Imposter held New Delhi, January 3 The police today claimed to have arrested an imposter Ashwani Singh Sisodia (22) from Mayapuri, who is alleged of cheating people under the garb of an officer of Delhi Police. Singh hailing from Basti in UP was residing in Ashok Nagar here. Ashwani Singh Sisodia in police custody.— Tribune photo by Rajeev Tyagi

DJB unveils plan to clean Yamuna
Another Rs 3,000 cr is expected to be invested over a period of 5 to 6 years
New Delhi, January 3
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) today unveiled an innovative plan to clean the river Yamuna, envisaging reduction of pollution levels in its 22-kilometer-stretch from Wazirabad to Okhla, which accounts for a major proportion of the pollution load from various drains emptying in the river.

Residents of Sonia Vihar demonstrating against Delhi Government for ‘not carrying out development work’ in their area, at Raj Ghat in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Rajeev Tyagi

In winter, beware of silent killer at home
New Delhi, January 3
Each year, during the height of winters, carbon monoxide poisoning causes a large number of unintentional deaths in the Capital because of careless use of room heaters, charcoal “angithis” and gas stoves, says Dr Manish Mohil, Consultant, Internal Medicine, G. M. Modi Hospital.

Draw of lots held for DDA flats
New Delhi, January 3
The Delhi Development Authority successfully conducted a draw of lots for the DDA Housing Scheme-2006 today. Around 3,818 flats were allotted to various applicants at the draw held at 12 noon.

Poor citizens to get wheat, sugar, rice at lower rates
New Delhi, January 3
The Food and Supply Department of Delhi Government at a meeting held here today decided to supply wheat, sugar, rice and pulses to the residents who are below poverty line on concession rates.

Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri and Rajya Sabha MP Jaiprakash Aggarwal participating in Prakash Utsav celebration of Guru Govind Singh Ji- 10th Guru of Sikhs, organised by Vishwa Sanatan Dharma Parishad, at Kalika Temple in the Capital on Wednesday.  — A Tribune photograph

No fog, but it sure was chilly and windy
New Delhi, January 3
The cold wave, sweeping through the National Capital Territory of Delhi over the last few days, intensified with the mercury plummeting to six degree Celsius, one degree below normal, even as the fog abated this morning.

Insubordination fit ground for employee’s termination
New Delhi, January 3
Delhi High Court has held that insubordination and disobedience of superiors’ orders was a fit ground for termination of services of employees.

International exhibition on motorcycles
New Delhi, January 3
An international exhibition of motorbikes in India, BIKEX INDIA 2007 will be held at Prgati Maidan here from January 5 to January 7.

Pirated textbooks worth Rs 2.5 lakh seized, 2 held
New Delhi, January 3
With the arrest of Dev Kumar Gupta, a resident of Vaishali in Ghaziabad, and Nitin Verma, a resident of Parwana Road, the East Delhi police today claimed to have seized a large number of pirated textbooks of various subjects of CBSE and NCERT publications.

 

 

 

 

 

Gurgaon, January 3
The barbaric incident of Noida’s Nithari village where the complaints of 40 missing children during the last one year failed to “wake up” the police, has reminded the residents of Gurgaon of the gruesome ‘maxicab killings’ in which 26 persons were murdered by a gang of nine youths.

In Noida, several children were murdered by the two accused after being sexually abused, while in Gurgaon, the nine accused used to commit murders with the petty motive of robbery. The booty they used to get after the killings ranged from just Rs 2 to Rs 5,000.

“Both the incidents are great shame to the so-called modern civilised society,” said Mr Sunil Jain, whose 19-year-old son, Sachin Jain, was killed by the maxicab gang.

In Noida, Mulayam Singh Yadav government was quick to give a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the kith and kin of the victims to take “political advantage” as the assembly elections are round the corner. “But, on the other hand, the Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana did not bother to give any sort of relief to the affected families as there is no immediate election in the state,” lamented Mr Jain.

In Noida, there is a bee line of politicians belonging to the ruling as well as the opposition parties who visited the affected families, whereas in Gurgaon, no politician; neither local Member of Parliament, nor any minister nor MLA, except Indian National Lok Dal supreme Om Prakesh Chautala and his lieutenant in Gurgaon Gopi Chand Gehlot, found time to make visit to solace the affected families.

In Noida, five policemen of junior level were suspended for dereliction of duties after the exposure of the inhumane incident. However, in Gurgaon, no such action was taken against any police personnel after the arrest of the gang in November, rued the residents.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Gurgaon Range, Mr Mohinder Lal, was directed by Haryana Director General of Police Ranjiv Singh Dalal to investigate whether there were any linkage between these 26 murders. The IGP was also asked to look into the aspects as how the area SHO of the Bohdakala village where all nine accused belong to, failed to observe their criminal activities during the year.

