New Delhi, October 28
The Congress and the BJP supported the traders’ agitation held today at various places in the Capital against the sealing drive to be launched by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from November 1. Both the major political parties are supporting the traders’ agitation in view of the corporation elections, which will be held in all likelihood in the first week of March.

Detailing the plight of traders following the sealing, a delegation of traders led by the Leader of the House in the MCD, Mr Jitender Kocchar, met the AICC president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, asking her to intervene in the sealing issue and ensure that a constitutional amendment was brought about to protect their interests.

They had a 45-minute meeting with Ms Gandhi and submitted a memorandum, asking for a comprehensive policy on the sealing of shops in residential areas and the demolition of illegal constructions.

They urged Ms Gandhi to intervene and give a reprieve to the traders facing the spectre of sealing again, Mr Praveen Khandelwal of the Confederation of All India Traders said.

He said if the demand of traders was not met they would go on strike for three days from October 30.

Mr Kocchar urged the Congress chief to bring in an amnesty plan for all traders who had set up their shops till December 2005.

They also sought the implementation of the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 by January 31 next year.

The association members told the Congress chief the livelihood of lakhs of employees working with these establishments would be affected.

A delegation of the DPCC led by its president, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, also met the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, and the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jaipal Reddy, requesting them to find a suitable solution for saving the traders and lakhs of others from the sealing drive.

The delegation comprised Mr Jagdish Tytler, Mr Sajjan Kumar, Ms Krishna Tirath and senior office-bearers of the DPCC.

The BJP secretary, Mr Vijay Goel, and other BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, former MP Lal Bihari Tiwari, Ms Anita Arya, Mr S. S. Bajwa, general secretary Alok Kumar and NCP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, also protested against the sealing at Town Hall.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has requested the central government to approach the Supreme Court to seek an extension of suspension of sealing drive.

The Union Home Minister, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, who chairs the Group of Ministers (G0M), had met the Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr B. L. Joshi, and the Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, yesterday to discuss the issue.

New Delhi, October 28
Using her son’s picture to shield her face from the incessant camera flashes, Kota Shinozaki’s mother may not have uttered a single word, but her eyes did all the talking.

Head bent and lips sealed, she sat wiping hers tears as an official from the Japanese Embassy briefed mediapersons on Kota’s disappearance from the country. Kota, a 21-year-old, was reported missing hours after he arrived in the Capital.

Here in India to look for their son, Kota’s parents, bearing a sombre countenance, sat through the media interaction without uttering a single word. Hoping against hope to find clues leading to his whereabouts, they, however, seemed reluctant to disclose details about their son.

Kota Shinozaki passed through Indian immigration on September 3 after landing at the international airport aboard a Cathay Pacific flight and reportedly changed currency before exiting from the airport.

“He had not mentioned any specific destination to visit in India and had not made any contact with his parents. He never called anybody and there was no correspondence,” said Mr Ryuji Noda, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan, while addressing the media.

Mr Noda said Kota, who was scheduled to return to Japan on September 23, had an open ticket, which was found unused. A missing person report had been filed by the Japanese Embassy on October 17 after Kota’s parents informed the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo of their son’s disappearance.

Claiming that the police were investigating the matter, Mr Noda said the matter “being private” is not being taken up at the government level. He said the Japanese Government had not yet taken up the issue formally with their Indian counterparts.

New Delhi, October 28
The North district police today claimed to have solved the sensational murder case of a Chandni Chowk-based trader, Sunder Lal Jain, by arresting two persons, Shri Bhagwan and Yogesh Sharma, from Kolkata.

Jain was murdered at his shop in Chandni Chowk about four month back. The murder was so gruesome that around 70 stab wounds were inflicted on the body of the deceased. The Delhi Police had announced a cash award of Rs 25,000 for any lead in the case at that time.

With the studies of mobile phone records of the deceased, it was established that Yogesh Sharma (20), who had worked for few days at Jain’s shop, was in regular touch with the deceased. Electronic surveillance revealed that on the day of the incident and the day before Sunder Lal Jain had called Yogesh Sharma a number of times at his shop.

Raids at the residence of Yogesh Sharma in Narela revealed that he, along with friend Shri Bhagwan, was missing since the murder. In several cities, the absconders managed to flee before the police could reached there.

Luckily, one suspect was in constant touch with his girlfriend in North-East district. With the surveillance of their conversation, they were finally apprehended from a rented flat in Kolkata. They had started a video game parlour with the looted booty of Rs 3.5 lakh from the shop.

The accused, Yogesh Sharma, allegedly confessed he had worked for few days at the shop of the deceased. During that period, his employer made sexual overtures towards him.

