New Delhi, November 29
A month after Delhi experienced its worst terror attack, which killed over 60 people, police are still clueless about the way the case was heading despite nabbing three LeT men with regard to the incident.

Though there are no official statements, senior officers concede that a dead-end stares the force.

No one is willing to talk on the ‘progress’ having been made even after 30 days have passed and no signs were visible that the perpetrators were within the reach of law enforcers.

“We are working on it,” is the common refrain of the police officials.

As if this was not enough for Delhiites, who braved the October 29 slaughter, some were still awaiting news about their ‘lost’ kin during the blasts.

While some of the bodies remain to be identified, some of the ‘missing’ are yet to be traced. Three bodies lying in the Safdarjung mortuary are yet to be claimed.

Reports say they have been mutilated to the extent of not being identifiable.

Even the DNA tests have been of no help with the ‘still missing’.

Despite putting up a brave face, Delhi denizens shelter within them a fear — of either being targeted once again or being unsafe at most places.

Shopkeepers at Sarojini Market have recorded steep fall in sales and number of footfalls. “It’s no more the same, especially after evening descends,” a shopkeeper said.

This is not the only high-profile case where investigations of the Delhi Police are leading nowhere.

It has been more two years since a Swiss diplomat was allegedly raped in a car park of the Siri Fort Auditorium in south Delhi, but the perpetrator continues to evade police.

One of the most talked about unsolved case is the sensational escape of Sher Singh Rana, the alleged killer of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi, from the Tihar Jail in February last year.

Though a television channel even managed to interview Rana, police are yet to trace him.

More unsolved cases have been added to Delhi Police’s unflattering list this year, including the gangrape cases of Dhaula Kuan and Mayapuri.

In both cases, car-borne assailants had pulled women into their vehicles and gang raped them before setting them free.

While police claimed to have arrested one of the men who had criminally assaulted a girl from north-east India after abducting her from Dhaula Kuan, it still has not got its hands on the three other accused. In the Mayapuri case, not even a single arrest has been made.

However, Delhi Police is still hopeful that the serial blasts case will not go down the same road. A police team is still camping in Jammu and Kashmir on information provided by those in custody hoping to make significant arrests. 

Ghaziabad, November 29
Armed bandits, who came on four motorcycles and a scooter, snatched a briefcase containing Rs 15.60 lakh from the wife of a steel merchant Anup Jain in Kavi Nagar at 9 pm yesterday.

Mr Jain had just handed over the briefcase to his wife at the gate of their house after reaching home.

At this point of time, the robbers just appeared on the scene on their bikes. One of them fired a shot at Anup Jain, but the bullet hit one of the robbers who collapsed after running a few steps from the gate while his companions sped away leaving the wounded robber on the road.

The loot has created a sensation in the town. Ghaziabad Vyapar Mandal has given an ultimatum to the authorities that traders would launch an agitation if the robbers are not nabbed soon.

Steel merchant Anup Kumar Jain lives on the first floor of Bungalow No 108 in Kavi Nagar and runs a firm, Shri Shyam Steel in Navyug Market, Ghaziabad.

In a recent theft in 18 shops in the market, the criminals had decamped with maximum amount from Anup Jain’s shop.

By the time Anup reached his house last night, it was all dark as power had been switched off in the area. After reaching home, Jain had called his wife down at the gate by blowing his car horn, as he used to do, and handed over the briefcase. Exactly at this time, half-a-dozen robbers descended on the scene on the bikes. One of them fired from a gun fitted with a silencer. Mrs Anita Jain got scared.

After letting go off the briefcase, she told them, “take it and go away”.

The police found an empty cartridge from near the gate and a wounded man lying about 50 yards away with a bullet wound in the stomach. He was admitted to district hospital, Ghaziabad, and later shifted to a private nursing home as his condition deteriorated.

