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Lid off massive power theft in Haryana
High Court warns of dissolving MCD
‘Delhi Govt has failed to frame policies’
PIL on hiring of vehicles for VVIP security
No more functions at public parks, says court
Next-Gen training in biometrics for Home Guards
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JNU compiling security data
Haryana govt’s labour policy lauded
Your food holds key to good health!
Mahayagya on Basant Panchami
Capital has normal winter day
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Lid off massive power theft in Haryana
Faridabad, January 13 The power supply to the hotel has been snapped and the authorities are planning to get a case booked in case the accused do not submit the compounding charges within the prescribed timeframe as set in the provisions of the Haryana Electricity Act. The hotel is rated as three star and belongs to a politically influential person. The operation to detect the theft was carried out by the Vigilance cell of the power department, which thoroughly checked the connection from the HT line to the receiving end. Though no joint in the line was found in the underground cable, the officials found that the three-phase meters installed at the hotel had been ‘tampered with’. This came to light after the officials got the meters checked in a laboratory. The operation continued from January 3 to 6, but the final report from the laboratory got out on January 10. It is reported that a circuit had been installed in the power meters to control the functioning with the facility of a remote control device. While the total penalty imposed comes out to be Rs 1.13 crore, the Compound Penalty (CP) is stated to be Rs 1.11 crore. The accused party would have to deposit some part of the CP within a time framework if it wanted to avoid a legal action and a reconnection of the supply. The DHBVN officials could go for getting a case registered against the accused under the Act, if the latter fails to respond to the available options. According to information, two meters were found faulty at the hotel which have about 35 rooms. An official claimed that the supply had been disconnected and it would be restored only if the accused deposit the respective charges based on the per kW of supply within 72 hours. He said an FIR could be lodged with the police after that period by the department. A senior official of the department admitted that this had been perhaps the biggest power theft detected in the state so far and had been a major achievement of the vigilance cell of the Nigam. Meanwhile, it is reported that the DHBVN has been able to detect around 9,000 cases of power thefts in the Faridabad region alone till the end of December. The penalty imposed in these cases was around Rs 7.40 crore. The Nigam also got criminal cases booked against many defaulters, who failed to pay the fine on time. As per a survey conducted in about 48 villages of the district, the department found out that as many as 55 per cent of the houses, mostly in the rural areas were not having proper metered supply. While seals of as many as 600 meters had been found broken, the same number of meters had been found not working or burnt. More than 550 houses were having ‘kundi’ connections and a majority of them had been permanent ones. It is learnt that certain officials and employees of the Nigam had also been involved in some of the thefts and as much as 45 per cent of the supply had been shown as line loss.
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High Court warns of dissolving MCD
New Delhi, January 13 The court granted two weeks’ time to the corporation to file a reply on the complaint that marriages continued to be conducted at the farmhouses despite its earlier orders. A Division Bench of Mr Justice Vijender Jain and Ms Justice Rekha Sharma, dealing with the PIL filed by a voluntary organisation, Bhrashtachar Virodhi Sangathan, told the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that it would invoke Section 490 of the Delhi Municipal Act to dissolve the body by issuing a direction to the Union Government if the marriages were not forthwith stopped. The Bench also sought a reply from the corporation on the contempt notice issued by the court against a Municipal Commissioner for the continuing violation of its orders. “Enough is enough. You tell your bosses that we will not take it anymore. And you know the consequences of invoking Section 490,” the Bench observed. Under Section 490 of the Delhi Municipal Act, the elected body can be dissolved by the Union Government if it fails to act in accordance with the provisions of the legislation. Once dissolved, the Centre can appoint a special officer to oversee the functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
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‘Delhi Govt has failed to frame policies’
New Delhi, January 13 The Delhi High Court had issued a direction that functions could not be celebrated in such farmhouses as guests parked their vehicles on roads, leading to traffic jams for long hours. The MCD and Congress-ruled Delhi Government assured the citizens of formulating a policy in connection with the farmhouses but so far they could not, Leader of Opposition in the Standing Committee Vijender Gupta said. Citizens had a lot of problems as there were not enough parks and community halls to celebrate such functions. He said that due to non–cooperation in the corporation and the Delhi Government no concrete policy was framed and same was the case with the demolitions. When the corporation was pressed by the opposition parties, the MCD had filed an affidavit before the court for permission to use farmhouses for celebrating functions but the court refused to accept it. Mr Vijender Gupta said that infighting in the Congress party was the main cause of citizens’ problems who rushed from pillar to post to get permission to celebrate marriage functions in farmhouses. Besides, the corporation has to formulate a number of other policies. If these policies are not formed, the development work in Delhi will get hampered.
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PIL on hiring of vehicles for VVIP security
New Delhi, January 13 A Division Bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma which issued the notices posted the matter for further hearing on February 27. The petitioner Paramjit Singh Chandihok, through his counsel Arvind Kumar Gupta, alleged that the authorities for the past three years had been illegally hiring hundreds of vehicles (Ambassador cars and Maruti Gypsy jeeps) for use as escort and pilot vehicles for VVIP security without inviting any proper tenders. It was alleged that the officials connived with two particular transport operators of the Capital and allotted various contracts to them by deliberately modifying the terms and conditions from time to time. The petitioner submitted that the action of the officials not only denied a fair opportunity for other transport operators to participate in the bidding, but also caused substantial loss of money to the government exchequer. The petition urged the court to direct the government to constitute a committee for formulating a scheme to procure vehicles from private operators in a transparent manner, besides terminating the contracts awarded to the two transporters.
