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CBI files chargesheet against IPS officer for excess assets
Election of Sunder Bhatti, wife cancelled
Anti-encroachment drive against farmhouses
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HC seeks parties’ views on making Rachna freehold
Delhi for power sharing with UP, Haryana
NAFED distributes onion at Rs 16 a kg
Fire in thermal station disrupts power generation
Stress-busting Dutch team visits remote villages
Campaign to apprise children of consumer rights
Traders flay new sales tax policy
60 per cent stamp duty waived for Reliance power plant
Dengue mosquito breeds in clean water
Man held for possessing cocaine
Youth gets 7 yrs’ RI for raping mentally challenged girl
CEE scam: Two accused granted bail
Cheat remanded in judicial custody
Official held for taking bribe
Bedi for making civil defence men part of Bhagidari
CPM demonstration against move to privatise water supply
PNB kiosk for easy payment of utility bills
Drive to collect donations for earthquake victims
SGSC to appeal for saving ‘Maryada’
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CBI files chargesheet against IPS officer for excess assets
New Delhi, October 25 The next hearing of the case is scheduled to be held on November 25. The chargesheet was filed following investigation of a case registered against the IPS officer in 2001 on the basis of a complaint of Amit Vikram Bhardwaj, alleging that Mr B. S. Bola and his wife Mrs Parveen Bola were in possession of assets disproportionate to their known source of income. He has assets worth Rs 49.40,198 lakh. Raids were conducted at his residential premises and other places where several documents were recovered which confirmed that he owned one farmhouse measuring 12 bighas and three biswas at village Bijwasan worth Rs 31.20 lakh, agriculture land at village Chahar Majra in Ropar, Punjab, valued at Rs 2.12 lakh, one flat in police housing society in Mayur Vihar in Delhi, agricultural land at village Saidpur in Sonepat, Haryana, valued about Rs 2 lakh, two flats in Krishana Nagar, East Delhi, estimated at Rs 18.50 lakh, the chargesheet said. According to the chargesheet, the moveable assets alleged in the FIR included Tata Indica car, Ambassador and Maruti Esteem cars, bank balances in PPF and saving bank accounts. The total income in the FIR was Rs 36,43,564 lakh. The chargesheet said that the CBI had started trailing him from January 1989 to June 2001 when he was posted as Additional DCP North district. At the time of registration of the case, he was posted Managing Director, Pondichery Distilleries in June 2001. Most of the assets were acquired by Mr Bola during this period. During searches at the official residence of Mr Bola, the raiding team recovered household articles worth Rs 10.77,850 lakh. Clothes worth Rs 2.38 lakh were recovered from his premises. However, Mr Bola claimed that most of the articles seized from his house belonged to his friend P. S. Sabharwal who had handed them over to Mr Bola when he went abroad. He also claimed that many articles have been gifted to him by his friends and relatives but he could not provide any evidence to support his claim, the chargesheet said. The total items recovered from the residence of Mr Bola were 321. Of them, 98 have been claimed as gifts presented by relatives and friends. Investigations also disclosed that he had paid premiums of Rs 1,34,143 lakh against various policies of LIC for himself and his sons during the period. He has also received an amount of Rs 7, 6, 867 as Money Back from LIC against the policies. He has rented his flat in Delhi Police Apartments to various persons. He had purchased a rifle of point 315-bore much before the check period in 1983 at a price of Rs 3,356. In 1992, it had been sold at a price of Rs 9,500 to M/s Karan Gun House against intimation to the department. The chargesheet said that analysis of the facts “makes it clear that B.S. Bola has acquired assets disproportionate to his known source of income. Even if the income earned by his wife is taken into account, the total assets of Mr B. S. Bola further enhanced by Rs 1,96,576 because his wife is also having assets disproportionate to her source of income”.
