New Delhi, December 25
Some progress seems to have been finally made in measures to check the virulent spread of Lantana Camera, a fast-growing weed that has taken over millions of acres of deserted land all over the country.

The Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystem (CEMDE) under the School of Environment Studies in Delhi University claims to have developed a new way to deal with the menace, which involves cutting the plant from its roots and removing its ‘coppising zone’, usually buried inside the soil, which is crucial for the weed’s survival.

This was stated by Prof Emeritus C R Babu, director of the project, who said that for the plant to be successfully exterminated, the ‘coppising zone’ must be removed from the soil and the uprooted plant put upside down for a few days.

He pointed out that Lantana Camara was a toxic plant which had a significant negative impact on the surroundings since it destroys native plants.

The plant is originally native to South America, and was introduced as an ornamental plant in India by the Portuguese early in the 19th century.

Soon after, the weed began to spread its tentacles from gardens to barren land in tropical forests, sea coasts, high altitude areas, dry land and railway tracks all over the country.

Evidently, the most dangerous feature about the plant is that it destroys the native plants and changes the bio-diversity of the area. It also changes the soil’s characteristic features by changing its moisture level, eventually leading to the transformation of the entire habitat since the weed produces a large amount of toxic elements.

The CEMDE claims to have conducted extensive field tests at Puruna Pani in Orissa over the past three years as part of a project funded by Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, with successful results.

It seems that Uttaranchal’s Forest Department has also employed the technique successfully by restoring 1,000-odd hectares of land.

Some other states have reportedly expressed interest in adopting it. 

New Delhi, December 25
Traditional fervour and gaiety marked the celebration of Christmas today, the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ.

The celebrations began with midnight mass and prayers at various churches in the Capital, where large number of worshippers gathered.

Hundreds of Christians thronged the Sacred Heart Cathedral and Gole Dak Khana Church in the heart of the Capital at midnight for prayers and church. Cakes, bread and cookies were also distributed in churches which were bedecked with Christmas trees.

Commercial parts of the city wore a festive look on the occasion with shoppers descending on markets decorated with Christmas trees and replicas of snow-capped mountains to reflect the festive spirit of Christmas.

To ring in the spirit of Christmas, singing contests, painting competitions and rides with ‘Santa Claus’ for children were organised in many areas and markets during the day.

This included Appu Ghar at Pragati Maidan which hosted a dance competition for children and a special snow dance by ‘Santa Claus’ and a live concert by Punjabi pop singer Bhupi last night.

New Delhi, December 25
The President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, Vice President Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh have greeted people on the eve of Christmas, expressing hope that peace and goodwill would prevail in the country.

In a message, the President said, “As we celebrate Christmas this year, may the spirit and message of this beautiful festival flow into our hearts and minds so that the lamp of love, kindness and compassion glow in every person and peace and goodwill prevail in our midst. On this occasion, let us recall the life of Lord Jesus Christ with reverence,” he said.

Mr Shekhawat, in his message, said Jesus Christ showed people the path of love, compassion and tolerance, peace and righteousness, and his teachings have the power to provide answers to the problems faced by mankind.

Dr Manmohan Singh also extended warm greetings to the people, saying that Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, was an extremely joyous occasion not only for Christians, but the people of all faiths.

Exchange of gifts, greetings and other festivities not only reinforces the bonds within one’s immediate family but also in the community at large, he said.

“May the Christmas this year usher in peace, happiness and joy for all,” the Prime Minister added.—UNI

New Delhi, December 25
Chill in the air continued to put a dampened on Christmas celebration in the Capital even though mercury rose slightly from the season’s lowest of 6.1 degrees Celsius yesterday to 6.9 degrees C.

Another chilly morning greeted Delhiites as they participated in the mid-night mass in various churches here. Though the minimum temperature rose to 6.9 degrees C, it was still one degree below normal.

The spokesperson of the Airports Authority of India reported the visibility level at the international airport as normal with no flight delays due to fog.

Though the coming days could witness a slight rise in the minimum temperature, the end of the week could reportedly witness a further fall in night temperatures with weatherman forecasting a fresh phase of snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal and rain in Punjab and Haryana.

Moreover, weatherman has also predicted a fall in night temperature over plains of North-West India in the post-Christmas period.

The Met office has forecast mainly a clear sky in the city during the next 24 hours with possibility of the development of cloudy conditions by evening or night.

They have also forecast slight fog or mist during the morning.

