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MCD proposes to adopt new age technologies
Traders form human chain outside NHRC
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RWAs protest against new policy of discoms
Angry mob sets police jeep afire after mishap
DDA penalized for ignoring plea under RTI Act
PFA call to stop cruelty against animals
Rapist of teenaged daughter to undergo DNA test
CGHS scam: CBI registers another FIR against Diwakar
Games 2010: DDA in dilemma over new hotels
Bigger version of Dilli Haat
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MCD proposes to adopt new age technologies
New Delhi, December 10 The recently-unveiled 2007-08 annual budget proposes to use new-age technologies to implement several new measures, including computerisation of salary payments and development of a software for financial management system that ensures control over its expenditures. The MCD envisages widening its tax net by targeting unregistered properties through Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping, which has already been used on a trial basis to streamline the civic body’s revenue collection. The civic body now plans to extend the Master Spatial Database (MSD) created using the GIS to all its zones now. Once implemented, each property would be given a unique number. Currently, the MCD has 7,32,115 properties under its tax net. Apart from this, a Global Positioning System (GPS) on the lines of the one existing in Chandni Chowk would be installed to track unauthorised advertisements across the city. Once it is introduced, the MCD will be able to detect all unauthorised
advertisements, which are creating huge revenue loss to the civic body. To ensure financial discipline in the civic body, the MCD plans to develop a software to monitor its daily financial transactions to ensure financial transparency. In the software, to be implemented in February next year, all accounting entries right from the beginning will be recorded on a real time basis. Apart from financial records, digitisation of municipal records are also on the cards in the next fiscal. Building department records including maps and layout plans, birth and death records from 1991 onwards and property tax system legacy records as well as self assessment forms will be digitised in the next fiscal year. The civic body also has an ambitious plan of developing workflow management system, legal system and land information system from next year. MCD has tied up with Microsoft India to provide computer training to about 12,600 teachers in a phased manner to help students learn computers at 1,381 of its schools. IT training for its personnel has also been planned so that dependency on outsourcing can be minimised. |
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Traders form human chain outside NHRC
New Delhi, December 10 Gathered under the umbrella of their apex body, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the protesting traders alleged infringement of their human rights and termed sealing as an act contrary to Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of United Nations of which India is one of the most vocal member. Raising slogans, the agitating traders belonging to more than 200 leading trade bodies of different parts of the Capital, demanded that the Union Government immediately put an end to the drive which they feel is the ‘cruelest act on mankind’ that is depriving the affected people of their livelihood and employment. “Unfortunately, the government, despite its solemn assurance made in Parliament to protect people of Delhi from sealing, is watching human devastation like a mute spectator”, a trader said. Condemning the sealing drive, the traders said it was very strange that in a democratic country “that prides itself in the cause of fundamental and human rights, exploitation and violation are at the peak. All pleadings are falling on deaf ears”. They also said that the prevailing scenario was unimaginable. The traders were haunted by the thought that they had violated the provisions of prevailing Master Plan though the said Master Plan had ‘lost its sanctity’. The trade leaders further said that urban, city, or town planning is the discipline of land use planning which deals with the physical, social, and economic development of metropolitan regions, municipalities and neighborhoods. Unfortunately, there was wide disparity between planning and ground realties. The traders claimed that sealing of business establishments was not the ultimate answer to the grave problem; rather, strenuous efforts are required for phased and planned development taking into consideration the ground realties and needs of the city and therefore status quo of business establishments as on December 31 is being advocated and for any kind of future commercialization, there should be adequate planning and stringent laws to make people adhered to such planning. The trade leaders, while lashing out at the political system and bureaucratic machinery, said that there was utter failure of governance at local level in Delhi. “The misdeeds of MCD and DDA in last more than 40 years is the ultimate result of present urban chaos and instead of reforming the ground realties, the traders were being made scapegoats,” traders lamented. |