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Election of Sunder Bhatti, wife cancelled
Greater Noida, October 25 The decision has been taken by the district administration which had conducted an inquiry into the matter. The unopposed election of Sunder Bhatti and his wife, it has been pointed out, had been made possible by creating pa scare in the minds of people. The District Magistrate, Mr Santosh Kumar Yadav, has declared these elections should be conducted afresh. A date for the same will be declared later. It was found during the inquiry that Bhatti’s supporters had threatened other candidates. Consequently, no one had mustered up the courage to stand against him. Sunder Bhatti had filed his papers from BDC Dandhola in Dankore. His candidature was being discussed in public because he had filed his papers from Bulandshahr jail. As nobody filed nomination papers against the husband- wife duo, the authorities had to declare them as having won unopposed. In the inquiry conducted through the intelligence agencies on the DM’s order, it was found that musclemen and supporters of Sunder Bhatti had threatened his opponents. No one filed papers against Sunder Bhatti and his wife Sunita who had contested from Kulipuri. The police and the tehsildars too have given similar reports, saying that nobody had filed nominations fearing the worst from the dreaded criminal. In view of this, his unopposed election has been cancelled.
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Anti-encroachment drive against farmhouses
Gurgaon, October 25 According to sources, the illegal plotting of land was done several years ago. However, the authorities have not specified the guilty persons behind the illegal plotting of land. It is learnt, however, that the land mafia active in the area were behind it. It may be recalled that the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr R.P.Bhardwaj, had issued a warning to all concerned to remove encroachments, failing which the administration would take punitive action against them. Clearly, the land lying on either side of the Gurgaon-Sohna road, including the Aravali hills zone, have been the target of the land mafia. Large-scale unauthorised farmhouses have been set up in the area, authorities said. Mr Kaushik warned that the drive against encroachments and illegal constructions would be stepped up in the coming days. It may be recalled that the District Town and Planning (Enforcement) had demolished several farms, reclaiming more than a 1000 acres of land recently. Many of the farmhouses were in the prohibited zone around the Aravali hills. Moreover, a number of shopkeepers have illegally set up basements in their premises. The common people have welcomed the administrative action against the land encroachments.
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HC seeks parties’ views on making Rachna freehold
New Delhi, October 25 It is submitted before the court that the partners would have to pay Rs 1.17 crore to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to make it freehold from leasehold and Rs 25 lakh for compensation to the workers. Counsel Sobha Aggrawal appearing for Aggrawals claimed that the cinema hall did not make a profit during its run for six weeks between September 9 and October 20. However, the counsel appearing for Suris claimed that the hall made a profit and could be sustained with the income. The cinema hall which started in 1976, with the blockbuster ‘Kabhie Kabhie’ might face closure as it was running on loss for the past few years as claimed by some partners. In the petition Sanjay Aggrawal, a partner, said that the cinema hall was incurring huge losses and should be closed down by disposing of the partnership assets. The petition sought the direction of the court for disposal of the 2000 sq mtrs of assets and sharing of the sale proceedings by the partners. However, one of the partners B L Suri, challenged the petition of the Aggrawals and said the hall was making a profit and should not be closed down. The cinema hall, launched as a joint venture with 12 partners, has been entangled in litigation since 1981. In the intervening period, five of the original partners, died and several of their kins had been taken as partners in the trust. Counsel Aggrawal contended that hall was running without the clearance from fire department because of some structural deficiencies. The cinema, which is in the prime locality on Pusa Road in central Delhi, was leased out to the partners by the DDA for 99 years for opening a cinema hall and commercial use.
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Delhi for power sharing with UP, Haryana
New Delhi, October 25 “We will seek 200 MW from Haryana and UP during the morning peak hours. In return, we can provide them with additional power for six hours during the day,” Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf told reporters here today. He said the peak power demand in the Capital during the coming winter
was expected to go up to 3200 MW. The Minister said the power situation in
the Capital, which has been facing an electricity shortage in recent days, has improved over the last
three days. “One unit of the Nathpa Jakhri power plant has started functioning, and is supplying 80-90 MW to Delhi right now. Its second unit, expected to start working by day after tomorrow, will supply another 100 MW to us,” Yusuf said. Meanwhile, with Diwali approaching, the Government has extended till October 28 the deadline for the discoms to get all streetlights in the Capital working. Earlier, the discoms were supposed to get a certificate from the local area MLA
on the streetlights by October 24.
