New Delhi, May 16
Resident and junior doctors and medical students continued with their indefinite strike for the third day today, paralysing medical services in government hospitals across the Capital, even as the government today issued notices to them to rejoin duty or face action.

“The government has issued notices to the junior and senior resident doctors asking them to come back on duty or face break in service,” Delhi Health Secretary Mr D. S. Negi said.

He said services in the Delhi Government hospitals were affected by the strike as 70 per cent of the doctors in these hospitals belonged to the resident doctor category.

There are 45 hospitals under the Delhi Government, of which five belong to the alternative streams of medicine such as Ayurveda and Homeopathy.

The OPD services were functioning at 30 per cent of the normal capacity, Mr Negi said. The worst hit by the strike were the two teaching hospitals, GTB and LNJP, he added.

The Health Secretary said the government had drawn up an action plan to ensure that the ICU, Emergency, Casualty and Trauma services in the hospitals were not affected by the strike.

“We are diverting doctors from other departments to these services to ensure that these continue to function normally,” he said.

Later in the day, the government claimed that resident doctors of 14 hospitals which were under control of Directorate of Health Services had withdrawn the strike whereas doctors of Lok Nayak, Guru Teg Bahadur and Deen Dayal Hospitals were still on strike.

The Medical Superintendents of these hospitals were able to operate the emergency services at normal level, a spokesman of the Health Ministry said.

The doctors and students opposing the government proposal to reserve 27 per cent seats for OBCs in centres of higher learning said they will continue with the agitation till they get a “concrete response from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the government”.

“We will not withdraw the agitation... The resident and junior doctors are with us and out support is growing by the day. Nothing will deter us,” AIIMS Students’ Union leader Sasmit Sarangi told reporters.

He said any government action against them will not deter the agitating students and doctors.

Students from the Delhi University and some lawyers lent support to the students. About 100 medical students began the indefinite fast on Sunday.

Since yesterday, nine fasting students have been admitted to AIIMS casualty due to dehydration. All of them have been relieved.

Engineering students from five institutes — Jamia Millia Islamia, Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology (NSIT), Delhi College of Engineering (DCE), Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT) and IIT — are also expected to join the agitation within the next ten days.

United Students member and NSIT Students’ Union leader Honey Arun said the engineering students will join the agitation as soon as the examinations are complete.

“Our administration is not with us.... we can not leave the examination mid-way. We will soon join the medical students,” he added.

They will hold a candlelight vigil on May 29 in support of the movement. 

New Delhi, May 16
The Delhi Residents’ Welfare Association Federation has come out in support of the ongoing students’ movement against reservation.

Representatives of RWAs led by the United Residents Joint Action (URJA), which networks with over 500 RWAs across Delhi, extended support to the ongoing students’ movement against reservation, a statement said today.

It termed the quota move as “unfortunate, untimely and undemocratic.”

URJA convenor Pramod Chawla said the RWAs had expressed support to the students’ struggle on the issue of extension of the quota system and it was denounced by almost everyone in the group. URJA also carried out a dipstick survey among RWAs in the city and found no support for the reservation policy of the government.

“RWAs across the board have rejected the idea of reservation on the basis of caste,” he added.

Mr Chawla said, “The issues of social imbalance need not be addressed by harming other groups.”

Mr R. C. Kamboj of the Rohini Federation expressed complete support to the students’ movement, saying that the issue of caste had the capability of tearing the country apart and must not be supported by any well-meaning Indian.

Mr Debobani Bannerjee, a coordinator for South Delhi, said all RWAs had expressed resentment against the quota move and this was apparent in the responses of RWAs who were surveyed. Mr Rajesh Dokwal of East Delhi URJA had also professed his area’s resistance to the government’s move. Mr S. P. Gupta of Rajendra Nagar RWA in West Delhi was emphatic in saying, “We must exhibit support to the student community at this moment to force the government to rethink this unfair imposition.”

URJA has agreed to call a meeting to extend support in a visible fashion to the students’ cause. “We will all meet on Thursday to express solidarity with the students’ movement,” said Mr Chawla. URJA would then make a public statement in support of students’ movement.

