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Shocked shopkeepers resolve to foil plan to spread panic
Delhiites realise need for constant vigilance to keep city safe
Explosives seized in Dadri
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Police on high alert in Gurgaon
Jamia’s saga of struggle, stone by stone
An art festival for a cause
Consumer awareness campaign to check counterfeit products
Factory worth Rs 11 cr sold for Rs 1.25 cr only
L-G gheraoed by dissatisfied relatives of injured
Shankar to showcase ‘Enlightenment through Entertainment’
Artscape
‘Absence of safety norms major cause of casualties’
Man charge-sheeted for threatening Karishma’s husband
HC stays construction of 9 buildings
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Shocked shopkeepers resolve to foil plan to spread panic
New Delhi, October 30 Shocked shopkeepers looked on haplessly as workers of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) cleared the debris strewn around while the police kept the area out of bounds for people. The president of the Sarojini Nagar Market Traders Association, Mr Ashok Randhawa, said, “We are opening our shops. We don’t want the terrorists to think that they have succeeded in scaring us.” A huge heap of charred clothes lay outside Arjun Kumar’s shop, located just next to the site of the blast. Recalling the horrific blast, the most severe among the three last evening, he said, “As you can see, nothing is left. It was a terrible, terrible fire. Once it was doused, we saw bodies all around us.” “My whole shop was destroyed in the fire, but I am not even thinking about my losses. My heart goes out to the people who have lost their near and dear ones in the explosion,” Kumar said. Pointing at the charred remains of the ‘chaat shop’, where the explosion took place, another shopkeeper Ramesh said he had known the owner of the eatery, who died in the blast. “After the explosion, there was no sign of him. It feels weird that someone who you have known for so long perished in just a matter of seconds,” he said. According to eyewitnesses, the explosive had been kept in a black bag, which was noticed by one of the boys, who worked in the shop and he had even raised an alarm. A large number of people from nearby areas had gathered in the market, giving police a tough time keeping them off the location of the blast, while workers of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) cleared the place of the debris. On Divali eve, when the market in normal circumstances would have been the scene of festival-time shopping, the shopkeepers instead were anything but keen on doing business. “Although our shops will remain open, we are not thinking in terms of doing business at the moment. But, no doubt, we are going to make heavy losses,” Randhawa said, also appealing to the Delhi Government to give compensation to the shopkeepers whose goods have been damaged in the blast. In Paharganj area, where the first blast took place, many shops were open, but the people there still had a shocked look on their faces as they discussed the incident. A large number of foreign tourists are staying on in the area braving the blasts. “No. We are not scared. We love India and will go ahead with plans to see the country. We are not going back,” Moy, an Israeli tourist, said. “It is back to business for us. But of course, our business will be affected due to the blasts. And I pray to God that such an incident should not happen again,” said Ramesh, who runs a grocery shop. As normalcy returns to a shocked city, traders have asserted that they will join the authorities in ensuring security and have announced that all commercial markets will remain open. The traders’ associations also informed that they would ensure the maintenance of security of their respective markets. A CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) delegation today called on the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, and offered voluntary assistance to the government in maintaining law and order. The traders’ body also sent a communication to the Police Commissioner, Dr K. K. Paul, suggesting that a permanent joint committee of the administration and leading traders be set up to meet any emergency situation. In a statement the CAIT secretary general, Mr Praveen Khandelwal, said that his organisation has advised the trade bodies in the city to adopt all preventive security measures. The confederation has also advised trade bodies to deploy private security guards and keep an eye on suspicious people.
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Delhiites realise need for constant vigilance to keep city safe
New Delhi, October 30 Even as the railway authorities made announcements to notify the presence of the unclaimed baggage there was panic outside the station as police began asking people to steer clear of the area. Shaken up by yesterday’s events and anticipating the worst, the people present at the scene were a picture of fright. The drama that lasted about 10 minutes came to an end when a couple came running to claim the baggage. “For a moment I thought it was time to say my final prayers. Here we were standing on the foyer, the abandoned bags on the curb, threatening to blow up,” said a visibly shaken up P. Rajeev. Taking note of the vigilance shown by the passenger, a police official posted at the station said, “it is good to see that people too have begun showing some responsibility. We have beefed up security, but if the general public too were to participate in keeping a watch, then mishaps like yesterday can be avoided to a large extent.” He added, “the public should be more watchful. If they are suspicious about any person or parcel, they should immediately inform the police.” With authorities having made elaborate security arrangements, a shocked city meanwhile is slowly inching towards normalcy. “The city, which has seen riots and blasts, is also known for its resilience. Yesterday, as news of the blasts spread, markets were deserted, today the markets have opened again and people have resumed the preparations for Divali and Eid-ul-Fitr,” said a trader in Lajpat Nagar.
