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‘Condition of kids a humanitarian emergency’
A year that saw rule of law being upheld in Capital |
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Noida proposal to cash in on sealing drive in Delhi
Officials in Catch 22 situation over yellow journalism
Congress trying to politicise delimitation issue, alleges BJP
Gang of robbers busted, 5 held
44 Tihar prisoners jumped parole in last 6 years, High Court told
Govt sits on clearance for air-conditioned cabs
Hooda govt criticised over Gurgaon
Traders on notified roads advised to register
Mystery surrounds teenaged girl’s death
Noted lawyer R K Jain passes away
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‘Condition of kids a humanitarian emergency’
New Delhi, December 21 Entitled ‘Focus on children under six,’ it highlights the pitiable condition of most children aged below six years and the need for balanced nutrition, health and pre-school education for them. The function was organised by ‘Citizens’ Initiative for Rights of Children Under Six'. Speakers at this programme included Planning Commission Vice-Chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen, Mr Sukhdeo Thorat, Ms Shanta Sinha, Ms Mina Swaminathan, Mr Jean Dreze and Ms Shabana Azmi. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ahluwalia said that the government was committed to a significant increase in financial allocation for ICDS in the 11th Five Year Plan. “It is clear the ICDS needs to be expanded substantially and the existing financial allocations are inadequate to provide for all children under six,” he said. On his part, Prof Amartya Sen said: "The current state of India's children reflects the complete failure of Indian democracy on this front and this constitutes a gross violation of human rights." The report reveals the state of India's children "is best described as a humanitarian emergency." The survey reveals that approximately half of India's children are undernourished, more then half suffer from anaemia and a similar proportion do not get immunisation. India has the highest proportion of undernourished children besides Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Nepal. The report emphasises on 'universalisation with quality' of the ICDS. This programme especially underlines the needs of children under six and is committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable sections within this age group. The universalisation of the ICDS is also mandatory under Supreme Court orders and is one of the core commitments of the common minimum programme of the UPA. A field survey conducted in May-June 2004 in six states is the basis for this report and preliminary results suggest the general performance of the ICDS is quite poor. However, the programme is not non-functional and has potential to improve children's dismal living conditions. |
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A year that saw rule of law being upheld in Capital
New Delhi, December 21 The agitation of traders against the sealing drive was particularly intense in the Seelampur area where the police resorted to firing in which five persons were killed and scores of vehicles burnt or destroyed. Consequently, the drive was put on hold for more than a month as the authorities cited tension and sensitive law and order situation as reasons to the apex court even as agitated traders threatened to intensify their agitation and decided to put political pressure by forming a vote bank. Concerned by the political fallout, the Centre hurriedly set up a GoM to look into the issue even as it sought to bring in a one-year moratorium on the sealing and demolition drives through the passage of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006. However, the SC struck down the Bill as unconstitutional and ordered the civic body to go continue with the sealing drive. The government then notified changes in the Delhi Master Plan to regularise commercial activities in residential areas. But the threat of sealing continued even for those 25,000-odd traders who had earlier filed affidavits promising to move out their businesses to commercial areas. The drive was resumed on November 8 under heavy security with the government once again seeking relief from the apex court for the 25,000-odd traders who were faced with the closure of their establishments. The court finally relented and deferred the sealing of these establishments till January 31, 2007, asking the traders to file fresh affidavits stating that the misuse of the premises had been stopped even as the Centre said it was expediting finalisation of the Delhi Master Plan for a permanent solution to the issue. Of course, for the average Delhiite, there were other niggling problems like traffic jams brought about by the annual trade fair at the Pragati Maidan, the continuing spat between the transport departments of the Delhi and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh which has left thousands of daily commuters frothing at the mouth finding other means of transportation and the perennial paucity of power and drinking water. And as if these were not enough, there was the threat of an epidemic of the deadly dengue and equally lethal chikungunya in the Capital thanks to the unsanitary conditions both in homes and in public places. |
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Noida proposal to cash in on sealing drive in Delhi
