New Delhi, September 25
The Delhi Cabinet has given its nod to the introduction of the Delhi Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill, 2006, in the Assembly. It has also approved an entertainment tax policy for the promotion of art, culture and heritage in Delhi.

Briefing mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, said it had been decided to fully protect the interests of flat owners holding general power of attorney (GPA). An amendment in Section 91 of the Act envisaged that a person who had bought a plot or flat in a society on power of attorney may apply for membership. He would be granted membership by the committee within 30 days of submitting the application.

The person who had sold a plot on GPA would cease to be a member of the society from the date of sale.

She said this amendment was proposed on the request of GPA holders facing difficulties in exercising their right as members of the societies.

It had also been decided to amend Section 75 to allow cooperative housing societies to admit members exceeding the number of plots if the plot owner had constructed and sold floors. An amendment in Section 35 would empower the cooperative societies to conduct the elections themselves except in cases where there was a dispute in the society.

Apart from this, an amendment in Section 77 would provide for constitution of a committee under Secretary (Cooperation) with the Registrar, Cooperative Societies, and other senior officers as members to clear the list of cases of societies for draw of lots for plots or dwelling units.

She further said the Bill aimed at implementing the Right to Information Act more effectively in cooperative societies. Hence, an amendment in Section 139 would empower a member to seek information or certified copies of documents from the management of the society.

Ms Dikshit disclosed the Cabinet had also given its nod to a new entertainment tax policy for the promotion of arts, culture and heritage in Delhi. It proposes to give 10-day period specific tax exemptions to all musical and dance events during Baisakhi, Sufi festival, Indradhanush Festival, Phool Walon Ki Sair, Kala Sanjivani, festivals like Dussehra and Ram Lila besides theme or venue-specific tax exemptions, which includes Jahan-e-Khusro, Ananya festivals etc.

It had also been decided to exempt entertainment tax on programmes to be organised at all community centres, panchayat ghar, traditional melas and ‘dangals’ to reinforce unity in diversity and reaffirm the traditional way of life.

The government had also decided to exempt events to be organised for raising funds for the preservation of heritage buildings listed by INTACH in Delhi.

The new policy envisaged exemption from payment of entertainment tax for national sporting events organised by national sports federations and sports and games organised by the government to encourage sports activities in the run up to the Commonwealth Games 2010.

The exhibitions organised by the government and government-sponsored non-profit organisations would be exempted from payment of entertainment tax, provided that admission fee charged was not more than Rs 500 per person.

Similarly, for encouraging the construction of a new museum or art gallery, entertainment tax exemption would be granted for four years from the date of commissioning. Apart from this, entertainment tax exemption for small theatre groups, whose receipts from the sale of tickets and sponsorship did not exceed Rs 50 lakh per event, would be exempted from entertainment tax. A no-objection certificate would be granted online.

The CM said the new entertainment tax policy envisaged reduction in the rate of tax on paid programmes from 25 per cent to 15 per cent on tickets and from 25 per cent to 15 per cent on sponsorships. It had also been decided to reduce the rate of betting tax from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.

New Delhi, September 25
An educator working with an NGO run by a police official has been arrested on charges of facilitating the sale of children kept at the orgnisation’s shelter.

Chandrashekhar, working with Prayas, was arrested last night after a sting operation by a private television channel caught him on tape demanding money for selling children. He allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 for the sale of a child from the Nabi Karim shelter of Prayas. The accused is a resident of Balia in Uttar Pradesh.

On the basis of the complaint filed by those who conducted the sting operation, he was arrested under Section 372 (selling minors for purpose of prostitution), the Deputy Commissioner of Police said.

Prayas was founded and run by Amod Kant, presently the Director General of Police, Arunachal Pradesh.

“Further investigations into the case are progressing,” the DCP said.

Kant was unavailable for comment. — PTI

New Delhi, September 25
The MCD today decided to extend the suspension of its sealing and demolition drive in the Capital till September 30, claiming that additional police forces were not available to provide security for its staff.

