SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
D E L H I   A N D   N E I G H B O U R H O O D

Joint cremation for 3-year-old boy killed in blast
New Delhi, November 2
First the two families fought for the body disputing each other’s claim. In the end, they cremated the body together. Two grief-stricken families tonight performed joint cremation of the body of a three-year-old boy who was killed in the Sarojini Nagar market blast, after three days of bitter dispute over who should get possession of the body.

Sheila assures DTC driver’s family of all help 
New Delhi, November 2
A feeling of melancholy and annoyance loomed large among family members of DTC bus driver Kuldip Singh as Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit met them today to express condolences and assured all help.


Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reassures the sister and wife of the DTC bus driver Kuldeep Singh, injured in Govindpuri bomb blast, in the Capital Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reassures the sister and wife of the DTC bus driver Kuldeep Singh, injured in Govindpuri bomb blast, in the Capital on Wednesday.
— A Tribune photograph










EARLIER STORIES
 

Govt to help blast victims invest compensation money
New Delhi, November 2
As disbursement of compensation to the victims of Saturday’s serial blasts got under way, the Delhi Government today announced that it would set up a special cell to help them invest their money profitably.

Crackers burst well past midnight
Faridabad, November 2
The deadline set by the Supreme Court regarding bursting of crackers did not work here. They were burst well past midnight resulting in heavy pollution in the district. However, no fire incident has been reported from anywhere.

Lower pollution levels in city on Divali
New Delhi, November 2
The national Capital witnessed a “cleaner” Divali this time around as air and sound pollution went down with toxic gases like Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide registering substantial decrease from previous occasions.

Devotees participating in Govardhan Maharaj Pooja at Aryapura (Ghanta Ghar), organised by Yuva Sanskritik Sangathan in the Capital
Devotees participating in Govardhan Maharaj Pooja at Aryapura (Ghanta Ghar), organised by Yuva Sanskritik Sangathan in the Capital on Wednesday.
— Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Dalai Lama inaugurates Buddhist conference
New Delhi, November 2
Buddhist conferences or ‘Mahasamghikas’, as they were once called, seem to have stepped out of the musty pages of history into real life in Delhi.

Noida to have Chicago-type firefighting equipment
Noida, November 2
Presenting three fire tenders and some other equipment to the Noida Fire Brigade yesterday, Chief Executive Officer, Noida, Sanjeev Saran said that a combined facility for fire fighter, ambulances and police force will be set up in Noida in the next three months on the pattern of Chicago in the USA.

CGHS asked to reimburse full medical bill
New Delhi, November 2
A Delhi consumer court has ordered the CGHS to fully reimburse medical expenses incurred by a 79-year-old retired government servant who underwent an open heart by-pass surgery at a private hospital here.

HC orders compensation for acquired land
New Delhi, November 2
Thirty years after land was forcibly acquired by the government during the emergency, the Delhi High Court has asked the Lt Governor to pay compensation to four farmers from village Sultanpur Majra in south-west Delhi.

Sub-Inspector booked in graft case
New Delhi, November 2
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against a Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police posted at Bhajanpura police station for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh and accepting Rs 70,000 from a businessman.

Sacked worker involved in looting of steel trader
Ghaziabad, November 2
The Kotwali police and the SOG have cracked a case of loot of Rs 12.50 lakh of a steel merchant on October 15. The employee involved had been sacked two months ago on charges of theft.

Anti-corruption committee formed in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, November 2
A group of persons from various walks of life, with the support of a state Congress leader, Mr Khazan Singh, has constituted an anti-corruption committee. The panel would fight corrupt practices in the government departments.

Govt to bear cost of replacing transformers, power lines
New Delhi, November 2
To provide relief to farmers ahead of the ‘rabi’ season, Delhi government has asked private power distribution companies to restore connections of tubewells.

GDA draw of plots to be held this month
Ghaziabad, November 2
The draw for Indraprasth plots and Indirapuram MIG flats will be held during this month. The draw will be held manually by taking out slips of applicants.