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NAFED distributes onion at Rs 16 a kg
New Delhi, October 25 The move to sell onions through its outlets comes even as the agency’s field staff were monitoring the supply position in producing areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. “The first consignments of three truck loads The current spurt in onion prices, particularly in Delhi, is mainly attributed to delay in arrival of Kharif crop from Maharashtra, the main onion producing state, it said, adding that the delay in crop was due to unseasonal and heavy rains. It said NAFED had tied up arrangement with overseas suppliers in Pakistan and China to import adequate quantity of onion. NAFED, the designated onion procurement agency, said presently onion prices at Azadpur mandi in Delhi are ruling between Rs 1,000-1,625 per quintal and the arrivals stood at 9,400 quintals. To augment the supply of onions, the centre has directed NAFED to bring adequate stocks of the commodity from various producing areas of the country and also by arranging immediate import to stablise the onion prices. Another five truck loads of onion consignments are expected to reach Delhi by this evening, the release said.
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Fire in thermal station disrupts power generation
Faridabad, October 25 The fire, which broke out perhaps due to some leakage at about 6 a.m, took hours to be brought under control. Several fire tenders from the local Air Force Station were rushed to douse the fire, as the fire tenders of the plant was non-functional. The thermal plant is one of the oldest in the state, with a daily production capacity of about 165 MW. A team of senior officials and engineers of the Power Department reached the spot to assess the damage due to the fire. However, according to sources, one of the main reasons behind the fire incident today could be the lack of proper maintenance and sufficient trained staff. It is reported that the oil leakage in the plant had been going on for the past few days and at least two repairs had been undertaken in the past week. The power plant has a staff of over 800 employees. The All Haryana Power Corporations Workers Union claimed that the matter had been highlighted several times. However, it is alleged that it was ignored by the authorities. It is learnt that an inquiry into the fire incident has been ordered.
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Stress-busting Dutch team visits remote villages
Gurgaon, October 25 The delegation led by Dr Mehdi Jiva, Chairman of the foundation, praised the project, Smile, which provides services in dental care for village children. The delegates visited government school in Gadouli village and met a number of students to overview the work. While addressing the students and other guests, Dr Jiva elaborated on the mental peace and satisfaction one got after being attached to such noble projects. The projects brought smile on the faces of poor children, added the Chairman. “Many a people in the West feel the absence of such stress-busters and we come to India in search of an experience like project Smile”, concluded Mr Jiva. Welcoming the guests, Mr D. D. Jain, Chairman of Om Indu Jain Charitable Trust, said the prevalence of caries and gingivitis in teeth had come down to a negligible proportion after the project. All these children were provided free treatment and transportation to the hospital at Dhankot. The project started in 2004. It examined schoolchildren of Dhankot and surrounding villages for dental diseases. It was found that many of them were having caries and a number of them were suffering from gingivitis, revealed Mr Jain. Om Indu Rural Hospital came into existence after the crash of Air India Boeing 747 Kanishka on 23 June, 1985. Om Prakash, his wife Indu and two children died in the crash. His father, Mangat Ram Jain, built the hospital in their memory from their assets in Canada and compensation received from overseas. At present, the hospital provides specialised consultations in medicine, mother and child care, dental, ENT, orthopaedic and eye care. The hospital is also actively involved in creating awareness among the population through regular camps on hypertension, diabetes, oral hygiene, family planning, and screening for vaginal pathology.
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Campaign to apprise children of consumer rights
New Delhi, October 25 An initiative of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, it is a part of the campaign against counterfeits launched by the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII). As part of the campaign, an interactive session was held at Apeejay Public School, Saket. Children were educated about their consumer rights and made aware of how to identify genuine products through holograms, seals and logos. A skit based on the theme of consumer protection and a quiz were also part of the programme. With experts having cautioned that only 50 per cent of the products sold in the markets are genuine, CII is organising a campaign against counterfeits, ‘A genuine deal’ which will conclude on October 30. Targeting individuals, professionals and even youngsters in schools and colleges, the campaign through roadshows, workshops and interactive sessions will focus on identification of genuine products through specific design, colour and logos. Emphasis will be laid on the quality of a genuine product, customers will be sensitised on the importance of not settling for cheap counterfeits and information on helpline numbers to report fake products will also be part of the campaign.
