New Delhi, December 15
On the occasion of completion of eight years of Congress Government in the national Capital, Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, today reiterated her demand of merger of the MCD in the Delhi Government.

The Chief Minister said that the Delhi Government faced difficulty in completing various development projects, as several agencies had been entrusted to carry out such work. “The DDA is the owner of land and is responsible for building construction work. Besides, other agencies like MCD, NDMC, Cantonment Board, CPWD are also involved in various development work,” Ms Dikshit said, adding that multi-agency system hampered the pace of development in a state.

The Chief Minister said that Ashok Pradhan Committee constituted by the Central Government had also recommended to bring all these agencies under the Delhi Government.

She said that being the national Capital, students from all over the country came to Delhi for education. “A huge rush of students is witnessed in various universities of the Capital during admission time. As a result, students from Delhi suffer, as they do not get admission in good courses,” she said.

“Keeping this in mind, Delhi Government has acquired land to open a new university in the name of Dr B R Ambedkar”, the Chief Minister said.

Highlighting the achievements of the Congress government during the last eight years, the Chief Minister said that transport services, power, water and other basic amenities would be improved before Commonwealth Games 2010.

“The government is concentrating on the line to make Delhi a world class city. The government will constitute a committee in the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to monitor the development work. Some officials of the Central government will also be included in the committee,” she said.

Addressing a conference, she said that an emphasis was also being given on e-governance. A monitoring software had been installed at the Delhi Secretariat through which all the Cabinet Ministers could monitor the work of their department. They could also update work through the software, she added.

New Delhi, December 15
Twelve more resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have joined the indefinite strike called by their colleagues late on Thursday evening to protest the passage of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill passed by the Lok Sabha.

The legislation provides for 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in the Central government educational institutions.

Dr Binod Patro, former president of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association, told The Tribune that the association had planned to send a representation to the President in the coming week.

He claimed that doctors and students across the country had already started sending them messages expressing solidarity with their cause.

Dr Patro said that doctors from the Institute of Medical Sciences, Benaras Hindu University, Sawai Man Singh Hospital, Jaipur and students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur had sent messages to the RDA expressing solidarity with the cause.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union has also approached the agitating doctors at AIIMS for chalking out a programme.

Dr Patro said that resident doctors were attending to their work and the strike would not affect patient care in the nation’s premier health institute.

New Delhi, December 15
An association of academicians from the Delhi University has accused the UGC of arm twisting of DU colleges on the issue of reservation and finances.

This accusation follows the UGC’s stiff summoning of principals of all the DU colleges individually on December 13 and 14.

Dr S.A.A. Rathi, chairman of the Academics for Action and Development (AAD), alleged that the attempt had been to pressurise DU to implement the ‘controversial’ guidelines of the UGC on reservations in teaching positions overruling the university’s decisions in this regard.

Dr Rathi claimed that this act of UGC officials amounting to ‘commanding’ the administration of the DU colleges and bypassing university position on the matter was a ‘direct assault on the autonomy and authority of the university’ and grossly violated the DU Act, legislated by Parliament.

Earlier this year, a circular on UGC guidelines on reservations in teaching positions reached the university in July-August’ 06. Representatives of the AAD on September 12 had provided comprehensive documented evidence to the DU vice-chancellor, Mr. Deepak Pental, alleging that the new guidelines sent by the UGC not only go against its own earlier communication, but are also in violation of the Supreme Court judgement’s on the clubbing of posts in different disciplines as well as the 100-point roster of the DOPT on reservations. Dr Rathi further stated that, “On the basis of these documented arguments, the university does not accept and impose the UGC guidelines 2006 on colleges and university departments.”

The new 2006 UGC guidelines imply that all posts of lecturers, readers and professors in different departments of the university should be clubbed for the purpose of reservation and all future vacancies in the university or colleges should be filled up only by reserved category candidates till their number reaches the needed 22.5 per cent.

Dr Rathi pointed out that this meant that over a 1000 posts of current and future vacancies in DU departments and colleges would be filled only by reserved category candidates.

He urged the UGC not to overlook its earlier communication on the subject to DU – “to take a decision on the manner of implementation of the reservation by discipline, subject or department.” 

New Delhi, December 15
After failing to comply with the court’s order to complete the demolition of illegal constructions in the city, the DDA and the MCD were today asked by the Delhi High Court to file action taken reports before it by January 10.

“We are sorry to know that prompt actions are not taken by the DDA, the MCD, the Delhi Police and the NCT despite court orders and the action taken report was not filed by them on the stipulated time given by the Bench,” a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mukundakam Sharma and Ms Justice Rekha Sharma observed.

