The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Stage set for SC hearing on sealings today Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 The monitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court to go into all issues related to sealing of commercial units in residential areas today submitted its report to the court in a sealed cover. A result of the extensive meetings that the committee held over the last few days with the representatives of the Urban Development Ministry, the Residents Welfare associations (RWAs) and the traders, the report will form a basis for the apex court to decide on the Centre’s plea to put a six months moratorium on sealing in its hearing tomorrow. As reported previously, during their meeting with the committee on May 2, the RWAs from various areas of Delhi strongly opposed the setting up of commercial complexes in residential areas and said that the introduction of any law to regularise such complexes would constitute a breach of trust by the government. The majority of RWAs demanded ban on commercial use of residential premises. The traders, however, opposed sealing of commercial units saying the livelihood of thousands of businessmen was involved. The traders demanded that the sealing drive be suspended keeping in view the principle of natural justice and giving due cognizance to the humanitarian aspect of the issue. Meanwhile, the MCD today sealed 204 shops and offices operating in residential areas, demolished nearly two dozen illegal structures and removed scores of encroachments in different parts of the capital. As part of the Supreme Court-ordered sealing drive, the corporation closed down 204 commercial establishments in seven civic zones, including 65 in Civil Lines, 49 in Central, and 38 in West zone. The civic body demolished, either partly or fully, 17 unauthorised properties in areas like Aya Nagar Extension, Greater Kailash and Gulmohar Enclave of South Zone and pulled down six such structures in Rohini. While 15 properties were demolished in the posh M-Block market in Greater Kailash alone, one each were targeted in Aya Nagar Extn and Gulmohar Enclave respectively. Unauthorised extensions in four commercial properties were demolished in Saraswati Vihar and Deepali areas of Rohini, where MCD officials also removed scores of encroachments on government land in Sector-15. Two buildings under construction were also pulled down in the same area, MCD officials said. Meanwhile, traders in the national Capital today began a ‘sangharsh week’ demanding that the Centre should introduce an ‘amnesty scheme’, through a Bill in Parliament, to regularise all kinds of business establishments which have come up till date by maintaining status quo. ‘Sangharsh yatra’, which today began from Jagatpuri in the trans-Yamuna area, will culminate in a massive rally at Jantar Mantar on May 11.
	CBI raids Chautala’s premises in Gurgaon Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service Gurgaon, May 4 The CBI today raided the premises of former Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala in Gurgaon. According to CBI sources, raids were conducted simultaneously on 21 premises in the country owned by Mr Chautala and his family members. The sleuths of the premier investigating agency swooped on two farmhouses in DLF gardens. They raided C 2616 in the posh Sushant Lok. Also, two shops in a mall in DLF-III were also raided. It could not be ascertained whether the CBI was able to lay hands on any documents. According to leaders of the INLD, Mr Chautala is at present out of country. He is scheduled to return this week. A senior leader of the INLD in Gurgaon, Mr Aant Ram Tanwar, said the raids were politically motivated and done by the Congress-led government at the Centre. He cautioned the INLD would launch an agitation against the Congress-led government at the Centre and in Haryana at suitable time. Mr Tanwar alleged that the present Congress government in Haryana had failed on all fronts and mass resentment was brewing against it among the masses. The large-scale anti-incumbency against the Congress in Haryana had come in just over one year of its rule. It would be better if the Congress leaders heeded alarm bells, he added.
	SC blasts MCD for slack work on abattoir Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 The Supreme Court today came down heavily against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for not complying with its order properly on the construction of a modern slaughter house at Ghazipur in East Delhi to replace the outdated and unhygienic slaughter house at Idgah, which has to be completed by June this year. It was informed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that there was not much progress in work at the proposed site of the abattoir. “MCD has messed up the things (on the construction of the abattoir) inspite of our minute monitoring,” a Bench of Justice Ashok Bhan, Justice S B Sinha and Justice A K Mathur said. The court also told the counsel for MCD: “If you cannot complete (the work) we will appoint our own agency”. The court was also informed that the third part of machinery, which has been imported from Germany, was awaiting clearance at the Customs. CPCB counsel Vijay Panjwani also informed the court that the MCD says it would take another 6 months to install an effluent treatment plant and currently no work was being carried out at the site. The court directed the MCD to file an affidavit giving details of payment made to the contractors so far and also told the civic body to file a response to the CPCB by Monday. The court did not accept MCD’s contention that it was a turn-key project and there was no first, second or third phase of construction as claimed by the contractor. “We know that it is not going to be completed by June,” the agitated Bench said when it was pointed out that the MCD has not paid Rs 16 crore to the contractor involved in the project as per the court order. The court said if the Corporation will continue with the same attitude, “its officers are going to be in trouble”. The Bench directed the MCD to file reply to the affidavit filed by the private contractor on the issue and posted the matter for further hearing on Tuesday. After getting clarification from the Bench about earlier order on the payments, the Corporation handed over the cheque of Rs 16 crore to the contractor. Following this the Bench directed the contractor to place the machines for installation at the site. The Supreme Court has fixed June 30 as the deadline for completion of the project.