Police have found visiting cards of two advocates from his pocket. He has been identified as Mazhar who had gone to jail in 2001 for a murder. When the robbers fired at Anup Jain, he was saved, but the bullet had hit Mazhar, the police said. The police hope to nab other criminals with Mazhar’s help. A scooter used in the loot has also been found abandoned.

SSP and SP City, traders and leaders of Vyapar

Mandal had reached Jain’s house after the incident.

Vyapar Mandal leader Shiv Shankar Rathi said traders would not sit quiet at the increasing lawlessness and incidents of loot. First a robbery of Rs 12 lakh, then loot in 18 shops in the area and now a robbery of Rs 15.60 lakh. What are the administration and law enforcing agencies up to in Ghaziabad, asked Mr Rathi. 

New Delhi, November 29
A BJP delegation today met the President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, to submit a memorandum voicing displeasure over the functioning of the Sheila Dikshit government and the “looting” by power companies in the Capital.

The 11-member delegation submitted protest papers of more than 10 lakh Delhiites and asked the President to take appropriate action in this regard.

The delegation also demanded from the President that he should immediately dismiss the Sheila Dikshit government and order an inquiry by the CBI into the bunglings of this government and the “loot” by the power companies.

The delegation under the leadership of the BJP Delhi Pradesh president, Dr Harsh Vardhan, included Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, Mr Vijay Goel, Mr O.P. Kohli, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Mr Ram Bhaj, Ms Neera Shastri, Mr Abdul Rasheed, Mr Pawan Sharma and Mr Shyam Lal Garg.

At the meeting, which lasted for about 25 minutes, Dr Vardhan told the President that the Delhi Government had committed a bungling of 12,500 crore during the privatisation of power. More than 10 lakh fast running meters had been installed in the houses of the people and the power bill amount had increased manifold. 

Noida, November 29
Five persons were killed and 12 others injured when a speeding container rammed into a roadside restaurant near Tilpata village on Dadri-Noida road on Monday night.

Three of those killed have been identified as Rahim Ali of Garh, Shashi Kant Shukla of Gazipur and Jalis of Pilkhua. Among those injured include Yogesh of Faridabad, Usman, Chander Sain, Vinode, Naushad and Sanjay Walia.

According to a report, the victims were sitting outside the restaurant when the accident took place. The injured were rushed to various hospitals, including Kailash Hospital, where the condition of one person is said to critical.

Hundreds of people had jammed the Dadri road today morning demanding that container and trucks from Dadri depot should be banned on this road. Four shops adjoining the restaurant were also damaged by the container, which overturned due to the impact.

It may be recalled that a large number of multi-national industrial companies in Greater Noida are involved in import and export business through the Dadri depot located between Tilpata village and Dadri railway station. According to eye witnesses, the driver lost control of the container (No. HR-38G-3893) while negotiating the turn at a high speed.

Later, the container was removed with help of a crane and a victim lying underneath pulled out. 

New Delhi, November 29
It is not just an endeavour to hone skills, but also aims at making the most of it. The National Council for Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) initiative to involve kids in a toy making workshop is the first of its kind being undertaken by the council.

Being organised at the Central Institute of Educational Training (CIET), the workshop on developing toys is open for children between 11 and 16 with a view to encourage and nurture creativity and also get valuable inputs from children for their peers.

“We had been for long thinking of involving children to do something for other children. It encourages their creativity, and also because their brain works almost alike, we don’t need to explain to them the psyche of children. They know what they want,” explained Dr Dharam Prakash of the CIET.

Children will design the toys, which will be produced at the CIET itself during the workshop scheduled for December 26 to 31. “We are not going to brief them on the type of toys they should design. It is just an exploration…children have so much energy and we want to see what they can produce,” Dr Prakash added. “We will however facilitate in the production of the toys. There will be no fees charged and no raw materials required,” he said. With no specifications, children are free to design toys which have just fun quotient or can even be used for educational purpose.