“Even though he left the job, the deceased used to call him up regularly. The deceased was in the habit of calling boys for oil massage. Yogesh also fell in the trap but he vowed vengeance against Sunder Lal Jain and was looking for an opportunity to take revenge,” said the DCP, North district, Sunil Garg.

He planned to kill Sunder Lal Jain with his friend Shri Bhagwan. On the day of the murder, when the deceased summoned Yogesh Sharma, he went with his friend. The two then stabbed the deceased, said the officer. 

New Delhi, October 28
In view of the three-day traders’ bandh from October 30, Delhi Government today announced that all schools in the national Capital would remain closed on Monday.

“As a precautionary measure, we have decided that all schools in Delhi will remain closed on Monday,” Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit told reporters after a meeting of the Group of Ministers on sealing issue.

The decision was taken on a direction given to Home Secretary, Mr V K Duggal, by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil at a meeting here yesterday to assess the law and order situation in view of the traders’ bandh.

Mr Patil had asked Mr Duggal to take charge of the law and order in view of the strike.

Asked about the remaining two days of the proposed bandh, she said any decision (by the government) would depend on the situation.—PTI 

New Delhi, October 28
The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) has announced certain preventive measures and forwarded information on certain food items to protect citizens from the dreaded dengue fever. All preventive measures are based on the Unani system of medicine.

The Director, CCRUM, said dengue, generally, spread during the summer and the monsoon. Citizens had been advised to use gulab jal, bed mishk, keora, kasni, gaozaban, nilofar, lemon, vinegar, pomegranate juice, tamarind, qurs-e-afasteen, qurs-e-karanjawa, qurs-e-zehr mohra, tiryaq-e-arba and ajwain in a certain quantity after consulting an expert on Unani medicine. Unani medicines are given once or twice a day.

These medicines have no side-effects. They make the temperature normal and maintain the platelet count also.

The dengue patients are advised to take lemon and vinegar in salad and with other food preparations. Plum is also good for them.

The patients should be served a light diet and avoid the use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. The patients should use “Sharbat Unnab” and “Sharbat Khaksi” to control fever. The excessive use of oral fluids, squashes and fruit juice is also good to avoid dehydration

Meanwhile, an MCD official said the onset of winter had brought about some respite from dengue but this had happened only after the mosquito menace claimed more than 50 lives.

The Municipal Health Officer, Dr N. K. Yadav, said a patient who had come from Madhya Pradesh for treatment died today. He was admitted to the hospital one week ago in a serious condition. Doctors on duty tried their best to save the patient’s life, he claimed.

He said a total of 2, 458 persons had been reported as suffering from dengue. Of them, 1,519 were from Delhi while the remaining were from other states. If patients reported to the hospital on time, they recovered. Sometimes, patients died due to lack of awareness.

Ten days ago, Islamuddin Ali died after battling dengue for five days at home. His family had no idea he had dengue fever. By the time they decided to hospitalise him, it was too late.

Another case was that of Mumtaz who also died of dengue due to lack of awareness, the Municipal Health Officer said. 

Gurgaon, October 28
The local municipal council has created a record of sorts by already mopping up Rs 2 crore of the target of Rs 6 crore towards house tax during the current financial year.

Sources at municipal council say Rs 2 crore has been recovered in record time. In fact, last year’s house tax arrears of Rs 40 lakh have also been collected.

Last year, the share of house tax was about Rs 5 crore of the total revenue of the elected body. This year, the target was raised to Rs 6 crore. The total budget of the council is Rs 37 crore.

Last year, the council was able to collect about Rs 4.5 crore as house tax.

According to municipal council sources, the body has been able to collect about Rs 1.7 crore as development charges this year out of the target of Rs 4 crore.

Significantly, the council, last year, collected about Rs 3.78 crore as development charges, while the target was Rs 2 crore. This year’s target for development charges has been raised to Rs 4 crore.

Municipal council officials says timely collection of the dues augured well as the proposed development works would now be taken as per the schedule. The council proposed, among other things, to spend Rs 13 crore on the repair and construction of roads and beautification of the city.

Noida, October 28
People who make more than one application for allotment of residential flats will land themselves in trouble. Noida Authority has decided to cancel the registration and forfeit the registration fee of those who fill more than one form for the allotment of flats.

Husband, wife or children of one family filing more than one application will particularly be monitored. Simple greed has driven people to get more flats allotted so that they can dispose them of later at profit.

All the applicants will have to give an undertaking that they do not already have a residential plot or flat allotted by Noida Authority in their name.

The manual draw for 2150 EWS, LIG, MIG and HIG flats will be taken out for those who undertake to make the full payment of the flat to Noida Authority within one month of allotment.

Draw will also be held for those who want to make payments in installment provided some flats are still left.