Noida, December 21 The scheme will be launched in Sectors 94 and 124 on Kalindi Kunj Road, the CEO of Noida Authority said here today. Apart from the commercial space for actual users, this office space will also cater to MNCs, which prefer to take posh buildings on rent than to build their own building complexes. Already many MNCs in Delhi and NCR are reportedly on the lookout for rental space. Scheme will be launched in a month in which multi-storey building complexes will be constructed. In another significant decision, the board decided that the bamboo and furniture market presently in Sectors 8 and 9 in the centre of Noida town will be shifted to Sector 62, where present traders will be offered a space of 6000 sq mtrs. The shops will be of the size of 8x3 mts with an area of 2 sq mts each. The space vacated by shifting of bamboo and furniture market will be utilized in developing a green belt on both sides of the road, Mr Saran said The design of city centre in Sector 25 A and 32 will be now assigned to well-known architect Charles Corea. The last design prepared by architect Kuldip Singh was 16 years old and therefore needed some changes. City Centre will have office buildings, shopping plazas, etc. The CEO said another important decision was a go-ahead for constructing 15 flyovers in Noida town for the smooth flow of traffic. The foundation stone of these will be laid on February 15. Nineteen duplex houses built at a cost of Rs 4.46 crore in Sector 108 have been converted into staff houses in another decision of the board. A long-pending demand of businessmen and industrialists for a display centre has also been approved, the CEO informed. Here entrepreneurs will be able to display their products and wares for their clients, including foreign customers. It will be developed in Sector 60. Trunk sewerage lines will be completed for Noida and Greater Noida on both sides of the Expresshighway, according to another decision. |
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Officials in Catch 22 situation over yellow journalism
Faridabad, December 21 According to available details, Bhupinder and Rajesh visited the SDM office on January 23 last year and contacted the office of tehsildar. Introducing themselves as 'journalists', they allegedly asked a patwari to give them money for the 'welfare of journalists', failing which, they allegedly threatened, they would publish a story on the 'irregularities' in the office. According to the concerned tehsildar, the patwari in question handed over Rs 1,000 to them, after which the two went to the room where photography for vehicle registration was being done. They raised an objection to the absence the Sub-Registrar there, and allegedly demanded a monthly payment of Rs 10,000, again for a 'fund for journalists'. They allegedly threatened to publicise the matter if the payment was not made within a week. The 'blackmailing' was brought to the notice of the SDM and local DSP, but no official cognizance was taken. Subsequently, the SDM office received a copy of the newspaper containing a newsreport about 'massive corruption' there and by the SDM himself. In response to their complaint to the CM, they were contacted by the district administration to depose before the ADC on October 6, but failed to do so. The duo appeared before the ADC only on November 20 and were asked to furnish proof of their allegations. They promised to appear on November 29 but did not show up, and instead submitted a complaint to the Press Council of India that they were being threatened and all the 'proof' had been snatched from them by the officials. There are reportedly several such individuals posing as 'journalists' who threaten district officials with an expose of their corruption to seek favours or even money. |
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Congress trying to politicise delimitation issue, alleges BJP
New Delhi, December 21 They also alleged that the Committee had been politicised, though it's an apolitical work and that this might delay the Municipal elections. The committee was constituted by the Lt. Governor of Delhi and its report was to be submitted to the office of Governor by the Union Urban Development Ministry. However, instead of submitting the report, the Ministry handed it over to the Union Law Ministry to "politicise" the issue, the leaders alleged. The Law Secretary, who belongs to Karala village in Mundka Assembly constituency, "raised some funny and absurd objections to the contents of the file", they added. |
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Gang of robbers busted, 5 held
New Delhi, December 21 Three days back, a burglary was committed in Heritage India Export House in Burari, in which Rs 3 lakh was stolen from the safe. On the basis of the statement of one of the guards deployed at the export house, a case was registered. During investigations, the police came to know that one of the contractors, namely Dilip, working with the export house, was absconding since the day of the incident. Dilip was apprehended and later at his instance, his other accomplices were also nabbed. However, their two other accomplices managed to escape taking the cover of darkness. During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to having committed the burglary to make easy money. Dilip had allegedly purchased a car and a motorcycle from his share of booty, the police said. |
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44 Tihar prisoners jumped parole in last 6 years, High Court told
New Delhi, December 21 The prisoners, all serving life sentences, jumped parole during the last six years and are still missing, the jail has informed the Delhi High Court in an affidavit. Tihar's authorities submitted the affidavit on December 19 following an order of the High Court on December 12 which wanted detailed information about prisoners who had jumped parole. These missing prisoners are all convicts in murder cases and had gone on parole at different times during the last six years, the authorities said in the affidavit to the court. They have not returned so far, they added. Earlier, hearing a case, Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Arun Suresh had ordered Tihar authorities to furnish details on what steps have been taken to get the convicts back to the prison. "We are told that there is no further coordination between the jail authorities and the police to find out whether steps have been taken to apprehend the convict," the court had stated in its order. "Under these circumstances, we would like to know what steps have taken by the concerned authorities to apprehend the present appellant," the court had asked. The jail writes to police authorities from time to time to arrest the missing prisoners, the jail's authorities replied in the affidavit. |