“The Delhi Police have informed us that they would not be able to provide additional security in view of the law and order situation and the festival season”, an official spokesperson said.

“We have advised deputy commissioners in all zones not to undertake sealings and demolitions till September 30,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today said it would pronounce its decision on the controversial notification of September 7, providing relief to traders by allowing commercial activities in residential areas of the Capital, on Friday.

Four persons were killed, three of them in police firing, and several others, including security personnel, were injured as a traders’ bandh against the MCD sealing drive on September 20 turned violent in many parts of the Capital.

Rattled by the violence, the government had last week suspended the drive till today. 

New Delhi, September 25
The Centre today decided to defer the sealing drive till the Supreme Court gave its orders in the matter and in view of the festive season when the police is already under pressure.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the issue. Headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the meeting was held within hours of the apex court reserving its orders till Friday on an affidavit filed by the Centre on legalising commercial activities in residential areas. “The meeting reviewed the arguments put by the government before the Supreme Court and also the arguments put forward by the other parties in the case. However, since the court has reserved its order, we have not taken any decision,” Union Urban Development

Minister Jaipal Reddy told mediapersons after the meeting.

Mr Reddy said since the festive season was on with Dussehra, Divali and Ramzan, additional forces would be required for maintaining law and order.

“Therefore, the situation will continue as it is (meaning the sealing operation remains suspended),” Mr Reddy said.

The MCD had suspended the sealing drive till today after protests by traders went out of hand in Seelampur. Four persons had died in the violence last Wednesday. So far, nearly 2,500 shops have been sealed in the Capital.

Faridabad, September 25
Despite its proximity to the national Capital, awareness about the landmark Right to Information Act (RTI) remains low among residents here, thanks in large part to government officials who would rather continue to function behind a veil of secrecy for obvious reasons. It seems, in fact, that there is not even any official deputed to interact with applicants seeking information under the Act.

“No one has been deputed by either the state government or the local administration for helping people desirous of getting to know what the Act is all about. There are a number of people who want information under the provisions of the Act,” claimed Mr Anoop Barak, spokesperson of the newly set up Jan Suchna Adhikar Manch, Faridabad, which aims to propagate what the Act entails.

Describing the Act as an important development, Mr Barak pointed out that it had the potential to bring about a major change in the functioning of government officials and machinery marred by corruption and red tape. It could produce substantive results in speeding up development work.

He claimed that a majority of officials, who were corrupt and inefficient, were trying to underplay the importance of this Act since awareness about it could expose them.

A survey revealed that a majority of the applications received here by various government offices were for seeking information on legal cases pending in the courts filed by practising lawyers or their clients. Apparently, they wanted to use the information sought as evidence to get the case settled in their favour.

Recently, the residents welfare association of a sector here sought information about the number of authorised parking stands in the city and the action taken by the administration against illegal parking contractors operating in the city. Several complaints have been lodged here about a ‘parking mafia’ here, which, with the alleged collusion of the police, charge at will, without even guaranteeing the safety of the parked vehicle.

Punarjagran Sanstha, an NGO, has demanded that an office should be set up at the mini secretariat here to provide help and guidance to the residents in this regard.

New Delhi, September 25
Hundreds of students have filed applications under the RTI Act at the University of Delhi to bring about more transparency in the examination system.

Students from six colleges of the university have sought the permission to inspect their answer sheets. They have demanded that the model answer scripts along with the basis of evaluation and the name of the evaluator should also be provided to them.

“We were initially told by the Assistant Registrar that so many RTIs cannot be filed. Later, he told us that one representative from each college can file the applications on behalf of every applicant,” said Surabh Sharma of Joint Operation for Social Help, (JOSH), an NGO.

Sharma said, “We have asked for the names of the evaluators as we want to be sure that the copies are being checked by teachers and not some class VIII students, as in the case of Meerut University”.

