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UP must be persuaded to release Tehri water to Delhi: Sheila
School ‘discriminates’ between girls and boys in admission
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Khurana taken into preventive custody
Gurgaon Hero Honda workers strike
MCD corporators from South Delhi with senior Congress leader R. K. Anand going to submit their resignation to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ram Babu Sharma in the Capital.
Cricketer, family pay the price for bad road
Private buses cause most accidents
Kidnapped child rescued, three held
DUAC rejects facelift plan for Lutyens’
Zone again
Delhi traders under the banner of Confederation of All India Traders addressing the media after submitting a memorandum to President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam against the sealing of their shops by the MCD in the Capital on Monday.
— Tribune photo by Rajeev Tyagi
Supreme Court rules in favour of Kasna farmers
22 optical disc burners, 6,200 pirated discs seized, two arrested
‘Central help assured on solving Haryana power crisis’
Fauji Mela: A unique attempt at economic empowerment
Pranayam quite beneficial says Ramdev
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UP must be persuaded to release Tehri water to Delhi: Sheila
New Delhi, April 10 Ms Dikshit met Shinde here asking him to persuade the UP Government to share water from the dam with the Capital so that the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant, touted as being capable of solving Delhi’s water woes, can start functioning. She said that Mr Shinde also agreed that the requirement of the Capital could not be denied and that he would impress upon the UP Chief Minister for immediate release of adequate quantity of water to enable both flushing and commissioning of Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant. Appreciating the urgency expressed by Ms Dikshit, he indicated that he would be personally taking up the matter with the UP Chief Minister soon. Mr Shinde said that Mr Mulayam Singh had written to Ms Dikshit on October 5, 2004, assuring that UP Government had agreed to make 300 cusecs of water available to Delhi. The UP Government had released 80 cusecs of water for about two-and-half months to enable flushing of the Sonia Vihar water project. However, it was stopped on March 14, 2005, without giving any reason. Dikshit, who has also appealed to Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz to intervene in the matter, said both the Ministers have given the assurance that they will try to persuade the UP Government to release water to Delhi. “UP has to be persuaded about how necessary it is to release water to Delhi,” she said. “Mulayam Singh Yadav has never said no to releasing water to Delhi. But the issue is that he should give us water and it should happen as soon as possible,” Dikshit said. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Delhi Jal Board CEO Arun Mathur to the meeting with Mr Shinde. Mr Soz has earlier written to the UP Chief Minister backing Delhi Government’s case in the inter-state dispute over water. As per the water sharing agreement, UP and Delhi have to share the water from Tehri Dam, getting 300 cusecs each. However, UP has been desisting from releasing the Tehri waters to Delhi, saying it was facing an acute water shortage of its own.
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School ‘discriminates’ between girls and boys in admission
New Delhi, April 10 A case in point being the 40 girl students, who have passed class V from MCD Primary School, CPWD Colony, Vasant Vihar, and now sitting at home because the schools in the neighbourhood refuses to admit them, and they cannot go to a school seven kilometers away. These girls, resident of Kusumpur Village, are the children of daily wagers, who passed their class V in the academic session 2005-06. However, instead of being promoted they have been forced to stay at home. Now, an NGO, ‘The Right to Education Task Force’ (RETF), has written to the Delhi Education Secretary seeking the intervention of the authorities in the matter. The NGO said, “On passing class V from the said MCD Primary School, their names were sent to Sarvodaya Co-Ed. Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar, for admission in class VI. The Sarvodaya Co-Ed. Vidyalaya did not admit these students on the grounds that the said MCD Primary School has been detached from their school and has been attached to S.K.V., R.K. Puram, Sector-7”. Incidentally, Sarvodaya Co-Ed Vidhyalaya, also in Vasant Vihar, is admitting boys in class VI, who have passed out from the same school as these girls. The school in R K Puram being at a distance of almost 7-km from their residence, the girls’ parents are apprehensive about sending them to a far away school on their own. “Since these people cannot drop and collect their wards, they are reluctant to send them to R K Puram,” RETF alleges. “We do not understand why these girl should be forced to go to a school 5-7 km away from their residence when a school is available in the vicinity”, complained the RETF. It was pointed out that it “is totally illogical, arbitrary, anti-child and violates the constitutional guarantee to education.” The RETF has alleged that though Sarvodaya Co-Ed. Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar, has enough seats to accommodate these girls, it has so far failed to do so.
