New Delhi, January 23
The airspace over the Capital will be closed for a few hours in the morning and anti-aircraft guns trained skywards to target any unknown airborne object as part of tight security for this year’s Republic Day celebrations on Friday.

There will be more than a dozen fighter aircraft poised to take off from Palam and other nearby airbase in case of any eventuality.

Nearly as many anti-aircraft guns will be installed at undisclosed locations all over India Gate and Raj Path, the main venue of the national parade.

More than 26,000 security personnel will man the 12-km route from Vijay Chowk to Red Fort for the parade that showcases India’s military might, economic prowess and cultural diversity.

Security personnel, including those from the Delhi Police and the military, are leaving no stone unturned.

While the Indian Air Force (IAF) will revise its standard operation procedure to ensure an air space security canopy, the police will erect an impregnable security shield at India Gate, as well as the entire stretch of the parade route.

Apart from the Delhi Police, various paramilitary forces, including the elite National Security Guards, would be deployed along the parade route, said a senior police officer.

With important dignitaries like President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the chief guest of the occasion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several other VIPs watching the celebrations, the maximum concentration of security personnel will be close to India Gate.

The short distance of 4 km from Vijay Chowk to Tilak Marg has been divided into 12 sectors, with each sector of less than 300 metres placed under the control of a DCP rank officer.

With reports that some militants had sneaked into the Capital to target Congress president Sonia Gandhi, security and intelligence agencies are taking no chances.

The security arrangements have been reviewed several times at meetings of the Home and Defence Ministries as well as intelligence agencies.

In the wake of reports that terrorist outfits might try to hijack an Indian plane to force the release of Parliament terror attack convict Afzal Guru, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has directed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to remain on high alert at all major airports.

The Army had carried out mine-proofing of the Vijay Chowk lawns before handling it to the Delhi Police, which had pressed their sniffer dog squad to sniff out possible hidden explosives.

Besides erecting barricades along the parade route, policemen would be deployed on rooftops to keep a bird’s eye view on every movement, said the officer. 

New Delhi, January 23
Delhi University student Priyadarshani Mattoo rape and murder case convict Santosh Kumar Singh, awarded death sentence by the Delhi High Court, has moved an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Singh, son of a retired DGP and a practising lawyer, moved the appeal almost three months after his order of acquittal by a sessions judge six years ago was reversed by the high court.

He was found guilty of the rape and murder of Mattoo, a fellow law student with him in Delhi University.

New Delhi, January 23
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) has come up with a fresh charter of demands approved by the last general body meeting (GBM) held on January 18. Some significant demands include the setting up of a UGC pay committee for revision of pay scales in continuation with the Sixth Central Pay Commission and parity of pay scales with IIT/IIM faculty. The association also wants the re-employment of all retiring teachers up to the age of 65 till the implementation of the MHRD/UGC proposal for enhancing the retirement age to 65 in central universities. Then, promotion under CAS and the re-employment process should begin six months to one year in advance and be completed within reasonable time.

The JNUTA is emphasising the need for improvement in existing healthcare with the addition of facilities for alternative medicines and lab and the adoption of IIT model for a full-fledged hospital and a more viable healthcare scheme with medical facilities for all serving and retired faculty.

It also wants one master priority list for house allotment, names to be entered at the entry point, construction of more Type IV and V houses and the addition of at least five houses in each category every year.

The other demands include strengthening the public transport system on the campus by restoring the university bus to Teen Murti and Sapru House and getting more DTC buses to Jamia Millia and Delhi University, connecting RK Puram, AIIMS, ITO etc. 

New Delhi, January 23
Head Constable Balender Singh, the prosecution witness who identified the murderer of bandit queen-turned-parliamentarian Phoolan Devi before a local court on January 19, has prayed for providing him security in the wake of “pressure” on him.

Additional Sessions Judge V. K. Bansal directed the investigating officer and the SHO, Parliament Street, to provide security to Balender Singh as well as his family members here and those in his village. The investigating officer was also directed to collect the addresses of the witness and his family members and report to the court today about what security measures were being taken in this regard.

Balender Singh identified Sher Singh Rana, alias Pankaj, and Dheeraj Rana, alias Dhan Prakash, alias Vicky, present in the court, as the people who fired on him and Phoolan. .

Faridabad, January 23
The monitoring and sanctioning committee of the Jawahar Lal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) has approved Rs 104 crore project for restructuring of the sewerage system in Old Faridabad area of the city.

The project is a part of the Rs 733 crore scheme marked for the improvement of the sewerage network of this industrial town under the ambitious five year development project worth about Rs 2,200 crore launched with the help of the Union and state governments.

Faridabad is the only city of Haryana, which has been selected under this project.

