 |
|
|
No to Commonwealth Games site near Akshardham
Akshardham Temple an architectural marvel
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Special cells to streamline police functioning: IGP
Police memorial inappropriate in Lutyens’ zone: DUAC
Schools can deny admission even if seats vacant: High Court
Minor girl among six dead in road mishaps
Govt to form policy on farmhouses within a week
Court takes up Vikas Yadav’s bail plea
Tortured boy freed after three days in captivity
Sheila for making schoolchildren computer-savvy
Father gets life term for raping minor daughter
Railway station arsonist held
29 suspected AIDS patients in Bulandshahr
Dacoity foiled, two held with revolvers
Child sold for Rs 20,000 to pay off debt
Blast trail leads to Bangladeshi criminal
12 new cases of dengue reported
|
|
No to Commonwealth Games site near Akshardham
New Delhi, November 7 According to the organisers, the proposed site near Akshardham Temple is not finding favour with some of them for being located on a busy national highway where the movement of the general public and the burgeoning vehicular traffic could prove to be a major hassle. “The temple is going to be thrown open for the public from Tuesday and since a large number of tourists are expected to visit the temple the site would be uncomfortable for the participants from as many as 71 countries who are likely to take part in the upcoming event,” said a senior officer. Now the organisers are busy finalising other venues like Nehru and National Stadiums, Talkatora Stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium and the shooting range. “When the Asian Games were organised in the year 1984 the work was commenced in 1980 and in that manner there is still lots of time available as this time the Games are likely to be held only in October 2010,” he added. Even the arrangements which were being planned for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March 2006 would be discussed with various officers to make the event a big success, the officer said. A workshop on security arrangements for the Commonwealth Games was inaugurated by the Chairman of the organising committee, Mr Suresh Kalmadi, at the Police Headquarters today. Several senior officers, including retired police officials like Mr G. S. Mander and Mr V. N. Mathur, attended the workshop. A separate workshop for traffic arrangements would be held later. During the workshop on security today, a large number of junior officials were encouraged to participate since they would attain maturity in handling the security matters during the games, he added “The planning for the security, traffic, transportation and law and order arrangements have already commenced and we are getting assistance from various experts in the field, including some foreign experts, who had organised the Sydney Olympics and other mega events of this nature,” he said. Addressing a press conference here after bringing out the draft report on the venues, games infrastructure and village for the 2010 Games, Mr Suresh Kalmadi admitted receiving phone calls from abroad after the serial blasts rocked the Capital on October 29. “We did get calls asking where we stand after the blasts. Since the (terrorism-marred) Munich Olympics, security has become an important issue in all the sports events. However, a three-member security team is touring the city and meeting security officials. They had meetings with the Delhi Police, CRPF and the Army officers. They handled the security at the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games and are in charge for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 as well,” Mr Kalmadi revealed. “The Police Commissioner is also drawing up a plan and we would have a foolproof system in place for the Games,” he added.
|
|
Akshardham Temple an architectural marvel
New Delhi, November 7 The Rs 200 crore temple inaugurated by the President, Dr APJ Abdul, Kalam, that will be open to the masses from Tuesday morning, has 234 ornate pillars carved to perfection. For the contemporary touch, there is the I-Max experience where visitors are shown a film based on the life of the sect’s leader, Swaminarayan, who lived in the 18th Century. Right at the entrance, there are two ‘Mayur Dwars’ with 1,738 sculptured peacocks. Inside the temple, the vista becomes even more breathtaking. Ponds are teeming with lotuses and water collected from 151 holy rivers. The eight-tonne door of the pink sandstone temple opens to a white marbled floor where as many as 20,000 statues stand. There is a double-storeyed arcade with 1,152 pillars and 145 windows and 154 samvaran shikhars. Built on sandy soil, this temple is earthquake-resistant with air-conditioned interiors and heavy security checks. While the entry is free, visitors will have to stick to a list of don’ts. These include not carrying mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices. The temple will be open from 12 noon to 6 pm between November 8 and 13. From November 15, the temple will remain open from nine in the morning to six in the evening but will remain closed on Mondays. A 12-minute boat ride takes the visitors to the I-Max theatres where a film on the sect’s leader Swaminarayan is screened. The work of about 7,000 artisans and 4,000 volunteers, 60 per cent of the temple complex is a green cover. The temple, which is expected to become a major tourist attraction in the city, had even the first citizen enthralled. “I feel as if I am in some other world,” he is reported to have said at the inauguration.
