New Delhi, January 31
A total of 44,675 traders submitted their affidavits before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) taking the pledge that they would change or shift their trading from residential to commercial areas.

Today, 24,000 traders submitted their affidavits. They were given three months time by the court to submit their affidavits. Till yesterday, only 20,675 traders had submitted their affidavits.

An official of the MCD said that these affidavits would be submitted before the monitoring committee as the sealing case was to be argued in the Supreme Court on February 2. “Thereafter, if the court directs the sealing will be resumed in areas that fall under negative list,” the official added.

Giving break-up of zonewise details, the official said that in City Zone 8,000, Civil Lines 3,250, Central 3,400, Karol Bagh 7,295, Najafgarh 2,081, Narela 8, Rohini 1,500, Shahadra (North) 1,542, Shahdara (South) 4,100, Sadar Paharganj 5,541, South 1,181 and West Zone 6,777affidavits were submitted.

The official said that there was no record of number of shops to be sealed. However, sources said that around one lakh shops were there on 2,183 notified roads. Of them, only 44,675 shopkeepers have submitted their affidavits. The remaining shops will be sealed after the court direction.

New Delhi, January 31
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today exhorted senior officers of the Transport Department to bring about improvement in the public transport system and introduce modern, attractive and convenient buses in the Capital as the city transport scenario gave the first impression to the visitors. Ms Dikshit conveyed this to officers of the Transport Department at a review meeting chaired by her, which was attended by Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf, the Principal Secretary (Transport), the Principal Secretary (Finance), the CMD, DTC, and senior officers of the PWD.

She instructed the DTC CMD to display a newly developed route map of DTC on all entry points to Delhi, airports, railway stations, ISBTs, DTC depots and other congested places in the city to enable the common man to know about details of the routes and connectivity.

She further directed the DTC to come out with a folded copy of the route plan, which could be distributed in colleges and other places with the help of the DTTDC. It is for the first time the DTC has prepared a comprehensive route map of local services. The DTC CMD said 225 new modern and attractive bus shelters would be ready by November 2007. There were 5,000 bus stops and 2,500 bus shelters in the city.

The DTC, in the first phase, would be replacing 225 bus shelters with modern ones on all routes connecting venues of the Commonwealth Games, airports, railway stations and important section on Ring Roads.

The Chief Minister further asked the DTC to initiate construction of ISBTs at Sarai Kale Khan and Dwarka. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Model Transport System has been entrusted work relating to redevelopment of the Kashmere Gate ISBT, which would be completed next year. This would cover beautification of its surroundings. The DTC has initiated process of recruitment of 2,485 drivers and has also appointed 250 daily wages drivers to overcome shortage. Apart from this, it is going to place purchase order for 625 new buses, which would be on roads within few months.

The Chief Minister was apprised of the earning part of the DTC and it was reported that DTC had managed to maintain last year’s figure of per kilometre earning this year, too.

She directed the Transport Department to introduce quality buses keeping in view the requirement during Commonwealth Games. It has been decided to expedite the process and make available certain minibuses during the Games. 

New Delhi, January 31
There is a proposal to construct new jails at Mandoli, Narela and Baprola areas in Delhi to decongest the existing prisons in Tihar which have become three times congested against the sanctioned capacity, said Mr B K Gupta, DG, Prisons, Tihar, at the annual press conference here today.

A new jail complex consisting of 6 jails is coming up at Mandoli for lodging around 3,500 prisons. The construction is likely to start from June 2007. A total of Rs 168 crore are expected to be spent on the construction of the jail, informed Mr Gupta.

Biometric finger identification system has already been installed in all jails of Tihar. Installment of CCTVs at all sensitive points will be completed by the end of May 2007. There was persistent problem of drinking water to the inmates lodged in the prisons. The problem has been tackled effectively by lying extra pipelines between the jails. A large underground tank had also been built for storing water, he added.

In order to further strengthen the existing security arrangements, a number of latest security equipments, such as multi-zonal door frame metal detectors, high capacity X-ray scanners, had been installed in all the jails to effectively enforce access control system besides effective screening of all logistics and materials being transported in the jails, he intimated.

Photograph and biometric finger prints of all the inmates have now kept in record in the computers to identify the habitual and repeater prisoners.