The IGP would also suggest the steps and measures to be adopted by the police department to ensure that such type of incident does not occur in future. The nine accused allegedly used to give lift to the passenger in maxicab, strangulate their victims to death with the help of rope, electric wire, or belt before looting valuables and money from the bodies. Later, they used to dump the bodies in a gutter, lonely place or bush.

“The IGP’s failure in submitting his investigation report even after two months of the incident, clearly indicates that the senior officer was trying to defend his subordinates for unknown reasons,” alleged Mr Jain. The Chief Justice of India designate Mr Justice G Balakrishnan had called for a thorough probe into the Nithari incident and National Human Rights Commission had issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, to submit their reports within two weeks.

“But the senior most officials sitting at the helm of the affairs of the country have forgotten to take lessons from Gurgaon incident,” said Mr R S Kuntal, whose 17 years old son Pradeep Kuntal had been missing since 12 August, 06 from IFFCO crossing at National Highway no. 8, Gurgaon.

In both the cases, the police of both Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states did not bother to take the complaint of missing persons seriously through out the year 2006, observed Mr Kuntal.

“If the police had acted swiftly and tried to establish the linkage between missing persons, the figures of murdered persons in both states would have been very less,” he added.

The poor public transportation system remained the same and the masses were still forced to take lift in private vehicles even after two months of the incident, lamented Mr Jain. 

Noida, January 3
The two-member high level committee of UP government probing the Nithari killings on Wednesday met the parents of the victims to record their statements even as police have found that out of the 17-odd children killed, ten were girls.

Parents of eight of the children allegedly sexually abused and killed by Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli, who were given the compensation on Tuesday, met the Home Secretary Arun Kumar Singh and ADGP A C Sharma in Noida.

A senior police official said the state government panel comprising the Home Secretary and the ADGP recorded the statements of the parents.

The next of kin of the eight of the victims were given a compensation of Rs 12 lakh each on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, out of the 12 identified victims, ten are girls, SSP R K S Rathore told mediapersons.

He said one of the identified victims is Payal, a suspected commercial sex worker, probing whose kidnapping case police unearthed the skeletal remains in the main suspect Moninder Singh’s house in Sector 31.

Payal is the only adult victim among those identified so far, with all the other 11 victims being below the age of ten. The investigators have said Moninder Singh and his servant Surendra Koli sexually abused and killed children at the Sector 31 house.

DNA samples from the human remains have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Hyderabad for identification of the victims while forensic samples have been sent to the laboratory in Agra for determining the age, cause of death and other details.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar visited Nithari village. He demanded a CBI probe into the killings, saying police was not competent enough to handle the case.

He also said the families of the victims should be given at least Rs 10 lakh as compensation.

Holding the Mulayam Singh Yadav government’s “inability to maintain law and order” as being responsible for the killings, he said the government should resign on moral grounds. 

New Delhi, January 3
Despite timely notification of the Conditional Access System (CAS) in the Capital, its implementation in the Capital has been far from hitch-free.

Though the official deadline for its implementation was December 31, thousands of people were caught unawares as they watched their favourite TV channels go off air on December 30 itself.

Panic reigned supreme on Sunday morning , with cable operators besieged by frantic calls. Over the weekend, a number of connections have been installed by cable operators, but the shortfall continues.

Now, several cable operators are offering as many free-to-air channels as possible in the hope that customers will eventually demand set top boxes on their own.

However, the city stands divided between CAS and non-CAS areas. Most cable operators have divided signals, with one set for feeding free-to-air channels, and the other set for feeding pay channels only.

Moving across to the Capital, yes, the roll-out of CAS happened on the designated date. However, in South Delhi, in areas like Malviya Nagar, Kalkaji, Lodhi Road, Chitranjan Park, and Vasant Kunj, people watched their favorite channels, including STAR, Sony, and Zee suddenly go off their television screens.

Most of the action happened only afterwards, when people - realizing that they had not got set top boxes installed - started calling cable operators in desperation - asking them to restore the blanked-out channels.

There was utter confusion - what with so many couch potatoes having snuggled up in front of their TV sets in the hope of catching a good New Year Eve program.

Adding to the chaos were complaints from residents of Kalkaji that unscrupulous cable operators were trying to fleece them, asking them to shell out Rs 6 per pay channel instead of the prescribed Rs 5 per channel.

Of course, cable operators maintained that all these were teething troubles, and that they would be duly ironed out in the coming days.