“Depending on the quality or the use of the toy we can also contemplate mass production of that toy or putting them up on display,” the CIET official said.

Asserting that children had immense latent talent, it was pointed out that during a workshop on video film making and cartoon film making held earlier this year, children had produced quality work that was broadcast on national television.

“The films that these children produced were so good that we broadcast them on television. The first one was on the civic habit of littering and the second was based on sensitivity towards animals,” Dr Prakash added. 

New Delhi, November 29
For those who have lost their original marksheets or need to make corrections in their official records as maintained by the Central Board of Secondary Education, there is no time to procrastinate. The Board has proposed to weed out old records for the duration between 1992 and 1994.

In a notification to all, the board has pointed out that it is in the process of weeding out old records like the list of candidates from 1992 to 1994, including private examination forms, verification reports up to September 2003 and application forms for getting duplicate documents already issued to applicants again up to September 2001.

The notification, which was issued in September, allows those seeking changes or corrections in the candidate’s name or in the name of the father or the mother or any change in the date of birth to apply for the same within three months from the date of notification.

The requests for these have to be made in accordance with the procedure prescribed in the examination bylaws of the board. Those wishing to make the representation have to send their requests to the Deputy Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education, Todarmal Marg, Ajmer.

The board has specified that requests in connection with the above mentioned will not be considered in future after expiry of stipulated time limit.

New Delhi, November 29
The Centre today said that as many as 600 security personnel had been deployed for the protection of the Delhi Metro.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home S. Reghupathy said that several other steps had also been taken to ensure safety of the mass transit system, including the installation of metal detectors at Metro stations and deploying security personnel inside the trains.

He said the Delhi Police had deployed 290 personnel for the security of the Metro. Besides this, three companies, comprising 100 personnel each of the Central Industrial Security Force, had also been deployed.

The Delhi police was also carrying out frisking of passengers, checking vehicles entering the parking lots, educating passengers about unclaimed articles and using sniffer dogs to check stations and trains, he added.

The Delhi Metro is high on the hit list of militants and as per intelligence agencies. Investigations into the October 29 serial blasts revealed that bombers had initially chosen it as a target.

Faridabad, November 29
An employee of the Postal Department here has decided to approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for protection after the failure of the police to provide him security despite repeated thereat to him and his family members.

The complainant, Risal Singh Rathee, is an Assistant Postmaster at the main post office here. Risal Singh Rathee, who is physically challenged and belongs to the Dalit community, alleged that he was receiving threats because he ‘dared’ to stand up against corruption in the department in last few years.

He alleged that the police had failed to register an FIR in this connection though a complaint was lodged about a month ago in this regard.

Even though the caller did not state the reason for threatening him, he suspected that it could be related to events in his department where he had tried to ‘expose’ certain corrupt practices going on in the department. He alleged that some senior officers in the department were out take their revenge after he foiled their attempt to force him to take pre-mature retirement in 2003 on basis of baseless charges. According to the complainant, he has been continuously receiving threat since October 1. Rathee has already filed a case in the local court over the alleged physical attacks made on him during duty hours on three different occasions in 2000.

In an application submitted to the office of the district police chief, the victim has supplied the mobile numbers and the details regarding the dates on which the threats were made to him.

He said he and his family had been living under fear and alleged that the police had not taken any action against the accused. 

Noida, November 29
Gutsy plumber Abhiram thought of helping others, but he paid a heavy price for his noble act. He had the courage to challenge some robbers in Sector-25, Noida, and then land up in hospital, seriously injured. Nobody from the local administration or social organization is coming to see his condition.

Abhiram saw two armed intruders trying to break the lock of a flat in IAF-Navy, Sector-25, Noida last week. When the plumber challenged them, they shot at him and fled.

