New Delhi, November 1
In the wake of agitation by traders against the Supreme Court ordered sealing drive against illegal shops in residential areas in the Capital, the government asked for a halt on the drive to provide relief to the traders, especially those facing immediate threat of closure of their establishments.

The government decision seeking modification of the court order followed a similar plea being made by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and two weeks moratorium being sought by the apex court appointed Monitoring Committee overseeing the sealing drive.

While seeking to halt the sealing drive till a final decision is taken in the case of illegal shops, the government in a particular reference to 41,000-odd big shop owners who had filed affidavit giving undertakings to shift their shops and declined any relief by the Court in its September 29 order said they be treated on par with those given time to file undertaking till January 31 next year.

It has put the 41,000 traders in three categories – those operating from premises of less than 20 sq meters, estimated to be 9,000, those covered
under the notification of September 7 on mixed land use plan, who it said were about a few thousand and those who were asked to close their venture by January 31.

“These establishments claim that they are being put to hardship of having to cease their activities, despite being similarly placed as those premises in respect of which protection ahs been extended,” the government said.

The court had granted protection to small shop owners doing their business activities from less then 20 sq meters in residential areas with various trades clubbed in 22 categories by it.

The government said there was considerable distress among the traders that those who had filed the affidavits earlier, had not been saved from the closure. It also said that apart from the traders, several workers engaged by them would be rendered jobless.

“Such extension of relief by the court would prevent avoidable hardship to this category of persons including those wage earners who are dependent on these commercial establishments for their livelihood,” the government said.

New Delhi, November 1
Delhi Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit today offered to resign if the step would help in resolving the problem of sealing in the city.

Moving a resolution on the issue in the Delhi Assembly, she said “If mine and my MLAs’ resignation is a solution to the ongoing problem of sealing in the Capital, I have no hesitation in quitting the post”.

After a three-day debate on no-confidence motion moved by the BJP, Ms Dikshit spoke for the first time on the issue for almost 45 minutes, accusing the BJP of taking political mileage by instigating the protestors.

Pledging all support to the traders agitating against sealing drive, the Chief Minister urged the Union Government to move the Supreme Court to “suspend operation of its orders (sealing) till notification of the Delhi Master Plan-2021”.

Ms Dikshit had to move the resolution in the absence of the Opposition which had walked out from the House in protest against the government’s alleged failure to stop sealing in the city.

Expressing ‘grave’ concern over ‘prevailing fear, uncertainty and panic’ in large segments of the population arising from sealing drive ‘despite various enactments and notifications both by the Parliament and the Union Government’, she requested the Urban Development Ministry to finalise the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 at the earliest.

After of the defeat of no-confidence motion moved by the leader of the Opposition Mr Jagdish Mukhi, Ms Dikshit took a dig at the BJP for ‘wasting’ three days on talking on non-issues.

”Instead of giving us suggestions how to give respite to the affected traders, all the BJP could discuss was sealing for which we had already brought the resolution in the Assembly,” Ms Dikshit said.

The Chief Minister said that despite no role of the Delhi Government in sealing issue, “we have taken initiatives to ensure that the voice of the traders is heard by the Union Government”.

Trying to turn the table on the previous BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Ms Dikshit quoted a letter written by a former Union Urban Development Minister to MCD and DDA where he had said that the “menace of illegal encroachment/ unauthorised constructions in Delhi has been considered by the Government and it has been decided to eliminate this menace with firm hand”.

”The series of the problems were started by the NDA government and we are trying to sort it out,” said Dikshit while lashing out at the BJP for ‘ignoring’ their own misdeeds and raising the issue in the Parliament and accused it of shedding crocodile tears on the issue.

Seeking amendment in the resolution, NCP legislator Rambir Singh Bidhuri urged the Delhi Government to request the Union Government to bring the constitutional amendments on sealing under the Schedule nine to keep it out of the purview of the Supreme Court.—PTI 

New Delhi, November 1
Traders intensified their agitation after the announcement that sealing drive is to begin from Wednesday on the last day of the three-day bandh which threw normal life out of gear in Delhi.

Incidents of bus burning, roadblocks and demonstrations were reported from nearly all parts of the Capital. Protestors damaged many DTC buses in stone pelting in Vikas Marg. The agitating traders torched a DTC bus each in Shahdra and Ganesh Nagger. Raising anti-government slogans, the mob burnt effigies of Chief Minister at various intersections.