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Explosives seized in Dadri
Noida, October 30 The police have started identifying manufacturers and sellers of these illegally manufactured crackers and explosives. The police have sealed all such premises and are on the lookout for the persons connected with this trade.
Secret surveillance cameras go phut
While a red alert was declared in Noida and Ghaziabad, the secret cameras and master computer installed in the Sector-18 market in Noida, have suddenly gone dead. The secret cameras and master computers, called ‘third eye’, installed with considerable publicity hype in the busy market of Noida have suddenly gone dead and cannot help the police in surveillance now. Besides, there is no end to encroachments in this market area. Small-timers, selling goods on carts, also crowd the area. Footpaths and corridors are no exception either. Even the police phone helpline is dead so that even if a citizen wanted to pass on some information to the police, he will not be able to do so. The SSP, however, assures that police are equipped well and prepared to deal with any terrorist activity in the area.
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Police on high alert in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, October 30 The movement of vehicular traffic coming from Delhi to Gurgaon is monitored and random checks and searches on the vehicles are conducted. The key areas and vital installations in the district, especially in the city, are the focus of the police vigil. Cinema halls, malls on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road and railway station are some of the places on the radar of the police for keeping vigil as they are quite crowded areas. Besides, the tourist complexes like Damdama Lake, guesthouses, restaurants and hotels are also the focus areas of the police. The police personnel were also spotted checking vehicles on the city roads. Reports coming in here say that the neighbouring district of Mewat, on account of its dubious record in the past, is also witnessing massive security arrangements.
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Jamia’s saga of struggle, stone by stone
New Delhi, October 30 The exhibition titled, ‘Ocean’, was opened by Dr S.Z. Qasim, former VC at JMI and former secretary with the Department of Ocean Development, Government of India. Another interesting exhibition was the ‘Jamia Tarikh Ke Aeney Mein’ (Jamia through history), consisting of a collection of photographs of Jamia since its inception. In keeping with Jamia’s trend of championing the Progressive Writers Movement, an exhibition was opened on ‘Sajjad Zaheer and the Progressive Writers Movement’. It was inaugurated by the Director, India International Centre, P.C. Sen. This rather poignant collection of photographs on the writer reflects on his turbulent life and career, as a historian, barrister, writer, poet, journalist and above all a revolutionary writer, who equated the writer’s ink with the martyr’s blood. Zaheer’s political activism resulted in immense hardships for himself and for his family, his imprisonment in British India and in Pakistan. Inaugurations were also done for a new Mathematics laboratory, Abdul Ghaffar Madolvi Library and Bab-I-Maulana Mahmud Hasan, Jamia school campus. Jamia has today come a long way from its initial turbulent period in the 1920’s. The story of its growth from a small institution in pre-Independence India to a centralised university based in the Capital is one of great strength and endurance. “They built up Jamia stone by stone and sacrifice by sacrifice,” said Sarojini Naidu. Its inception lay in the 1920’s when two dominant trends joined hands and contributed to the birth of Jamia: these were the anti-colonial activism signified by Khilafat and the pro-independence Non-Cooperation Movement. Responding to Gandhiji’s call to boycott all British-run educational institutions, a number of nationalist teachers and students quit Aligarh Muslim University and founded Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh. Mohamed Ali Jauher became the first Vice-Chancellor of Jamia. Born out of the intense heat of political crises, Jamia managed to survive its difficult years. However, after the conclusion of the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements, Jamia was plunged into deep crises as all financial support dried up. At this time Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari and Abdul Majeed Khwaja, supported by Gandhiji, shifted the university to Karol Bagh in New Delhi. It was at this time that Gandhiji declared that, “Jamia has to run. If you are worried about its finances, I shall go about with a begging bowl.” Around 1925, a group of three friends studying in Germany decided to serve Jamia–Dr Zakir Husain, Dr Abid Husain and Dr Muhammad Mujeeb. The rest is history, their sacrifices and Jamia’s initial struggle have taken it through a long and eventful journey up to its present.