Finally, in Kolkata, the scenario wasn’t too different. Many people were caught off-guard on New Year’s Eve, except that a regulation flashed over their TV screens, informing them that CAS was ultimately being implemented.

However, in Kolkata, several people complained of being provided old set top boxes at reduced rates by MSOs.

Apparently, these STBs had been manufactured way back in 2003, when authorities first thought of implementing CAS. Thereafter, the proposal got shelved, but the STBs remained - gathering dust since.

Many customers expressed the view that almost 75 percent of the STBs that had been provided to them were these very same ‘old’ models.

All said and done, a large chunk of customers just did not want to give up on their daily dose of saas-bahu soaps...—Agencies

Faridabad, January 3
There is a flood of hoarding and banners installed on roads and crossings by small time political leaders and activists extending New Year’s greetings in the district. Pasting posters on private and public buildings is an ongoing process. However, as per the Defacement of Public Property Act the activity is illegal.

Though putting banners and hoarding on roads like the National Highway has been banned, violators have found numerous ways to circumvent the rule. “Being a leader or an activist of a political party- especially the ruling party, it has been easy to overlook the apex court orders against the illegal publicity and defacement,” said a local social worker.

He added that the violation usually had gone unchecked due to various reasons. He claimed that dozens of hoarding and banners had appeared in various parts of the city in the past 15 days.

However, it is claimed that the motive of leaders behind putting such things was not to extend greetings but to project as an important leader. Moreover, it has been a trend that such a hoarding contains the photograph of an important leader of state or national level and a photograph of the person who gets the hoarding installed below it. It is interesting to learn that the size of the photograph of the person bringing such a hoarding was bigger than that of the national or state-level leader who is shown on the top.

“Public places like- bus stand, railway stations, mini-secretariat, district court complex, civil hospital and various crossings have been the victim of defacement and there has been no action on the part of district administration so far,” claimed Suresh Kaushik a resident of Sector 10 here. He added that advertisements and publicity material have often been put on private and public buildings and poles in residential areas by unscrupulous elements. 

New Delhi, January 3
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Delhi Government to send within a month its comments on media reports of employment of children in the national Capital despite a ban on child labour.

Taking suo motu cognisance of a report in a national daily on December 23, the Commission said that if the contents of the report were true, they raise serious issue of violation of human rights of children.

The news report based on a survey said that the Labour Department of the Delhi Government had not rescued even a single child from roadside restaurants or houses in the last two months. According to the report, the government was supposed to open 40 transition education centres (TECs) for rescued child labourers but no such centre had been opened.

The NHRC has also taken cognisance of another report in the same newspaper which said that no trained teacher for disabled was available in government schools in Delhi.

According to the report, only 800 of the 1,100 Delhi government schools admit children with special needs.

New Delhi, January 3
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today demanded that the Centre set up a ‘ministry of internal trade’, abolish central sales tax and come out with a pension scheme for tax-paying business people when they turn 60. It also sought a general amnesty from the ongoing sealing drive for traders in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

During a meeting with the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, the CAIT delegation also sought a merger of all commercial taxes and appointment of trade commissioners in all states. In a 12-point charter of demands, the delegation requested domestic trade should be protected from foreign direct investment.

In a separate memorandum, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal again raised concerns over the future of their business establishments in the light of the court orders to seal off commercial activities in residential zones of the Capital.

The confederation requested the minister’s intervention to ensure that the soon-to-be-released Delhi Master Plan addressed their concerns.

Mr Khandelwal claimed the draft Master Plan of Delhi 2021 had not spelled out any mechanism as to how the business establishments that existed in the Capital’s residential zones on December 31, 2005, would be regularised. He also opposed the move to impose conversion charges on such business establishments in the Capital.

He, however, said the traders would cooperate with the government in their move to set up parking facilities in commercial areas. He also sought a general amnesty for those facing sealing.

New Delhi, January 3
Opposition BJP in the MCD today deplored the Congress government’s alleged attempts to postpone municipal elections fearing “it’s sure defeat”.

Leader of Opposition in MCD, Mr Subhash Arya, in a press statement today said that the government had called a special session of the Legislative Assembly to amend the DMC Act. He said that the Urban Development Department in a notification had clarified that the MCD would comprise of maximum 134 and minimum 80 municipal councillors, while the power to decide the number of wards and delimitation vested with the Lt Governor and that of reservation and rotation of seats with the state election commissioner. – PTI 

New Delhi, December 3
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Legislative Assembly, Professor Jagdish Mukhi, today claimed that if the draft of Master Plan 2021 was implemented without making any changes, it would prove ‘disastrous’ for the city.