Paramilitary forces were deployed at Noida Crossing, Vikas Marg and Seelampur which were tense as traders staged huge demonstrations. Police lathi charged protestors to clear a roadblock at Noida Crossing, where traders and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) activists had blocked National Highway no. 24 and pelted stones at the security personnel.

During morning traffic was thrown out of gear and there were major jams at Vikas Marg, Nizamuddin Bridge, Malaviya Nagar, Mandavali Road, Jail Road, Raja Garden, Uttam Nagar as traders held demonstrations and rallies.

They stopped traffic by throwing wooden logs on road.

Thousands of traders participated in a rally in South Delhi, leading to jams in Malaviya Nagar, Hauz Khas, AIIMS Flyover and Lajpat Nagar.

Traffic was badly affected in various areas in Janakpuri, Tilak Nagar and Mayapuri.

Police and paramilitary forces were deployed at Seelampur in view of the September 20 violence. In Seelampur, around 2,000 traders formed a two km long human chain. The situation in the sensitive area was, however, reported to be peaceful and under control.

Meanwhile, most of the major markets remained closed today.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) claimed that medical practitioners also joined the agitation today, affecting health services. However, Delhi Medical Association (DMA) President, Dr K. K. Kapoor said emergency services would continue to be operational.

Meanwhile, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) said that DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma led a rally of traders from Malaviya Nagar to Lajpat Nagar in support of providing relief to traders from sealing. In another development, the Centre today said it was not desirable to carry out the sealing drive from tomorrow.

This decision was taken at a meeting of Group of Ministers (GoM) chaired by the Union Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Shivraj Patil. 

Faridabad, November 1
Certain individuals and companies install telecom and mobile phone towers atop the residential buildings seriously compromising the safety of the residents.

The failure of the authorities concerned to remove these illegal structures has made some residents serve a legal notice to the state government.

The authorities have been asked to ensure action against the defaulters in Faridabad and Gurgaon within a stipulated period.

The notice served by an advocate Mr Rajender P.Gautam on behalf of his clients, Mr Deepak Gupta and his wife Nimisha Gupta, among others, stated that despite the complaints lodged by his clients at various forums, the department concerned had not taken any action against the persons or companies involved in putting up telecom and mobile towers on the buildings in residential areas of both these cities.

It is stated that while the rules and regulations by the government do not permit installation of such towers on the residential buildings due to various factors, which include safety and health hazards, this activity had been going on due to the collusion of certain officials.

According to Mr Gupta and his wife Nimisha, residing in a builder flat in A-Block of Greenfield’s Colony of Faridabad, they had reported the matter of a tower being installed in May this year to the office of the DTP (Enforcement), a wing of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), but the officials concerned did not do anything till the tower was complete and started functioning.

The company Tata Teleservices had built the tower on the rooftop of the two-storeyed building.

They said it had been a constant source of noise pollution. Besides, it emitted unhealthy rays round the clock.

The complainants said that they could not even sleep properly and felt unsafe as the building was constantly shaken by its functioning which had also resulted in cracks in their flat.

Similarly, the complainant from Gurgaon has stated that even though he has been suffering from heart disease and has a brain tumour, the authorities have not removed the tower around his house despite his making several complainants.

It may be recalled that certain state governments have decided to check installation of such towers in residential areas.

While there have been several rules notified by the government vis-a-vis such towers, gross violation is noticed in a majority of the cases here.

Gurgaon, November 1
Two umbrella bodies of Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs), Gurgaon Citizens’ Council and the Federation of Residents’ Welfare Association of Urban Estate (FORWA), have formed a joint front to take on the issues of civic amenities with the government in a forceful manner.

In its first move, the Front has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, expressing concern over the functioning of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The president of the Gurgaon Citizens’ Council, Mr R.S.Rathee and the president of FORWA, Mr Dharam Sagar, claimed that the two bodies enjoy support of more than 50 RWAs. While the Council claims association of RWAs relating to new Gurgaon city areas, FORWA claims to have allegiance of RWAs of HUDA sectors falling in old Gurgaon city.

According to Mr Rathee, the need for coming together of the two umbrella bodies was to make it known to all concerned that the RWAs of Gurgaon were united on the issues afflicting the residents.

In the letter to Chief Minister, the Front has drawn his attention to sewerage, storm water drains, garbage disposal, rain water harvesting, need for uniform guidelines for occupation certificates, traffic management, Basai canal water supply, etc.

In the correspondence, the Front has alleged that the RWAs have been pursuing the issues for the past six months.