New Delhi, October 28
More than 28 per cent schoolchildren in the Capital have been found to be overweight with one-fourth of them at a risk of getting diabetes, heart disease, stroke and possible early death, a new study has cautioned.

“Obesity is the most important epidemic of the 21st century, which leads to the early onset of diabetes at 14 years instead of after 50 years”, said Mr Anoop Misra, Director and Head of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Department at Fortis Hospital here today.

For the past several years, Mr Misra has been part of a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology to study the incidence of obesity among schoolchildren.

The ongoing study has revealed that since 2004 there has been a 13 per cent rise in the incidence of obesity among teenagers between 14 and 18 years.

“About 28.9 per cent urban children in India have Syndrome X, which is one step away from diabetes and two steps away from heart disease”, said Mr Misra, adding, “These children also have a high risk for development of early heart disease since 13 to 25 per cent of them showed high levels of C-reactive protein, which is a robust predictor of future severe heart disease.”

New Delhi, October 28
Delhi government has signed a power purchase agreement with Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) for supply of power to the Capital from the Koteshwar Hydro Electric Power plant in Uttaranchal.

The Koteshwar plant being set up by the THDC in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttaranchal has an installed capacity of 400 MW, out of which Delhi’s allocation is 40 MW.

The plant is expected to be commissioned by 2009. — PTI

New Delhi, October 28
The Circle of Animal Lovers (CAL) organised an awareness programme on ‘safe Divali for animals’ between October 18 and 21.

Members and supporters of the group walked through different parts of the city to make people aware of dangers that loud fireworks pose for animals, said founder-chairperson of the group Irani Mukherjee.

CAL is one of the noted agencies in the Capital contributing to animal welfare by providing relief, treatment, animal birth control (ABC) and awareness campaigns in a significant way. Recently, it organized a vaccination program in GK-I and other parts of south Delhi.

It runs a large rehabilitation-cum-shelter for abandoned and other animals in village Zulakha, hospitals in Neb Sarai and an ABC center in Tughlakabad.

Gurgaon, October 28
The crime graph in the district has increased significantly compared to the corresponding period last year.

All heinous crimes such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, dacoity, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft have taken a major jump in the period.

As per the official record of the police department, 71 murders were reported in the district till October 21 this year compared to 60 incidents in the same period last year. Forty-eight cases were registered for attempt to murder while there were 31 cases last year.

Rape cases are 27 this year whereas there were 21 cases last year. There were 57 cases of kidnapping compared to just 18 cases last year.

The reported incidents of dacoity, robbery and burglary were 13, 54 and 420 while the figures were 5, 33 and 289 respectively last year.

The cases of theft took a quantum jump with 624 more cases compared to last year. There are 1,677 cases this year while there were 1,053 cases in 2005. A total number of 1,283 two-wheelers and four-wheelers were reportedly stolen from the district till October 21 this year while the figure was 801 last year. The cases of road accidents have also increased manifold.

There is also a gloomy picture as far as the recovery of stolen goods and solved cases is concerned. Out of the total 1,283 registered cases of vehicle thefts, only around 200 cases have been solved with the arrest of criminals. Out of the total 71 murders, 52 cases have been solved while 19 cases of murder are still untraceable.

Out of the total 54 cases of robbery, 39 cases have been solved with the arrest of criminals and recovery of goods. Fifteen cases are still not worked out.

A former general secretary of the District Bar Association commented that the police must concentrate on taking preventive measures to check crime in the district. Otherwise, Gurgaon’s image in particular and Haryana in general would be adversely affected, he warned.

However, the Senior Superintendent of Police said that the influx of migratory labourers was one of the major reasons for increasing crime.

He claimed that the crime graph has come down in the current year if it is studied in proportion to the increasing population of the district.

He said the district has a population of roughly 20 lakh in 2006 whereas it was around 15 lakh in 2005.

The SSP added that out of the total 71 incidents of murders in the district, 13 unidentified bodies were found in different parts of the district, thrown by the criminals operating in the neighbouring states. Except these 13 cases, all murders have been worked out and culprits arrested, claimed the officer.

He said that the local police had got around 34,000 forms of servants, helpers, maids, etc for verification. More people should come forward for verification, insisted the SSP, adding that the Gurgaon police would also have to verify around 10 lakh persons who belong to other parts of the country but stay and work here. 

Greater Noida, October 28
Six murders have taken place in Greater Noida and surrounding area in the last fortnight apart from the murder of lady doctor Renuka Khanolkar in posh Sector 21 Noida in a broad daylight over three weeks ago.

The murder of a security guard in a biscuit factory on October 10 at Bisarakh in Greater Noida has till today defied any solution though a number of suspects are in police custody. After registering a case against the second security guard, police have not been able to nab him.