Visitors management system has also been introduced in the central public relation office. 

New Delhi, January 31
More than 1,260 or nine per cent of the total population of nearly 14,000 Tihar Jail inmates are drug addicts, with the maximum percentage comprising those in the 24-30 age group. At least 1,180 were ‘detected’ in 2006.

While nearly 37 per cent of these are in the 24-30 age group, nearly 30 per cent are between 31 and 45 years. Another nearly 28 per cent are in the 18-23 age group, Director-General of Prisons B. K. Gupta said.

Of these, more than 60 per cent were hardened ones, used to drugs for more than five years. Nearly 46 per cent took drugs due to ‘peer pressure’ and another nearly 27 per cent ‘out of curiosity’.

While nearly 47 per cent of all addicts were single, nearly 54 per cent were illiterate, he informed.

“Big-time efforts were on to de-addict and rehabilitate them with the help of NGOs and counselling therapy. Last year, 5,180 Tihar inmates took to ‘de-addiction treatment’ at the 120-bed integrated drug de-addiction centre on the jail hospital premises.

New Delhi, January 31
Light showers in some parts of the Capital and adjoining areas brought the mercury down in the national Capital this morning. The minimum temperature was recorded at 11.6 degree Celsius, about three degrees less than yesterday’s minimum of 14.2 degree Celsius.

According to the Met Office, the drop in temperature was because of rain in different parts in the entire northern region yesterday. The Met Office has forecast a clear day tomorrow. The minimum temperature will remain around 10 degree Celsius.—TNS

New Delhi, January 31
Soma Enterprises Ltd today announced that the twin tunnels and four metro stations, the contract which it won this Monday, would be a definite improvement in terms of construction and design on existing Delhi Metro Rail Corporation stations in the Phase-I.

Soma Enterprises Ltd had bid for the Rs 813.51 crore contract as a joint venture with a Taiwan-based Continental Engineering Corporation for twin tunnels and four stations on the Central Secretariat-Qutub Minar corridor in Phase-II of the Delhi MRTS.

The consortium will be responsible for the design and construction of tunnels and four stations between Udyog Vihar and Green Park — Race Course, Jor Bagh, INA and AIIMS. The construction period for the project is 40 months and the scope of work includes design and construction of twin tunnels and the four stations.

Noida, January 31
The Noida police are no longer being accused of callousness alone in its handling of Nithari killings.

CBI sleuths having recovered some important Nithari files and other documents from the Meerut house of suspended lady SI in-charge of Nithari police post, Simranjit Kaur, has given a new twist to the investigations of the case.

It is now established that some police officials had deliberately tried to block the investigations of the case by “misplacing the files of the case”.

In a raid on the posh residence of former police post in-charge Simranjit Kaur, the CBI has recovered some vital files and records of the missing Nithari children. The CBI sleuths have reportedly interrogated Simranjit Kaur and her police officer husband, Jasbir Singh, currently posted in Meerut. The recovery of important record from lady SI’s house even after her dismissal proves that a deliberate attempt was made to derail the investigations.

Meanwhile, the lie detector test was continued on the two main accused Moninder Singh and Surinder Koli for the second day. A second narco test was also conducted on the duo later.

Dismissed SI Simranjit Kaur had reportedly been paid Rs 3 lakh by Moninder to hush up the case. The woman cop is alleged to have been quite close to Moninder Singh Pandher and had even used his Maruti Baleno car to visit the house of missing young girl, Payal, in Pipalia village in Uttar Khand to tell her parents that their daughter had gone astray and she was of a bad character. Simranjit Kaur, the CBI has come to the conclusion, was virtually on the pay roll of Pandher.

The police also reportedly recovered on GD, photocopy of the case diary and the keys of a bank locker. The agency is also understood to have unearthed a big amount of cash from Kaur’s residence. Simranjit Kaur is expected to be summoned to the CBI’s headquarters for detailed grilling soon.

The sources said the bank locker will also be searched soon for cash and further evidence.

It may be recalled that SI Kaur was dismissed along with other cops posted on Nithari police post in the early stages of Nithari exposure.

Simranjit Kaur had earlier been suspended for irregularities while she was posted as an SI in Meerut. She had been in the habit of courting controversies for a long time, it is learnt.