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An art festival for a cause
New Delhi, October 30 Participating in the closing ceremony of the art exhibition, “An Art Festival With A Cause”, the authorities of the Heritage School also organised a workshop for the parents who tried their hands in sculpture and painting. Being mentored by professionals, the parents enjoyed their weekend. “This has given me time to relax and has also provided me with an opportunity that I never got before”, said Mrs Anuja Kumar, a parent. With a motto to bring art closer to the people of Gurgaon, the school authorities organised an exhibition of the works of professional artists and sculptors, which was inaugurated by Manjit Bawa, who is a stalwart in the field of art and culture, earlier this month. All these works are also meant for sale and five per cent of the sale will be donated for the children of Tihar Jail inmates. The authorities also organised a workshop of art and sculpture for the students, where they had the experience of working with established contemporary artists. The works of the students were later exhibited. The works of the contemporary artists that were exhibited and sold were created in various mediums like acrylic, collage, oil on canvas, water colour, ink on paper, tempera and many more. The sculptures were made of sand, clay and plaster of Paris. Artists whose works were displayed included Arpana Caur, Manish Gupta, Deepak Tandon, Umesh Dutt, Mandira Chatterjee and many others.
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Consumer awareness campaign to check counterfeit products
New Delhi, October 30 Jayshree Gupta, Joint Secretary in Delhi’s Department of Consumer Affairs, said, “our aim is to disseminate information on how to differentiate genuine products from fakes, where to lodge complaint in case of being duped by a duplicate and more importantly, the rights of the consumer.” The campaign, running across 17 locations in Delhi, launched in East Delhi, reflected greater industry-government cooperation on the issue, a CII release claimed here. The campaign includes informal and interactive programmes interspersed with quizzes, games and street plays, it said. Leading corporate- Hewlett Packard, Dabur, Johnson & Johnson and Coke presented live demonstrations on “How to spot a fake”. The release quoted several consumers who participated in the campaign. “Industry is responsive to the consumer need. Bringing the campaign to our doorstep shows they care about us,” said VMS Khosla, a resident of the Green View Apartments in east Delhi, where the inaugural session of the campaign was held.
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Factory worth Rs 11 cr sold for Rs 1.25 cr only
Ghaziabad, October 30 The fraud came to light when the Sub-Registrar examined the registry deed. He has apprised the District Magistrate of the fraud on the state revenue. The District Magistrate has issued instructions to the Assistant Commissioner, Stamp, to take action in the case. The District Magistrate said a proper case would be filed against the culprits. The involved company, Pacific Employer, on B-1 in Udyog Kunj, had yet to clear a loan of PICUP for which PICUP had tried their best. Assistant Stamp Commissioner Vijay Dev Sharma said that PICUP had auctioned the factory after obtaining proper approval. It was auctioned for Rs 1.25 crore and its registry had also been done after auction. But when the Sub-Registrar got the matter examined, the fraud came to light. According to the government order, the property to be auctioned will attract a stamp duty at rates as per the sector rates fixed by the District Magistrate. But in this case, no stamp duty has been paid.
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L-G gheraoed by dissatisfied relatives of injured
New Delhi, October 30 After interacting with some of the 41 patients undergoing treatment in the ‘burns wing’ of Safdarjung Hospital in south-west Delhi, he said good care was being taken of the injured. About the investigations into the three blasts last evening, which killed 61 people and injured 188 others, he said these were progressing well. However, a scene was created when relatives of a woman and her two children, who were admitted in the hospital, almost ‘gheraoed’ Joshi claiming that they were not being allowed to meet them. Later, Mr Joshi asked the hospital authorities to allow the relatives to meet the injured. Meanwhile, in an urgent meeting today, the Delhi BJP president, Dr Harsh Vardhan, along with office-bearers pledged to stand up against the menace of terrorism. However, they held the Union Home Minister directly responsible for the bomb blasts yesterday. The BJP also demanded that the family members of the deceased be given Rs 10 lakh while those injured should receive Rs one lakh. Dr Vardhan also asked the shopkeepers to keep the markets open for the forthcoming festive season so that the design of the terrorists to spread panic is thwarted.