New Delhi, December 25
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have encroached upon 22.15 acres of land acquired by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for setting up a hospital. This was stated in a report tabled by the Municipal Commissioner, Mr A. K. Nigam before the civic body’s Standing Committee.

The Municipal Commissioner tabled the report before the committee after members of the House demanded details of land owned by the MCD.

As per the report, besides DDA and CRPF, a few other govt agencies and a large number of individuals have encroached upon land worth thousands of crores of rupees.

The report pointed out that a 22.15 acre plot in Mehrauli of South Delhi acquired for establishing a hospital has been ‘completely’ occupied by CRPF and DDA illegally.

While the paramilitary force is occupying 11.80 acres, DDA flats occupy the remaining 10.33 acre land, which is under the jurisdiction of the Land and Estate Department of the civic body, it mentions.

One hundred thirty bighas of land in Samlakha village, allotted for shops and some petrol pumps, have also been completely encroached by slum dwellers, the report said.

The acquisition of the land had run into rough weather earlier when some villagers approached the court and most of the plots could not be handed over to the allottees.

Responding to the accusation, the CRPF, however, strongly denied having possession of any land belonging to the MCD.

Senior DDA officials refused to comment on the issue saying they had not received any communication in this regard from the civic body.

One hundred thirty bighas of land in Samlakha village, allotted for shops and some petrol pumps, have also been completely encroached by slum dwellers, the report said.

The acquisition of the land had run into rough weather earlier when some villagers approached the court and most of the plots could not be handed over to the allottees. 

New Delhi, December 25
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today announced that the govt would organise ‘mobile exhibitions’ on power in Delhi to provide a platform for people to become aware about ways and means of energy conservation and the ‘benefits’ of ‘power reforms’ during the last six years.

She disclosed this while distributing awards to the best stall and second best stall at a five-day exhibition on ‘Showcasing Delhi in Power Sector’ at Pragati Maidan.

Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf, Delhi Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Chief Secretary Ramesh Narayanswami, Principal Secretary (Power) and CMD Delhi Transco Limited Rakesh Mehta were also present in the function in which NDPL was awarded first prize.

Addressing the gathering, Ms Dikshit appreciated the efforts of discoms in organising such an exhibition.

She claimed that Delhi was on its way to become a power surplus state as it would have around 8,000 MW power supply at its disposal by 2010 when it would host Commonwealth Games. “This would also make Delhi a powerful state,” she said.

She also exhorted people to adopt Solar Water Heaters in the domestic sector since they are being subsidised to the tune of Rs 6,000.

She further requested people to render ‘constructive contribution’ to the recently setup Public Grievance Cell, which would look after consumer complaints regarding faulty meters etc. “This would go a long way in handling the public complaints most effectively,” she said.

Ms Dikshit appreciated the role of consumers in bringing down power theft from 58 per cent to 33 per cent which has received acclaim at various national and international levels. Delhi has been ranked first (2003-04), third (2004-05) and third (2005-06) among the states in a report titled ‘Power Sector Rating’ by ICRA and CRISIL, she said. Delhi was also winner of India-Tech Excellence Award in the year 2002, 2004 and 2005, while Economic Survey 2005 praised Delhi’s power sector reforms, she declared.

New Delhi, December 25
The city government’s plan to rehabilitate slum dwellers through the multi-purpose housing societies have run into a stumbling block with the Registrar of Cooperative Housing refusing to verify the members.

In fact, the slum department and registrar officials have developed cold feet on the issue of verifying the slum residents as a member of the societies to enable them to get flats at concessional rates and are passing the buck to each other. To begin with, though the officials of the Slum Department have sent a list of slum dwellers “eligible” for membership to the registrar, it has washed its hand off as far as identification criteria is concerned.

“The slum department has handed a list of prospective members to the registrar with a caution that it has nothing to do with the verification. Thus, verification is now responsibility of the Registrar of Cooperatives,” said Vijay Singh Lochav, member of multi-purpose housing societies of slum dwellers.

However, Delhi Registrar of Cooperatives Societies, which is already reeling under the multi-crore CGHS scam, is adopting a precautionary mode. It categorically said at a meeting held last week among the members of the committee set up to facilitate setting up of societies, that its job was to provide documents to the list of members verified by the slum department.

New Delhi, December 25
The South district police today claimed to have arrested three persons – Naim, Rajesh and Rajesh — while they were allegedly planning to commit a dacoity in C. R. Park area.