|
|
Special cells to streamline police functioning: IGP
Gurgaon, November 7 The Inspector General of Police, Gurgaon Range, Mr Mohinder Lal, has planned to develop the police force in these two districts as a “role model” in the country. The introduction of new systems, which are at the final stage of implementation, would ensure that the force would be accountable for its responsibilities. Keeping in mind the continuing expansion of these two cities, eight new police stations would be added in Gurgaon and four in Faridabad. It is planned to double the strength of the police force in Gurgaon. Presently, Gurgaon has a police force of 2000 personnel. Similarly, in Faridabad as many as 1000 new personnel would be added to its existing strength of 2400 persons, said the Zonal IGP. Special cells would be formed to streamline traffic movements, check burglaries, vehicle thefts and heinous crimes, particularly against women. Currently, the traffic in Gurgaon is being managed by a force of just 30 personnel. After the implementation of the new system, 200 personnel headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) would be incharge of the city traffic on the pattern of the national Capital. The traffic police would directly report to the DSP in-charge of traffic. The IGP agreed that traffic jams at important intersections have become a routine feature. Similarly, Faridabad would also have a separate DSP to manage the traffic in the district, he added. Mr Mohinder Lal lamented that currently more than 5 vehicles were being stolen daily in Gurgaon district alone. An Anti-Auto Vehicle Theft Cell, supervised by an inspector has been formed to deal with this problem. This cell would be accountable only for vehicle thefts and would follow up the investigations on a daily basis. In October 2005, 148 vehicles have been reportedly stolen in Gurgaon district. Mr Mohinder Lal said that it has been decided to form a separate burglary cell. In recent months, incidents of burglary have also increased manifolds. According to the police, it has been found that anti-social elements merged with labourers, who come here to work in industries, construction sites and
houses. This special cell would only be responsible for tracing burglary cases. The new plans would be operationalised by the end of this month itself, the IGP added. He also emphasised the need for overhauling the communication system. It is planned that the police force in these two districts would soon have the latest communication systems, whereby the control room can communicate with all wireless or selected wireless sets simultaneously, revealed IGP Lal. A special ‘Response Team’ is also being constituted to reach a crime spot immediately. Ten separate teams have also been constituted to check petty crimes against women such as chain snatching, eve teasing, etc. The members of the team would be in plain clothes in the city so as to make women feel secure, asserted the IGP. Emphasising the importance of specialisation, he said specialised trainings are being planned to fulfill the “great expectations” of the residents.
|
|
|
Police memorial inappropriate in Lutyens’ zone: DUAC
New Delhi, November 7 Producing a report before a division bench of Justices Vijender Jain and Rekha Sharma, DUAC Secretary Dina Nath said “It would compromise the elegant simplicity of this fine urban landscape, removing forever the memory of the vista with which this important part of New Delhi has been identified”. The memorial is directly in the line of Shantipath and the dome of Rashtrapati Bhawan and thus interferes with the visual integrity of the vista by obstructing a view of the dome almost completely, said the affidavit. In a meeting of the DUAC attended by its Chairman Charles Correa and members Jasbir Sawhney, Prof Mohd Shaheer and Dr Narayani Gupta, it was decided that either the memorial should be removed from the site or its height be lowered to 31 feet so that it did not obstruct the view of the President’s House. The DUAC suggested that it was willing to assist and advice the Centre in identifying a suitable site for the prestigious project. Two months ago, Mr Correa was asked by the court to file a report on the controversial police memorial being constructed in Lutyens’ Delhi in contravention to the Capital’s master plan. He was asked to file the report considering the aesthetic, architectural and environmental aspects of the structure without being influenced by any authority. On July 22, 2004, the Delhi High Court had stayed construction of the Police Memorial at Chankyapuri in the heart of the Capital on a suit filed by six prominent citizens of the city. The Union Government, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), DUAC were the respondents. Challenging the construction of the 47-feet high steel structure as part of the Memorial near the Shantipath-Kautilya Marg intersection, the plaintiffs – senior journalist B G Verghese, social activist Anita Vikram Lal, senior citizen A N Mishra, secretary-general of the Heritage Society of Delhi, Trilochan Singh, senior
architect and structural engineer Mahendra Raj, and art historian Dr Shobita Punja – urged the Court to direct the respondents to dismantle or remove the structure from the present site. The suit said that the four of the plaintiffs – Mr Verghese, Ms Anita Vikram Lal, Mr A N Mishra and Mr Trilochan Singh are staying near the site and are among the persons who are directly affected by the construction of the structure.