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Shankar to showcase ‘Enlightenment through Entertainment’
New Delhi, October 30 They plan to stage magic shows titled “Enlightenment through Entertainment” for the public in different places of Delhi and its surrounding areas till mid November, 2005. These magic shows, which are being organised by the Brahma Kumaris institution as part of its philanthropic services, have been designed to spread the awareness and education in human values, national integration, communal harmony, universal brotherhood, healthy lifestyle, stress management, self- empowerment, drug de-addiction and sublimation of inner vices on the basis of India’s ancient spiritual wisdom and rajyoga meditation. While the institution’s ‘Om Shanti Retreat Centre’, in Gurgaon will host two shows this Saturday, local rajyoga centres in Delhi will hold such shows in Tihar Jail campus, Majlis Park, Rani Bagh, Karol Bagh, Palam Colony, Nangloi, Lawrence Road, Rohini and Palam Vihar between November 2-15. Besides, similar shows will also be organised in Badot (UP) and Bahadurgarh on November 8 and November 10 respectively. Prof Shankar, the self-taught magician from Karnataka, who started his career at the age of 14 in 1969, performs his grand illusion shows with a troupe of 20 members, including his wife and son. He has already staged 6000 shows and has been widely acclaimed in India and abroad. Prof Shankar performs magic for the enhancement of value education in schools and colleges. He also performs magic shows for patients in hospitals to help them recover faster. He has already held shows in Bronx Lebanon Psychic Hospital, New York; Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, Unity Health Complex, Mangalor, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, KLE Hospital, Belgaum etc. He is recipient of ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and ‘National Award’.
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Gandhi Smriti marshals youth for the cause of humanity
Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 30 The Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti here feels that all sections of society need to act in the times of disasters and the youth in particular have a special role to play as they can help in mobilizing others. It is in this backdrop that the Samiti has launched an initiative “Youth For Humanity” to connect the youth together to respond in emergencies. In the launch programme held at the Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg, student groups performed plays and presented colourful cultural programmes. The funds raised through this endeavour are being donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. A dance evening at
Shri Ram Centre
Basu Sharma, a known creative dancer and choreographer presented an evening of contemporary dance at the Shri Ram Centre here last week, enthralling the audience by the imaginatively visualized dance sequences entitled, ‘Victory and Impact of Science’. Basu, who joined the Bhoomika Dance Centre here in 1988, has participated in many dance festivals both within the country and abroad.
Ode to universal peace
Art Junction, the art gallery at the Hotel Intercontinental here celebrated its seventh anniversary by mounting an exhibition “Ode to Peace” dedicated to the cause of universal peace and amity. Paintings of some of the well-known contemporary artists were part of the exhibition the launch of which saw many a celebrity rubbing shoulders with some of the artists whose works were adorning the walls of the gallery.
Exhibition of oil paintings
From October 27 to November 10, the Art Lounge at the Ashok Hotel here is playing host to “Mixed Metaphors”, an exhibition of oil paintings by Sangeeta Singh. A self-taught artist, Sangeeta Singh has participated in many exhibitions here and abroad.
A must for wildlife buffs If you are interested in wildlife and its preservation then Charumati Nirwan’s exhibition of charcoal drawings, “Vanishing Tigers” at the Gallery Number 7 in Lalit Kala Akademi here is a must. The exhibition, inaugurated on October 26, will continue till November 2. Charumati, wife of a senior Indian Police Service Officer and a doctorate in Psychology, started painting right from early childhood and sought inspiration in nature. Her earlier works were devoted to painting birds in water colour. However, many hours spent in the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, drew her to the hypnotic beauty of the tigers. Observing these majestic beasts closely, Charumati derived her own style of charcoal drawings managing to capture the majesty and aura. For Charumati, painting tigers is like a mission as she wants to create an awareness in the public that we will be a lot poorer without these animals and the urgent need to preserve them.
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‘Absence of safety norms major cause of casualties’
New Delhi, October 30 Mr Pradip Chaturvedi, Chairman, Safety and Quality Forum, Institute of Engineers, in a statement expressing shock at the loss of lives said that the adhering to strict fire safety norms, including installing fire safety equipment in shops and markets are essential. He said that most of the buildings and markets do not adhere to fire safety norms and during festivals encroachments by shopkeepers increases. He also added that in Delhi some of the major causes of fire hazards include unplanned growth of city.
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Man charge-sheeted for threatening Karishma’s husband
New Delhi, October 30 In a charge-sheet filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Reena Singh Nag, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has charged the accused, who was arrested from the Mulund area of Mumbai, under sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 386 (extortion) of the IPC. The accused had allegedly identified himself as one Samir Kulkarni and sent e-mail to Sunjay Kapur asking him to call underworld don Ravi Pujari and give him Rs 50 crore. He was also asked not to torture Karishma and her daughter.
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HC stays construction of 9 buildings
Ghaziabad, October 30
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