On completion, it would cater to the needs of civic amenities required by the year 2035.

The scheme had got a green signal after an MOU was signed a month back and the committee has already sanctioned construction of housing project for the urban poor worth about Rs 69 crore.

The meeting of the Committee was held at Nirman Bhawan in Delhi on Monday.

The Secretary, Urban Development of the Union Government, chaired the meeting, while Mr Mahtab Singh Sehrawat, the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Faridabad (MCF), represented the city in the meeting.

The approved sewer project envisages the laying of new sewer lines, renovation of pumping stations and setting up of sewage treatment plants. The old and outdated lines would be replaced with better and high capacity lines, sources said.

The city had been facing acute civic problems due to poor sewerage and water supply network that is inadequate to meet the requirement of the overgrowing population.

According to sources, similar projects would also be launched in other two zones namely the NIT and Ballabhgarh towns, where the civic problems had been the same and the residents had been demanding for better sewerage system for long.

The Rs 2,200 cr project would also include laying of new water supply lines, renovation of the existing ones, laying of better quality of roads, parks, street lights and other required amenities in this city which had a population of around 15 lakh at present, claimed the MCF authorities.

The Jawahar Lal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) also includes the proposal for construction of flats for the people residing in the slum areas and jhuggi clusters under the scheme called as ‘Basic Services for the Urban Poor’, under which the MCF proposes to build at least 4,000 flats at three spots in the town in the next two years and these would cost over Rs 100 crore, said the officials concerned.

There had been over 50 unauthorised colonies with a population of over three lakh in the city. 

Noida, January 23
A Pakistani national has been arrested on charges of trying illegally to get a passport made through dubious means and making false declarations.

Following an information provided by the officer in charge local intelligence unit, Sector-20 police Noida has taken the foreign national into custody who is being interrogated.

CO police, Mr Dinesh Yadav, said that the police were trying to find out if the arrested Pakistani was an ISI agent and what was his intention in getting a passport issued through fraudulent means.

According to the police, the Pakistani national Rao Zafar Ali had allegedly given a fake address in his application. During investigation by the local intelligence unit of UP police, it came to light that the address and father’s name given by Rao Zafar Ali was fictitious. The real name of his father was Rao Muzzafar Ali and not Zafar Ali as stated in the application form. On further investigation, the address given by Rao Zafar Ali was also found to be incorrect.

On LIU’s report, police Sector-20 Noida took Zafar Ali into custody. During investigation, he allegedly told the police about his address as Yusuf Behari colony in Pakistan, while in the passport application form, he had mentioned his address as Officer Lane, Punjab, Pakistan, apart from a Javer address.

The police are now grilling him to find out his real intention in giving an incorrect address and fictitious name of his father. The police are also trying to determine if Zafar Ali is an agent of Pakistan’s secret service ISI.

Gurgaon, January 23
The district administration has set in motion the process for an integrated approach for evolution of Gurgaon-Manesar as twin township.

While at one level the administration is making efforts to coordinate the efforts of concerned departments and agencies, like the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC), at the other, it has also initiated dialogue with various stake-holders like Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs), social and professional groups and their associations and voluntary associations.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr Satya Prakash, has been made the nodal officer to help in the process of evolving an integrated approach towards development of Gurgaon and Manesar.

The latest in the series was the district administration inviting the Gurgaon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) to put its views in this regard.

A delegation of the GCCI, led by its founder President Mr P.K. Jain, submitted a study paper delineating the body’s perspective on the future plan and growth of Gurgaon and Manesar.

Presenting an in-depth study, the GCCI cautioned that the administration and the planners would have to give due care to the basics like environmental issues and maintaining and protecting the Aravali Hills which, apart from being a part of heritage of Haryana, also contributed to the ecological balance of the area, at the time of formulating plans. It also urged that all that, including infrastructure and civic amenities, required for a quality life should be provided for in any future plans of the two townships.

The GCCI put forward suggestions on a broad spectrum of issues right from drinking water, sewerage, drainage, cultural and educational centres, transport system, parking plans, electricity, etc. It also stressed on the concept of ‘ring city’ which means that facilities like fire brigade, electricity, clusters of growth of the townships should be located so as to give a sense of strategy and contingency measures. In effect, they should be all near each other to meet any exigency at times of emergencies and facilitate normal life during normal periods.

The GCCI cautioned that the Master Plan, which was being prepared for Gurgaon-Manesar-2021, must take into account the possible massive rise in population in Gurgaon and Manesar at that time.

The GCCI has been submitting study papers to government from time to time on the developmental aspects of the city.

New Delhi, January 23
The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today urged people to follow the path of patriotism and sacrifice shown by Netaji Subhash Chander Bose and work unitedly for maintaining unity and integrity of the country.