	MCF spends Rs 24 cr on development work Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Faridabad, May 4 The Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) seems to have regained its vigour after a long time of financial weakness, following reports of completion of development works worth more than Rs 24.34 crore in the past one year. This is claimed to be a record since this civic body, which is the largest of its kind in Haryana, came into existence about 12 years ago. The civic body is likely to complete various projects totaling around Rs 48.84 crore by June 15 this year. Speaking at an interactive function with the local industrialists held by the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) here today, the Commissioner, MCF, Mr Mehtab Singh Sehrawat, claimed the civic body had been engaged to complete speedily the various projects including the repairs and carpeting of roads, drainage, water supply, development of parks, putting up street lights. He said against the target of spending about Rs 49 crore on the improvement of basic amenities and infrastructure, the corporation had already spent an amount of about Rs 25 crore and it would be ensured that all works, especially the construction and repair of the roads, were complete by June 15 next well ahead of the beginning of the rainy season. About the roads in the city, he said it was perhaps for the first time that an amount of Rs 15 crore had been spent on laying and carpeting the roads having a length of about 216 km and another Rs 12 crore would be used for this purpose to ensure that all roads in the city were repaired by June 15 next. He said works amounting to Rs 1.89 crore had been in progress and projects worth over Rs 5.16 crore had been allotted. According to the Commissioner, the body had spent around Rs 4.43 crore on augmentation of the water supply in the town, which includes tubewell boring, pump chambers and laying the water supply line. An amount of Rs 1.17 crore had been spent on laying and repairing drains, works over Rs 3 crore were in the pipeline and were due to be completed soon. The MCF has also claimed that new streetlights worth around Rs 1.41 crore had been erected and made functional in this period while another Rs 1.35 crore were spent on developing and maintaining parks in various parts of the city. According to MCF sources, this has been perhaps the first time that such a huge amount had been spent on various works during a period of one year, which include a budget of whopping Rs 15.50 crore in just a period of about 10 months. Regarding the development works in the industrial area, it is claimed that the MCF spent an amount of Rs 1.20 crore on improvement of infrastructure in Sectors 4, 6, 24 and 25. It also used around Rs 27.15 lakh in the DLF industrial area during the period. The Commissioner, MCF, announced that a Union Government-sponsored project of urban development named after a former Prime Minister had been launched under which an amount of Rs 2064 crore would be spent in various phases to improve the basic infrastructure. The FIA and its members, including certain leading industrialists, have lauded the pace of development works and then progress made so far in the past one year.
	Pensioners get medicines after 10 days here Parmindar Singh Noida, May 4 Central government pensioners here are at the receiving end from the CGHS authorities while the MPs are supplied medicines the same day through a courier service. According to the CGPWA, the association of central government pensioners, members of the CGPWA in Noida are supplied medicines eight to 10 days after they have been indented. The supply, when made, is usually in short supply. One can imagine the plight of the pensioners in urgent need of medicines. Mr R. C. Dutta, one of the pensioners, who had to stand in long queues for a long time in this hot weather for receiving medicines, had fainted the other day. The main problem, according to Mr A. K. Kaul, secretary of the association, is that the CGHS authorities have appointed a chemist, M/s Alankrit, who is based in Ashok Vihar, Delhi, which is 30 km from Noida. No sensible person will expect the old and sick pensioners to travel to Ashok Vihar to get the supply of urgently needed medicines in an emergency which are routinely supposed to be delivered to them in Noida. The Additional Director, Dr B. Behara, has made special arrangements for retired MPs. Their indented medicines are supplied on top priority to the members of Parliament the same day through Blazeflash couriers. The CGPWA wonders why the same facility cannot be made available to poor government pensioners who have given the best of their life in the service of the country. The whole problem in that M/s Alankrit, based in Ashok Vihar has been approved for supply of medicines to 18 CGHS dispensaries. It has thus made the life of poor ordinary government pensioners very miserable. One wonders if this is what CGHS directors call a user-friendly medical service as recommended by the high-powered committee in 2005.