|
|
Schools can deny admission even if seats vacant:
New Delhi, November 7 Setting aside a single judge ruling that schools cannot refuse admission to students in a particular stream when seats were still vacant, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Markendeya Katju and Madan B Lokur said “an administrative decision does not always require a statutory sanction... the school is free to take such a policy decision as it deems fit for maintaining its standards and reputation”. The decision came on an appeal filed by Delhi Public School, Mathura Road that the single judge’s order amounted to interference in the internal administration of schools to regulate allocation of streams based on merit. A student had earlier moved the court after he was denied admission into the science stream on the ground of “inadequate” marks but was instead offered seat either in commerce or humanities. The student had secured an overall percentage of 65.20 with 60 percent in Science and Mathematics in this year’s CBSE Class-X examinations. The Single Judge Bench of Justice Vikramjit Sen which heard the student’s initial plea had ruled that schools cannot refuse admission to their students in a particular stream in Class XI on the ground of merit when seats were available. The judge had ordered the school to admit the student to Class-XI in the science stream. Rejecting it, the Division Bench said “in our opinion the school’s decision in fixing the minimum marks for admission in science stream cannot be said to be so outrageous in defiance of logic or accepted moral standards”. “Schools were free to take such policy decision and its authorities can impose a non-statutory cut-off minimum marks at their discretion as long as there was no discrimination in such actions,” the Bench said. According to the school’s petition, there was no rule, or provision of any Act which was alleged to have been violated by the school. Counsels for DPS contended that the student in question had secured 245th rank among 299 students in the class-X results and that the school was justified in denying him admission in the science stream in Class-XI. The student, who secured an overall percentage of 65.20 with 60 per cent in Science and Mathematics in this year’s CBSE Class-X examinations, was refused admission to Class-XI by the school on the ground that he had not been able to fair in the merit enough for awarding the science stream. DPS had offered him either Commerce without Mathematics or Humanities which he did not accept and instead moved the court. The student’s counsel Arvind Nigam alleged that there were seats vacant in the school in the science stream and that students from outside were being given admission for monetary considerations. However, DPS’s counsel countered his argument saying the school had created 100 extra seats for outsiders and those being offered admission to class-XI had better percentage of marks. The Single Judge had taken into account the Delhi School Education Rules which envisaged that once a student was admitted to a school, the “admission continues until he passes the last examination for which the school gives training”.
|
|
Minor girl among six dead in road mishaps
Faridabad, November 7 According to police sources, a speeding jeep crushed two labourers and injured two others seriously in the Surajkund area last night. The victims were on their way to their house in Anangpur village when the accident took place. While the deceased have been identified as Gultan Shah and Channu Shah, both residents of Bihar, Phuleswar Yadav and Gullu Yadav were seriously hurt. “A large number of dumper trucks carrying building material and commercial vehicles ply on the roads connecting Bhadkhal and Surajkund areas. With poor lights, the chances of mishaps are high,” a local resident said. In another accident that took place yesterday near Hodal town on the National Highway no. 2, a car moving towards Agra rammed into a stationery truck near Karman border, resulting in instant death of two of its occupants. The driver and a minor girl, identified as Rushi, were killed on the spot. The other occupants were seriously injured. The accident took place when the car driver lost control as he tried to save a cyclist, who had suddenly moved into the middle of the road. As a result, the car rammed into the truck. In the third accident near Palwal town, one person, identified as Vijender of Penkari village, died while his nephew was injured, when the motorcycle on which they were traveling was hit by a truck at a crossing. One youth, Mohammed Firoz, died after he fell from a motorcycle near Vazirpur village on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, two unidentified persons were overrun by trains between Faridabad and Delhi in the past 36 hours.