Mr Hooda was speaking on the occasion of the first Netaji Subhash Commemorative Lecture, organised by Netaji-Azad Hind Fauj Samarak Nyas to mark the 110th birthday celebrations of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose here today.

He said after the great revolution of 1857, for the first time Netaji Subhash Chander Bose played a significant role in the freedom movement of the country by organising “Azad Hind Fauj”, comprising 50,000 Indians. He said of these, 26,000 soldiers sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country.

The Chief Minister said that Haryana was following the path of patriotism shown by Netaji Subhash Chander Bose. “Haryana’s share of population was only two per cent and every tenth soldier in Indian army was from the state,” he said.

Faridabad, January 23
“To provide technical and vocational education to students belonging to rural and semi-urban areas, institutions and centres will be opened in the district in near future in memory of Deenbandhu Sir Chhotu Ram. Besides, other steps will also be taken to carry on the legacy of the well-known farmer icon in Faridabad district and nearby areas.”

This was stated by the founding member of Sir Chhotu Ram Educational Society here, Mr Rajender Singh Bisla, a former MLA from Ballabhgarh, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the former leader here today.

Paying tributes to the leader, Mr Bisla described him as one of the greatest leader of the peasant and farming community of the North India, which included the joint Punjab before Partition in 1947.

He said a lot of work was still to be carried out to preserve the ideals and legacy of the personality who had worked extraordinarily for the upliftment of farmers at that time and had carved out a new path for the majority of population whose main occupation was agriculture.

Claiming that leaders like him had been at the helm of affairs at national level, the partition of the country could have been avoided as a large number of farmers from all communities, including Muslims, had been staunch followers of Sir Chhotu Ram.

Describing the leader as one of the “greatest sons of the soil” from the region, he said that the society set up by him would be revived and it would start several programmes in his memory. He added that the society would make all out efforts to get a museum set up in the state.

He further said that several institutions would be opened to provide professional and vocational education for the people of the district.

Mr Bisla revealed that a park spreading over about four acres of land was being built in sector- 11, in the name of Sir Chhotu Ram. A bust of the leader would be installed in the park.

Demanding from the government to start the construction work of a museum preferably at Garhi Sampla village in Rohtak district, the birth place of Sir Chhotu Ram, he said that at least one chapter on the life and achievement of the late leader should be included in the syllabus of schools in the state to facilitate the young generation to know about the services rendered by him. 

New Delhi, January 23
After years of waiting for an indigenous superhero on a par with the likes of Superman, Spiderman, Batman or X-men, finally here comes Ballay Shera, an Indian superhero, who will now take the readers on his first roller-coaster ride of fun, action and adventures with “Ballay Shera’s Quest for Kohinoor.”

A creation of Prashant Singh, a former investment banker with HSBC Bank, UK, and Fidelity Investments in Boston, the Srishti Publications’ presentation, “Ballay Shera’s Quest for Kohinoor,” was released today by none other than the real life superhero, Mr K. P. S. Gill, former Director-General of Police, Punjab, at Delhi Gymkhana Club here.

In the short novel, Ballay Shera, a young Sikh boy of 18 hailing from a small village in Punjab, will be bringing out the Indian sentiment and the way of life through his experiences while trying to win back the Kohinoor diamond from the British.

Sharing the philosophy behind Ballay Shera, the author, Prashant Singh, said, “It is the genesis of an Indian character with universal appeal, by making him entertaining, strong, motivating and most essentially common. The aim is also to highlight how sheer common sense comes in handy to achieve the self-determined goals, whether big or small.”

“The theme of the story, Kohinoor, has long been a part of our history books. Magnificent stories, folklores and superstitions are attached to its name. Having long been gone from India, it lies in the Tower of London under the control of the British.

However, a sheer mention of it still evokes an eternal link to the land of its original belonging, India. “The novel narrates the thrilling tails of fun, courage and adventure geared towards one of the most difficult yet sought after tasks in an Indian heart”, added Singh.

Ballay Shera is endowed with a magical ring with two stones. Depending on which stone is on top, the boy’s dominant trait becomes either cool and humorous or strong and ebullient The story, though old, is about a topic close to the hearts of a lot of Indians and hence will attract readership from all age groups. The writing has been deliberately kept simple to allow the average reader to enjoy the book. 

New Delhi, January 23
Cold northerly winds continued to sweep the Capital, forcing the minimum temperature to dip to 5.2 degree Celsius, three degrees below normal, today against 6.3 degree Celsius recorded yesterday.

The Met Office said because of heavy snowfall in northern states the mercury would further dip for at least another two days . — TNS