He said that the scheme for regularisation of unauthorised colonies without making any planning would not be better for the city.

He said that Master Plan draft recommended the reconstruction. He quoted the extract of the Master Plan, which said, “No unauthorised colony should be regularised without making its redevelopment and essential contingent condition. It must entail preparation of a mandatory re-development scheme whereby the old units are dismantled and new units are constructed so that integrated development takes places”.

He allleged that the scheme given in the Master Plan for regularising the un-authorised colonies simply showed the “in-solvency of the mind of planners”. The BJP would never allow this scheme to be passed and implemented at any cost and would oppose tooth and nail in the coming session of Assembly, he added.

The BJP would demand that all the unauthorised colonies be regularised without charging any amount accept for electricity, water and sewer fee as it was done during Jansangh regime in 1967, and in 1977 during Janta Government.

Professor Mukhi claimed that a year back Delhi Government had declared 17 residential colonies as industrial areas where 70 per cent or more land was being used for industries, but till date none of those 17 colonies had been approved as industrial areas, Draft Master Plan 2021 has put very harsh and hard conditions which were almost impossible to be complied with, it was a apparent that none of the 17 colonies would be approved as industrial area.

“Last year, Congress leaders had taken credit all around for declaring 17 colonies as industrial areas by putting long hoarding throughout the city, it was nothing else but to befool the public,” he alleged. 

New Delhi, January 3
The police today claimed to have arrested an imposter Ashwani Singh Sisodia (22) from Mayapuri, who is alleged of cheating people under the garb of an officer of Delhi Police. Singh hailing from Basti in UP was residing in Ashok Nagar here.

A uniform of Delhi Police, fake identity card, his photographs in police uniform, cheated amount and stuff purchased from the cheated amount have been recovered from his possession.

One Ram Kumar, a resident of Burari who is deployed as a security guard in a local factory, had reported that the accused claiming to be a Delhi Police officer cheated him to the tune of Rs 64,800.

He had added that the auction of lying vehicles was to be executed in Mayapuri police station. Accordingly, a deal was finalised for favourable auction of two cars and two motorcycles against a sum of Rs 64,800.

The complainant and his friend Naveen Grover paid Rs 64,800 for the vehicles, as per the deal. The accused had assured them that he was going to deposit the sum and would come back with the requisite papers. He reportedly, entered the premises of the police station and disappeared.

Following a tip off, he was apprehended. He allegedly revealed that he was earlier apprehended last year in Mangolpuri in the same case. Earlier, he used to work as a helper in a factory. Later, he purchased a uniform of Delhi Police from a shop in Kingsway Camp, after which he started to live like a police officer, claimed a police official.

New Delhi, January 3
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) today unveiled an innovative plan to clean the river Yamuna, envisaging reduction of pollution levels in its 22-kilometer-stretch from Wazirabad to Okhla, which accounts for a major proportion of the pollution load from various drains emptying in the river.

The plan, which has received basic approval from the Union Planning Commission, is based on the concept of interceptor sewers where the sewage emanating from smaller drains into three major drains in Nazafgarh, supplementary and Shahdara will be intercepted before it enters the bigger drains.

“From these interceptor sewers, the sewage will be conveyed to the nearest sewage treatment plants where they will be treated before flowing into the big drains,” the DJB CEO Mr Arun Mathur said while unveiling the plan.

Mr Mathur said the plan drawn up by the DJB also envisaged trapping of sewage from the remaining 13 drains, flowing into the Yamuna, in the Bela Road and Ring Road sewers from where they would be directed to the sewage treatment plants there, work on which is expected to be completed by December 2008.

Besides, the proposal also provides for augmenting the two already existing stops at Delhi Gate and Dr Sen Nursing Home drain to the desired level to equip them to treat sewage flowing from the two drains.

Mr Mathur said untreated waste water from approximately 1,500 unauthorised colonies and 1,080 slum and JJ clusters in Delhi accounted for a large part of pollution load entering through the small drains into the big drains and finally the river Yamuna.

“No meaningful result can be achieved in reducing pollution in the 22-km-stretch of the Yamuna from Wazirabad to the Okhla barrage unless action is initiated to put appropriate sewerage system in all unsewered areas, particularly the unauthorised colonies,” Mr Mathur said.

He said the attempt was to evolve a complete solution to the pollution of the river Yamuna.

“The advantage of the solution drawn up by the DJB is that treated effluent of the plants will not be retreated. Also, since drains are being trapped in the interceptor sewers it will take care of all unsewered areas as well as over flows from the existing system,” Mr Mathur said.