	Centre to bring Bill on MCD drives: Khurana Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 Former Delhi Chief Minister Mr Madan Lal Khurana today said that the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jaipal Reddy, had assured him of bringing a comprehensive Bill in the coming Parliament session from May 10 to deal with the problem of unauthorised constructions and commercial units in residential areas in the Capital. “I had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month urging him to intervene to solve the crisis arising out of demolition of unauthorised constructions and sealing of shops in residential areas. I had also said if urgent steps were not initiated in this direction soon, I would sit on a hunger strike before the Prime Minister’s residence,” Mr Khurana said. “However, Mr Reddy urged me not to resort to such a step assuring that the Centre had prepared a comprehensive Bill, which would not only solve the problem of commercial units in residential areas but also establish a status quo as far as unauthorised units are concerned,” Mr Khurana told a gathering at a ‘dharna’ by the ‘Delhi Bachao Morcha’ at Jantar Mantar today. “Mr Reddy assured me that the proposed Bill would go much beyond just solving the problem of sealing. In fact, it would provide for the status quo being maintained in Delhi as on January 1 this year so far as commercial units in residential areas and unauthorised constructions were concerned,” he said. It is notable that the Supreme Court is to hear tomorrow a plea by the Centre for putting a six-month moratorium on sealing of shops in the residential areas. It is widely expected that the proposed Bill by the Centre will come up on the opening day of the session itself. Mr Khurana said he had initially decided not to hold this dharna, aimed at highlighting the problems being faced by the common people and traders in Delhi, in view of the death of BJP leader Mr Pramod Mahajan. “However, I wanted to share with the people of Delhi the good news (of the government considering a Bill to regularise shops and unauthorised constructions) so as to put at rest all their anxieties and fear over the ongoing demolition and sealing operations. After all, Delhi is a temple for me and the welfare of its people my uppermost consideration,” Mr Khurana said. Also present at the dharna were former Delhi minister Rajender Gupta, who is also chairman of the ‘Delhi Bachao Morcha’, morcha president Poornima Sethi and Mr Dayanand Chandela, MLA.
	Strike hits Haryana Roadways bus service Tribune News Service Faridabad, May 4 The Haryana Roadways bus service in the district got paralysed due to a lightning strike by the staff of the Transport Department this morning after reports of a lathi charge and arrest of several employees of Haryana Roadways at Hisar. No bus left for any destination from the roadways depot at Ballabgarh here after 8.30 am. The protesting employees, who staged a demonstration under the banner of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union, demanded sacking of the Transport Minister of Haryana and release of all arrested employees with immediate stopping of the privately owned Volvo bus service started today by the state government. A representative of the union said here today the decision to go on immediate strike was taken after reports that several employees of the Roadways Department had been brutally beaten up by the police during a lathi charge at the Hisar depot this morning, who had been protesting against the start of the controversial Volvo bus service. He claimed that not only the staff were beaten up but at least 60 employees protesting against the move were taken into custody by the police. He stated that the strike would continue till the arrested employees were released and action was taken against the officials ordering a lathi charge on the employees, which resulted injuries to several employees. He said the union would seek the resignation or the removal of the Transport Minister also in this connection and would not let the operation of the Volvo service as it was an open privatisation and aimed to create a financial loss to the Transport Department. The General Manager, Haryana Roadways, Mr Pradeep Godara, admitted there was a total strike by the Roadways staff here and no bus left the depot after 8.30 am.
	Power shortage continues to ail city Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 Delhi continued to grapple with a shortfall in power supply, with the low frequency in the Northern Grid forcing the electricity authorities to take recourse in loadshedding today even as the peak demand was recorded at over 2,800 MW. While the peak power demand recorded in Delhi was 2872 MW, due to low frequency in the Northern Grid, a loadshedding of 396 MW had to be resorted to in order to keep the network from collapsing, a senior Transco official said. “We have made arrangements for procuring the power we need. But the low frequency in the Northern Grid in not letting us draw the power,” she said. Meanwhile, one unit of the Badarpur Power Plant that had been shut down is functioning again and so is the Gas Turbine power station in Delhi. The Indraprastha and Rajghat power stations, which are currently shut down would resume functioning by May 15, she said. However, the Dadri, Rehand, Auriya and Singrauli power plants are not functioning to their optimum levels, affecting the supply of power to the Northern Grid. “Overdrawing of power from the Northern Grid by the other states is causing the low frequency in the grid. The CERC has penalised the states for overdrawing, but it has not worked,” the Transco official said.
	No respite from heat Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 The temperature in the Capital today rose to 41 degrees Celsius, a day after a fresh wave of Westerly winds brought the mercury to below 40 degrees Celsius. The wave of Westerly winds had yesterday brought down the maximum temperature to 39.8 degrees Celsius and the minimum to 21.2 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal. While the minimum temperature witnessed just a slight rise to 21.3 degree Celsius, the maximum rose to 41 degree Celsius, today. Though the weathermen have forecast a partly cloudy sky towards the evening and thunderstorms and squalls in a few areas, they have warned that mercury will further rise in the coming days. While they have forecast the maximum temperature to rise to 42 degree Celsius by Sunday, the minimum is expected to rise to 24 degree Celsius.