According to doctors in Sumitra Hospital, Noida, they are trying to ensure that the bullet lodged in Abhiram’s left side near the cerebral column does not cause any problem; else they will have to remove it surgically. Paralysis on the left side is not being ruled out either. Abhiram, originally from Orissa, has been employed as a plumber in Air Force, Naval Housing Society in Sector-25 for the last 10 years. According to Naval and Air Force officers, Abhiram had bolted the door from outside, as the intruders went in after breaking the flat lock. He had also grappled with the criminals when they came out from a rear door, but one of them fired at him, injuring him seriously. Air Commodore L.K.Batra of the complex said Abhiram had acted like a true hero, but the residents have not made any contributions to meet even his medical expenses. The victim of a brutal criminal assault had shifted from Kailash Hospital, Noida, when he found that he could not meet the hospital expenses.

Noida, November 29
The on-set of winter brings cough, increased sputum and breathlessness in many people, who go on with their lives treating them with common medications. These indicators are of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) says, Dr Deepak Talwar, Chairman of Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases and a leading expert in lung diseases.

According to World Health Organization, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, next only by heart attack, stroke and acute lung infection. It kills more people than cancer and as many as AIDS, says Dr Talwar.

It is estimated that in India by 2020, COPD is going to be sixth leading cause of death. It is important that the disease is detected at an early stage for proper management.

With this aim in mind, Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases organised a special camp for COPD patients in Noida where “Breathless not Helpless” was the central message.

According to Dr Talwar, COPD is a disease in which the airways in the lungs are swollen and blocked chronically producing such symptoms. Most people do not realise that they have COPD because they have mild disease and have symptoms in winter only. As the disease progresses without regular treatment these symptoms start occurring every day. Finally the patient is not able to do his daily activities like taking a bath because there is extreme shortness of breath and coughing.

Recent studies report that nearly 5 per cent males and 3 per cent females in the Indian population above the age of 30 years are affected (i.e. nearly 15 million people in India).

Nearly 83 per cent of all COPD cases are due to smoking. This produces a huge burden on not only the family but also on the national resources.

The best way to diagnose COPD is by spirometry. But this test has to be done properly to demonstrate the disease. In some cases further detailed tests will be required.

The best way to treat COPD, says Dr Deepak Talwar is by taking medications through inhalers to make the airways wider and to reduce the swelling inside them. Acute episodes are common in COPD. Taking treatment regularly will reduce the frequency of these episodes. Quitting smoking will help such patients further. A flu vaccination in every autumn is a must to prevent frequent acute episodes. Patients who are continuously breathless even on daily activities need to be managed by specialised pulmonary rehabilitation programme.

The Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases is equipped with 35 beds and a 14 bedded RICU with ventilators.

It has state-of-the-art facilities at Noida, and branches in Delhi, Faridabad and Meerut, providing worldclass treatment for lung diseases, including lung surgeries. The centre is equipped with advanced lung function testing lab, video bronchoscopy lab and sleep disorders lab. In addition, it has specialised clinics with a focus on asthma, COPD, lung cancer, sleep disorders and has well-trained team for pulmonary rehabilitation. It is run with the aim of providing comprehensive healthcare in the field of lung diseases. 

Noida, November 29
Over 1.65 lakh children were given polio drops on Sunday on the first day of the pulse polio campaign in the district, thus registering an 11% increase over the first-day figures for the September campaign. But in Greater Noida against a target of 3.80 lakh children, the pulse drops could be administered to only 43,000 children.

People had started queuing up at the 900 booths set up in the district since early in the morning. According to details made available by the CMO’s office, 47,506 children in Noida, 27,003 in Dadri, 20,853 in Javer, 46,348 in Besarakh and 23,344 children in Dankore were covered on the first booth day of the campaign.

The CMO, other senior doctors and officers had visited various booths in the area. From November 27 to December 2, some 832 three-member teams will be going around the villages from door to door to cover up more children.

In Khora Colony, 9,993 children were given pulse polio drops at about 60 booths set up in different parts of Khora and even at five transit booths set up there.