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Khurana taken into preventive custody
New Delhi, April 10 Mr Khurana, who is spearheading a ‘Delhi Bachao’ campaign against the ongoing demolition and sealing drive in the metropolis, was leaving for the week-long ‘Rath Yatra’, launched on April 8, against the Supreme Court-ordered action. The veteran politician of Delhi said that if the UPA Government did not bring in an ordinance within 48 hours to stop the MCD drive, he would sit on an indefinite dharna at the Prime Minister’s residence here. He said that he had started his political career from this city and Delhi was like a temple for him. He will try his level best to protect the interest of citizens of the Capital. According to sources, the MCD was to undertake demolition and sealing of illegal shops and commercial complex as per the court order in the Kirti Nagar area, where the house of Mr Khurana is situated. Fearing his presence at the demolition site may flare up the situation, he was advised to stay indoors. This, however, did not deter him and as Mr Khurana was leaving for the third day of his ‘Rath Yatra’, he was picked up. Mr Khurana, who had joined hands with the BJP expelled leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti, had yesterday announced his return to active politics after a gap of about five years. At a joint press conference, Ms Bharti, describing Mr Khurana as the real leader of Delhi, had said that her proposed party would project Mr Khurana as chief ministerial candidate in the next Assembly elections in Delhi.
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Gurgaon Hero Honda workers strike
Gurgaon, April 10 There are about 1,000 casual and 1,500 regular workers in the plant. The strike is said to be having the tacit support of a section of regular workers. The workers claimed that the strike was complete. The strikers also forced the regular workers to stop production work in the plant. However, the management’s version is that a section of casual workers disrupted production in the plant. The contractor has been asked to resolve the issue relating to workers. Incidentally, the development has set the alarm bells ringing in various circles. Although labour unrest has been surfacing in various industrial units after the major unrest in Gurgaon in Honda Scooters and Motorcycle in which more than 60 workers and a DSP were injured a few months ago, the unrest in Hero Honda Motors Ltd has the potential to snowball into a serious development if not tackled well on account of the huge number of workers in the firm. The workers have staged a break-down strike about a week ago to press for acceptance of their demands. The workers alleged that they were forced to resort to the strike today as the management has not kept its promise of speaking to them and resolving the issue.
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Cong MLAs demand immediate steps to halt sealing drive
New Delhi, April 10 The Congress councillors even threatened to resign if the demolition and sealing drive was not stopped immediately. “We have sought an immediate halt to the demolitions and sealing of shops. We have urged the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister to immediately intervene in the matter,” said Congress legislator Mukesh Sharma, who led the delegation of MLAs of the party from Outer Delhi. He said the Congress legislators asked Mr Joshi and Ms. Dikshit to take up with the Centre the need to either bring an ordinance or amend the laws so that some relief could be given to the people of Delhi. “As the Lt Governor is the custodian head of the Capital city and is also the chairperson of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), we will urge his immediate intervention in the matter,” he said. On the other hand, 11 Municipal councillors from South Delhi constituency today threatened to resign from their posts if the Delhi Government and the Centre did not urgently come out with an Ordinance or a Bill. At an emergency meeting held at the residence of senior Congress leader Mr. R. K. Anand, the councillors, led by leader of the MCD House Jitender Kochar, demanded that the Centre should immediately come out with an Ordinance or a Bill in the re-convened session of Parliament to bring relief to the traders. They also called for speedy implementation of the Master Plan, 2021 and put a halt to the sealing and demolition operation till the Tejender Khanna committee submitted its report. The councillors, which included Mr Jitender Kochar, Mr Ashok Vohra, Mr Sanjay Puri, Mr Kunwar Sen, Dr Anita Babbar (who is a candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor), Vimal Chaudhry, Mrs Indu, Ms Jayshree Pawar and Mr Hiran Tokas, threatened to resign if the Centre did not take urgent steps to address the matter. The councillors will meet Delhi State Congress Committee president Rambabu Sharma later in the day urging him to raise the matter with party chief Sonia Gandhi and seeking her intervention.
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Cricketer, family pay the price for bad road
Faridabad, April 10 Though Mr Yadav and his wife Amrita were discharged from the hospital this evening after 10 days, the biggest loss to the couple was the death of their 10-year-old daughter, who was their only child. Recalling the unfortunate incident that shook the family a few days ago, Vijay Yadav told this correspondent that they were coming back from Delhi after having a dinner. Everything had been going smooth till there was big jerk and their Maruti Esteem car went flying and hit the railing on the side on Bhadkhal-Surajkund Road. He said while Amrita was on the driving seat, the vehicle appeared to have gone out of control at a turn near a spot located about half a km before the gymkhana of Sector- 21. He said the road at the stretch had been quite wavy and had about four sharp turns which perhaps led the vehicle to go out of control. He said his wife was surprised by another speeding vehicle that overtook their car from the left.