“Two meetings were held by all of them and the court was assured to comply with the order but nothing has been done so far,” the Bench said.

The court also directed the SHOs of areas concerned to file reports with the monitoring committee appointed by the court after the police headquarters failed to issue a circular to this effect.

“The SHOs of areas concerned will file reports pertaining to the number of illegal constructions in the area with the monitoring committee and a copy to be sent to the MCD Deputy Commissioners of their respective zone,” the court said.

The court also asked the DDA and the MCD to file an affidavit with regard to the demolition drive in Mal Colony, Budh Vihar and Bharat Nagar near New Friends Colony in South Delhi.

The court was hearing a PIL seeking direction to the MCD for demolition of illegal constructions in Delhi.

New Delhi, December 15
Delhi’s popular amusement destination, Fun and Food Village, is built partly on Lal Dora land and partly on agricultural land.

The MCD had issued a show-cause notice to Fun and Food Village under the provisions of the DMC Act as far as the construction on agricultural land was concerned, Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The popular eating and amusement joint was built on a seven-acre plot, four acres of which was within the Lal Dora area and three acres on agricultural land of Kapashera village, he said.

It was sealed as per the directions of the Supreme Court under the MCD’s sealing drive as it was located on an 80-feet-wide road.

The property was, however, later de-sealed after an affidavit was furnished by the owners as per the directions of the court-appointed monitoring committee.

New Delhi, December 15
Traders will form a “vigilance force” in the Capital to check further misuse of residential premises for business and urge people who want to open shops to move to space earmarked for commercial activities.

“There is a campaign that we are encouraging misuse of residential premises. So we have decided to form a vigilance force to check further illegal use,” Confederation of All India Traders secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal said.

He said the traders’ vigilance force, to be set up in all areas of the Capital, will also urge those who plan to open shops in residential areas to move to commercial areas.

“But there is a pre-condition. We can do it only for those planning to open new shops. The government has to regularise all shops that were existing before December 31, 2005,” he said.

Meanwhile, traders also organised a protest meeting in Palam in West Delhi.

Ghaziabad, December 15
Bhartiya Jan Shakti Party (BJSP) leader Sangh Priya Gautam today said that the BJP had lost its political credibility due to infighting among top leaders, including Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

“The second line leaders of the BJP have now been divided in groups of these two leaders,” he told reporters here.

Criticising Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for opposing the death sentence to Afzal Guru, he demanded that the Congress should remove Azad from his post. — PTI

New Delhi, December 15
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a notice to a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) asking him to furnish details of a marriage performed in his court last Monday.

Devender, the groom, had allegedly got married for the second time without seeking divorce from his first wife, who is a resident of Delhi, the notice said.

He also has a eight-year old daughter, it said. The SDM D P Singh said that Devender, in his oath, had stated that he was a bachelor. — PTI

New Delhi, December 15
The Indian Oil’s Panipat, Barauni and Mathura refineries were given Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Award and Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight award today for their successful efforts in the field of energy conservation. The annual award instituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas are evaluated by the Centre for High Technology (CHT).

The Union Minister of State and Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Dinesh Patel, gave away the awards for the year 2005-2006. — TNS

Faridabad, December 15
The Vigilance Cell of Haryana Police here has claimed that it had become more effective in carrying out its job in detecting and arresting government employees guilty of graft.

It said that 79 persons, including some senior officials, were arrested and 80 cases of corruption registered in the past one year in the region.

Only 52 cases had been registered in four years from 2001 to 2005, the SSP, Vigilance, Gurgaon division said.

The department has also made public the direct contact numbers of senior officials of the police and vigilance, including the Director-General of Police (DGP) of Haryana, besides setting up a toll-free number for lodging complaint against corrupt officers and employees.

The SSP, Vigilance, Gurgaon division, claimed here today that it was a significant achievement for the department that such a large number of raids were conducted and several officials booked under the Corruption Act.

The allegations that the dept had not taken action against senior officers did not hold true, he said, adding that even a simple complaint of corruption against any official was enough to take action and the department would not let down the complainant if the complaint was true.

He said for the first time, the government had also issued directions to hold the head of any office whose employee was caught taking bribe accountable.

Revealing that the maximum number of persons booked were from the police department, he said that six employees of the Revenue department had also been caught in a raid conducted a few months back.

In a recent case, the cell arrested nine persons working as agents for the office of the Transport department at Gurgaon and seized about Rs 80,000 taken as bribe from the clients, he said.

He said while only one of every three raids was successful, the department did not harass any person just on suspicion.