He said the plan would also enable optimum utilisation of the capacity of the present sewage treatment plants, which at present were not treating sewage as per their existing capacity.

A total investment of about Rs 3,000 crore was estimated on the proposal, over a period of five to six years, which was expected to bring about a nearly 80 per cent reduction in pollution levels in the Yamuna.

“If the support of all stakeholders, namely the MCD, the irrigation department and others, is forthcoming, we are hopeful of reducing pollution levels by as much as 80 per cent by 2010,” he said.

Mr Mathur said the DJB had made a presentation of the proposal before various authorities like the planning commission, the ministry of water resources and the Delhi Chief Minister.

“The planning commission has given its in principle approval to the project and has asked to draw up a detailed action plan in this regard. It has also promised some financial support from the project,” Mr Mathur said, adding the Delhi government had also promised to pitch in with support. 

New Delhi, January 3
Each year, during the height of winters, carbon monoxide poisoning causes a large number of unintentional deaths in the Capital because of careless use of room heaters, charcoal “angithis” and gas stoves, says Dr Manish Mohil, Consultant, Internal Medicine, G. M. Modi Hospital.

According to him, a large number of people are usually treated annually for carbon monoxide poisoning in hospital emergency rooms, but it is believed that many more are misdiagnosed or never seek medical care and just wait for the inevitable.

Tagged a silent killer gas, carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas present in combustion fumes, such as those produced by automobiles, small gasoline-powered engines, stoves, lanterns, room heaters, gas heaters, burning charcoal and wood and poorly functioning gas ranges or heating systems. Carbon monoxide from these sources can build up in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces, especially in cozy winter set-ups of rooms where prolonged exposure to the dreadful gas can poison individuals in winters, more so as people spend a lot of time indoors.

Infants, young children and the elderly are a group shown to be more susceptible to pollutants indoors during the chilly days of the winters. Dr Mohil suggests those suffering from chronic respiratory or cardiovascular illness or immune system diseases should take extra precautions as the pollutants indoors can prove fatal in such cases.

Worst still are those who light up charcoal grills in their houses, which enhance the production of the silent killer gas and intensify the chances of death due to its poisoning. “The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. High levels of carbon monoxide can even cause loss of consciousness and worse still, death. Unless suspected, carbon monoxide poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic other illnesses as well which often gets misdiagnosed”, says the medical expert.

New Delhi, January 3
The Delhi Development Authority successfully conducted a draw of lots for the DDA Housing Scheme-2006 today. Around 3,818 flats were allotted to various applicants at the draw held at 12 noon.

The draw of lots was held in the presence of the judges, Dr S. K. Gupta from IIT Delhi, Professor Maheshwari from IIT Delhi, Mr Acharya, Additional Secretary at Ministry of Urban Development, and Mr R. Subramanyam, engineering chief, PWD. The flats, apart from those for general category applicants, were also allotted under priority quota to the physically handicapped, ex-servicemen, war widows, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Some 200506 applications were received under the scheme, which was the highest number of applications received so far in any DDA scheme.

Further, 607 applications were found ineligible on various counts such as double application by a single person etc. Also, a total of 199899 applications were put into the draw and some 3,818 flats were allotted at Sarita Vihar, Dwarka, Motia Khan, Shalimar Bagh, Rohini, Modipur, Kalyan Vihar, Narela, Bindapur etc.

The result of this draw has been put up at the DDA website, www.dda.org. It has also been displayed at the ‘D’ block reception of Vikas Sadan. All flats are of two bedrooms and three bedrooms. The cost varies from Rs 13 lakh to Rs 55 lakh.

New Delhi, January 3
The Food and Supply Department of Delhi Government at a meeting held here today decided to supply wheat, sugar, rice and pulses to the residents who are below poverty line on concession rates.

The Food and Supply Minister, Mr Raj Kumar Chauhan, said that around 4.53 lakh citizens were living under poverty line.

The government has divided all such families in the categories of above poverty line, below poverty line, Antyodaya Anna Yojna and Annapurna.

The families of above poverty line will be given 12 kg wheat at the rate of Rs 6.80, rice 10 kg at the rate of Rs 9.

The families of below poverty line will be given 25 kg wheat at the rate of 4.65, rice 10 kg at the rate Rs 6.15 and 1.170 Kg sugar at the rate of Rs 13.50 kg.

The other poor people who were in the category of Antyodaya Anna Yojna would be given 25 kg wheat at the rate of Rs 2, rice 10 kg at the rate of Rs 3 and sugar at the rate of Rs 13.50, the minister said.