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Private buses cause most accidents
New Delhi, April 10 Blueline buses mowed down 107 persons in 2004, 145 in 2005 and 11 till February 15 this year while private buses running on contract or chartered routes were responsible for the deaths of 139 persons in 2004, 78 in 2005 and 10 till this February 15, official figures reveal. The Delhi Transport Corporation came next, accounting for 57 deaths in 2004, 54 in 2005 and nine till February 15 this year. The surprise package, however, was the minibuses, which despite their size, killed 29 persons in 2004, 56 in 2005 and one till this February 15. However, when it came to causing the most number of accidents and injuring people, private buses were the clear ‘winner’ with ‘deadly’ minibuses ‘hot’ on their heels, relegating the ‘undisputed leader’, Blueline buses, to the third spot. Private buses injured 594 persons in 2004, 477 in 2005 and 33 till February 15 this year. Minibuses injured 262 persons in 2004, 238 in 2005 and 25 till February 15 this year. And Blueline buses injured 204 persons in 2004, 286 in 2005 and 37 till February 15 this year. Buses coming from other states injured 53 persons in 2004, 22 the next year and had not yet caused any accident this year. Private buses were also involved in maximum number of accidents in which no one was fortunately injured. Blueline buses came second in such a list while minibuses again figured third. Private buses were involved in 61 such accidents in 2004, 42 in 2005 and four till February
this year. Blueline buses were involved in 16 such accidents in 2004, 25 in 2005 and two till this February. Minibuses were involved in 14 such accidents in 2004, 10 in 2005 and one till February
this year. Though school buses were involved in least number of accidents yet they were responsible in injuring five persons in 2005 and were responsible for one, two and one deaths, mostly schoolchildren, in 2004, 2005 and February this year, respectively.
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Kidnapped child rescued, three held
Ghaziabad, April 10 Sanjay Baduria, SO Bahadurgarh police station, said the six-year-old, Dillu, son of Yunas, a resident of Bahadurgarh, had gone missing from outside his house in the afternoon. While Yunas informed the police, the kidnappers phoned him up for a ransom of Rs 50,000. The police nabbed 20-year-old Ijaz along with Nazir 10, son of Nur Hasan and Sagir, 18, of Bahadurgarh from Dadri jungles and managed to rescue Dillu from their captivity. The abductors have confessed to their crime, the SO said. The youths told the police that Ijaz and Sagir had abducted the child to settle scores with Yunas. They had all taken Dillu to
Secunderabad. — OC
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DUAC rejects facelift plan for Lutyens’
Zone again
New Delhi, April 10 According to a senior officer of the DUAC, the “proposal does not suit our criterion. We have no objection to the single storey or double storey status but the height of these proposed bungalows must not exceed over 15–20 meters. Otherwise, there will be no distinction between the Lutyens’ Zone and the rest of the Capital. There is no denying the fact that we are not going to convert this area in to a concrete jungle like other parts of the city. We never allow skyscrapers in the residential area of the NDMC,” he said. A CPWD officer said that in the LBZ area most bungalows were spread over five to eight square meters of prime land. “Almost all are located at ground floor in single storey structure but on Rajajee Marg and Akbar Road areas, some bungalows are in double storey form. On the basis of these double storey bungalows, we had submitted our proposal to the DUAC. We have proposed double storey and duplex bungalows. If Type-8 flats are constructed upon them, it would provide at least four times more accommodations to the VIPs like ministers, parliamentarians and top bureaucrats in this area.,” he said. A senior citizen of this area and president of National Development Forum, Mr J. N. Dogra, said on an average the CPWD spent Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh annually over the upkeep and maintenance activities for these bungalows. “The CPWD has to construct new bungalows at Janpath and Sunhari Masjid Road initially. After that, it will construct bungalows after dismantling older ones. The main thing associated with the CPWD proposal was that it was cost and space-effective. But now the CPWD has no other alternative than to come with revised proposal to the DUAC,” he said.
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Traders take their case to Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi, April 10 They claimed that the business community was neither a petitioner nor respondent in the Public Interest Litigation against illegal constructions in the Capital. “The Supreme Court order to shutdown business premises by June 30, 2006, hits traders who have not been even called for a hearing. It deprives us of our livelihood and snatches natural justice,” Confederation of All India Traders secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said. “The President gave us a patient hearing and assured us that he will study their case,” he added. The traders, in a memorandum to the President, pleaded that their problems need to be addressed with a pragmatic and humanitarian approach. They said the future of five lakh traders, their dependents and 25 lakh employees is at stake due to the impending closure of business. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been taking action against illegal constructions in the Capital in a Supreme Court ordered drive and has so far sealed 3,200 such premises.