|
|
Govt to form policy on farmhouses within a week
New Delhi, November 7 Chief Secretary S Raghunathan and MCD Commissioner Rakesh Mehta, who were summoned by the court, submitted the state government would formulate the policy within a week and submit it before the High Court. A division bench of Justices Vijender Jain and Rekha Sharma had summoned the two top officials as the state government had failed to formulate the policy by today as assured to the court on the last date of hearing in September. The MCD had said that it had sought the Delhi government’s permission to chalk out a policy to extend the guideline to permit the farmhouses to hold ceremonies after paying a fee. The Court suggested that only those farmhouses with 80 feet wide approach road and having parking space should be given permission. The farmhouses would have to stick to the stipulation laid down by the MCD on noise pollution, sanitation and other civic regulations. The High Court, in an order on July 6, 2005, had restrained farmhouse owners from holding the ceremonies in the area as it violated the master plan. MCD Counsel S K Bhasin said the corporation had requested the Delhi Government to extend the permission to the farmhouses up to March 2007. The MCD had submitted before the Court on September 7 that there was acute scarcity of community halls in the Capital and the ban should be relaxed for arranging marriage and other social ceremonies. The MCD was formulating a policy for making alternative arrangements for organising such social gatherings, said the Counsel appearing for the MCD. Appearing for the petitioner, Counsel Manjit Singh said that flouting the rules, marriage ceremonies were being organised in the farmhouses which were meant only for agriculture purposes. “People residing nearby these farm houses and nearby areas are adversely affected by noise pollution and also because of the parking of vehicles which causes a lot of problem to the residents of the locality. Besides diesel sets used for generating electricity at farmhouses not only created air but noise pollution also,” Mr Singh said. The court was dealing with a petition filed by Bhrastachar Virodhi Sangathan through counsel Manjit Singh, which claimed that though the civic body had admitted that activities like holding marriage parties were illegal, they had done little to check the same, and sought stern action in the regard.
|
|
LG, CM greet people on Chhath Puja
New Delhi, November 7 Large number of programmes were organised in the Capital on the occasion. Ms Dikshit described the festival as a socio-religious gathering that helped in strengthening the mutual faith and relations. She added the Chhath had become an inseparable and integral part of socio-cultural life of the city. The festival provided an opportunity to offer prayer to the Sun God and the God of Energy and Power. The chief minister joined thousands of people who offered puja on the river-bed. Ms Dikshit went to various ghats at ITO, Kishankunj, Kudasia Ghat and Narela. She was accompanied by her son and MP Sandeep Dikshit. The festival was now being celebrated in Delhi like all other major festivals such as
Divali, Id and Holi. Ms Dikshit also viewed a cultural programme at Narela organised in connection with the Chhath Parv. Delhi Lt Governor B L Joshi also greeted the people on the occasion. Delhi government had made elaborate arrangements for people to conduct puja. Besides, special security and traffic diversion plans had also been put into place.
|
|
Court takes up Vikas Yadav’s bail plea
New Delhi, November 7 Further arguments will continue in the court of Additional Sessions Judge A K Garg later this week, on November 10. The primary line of argument taken by Dinesh Mathur, counsel for the accused, was that Yadav’s cousin and co-accused, Vishal Yadav, had been granted bail in the same case by the Delhi High Court last month, and that the present application should be considered along similar lines. Mathur also found discrepancies in the prosecution evidence, including the fact that Katara was alleged to have eaten just hours before his death, but the post-mortem report did not show any presence of food in his body. Mathur also told the court that although Katara’s body was found on February 18, 2002, a day after he died, his watch and the hammer that was allegedly used to murder him were recovered eleven days later, on February 28. On October 6, allowing the bail application of co-accused Vishal Yadav, the Delhi High Court had observed that the case was based on circumstantial evidence wherein the prosecution had already closed its evidence and there was no end of the trial in sight. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had reversed a trial court decision to drop UP politician D P Yadav’s daughter Bharti Yadav as a witness in the murder trial. Katara, a business executive, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002 from Ghaziabad where he had gone to attend a marriage.