One loaded country made pistol, one button actuated knife and one iron rod were allegedly recovered from them.

They were apprehended near Kalka Public School after a tip-off.

Two of their accomplices, Raju and Teja, managed to escape taking the ‘cover of darkness’. Four robbed mobile phones were also recovered from them.

In another development, the same district police claimed to have worked out 28 cases of auto thefts with the arrest of two persons – Shahid and Atiq — from Malviya Nagar area. Ten stolen vehicles have allegedly been recovered at their instance. 32 gm of a narcotic was also recovered from their possession, said a police officer.

New Delhi, December 25
The dramatic Rahul Mahajan drug abuse saga, the violent anti-sealing and quota protests hogged the crime scene in the Capital this year.

A story that hit the headlines was the late-night hospitalisation of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s son Rahul in a critical condition and death of his aide Vivek Moitra due to alleged drug overdose.

New Delhi, December 25
A function, ‘Surajmal Samark Shiksha Sanstha’, was held in East Delhi today to commemorate on the occasion of his martyrdom day.

Among others, it was attended by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who described Maharaja Suraj Mal as a brave warrior, seasoned politician and a farsighted man of religious ideology who believed in the welfare of the common man.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that Maharaja Surajmal was the saviour of Jat community culture and protected society from various ill effects of alien cultures.

“He had tried his utmost to protect the unity and integrity of the country from foreign invaders. He brought Indian society in a unison which in itself was an example of unity. The major achievement of Maharaja Surajmal in the Indian history was that he brought the Jat community under one banner,” Mr Hooda said.

The Chief Minister said that the word Jat was not just a caste or creed but a symbol of “justice and truth”.

Paying rich tributes to Maharaja Surajmal, Mr Hooda advised the coming generations to follow the path as shown by Maharaja Surajmal.

“We should impart quality education to the youth in accordance with the high ideals of Maharaja Surajmal, which would go a long way in accelerating the pace of progress of the country,” he said.

He also highlighted the progress made by Haryana in imparting quality education to youth, saying that there was a proposal to set up ‘Rajiv Gandhi Education City’ where 25 per cent seats would be reserved for residents of Haryana. Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Science and Technology University is being developed on the pattern of IIT at Murthal in Sonepat district where an amount of Rs 75 crore would be spent. Besides, an exclusive university for women at Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat will be opened.

Faridabad, December 25
Haryana Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda has invited leaders of state government employees organizations for talks regarding pending issues and problems concerning the staff on January 9.

Claiming this, Mr Subhash Lamba, spokesperson of the Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Haryana (SKS), said here today that the majority of over 3.25 lakh government employees in Haryana had been on a warpath for several years with the state government for its ‘failure’ to address their issues, often leading to disruption of services due to staff agitation.

This is perhaps the third time when Mr Hooda has expressed interest in meeting the employees’ unions since taking over the reins of the state in March, 2005.

According to SKS and Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh, leading employees’ organizations, the state would have made progress in development if the government had not adopted an ‘anti-staff’ attitude over the past few decades.

Haryana govt had focused more on privatization and retrenchment policy rather than address problems faced by govt staff’s in a proper manner.

Mr Lamba contended that the Congress had come to power in the state due to their support after ousting the Chautala regime. Despite the promises made before and after the elections results, however, the govt had failed to solve their problems, he added, obliging them to take to agitation and protests. He said perhaps this was the reason that the impact of the recent nationwide strike of the government employees on December 14 was maximum in Haryana.

He added that the executive committee of the SKS which met at Hisar on December 24 and 25 had finalized the issues to be taken up at the meeting with the CM.

According to union leaders, the results of earlier two meetings had not been positive since the government failed to show a change in its ongoing policies and continued to encourage privatization and outsourcing of services of government departments, the main cause of resentment among govt staff.

It is stated that while the workload in various departments had grown up considerably due to retirement of staff in the past two decades, the government had not recruited a single employee on regular basis, leading to a crunch of employees and falling standards of services.

Blaming the bureaucracy and certain top rung of officials in the government, the SKS leaders claimed that their ‘mismanagement’ kept many issues pending.

The demands still to be met include reinstatement of the retrenched staff, withdrawal of the charges and suspension orders of the employees especially the drivers and conductors of Haryana Roadways who took part in the recent strike, regularization of daily wage and part-time employees, raise in various allowances, pension scheme for all and reimplementation of the Ex-gratia policy for staff besides the giving up the privatization policy completely.