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Demolition drive: Panel for asking court for more time
New govt housing complex to follow Lutyens’ style
Significant rise in crime cases in Gurgaon, Faridabad
flashback
2005: jaMIA mILLIA iSLAMIA university
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flashback 2005
Blast accused sent to judicial custody
Traffic advisory for New Year’s eve
Metro fares to go up by Re 1 from today
Fog is back, but air traffic unaffected
‘Life-saving drugs to be exempted from VAT soon’
Hindi Academy celebrates silver jubilee
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Demolition drive: Panel for asking court for more time
New Delhi, December 30 The four-member committee comprising Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Minister Kapil Sibal, Delhi Urban Development Minister A K Walia and DPCC chief Rambabu Sharma also decided to have a public debate on the issue to evolve a consensus on how to deal with the “very serious situation”. At their first meeting after the panel was formed last night, the four leaders discussed the issue threadbare and worked out a broad strategy to deal with unauthorised constructions taking into consideration the complexities involved. “No administration can carry out such a largescale demolition overnight. We will approach the court before the January 18 hearing and present a plan of action besides seeking time,” Sibal told reporters after the nearly one hour-long meeting. The leaders were unanimous in their opinion that the issue was too complicated to be sorted out overnight, given the different nature of the colonies in the capital. Sibal said the plan of action would be a long-term strategy, which would not only give relief to the Delhiites but also deter them from flouting building bye-laws in the future. “Before submitting the plan of action, we will consult experts and also hold a public debate to work out an acceptable and constructive solution,” he said. “It should be realised that we are dealing with human beings and their emotions,” Sibal, who was flanked by Dikshit, Sharma and Walia, said. The panel, however, agreed that the demolitions cannot stop, but called for the action to be taken in a planned and principled manner. It took note of complaints from the public that a ‘pick and choose’ policy was being adopted by the MCD in the clean-up drive. Ms Dikshit said the decision to involve the people was taken to ensure that panic did not spread among the citizens and also in view of complaints of discriminatory attitude of MCD officials in the demolition drive. She said the format for eliciting public opinion was yet to be worked out, noting that today’s was the first meeting of the committee and details of how people would be involved would be decided in due course. The decision to form the panel was taken at the party-government coordination committee meeting last evening to coordinate among the Centre, state government and MCD to find a solution in the wake of intra-party differences on the issue coming out in the open. Meanwhile, MCD continued its demolition drive and took action against 18 unauthorised constructions in four zones of the national Capital today. The civic body demolished 11 residential properties and seven commercial structures in areas falling under City, Narela, Najafgarh and West zones. Eleven properties were demolished completely and seven were pulled down partially. Six illegal constructions each were demolished in Narela and Najafgarh while action was taken against three each in City and West zones.
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New govt housing complex to follow Lutyens’ style
New Delhi, December 30 The Union Cabinet yesterday approved re-development of Netaji Nagar and Moti Bagh (East) government employees housing complex and entrusted the task to NBCC. Terming it “a one-of-its-kind, landmark decision”, NBCC Chairman Arup Roy Choudhury today explained the design-plan of the new buildings to reporters at a briefing here. Located on 123 acres of government land between Shanti Path and Vinay Marg, close to Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone (LBZ), the scheme proposes to construct 492 houses on a self-sustaining basis, where NBCC will use part of the allotted land for commercial purposes to meet project costs. Consisting of Type VI, VII and VIII houses, combining plotted and highrise developments, the estimated cost of the project, based on 2004 CPWD indices, is Rs 265 crore. “Rarely do government officials obtain the level of accommodation they are entitled to,” Roychoudhury said, adding that the houses were intended for ministers and higher-ranked government officials where “satisfaction levels” were low. The approximate time-frame for the completion of the project is 31 months, which awaits formal approval before the final drawings are submitted to the NDMC. NBCC, which has a particularly strong presence in the North East, has been closely involved in constructing part of the newly-inaugurated Metro Track in the Capital.
