The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Sonia Vihar water to reach taps only in August CM meets RWAs, fails to impress Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 Delhiites’ wait for water from the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant has got longer, with the water now likely to reach the taps only by early August. “The last lot of water from Uttar Pradesh for Sonia Vihar has reached on June 28. And the water will reach the people by early August,” Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit told reporters here after a meeting with RWAs on power and water related problems. After much dilly-dallying, UP had released water for Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant on May 21 and the Chief Minister had then said the water would reach the people by July. Delhi Jal Board has to complete work on the underground reservoirs and pipelines for supplying water from the treatment plant. Sonia Vihar Plant is India’s largest single stage water treatment plant which is seen as capable of solving the water woes of the Capital, especially in its Eastern and Southern parts. With the commissioning of the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant, the water supply is expected to be enhanced by 25 per cent. Earlier, face-to-face with the citizens at an open forum, the CM said her government would take “effective steps” to improve its interface with the people and was open to installing toll-free helplines for water and power related problems. Admitting that Delhiites were dissatisfied with the local-level functionaries, Ms Dikshit, who interacted with members of the Joint Forum of the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) at a four-hour-long meeting, said now the focus was on improving the communication between the officials and the people. “This time, people said they were dissatisfied with the local level staff who do not pay heed to their problems. Their complaints were not so much about power and water but how they could not get through the government officials on time,” she said, emerging from the meeting. Ms Dikshit said the discussion between the RWAs and the officials of discoms and Delhi Jal Board CEO was “good” and many “suggestions” were made at the meeting. However, even though the Chief Minister assured the RWAs to hold such interactions with them once every six months, many of the them thought the process was an “eyewash”. “They just gave us assurances as they always do. The situation is not going to improve. Even as we were narrating our problems in the meeting, some of the officials were sitting so casually and giving us sarcastic smiles. It seemed as if they were just not interested in addressing our concerns,” said a disappointed TC Mitla, President of Hauz Khas RWA, after the meeting.
	New plant to supply 1,000 MW by 2010 Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 Delhi will sign an MoU with Chhattisgarh on August 7 for setting up a 2,000 MW power plant at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore in the coal-rich state exclusively to meet the electricity-deficient Capital’s needs. “We have finalised the site for setting up the plant in Janjgir district of Chhattisgarh. An MoU will be signed between the two states on August 7 in the presence of the chief ministers of the two states,” Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf said today. The minister is just back from a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh during which he finalised the site for the project and met The state chief minister to discuss the modalities for setting up the power plant which is scheduled to start functioning by 2010. Addressing a press conference, the minister said that the implementation of the project will be done by NTPC and BHEL. While Delhi Government will have a 30 per cent equity in the power plant, 70 per cent of the funding will be done through loans from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and other financial institutions. He pointed out that the power plant is being set up in anticipation of the Capital’s requirement growing to 6000 MW by 2012 compared to the present 3500 MW. It will also help meet Delhi’s power demands in time for the Commonwealth Games to be held here in 2010. “We will set up a dedicated 1000 km long HVDS line for bringing power to Delhi from Chhattisgarh so that we do not have to be dependent on the already over-burdened Northern Grid anymore,” he said. Yusuf further informed that while the power plant will begin supplying 1,000 MW in 2010, 1,000 MW more will be added to its capacity by 2011. The site identified for the plant is on an area of 3000 hectares and if need be arrangements can be made for producing 1000 MW more, he said. On other arrangements made for meeting Delhi’s power needs, he said Delhi Government has already entered into power purchase agreements with NTPC, Tehri project and Tala plant in Bhutan for a total supply of 1500 MW by 2010.