It further pointed out that the local HUDA office is given to ‘procrastination’ and ‘stalling’ all action. As a result, the city of Gurgaon wears a dilapidated look. Gurgaon is now a city of bad roads and traffic congestion, it added.

The Front also expressed concern at the lack of sanitation in the city. Lack of work on sewage lines has caused waste matter to collect at various places in the city, which has become a serious health hazard.

The Front has gone to the extent of charging the local administrator with lack of control over his staff which, the letter alleges, has adversely affected the development of Gurgaon.

Mr Dharam Sagar alleged that the office of Chief Administrator, HUDA, was also apathetic as a delegation of RWAs had met him on the issues without any result.

New Delhi, November 1
Delhi High Court has refused to recognise a compromise between a man accused of molestation and the complainant, holding that it was not a voluntary decision on the victim’s part as she was fed up with a trial court’s delay in disposing of her case.

Turning down their plea to quash the FIR, Justice A K Sikri said, “It was thus not a case where compromise is the result of free consent of the complainant. On my pertinent query that if the trial is expedited, would she still pursue this joint petition, she immediately responded by saying that in that eventuality, she would like to continue the proceedings.”

Instructing the trial court to conclude the trial within four months and fixing November 4 for recording the victim’s evidence and cross-examination, Sikri observed that the offence was non-compoundable and the court has to keep in mind that a crime is essentially a wrong against society.

The compounding of offence has the effect of acquittal, which cannot be maintained for serious offences, unless there are special features which outweigh the seriousness of the offence and the court feels that the interests of justice demand that the prosecution should not continue, said the court.

Sikri further observed, “It is unfortunate that the alleged victim, who otherwise wants to take the case to its logical conclusion, is forced by circumstances to enter into compromise and agree not to proceed further in the FIR.” —PTI

New Delhi, November 1
Following the rejection of his candidature for the post of school councillor, a contestant in JNU has sought legal reprieve.

Roji M John has moved the Delhi High Court, which has sent notices to the JNU administration and the Vice Chancellor. The NSUI had cried foul over the disqualification of two of their candidates for the post of school councillors.

The Election Committee has disqualified two candidates on the ground that they did not submit their resignation from the post of councillors before filing fresh nominations for re re-election to the same post.

“This is not a valid ground for disqualification as the rule says they can submit their resignation before the election, it does not say it has to be done before filing the nomination,” said Mathew Kuzhalanadan, NSUI activist and Ph.D. Scholar who represents Roji in the court.

“Rule 9 of the election rules issued by the EC reads that ‘no member of the Students’ Council can contest election unless he/she resigns his/her post in the previous council before election’, there is ambiguity regarding this rule as it requires us to give the resignation before the election. However the nomination was rejected on the ground that it was not done along with the nomination papers. If it is to be interpreted as the entire election process, EC has received the resignation of most members after the notification of election,” said Mathew Kuzhalanadan.

He said “our complaint to the EC explaining all this was rejected without any explanations. Left with no other option we approached the Delhi High Court with a writ petition challenging it”.

However, the Standing Council of the JNU argued that the election process has nothing to do with JNU and nowhere in the JNU statute has any reference to the student elections and JNUSU, it was pointed out.

“We produced before the court the Fee receipt that shows the money collected by the JNU administration towards ‘Student Union’ fee. Also we argued that since JNU provides all infrastructure and other facilities for the conduct of elections and the functioning of the JNUSU, it can not evade from its responsibility,” he said. Based on this the High Court has accepted the writ petition on file and ordered to send notice to the University officials and the Election Commission and to file the affidavit to this effect, Rogi said.

New Delhi, November 1
In two separate cases recently, BSES Enforcement Team unearthed power theft of over 550 KW, amounting to over Rs 2.5 crore in penalties. In the first case, theft amounting to nearly 310 KW of power was unearthed at Dhobi Ghat and in another, an illegal distributor was caught stealing and distributing over 250 KW of power at Thomson Road, Basti Railway Colony, near Ajmeri Gate.

Power theft of 310 KW was discovered at Dhobi Ghat, amounting to Rs 1.88 crore in penalties.

Expensive designer clothes, which one normally gives to one’s neighbourhood drycleaner for washing, drycleaning and ironing often end up being ironed and drycleaned using stolen electricity.

In this day and age, where everybody is trying to cut costs, can drycleaners and dhobis be far behind.

BSES unravelled this starting fact, during a raid at a Dhobi Ghat in Sat Nagar, Shanker Road.