Dr Atul Anand, the campaign chief in Khora, said that the resistance against the drops persisted in the colony.

From Monday onwards, the teams will fan out in the area and ensure that no house with a child up to 5 years is left without being given the polio drops, he said.

New Delhi, November 29
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management’s 9th annual inter-collegiate festival, A-maze 2005, turned out to be a constellation of brilliantly organised events and like-minded sponsors. The key sponsors of the festival were IDBI Bank, UBI, HDFC Bank, South City Ford, Radio Mirchi, Voltas, Fire Fox, HCL Infinet, Zest Systems and SWM Powersystems among others.

The two-day festival was a treat, which the participants and the spectators will cherish for at least one more year till it is time to roll out the red carpet and welcome A-maze yet again in 2006.

On the inaugural day of the event, the morning unfolded on a profound note with serious corporate events like Debate, One Minute Sales and Business Plan.

As the day progressed, the events displayed a lighter hue with Creative Writing, Choreography and Mr and Ms Amaze – the personality contest — taking centre stage. Students from various management institutes and DU colleges like Amity, MDI (Gurgaon), International Management Institute, Jesus and Mary College, Kamla Nehru College, Gargi College, Lady Shriram College, Hindu College, SRCC, NIFT, JD Institute etc flocked together either as participants or as spectators.

The evening of day one had the much awaited personality competition, Mr and Ms Amaze. What was to follow was a scintillating display of beauty, creativity, talent and persona.

There was record breaking participation of more than 300 students from various institutes. Karan Chaudhury and Megha Jaitley of IIPM were crowned Mr and Ms Amaze respectively.

New Delhi, November 29
Jamia Millia Islamia is hosting the 8th National Youth Parliament competition on November 30. This function is being organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the idea is to disseminate knowledge of the working of parliamentary institutions, create awareness among the students about the leading issues and obstacles faced by the nation.

This effort includes imparting necessary skills to the students in debating and developing leadership qualities, creating in the younger generation basic capacity to resist abuse of authority and help preserve democracy and in the process to groom students into becoming enlightened, useful and responsible citizens.

Other items on the agenda include educating students on the oath ceremony of newly elected members, obituary references, on the introduction of new ministries to the house, question hour, foreign delegation, on messages for the upper chamber of youth delegation, calling attention motion and legislative business.

Faridabad, November 29
The district administration has announced a new bus service between Hodal and Faridabad for the convenience of the passengers, especially students. The decision to start the new bus service has been taken in view of the violence by the students after the death of their fellow student, who was run over by a Haryana Roadways bus at Ballabgarh town here recently.

The students, who had blocked the National Highway for over two hours, had demanded better bus service.

According to an official press release, at least five buses would be made available for the passengers moving between Hodal and Faridabad.

It is stated that these buses would halt at all the main bus stops, including the halts located at various villages located on Mathura Road and other local routes connecting the villages. 

New Delhi, November 29
Obesity is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Six per cent of India’s population was dangerously obese and was a major contributor to risks of killer diseases like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and even some forms of cancer, said  Dr Pradeep Chowbey, Head of Minimal Access Surgery, in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

The Obesity Support and Education Group of India (OSEGI) has been set up to focus awareness about growing obesity problem among children, women and men due to change in lifestyles and eating habits.

It will also focus on problems and disease related to overweight.

The OSEGI has been found by Dr Pradeep Chowbey.

New Delhi, November 29
The State Bank of Patiala organised a Hindi debate in collaboration with Mahatama Hans Raj College. More than 100 students participated in the debate organised at Hans Raj College on the Delhi University premises.

Mr Saswata Chaudhari, DGM, State Bank of Patiala, was the guest of honour and Mr A. S. Bhatia, AGM, gave away the prizes.

Mr Chaudhari said the bank had the distinction of being the first public sector bank to computerise and network all its branches and had been rated as the best public sector branch.