	Trial in ‘Meerut massacre case’ delayed again Court issues notice to UP for ‘unnecessary delay’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 The much-delayed trial in the 1987 ‘Meerut Massacre case’ today failed to take off as the Uttar Pradesh Police could not produce a statement of an eyewitness and rifles allegedly used by the Provincial Armed Constabulary before a Delhi Court. Additional Sessions Judge N P Kaushik issued notices to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, Law Secretary and Special Secretary (Legal Cell) asking them to explain the undue delay in presenting the case property and statement of eyewitness Zulfiqar Nasir, one of the six survivors of the massacre. “This is the oldest case pending in Delhi and the prosecuting agency is still slow in prosecuting the matter. The case property or records relating to the case have still not been made available to this court,” the court said in its letter addressed to the Chief Secretary. Taking a strong view of the “unnecessary delay”, the court has also summoned Additional SP, Crime Branch CID, Meerut, in-charge of the probe into the alleged massacre, on July 22, when the case would be heard next. “Why has this case not been dealt appropriately and on an urgent basis,” the court asked the Special Public Prosecutor, when informed by the latter that the sealed envelope containing Nasir’s statement made before a Ghaziabad court was not yet “available”. The case property, including rifles seized from the accused and blood-stained clothes of the victims and survivors, recovered as part of the investigation and sealed, was also not produced in court today. About 100-odd family members of the 42 victims had come all the way from Hashimpura district in UP to be present on the first day of the trial. “We are disappointed that the trial in this case has failed to commence. This case, which has already been waiting to start for almost 19 years, deals with custodial killing of a communal nature,” Vrinda Grover, counsel for ‘Legal Advisory Committee for Hashimpura Case’, an association set up by the family and victims of the alleged massacre to fight the case, said. All the 16 PAC personnel accused of the crime were also present in the court.
	All hurdles to Noida Metro link removed Parmindar Singh Noida, July 15 All hurdles in the way of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) extension to Noida have been removed. In lieu of plots no 1-A, A-2 in Sector 14, equal-sized plots have been allotted to the original allottees of Sector 14 in Sector 44. Similarly, the CWC warehouses in Sector 16 are being shifted to Sector 68 to clear the path for the Metro. This was decided at the Noida Authority Board’s 136th meeting on Friday. The board today also approved the proposal to set up 14 hotels across Noida to promote tourism and accommodate a large number of sportspersons and tourists expected to visit Noida for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. As per the UP state hotel policy, three three-star, five four-star and six five-star hotels will be set in Noida by 2010. All these hotels will be in the private sector. Briefing the media, Additional CEO Ravindra Nayak said an Army hospital will be established in Arun Vihar here on a 1200 sq mt plot originally reserved for a nursery school. “Noida has one of the largest population of serving and retired defence personnel and the demand for a plot for Army hospital had come from the Army Housing Welfare Organization,” Mr Nayak said. The board also approved that there won’t be any more extension in depositing one-time lease rent, the time limit for which was extended up to July 31 this year. In the first quarter, 38 per cent receipt had been recorded. In the industrial sector, this growth had been three times while in the residential sectors the growth was eight times. All owners of residential plots allotted before 1992 have also been allowed to deposit one-time lease rent in case of transfer of plots. The lease rent has been made uniform for all allottees.
	94 new ‘U Special’ buses to run from Monday Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 Delhi Minister of Transport, Mr Haroon Yusuf, has announced an additional 94 ‘U Special’ buses that will run daily for the students joining college on Monday. The minister said these ‘U Special’ bus services are not a revenue-earning proposition for the DTC, but are in the broader interest of the students and the youths. The DTC in collaboration with the government has decided to run these buses to facilitate access to the university campuses and different colleges. Mr Yusuf recalled that the DTC in 1960 introduced special services for the students to travel to the university from different parts of Delhi. Over the years, these buses have become popular and “virtual institutions in the university/college set-up in Delhi”, he said. He added that the ‘U Specials’ have been instructed to be punctual so that the students reach in time for their classes. It was pointed out that in order to assist the university authorities to prevent harassment of freshers and check other anti-social elements, the bus crew has also been asked to report any untoward incident. The minister said that in addition to the above, a number of checking and flying squads will be deputed, specially in July, to randomly check the U-Special buses. These squads will not only check the quality of service being provided by the DTC, but also ensure that instructions of the corporation for dealing with the anti-social elements are being followed.