The CBI team had raided Simranjit Kaur’s palatial Meerut house for about an hour when she was also quizzed by the investigating agency. 

New Delhi, January 31
With Delhi’s over 20 Employment Exchanges fast losing their relevance due to emergence of much more effective, efficient and less time taking employment providing players in private sector, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has suggested that such exchanges be turned into state-owned ‘It, Management and Coaching Centres’ with adequate public partnership.

In a proposal mooted for Government of Delhi, the ASSOCHAM President, Mr Venugopal N Dhoot, said, “Currently, employment exchanges in Delhi have over 5.6 lakh registered job seekers, of which only so far 1,500 employment seekers have got placement through these exchanges in the last five years.”

This is against an All India average of employment registration in over 1,000 employment exchanges in which 45 millions have registered themselves and availed of employment opportunities for 0.25 million from 2,000 onwards. The total number of unemployed youth within the employable age are estimated at 300 million.

The Chamber has, therefore, also argued that Information Technology and management centres should also be created within these employment exchanges so that IT and management services contribution national GDP can be accelerated to over 8 per cent in next few years from current level of 5 per cent.

The IT and management institutions set up within the suggested employment exchanges will widen the participation of large number of students from lower strata of the society also provided government managed institutions are permitted to be operated within these employment exchanges.

New Delhi, January 31
The Academics for Action and Development (AAD), a serious academic group within Delhi University, has expressed serious concern at what it feels is the “gross violation of the DU Act, statutes and ordinances by Delhi University officials in creating and advertising new teaching positions termed as ‘university teaching assistants’ in the departments of history, political science, economics, commerce, maths, physics and chemistry.

These misgivings were expressed openly by the Chairman of the AAD, Dr S. S. Rathi. He further informed, “University officials have committed irregularities and illegalities in deciding emoluments, qualifications and duties for the teaching assistants who are to share the workload of teachers.”

Mr Rathi further informed under the DU statute 8 only the DU Academic Council had the power to make recommendations to the Executive Council on the creation or abolition of teaching posts in the university and colleges. Also, it was the Academic Council that could influence the classification of posts and the requisite salaries for these posts and duties that they carried. 

New Delhi, January 31
An eight-day Bharat Vikas Yatra was started under the aegis of the Loktantrik Janta Front from Laxmi Nagar here today. It was flagged off by the general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr B. L. Sharma Prem.

The president of the organisation, Mr Mukesh Pandey, said the main motive behind organising this event was to motivate and mobilise the younger generation towards national interests and causes. 

New Delhi, January 31
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today claimed to have arrested a Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police, Jagdish Kumar, for allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 1.5 lakh bribe for himself and for an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), R K Bansal. The ACP is allegedly absconding to evade his arrest in the case. Both the accused are attached to Anti Extortion and Robbery Cell of Delhi Police.

In a search operation conducted by the CBI at Bansal’s Kingsway Camp residence, the agency claimed to have recovered Rs 2.25 lakh in cash, properties including three flats in Rohini, Dwarka and Gurgaon areas. The ACP was avoiding joining investigation before the CBI team despite repeated instructions of his senior officers, the agency claimed.

The CBI had registered a case against the accused ACP and the SI on the complaint of a local businessman.

The two accused official were allegedly harassing him and demanding Rs 15 lakh as bribe. In the complaint, he had mentioned that his residence was illegally raided and cash and jewellery worth Rs 30 lakh were forcibly taken away by the police officials on January 20, this year.

The demand for the bribe was subsequently reduced to Rs 5 lakh and today the accuse SI was caught red-handed, while accepting Rs 1.5 lakh bribe for himself and his accomplice ACP, said the agency. 

Gurgaon, January 31
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided not to provide further extension to owners of plots who have not constructed any houses if seven years have elapsed since the time it gave possession of the plots to them.

This decision was recently taken by HUDA, which is an agency of the Haryana Government and whose chairman is the Chief Minister of the state. Earlier, the plot owner had a latitude of 20 years for not taking up any construction work. He could seek extension after paying a certain fee. The time frame was then reduced to 15 years.

At its latest meeting, HUDA further reduced the period to seven years. In effect, any owner of a plot who has had possession since seven or more years in 2008 will now have to take up construction.