Mr Aditya Raj Kaul of United Students who campaigned to seek support for the cause with URJA, said, “We petitioned the RWAs because they have a powerful voice in Delhi and are all affected in some measure by the reservation policies of the government.”

Mr Dhruv Suri, another member of the students group, said, “We are carrying on a campaign to generate support from all quarters of society and will be asking every citizen of Delhi to support the students in this campaign.”

Anchal Dhar, one of the students’ group’s Gurgaon convenors, said the movement was finding extensive support from people of all walks of life as was evidenced on Sunday in front of a Gurgaon mall where 500 persons signed for support within the first hour.

United Students was also petitioning various trade bodies in the Capital to add their weight to the campaign.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today extended support to the anti-reservation movement, calling the government’s proposed extension of reservation policy as “short-sighted and fundamentally unfair”.

Mr Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of CAIT, also indicated that associate trade bodies of Delhi are supportive of the students’ struggle. United Students group members have declared May 20 as ‘Solidarity Day’ and have asked all trade unions, trade bodies, RWAs and other civil society groups to assemble at Jantar Mantar at 10 a.m. to express solidarity with the students’ movement.

New Delhi, May 16
The Leader of Opposition in the MCD, Mr Subhash Arya, and BJP councillor Mr Vijender Gupta, today alleged that the DDA had auctioned 30 acres owned by the Slum and JJ Department of the civic body.

The MCD had purchased the land from the DDA in 1995 to rehabilitate jhuggi dwellers living near the Okhla Sabzi Mandi. This was decided at a meeting headed by Mr P. K. Dave, the then Lt-Governor of Delhi. The meeting was attended by the then Chief Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, the then Chief Secretary Mr P. P. Chauhan, the then Vice-Chairman of the DDA, Mr Ashok Pahwa, the then Commissioner of the MCD, Mr Subhash Sharma, the then Commissioner, Land Management, DDA, Mr K. J. Alphanso, and the Director, Slums and JJ, Mr Manjit Singh.

It was decided at the meeting that the DDA should hand over the land to the MCD which would start survey and planning work for integrated development of a settlement.

It was also decided that the DDA would charge the normal acquisition cost which is approximately Rs 6 lakh per acre. The DDA handed over the land completing all formalities.

A few days back, the DDA allegedly auctioned the land to private builders for Rs 451 crore for the purpose of construction of 750 flats for NRIs.

The leaders said that it was shocking that how the land meant for relocation of squatters of Bhoomiheen Camp had been auctioned. They demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.

However, the DDA claimed that the land was taken back from the MCD as the latter could not make the full payment of Rs 9.31 crore. The civic body had paid only Rs 1.92 crore. At a meeting held with the Vice-Chairman of the DDA in 1998, the Ministry of Urban Development suggested the DDA itself should take up the pilot project at Tehkhand for rehabilitation of slum dwellers. This project had been started through public private partnership. The money paid by the MCD had been returned back, a spokesman of the
DDA claimed.

Ghaziabad, May 16
“Government is fleecing us”. That is what a shocked farmer from Sadarpur village could utter before collapsing of a heart attack soon after.

He had just seen the meagre land compensation rate being offered to him by Ghaziabad Development Authority for acquiring land from the farmers for its proposed schemes —Madhuban and Bapu Dham — on Sunday in a Mahapanchayat in the village.

The land compensation rates mentioned in the list ranged from Rs 65 to Rs 121 per sq yard. Subsequently, hundreds of farmers marched to the office of the District Magistrate and alleged that the GDA Vice-Chairman and the Secretary were responsible for the death of the farmer. The farmers demanded that a case for unintentional murder be registered against the two senior GDA officers, the family of the farmer paid Rs 5 lakh as compensation and the GDA should withdraw these two schemes.

The District Magistrate, Mr M K S Sundaram, assured them of a compensation of Rs 1 lakh. Saying that the farmer’s death could have been caused by some other factors also, the District Magistrate ordered the ADM City to probe the matter and submit the report within 24 hours. For withdrawing the scheme, the DM advised farmers to take it up with GDA authorities. The incident had taken place when hundreds of farmers from dozens of villages had collected in a Mahapanchayat in Sadarpur village to oppose the GDA acquisition of their land for the scheme.