Onion prices fall on fresh arrivals
New Delhi, November 2
Arrivals of onion at Azadpur, the main vegetable market of the national Capital, have picked up in the last few days, resulting in a downslide of the commodity’s prices in retail markets.

Two held for bid to rape minor
Gurgaon, November 2
The police nabbed two youths who abducted a girl (12) this afternoon with an intention of raping her. The girl was returning home on foot along with her father and elder sister when a Tata Summo screeched to a halt on Sohna Road.

One killed, 8 injured in Noida blast
Noida, November 2
One person died on the spot and eight were injured, three of them seriously, in an explosion here last night Senior Superintendent of Police Piyush Mordia said today.

Man gunned down on Divali-eve
Ghaziabad, November 2
A few yards from Sahibabad Kotwali on GT Road, a man was shot dead in an indiscriminate firing on Monday night. He was hit in the head and legs and breathed his last while being rushed to district hospital.

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Joint cremation for 3-year-old boy killed in blast
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
First the two families fought for the body disputing each other’s claim. In the end, they cremated the body together.

Two grief-stricken families tonight performed joint cremation of the body of a three-year-old boy who was killed in the Sarojini Nagar market blast, after three days of bitter dispute over who should get possession of the body.

For Anupam Gupta, it was the cremation of his son Utkarsh. For Balbir Singh, it was the cremation of Nikhil, his nephew. The two families kept their difference aside to perform the cremation at the electric crematorium at the Sarai Kale Khan near Lajpat Nagar.

“We had no other option. We did not want to wait any more,” said Sanjay Garg, a relative of Gupta who lost his wife Rachana and son Nikhil in the blast. Gupta had performed the cremation of Rachana’s body on Sunday.

The joint cremation was agreed to after the Gupta family talked to Balbir Singh, who said he had no objection. Nikhil’s father Dilbagh Singh was killed in the blast along with his son and daughter Priyanka, who were also cremated tonight at the same crematorium.

The two families were engaged in a minor scuffle in front of the Safdarjung Hospital morgue earlier today. The Gupta family raised slogans against the police for “delaying” the release of the body.

Forensic experts took blood samples of Gupta and Balbir Singh earlier in the day for DNA tests to identify the body. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory will however take one week to come out with the result of the DNA tests, which will be conducted for a total of five bodies which have been charred beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, Central government employee Ram Singh and his family members today sat in front of the Safdarjung Hospital mortuary to secure the release of his son Pradeep (12), another Sarojini Nagar blast victim. The families were asked to submit two photographs of the deceased and give blood samples for DNA tests.

Atul Sahai’s mother waited for hours to give her blood samples to help identify his body. “There was no body in the mortuary which bore resemblance to Atul,” said Sahai’s relative Professor A K Gupta of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

The family found Sahai’s car parked about 300 metres from the blast site in Sarojini Nagar market, but they are not sure if he was shopping there. “His daughter had called him an hour before the blast to come home so that both of them can go for shopping,” said Prof Gupta.

Another family wanted the hospital to release the body of Neeraj (27), a disabled hawker who sold belts in the Sarojini Nagar market. Surendra Kumar was there to claim the body of his 22-year-old son Kaushendra Kumar Yadav.

A family from Kolkata also had not been able to identify the body of 13-year-old Sayan Mukherjee, who had died along with his father Satyabrata Mukherjee and mother Supriya Mukherjee. The family was vacationing in Delhi when they were caught in the Sarojini Nagar blast. Delhi Police, which held a meeting with the families, said a joint cremation was an option as the bodies cannot be kept in the mortuary for long for fear of decay.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Lt. Governor Mr B. L. Joshi held a high level meeting at Raj Niwas today to review the situation arising out of the recent serial bomb blasts in the National Capital.