On October 11 again, a security guard of a biscuit factory in Surajpur industrial area was killed by half a dozen armed criminals. The real perpetrators of these crimes are still beyond the reach of police.

In Sector Bita I, Greater Noida, under police station Kasna, an engineering student was killed in a park at midnight on October 14. A case was registered against seven persons, but not a single accused has been arrested even after a fortnight.

The family of the deceased has expressed unhappiness at the slow pace of police investigations.

A five-year-old boy was kidnapped and strangulated on October 17 under Surajpur police station. Only two days ago, an accused was arrested for this murder.

A week ago, the body of a person was found in the jungle of Amarpur village under Kasna police station. Somebody had slit his throat. The police have not yet identified the victim. Another person was stabbed to death under Jarcha police area three days ago. Apart from these murders, half a dozen incidents of loots are yet to be solved. The rising trend of crime and the spate of murders are being viewed as a sign of weakening of the police, its intelligence and investigative skills.

Ghaziabad, October 28
The police claimed to have shot dead a dreaded Meerut-based criminal, Sher Singh, alias Sheru, in an alleged encounter. Sher Singh carried a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head.

On Wednesday night, the police got information about certain criminals snatching cash and a car from two persons who had gone to see a relative admitted to a hospital. The criminals were from the Kalwa and Sagar Mullah gang, the police said.

Sher Singh had been giving a tough time to the police in Etah. SP (Rural) said that Surinder and Tarlok Chand of Bulandshahr were returning home after visiting a relative in hospital in Meerut on Wednesday around 1 am.

As their car reached Wagadpur village, a car overtook them and blocked their way. The criminals than looted their car, cellphone and cash at gunpoint. The SP said that on getting information about the incident, a DSP flashed a message on the wireless and ordered a combing operation in the area.

He claimed that the police went after the criminals, who started firing at them. The policemen fired back. During the exchange of fire, a criminal was shot dead while one of his accomplices escaped under cover of darkness. The SP said a diary found in a pocket of the clothes worn by the killed criminal identified him as Shera of Eta district. He carried a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head. He was wanted for a number of heinous crimes, he added.

Noida, October 28
Criminals intruded into the house of a timber contractor in Shahpur village under Sector 39 police station and decamped with cash, jewellery and valuables worth Rs 11 lakh on Friday night.

The criminals broke open the padlock of the room. The jewellery and valuables had been procured for the wedding of contractor’s daughter scheduled just after four days. The contractor and his family discovered the theft only in the morning and informed the police immediately.

Police inspected the spot and lifted some fingerprints. However, the police dogs lost smell of criminals and returned just after a few yards from the house. The police feel that the thieves knew well where these valuables had been kept. The police are looking for the painters who painted and renovated the house on the eve of Divali.

Dharamveer, the contractor, had recently finalized the arrangements for the wedding of his daughter. He had locked the gifts and valuables in a steel almirah kept in a room. His wife, children and sister live in the same house, but none could discern when the thieves had struck.

During October, Noida, has been rocked by several criminal incidents. On October 3, a Nepali domestic help had drugged Anil Walia and his wife in Sector 40 and decamped with valuables worth lakhs of rupees.

On October 15, a theft took place in the house of Indian Oil officer in Sector 62, Noida. On October 25, cash and jewellery were stolen from Jai Bhagawan’s house in Sector 8 and on October 26, IT engineer Raj Kumar’s house was broken into and Rs 1 lakh, a laptop and jewellery were stolen.

Bulandshahr, October 28
An accounts official has been suspended after a large number of voter identity cards were recovered from a heap of waste in Anup Shahr. He was suspended by the Additional District Magistrate (Finance) on a report given by the SDM. Orders have also been issued to file an FIR against the official, Shailender Kumar Sharma.

An assistant commissioner, entertainment tax, has also been suspended. He had to face the music for his failure to achieve the revenue targets.

The entertainment department had failed to achieve its targets for the past five years. This had annoyed the Entertainment Commissioner. Last year, Bulandshahr was at the bottom of revenue collection in the state. The Chief Secretary had expressed his displeasure about this a fortnight back. The assistant commissioner was transferred to another district but after a fortnight he managed to get posted back in Bulandshahr district.

A fortnight ago, a large number of photo-identity cards of voters were discovered from a heap of waste on the banks of the Ganga. — OC

Greater Noida, October 28
A worker was charred to death in an explosion of a gas cylinder in an oxygen factory in Surajpur industrial area here on Thursday night.

The explosion was so powerful that the factory building had shaken badly and the workers fled in panic.

The cylinder reportedly exploded due to excess gas.