	‘Acquifer re-charge can solve water shortfall’ Charu Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 Despite attempts to increase supply in the Capital, water shortfall continues to ail many parts of the city. Geologists feel that the only tenable solution to this problem is that of taking up acquifer re-charge in a big way across the underground water system of the city. A report recently brought out by the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with Global Hydro Geological Solutions indicates that the demand for water is on the increase because of rapid urbanization which has led to an increase of population by 140 lakh and which is expected to go up to 176 lakhs by 2007. This increases the demand by some 1050 MGD and the expected shortfall is expected to be around 375 MGD by 2007. The report indicates that despite recent attempts at ground water development, which are helping to mitigate water requirements, it is highly unlikely that this will fulfill the total requirement. There is a continual decline in the water-table and an ingress of brackish saline ground water into the fresh water acquifers. This makes it imperative to practise artificial re-charge of the acquifers in a big way using monsoon run-off, utilizing treated waste water and the flood water of the Yamuna. Geologists inform that the sources of water available for the purpose of re-charge are rainfall, surplus water in the Yamuna during the monsoon, floodwater and the treated waste-water from treatment plants. The monsoon run-off can be utilized by constructing percolation tanks, digging wells, ‘nala bunds’, creating lateral trenches with recharge wells for harvesting run-off from storm water drains and rooftop rainwater harvesting in institutional areas. The stress is especially on rooftop rainwater harvesting which alone have the potential of contributing 76,500 million litres per annum for re-charge purposes.
	Camp on complaints against govt schools Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 15 The Right to Education Task Force (RETF), a unit of Social Jurist, is holding a one-day camp tomorrow at Community Hall, Priyadarshini Colony behind Hanuman Mandir, Kashmiri Gate, to register complaints of violation of right to education by the government schools. Students and parents who have been denied admission can file their complaints at the camp, which will then be used to initiate necessary legal action for redressal. “The camp is being organised in view of the fact that thousands of children have been denied admission by the government schools this year on one pretext or the other. Students of government schools who have failed in their CBSE Class 10 and 12 examinations have been denied admission by their schools in violation of Rule 138 of Delhi School Education Rules, 1973,” said Ashok Agarwal of the Social Jurist. He added, “Besides, a large number of students from Delhi and outside Delhi who have valid certificates of transfer or have passed out from National Institute of Open Schooling are also denied admission.” Lawyers from Social Jurist shall record the complaints of the parents and the children, and thereafter file Public Interest Litigations (PIL) in the Delhi High Court highlighting these complaints and seeking redressal. The entire exercise by Social Jurist shall be free of charge.

	‘90% mosquito breeding found in coolers’ New Delhi, July 15 A high index of mosquito breeding has been reported in various localities of the national Capital. MCD Commissioner Ashok Nigam today said that the cross-checking teams of the Commission and the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme have reported that 90 per cent of the mosquito breeding has been found in desert coolers followed by water tanks. Urging people to ensure that there is no mosquito breeding in stagnant water, the MCD Commissioner said under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Bylaws 1975, creating conditions for mosquito breeding is punishable. Defaulters have to pay a fine of Rs 500 and so far 1,950 persons have been prosecuted. Legal notices in the connection have been sent to 9,000 others. — TNS
	Farmers protest against late payment of cheques Our Correspondent Greater Noida, July 15 Farmers angry at the slow pace of payment of land compensation by the state government demonstrated at the Collectorate in Surajpur on Friday. The main grievance of the farmers was that on account of clerks and officials, they had to make many trips to the Collectorate but each time they were sent back on the excuse that their “file was not complete yet”. Another grouse was that cheques were now disbursed at the Collectorate and not at their respective villages as in the past. Hundreds of farmers of Ghori Vachhera village reached the land acquisition wing in the Collectorate yesterday. They waited without food or water all day long at the Collectorate for their cheques. In the evening, they were told that their files were not complete yet hence they could not be paid compensation. The angry farmers then lost their cool and demonstrated at the Collectorate. For the past four days, the farmers had been daily arriving at the Collectorate to get their cheques. The farmers alleged the work was done at such a slow pace that only two or three cheques were handed over each day. This way, hundreds of farmers would have to wait for months to collect their cheques from the Collectorate, they said angrily.
	Arms banned in Ghaziabad malls, multiplexes Tribune News Service Ghaziabad, July 15 The district administration here has banned people from entering malls, multiplexes and railway stations with arms, a senior official said today. People will have to undergo rigorous checking at these places as a precaution taken in the wake of serial bomb blasts in Mumbai suburban trains, District Magistrate M. K. S. Sundaram said. He also warned that the arms licences of those who violated this direction would be cancelled. Arrangements would be made to keep arms outside malls and multiplexes, he added.
	10 cartridges confiscated from jail visitor Tribune News Service Gurgaon, July 15 A person visiting the Bhondsi Jail complex today was found to be in possession of 10 live cartridges. The security guards found the cartridges during the routine search which is carried out while allowing a visitor in. Bhagwan Singh was visiting the jail to meet Harikesh, a hardened criminal, who was being tried in connection with a dacoity.