New Delhi, February 9
The legal battle between the Capital’s residents and traders on unauthorised shops in housing localities today extended to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) with the former challenging it in the Supreme Court on the ground that it not only violated the rights of residents but was bound to create pollution in the city.

Seeking to strike down the MPD 2021, the Delhi Pradesh Citizens Council (DPCC), which had opened a front against the illegal shops in residential areas, in a fresh petition, challenged its constitutional validity by terming it as “unjust and arbitrary” on the face of various orders issued by the Supreme Court.

The petition, filed by DPCC counsel Jasbir Malik, likely to come up for hearing on February 12, also stated the government had completely ignored the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the NDMC Act, the Delhi Development Act and the National Capital Region Act, which had laid the foundation for planned development of the Capital while formulating the new plan.

While describing it as being brought under the “political” pressure of the strong business lobby, the residents said this was an attempt to give licence to all illegal activities in the Capital, including encroachment of public land in a massive scale at the cost of law abiding citizens.

It would put tremendous pressure on infrastructure facilities like traffic layout plan, parking, sewage system, electricity and water supply, which were already on the verge of collapse. The DPCC said in the face of the Supreme Court orders on sealing and the Delhi High Court’s order on demolition of illegal structures, the MPD was notified by the government in a hurry “overreach” the judicial directions.

Seeking to declare the MPD as “ultra vires”, the residents said if it was allowed to take effect, the national Capital would virtually be reduced to a slum.

When the government and civic bodies in the Capital had not been able to address the minimum basic amenities to the people during the past 15 years when the illegal constructions had come up in a big way under the nose of the authorities, how was the MPD was expected to change the face of Delhi as was being claimed by the government, the DPCC queried.

Though the court yesterday had said Master Plan related matters would be heard on February 20 and the sealing related issue on Monday next, the DPCC counsel is expected to make a request for taking up the fresh petition on Monday itself.

New Delhi, February 9
As most of the residential colonies in the national Capital have exhausted their population-holding capacity, the new Master Plan 2021 points to greater scope for development in middle-income sub-cities of Dwarka, Rohini and Narela.

MPD estimates reveal that Dwarka would be able to accommodate more than double of its present population of 597,000 in 2021.

Projections for Narela are even more startling, which is expected to accommodate 1,620,000 people by 2021, nearly ten times of its present population of 179,000.

According to MPD 2021, estimates middle-income colonies of Rohini IV and V will have a combined holding capacity of 820,000 from their present population of 198,000. Home to a thin population of 96,000, Rohini III has a potential to accommodate 160,000 people by 2021.

The MPD indicates that all of the Capital’s colonies, whether plush, middle- or low-income, were bursting at the seams and have no capacity of accommodating any more people. Posh A and B colonies have almost outrun their holding capacity.

Among middle-income zones, colonies in E category have a total population of 2,798,000 as against their holding potential of 1,789,000. F-category colonies have an existing population of 1,717,000, higher than their holding capacity of 1,278,000 people. The MPD 2021 proposes redevelopment strategies and modified development norms for all colonies of Delhi from A to H categories.

The plan involves redensification of housing areas developed at lower densities and along select sections of the metro corridor. The MPD 2021 suggests that redevelopment areas be identified and special redevelopment schemes launched and executed within a stipulated time-frame. It also proposes setting up of employment centres, increase in transport capacity and rationalisation of infrastructure.

New Delhi, February 9
Delhiites are now confused about property rates in various areas of the national Capital after a writ petition was submitted in the Delhi High Court by an NGO, Delhi Pradesh Citizens Council, against the recommendations of the Master Plan which was notified yesterday.

Those who are involved in building construction, sale and purchase of properties are apprehensive about fluctuations in property rates.

When the Supreme Court had directed the demolition of unauthorised constructions and ordered that there should be no building within an area of 300 meters from the river bank and the MCD had launched sealing and demolition drives against such properties, the rate of DDA flats, flats in Group Housing Societies, properties in other authorised areas and commercial units in DDA markets had gone up.

But there is hardly any chance of slump in properties after notification of the much-hyped Master Plan.

Experts believe that now there will be no slump in property rates in approved colonies before the final decision of the court as the Master Plan has become a sub-judice case after a writ petition was filed by the Delhi Pradesh Citizens Council against its recommendations.

The Supreme Court has asked to examine the Master Plan. “If it delays the plan, it will be nothing more than a political game played by the Congress party,” said a property dealer in South Delhi.

Another property dealer, Pradeep Mahajan, said that notification of Master Plan and regularisation of unauthorised colonies would hardly have any effect on property rates. “It all depends on inflation. As far as approved areas are concerned, better civic amenities are there. Now people do not care for money. They want facilities which lack in newly-regularised colonies,” he said.