Mr Joshi resumed duty today, after cutting short his private visit to the USA, in the wake of the serial blasts on last Saturday. Delhi Chief Secretary Mr S Regunathan, Principal Secretary (Home) Mr R. Narainswamy, Delhi Police Commissioner Dr. K. K. Paul and the Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Mr U.K. Katna attended the meeting. Mr Joshi who was apprised about the security arrangements made for the coming festivals, emphasized the need for more community participation for restoring public confidence.

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Sheila assures DTC driver’s family of all help 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
A feeling of melancholy and annoyance loomed large among family members of DTC bus driver Kuldip Singh as Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit met them today to express condolences and assured all help.

“This consolation cannot take away my grief. I will be happy only when my husband returns home with no deformity,” said Nigam, wife of Kuldip who along with conductor Budh Singh threw out a bomb planted in the bus to avert a tragedy in Govindpuri on Saturday last. Kuldip is said to have lost his eye-sight and hearing ability in the bomb explosion.

“My husband saved over 60 lives and in turn lost his eye-sight, hearing organ. But nobody bothered to think about us during last four days,” the eight-month pregnant woman said.

Dikshit handed over a cheque of Rs 20,000 to Nigam and promised free medical treatment during the delivery at Deen Dayal Upadhaya hospital. The Chief Minister also asked the family members to call her any time if they needed any help.

“The way Dikshit talked to me, I felt like my mother consoling me. But the assistance of Rs 20,000 is much less an amount than what we deserve to get. I am not satisfied with the assistance,” she said.

The Chief Minister promised residential facility for the family members and assured permanent job to Kuldip.

Earlier in the day, BJP President L K Advani visited the injured DTC driver at AIIMS and assured him all possible assistance.

“The party president told him (Kuldeep) that the party would be in constant touch with him and render all possible assistance,” Delhi BJP President Harsh Vardhan, who accompanied Opposition leader Advani to All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, told reporters. Besides the 43-year old driver who has been almost visually impaired due to the explosion, Advani and Vardhan met six other persons injured in the blasts.

The Delhi government on Monday decided to regularise services of Kuldeep and give out-of-turn promotion to DTC conductor Budh Prakash for displaying exemplary alertness by throwing the bomb out of their bus in Govindpuri area of South Delhi.

The Delhi Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, also decided to give them a reward of Rs 2 lakh each. Besides, the government-run Delhi Transport Corporation would reward them for their bravery.

Meanwhile, the Movement for Empowerment of Muslims Indians today appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce a special package for the children rendered orphan in Saturday’s serial blasts in the Capital.

The organisation made special appeal for letting master Rahul Kochhar (14), who lost both his mother Sushma Kochhar and father Ramesh Kochhar, to continue to occupy the government flat allotted to his mother as an Income Tax officer in RK Puram here.

‘’The child is studying in a school near the flat and any dislocation might disturb his studies,’’ the letter said.

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Govt to help blast victims invest compensation money
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
As disbursement of compensation to the victims of Saturday’s serial blasts got under way, the Delhi Government today announced that it would set up a special cell to help them invest their money profitably.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Cabinet after which Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit said that she had instructed all Ministers and MLAs of areas where the injured and the next of kin lived to ensure that they had no difficulty in claiming relief.

“The Ministers and MLAs have been asked to tour their respective areas and meet the victims on a regular basis so that they face no problems,” she told reporters.

The Cabinet decided to set up a special cell, headed by Divisional Commissioner, Mr. G K Marwah, to help the victims invest the compensation in profitable ventures. The cell would include chartered accountants and financial analysts.

Meanwhile, disbursement of compensation cheques to the injured and next of kin of the dead began today, an official said. The Delhi government had earlier announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each adult who had died, Rs 1 lakh for minors and Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh to the wounded depending on the seriousness of their injuries. This is in addition to the Rs 2 lakhs compensation announced by the Centre.

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Crackers burst well past midnight
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, November 2
The deadline set by the Supreme Court regarding bursting of crackers did not work here. They were burst well past midnight resulting in heavy pollution in the district. However, no fire incident has been reported from anywhere.

