The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Land worth Rs 150 cr freed from encroachers in Faridabad Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Faridabad, May 13 In a remarkable achievement, the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) has been able to recover around 142 acres of land valued at Rs 150 crore from encroachers during the past nine months. Giving details of the campaign, the Commissioner, MCF, Mr Mehtab Singh Sehrawat, told The Tribune here on Friday that a large part of the land owned by the corporation had been illegally occupied by various individuals and groups. Despite the notices served to them, the problem of encroachment persisted in the city, regretted Mr Sehrawat. He said though the campaign against encroachments had been going on, the officials found it hard to take action due to the involvement of certain influential persons and even elected representatives of local bodies. Claiming that with the clear instructions and support from the government, the MCF had been able to start a drive on a massive scale and since August last year, it was able to get about 142 acres of prime land freed from encroachments. According to him, about 40 acres lying in the Surajkund area were recovered on August 18, 2005. This large tract of land fell under the revenue estate of Lakkarpur village, just near the border with Delhi. He said a total of around 90 acres was under illegal occupation of persons having political links. It is claimed that about four acres of MCF land had been occupied by a former minister of Haryana, near Sarai Khawaja village which was freed on August 19, last year. Similarly another 15 acres located in Lakarpur Khori village of the district and whose value had been estimated at least Rs 15 crore in the market was recovered by the body in August last year. Another 20 acres of land occupied illegally by several individuals in Naveen Nagar of Old Faridabad Zone here was freed from encroachers in November last. The authorities also got removed the unauthorized occupation of another 12 acres of agriculture land lying near the Sihi village of Ballabgarh zone in December. On directions of the High Court, the MCF bulldozers have razed several illegal constructions and colonies set up on the government land in the past about four months. The civic body has either served notices or sealed already hundreds of illegal shops or commercial activities being run in the residential areas. The bulldozers and JCBs of the MCF also removed several encroachments spread over about three to four acres in the area near Kheri village in the Old Faridabad zone. Welcoming the move of the MCF, social activist and a former MLA from Ballabgarh, Mr Rajender Singh Bisla said it was quite a positive development and the authorities should act tough if there was to be a balanced development of the civic infrastructure in the city. He said it was perhaps the first time that such a move had been free of any political intervention.
	RWA group plans to move apex court Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 The much-hyped Bill passed by the Lok Sabha will encourage the law-breakers who violated all building bylaws. This was stated by the Joint Action Group of Resident Welfare Associations which is planning to go to the Supreme Court against the Bill, said Anil Kapoor, president of Resident Welfare Association, Greater Kailash - I. Instead of taking action against the law-breakers, the government has supported them. Law-abiding citizens who go pillar to post to get sanctioned their building plan and do everything legally have no say in the system, he added. Residential area is meant for residential purpose. No commercial activity will be there. Master Plan has not been introduced first time in Delhi. When the people made unauthorised construction, the Master plan was very much there. They should have taken the Master Plan in view. If the Bill is notified, they will be encouraged, lamented the president of Resident Welfare Association, Greater Kailash - I. Romi Chopra, president of Vasant Vihar RWA, said that it seemed that the government had come under pressure of the traders association and passed the Bill giving one year relief to the people who are involved in trading activity in residential areas and those who made unauthorised constructions. The RWAs have been fighting this case for the last one and a half years. The day the Bill was passed, all efforts of the association came to nought. The government is claiming to make the national Capital a world-class city, but it is not done in this haphazard manner, regretted the president of Vasant Vihar RWA.