Asked whether the teachers would object to it on the grounds of security, he said, “If it is the question of their security, it also the question of our security. We need to feel secure that our answer scripts are being checked by genuine teachers,” Sharma said.

It is the first time ever students in such large numbers have resorted to the RTI Act in the university. “ Tomorrow, more students are likely to file their applications for the same purpose.

This is a campaign that has just begun and we are only demanding our own answer scripts, which the university will eventually do away with,” Sharma pointed out.

New Delhi, September 25
Not satisfied with the administration's decision to agree in principle to their demands, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, led by their union, have decided to continue their hunger strike.

A section of students from the university also staged a protest today outside the office of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and submitted a memorandum. "We could not meet the Chairperson, but submitted our memorandum to his representative. We have been assured that there will be some positive news for us," said Badre Alam, Councillor, School of Languages.

"Unless they give it to us in writing, however, we cannot call off the strike. We have been fighting for an increase in financial aid for more than four months now," he said.

The protesting students said, "If the government were to allocate six per cent of the GDP on education, they would have no problems in meeting the demands of students. Raising the scholarship amount from Rs 600 to Rs 1500 is not a big deal if the allocation towards education is improved."

Alam said, "The government is trying to privatise higher education, which is why the foreign education providers are being encouraged to come to India. We are not fighting for the cause of JNU students alone, but for students across the country who will have less access to higher education if privatisation happens."

The students had asked the JNU administration to increase the number of merit-cum-means scholarships, which is meant for those students whose total family income does not exceed Rs 75,000 a year. "We wanted them to increase the bar from Rs 75,000 a year to Rs 1 lakh a year. Also, while they have agreed to extend the scholarships for PhD students, they refuse to increase the amount," Mona Das, JNUSU president, said.

New Delhi, September 25
A group of 60 students of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) is all set to attend an international seminar, to be addressed jointly by a panel of economists from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), in Washington, DC, on October 5.

The seminar is part of the institute’s programme entitled ‘Global Opportunity and Threat Analysis’, an IIPM release said.

Apart from a proposed trip to the World Bank, the students may visit NYMEX — the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange — the International Finance Corporation and the US-India Business Council. — TNS

Gurgaon, September 25
The local Zila Parishad members, led by its chairman Rao Abhay Singh, met Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today and demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged grabbing of Parishad land worth crores of rupees by various government departments without paying compensation to it.

The 22 members of the Parishad also complained to the CM against the ‘lukewarm response’ of officials of Gurgaon and Mewat districts towards resolving their long pending issues.

In a letter submitted to the CM, the Parishad said that it had won a legal case for possession of a piece of land adjacent to the Sainik Board. But the Board officials were presently making constructions on this land illegally without caring for the court’s orders, it alleged.

They further said that in a resolution passed in their meeting held on June 28, 2005, it was decided to open a Recruitment Centre for Army at Panchayat Bhawan. However, the deputy commissioner here allotted the building for opening a Labour Court without taking their consent, the members alleged.

During the previous government regime, a prominent piece of land near Sohna Chowk was allegedly taken over from the Parishad and handed over to District Red Cross Society for developing a parking space, the members claimed.

Rao Abhay Singh claimed that they had written several letters to the DC demanding that their land should be returned to them, but to no avail.

Similarly, the Parishad chairman alleged, precious land at Ghamandan Saria and Kaman Saria was also handed over to the local Municipal Council without paying any compensation to the Parishad.

To lodge their protest against the ‘indifferent attitude’ of district officials towards the ‘land grabbing’, the Zila Parishad members had boycotted the Parishad meeting on September 7, the members pointed out in the letter.

The Parishad chairman told ‘The Tribune’ that the members had apprised the CM of the latest situation so that the properties worth crores of rupees that belonged to the Zila Parishad were not ‘misused’ by other government departments.