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Supreme Court rules in favour of Kasna farmers
Greater Noida, April 10 It may be recalled that the state government’s decision, opposing the district court’s decision in favour of higher rate of compensation to the farmers, had been rejected by the Allahabad High Court. Still the state government had appealed to the Supreme Court. But here again, the state government had to eat humble pie. Dismissing the UP government plea, the apex court has pronounced the decision in favour of the farmers of Kasna village in Greater Noida. In 1989, the state government had gone to the court, opposing the payment of compensation for acquisition of 800-bigha land at a rate of Rs 65 per sq. yd. The government had also preferred an appeal for refund of the money paid to farmers. Dismissing the UP government’s appeal, the Supreme Court’s division bench of Justice Ruma Pal and Justice Dalbir Singh Bhandari has maintained the Allahabad High Court’s decision which in turn had maintained the lower court’s order of paying land compensation to farmers at the increased rate of Rs 65 per sq. yd as against Rs 16 per sq. yd. The apex court observed that it is appropriate to pay compensation to the farmers at higher rate in view of the rapid progress in Greater Noida and hike in land rates. Advocate Surat Singh had argued in the court that the government has a right to acquire the land, but the farmers must be paid a suitable compensation. UPSIDC had acquired 800-bigha land in Kasna village of Secunderabad to the tehsil of Bulandshahr district in 1989 by settling land compensation at the rate of Rs 16 per sq yd. The lower court had ordered the payment of compensation at hiked rate of Rs 65 per sq yd against the acquisition order. The state government had filed an appeal in the High Court against the lower court’s decision pleading for withdrawing the land compensation hike. But the UP government had to face humiliation here too as the High Court had maintained the lower court’s verdict.
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22 optical disc burners, 6,200 pirated discs seized, two arrested
New Delhi, April 10 The raid resulted in the seizure of 22 optical disc burners, 4,000 pirated VCDs, 2,200 pirated DVDs and 4,900 inlay cards, as well as the arrest of two men, whom police charged with illegally making available for sale and hire pirated copies of the latest Hollywood and Indian films in DVD/VCD format. The accused were produced before the magistrate and remanded to judicial custody. Recently, the MPA launched in India a ‘Burner Reward Programme’ that provides significant cash rewards for people who provide information that leads to successful raids on illegal or unauthorized CD-R/DVD-R labs or any other operations by infringers in cities of Delhi and Mumbai and the four southern states. The MPA is hopeful that this ‘Burner Reward Programme’ will encourage people, who are aware of pirate operations, to come forward and make a report to the confidential hotline 1600 11 22 77 (toll free).
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‘Central help assured on solving Haryana power crisis’
Faridabad, April 10 This was stated by Mr Deepender Singh Hooda, MP from Rohtak, while addressing a function organized at Chhainsa village in the district today. Claiming that the state would emerge on top in
the matter of development in the country in the next three to four years, he
said the present government had taken up several new projects, including those of power generation to speed up the growth of the basic infrastructure in the state. Charging the previous governments in Haryana with doing nothing to solve the power problem, he said development was mainly dependent on the availability of water, power and roads. He said about 300-km-long highways roads in Regarding the demand of the Badarpur elevated flyover at border in the district, Mr Hooda said the process to get the work started had been on and the work was likely to start soon. It may be recalled that the work on this project had already been delayed by several months and there was still some confusion over the present status.
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Fauji Mela: A unique attempt at economic empowerment
New Delhi, April 10 The Dilli Haat in the Capital, which normally plays host to eight or nine states at any given time, was the venue of one such activity in the form of the first Fauji Mela for the past 10 days. The unique experiment brought together AWWA representatives from all over the country, who, in synergy with the Indian Army, showcased art, handicraft, food and other items on a common platform. Talking to The Tribune during the closing ceremony of the Fauji Mela in the Capital today, an Army spokesman said the unique concept was the first attempt of its kind by AWWA, which had been conceptualised by the wife of the Army Chief and AWWA president, Mrs Anupama Singh, to provide an opportunity for economic empowerment to its members. Even as the first experiment of its kind, the Fauji Mela went off extremely well with a majority of those who participated doing “phenomenally well”, he added. The primary aim, he said, was to offer a new economic development approach to AWWA entrepreneur members by creating projects that were not only economically viable but self-sustaining as well. He said a record 9,832 persons visited the Dilli Haat on Sunday with the total footfalls exceeding 50,000 on all the 10 days put together. While for the participants, it meant a daily business of anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000, the Dilli Haat authorities also raked in with entry ticket sales going up. AWWA has been working for the social uplift of its members, the wives of Army officers, JCOs and other members, since its inception in 1966 by providing them opportunities for social empowerment through various processes, including education, skill and confidence building. Besides this, every year, as many as 1,600 “veer naris”, widows of Army personnel killed in operations and otherwise, are helped by AWWA to bridge the psychological and social gap brought in by their tremendous loss. More than 55,000 able-bodied soldiers, who retire from the force every year at a relatively young age and are available in the form of a dynamic force that can be fruitfully utilised by the nation, are also provided rehabilitation opportunities by the AWWA.
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Pranayam quite beneficial says Ramdev
New Delhi, April 10 The swami, who is conducting a yog science camp here, said pranayam is beneficial for pregnant woman. He said ‘kapalbhati’ pranayam helps reduce weight and harmful effects of cholesterol.
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