|
|
Tortured boy freed after three days in captivity
Ghaziabad, November 7 On getting the information, the police raided the shop and freed the teenager. A case has been filed against the trader. Karim, son of Mohammed Azim, was employed in a bearing shop of Satish Kumar Sharma at Delhi Gate, Ghaziabad, for some 8 months. According to the police, goods (bearings) worth Rs 3,000 was found missing from the shop within one month. Satish suspected Karim and instead of reporting the thefts to the police, Satish Kumar allegedly beat up Karim, kept him bound in a first storey room and kept him without food for three days. When Mohd. Azim’s worried wife went to Satish Kumar’s shop, instead of releasing the boy, he insulted Karim’s mother. The woman then went to the police station and lodged a complaint. In a raid on the shop, the police freed Karim. Signs of beating and torture were visible all over his body. Karim said he was innocent and did not know anything about the missing goods from the shop while Satish was referring to his employee as a thief. The police have registered a case against the shopkeeper. While a large number of minor children employed in commercial establishments are being ill-treated and exploited in the city, the Labour Department officials in Ghaziabad are mute witness to the open violation and mockery of labour laws, alleged a social worker.
|
|
Sheila for making schoolchildren computer-savvy
New Delhi, November 7 Speaking at a high-level meeting convened to review the computer education programme in Delhi schools, Ms Dikshit asked the Department of Education to improve the functioning of the Computer Education Programme and also improve the ranking of Delhi in respect of functioning of computer education programmes in various states. She also gave examples of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra where the programme was functioning smoothly. She further directed the department to extend computer-aided learning programme to all schools. The computer education programme is at present covering all schools in Delhi, which include 650 double shift schools. It was decided to provide direct computer access to all students by January 2006. The Ministry of HRD’s organisation, Educational Consultants India Ltd, could also be contacted for providing manpower. Ms Dikshit made it clear that computer education was not a short-term course. Hence, it should receive due attention. She instructed the Department of Education to keep in view certain factors such as time-frame, teacher-children ratio, mode of switchover, continuity of programme while framing a comprehensive and crystal-clear policy. She also said that any piecemeal approach would not work out and hence a comprehensive policy was required to provide right direction to the Computer Education Programme.
|
|
|
Father gets life term for raping minor daughter
New Delhi, November 7 “The incident has shocked the conscience of this court and such rapists, who have illicit incestuous relations with their own daughters are the lowest scum on the earth and deserve no leniency,” observed Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) J M Malik while punishing Jai Ram Singh for raping her own minor daughter. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 on the convict after finding him guilty under section 376 (Rape) of the IPC. The convict, father of four children and resident of Trilok Puri in east Delhi, on February 7, 2004 raped his minor daughter after sending his two sons to the nearby market for getting some household articles. On the fateful day, the mother of the victim, who used to work as a maidservant in the same locality, had gone out for her job and on her return, she caught her husband committing the heinous offence. After the incident, the convict fled from the spot. Later, the victim revealed to her mother that her father had raped her in past as well and threatened her against disclosing the offence. The medical tests confirmed the sexual assault. Three days after, police nabbed the culprit. Rejecting the mercy plea of the convict that he should be given a chance to reform himself, ASJ said “the case goes to show that mooal characters of the people of this world has reached its lowest ebb”.