The ‘dhobi’, Ashok Kumar, was found to be running a huge laundry establishment consisting of 70 presses, 20 hydrogen lamps and over 40 bulbs, spread in an area of over 1500 meters, but all this was running on stolen power. While, his sanctioned load was a measly 6 KW, the accused was found to be using nearly 310 KW of electricity hooked from a nearby BSES LV main to run his establishment.

According to people in the area, hotels, restaurants and other drycleaners in the area and elsewhere used to outsource their laundry work to Ashok Kumar.

A penalty of around Rs 1.88 crore is likely to be imposed on him.

A BSES Enforcement raid at T - 40 Thompson Road, Basti Railway Colony, unearthed power theft of over 250 KW.

Raja Ram Maurya was found to be stealing and illegally distributing over 250 KW of electricity to 150 residents with voters ID cards living in the area. “The accused used to charge a flat rate of Rs 50 per month from each of the residents in the area,” said a BSES official. A penalty of over Rs 60 lakh is likely to be levied against the accused.

New Delhi, November 1
After dengue and chikungunya, Delhiites are gearing up to fight respiratory ailments that are on the rise. Medical practitioners have cautioned against the rise in respiratory ailments, flu and asthma in the coming days.

“There are certain weather patterns that are known to cause problems for people with asthma. Winter is one of them. Cold air and nasal flu are major triggers of asthma,” said Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India, and Chairman Elect IMA Academy of Medical Specialities.

He said, “A large number of asthmatics are witnessing worsening in the condition these days. The change in season also puts one at risk of viral respiratory flu precipitating postnasal discharge and an asthmatic attack.”

“On inhaling a blast of cold air, the airways respond by going into bronchospasm (contraction of the airways, which causes them to get narrow). This is because of the severe temperature difference between the outside air and your airways. People who have exercise-induced asthma should be especially careful about exposure to cold, dry air,” Dr Aggarwal said.

He also pointed out that some medicines, such as aspirin, which is found in many cold remedies, might trigger asthma symptoms in a patient, thus countering the success of his or her current asthma treatment program.

Listing some steps that help in avoiding Winter Asthma Flare-ups, Dr Aggarwal said, “Wear a scarf or mask over nose and mouth and do not directly inhale blasts of cold air, exercise indoors on days when the air is particularly cold, dry. Use medication appropriately, and before beginning exercise”.

He also recommended “Keeping quick-relief rescue inhalers close.”

Noida, November 1
Two persons, including a woman were arrested at Ghori Vachhera village in Dadri in connection with a dowry death.

In Ghori Vachhera village, the body of a newlywed woman Vijay Kumari was found hanging from a ceiling fan a month ago. Five persons were named in the report lodged with the police by the parents of the deceased in this connection. They had alleged that their daughter had been ill-treated from the day one by her in-laws, including her husband who used to torture her for her failure to bring in more dowry.

Last night police arrested Muni Devi and Mahesh, two of the accused. The police are trying to nab the other three accused in the case.

In another incident, five persons were arrested from G.T. Road after a clash between some farmers, who were transporting paddy in two tractor trolleys and driver-cleaner of a UP roadway bus coming from the opposite direction. 

Noida, November 1
To promote her sari business, a woman entrepreneur took a loan of Rs 10 lakh from a bank against a house in Gandhi Nagar, New Delhi.

When the bank did not get the loan back, it investigated the matter and found that the woman had already procured loan against the same property. The bank has now lodged a complaint against the woman and her mother who had stood a guarantee for the loan. Police have started investigations.

Manager, Union Bank in Brahm Putra Market, Sector 29 Noida, has lodged a complaint in Sector 20 police station. Ms Vandana had procured the loan to promote her business. She had taken the Rs 10 lakh loan by hypothecating a property in Gandhi Nagar, Delhi. Her mother Mrs Rama Mishra had stood guarantee for this loan. Vandana had initially deposited the loan instalments with the bank, but after sometime she stopped doing so.

When the loanee could not be located for a few months, the bank initiated action for taking possession of the hypothecated house. The bank authorities were shocked to learn that the same property had been hypothecated by Vandana for an earlier loan also. The bank has now lodged an FIR with the police against the mother-daughter duo, Vandana and Rama Devi, for cheating it of Rs 10 lakh.

New Delhi, November 1
A Delhi court has sentenced a man to three-and-a-half years of rigorous imprisonment for stabbing his wife after she failed to fulfill his dowry demand.

