearly 1,000 buses.

The new addition will reduce an hour’s drive to a mere 13 minutes and is part of the 11-km line that connects Delhi University, the state legislative assembly, ISBT and the old city with the central business district of Connaught Place and the government offices at Central Secretariat, besides both the New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations.

The Barakhamba Road to Dwarka sub-city Line 3, covering about 30 km, will be completed by December this year, and the three-km portion of the line from Barakhamba Road to Indraprastha added by March next year.

By the time Phase I ends in March, the average speed of vehicle movement in the city could go up from 10 km per hour to about 15, she added.

The Metro would not only provide clean, comfortable and punctual alternative means of transport to the people, but also save travel time for the commuters, besides reducing pollution and congestion.

While the rail service formed the dominant part of the city’s public transport policy, other modes of public transport would also be looked at for the benefit of the mounting population, the Chief Minister assured.

A date with inaugural run
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 2
It was a festive environment as the Central and Delhi ministers, besides several MPs and MLAs, senior government officials and journalists jostled with one another to experience Delhi Metro’s inaugural run today.

For the public, the Metro will open tomorrow, which being a Sunday is expected to witness a huge rush. Today the DMRC organised several trips for its guests who had been invited for the inauguration ceremony.

Even representatives of the Japanese Government could not help but appreciate the slick state-of-the-art stations and the comfort of the air-conditioned coaches of the tube.

DMRC Chairman E Sreedharan said the frequency of trains would now be increased to one every five minutes as against seven minutes earlier.

There would also be no increase in the fares as the DMRC had been making an operational profit, right from day one

He said the Rajiv Chowk station would be the nation’s pride when it became fully operational in December this year with the commissioning of the Dwarka-Indraprastha line. It will be the interchange station for the Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate line.

Meanwhile, some more bonanzas are in plan for Delhites. At present, the Metro has a line length of about 32 km, but as per Lt-Governor B L Joshi, a master plan had been prepared to cover 245 km by 2020.

New Delhi, July 2
Heavy rains lashed parts of the city this morning as the monsoon progressed in the Capital and the weather office forecast more rains in the next 24 hours.

The city received 12 mm rainfall during the day, the Met department said. The maximum temperature of 34.2 degree Celsius today was three degree less than normal.

The minimum temperature recorded this morning was 25.2 degrees Celsius.

The weather office forecast a generally cloudy sky tomorrow with heavy rains in some parts of the city.

New Delhi, July 2
The MCD’s decision to close the Sunday Book Bazaar has made many a bibliophile in the Capital see red. Some of these book lovers for whom the weekly fair is a sacred space are now going to protest against what they call the “MCD’s total lack of sensibility”.

“What else can one expect from the people who are devoid of any aesthetic sense. Whether it is taking cattle off the roads or clamping down on a virtual paradise for book lovers, the MCD exhibits total apathy,” complained Siddhath Singh, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The decision has united book lovers and Chintan, an Environmental Research and Action Group. They will stage a dharna outside the MCD office on July 7 “as a first step”. The dharna is being organised in association with Harit Recyclers Association (HRA), a registered organisation of small junk dealers, many of whom have been associated with the Sunday Book Bazaar.

The bazaar that has been in existence over four decades in Daryaganj is known for a variety of rare books usually available at affordable prices. “The books one can’t find anywhere would be available in Daryaganj Sunday Bazaar. For many students, this is the only place from where they can afford to purchase a book. It is the favourite place for students, artists, designers, theorists, activists, et al. This is the reason why this bazaar has occupied an important place in the collective psyche of the book lovers in Delhi for generations. The decision to close down the bazaar has
come as a rude shock since it is an integral part of Delhi’s culture and heritage”, reads a statement made by Chintan.

Meanwhile, for the 200-odd book sellers who gather religiously every week are anxiously waiting for tomorrow.