	Padambhushan lady doctor found murdered Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 An elderly lady doctor, who had been awarded the Padambhushan, was today found murdered at her Prasad Nagar residence in Central Delhi, soon after two men visited her this morning. The neck of Dr Hemlata Gupta (65), who retired from the Lady Hardinge Medical College two years back, was slashed and her hands and feet tied, said a police officer. She had been gagged with tape on her mouth. The police came to know about the incident after a couple, which had come to seek medical attention, went inside the first floor MIG flat of the doctor after waiting for more than half an hour, at about 11.30 am. Meanwhile, sources said two suitcases were found open when the police went to check the ‘I’ Block flat, which was close to Prasad Nagar police station. Just before the couple came to ‘see’ the doctor, two men had visited her, they said. Ms Gupta, who lived alone, was last seen at about 10.30 am when she had come to buy some soft drinks for the two men, sources added. Police said her brother and relative have been informed and hunt was on to get to the culprits.
	Child declared ‘stillborn’ by doctors dies Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 An infant, who was born prematurely and declared stillborn by doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital here last week, died early this morning. The nine-day-old baby boy, born to Bharti Babbar on May five, died at the hospital after a brief illness, hospital sources said. The infant was also suffering from jaundice, doctors said. Bharti was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital on April 28. Doctors attending on her claimed the delivery was normal but later said the baby was ‘stillborn’ and asked Bharti’s husband Rakesh, an autorickshaw driver, to bury the child. The baby had been born prematurely, after only seven months of pregnancy and weighed just 500 grams. While Rakesh was taking the newborn for burial to the Munirka Crematorium, he sensed some movement and found that the baby was alive. He rushed back to the hospital where the baby was admitted to the nursery. An inquiry ordered bythe hospital administration charged two doctors with ‘error of judgement’. A junior doctor has been ordered to undergo a 15-day course in baby-handling, sources said.
	Office-of-profit issue: BJP submits memo against eight more MLAs Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 As 20 Congress legislators of Delhi have already been served notice by the Election Commission over the office-of-profit issue, the opposition BJP has submitted a memorandum to President A P J Abdul Kalam against eight more MLAs of the ruling party in the matter, including Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely. Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi gave a petition to the President yesterday seeking disqualification of the eight Congress legislators alleging that they were holding office of profit on account of heading the governing bodies of colleges under Delhi Government. Besides Lovely, the MLAs whose disqualification has been sought are S C Vats, Malaram Gangwal, Surendra Kumar, Rajesh Jain, Charan Singh Kandera, Mukesh Sharma and Vinay Kumar. Mukhi said that during filing of nominations for last Assembly elections, all the eight MLAs were holding offices of profit and withheld the information knowingly. “There was no mention of such information in the nomination papers”. The Delhi Government has decided to enact a law to avert any possible disqualification of 19 Congress MLAs and one MP in the Capital for allegedly holding office of profit and has convened a special session of the Assembly on May 18 to pass the Bill. The EC has issued notices to 19 Congress MLAs and an MP on a complaint filed by BJP MLA Vijay Jolly last month seeking their disqualification on the grounds that they were holding offices of profit.
	Wanted criminal killed in encounter Parmindar Singh Ghaziabad, May 13 A dreaded criminal, Badal, carrying a reward of Rs 5,000, was shot dead by Ghaziabad police on Sunday. He was wanted by the police in Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and in a number of other districts for about a dozen cases of heinous crimes, including murders dacoities. Badal had been absconding for sometime, police said. CO Border Ummed Singh was checking vehicles at Sahibabad trijunction near IAF base in Hindon when the cops signalled two young men atop a bike to stop, they tried to escape via Karheda road. When police chased them, they fired on cops near Kanha Park. In a retaliatory fire, one of the criminals was hit while the other escaped. The wounded criminal was rushed to government hospital where he was declared dead. The deceased has been identified as Badal, son of Kicheru of Jitaka village, Aurangabad, Bulandshahr. SSP Piyush Mordia said Badal was wanted in cases of murder, loot, dacoity, etc in various districts. A pistol, four live cartridges and two empties and a bike were recovered from the deceased, SSP said. SSI Munish Chauhan and cop Satish were also wounded in the encounter.