Gurgaon, May 16
The government’s vision is to make Haryana the number one state in the country in terms of industrialisation and modernisation.

This was stated by the Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr Prem Prashant, while interacting with mediapersons after meeting the top officers of the district yesterday. While asking the officers to improve the delivery system, he dwelled upon the importance of being sensitive to the needs and problems of the public.

He directed the district administration to work out detail plans for a comprehensive development of Gurgaon, keeping in mind its need for the next 20 years.

Mr Prashant was here after assuming the top bureaucratic post in the state. He told newsmen that the government has different sets of plans for modernisation, development and infrastructure related projects for Gurgaon and Faridabad.

He said that he would be making monthly visits to the district to take stock of the pace of development and implementation of the projects in the State.

He said that the government’s emphasis was to further improve the law and order in the state. With regard to Gurgaon, he said that a demand was made by the Inspector General of Police to increase the police personnel in the districts falling in the Gurgaon range. 

New Delhi, May 16
Continuing its crackdown on erring officials, the MCD today suspended four engineers for failing to check ongoing illegal constructions in their respective areas in the Capital.

The officials, two Assistant Engineers — R K Banga and Ashok Kumar — and two Junior Engineers — Umesh Parashar and Anil Aggarwal — belonging to the Building Department in Karol Bagh zone, have been placed under suspension with immediate effect following a report of the court committee set up to monitor the demolition drive.

New Delhi, May 16
A city court today issued notice to former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav, to appear in person and furnish a report on the whereabouts of his daughter Bharti Yadav, the key witness in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case.

Appearing before the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ravinder Kaur, public prosecutor B S Joon requested the court that a notice be issued to D P Yadav to submit the report by May 22, the next date of hearing of the case.

The court accepted the request and said, “at present since the current address of the witness is not traceable, so notice to her father had to be issued”.

Earlier, the Home Ministry had submitted in a report about Bharti that “she is residing legally in the UK and her visa is valid till November 30. So neither deportation nor extradition is possible in this case, although the UK authorities could serve summons to Bharti. But under the UK law, summons from foreign jurisdiction has no power and she could not be compelled to attend the Indian court”.

“It is pertinent to mention that till now, Bharti’s whereabouts are not known to the court as she has left her last known address in the UK. She could neither be deported nor extradited to India. What would be her status after November 30 is still to be confirmed by the concerned authorities,” Mrs Kaur said in her order.

Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, Bharti’s brother and cousin respectively, are facing trial in the case for allegedly kidnapping and murdering Nitish Katara on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002, from Ghaziabad where Nitish had gone to attend a marriage party.

Bharti, a key witness in the case, is said to be a staff nurse in London. She did not come to depose in the case citing some pleas.

She was one of the last to have met Nitish before his death.

The prosecution believes that the recording of her statement in the court would reveal the motive behind the crime. Bharti allegedly had an affair with Nitish, the son of a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

The prosecution alleges that the accused had killed him because they did not like his relationship with Bharti.

It was also alleged by the prosecution that Vikas had masterminded the killing of Nitish after learning about his affair with his sister at a marriage party at Ghaziabad.

Vikas and Vishal were booked under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping) and 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention to commit a crime) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Noida, May 16
A Tata-709 mini-truck in Beel Akbarpur village of Dadri crashed into a house and crushed two brothers sleeping there late Saturday night. Another youth was seriously injured.

The lived villagers had jammed the G.T. Road from 12 am to 7 am and the police were not allowed to even lift the body.

While Mahilag of Beel Akbarpur village was asleep along with his nephews Praveen, Pawan and Vikas in his house, a Tata-709 mini-truck (No. UP-13 L-5786) crashed into their house and crushed Pawan, Praveen and seriously injured Vikas. Pawan, 16, and Praveen, 18, had died on the spot while Vikas was rushed to Naveen Hospital, Dadri. The angry villagers had placed the bodies across the G T Road and jammed it. CO Treveni Singh and Dy. D.M. Ghanshyam Singh persuaded the villagers to lift the jam. The driver is absconding. — OC

New Delhi, May 16
Encroachments are posing a threat to the historical monuments of Delhi with as many as 14 of them suffering from the menace.