A member of the Sunday Book Bazaar Patri Welfare Association said, “The threat is looming large, but we are hopeful that the MCD will have to bow before the wishes of the book lovers whose number is legion. Besides, we will press for our right to livelihood which is threatened by this decision.” 

New Delhi, July 2
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has no plan to establish dairy farms in all districts of the Capital even though the councillors across the party lines raised this demand.

The demand was made after the Municipal Commissioner announced the formation of a dairy farm at Ghogha village near Najafgarh and directed to close thousands of unauthorised dairies in various localities of the national Capital.

The Municipal Commissioner also said that unauthorised dairies would be shifted to Ghogha dairy farm.

In reaction to this announcement, the councillors said that Delhi is not a city. It has become a state now. Ghogha is located in one corner of the state. The dairy owners having their business in Badarpur and Shahdara cannot bring milk to sell in these localities. It takes at least three hours to reach Ghogha from Shahdara. This decision is not practical, the councillors added.

The Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, said that developing dairy farms in all districts of the national Capital was not possible due to unavailability of land. The MCD does not have land. It’s the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) which can provide land. The councillors should approach the DDA for the allotment of land if they are interested to get the dairy farms developed in all districts.

The Ghogha Dairy Farm is being developed after direction given by the Delhi High Court to shift all unauthorised dairies from the Capital.

The government has provided land at Ghogha, which is being developed. This is incorrect that the dairy owners do not welcome this development. They are getting their plots booked at Ghogha and so far the corporation has collected booking amount of Rs 7 crore.

The plots, which are of different sizes, are meant for dairy-cum-residence. The dairy owners do not need to go from Ghogha to their original place to sell off their product. The dairy farm authority will buy their product. All modern techniques will be used to run the dairy farm.

The dairy farm will make its own arrangement of water supply. The electricity will be generated from the cowdung collected from the dairies, the Municipal Commissioner claimed.

The Ghogha Dairy Farm is not the first one being developed. Such dairy farm is already being run by the Punjab Government. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also directed to close all unauthorised dairies and shift them to developed dairy farms, the Municipal Commissioner said.

New Delhi, July 2
Delhi Police have arrested a person for impersonating as the education minister of the Government of NCT Delhi. The accused has been identified as Gurdeep Singh Narula.

The accused was arrested today by the Economic Offence Wing of Delhi Police. A team of sleuths was formed after the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, D.K. Batra complained to the police that someone has made anonymous calls at his office saying that he was the Education Minister in the Delhi Government and wanted favour to recruit some class IV employees. During investigations, it was revealed that the accused had already succeeded in admitting two students in the two reputed schools of Delhi. Further investigations revealed that no phone call was made from the office of the Education Minister of Government of NCT of Delhi.

A thorough surveillance was made and the accused was arrested from his house situated in Trans-Yamuna.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he lured the principals of reputed schools by promising to give huge amount of government fund available at the discretion of the Minister of Education and Tourism. 

New Delhi, July 2
The Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, today inaugurated the 17th Mango Festival at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium here.

The two-day festival will showcase nearly 500 varieties of the fruit, including some rare ones. “I do not want to waste time on any speech. Let us get into the act and indulge in some delicious mango-eating,” Mrs Dikshit said.

The festival is being organised by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation in collaboration with the National Horticulture Board, New Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture,
Lucknow. 

Faridabad, July 2
The police claimed to have solved the murder case of a rickshaw puller whose body had been found from a drain in Sanjay Colony here about 18 days ago. One Mukesh Kumar, working as contractor, has been arrested in this connection. It is alleged that Mukesh Kumar had stabbed the victim after a fight. The rickshaw puller was living in the colony as a tenant with his wife and two daughters.

12 fall prey to diarrhoea

At least 12 persons, including eight children suffering from diarrhoea, have been admitted to the B.K. Civil Hospital. The victims have come from various parts of the city. Seven-month- old twin girls from a colony of Ballabhgarh town are among those admitted. —TNS

Noida, July 2
Two persons, including an old man sustained injuries when a part of lintel in the staff quarters of government hospital Sector-30 Noida crashed on them. The injured were admitted to Government. Hospital. One of them is stated to be serious. Incidentally, this is not the first accident of its type. Buildings, especially the staff quarters in the district hospital complex in Sector-30 Noida, have been in a state of disrepair. Such incidents have occurred many times.