The burning of crackers had started a couple of days before the main festival and China-made crackers dominated the market for the first time.

Shopkeepers said although the Chinese crackers had been made as per the norms of air and noise pollution, still many people did not buy them as they wanted crackers with higher sound, claimed Ramesh, a shopkeeper in Sector- 12 here.

He said the Chinese crackers, which were comparatively less costly, could become popular in the coming years as pollution had become an important issue.

“The electric lighting equipment imported from China seems to have captured the local market as these had been preferred due to their low cost,” said a seller in the Sector 7-10 market here.

Regarding the deadline of 10 pm for burning crackers, a local resident claimed that perhaps this was one of the difficult conditions to follow as the majority of the shopkeepers which keep open their establishment till 10.30 pm or 11pm on this day, start celebrations after 10 pm and their families burst crackers till midnight or even late.

“Some children burst crackers even in the morning and evening also,” he said.

“Many people also gift crackers to the officials who are supposed to enforce the deadline. Consequently, they find themselves helpless to enforce the rules,” said Mr K.L Gera, a social activist here.

He claims that gifts are given in plenty on Divali day. In fact, they are presented to the government officials for days during this festival.

The authorities failed to check the quality of the sweets and other milk products on the occasion.

The cost of such sweets had been at least 10 to 20 per cent higher this time, said a local resident. 

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Lower pollution levels in city on Divali
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
The national Capital witnessed a “cleaner” Divali this time around as air and sound pollution went down with toxic gases like Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) registering substantial decrease from previous occasions.

Both Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Pollution Control Committee figures released by the Delhi government revealed that air and noise pollution this Divali was much less than what it was recorded previous years.

38 sites out of 40 places where DPCC monitored the ambient air quality showed decline in SO2 level, 38 showed decline in Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level, 31 showed decline in NO2 level, 28 showed decline in Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) level and 25 showed decline in CO level, Delhi Environment Minister said here today.

25 out of 30 locations where sound levels were recorded also showed decline in noise pollution, he added.

CPCB recorded decrease in SO2 in three stations, increase in three while the figures remained unchanged at one, NO2 decreased at stations except two, SPM and RSPM decreased at all monitoring stations. Noise levels too dropped at eight stations while it increased at five.

A concerted drive by the authorities against fire crackers especially involving school children, Supreme Court’s orders banning bursting of crackers between 2200 hrs and 0600 hrs, sky rocketing prices and the pre-Divali serial bomb blasts all contributed to the reduction in pollution.

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Dalai Lama inaugurates Buddhist conference
Charu Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
Buddhist conferences or ‘Mahasamghikas’, as they were once called, seem to have stepped out of the musty pages of history into real life in Delhi. ‘Mahasamghikas’ were occasions for much philosophical ferment, dialectics and one would imagine charged debates that went on for days.

These gatherings played a major hand in the development and establishment of the Mahayana movement in Buddhism. Currently the Tibet House, New Delhi is presenting the city with a unique opportunity for experiencing at least, a faint reflection of ancient dialectic and debate in an ongoing four-day conference on different aspects of Mahayana Buddhism being held at the India International Centre, from November 2-4. A number of eminent Buddhist scholars and practitioners have flown in from across the globe for this occasion.

The conference was inaugurated on Wednesday by his Holiness, the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama looked resplendent in his deep maroon robes with an ochre yellow shawl draped around him. The atmosphere was charged with his deep wisdom combined with his joviality and humour.

The Dalai Lama called for a silent prayer from the ‘gathering of believers and seekers’ for the “innocent people who had died recently in the pre-Diwali bombings and in the Kashmir earthquake.”

He struck an intensely spiritual note in his address declaring that “despite the fact that the Buddha had been accumulating merit for three aeons due to his meritorious deeds and deep compassion, however, he was at heart a very ordinary human being with extra warm heartedness. Who through his effort and struggle achieved parinirvana at Bodhgaya.”