They had demanded an inquiry by Gurgaon Divisional Commissioner into these ‘land grabbing’ cases, added the chairman.

The Chief Minister had assured the delegation of prompt action from the state government, he claimed.

Gurgaon, September 25
Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HSIIDC) has allotted group housing plots at IMT, Manesar to 50 group housing societies for constructing flats for the company’s employees.

Mr Rajesh Sharma, Deputy General Manager, Industrial Model Township (IMT), HSIIDC, informed that a total of 111 applications were received from various units operating in Manesar. Forty-one applications were rejected for various reasons while a draw of lot was held for the remaining 70 aspirants.

As a matter of fact, the first company which came into operation in IMT in 1997, NTF India Limited has been allotted half acre plot for its employees. Its owner Mr N K Jain told ‘The Tribune’ that it was a good initiative on the part of the state government to provide accommodations for the unit’s employees. It would indirectly help the industries, added Mr Jain.

The employees of the first MNC of IMT; Norcool India Ltd (Now Frigoglass) has also got group housing plot.

Ms Avleen Sachdeva, H R head of the company, said that a number of company employees covered 60 km one side per day to reach their unit. It took roughly four hours daily on the road, wasting time and money. It would be a big relief for them after the construction of the flats, she added.

The largest operating company in IMT; Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Limited, has got four societies.

Mr Rajesh Arora whose society had got 2.5 acres, said that it was the beginning of the China’s culture where the home and the work station were nearby. The new culture would not only save energy, time and sources for fetching the employees from their residents to units, it would also solve a lot of other social problems, claimed Mr Arora.

Two Japanese companies; Nagats India and Denso Haryana were amongst the successful in the draw.

Mr R K Arora of Munjal Showa whose company got one acre of plot said that now its 50 employees would have their own flats in Gurgaon, that too, nearby their units. A unique feature of the draw was that none of the HSIIDC official actively participated in the draw but rather they acted just like observers and the whole of the process was conducted by the applicants themselves, claimed Mr Sharma.

The DGM further elaborated that on an average of 250 persons per acre, the HSIIDC has tried to give house to about 10,000 people as part of its commitment to make IMT, Manesar a world-class integrated industrial model township. Recently, HSIIDC had auctioned a school site of 5 acre for providing schooling to the children of the residents of the IMT, added the official.

New Delhi, September 25
A joint Monsoon and Winter Session of Delhi Vidhan Sabha will be held from October 30 to November 10.

The dates for the Assembly Session were finalised at a meeting of Delhi Cabinet today, and would be recommended to the Speaker for a final decision, an official spokesman said.

The Monsoon Session of the Assembly got delayed due to renovation work in the Vidhan Sabha building, which is a heritage structure, he said.

New Delhi, September 25
With the arrest of Vineet Kumar (20) a resident of Budha Vihar, the North-West district police today claimed to have solved a kidnapping case of a seven-year-old schoolboy. The boy was reported missing from his school, New State Academy, Pitampura, on the afternoon of September 21.

After school closed, the boy went out of the gate to a nearby temple to wash his muddy feet.

He did not return for the journey home in the school van. This was not noticed by the driver and the teacher accompanying the vehicle.

When the school van reached his house, his bag was found inside but the boy was missing. The boy’s parents informed the police.

No ransom call was received on day one of the kidnapping.

The next day and subsequently, phone calls were made and a letter demanding a ransom of Rs 20 lakh was delivered in exchange for the safe release of the boy.

The kidnappers demanded the money should be delivered in Etah in Uttar Pradesh. Surveillance and intelligence inputs revealed the ransom calls made on the mobile phone of the boy’s father had emanated from Godanpur.

A raid was conducted at Godanpur in Etah district with the help of the local police and despite stiff resistance by local residents.

The team rescued the child and arrested the kidnapper.

Vineet has been remanded in police custody for seven days.

He was working as a labourer in a factory in Sultanpuri. As he was under heavy debt, he decided to kidnap the boy for ransom, said Mr R. P. Meena, Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range). 