According to JE Ashok Kumar, he had apprised the CMO of the unsafe condition of the living quarters of the junior staff.

The CMO had already written to the administration underlining the urgency of repair. The accident happened when the District Hospital nurse Jai Watti reached her quarter after duty. She served lunch to her 80-year-old father Chat Ram and her nephew Sunil Kumar, 19. Before they could have their food, a part of the lintel in the roof crashed, injuring Sunil in his head and her father Chat Ram.

Both were immediately rushed to hospital where Sunil was stated to be in a serious condition. Even on Thursday, the ceiling had crashed in a Type-I house in the hospital complex, but nobody was in the room at that time.

According to nurse Jai Watti, her father was injured earlier on September 13, 2002, in a similar accident. She had lodged a complaint with the authorities three years ago, but no action was taken to repair the flat, she said. JE Ashok Kumar said the funds received from the administration were spent on painting and whitewash etc. No money was left for the repair of the building.

Ghaziabad, July 2
Engineer Rahul Tyagi, the mastermind of the kidnapping of Mumbai-based share broker’s son Vaibhav from Kota in Rajasthan, it is learnt, is not alone to have taken a plunge into the kidnapping trade. Many so-called gentlemen from the well-to-do families are reportedly showing their skills in this lucrative ‘business’.

With the given crime conditions and socio-economic scenario of western UP, even the educated are taking to kidnapping.

Two years ago, a trained and qualified engineer Rahul Tyagi had started supplying bricks to Ghaziabad Development Authority for the construction of GDA buildings. Suddenly, he decided to get rich quick. Rahul Tyagi is a known figure now, thanks to the exposure he got in the media for kidnapping the 16-year-old son Vaibhav of a Mumbai share broker Ramdev Agarwal.

The police force of six states had to mount one of the most discretely mounted police operations to recover the boy and the Rs 3-crore ransom from Muzzafarnagar’s Rosstte Inn.

Rahul Tyagi himself was nabbed from Saharanpur in a raid after he had kept the police force on his trail for two days. The police are now looking for Sanjiv Sharma, the third accused who along with Rahul Tyagi decided to turn a millionaire overnight.

Some of the people involved in this trade are known to have engineered the kidnapping of their relatives to pay off their debts with the ransom. The most glaring case in this context is that of Meerut Mayor Arun Kumar who had his close friend and industrialist Sawatantar Rastogi kidnapped six years ago. The people of western UP were shocked when Mayor Arun Kumar was arrested for these crimes after the police investigations.

The name of a Baghpat MLA is also associated with kidnapping. Arun Jain was one of those who had left a well-established business and jumped into the world of abductions. Even Prem Parmukh had also abducted many known industrials. Even an MLA of a neighbouring district is accused of kidnapping industrialists from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Meerut and some other areas.

Seeing some politicians succeeding in this field, some new players have jumped into the lucrative crime.

Some know names like Rakesh Hasanpuriya, Naresh Bhatti, Deepak Sharma, Attar Singh Nagar, alias Attroo, have all been accused of getting their rivals kidnapped from time to time.

New Delhi, July 2
With the arrest of four persons, Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a gang of inter-state commercial vehicle robbers. The accused include a person acting as a tout for Meerut Transport Authority. The accused have been identified as Charanjeet Singh (43), Karan Singh (50), Gurdeep Singh (48) and Khalid (35).

The police also claimed to have seized six stolen trucks, one Tata 407 tempo and one motorcycle from their possession. The accused used to rob new trucks on the highway. They took the trucks to Ghaziabad and then punched the chassis and engine number of an old truck on the new truck. They would then scrap the old truck and sold the new truck with forged documents to the potential buyers.