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Significant rise in crime cases in Gurgaon, Faridabad
Bijendra Ahlawat & Abhay Jain
Faridabad/Gurgaon, December 30 Against 65 cases of murder registered in 2004, the figure rose to 72 in 2005, with several cases unsolved. Similarly, cases of attempt to murder also went up from 26 in 2004 to 39 by November 2005. According to records, cases of abduction and kidnapping have also gone up sharply in 2005. The abduction and murder of a nine-year-old student of Hodal town in the district was symbolic of the failure of the police to check crime and track down criminals. Though the number of dowry related deaths decreased from 24 to 16 in 2005, the number of harassment cases again rose sharply from 138 in 2004 to 172 in 2005. As many as 70 individuals were abducted as against 57 in 2004. The town recorded more than 765 cases of vehicle thefts against 479 booked in 2004. Moreover, a large number of these cases continue to be unsolved. It may be recalled that the IGP, Gurgaon range, had announced recently that action would be taken against policemen who avoid or delay the registration of FIRs. But reports suggest that there has been little change in the attitude or the functioning of the department when it comes to dealing with the common man. According to police record, crimes on the decline include those under the Arms Act, Gambling Act, ransom demand, poisoning, Excise Act and the NDPS Act. Faridabad is the biggest city of Haryana in terms of population and it is the only district where two Superintendents of Police (SP) have been posted. It may be pointed out that the district has six Deputy Superintendents of Police, 18 Inspectors, 91 Sub-Inspectors, 284 ASIs 453 Head-constables, and 2819 Constables at present. However, police officials point out that this strength is “too low” to handle the law and order situation in a district with a population of over 20 lakh. Gurgaon, meanwhile, also witnessed a ‘significant’ increase in crime cases including murders and vehicle thefts in 2005. Gurgaon recorded 65 cases of murder and 1076 cases of vehicle thefts in 2005. The Inspector General of Police, Gurgaon Range, Mr Mohinder Lal, informed that Gurgaon recorded 37 cases of attempt to murder (IPC 307), 10 cases of dowry death (IPC 304 B), 16 cases of rape in 2005. Ironically, the IGP still claimed that all five districts in the Gurgaon range achieved their target while checking crimes, as there was only a marginal increase in the total number of cases. We had given instructions to all Station House Officer (SHO) to register each and every FIR in their jurisdiction. We had suspended a number of officers for not lodging FIRs, added the officer. The IGP said that special cells were constituted in each district to check vehicle thefts in November 2005, which traced more than 200 thefts. The police also arrested a number of hardcore criminals, added the IGP. The police is on the job and the crime scenario would be under control completely in the coming days as a number of steps are being taken in the near future, added Mr Lal. The other four districts of Gurgaon range, Faridabad, Rewari, Narnaul and Mewat also recorded a marginal increase in crimes in 2005.
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flashback 2005:
jaMIA mILLIA iSLAMIA university Charu Singh Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 30 Perhaps, the single most moving event of the year was the Jamia students’ union (JMISU) elections, which was successfully held in the first half of December after a gap of eight years. These elections more then anything signify a return of “democratic culture, a return to normal and healthy campus life”. Students on the campus were naturally elated after the election proceeded smoothly after a rough beginning. Interestingly, though mobilisation on the basis of party affiliation was absent, as desired by the University authorities, the element of politicisation was not altogether absent in the polls. The campus was overflowing with banners and posters, not to forget free lunches and snacks during the countdown to the Jamia elections, as enthusiastic students went out of the way to vote in the union elections. However, not everybody was elated with the elections. Some serious students and many from the teaching staff wanted the pantomime to finish fast and with least trouble as it gave pause to the hectic academic life on campus. Still others felt that with the election of a students union at Jamia, strife would grow on campus in days to come resulting in strikes and possible violence. Elections aside, Jamia has been making waves on other fronts as well. At least seven new academic centres were opened on the campus to encourage research including Sarojini Naidu Center for Women’s Studies, Center for West Asian Studies, Center for Dalit and Minority Studies, Center for Gandhian Studies, Center for Comparative Research, Center for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies and the Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Most of these centers have come up over the past year and are fully functional now. They are in keeping with the V-C’s policy of converting Jamia into a first-rate research institution. Further, Jamia has also signed a MoU with the Institute of Sciences Politiques based in Paris for a dynamic student exchange programme. Jamia is also currently going through a major attempt to re-invent itself and become known as an institution renowned for its literary zeal. For the present, Jamia is engaged in setting up the Munshi Premchand Archives and Literary Center. The archives will house under one roof literary materials on Premchand including books, original letters, his diaries, newspaper clippings on his work, journals and photographs. The literary centre will also conduct discussions, organise talks and lectures on literary issues. Currently, Jamia has committed some Rs 69 lakh towards developing the complex. Jamia’s attempt to promote indigenous and Urdu literature have been on for most of this year. In early December, Jamia held a rare photograph exhibition along with a display of unpublished works of the fiery Urdu poet, Asarullah Majaz, on the occasion of the poet’s 50th death anniversary. It was preceded in the latter half of November by a memorable talk given by Dr Frances Pritchett, an ardent Ghalib authority from Columbia University in the USA. Earlier in the year, Jamia had held a 3-day seminar on the Progressive Writers movement inviting luminaries from India and Pakistan on the subject. Jamia’s attempts to provide a platform for the works of progressive writers like Majaz, Ghalib, Sardar Jaffri and many others have been consistent this year.
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flashback 2005
Gurgaon, December 30 Held at the initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the BPO industry was represented by the president of the Call Centres Association of India, Mr Saim Chopra. An officer of the rank of ACP from the national Capital represented the Delhi Police. As many as 40 call centre operators took part in the meeting held in the office of the district police chief, Mr Hanif Qureshi. According to Mr Qureshi, a number of suggestions were made and decisions taken on the occasion. According to Mr Saim Chopra, a decision was taken in favour of the Call Centre operators issuing photo identity cards to the employees and drivers. Also, it was decided to submit details of employees and drivers to the police to be kept as part of a database. A view expressed was that a way out has to be found to ensure that male employees with dubious background should not get placement in BPO firms. It was also decided to use wireless system and auto-indicators to enhance security of the employees. The call centre operators decided to follow the guidelines of NASCOM, which mandates that the first employee boarding the vehicle and the last to be dropped should not be a woman. The local police informed the call centre operators that the police here was already coordinating with its counterparts in Delhi and Noida to evolve a common policy to address the issue of security for the employees, particularly the women. He also informed that a women help line has been set up in Gurgaon and FIR could now be registered through SMS.