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Govt sits on clearance for air-conditioned cabs
New Delhi, December 21 Three companies - Metro Radio Cab Limited, Continental and Mega Corporation Limited - were issued transport licence by the department to run private air-conditioned taxis. They have purchased 200 taxis for the purpose and ran pillar to post to get CNG clearance. But the transport officials return files of transporters on different pretexts, sources said. The transporters purchased the taxis after the Transport Minister of Delhi, Mr Haroon Yusuf, made an announcement to run air-conditioned taxis in Delhi. A few weeks back, the minister had claimed that within a year at least 500 air-conditioned taxis would ply on Delhi roads to provide better and cheap transport to the local citizens as well as tourists, particularly foreigners. He had added that drivers of these taxis would be given knowledge of English language so that the foreign tourists could not face difficulty in communicating with them. He had also claimed that fare rate of the taxi would be Rs 15 per kilometer. The Minister estimated that there would be at least 10,000 taxis on Capital roads before Commonwealth Games 2010. A transporter said that having seen the attitude of the transport officials, it would be difficult to run such a large number of taxis till 2010. "The transport department is a dense of corruption. Even registration number of a vehicle cannot get without giving a bribe," he alleged. The Transport Commissioner could not be contacted even after efforts were made to seek his comments on the issue. |
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Hooda govt criticised over Gurgaon
Gurgaon, December 21 Tejpal Tanwar, elected as president of the district (rural) unit of the party, said that the law and order situation had deteriorated to such an extent that gunfire routinely erupted in the local court and undertrials are shot in police custody by members of rival gangs who were slugging out openly here. The BJP leader expressed 'no-confidence' in the pace of development in Gurgaon at present. The only ones who are happy appear to be property dealers, he said. The newly elected secretary of the Haryana BJP and a former party MP, Mrs Sudha Yadav said that the state unit would soon chart out a course of action to oppose the Congress government on various issues which were against the public interest. |
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Traders on notified roads advised to register
New Delhi, December 21 This decision was taken after a clarification was sought from the MCD Commissioner by a CAIT delegation yesterday. The Supreme Court had directed registration of such business establishments by December 31. Advising the affected traders to register with the MCD, the traders' association clarified that as per a public notice issued by the MCD, all business establishments except those located in A and B category colonies and measuring less than 20 sq mt carrying out business in 24 specified categories, would have to apply for registration by depositing Rs 1,000. Business establishments operating on ground floor on mixed land use streets and commercial establishments working on all floors on commercial streets would have to deposit Rs 1,000. Restaurants, guest houses, nursing homes etc would have to apply for registration by depositing a fee of Rs 500, while professionals would have to deposit Rs 250 with the MCD. The CAIT also advised owners of shops and offices operating in DDA flats to register themselves in keeping with the directive of the Municipal Commissioner yesterday at a meeting of the MCD Standing Committee. All registrations would be done through an online system for which MCD has prepared three different formats. |
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Mystery surrounds teenaged girl’s death
Noida, December 21 The girl was apparently found unconscious near Q Block of the complex around 4.30 am today by a security guard. When the security guard sprinkled some water on her face, she reportedly got up and walked a few steps, only to fall unconscious again. The Sector 20 police was informed and reached the spot only to find the girl dead. The girl's mother, Suman, told the police that her daughter was habitual of an early morning walk. She added that she seemed to have been suffering from depression. The body has been sent for an autopsy. |
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Noted lawyer R K Jain passes away
New Delhi, December 21 Jain (62), a senior advocate who was immensely popular in the legal fraternity and remained SCBA president for six terms, had gone to the Jain Teerth Sammend at Shikhar in Girdih district of Jharkhand with his family members, sources close to him said. They said after he complained of chest pain, he was alighted from the train at Aligarh at the early hours in the morning and taken to the Medical College hospital there. But he could not be saved. The body was brought here this evening and the cremation would take place at the Nigam Bodh Ghat tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., the sources said. The SCBA expressed heart felt condolence on the sad demise of Jain, who was ever ready to help poor and helpless litigants with limited resources to pay high fee of the high court and SClawyers. |
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Cold and foggy morning again
New Delhi, December 21 |
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