The Dalai Lama later struck a contemplative note declaring that, “the basic question is: Why are we here? And secondly how? Maybe it is easy to explain the ‘how’ but the ‘why’ is very, very difficult to explain. His message to all seekers was an ancient one, one as ancient as Buddha and today it has the same appeal as it did in the 6th century BC: Life is suffering and the root cause of all suffering is ignorance. Remove ignorance and the problem is solved.”

However, the Dalai Lama stressed that ignorance cannot be removed till reality is known and here comes the big catch. Reality is the biggest mystery, infinitely difficult for us to grasp with our 21st century super materialistic lives. “The answer his Holiness declared, is very simple: know yourself as selfless or ‘anatman,’ know all manifest phenomenon to be the same: utterly selfless, dreamlike, magical…..”

Later in the day, lectures were given on the “Origin and Historical development of Mahayana Buddhiam” by a renowned Buddhist scholar the Ven. Bhikku Pasadika, an exposition was given on the “Worship of written scriptures as a basis for the Development of Mahayana,” by Professor Linnart Mall, another eminent Buddhist scholar.

As night descended, a colourful performance on Tibetan Monastic Chants and Dances was given by a group of 25 monks from the Gonkar Choede Monastery. They presented the drum dance and a heavily ritualistic dance steeped in Sakya tradition called the ‘Yarlung Tashi Zholpa’ dance.

The next three days with their whirl of Mahayanic debate on different aspects of the tradition like history, philosophy, meditation and Vajrayana practise, art and culture would be a boon for those interested in Buddhism and spirituality. 

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Noida to have Chicago-type firefighting equipment
Parmindar Singh

Noida, November 2
Presenting three fire tenders and some other equipment to the Noida Fire Brigade yesterday, Chief Executive Officer, Noida, Sanjeev Saran said that a combined facility for fire fighter, ambulances and police force will be set up in Noida in the next three months on the pattern of Chicago in the USA.

It is called code 911 for combined control room for police, fire and ambulance service in Chicago.

The CEO said six gypsies are being placed on DND flyover and three on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.

Ambulances and gypsies will keep patrolling on the highways. They will be in touch with the police control room.

Besides, BSNL is extending help to put up 24 toll-free telephone posts on these highways at a cost of Rs 12,000 and these phones will operate on WLL facility.

Any passerby or villager can flash a message to the control room in case of accident or emergency.

Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Piyush Morida said that the three new fire tenders and other equipment are the Divali gifts.

Earlier, firetenders had to be summoned from Ghaziabad, Noida Phase-II, and Greater Noida, etc. Firetenders and other equipment like gas masks and fire-proof suits cost Rs 66.45 lakh.

“Just ring up and in a minute our tenders will leave the fire stations,” Mr Mordia said that the firetenders had been stationed at different points for people’s safety and cut time to reach the accident site.

The following equipment was handed over by the CEO Noida: one Bauser with 12,000 ltrs capacity; two water tenders with 450,000 ltrs. capacity and one smoke exhauster.

Besides, six BA sets with spare cylinders, six gas masks for ammonia, six gas masks for chlorine, six gas masks for universal purpose and six fire protective suits, all costing Rs.8.57 lakh.

In all equipment worth Rs 66.45 lakh was given to the Fire Service department, Noida.

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CGHS asked to reimburse full medical bill
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
A Delhi consumer court has ordered the CGHS to fully reimburse medical expenses incurred by a 79-year-old retired government servant who underwent an open heart by-pass surgery at a private hospital here.

Diplal Sharma, who was reimbursed only Rs 99,000 of the total Rs 1.70 lakh spent on his treatment at Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in July, 2001, had moved the court for getting full amount on the ground that he went to the private hospital only after obtaining due permission from Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, R K Puram.

CGHS had refused to refund the balance amount of Rs 71,000 to Sharma, saying that rules entitled him to only Rs 99,000 for an open heart surgery and that Escorts Hospital was not recognised under CGHS when he underwent surgery there for removal of three blocks in his arteries.

However, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, New Delhi has asked CGHS to pay the differential amount to Sharma, holding that “the cost of treatment and medication has increased considerably during a period of five years and CGHS was required to revise the rates having regard to prevailing cost of treatment.”

It said as the rates notified in September, 1996 were for a period of two years and were required to be revised after expiry of two years, CGHS was not justified in restricting reimbursement of the expenditure involved in the operation of the complainant to Rs 99,000.

“It is immaterial whether Escorts Hospital was recognised by CGHS when the complainant underwent surgery,” the court observed.

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HC orders compensation for acquired land
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
Thirty years after land was forcibly acquired by the government during the emergency, the Delhi High Court has asked the Lt Governor to pay compensation to four farmers from village Sultanpur Majra in south-west Delhi.

Justice Pradeep Nandrajog asked the Chief Secretary of Delhi government to place the order before Lt Governor B L Joshi for the payment of compensation to Mahender Pal Singh, Narender Kumar, Surender Kumar and Devender Kumar for acquiring two bigha and six biswa of their land in 1975.

If the compensation was not paid by the next date of hearing, the Chief Secretary would have to be present in the court on December 12, the court said.

The government had built a road on the land after acquiring it for the resettlement colony at Sultanpuri, petitioners’ counsel R K Saini submitted. The state government could trace the department which had acquired the land, Mr Saini said.

“Lt Governor would have the supervisory administrative control over the MCD, which would include the Slum and JJ Wing, and as the Chairman of the DDA, I direct the DDA to give a copy of the order to the Chief Secretary for necessary action,” said Justice Nandrajog.

“Needful be done within three weeks and the Lt Governor has to take a decision in this regard within five weeks,” the court said. 

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Sub-Inspector booked in graft case
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against a Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police posted at Bhajanpura police station for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh and accepting Rs 70,000 from a businessman.

The businessman had lodged a complaint with the CBI that SI Ajay Bali had demanded Rs 1 lakh from him and threatened that if he did not pay he would implicate him in a murder case.

The accused also demanded a sofa-set with a side table from the complainant, who has a furniture shop, with the understanding that the cost of the same would be adjusted in the bribe amount. The sofa-set was sent to the residence of the accused Sub-Inspector by the complainant.

The accused sent a man to the complainant’s shop for receiving the rest of the bribe amount. The CBI laid a trap and the acquaintance of the accused was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 70,000 from the complainant. The CBI then raided the SI’s residential premises and recovered the sofa set sent by the complainant. The accused Sub-Inspector is absconding.

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Sacked worker involved in looting of steel trader
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, November 2
The Kotwali police and the SOG have cracked a case of loot of Rs 12.50 lakh of a steel merchant on October 15. The employee involved had been sacked two months ago on charges of theft.

The police have recovered Rs 60,000, a local revolver and a bike from Sonu, the accused.

The loot had been masterminded by the sacked employee through a criminal Jagdish, alias Tiwari, who has since been killed during an encounter, the police said.

Sonu has been arrested while his accomplice Suraj is absconding. Ravi and Pawan, two employees of steel merchant Pawan Kumr Jain had withdrawn Rs 12.50 lakh from the Urban Cooperative Bank Ghaziabad on October 15.

Three criminals on a bike, by throwing chilli powder into the eyes of Ravi and Pawn, had looted Rs 12.50 lakh in broad daylight and fled by firing shots in the air.

The Ghaziabad traders had protested against the loot and demanded early cracking of the case. I.G. Zone and DIG police had also visited the spot.

SSP J.N. Singh disclosed that the loot had been masterminded by the ex-employee Sonu of the Savi Steel who had been dismissed two months earlier for a theft in the shop.

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Anti-corruption committee formed in Gurgaon
Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, November 2
A group of persons from various walks of life, with the support of a state Congress leader, Mr Khazan Singh, has constituted an anti-corruption committee. The panel would fight corrupt practices in the government departments.