	Water level in Yamuna back to normal: DJB Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 Water level in the Yamuna in Delhi reached the normal level today following release of water from Haryana giving rise to hopes that pumping stations here would get back to their feet improving the situation. “The water level in the Yamuna is back to normal,” said a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) spokesperson. The level of water in the Yamuna had been dipping for the last few days. The level required for the pumping stations to function normally is 674.5 feet. However, Haryana released 50 cusecs of water yesterday, bringing the water level in the Yamuna back to normal. Areas in the tail-end of the water supply network of the DJB, however, continued to suffer from inadequate supply. The DJB spokesperson said complaints were received from South Delhi, which is at the tail-end of the water supply. Tankers had to be pressed into service to get water to the areas from where complaints of low water supply were received.
	Japanese bank governor takes a ride on Metro Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 Japan Bank of International Cooperation Governor Kyosuke Shinozawa today visited the Delhi Metro facility along with a delegation from the organisation. They spent about an hour on the Delhi Metro and traveled from Central Secretariat to Rajiv Chowk and back, a DMRC statement said. The delegation was briefed about the Delhi Metro project by DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan. The Governor was impressed with the facility and wished Delhi Metro all the best for the future. The JBIC had provided 60 per cent of the cost for the construction of Phase-I of the Delhi Metro in the form of soft loans. For the second phase, JBIC had agreed to provide 48 per cent of the estimated cost of Rs 8,182 crore as soft loans. The Phase-II of the Delhi Metro would cover areas such as Dilshad Garden, New Ashok Nagar, Jahangirpuri, Mundka and IIT.
	Govt sets HC order on plastic bags in motion Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 Close on the heels of the Delhi High Court directing Delhi Government to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags in the Capital, the latter has initiated a drive to implement the Recycled Plastic Manufacturing and Usage Law to pave way for prolific use of biodegradable plastic bags in the city. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has put out advertisements in prominent newspapers asking all plastic carry bag manufacturing units in the Capital to apply for registration or renewal within four months. It said that under the Recycled Plastic Manufacturing and Usage (Amendment) Rules 2003, no person would be allowed to use plastic manufacture carry bags or containers irrespective of their size or weight unless his unit was registered with the DPCC. Non-compliance of the directions would attract strict penal action, it warned. According to the amended rules, no one can manufacture, stock, distribute or sell plastic bags that are less than 20x30 cm in size and less than 20 microns in thickness. It also prohibited any person from making carry bags or containers used for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging foodstuff, from recycled plastic. The Delhi High Court had directed the state government on April 26 to give effect to the Delhi Plastic Bags (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act immediately, banning non-biodegradable plastic bags in the city.
	Lovers end life by jumping in front of trains Our Correspondent Ghaziabad, May 4 Frustrated by the hostile attitude of their families, two lovers committed suicide by jumping in front of trains on the Modi Nagar rail track. Their families were against marrying each other because they belonged to different castes. The police are investigating the matter. According to information, Raj and Anita (both pseudonyms) of Hanuman Garhi under the Modi Nagar police station were neighbours. They became romantically attracted to each other. The bond of love had become so strong that they decided to get married. But their respective families were opposed to this alliance. The lovers became so frustrated they decided to commit suicide. First, the girl jumped in front of the superfast train going to Delhi in the afternoon. Later, the boy also followed suit by jumping in front of another train passing from Modi Nagar.
	Sensitisation programme on thalassaemia Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 4 The Mool Chand Medcity and the federation of NCR doctors have organized a sensitisation programme on thalassaemia. An international expert, Dr V.P. Chaudhry, said that at present there are more then 2000 children suffering from thalassaemia major in the national Capital alone. All of them are fighting for their life and are requiring weekly or bi-weekly transfusions along with injections to remove the iron from the body. Dr Chaudhry said that thalassaemia major is entirely preventable and this can be done by going in for health check ups before marriage. The doctor also added that for those thalassaemia minors, who are already married, it is possible to detect whether the foetus has thalassaemia major.
	Adulterated spices racket busted Tribune News Service Gurgaon, May 4 The police today busted a racket of trade in adulterated spices which was going on here for the past two years. The CIA staff of the Haryana Police raided the premises in Rajiv Nagar Colony and nabbed one person red-handed in the crime. However, the kingpin of the racket is still at large. The culprits had set up a makeshift manufacturing unit on the premises. All kinds of spices were adulterated and sold in packets to the public. The culprits had developed a distribution network in the region. The fact that law-enforcing machinery apparently remained in the dark about the sale of adulterated spice for long calls for greater vigil in public interest.
	Seven hurt in explosion New Delhi, May 4 Seven persons including five children received burn injuries when a LPG cylinder exploded after it caught fire in Ambedkar Colony this afternoon. The injured have been identified as Uma (3), Ghanshyam (4), Nikki (8), Kunal (6), Mayuri (7), Hasan (18) and Anita (32). All the victims have been admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital.—TNS