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Blast accused sent to judicial custody
New Delhi, December 30 Today, duty magistrate A L Sisodia sent the three to judicial custody after the Special Cell informed the court that their interrogation was complete. Three separate cases were registered by the police in connection with the three blasts that rocked the Capital on the eve of Divali. The judge also sent one more accused, Mohammad Ibrahim, arrested from Hyderabad, to 14 days’ judicial custody.
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Traffic advisory for New Year’s eve
New Delhi, December 30 Only pedestrians would be allowed to go up to the inner circle area after parking their vehicles at different parking areas earmarked for the purpose. Motorists from Connaught Place area can use Sansad Marg, Jan Path, K.G. Marg, Barakhamba Road, Minto Road, Chelmsford Road, Bhagat Singh Marg and Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Motorists who have to go to the hotels in the Cannaught Place area would have to fix parking sticker of the respective hotel on their cars and the residents of the Connaught Place area would be allowed after due verification.—TNS
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Metro fares to go up by Re 1 from today
New Delhi, December 30 The minimum fare will continue to be Rs 6 while the maximum fare would go up from Rs 14 to Rs 22 on account of inflation and the maximum distance increasing from 22 km to 40.5 km. The new fares would be Rs 6 for the first two kilometres, Rs 8 from two to four kms, Rs 9 from four to six kms, Rs 11 from six to nine kms, Rs 12 from nine to twelve kms, Rs 13 from twelve to fifteen kms, Rs 14 from fifteen to eighteen kms, and Rs 15 from eighteen to twenty one kms. For distances between 21 and 24 kms, the fare would be Rs 16, between 24 to 27 km Rs 17, between 27 to 30 km Rs 18, between 30 to 33 km Rs 19, between 33 to 36 km Rs 20, between 36 to 39 km Rs 21 and more than 39 km Rs 22. The fares were last revised in April 2004. The independent Delhi Metro Fare Fixation Committee is headed by a High Court judge and comprises a Secretary-level representative each from Delhi and Central governments.
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Fog is back, but air traffic unaffected
New Delhi, December 30 The fog cover did not hamper air traffic, but continued to affect rail movement with several trains running late due to low visibility in the plains and a few of them being cancelled. The minimum temperature was recorded at 5.7 degrees Celsius, which was a degree below normal for this time of the season, and the maximum was 24.1 degrees Celsius, Meteorological Department officials said. The Runway Visibility Range at Indira Gandhi International Airport was between 800 and 900 meters in the morning and flights operated as per schedule, airport sources said. Many trains reaching Delhi were running behind schedule, leading to delay in trains service originating from here, Northern Railway officials said. Some trains have also been cancelled, they added. The cancelled trains are 4724 Kalindi Express plying between Farrukhabad and Bhiwani, 4518 Unchahar Express running between Allahabad and Ambala Cantt, 3112 Lal Quila Express running between Sealdah and Delhi and 3008 Toofan Express plying between Howrah and Suratgarh, they said. Met officials said the minimum temperature would hover around 7 degrees Celsius tomorrow and forecast a mainly clear sky.
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‘Life-saving drugs to be exempted from VAT soon’
New Delhi, December 30 Later, Mr Shastri also said that Dr Walia in principle had agreed to remove four per cent VAT from life saving drugs. The Delhi Government has already removed VAT from nearly 50 life-saving drugs and devices, while some life-saving medicines still attract a VAT of four per cent. Mr Shastri said the decision to remove VAT from life-saving drugs could be implemented by February 2006. In March this year, as the VAT regime came into force in Delhi, life-saving drugs, including insulin, that were totally exempt from tax earlier, began attracting a four per cent tax. Later, the Delhi Government undertook a major review of the tax rates under the new system of taxation and decided to exempt nearly 50 life-saving drugs from VAT.
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Hindi Academy celebrates silver jubilee
New Delhi, December 30 Speaking at the inaugural function of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the academy today, Ms Dikshit said that the Academy has honoured a number of Hindi
littérateurs during last many years and her government would continue to provide all possible assistance to it in expanding its activities. Rajya Sabha Member and former Vice-Chairman of the academy, Mr Janardan Dwivedi, delivered the presidential address and highlighted the relevance of the Hindi Academy. Secretary of the academy, Mr Nanak Chand, presented an account of its activities over the last 25 years and well-known singer Ms Shubha Mudgal gave a performance based on Hindi poems and songs. The academy is also organising a special programme on Saturday in which Mr Surendra Sharma will perform and entertain the audience.
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Several dwellings gutted
New Delhi, December 30
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Member of Minorities Commission bereaved
New Delhi, December 30
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