The departments whose employees had been caught by the cell in the past 11 months include the police, power supply, sales-tax, revenue, health HUDA, food and supply, fire, Zila Parishad, Wakf Board and Housing Board, besides some others, said the SSP.

The department visits rural areas on Wednesdays to create awareness among the people.

The toll-free number of the department is 18001802022. While the cell numbers of the DGP and the SSP vigilance are 09876795090 and 9818163970 respectively, added the SSP, Vigilance, Gurgaon division.

Gurgaon, December 15
Faced with rising incidents of theft and burglary, the police here have decided to take residents into confidence through representatives of various residents welfare associations (RWAs) and elected representatives.

The Inspector-General of Police, Gurgaon Range, Mr Mohinder Lal, today met representatives of RWAs, councillors of the local municipal council, sarpanches and panches of villages surrounding the city to solicit their cooperation in helping maintain law and order.

The authorities wanted to know the views of the people about policing in the city and deployment of police force for optimal use of the available manpower with the district police.

Recently, the government made 1,000 more personnel available to the district police force. According to official statistics, before the manpower was supplemented the strength of the force stood at 2,000.

Addressing people’s representatives, who were called for a direct interface with the police, the authorities made out a strong case for “neighbourhood watch scheme” and “warden scheme” on the part of residents in colonies. These two schemes will be voluntary.

The police authorities lamented they could not deploy personnel on every street and in all colonies. They pointed out districts in Delhi had much less geographical area but had manpower up to 5,000. Although the government was considering a proposal to get more manpower for the Gurgaon district police, till it happened it would be ideal if the public also joined hands with the police to tackle and prevent ugly incidents.

Greater Noida, December 15
The seizure of container full of dead and alive cows has made the people so angry that they torched the container in protest. A container with 19 live and 21 dead cows had been seized near Kulesra trade tax post.

The container was transporting 40 cows from Hissar Mandi in Haryana to Muradnagar in Ghaziabad allegedly for slaughter. The capture of the cows in container had so angered the people that they took out the cows, torched the container and jammed the road.

While driver, conductor and another person fled away from the spot, three others were thrashed by the villagers.

Three containers carrying cows were passing from Kulesra check post in the wee hours of morning yesterday. As one of the drivers applied sudden brake, some cows fell out from the vehicle. When people got the container opened, they saw dead and alive cows badly stuffed into it. As a crowd gathered there, three persons, including driver and conductor took to their heels. But three persons – Toufique, Mumtaz and Rukshad, all residents of Ghatiya village under Jadoli police station – inside the container were caught and badly beaten up by the crowd.

The traffic was jammed on Dadri-Noida Road for three hours. The police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

A report has been lodged against them in Jadoli police station under JP Nagar district.

They allegedly told the police that one Shaukeen, owner of the container, and a woman, Seema, had bought the cows.

The dead cows were buried along the bank of the Hindon River by the fire brigade department and police.

New Delhi, December 15
Fourteen years after the trial, a Delhi court has upheld the sentence of a DTC driver who was awarded six months’ rigorous imprisonment for rash and negligent driving, leading to the death of a woman in accident.

“Accused Lekh Ram failed to take care of the probable danger to the other users of the road, while overtaking from wrong side and thus hit motorcycle with his bus,” Additional Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court, Mr Narinder Kumar, said. The court upheld the sentence of six months’ rigorous imprisonment and Rs 2,000 fine of DTC driver Lekh Ram, finding him guilty under Sections 279 (rash driving), 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC.

Lekh Ram, driving a DTC bus in Tilak Nagar in West Delhi, has caused accident on March 26, 1992 to a motorcycle driven by one Nagendra Ghosh, causing injuries to his wife Neerja and nine-month-old son Parthasarthi.

The woman, later succumbed to her injuries, while the son who had also suffered severe injuries, remained admitted to a hospital for a long time.

The court also rejected the version of a defence witness who had recorded his statement in the complaint book of the bus at the time of accident and deposed that the motorcycle was hit by a white gypsy on the day. “A passenger in the bus wants the court to believe that he made a note in the book in respect of manner in which accident took place between a motorcycle and gypsy,” the court said, adding that it was not believable that any note was allowed to be given in the book regarding an accident, which had no concern with the DTC bus at all. 

Noida, December 15
The body of an MCA student of JP Institute in Sector 62, Noida, was recovered today from National Highway No 24, near the institute.

Amitesh Srivastava, who hailed from Gorakhpur, had gone missing on December 6. A report was lodged with the police in Sector 58 on December 8.

According to police, Amitesh had been living with a relative at Ashram in Delhi for the last two years.