One obvious reason for the decision, as admitted by HUDA, is that these vacant plots have become a nuisance for others. They have become a dumping ground for garbage and lead to unhygienic surroundings.

According to a conservative estimate, there are thousands of vacant plots in the city. Also, HUDA disclosed one lakh houses would be constructed in the ESI category in the city.

In a separate development, the district administration, the local HUDA office and the police department today declared they would be joining hands for an “integrated” and speedy development of the city. This step is understood to be on account of pressure from the higher echelons of the government.

Officials said a control room had been set up in the HUDA office to exclusively attend to the problems of water supply and sewerage in HUDA sectors.

Also, individual officers from various departments had been made nodal officers, each having under his charge one sector of HUDA to attend to any problem that affected good living. The names and telephone numbers of all nodal officers were made public today. The nodal officer will have the authority to call the attention of any department relating
to the problems of people concerned in his area of jurisdiction.

The government, including the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, were getting embarrassing reports since quite some time that various departments, including the district administration and the HUDA office, were acting negatively by not coordinating their efforts and authority, much to the chagrin and detriment of residents and the growth of
the city.

Also, according to the HUDA version, in keeping with the instructions of the Chief Minister, infrastructure in 18 villages surrounding various HUDA sectors and private colonies would be upgraded. These villages, including Jharsa, Kanhi, Caterpuri, Kadirpur, Sarhol and Dundahera, are those whose land was acquired for setting up the sectors or private colonies. In fact, a committee has been constituted, which includes consultants, to provide inputs for infrastructural development of the villages.

With regard to the old city areas, the district administration has convened a meeting of all elected representatives of the municipal council, the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and officers of various departments to devise development plans.

The administration clarified the distinction between the Master Plan 2021and the Vision Document that it was preparing. While the Plan will outline the macro development like the number of new sectors, kind of infrastructure and institutions that would be needed keeping the future in view, the Vision Document would relate to all that which makes living in Gurgaon worthwhile. 

Faridabad, January 31
While the organisers of the Surajkund Craft Mela comprising the Union Ministry of Tourism and Textiles and the Haryana Tourism claimed here today that the fresh edition (21st) of this famous event was ready to be thrown up for the visitors tomorrow by the UPA chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, there are still some questions which the authorities concerned seemed to dodge and have perhaps no reply at the press preview held this morning at Surajkund.

The claim that the Mela has been getting popular each year and has helped both the traditional arts and craftsperson to achieve a new milestone, the authorities perhaps have no answer, when asked to give some data or proof of the claim.

It was just stated by the officials that every craftsperson in the country wanted to take part in this Mela. The number of craftspersons taking part in this event has been around 300 and this time it is no different. The total number of award winner craftpersons has been 237, which include 149 national awardees, 42 state awardees and 46 merit certificate holders. Other participants get selected by the organizers in Delhi, it is reported. While the matter of high pricing of the items sold here has been raised on several occasions, the authorities said that they do not interfere in the price determination, which surprised many in the media.

It was stated that the figure of sale of products by the craftspersons was not maintained. However, this statement did not go down well with the media persons, who asked how the authorities could then claim that there had been a good demand of craft items displayed there.

Another point that perhaps had no answer with the organizers was that why Surajkund, despite emerging as an international event, had not been developed as a permanent tourist destination.

The Joint Secretary of the Union Ministry of Tourism, who was present at the press conference, claimed that his department was ready to provide all help, including financial support for developing Surajkund a permanent tourist destination.

It is learnt that several crores were being spent each year on the Mela, which include the hospitality of the artisans and a large number of senior government officers and their relatives who visit the fair.

It is interesting that the total number of foreigners who visited the mela last year had been just 9606, out of the total number of about 4.5 lakh, which is just 2.5 per cent of the visitors. The target of such visitors this year was 15,000.

“It is a fact that the host Haryana has never been made the Theme State. Andhra Pradesh which has been selected as the Theme State has got a second chance to do so this year, though the host could have been given a chance,” claimed an official associated with the department concerned.

The total number of artisans taking part from Haryana this time has been just 25. About a thousand policemen, including the securitymen in civil and private security, have been posted at the venue.