|
|
Railway station arsonist held
New Delhi, November 7 After six fire incidents were reported in the New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations, the sleuths received a tip-off that one Akbar Shiekh, resident of Mumbai, could be involved. He was earlier involved in six cases of dacoity, robbery and attempt to murder in Delhi. He was even convicted for seven years in a case of dacoity. After learning that the accused had left Delhi in 2004 and could be staying with his sister Mumtaz in a jhuggi cluster around Mumbai railway station, a special team reached Mumbai and tracked down her house . During investigation, the sleuths found out that Akbar had shifted base to Gujarat. Another team went there to nab him. In between, the sleuths received a tip-off that Akbar would be coming to Mumbai to celebrate
Id with his sister at Worli but he did not turn up. Finally, the sleuths laid a trap at the Mumbai Central railway station on October 21 and nabbed him. He was later brought to Delhi on police custody. During interrogation, Akbar told the sleuths that he was born in Hyderabad and started committing petty crimes like pickpocketing and was arrested twice by the railway police in Mumbai Central. Later, he shifted to Delhi in 1996 and started committing crimes like pickpocketing and robbery and was convicted in a case of dacoity. After his release in 202, he once again started operating from the New Delhi railway station.
|
|
|
29 suspected AIDS patients in Bulandshahr
Bulandshahr, November 7 The more alarming fact is that the district hospital does not have the necessary medical infrastructure for its treatment. During the last 10 months, some 284 patients have been tested for HIV, out which 29 patients have been diagnosed as being HIV positive. While the total number of HIV patients was 55 during the last two years, this year it has already crossed 29. Mr G.K. Tripathi, a medical analyst, said that AIDS virus could be passed on to the unborn child in the mother’s womb itself.
|
|
Dacoity foiled, two held with revolvers
Faridabad, November 7 The police recovered five country-made revolvers from their possession. The arrested persons have been identified as Tarun and Suresh Pal, while one Narender, Sanjay and Joginder were able to flee. It is stated that Tarun had been a resident of Sector- 16 here whereas Ramesh belongs to Ghaziabad. It is alleged that these youths had assembled at a spot near Old Faridabad and had been
planning a crime when the police conducted a raid after a tip-off. Meanwhile, the police have booked a case in connection with the death of a 16-year-old maid in Eros Garden apartments in the Surajkund area. The body of the victim, identified as Jaya, was found hanging in a room of the house where she had been working. According to reports, the owner and his family had been away at the time of incident.
|
|
Child sold for Rs 20,000 to pay off debt
Ghaziabad, November 7 The father of the child, identified as Pramod Sharma of Palkhua, had earlier agreed to sell the child for Rs 8,000. However, when another person, Sanjeev, offered him Rs 20,000, he agreed to sell it to him. Sanjeev has denied the charges, claiming that he had not bought the child but legally adopted him. It is reported that a written agreement has been made for the sale and handing over of the child. The Deputy District Magistrate, Hapur, Mr Sanjay Chauhan, has mentioned these facts in his inquiry report to the District Magistrate, Santosh Yadav. Expressing shock at the unfortunate incident, the District Magistrate promised to help Pramod overcome his financial problems. The administration will try its best that nobody finds himself in such a tragic situation, he said.
|
|
Blast trail leads to Bangladeshi criminal
New Delhi, November 7 Special Cell of the Delhi Police, which was investigating the bomb blasts, nabbed the 26-year-old man, Shah Jaynal Abedin Bhukhari, after receiving information that he resembled the sketch of the man believed to be connected with one of the explosions, police said today. Bhukhari, who initially came to India on student visa and took admission in a Delhi University college in 1999, had been in the country six times. On the last occasion he came to India on 45-day pilgrimage visa in December 2004 and had been over-staying ever since to evade arrest in Bangladesh. Accused in a double murder case in Chittagong, he had been declared an absconder in April 2004 by authorities in that country.
|
|
12 new cases of dengue reported
Ghaziabad, November 7 The chairman of Yashoda Hospital, Mr P. N. Arora, confirmed that 10 new patients with high fever were admitted to Yashoda Hospital. Two other patients with high fever were admitted to Bhagwati Medial Centre. On an average 20 new patients with high fever are admitted to private hospitals daily, quite a few of which are dengue suspects, according to doctors of these private hospitals. According to the CMO, a large number of people pass through the district and many of whom are carriers of dengue.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