There was much anguish among his friends and other students of the institute on the sad turn of events. — OC

Faridabad, December 15
The district police have nabbed four members of an inter-state gang of vehicle thieves. The arrested persons have admitted their involvement in at least 57 cases of thefts in Haryana and other states in the past few years. The stolen vehicles included trucks and trailers.

The gang was based in Mewat district and led by one Jaffru Badan Khan, a resident of Guraksar village.

The accused have been remanded in police custody till December 18.

According to the district SSP, the details of the gang and its involvement came to light after the police happened to pick up the four accused, who were nabbed on charges of hatching a criminal conspiracy. The other accused have been identified as Subbi, alias Rahul, of Guraksar, Umar of Radka and Dilshad of Sudaka.

It is claimed that they told the police that their gang had about 46 members from many villages of Mewat district and they had stolen or snatched trucks and other vehicles at gunpoint in several places in the state and other parts of the country.

The SSP said that the gang whose other members were still to be arrested had revealed the details of the cases of their involvement. The crime list includes 22 cases of theft of truck in Delhi.

While eight thefts were conducted in Faridabad, six took place in Rohtak, two in Bhiwani and one in Narnaul districts. The gang had also committed at least 15 thefts in Agra and Mathura districts of UP and two cases at Hyderabad.

The gang had disposed of the stolen vehicles and their parts in various places, including Mewat, Aligarh and Hyderabad. The gang leader Jaffru had been wanted in at least four cases booked in Faridabad district and a proclaimed offender for the past four years, said the police.

Police teams have been sent to various places, including Hyderabad and Mumbai, to get more details of the involvement of the gang.

Bulandshahr, December 15
The war between the gangs of Jaten Sirohi and Senserpal has resulted in death of over two dozen persons on both sides in Bulandshahr in the last decade of bloodshed.

In the fierce war between Jaten Sirohi and Senserpal gangs, Senserpal’s brother and Bibi Nagar’s block president Madanpal Sirohi was shot dead in a sensational manner on Sunday night.

The police who have recovered the car used in the murder have since raided a number of places in search of the killers.

This murder has made the Bulandshahr police quite jittery. The SSP and other senior officers with a large police posse have been camping in Bibi Nagar.

It was widely known that in view of the gang war, Madanpal could be a target of the rival gang. The bad blood between the gangs has persisted for ages, it seems.

On a single day in 2001, as many as nine persons had been killed while the son of Madanpal had been abducted. Though the boy was released by the kidnappers, the murder of Madanpal had fanned the embers of gang war in a big way.

It had started in 1993 when Jaten Sirohi’s mother was murdered. Sometime later, Jaten Sirohi’s brother Lokender was killed. The other gang retaliated with abduction and murder of Krishen Pradhan.

In 1997, Jaten Sirohi’s elder brother, Ravinder Sirohi along with his relatives was done to death in Hafizpur police station area.

Subsequently, both the gangs had been attacking each other. According to police, Jaten Sirohi gang members had killed five people in an attack in Senserpal’s house while another four were abducted and later done to death with sharp-edged weapons.

New Delhi, December 15
The police today claimed to have arrested two persons – Manish Kandhare (32) and Sushil Nanda (45), both residents of Janakpuri area, for duping several persons on the pretext of facilitating friendship with young and beautiful girls. Several credit cards issued on fictitious identity of different banks have been recovered from their possession.

Following a tip-off, they were apprehended near Vishal Cinema, Raja Garden. As many as 15 credit cards of various banks were allegedly recovered.

During interrogation, they revealed that they had started two friendship clubs namely Royal Friendship Club and Dashing Club. They would issue advertisements in different newspapers captioned ‘Man Chaha Dost Banao’.

Whenever anyone would contact them, they asked him to deposit Rs 3 to 5 thousand in their bank accounts. Once the money was deposited in the bank, they would immediately withdraw it and subsequently change their telephone numbers. They also used to blackmail their clients.

They had opened about 15 bank accounts in the different banks with different names.

The duo had also employed some girls, the police said.

New Delhi, December 15
The Narcotics Branch of Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a major drug peddling racket with the arrest of a walled city cocaine dealer along with a Connaught Place-based businessman staying in South Delhi for the purpose.

Information was received that a cocaine deal was to be struck near Modern School, Barakhamba Road, by a drug peddler named Istiak Ahmad alias Babu. A team of Narcotics Branch arrested Babu and his customer, Suresh Bajaj, who allegedly reached the spot in a Honda City car, red-handed. About 10 gm cocaine was allegedly recovered from Babu and 2 gm from Suresh Bajaj, which was given to him by Babu. The drugs and Honda city car were seized and a case was registered against the duo, the police said. — OC