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No more functions at public parks, says court
New Delhi, January 13 The interim order was issued on a PIL filed by a voluntary organisation, Patanjali Shiksha Sanstha, which complained that the general public was being subjected to severe inconvenience and nuisance due to the use of public places for various functions, particularly affecting schoolchildren preparing for their examinations. The petitioners, through their counsel Y. K. Kapoor, complained that the Municipal Corporation authorities and other officials had failed to take any action against the erring organisers. The court, while posting the matter for further hearing on February 27, issued notices to the Delhi Government, the MCD, the DDA, the Ministry of Urban Development and the city Police Commissioner to file their replies within four weeks.
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Next-Gen training in biometrics for Home Guards
New Delhi, January 13 It is also training 300 personnel to handle nuclear, chemical and biological emergencies. Addressing reporters here today, its Director-General and Magsaysay Award winner Kiran Bedi said, “Our Vision 2006 focuses on slums and villages with involvement of more and more youth. While on the state-level, security preparation ‘biometrics’ with IRIS identification mechanism and training of 300 persons for NCB emergency have been done, at the individual level ‘self-defence’ training programmes for schoolgirls, college women and resident welfare associations were on. The whole idea is to percolate ‘power into the hands of the people’ through the involvement and participation of youth.’’ She added, “We also plan to train people in disaster mitigation in congested colonies and markets to handle emergency measures like earthquakes and fire.” “In addition, for Home Guards who have a maximum stay of three years in the force rehabilitation and vocational training programmes have been initiated.” With a force of 40,324, the Civil Defence and Home Guard community was preparing itself to become the backbone of the city as ‘trained first responders’ in times of help, she added.
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JNU compiling security data
New Delhi, January 13 The university is putting together data containing information on each and every person residing within the campus. “The data is being compiled. This will be an information bank on hostel residents, teachers, workers, karamcharis and even guests living on the campus,” said a senior official of the university. The data will allow the university to keep tabs on any illegal resident on the campus and will also allow them to screen visitors. “If a person arrives at the gate and says he wants to meet a specific person, in a particular school, we will be able to access the data and find out if the information being given to us is correct,” he explained. It will also help the university keep an eye on residents who illegally give their quarters on rent. “Some people sublet their houses. We will seek information from every family in the residential khands on the exact number of people living with them. If they have servants, they will be given identity cards and will also be verified by the police,” the official explained. He further said the university would increase the frequency of patrolling within the campus. “As of now, we have two cars and three scooters for patrolling. There are about 80 permanent security personnel on the campus and more than 200 group four security personnel, manning the schools, six gates and the campus for 24 hours. Besides, our communication system is also state-of-the -art,” the official said. Vehicles entering JNU will also be subjected to more extensive checks. “We have the mirrors to check beneath the vehicles and residents have been issued stickers and tokens”.
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Haryana govt’s labour policy lauded
Gurgaon, January 13 Speaking at a function here today, Swami Agnivesh, who happens to be heading both the organisations, lauded Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for reflecting the determination of his government against the crime of child and bonded labour. He revealed that a few days ago, the Bandhua Mukti Morcha rescued about 50 children yoked in bonded labour in the national capital, and hoped that the state government would provide them release certificate and compensation money tomorrow so that they could begin their normal life in their homeland. The rescued children are from Bihar and West Bengal, he added. Reflecting on the present-day lifestyle of the general public, he said that it is caught in the vicious circle of consumerism. Although all-round modernisation is taking place, human values appear to be left by the wayside. According to him, in spite of efforts from several quarters, discrimination against women continues. He came down heavily on female foeticide. Our Correspondent adds: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA) also welcomed the labour policy announced by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda yesterday. The new policy endeavors to create an atmosphere of industrial relations where there is no strike or lock-out in the state and also aims at uplifting the labour
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Your food holds key to good health!
New Delhi, January 13 who attended a seminar on “Nutritional Therapy For Chronic Ailments” at Welcome Marriott, Saket, organised by Interocean Foundation. The unnerving truth made everybody sit and take note of their eating habits. The seminar was an initiative by Interocean Foundation, founded by Capt K.C. Saigal, who firmly believes that all ailments of the body happen due to imbalances of the internal system in our body. Capt Saigal, a master mariner by profession and a healer by passion, invented KCS science. KCS science is a form of nutritional therapy. The science deals with everyday food as curatives; this science believes that it is the food, which if taken at the right time and right quantity can cure all ailments of the human body from a simple cold to a more complex cancer. Edible salt or radish cures many diseases and can be helpful to society as it is the cheapest and most economical form of curative. Interocean Foundation runs three charitable clinics in Delhi, Dehradun and the most popular one in Kathmandu, in Nepal. The discussion focussed on the usage of fruits, spices and vegetables as fast and effective curatives for chronic and painful diseases. The knowledge was upheld among the treasures of India for many centuries that seem forgotten now. The value of fruit and vegetables is aglobal knowledge now.
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Mahayagya on Basant Panchami
New Delhi, January 13 “We have tested and seen that the energisation of Maa Sarswati Yantra by this type of Yagya helps in substantially improving the concentration power among students,” says Mr Rajeev Gupta, astrologer and Vastu research scholar and the organizer of this programme. Not only this, students will be motivated to conserve their natural resources by using every blank paper of their notebooks and binding them together. These notebooks will be distributed among the poor and needy students. Though the Sarswati Poojan is an age-old practice performed all over India, yet perhaps, this type of Mahayagya and energisation of Maa Sarswati Yantra in presence of thousands of students is the first one.
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Capital has normal winter day
New Delhi, January 13 Thin fog, however, persisted in the Capital in the early hours, but had no effect on the air and road transport. There were no early morning flight delays because of weather, airline officials said.
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