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RWAs protest against new policy of discoms
New Delhi, December 10 Addressing the gathering, Raj Kishore Dimri of the Mayur Vihar Phase-III Residents’ Welfare Association said the move was yet another assault on the right to a decent life for the Capital’s citizens. “Now an honest man will have to suffer power cuts simply because his house is in an area which is surrounded by villages where illegal factories are being run or wires are being tapped,” he said. He further stated that Mayur Vihar Phase-III had been identified by the discoms as one of the areas where the losses are more than 50 per cent and hence it had been put on the ‘hit-list’ of the power companies. Decrying the ‘reign of terror’ spread by the discoms in Delhi, Maya Gada of the Karol Bagh Residents’ Welfare Association alleged that everybody knew there could be no theft without the connivance of politicians and the discom employees. “Then why punish an honest man?” asked Ms. Gada. R. L. Dua of the Rajendra Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said there was a complete consensus on the failure of the discoms and that all the citizens wanted termination of the discoms’ contracts. Accusing Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Power Minister Haroon Yusuf of advocating the cause of the discoms, a member of the Prasad Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said that the discoms were using force to intimidate customers and the government was turning a blind eye. He further raised questions about the fate of the old meters that were replaced as there was no record of it in the discoms’ balance sheets. Atul Goyal of West Delhi said there was more to the relationship between the government and the discoms than met the eye and that there should be an investigation in the entire deal that led to the privatisation of Delhi Vidyut
Board. — Agencies |
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Angry mob sets police jeep afire after mishap
Faridabad, December 10 Senior police officials, including the IG, Gurgaon Range, visited the spot to clear the traffic blockade at a village on the National Highway number two this evening. The first incident took place near Tigaon village in the Ballabgarh subdivision this morning when an unidentified vehicle crushed to death a villager who was going on a motorcycle. It is reported that several villagers assembled and protested against the late arrival of the police on the spot where the victim identified as Jagat Singh was killed and his body kept lying for about two hours. The protestors not only blocked the road, but they also set ablaze the jeep of the police. The SSP, M.S. Sheoran, however, claimed that the police had reached the spot as soon it was informed and the vehicle was burnt down by some anti-social elements. It is reported that the motorcyclist was on his way to a private hospital where his wife had been admitted for delivery. The woman, who was not told about the incident gave birth to a baby boy around 1 pm. The traffic blockade was lifted after about two hours, when the senior
officials reached there. A similar incident took place near Bhagola village of Palwal subdivision located on the National Highway. A dumper carrying some material ran over two boys going on a cycle around 2 pm. While one of the boys identified as Sanjay (13) was killed on the spot, his friend Ankit was seriously injured. The enraged villagers stopped the traffic on the main Mathura Road in protest against the incident. They also torched at least three dumper trucks and some other vehicles moving on the road. The blocking of traffic continued for about two hours forcing the senior officials to rush to the spot. The stand-off continued till about 5.30 pm and the officials who rushed there included the IG, Gurgaon Range. It may be recalled that several persons have been killed in the past two months in road accidents in the district, especially by the speeding trucks and dumpers. |
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DDA penalized for ignoring plea under RTI Act
New Delhi, December 10 Holding DDA guilty of taking a ‘dismissive attitude’, the CIC Bench headed by Chief Information Commissioner ordered it to deduct the fine amount from the salary of the erring PIO who did not give information regarding transfer of lease hold rights to the allottees of certain plots. “This information could have been provided within days of the application, instead of the months that it has taken,” it said, asking DDA to provide information in a week to applicant Pawan Kumar Jain. Terming the information sought by Jain as specific and simple, the CIC said last week that “The supply of the information cannot be circumvented by supplying a copy of the file, which in itself may or may not contain the information sought”. Considering the apology of the PIO that delay was caused due to heavy work pressure, the Commission said that “The admission makes the PIO liable to penalty... as per provisions of RTI Act”. Jain had submitted the application to the PIO on October 24 last year seeking information on the stage at which DDA transfers the lease hold and ownership rights to an allottee. He approached the DDA chief when no response was forthcoming, but this did not help. Eventually, he wrote to the CIC, which not only allowed his appeal but also penalised DDA for the delay and asked it to provide information in a week’s time. |