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Traders flay new sales tax policy
Faridabad, October 25 The president of the association, Mr H.S Bhati, said in a statement here today that it was “totally unreasonable” to ask the traders to submit C-Form and that too within three months time period. Claiming that while the clearance of the payments took at least six months for any order, it
was unjustified to ask the traders to comply with this condition as they would lose business if they were to submit such forms at such short intervals. Describing as an “anti-trade decision”, he said it would harm the general trade and business activity in the state. It would create several hurdles and promote red-tapism, he said. The association stated that it was difficult to understand the decision of the government, particularly since the government was committed to remove bottlenecks to promote business and trade. The association has announced its support to “any action” by the traders and businessmen in this regard to oppose the move of the government in this regard.
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60 per cent stamp duty waived for Reliance power plant
Ghaziabad, October 25 It may be mentioned that 60 per cent of the land for Reliance plant is to be contributed by the state government. A total of 881,801 hectares had been transferred to Reliance on March 8 this year. Now, the registration of this land has to be done. Since the state government has to bear the 60 per cent cost of the land for the plant, the 60 per cent stamp duty on this will also have to be paid by the state government. Land compensation to farmers has been paid at the rate of Rs 150 per sq yd, it is learnt.
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Dengue mosquito breeds in clean water
Noida, October 25 While Noida Authority Health Department officials can identify dengue and malaria larvae with a mere look, these experts also know that dengue larvae can breed in clean water and that malaria larvae can breed in polluted water. Some doctors don’t agree with it. The Qulex mosquito breeds in polluted water. The bite of this mosquito is known to cause dengue also. Unless a well-coordinated fogging campaign is launched in a given time frame with proper ratio of insecticides, it is difficult to control these mosquitoes. A few years ago, a team was set up to study and monitor dengue and malaria mosquitoes, but it was disbanded later after a Noida board meeting’s decision. Tantamount to this, high claims have been made by official agencies, but fogging sprays and other preventive measures had progressively declined. As a result, both the scourges had been taking their toll in terms of human suffering and death. Dengue prevention: According to experts, the following precautionary measures can be taken for prevention of dengue: Don’t allow stagnant water in or around your houses. Flush out the water stored for domestic chores every second day. Keep water tanks covered. Use mosquito nets. Keep doors and windows opened at fogging time. Take medicines on doctors’ advice only.
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Man held for possessing cocaine
New Delhi, October 25 The Narcotics Branch of Delhi Police got the information that the accused would be coming to Mayapuri flyover to supply a huge quantity of cocaine. A trap was then laid and the accused was arrested from the spot. Police said that he was an accountant and was working with an electronic firm in Janak Puri. He had been into drug trafficking for the last four years. He has two children and decided to become rich quick through this illegal trade. Meanwhile, a city court today sentenced a youth to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh for being in possession of 1.7 kg of hashish. Additional Sessions Judge Sunil Gaur found Mohammed Rashid guilty under various provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Pscychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) for possessing commercial quantity of the contraband. According to prosecution, Rashid used to sell hashish clandestinely to various customers in the Khazoori Khas locality of east Delhi. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested the convict at a traffic signal on the morning of April 4, 2002 and recovered 1.7 kg of the contraband from him. The sample of the seized substance, which was sent to CFSL laboratory, was found to be hashish. After framing the charges on May 29, 2003 against the accused, the court examined 10 prosecution witnesses.
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Youth gets 7 yrs’ RI for raping mentally challenged girl
New Delhi, October 25 “Response of judiciary cannot be mute to such grave human rights violations and sinful conducts of the offenders in such kind of offence,” Additional Sessions Judge Rajiv Mehra observed while handing down the punishment to Balwan Singh, a resident of Sonepat, Haryana. “Girls and ladies are not feeling safe and secure. City of Delhi is fast becoming a capital of rape and serious crimes. Culprits have no fear of society. They are fastly becoming a threat. These incidents are striking a fear in mind of the people,” the judge said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict found guilty under section 376 (rape) of the IPC. The victim, a resident of Narela, had gone to answer nature’s call on the evening of July 26, 2003 when the accused took her away to a bush in a nearby DDA park and raped her. Some of her neighbours who rushed to spot on hearing her cries caught hold of the accused and handed him over to the police. Prosecution examined 16 witnesses to prove their case.