Giving this information in the Rajya Sabha today, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ms Ambika Soni said that as of now, there are 175 monuments or sites in the Capital that have been declared as being of national importance, of which 14 have been encroached upon and 12 reported as ‘missing’.

Among the monuments that have been encroached upon are Qudasia Mosque, Tughlaqabad, Lothian Road Cemetery, portions of City Wall at Kashmere Gate, the tomb of Razia Sultan, Purana Qila, Sarai Shahji, Begumpuri Mosque and Sunehri Masjid near Red Fort. Also encroached upon are Arab ki Sarai, Lal Gumbad, Raipur, the ancient mosque in Palam and D’Eremao Cemetery.

The 12 monuments reported to be missing are the tomb of Captain Mc Barnett and others, the tomb with three domes near the railway station, Moti Gate of Sher Shah’s Delhi, Pool Chadar, Alipur Cemetery, Barakhamba Cemetery, Nicholson Statue, site of Siege Battery, Inchla Wali Gumti, mound known as Joga Bai and Shamsi Talab.

The minister said appropriate remedial action has been initiated to get the encroached area vacated and to remove unauthorised or illegal construction from within the prohibited or regulated area with the assistance of the state authorities and the police. 

Greater Noida, May 16
A farm worker attacked his sleeping employer in a farm with an iron rod and killed him in Lakhanwali village in Surajpur on Monday. The employer had engaged the worker only a couple of days earlier.

According to the reports, the assailant had demanded advance wages, which the employer turned down. The worker then threatened him with, “I shall fix you.”

Shahnaz, 22, of Panipat in Haryana had taken a farm on contract from Rati Ram and was cultivating vegetables on it. He had employed Rajinder Kumar from village Premau in Fatehpur a few days ago for guarding the farm. Both of them used to sleep in the farm.

Shahnaz’s uncle Momin had similarly taken the adjoining farm on contract.

According to police, Rajinder had demanded Rs 1,500 as advance salary which Shahnaz refused to pay. Rajinder is then reported to have threatened Shahnaz with dire consequences.

Early on Monday morning, Momin and Khalid, sleeping in the adjoining field were rudely woken up by Shahnaz’s cries for help. When they rushed to his rescue, they found Rajinder hitting Shahnaz with an iron rod on his head. When they challenged him, Rajinder fled away. Both of them tried to chase his, but could not nab him.

Shahnaz died while he was being taken to a hospital.

The police have registered a murder case against Rajinder and sent the body for autopsy.

SO Rajeev Yadav said the way Rajinder had killed his employer Shahnaz on a rather trivial issue showed that he had a criminal bent of mind. The police are trying to find out Rajinder’s antecedents.

New Delhi, May 16
Strong winds and rain lashed parts of the national Capital and its adjoining areas in the wee hours today, resulting in a fall in night temperature.

The mercury dropped to 25.2 degrees Celsius as strong winds swept through parts of East Delhi and adjoining Ghaziabad and Noida at around 3 am, the weather office said. Rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning brought much needed relief from the searing heat.

“It was a localised phenomenon. East Delhi experienced rainfall, while other parts of the Capital remained dry,” a Met official said.

The rains were a result of upper air cyclonic circulation over northern Rajasthan and adjoining areas, they said.

The maximum temperatures in Delhi touched the season’s highest of 44.5 degree Celsius on May 7 and the minimum peaked at 27.7 Celsius on May 10.

According to a Met department official, the weather phenomenon, persisting for the last one week, was expected to continue for the next 48 hours.

Temperatures — currently 1-2 degree Celsius below normal in Delhi and adjoining areas — will rise once the weather system changes, he added.

Experts say such localised weather phenomenon is normal in the pre-monsoon months.

The Met department has forecast that the south-west monsoon will hit the Kerala coast on May 30 this year, two days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1.