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PFA call to stop cruelty against animals
Gurgaon, December 10 He lamented that in the so-called modern civilized society, human beings continue to inflict cruelty on animals in various forms such as medical and other experiments on animals, farming, blood sports, and other forms of exploitation in their day-to-day life. The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights—that animals have a right to life free from deliberately inflicted pain, suffering, exploitation and death—has been signed by large and small organisations representing hundreds of thousands of people in n the UK, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA, revealed Mr Kadiyan. Being Indian NGOs are the signatories, it is the duty of the central and state governments also to protect the animals from exploitation, he added. |
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Rapist of teenaged daughter to undergo DNA test
New Delhi, December 10 “Keeping in view the allegations involved and as the accused is facing rape charges with his daughter, blood samples are allowed to be taken for the purposes of DNA test,” said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kamini Lau. Allowing the contention of the CBI that the accused’s blood sample was inevitable for the purposes of investigation into the rape charges, the court had last week asked the superintendent of Tihar Jail, where the accused is presently lodged, to make arrangements for the tests. Earlier, Delhi High Court had denied bail to Rampal, father of the victim, and sent him to judicial custody till December 23. The CBI had taken up the case after the High Court, taking into consideration her mother’s plea, had directed it to investigate into the incident of gang rape committed upon the minor. In the order dated September 18 this year, it had also asked the police to give the custody of the girl immediately to her mother and to take all necessary actions against the culprit as per law. Guddo, mother of the victim, had lodged an FIR with Sangam Vihar Police Station on May 3, accusing some unknown neighbours of kidnapping her daughter. After a preliminary enquiry was conducted into the matter, the shocking fact of involvement of girl’s father, Rampal, into the alleged offences of kidnap and rape had come to light and he was arrested by the police on September 9. |
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CGHS scam: CBI registers another FIR against Diwakar
New Delhi, December 10 Filing the FIR in a special court here last week, the agency said that a co-operative group housing society ‘Om CGHS Ltd’ was originally registered on August 23, 1982 and allegedly revived in the year 1998. Apart from Diwakar, the FIR named Gopal Bisht, a dealing assistant in RCS office, J S Sharma, Assistant Registrar, M Kandaswamy, an assistant grade officer, Gokul Chand Aggarwal, a dealing assistant and two other private persons. The FIR alleged that Diwakar, while working and posted as a public servant, abused his official position to revive Om CGHS Society. He entered into an alleged criminal conspiracy with Gokul Chand Aggarwal and some private persons to revive the defunct society on the basis of fake and forged documents, the FIR said. They also got the land allotted at a much lower price than the prevailing market rate, the FIR alleged. They forwarded the papers to Delhi Development Authority for allotment of the land, the CBI alleged in the FIR. |
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Celebrating the unbound free spirit, unfettered and liberated
Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 10 The exhibition will be showcased at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre from December 13 to 17. The exhibition is being visualized by Dr Alka Pande, art consultant and curator. The artist’s works in mixed media will comprise 20 oils and 15 water colours and charcoals. Preeti’s works initiate a dialogue with the viewer. The utopian world is represented largely in her works. Being a self-taught artist, she has always enjoyed a great freedom in style, technique and color palettes. An instinctive artist, she has thus enjoyed the liberty of experimenting with various mediums. A strong colour palette and a distinctive artist statement is what makes Preeti Varma an artist of mettle. Preeti Varma says, “I do not believe in Iconoclasm as a ‘destruction’ of religious icons and symbols. For me, Iconoclasm allows me to embrace universality as the operating thought. It is a conscious acceptance of continuity and oneness amidst a thousand beliefs in Theology… As my chain of thought, my work also falls into a continuous effort, a journey where an end has ample space for yet another beginning”. This exhibition attempts to celebrate the unbound free spirit, unfettered and liberated. Through Preeti’s works, we are drawn into a world that celebrates life in all its varied nuances. It is about the merging of the human spirit and the ‘one’. Concert to mark Indo-Israeli ties
The Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Embassy of Israel here are jointly organising a unique fusion concert by the renowned Israeli composer, pianist and conductor, Gil Shohat along with Akram Khan on the tabla at the Kamani Auditorium on December 17. The concert is being held on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Indo – Israel diplomatic relations. World of Memories
Vadehra Art Gallery is holding a solo exhibition of paintings – World of Memories by Madhvi Parekh from December 9 to January 2. Parekh returns to the Capital after a gap of five years with this ambitious exhibition that has 33 works in a range of mediums including reverse paintings on acrylic sheets, sculptures and serigraphs. The 68-year old-artist, born in Sanjaya village, Gujarat, began painting after her marriage to artist Manu Parekh. In a career spanning more than four decades, this self-taught artist has created a unique language combining folk art and child art and her own memories. In this series, she works with the new medium of reverse paintings, concentrating on the themes of goddesses and also on her own journeys to different countries. The paintings teem with narratives – the main protagonists have to share space with peripheral characters who are also equally actively telling their stories. Madhvi uses the wonderful spontaneity of folk art as can be seen in works like Flying Kali, Power of Shakti etc where goddesses don’t remain otherworldly figures but look like theatrical figures, like say a bahurupiya, enacting their given roles. The versatile sculptures titled Kalpavriksha I, II and III, made from combining materials like bamboo baskets and winnowers, have images painted on them as well. Echoing Life of Nature
The Indian Art Circle is showcasing the works of artist Kota Neelima at the Aparana Caur Art Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts and Literature here from December 8 through 14. Titled ‘The Echoing Life of Nature’, the exhibition was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Final Call
Noida-based Anant Art Centre is presenting ‘Final Call’, an exhibition of recent works by artist Sumedh Rajendran from December 15 to January 6 next year. Exhibition of drawings
Well-known artist Dr. Shivnath is holding an exhibition of his drawings at Lalit Kala Akademi from December 14 to 20. The exhibition will be on view at Gallery Number 3 of the Akademi. A celebration of peasantry
The Kumar Gallery is honouring K.S Kulkarni with a spectacular show of over forty ‘Important Works by K.S. Kulkarni’ that includes paintings in oil and acrylic & sculptures from December 9 to December 16. Founder member of Triveni Kala Sangam, K.S Kulkarni (1916-1994) is an internationally recognized name for his prolific art renderings. The world of Kulkarni is essentially the world of the Indian peasant, a world still throbbing to the drum-beats of the folk-dancers, swaying with rapture to the hypnotic melody of the shepherd’s flute, jogging along in the ancient bullock-cart. It is also a world which reveals the tensions and travails of the peasant, caught in the vortex of this fast-changing world yet stolidly withstanding its blows and buffets. |
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Games 2010: DDA in dilemma over new hotels
New Delhi, December 10 According to officials, the Capital is expected to play host to an estimated to 8,500 sports persons and 17,000 tourists during the Commonwealth Games 2010. With this condition put forward by the Organising Committee, the DDA is now treading carefully and hopes that the hotels it plans to construct near the Games Village can always be used by the foreign dignitaries affiliated with the games. A piece of land measuring five and a half hectares has already been earmarked for the purpose but the Request for Proposal (RPF) document is yet to be finalised. “The RPF would decide the nature of the hotels and hence costs. We might go for budget or economical hotels, all depending on the suggestions from our consultant,” a DDA official said. He said that the project would be a private-public partnership with builders constructing the hotels and then auctioning them once the games are over. |
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Bigger version of Dilli Haat
New Delhi, December 10 To be constructed on a 120-acre area, the tourist spot will be modelled on a similar site in Indonesia, and would have many features like water sports and cable cars to attract both domestic and foreign tourists, whose number is expected to increase in the run-up to and during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. ‘Mini India’, to be built in Khanjawala area of the Capital, will showcase different cultures from all states of the country and provide a prism view of India’s diversity to
tourists. — TNS |
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Wheelchairs distributed
Mewat, December 10 On the occasion, the state Health Minister Kartar Devi distributed wheel chairs to the
disabled. — TNS |
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