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CEE scam: Two accused granted bail
New Delhi, October 25 Special CBI judge Dinesh Dayal granted relief to LLB student from Rohtak Sandeep Hooda and Himanshu Sharma on their furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000. Both the accused were on interim bail till today. Earlier his counsel Jatan Singh pleaded before the court that his client required a minimum of 75 per cent attendance for appearing in his semester exams and already he had lost nearly a month’s classes while he was in custody. The court had on September 13 granted bail to
IITian Divey Sethi, a key accused in the case, considering “the effect on his career”. Their alleged role was revealed during the interrogation of 21 students who had indulged in malpractices with the help of the accused during the May 2005 exams for admissions to Delhi College of Engineering. CBI arrested kingpin Pankaj Dahiya and other accused and charged them for criminal conspiracy, cheating and under various provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for helping 21 students to indulge in malpractices by sending them answers through
SMS in lieu of Rs 4 lakh per candidate.
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Cheat remanded in judicial custody
New Delhi, October 25 After hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and defence, Patiala Courts Metropolitan Magistrate V K Khanna remanded Bikash Chander Mishra, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on October 19, to 14 days judicial custody. Mishra, a resident of Malad in Mumbai, had allegedly cheated some aspiring students to the tune of Rs 66 lakh on the pretext of giving them admission in reputed engineering and medical colleges. A complaint in this regard was registered by a resident of Seemapuri, Delhi, on September 4. Mishra was produced in Borivili court, Mumbai, on October 19 where he was remanded in six days transit remand. He has been booked on various charges under sections 420, 406 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
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Official held for taking bribe
New Delhi, October 25 The accused has been identified as Jai Bhagwan. Police said that one Virender Sahani, working as a cook in Delhi Police, approached him to get the date of birth certificate of his son, but the accused allegedly demanded Rs 200 as bribe. The Anti-Corruption Branch was then informed which laid a trap and caught
him. — TNS
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Bedi for making civil defence men part of Bhagidari
New Delhi, October 25 “The civil defence personnel perform the important tasks of providing first aid and carrying out relief and rescue operations. Disaster management preparedness would receive a boost if these personnel are made part of the government’s Bhagidari scheme,” Ms Bedi, who recently took charge as the DG, Home Guards, told reporters after her courtesy call on the Chief Minister on Monday. She said if more than 30,000 civil defence volunteers, ordinary citizens drawn from all walks of life, were brought under the Bhagidari fold, they would be better able to coordinate with various government departments in disaster management efforts. “The Chief Minister has assured me that the civil defence volunteers will soon be brought under the Bhagidari scheme,” Ms Bedi said.
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CPM demonstration against move to privatise water supply
New Delhi, October 25 Hundreds of people from different parts of the city along with a large number of DJB workers participated in the protest. Sitaram Yechury, Politbureau member, described the privatisation of civic amenities like water as anti-people and demanded that the Delhi Government should allay fears on privatisation of water distribution. It should declare that water distribution will not be privatised and stop using pro-privatisation Price Water Coopers guidelines regarding the water situation. Besides, it should rectify grossly unequal per capita availability of water between different parts of the city and annul the contract for the Sonia Vihar Project with Odneo Degremont, demanded Mr
Yechury. — TNS
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PNB kiosk for easy payment of utility bills
New Delhi, October 25 Speaking on the occasion, the bank General Manager, Mr U.S. Bhargava, said that with the launch of this service, the bank has evolved a common value-driven platform for the customers and billers and it’s a win-win situation for all of them. Punjab National Bank is planning to expand this service to other parts of the country and going to tie up with the national and local utility companies, said the bank General Manager.
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Drive to collect donations for earthquake victims
Faridabad, October 25 According to a spokesperson of the SKS, Mr Subhash Lamba, an amount of Rs 50,000 will be collected by the members. An amount of Rs 22000 was collected on the first day today. He said the Sangh deeply mourns the loss of life in Kashmir, many of whom were Army officers and jawans.
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SGSC to appeal for saving ‘Maryada’
New Delhi, October 25 Camp must be organised to provide training to perform religious practices. Secretary of the Sewadar Committee appealed to the Jathedar of Akal Takht for the formation of a committee with the consent of other two Takhts outside Punjab to celebrate
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