New Delhi, September 25
The discoms’ efforts to discourage power theft in the Capital received a boost recently when a Special Court remanded an owner of a factory and showroom in Paharganj, who was arrested on charges of stealing electricity, to judicial custody for 14 days.

The accused, Tilak Raj Chopra, runs a unit that manufactures travel bags and travel accessories, and owns a posh showroom in Paharganj.

Chopra – a two-time offender – was first booked for power theft on May 31, 2005. He was caught red-handed stealing 33 KW of electricity directly from a nearby BSES LV mainline for commercial purposes.

As per the guidelines under Indian Electricity Act, 2003, a penalty of around Rs 11 lakh was imposed on him. He was caught again during an enforcement raid in February after which an FIR was registered against him at Nabi Karim police station.

After the first raid in May, 2005, the BYPL had moved the Special Court after the accused failed to deposit the penalty amount within the specified time period and avoided court summons. Finally, the Special Court issued a ‘kurki-zabti’ (attachment of property) notice against him, after which he appeared before the court, which sent him to Tihar jail for 14 days of judicial custody.

“BSES has intensified its enforcement activities and spruced up its legal machinery. In the last one month itself, BRPL and BYPL have booked over 1,900 cases of power theft worth over 10,000 KW,” said a BSES official.

New Delhi, September 25
A 20-year-old student allegedly committed suicide in the hostel room of his college in Rohini, North-West Delhi, by hanging himself with the help of a bedsheet from the ceiling fan of the room, the police said.

Raj Abhishek’s body was found this morning in his room. No suicide note was found. The deceased was a first year student of Maharaja Agarsen College and a native of Jharkhand.

His roommate, who had gone to meet someone in Dwarka last night, told the police that Raj was tense and had been upset for the last few days. Raj’s parents, who reached here after hearing the news, however, denied that he was suffering from depression. They said he had spoken to his brother-in-law, who lives in CR Park, last night and sounded perfectly normal.

The body was handed over to the parents after a postmortem examination and police investigations are on.

New Delhi, September 25
Two sisters, accused of killing their neighbour who had tried to mediate in a marital dispute involving the accused and the husband of one of the women, have been awarded life imprisonment by a city court.

Refusing the leniency plea of convicts Seema and Shaqila on the ground that they had had no vicious antecedent, the Additional Sessions Judge of Karkardooma courts here said, “The accused had played an active role in the commission of the offence as they had caught hold of the victim, when he was knifed to death by their co-accused....” The third accused Ibrahim, second husband of Seema who had allegedly stabbed victim Mumtaz to death, was declared proclaimed offender during the trial.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the convicts after finding them guilty under Section 149 (unlawful assembly) and 302 (murder) of the IPC.

As per the prosecution, accused Seema, who later married Ibrahim, was not on good terms with her first husband Jehangir, a resident of Seemapuri in east Delhi.

On May 16, 2000, Jehangir’s family members along with victim Mumtaz, who was their neighbour, had gone to accused’s house to sort out the differences.

But, the accused, on seeing Jehangir’s family members, got enraged and entered into a verbal dual with Jehangir’s family members which later turned into a commotion.

The victim, who was trying to conciliate between the fighting members, was stabbed to death by Ibrahim after being caught hold by the convicts duo. — PTI

New Delhi, September 25
The CBI today filed four FIRs naming 29 accused in the Cooperative Group Housing Society (CGHS) scam in a special CBI court.

The FIRs were filed in the court against the Living Joint CGHS Ltd, Bank Melas CGHS Ltd, Delhi State Newspaper Employees’ CGHS Ltd and India Duplicate CGHS Ltd.

In March 2006, the Delhi High Court had directed the investigating agency to file the FIRs.

The accused included then Registrars Gopal Dikshit and R K Srivastava and then Assistant Registrar B P Mathur. — UNI