Announcing the names of committee members, Mr Khazan Singh said that the Congress government has resolved to provide corruption-free administration and also create an atmosphere in which members from every section of the polity are free from any fear.

He said that the committee will do everything possible to realise the dream of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is determined to inject transparency and eradicate corruption in the functioning of administration.

According to him, there have been complaints in the recent past of harassment of people by the personnel in some departments. He named Education, Revenue and Electricity departments, besides the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Municipal Council among such departments.

He said that the committee would take up the grievances of the public and wage a war against corruption.

He lamented that some of the officials have earned dubious record at the time of the preceding INLD government. They are least bothered about the image of the Congress government and continue to be insensitive to the grievances of the public.

Members from the District Bar Association, farming community, social organisations, including Scheduled Castes, etc have been included on the committee.

In reference to a question, he said that any information about corrupt practices would be brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon.

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Govt to bear cost of replacing transformers,
power lines

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
To provide relief to farmers ahead of the ‘rabi’ season, Delhi government has asked private power distribution companies to restore connections of tubewells.

Chief Secretary Mr. S Reghunathan has issued instructions to the distribution companies to restore the connections by November 15 and replace burnt transformers and stolen wires, Congress Member of Parliament from outer Delhi, Mr Sajjan Kumar told reporters today.

Mr Kumar, who along with a group of MLAs from outer Delhi met Mr. Reghunathan in this regard on Monday, said the cost for the same would be borne by the government.

The Chief Secretary has also issued orders to discoms to provide tubewell connections to new applicants within this month, Mr Kumar said, adding that in case the power network needs to be extended, its cost would be borne by the government.

The discoms had earlier said farmers should pay for replacement of stolen wires and burnt transformers and expansion of power network. “Since the sowing of the ‘rabi’ crop has just started, the decision will provide great relief to farmers in Bawana, Narela, Khanjawala, Najafgarh and Mehrauli,” Mr Kumar said.

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GDA draw of plots to be held this month
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, November 2
The draw for Indraprasth plots and Indirapuram MIG flats will be held during this month. The draw will be held manually by taking out slips of applicants.

There are over 3,000 applicants for more 400 flats. After the rigging of draw in Lucknow, the officers in GDA have become doubly careful so that their name is not besmirched.

The slips will be picked up by the applicants themselves in the manual draw, it has been decided.

A five-member committee has been constituted after the Vice-Chairman had approved the procedure.

The committee will include officials from the administration, finance, planning, and engineering departments.

The draw for 200 flats in Indirapuram will also be held in November. Some 400 people have applied for MIG flats in this scheme. The qualitatively poor flats with high price have attracted few takers.

Special Executive Officer R.P. Pandey said all preparations for the impending draw had been completed. 

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Onion prices fall on fresh arrivals
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
Arrivals of onion at Azadpur, the main vegetable market of the national Capital, have picked up in the last few days, resulting in a downslide of the commodity’s prices in retail markets.

The arrivals at Azadpur market are reported to be 13,600 quintals with a model rate of Rs 775 per quintal, said a top official of NAFED, the designated onion procurement agency. NAFED, through its outlets and mobile van services, is selling onion at Rs 14 per kg. Moreover, NAFED has brought 800 tonne onion to Delhi from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Timely intervention by NAFED ensured the fall in prices, the official added.

With fresh arrivals in the market, NAFED plans to sell onion at Rs 12 per kg in coming days.

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Two held for bid to rape minor
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, November 2
The police nabbed two youths who abducted a girl (12) this afternoon with an intention of raping her.

The girl was returning home on foot along with her father and elder sister when a Tata Summo screeched to a halt on Sohna Road.

She was walking ahead of her father when she was lifted and bundled into the vehicle by one of the criminals. Her father, a native of Agra, does farming on rental basis.

The farmhouse is situated on Sohna Road.