“There is overwhelming evidence on record against the accused besides he has admitted his guilt,” Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Satnam Singh observed, convicting Malkiat Singh of stabbing his wife Jasbir Kaur for not bringing Rs 50,000 from her father three years ago.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 200 on the convict.

Earlier, the convict, a resident of Raghubir Nagar here, pleaded for a leniency in the case stating that he was extremely poor and would not harass his wife in future.

During the trial, the complainant Harbhajan Kaur, who is the victim’s sister-in-law, deposed that on the intervening night of April 29-30, 2003, Jasbir’s younger son Johri came rushing to her home and told her that his father had attacked his mother with a knife and a hammer.

The victim Jasbir Kaur testified that she lost her consciousness on the date of incident while sleeping in the house. When she regained her consciousness, she found herself in a hospital. She also admitted that the accused used to demand Rs 50,000 from her father.

“The son of the injured has made a strong incriminating statement against
his father,” the Judge Incharge, Rohini Courts noted convicting the accused under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 498 A (husband or relative subjecting wife to cruelty) of the IPC. 

Noida, November 1
Teams from 16 schools of Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad participated in the Inter- School English debate on “Gender Equality Still Remains a Farce in Today’s World. It is really a man’s world”.

Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida had organized the 4th S.N. Ganju Award for Excellence and the inter-school debate yesterday in memory of its first founder president, S.N. Ganju.

New Delhi, November 1
A workshop on “Nursery School Curriculum” was held at the Mushir Fatma Nursery School, at Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday.

This workshop on ‘Nursery Curriculum” was organized for the benefit of nursery teachers in small schools in the Jamia locality and was attended by teachers from a few schools in the vicinity like the Dev Samaj Modern School, New Era School, Cambridge School, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan and Jamia Millia Islamia School along with the M.F. Nursery School.

Experts on nursery and elementary education like Prof. Janki Rajan, Reader, Faculty of Education (former Director SCERT), Mrs. Rachna Kodesia, Director, Amity Centre for Educational Reasearch and Training, Dr. Jassi Ibrahim, Reader, Faculty of Education and Begum Jamal Fatima, retired teacher, Mushir Fatma Nursery School, were present at the workshop.

The workshop largely focused on two spheres of the nursery school curriculum for the age group 03-06 yrs. The advantages of the informal play-way method were stressed upon by experts rather then traditional old pattern nursery curriculum.

Emphasis was laid on helping children develop their creative faculties and lightly introducing certain subjects to them.

The Mushir Fatma Nursery School follows the ‘Play Way Method’ and its curriculum is geared towards encouraging the child develop in a wholesome atmosphere.

The second major area of focus was admission criteria. Mrs Parveen Khan, Director of the M F Nursery School commented on the subject saying that, “applications received every year are four to five times the number of seats offered in this school. However, some logic or decisive factor has to be utilized in the selection process. Although there is no formal test or interview conducted, yet we feel strongly that it is very necessary to meet the parents and the candidate to check the credentials of the parents and their approach towards the education of their child. This is why deciding the admission criterion has major significance in the decision-making.”

New Delhi, November 1
Giving a new dimension to road-rage in the Capital, the staff of two Blueline buses clashed with each other in the Shakarpur area of East Delhi on Tuesday evening. During the free-for-all, an effort was also made by one of the warring sides to set a bus on fire.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Delhi) Ajay Chaudhry said it all happened around 7-45 p.m. when one of the buses plying on route 85 blocked the way of the other. Subsequently the drivers and the conductors of both the buses entered into a heated argument blaming each other for not following the time schedule.

The arguments took a violent turn and in the ensuing fight, the windscreen of a bus was smashed.

The Delhi Fire Service said they received a call about a short circuit in one of the buses. However, on reaching the spot they found that an attempt had been made to set the bus afire.

According to police sources, the two buses had been racing against each other along the same route as they wanted to pick up as many passengers as possible. “We are registering a case against both the parties”.—PTI

New Delhi, November 1
The traffic police have issued instructions for vehicle owners and drivers, especially of the blueline buses, in the city not to play music at high volume or install DVD screens on their front panels.

In order to curb noise pollution, increase safety of motorists and to implement the rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, buses playing music at high volume and private cars using DVD screens in the front panel have been directed to remove such devices failing which strict legal action would be taken, a traffic police statement said.

The decision was taken following complaints that playing tape recorders and radios at a loud volume in buses was causing annoyance, nuisance and inconvenience to passengers and embarrassment and harassment to women passengers.