	Mothers’ Day programme Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 In an attempt to spread its world-class expertise at the community level, Fortis La Femme, has launched a special programme on the eve of Mothers’ Day in a bid to re-educate the ‘Dai’ or mid-wife community. In a special effort, the hospital tied up with an NGO called Jagori to promote the development of the village mid-wife who in turn would provide better service to the community. Fortis’s plan for the re-education of the village mid-wife is based on the hospital’s obstetricians training Jagori workers who in turn will spread their knowledge to the village mid-wife community. The participants in this programme were counseled on correct pre-natal care for the safety of both mother and children. On this occasion, a book titled ‘Birthing with dignity’ written by Ms Diane Smith, a registered mid-wife from Canada, was released. Dr Gayatri Ghadiok said, “In India we have a very high maternal mortality rate. Lack of proper education further aggravates the problem. This programme will aim at training the Jagori workers who in turn will train the midwives at the community level.” According to a WHO report, India has the third highest maternal mortality rate. Common factors leading to death during pregnancy include anaemia, obstructed labor, unsafe abortion and lack of awareness of quality health in rural areas. India has a maternal mortality rate of 407 per 100,000 live births and infant mortality rate is 68 per 1000 live births.
	Delhi BJP condemns police action against doctors Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 The BJP Delhi Pradesh president, Dr Harsh Vardhan, has strongly condemned the barbarous action by the police on the medical students of Delhi. Criticising the police action, he said these students wanted to talk to the Prime Minister on the issue of reservation in higher education in medical institutes. Dr Harsh Vardhan said ‘talks’ are a universal way of solving any problem. The BJP Pradesh president said that in a democratic set-up, it is not unusual for people to want to meet an authority on any issue and if they are not satisfied with the response they are given. He said people connected with medical science are part of the intellectual class and hence should not have been denied the meeting with the Prime Minister. Dr Harsh Vardhan said whenever the intellectual class comes on the streets it means that the case is very sensitive which requires an urgent national debate. He said because of the indifferent attitude of the Government and the barbarous action of the police, doctors of the Capital have gone on strike resulting in the harassment of thousands of patients.
	CM opens groundwater recharge wells Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated nine rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge wells at Mandakini NRI complex in Greater Kailash area of South Delhi today. The wells were built in association with the Resident Welfare Association and Coca-Cola India under the technical guidance of Central Groundwater Board with active support from the Bhagidari cell of the Delhi government. According to promoters of the project, it can harvest 1.4 crore litres of rainwater during normal monsoon and qualifies to be described as the largest such project in any residential area of the Capital. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister appealed to other Resident Welfare Associations to take up similar rainwater harvesting projects in their areas.
	A maid who opens a new chapter in her life! Charu Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 13 Baby Halder’s book, A Life Less Ordinary, is a symbol of tremendous human strength against extreme hardship and also of outstanding success rightly gained. Her book also gives voice to a section of society whose voice is seldom heard: housemaids. Baby Haldar is an extremely courageous housemaid who despite unparalleled difficulties chose to give herself a decent life and succeeded in becoming a writer. Baby Haldar’s book was a massive success when it was first brought out a few years back and since then it has been brought out seven times. The book really is a narrative of Baby’s rather hard life, from the time she left her parents’ home at the age of 12 when she was hurriedly married off, to her trauma in becoming a mother at the age of 14, to the hardships she faced in her marriage and later her decision to run away and become a maid. Luck finally worked for Baby when she found an employer who first encouraged her to read— and then to write. Baby is currently writing a sequel which deals with the massive question of ‘kyonke’ or ‘why?’ Penguin India recently held a function at New Delhi to celebrate Baby’s book. Nandita Das and Baby sat together on a rather interesting tete-a-tete on the book. Baby looked slightly nervous as she sat in a black and white salwar kameez even as she emanated a pleasing aura of radiant humility. Nandita gently asked Baby how she felt while writing her book? Baby confidently replied, “I found writing rather easy and this was also because Tatush (her employer) kept asking and encouraging. Whenever Tatursh asked me about my life and I replied, he felt that there was something there. He felt I could write and this is how it started.” Baby adds, “When I sat down to write, I never thought that anything would come out of it or that it would become a book. Simply Tatursh said write and I wrote, that’s all.” On being asked why she chose to write in third person, Baby replied, “There are some things in this book. They deal with portions of my life which were unbearably difficult. I feel that some harsh things happened to someone else and not me. So I refer to this person as Baby.” She adds, “These thoughts just came out of the darkness and I wrote them as they came. That was my childhood story and I’ve recounted it as it happened.” Baby looks back at her life and talks about coping as a young mother when she was 14 years old. She says, “I simply had to cope, it fell on my head and I had to manage as well as I could. I was taught to cope with the elders and I simply had to–I did the housework, looked after the child and played when I could. From looking after the child I used to run to the playground for brief moments. People used to say ‘Bache Ka Bachha Hua’, but I felt bad because I was a mother.” Baby happily and proudly talks of her family’s reaction to her book, “My father (Baba) felt extremely happy and proud about my book. He shows it to everyone who comes home. All have liked it and my Baba has encouraged me to write some more.” Baby is an extremely contented woman today with the success she never dreamt was possible even in her wildest dreams. She gives all the credit to her employer and is now busy writing a sequel in which she explores the issue of why, for instance, she says “I feel my husband behaved the way he did because he was never taught how to behave with a woman and a family. He simply never knew.”
	Wedding party turns sour Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service Gurgaon, May 13 Revelry and free spirit during marriage ceremonies can be devastating at times. A show of firearms proved deadly at the wedding of Capt. Rati Ram’s daughter in his native village, Kadipur, near here late last night. The baraat had come to his place from village Sidhora in Faridabad district. Just when the function and merry-making was on, a gunshot was heard and a youth, a friend of the bridegroom collapsed. A gunshot had caught his back portion. He was rushed to hospital, where he was declared out of danger. The police have registered a case and started investigation. It is a common practice, especially in the hinterland, to make a show of firearms. With this development, there are demands from various quarters to prohibit the use of firearms or fire-crackers on festive occasions, especially during marriage functions.
	Licensed arms exceed weapons with GB Nagar police Parmindar Singh Greater Noida, May 13 Gautam Budh Nagar in western UP is a hotbed of criminal activities of all hues. Surprisingly, the number of licensed weapons in Gautam Budh Nagar district is 3700 which far exceeds the number of weapons with the district police. Add to it a large number of illegal weapons with the anti-social elements and the criminals in the area, and the crime scenario gets completed. According to one source, the number of guns and other weapons with the public is roughly estimated to be three times more than that with police force of the district. Noida Sector-20 police area tops the list with over 600 licensed weapons in the hands of private individuals, with Kotwali Dadri coming in second with 445 licensed arms. The urban area has 1737 arms as against 1946 in the rural areas. The maximum number of licences, 1200, were issued during Mr Deepak Kumar’s tenure as District Magistrate. G.B. Nagar district was formed in May 1997 and up to 10 April 2006, the number of arms licences had swelled to 3683. These licences have been made on the recommendation of officers in-charge of various police stations viz in Sectors-20, 24, 39, 49, 58, Phase-II, Surajpur, Bisrakh, Kasna, Greater Noida, Jarcha, Dankore, Jahangirpur, Kakode, Rabupura and Javer. Most of the people who come with requests for licences for arms include guns, rifles, revolvers, pistols, mauzers, etc. Thousands of requests for arms licences are gathering dust in the files in the Collectorate for want of the District Magistrate’s approval. The overriding objective of most of the licence seekers seems to be status symbol and not the need for security. Firing from licensed rifles and pistols during marriage celebration has often resulted in tragedies leading to deaths. Many among those who want to be seen with a licensed gun dangling from their shoulders have not actually fired a shot even, said a source. All they care for is to have gun or revolver. Quite a few have not even bothered to buy the weapon after getting an arms licence issued.