According to the district police chief, Mr Hanif Qureshi, the two nabbed are Vikas, a resident of Delhi who is a driver of the Tata Summo and Abdul, a native of Assam, who is employed as labourer in a factory here.

Giving details, Mr Qureshi said that the intention of the two was to rape the girl and then kill her.

As the girl was being abducted, the father raised the alarm and informed the owner of a nearby Ekant restaurant.

The owner informed the police, which reached the spot in a few minutes.

The criminals took off towards Sector 33 along with the girl, while the police were on their pursuit. Sensing alarm, the duo abandoned the vehicle and started beating and dragging the girl towards a bush in Sector 33.

The public nearby got alarmed and beat them up and rescued the girl.

Immediately, the police team arrived and arrested them.

According to Mr Qureshi, the entire operation took about 15 minutes.

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One killed, 8 injured in Noida blast
Tribune News Service

Noida, November 2
One person died on the spot and eight were injured, three of them seriously, in an explosion here last night Senior Superintendent of Police Piyush Mordia said today.

The explosion took place at old market of Jharcha village at 2130 hrs last night. The shopping complex, which had one general store and two medical shops, gutted in the explosion the SSP said.

Due to the high intensity of the explosion, the roof of the shops collapsed and Rakesh, the owner of the general store, died on the spot, the SSP said. Though crackers were also stocked in the shop for sale, the police suspected that some other explosive materials kept in the shop could have triggered the explosion.

The police are investigating the matter, the SSP said.

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Man gunned down on Divali-eve
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, November 2
A few yards from Sahibabad Kotwali on GT Road, a man was shot dead in an indiscriminate firing on Monday night. He was hit in the head and legs and breathed his last while being rushed to district hospital. Police said his brother in-law had shot him.

Gunfires near Das Hiteshi Property Ltd had created commotion. A crowd had soon collected on the spot.

SO Kotwali Sahibabad said that the deceased was a resident of Bulandshahr and had come to Delhi where his brother-in-law Wahid had shot him.

A dispute concerning the wife of the deceased has been cited as the cause of murder.

Police said the deceased’s name could not be known. The man was brought dead with severe stab wounds on chest also, said the hospital staff.

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3 of family die in inferno

New Delhi, November 2
Divali festivities took a tragic turn in a home in west Delhi when three members of a family died in a fire sparked off by a ‘diya’ in the wee hours today.

Two others also suffered minor burns in the fire in Punjabi Bagh which broke out at around 4.30 a.m., a Delhi Fire Service Official said.

Even though fire tenders reached the spot immediately and brought the blaze under control within half-an-hour, Anand Prakash (70), his wife Sashi (65) and son Atul Anand (40) had inhaled a lot of smoke. They were rushed to a hospital but could not be revived, police said.

The injured persons were discharged after first aid.

Fire Service officials said that preliminary investigations had revealed that the fire was caused by a ‘diya’ (traditional Divali lamp) which had been left burning and had set ablaze some inflammable material.

In another incident, two firemen suffered minor burns in a small fire in a godown in Anand Parbat in west Delhi around midnight. There was no major loss of property in the incident, officials said. — TNS

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Man commits suicide

New Delhi, November 2
A man committed suicide in a West Delhi area after allegedly being harassed for bribe by an official, police sources said.

Ashok Arora (40), who owned a junk godown, was found hanging in his house in Inderlok area yesterday.

In a suicide note, he wrote that he was taking the extreme step as an official regularly harassed him for bribe and had even falsely lodged a theft case against him. Investigations were on into the case, the sources said. — TNS

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Impersonators sent to judicial custody
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
A Delhi court has sent three members of a gang to 14 days judicial custody for allegedly impersonating and offer sureties to litigants seeking bail in trial courts here.

Hawa Singh, Dina Nath and Rajesh, residents of Sultanpuri area in west Delhi, were sent to judicial custody by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Kumar for allegedly impersonating in criminal courts to provide sureties to bail-seekers.

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