However, Pappu Jain, who is also involved in property business, said that once the Master Plan was approved by the court, there would be slump in properties in DDA colonies, Group Housing Societies and other authorised colonies.

“When there was a rumour that unauthorised construction would be demolished, citizens tried to go to authorised areas resulting in hike in property rates. Now, they will have no interest to change their residence,” he claimed.

New Delhi, February 9
The Delhi Cabinet has decided to create a separate Special Unauthorised Colonies Development Fund to facilitate process of upgradation of services in around 1,500 unauthorised colonies, which are being regularised as per a decision of the Union Cabinet.

The Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit disclosed that her government would bring a detailed Cabinet note at the earliest for creation of a Special Unauthorised Colonies Development Fund. The government would also generate funds from its own resources and approach the Union Government for allocation of funds under the JNNURM.

The CM further disclosed that issue of modalities of regularisation had been entrusted to the Government of Delhi. She added “the Master Plan reflects the aspirations of citizens of Delhi, consistent with the objective of developing Delhi as an aesthetically compliant and global city. A separate resolution was also passed to convey thanks to the UPA government for taking a major decision relating to regularisation of unauthorised colonies.” 

Faridabad, February 9
The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has allocated Rs 20 crore on various development works in the villages in the past about two years. There are a total of about 344 villages in the district. The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has initiated a programme, ‘Samvad’, of contacting village panchayats directly to know the exact position of the funds made available for development. The authorities concerned have been pulled up wherever there has been weak implementation of projects.

According to details available, there were various schemes in existence in the rural areas, which had been executed through the DRDA and the District Development and Panchayat office (DDPO), including those which had been mainly funded by the Union Government. The progress report regarding the Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) scheme here with a total amount of about Rs 10.87 crore had been received for about 314 development works in the villages. This amount was valid for two years ending on March 31 this year.

While the overall percentage of progress achieved in it had been 61 per cent, lower than that expected, various agencies have been able to complete a total of 143 works so far while work was in progress in 171 projects. The total amount utilised was Rs 6.65 crore and the works that were included in this head included concrete roads, construction and repairs of chaupals and repairs of streets.

Work on 88 projects was yet to start though just six weeks were left. An amount of Rs 2.01 crore was also received under the HRDF for school repairs, of which it is claimed that 99 per cent of the work had been over with utilisation about Rs 2 crore already. The villages were sanctioned about Rs 1.55 crore for another 118 works under the local area development tax (LADT). All funds have been put to use with cent per cent achievement by the target dates, claims the Additional Deputy Commissioner here. Funds worth Rs 2.85 crore and Rs 5.24 were also spent under the grants received for execution of works under the Second Finance Commission and the 12th Finance Commission grants, of which it is claimed that the success rate had been 93 and 100 per cent so far. As many as 452 works allocated under the one the Commission Funds was still in progress. While an amount of Rs 2.51 crore had been received, the agency ensured use of Rs 1.84 crore on 330 works, while work on another 122 works was in progress for which the target date had been March 2007. About 92 per cent of the Rs 49.68 lakh received for repairs of chaupals of the Dalit community in villages had also been spent.

The Hooda government has announced setting up of a special agency on the pattern of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to speed up the work of rural development, including the provision of the civic infrastructure and other amenities in the villages.

Greater Noida, February 9
A written threat to blow up a multinational CD manufacturing company, Moserbaer, in the Surajpur industrial area here has created panic and commotion in the company, the entire industrial belt as well as the police department.

In no time, the police cordoned off the company premises. The bomb disposal squads were also summoned from Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut. The cops, along with the bomb disposal staff, literally checked every inch of space in the company complex. When no bomb was discovered, the security agencies heaved a sigh of relief in the evening.

Circle officer Dinesh Yadav said the management of the company had received a registered letter threatening a bomb attack on Friday morning. The company management had passed on the information to the police which in no time circled the entire complex. When at the end of the day the combing teams failed to find any explosive in the company jurisdictions everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

According to the two-page letter, explosives had been placed at 17 different locations on the premises, CO Dinesh Yadav said. The letter had been sent from Delhi just to create a fright in the area, the police said. Investigations were on to find out the identity of the sender, the police said.

New Delhi, February 9
Those taking hypertension lightly could land in bigger trouble as it could be an open invitation to cardiovascular diseases, which is the number one killer disease in the world today. “I always thought of myself as bulletproof because of my generally healthy lifestyle,” says Mr Arora, a 52-year-old senior manager working with an MNC. “When I discovered that I had suffered a heart attack, I was scared, concerned, anxious and upset. Fortunately with the help of my strong and supportive family and doctor, I have a new sense of hope and optimism about my life and am back to doing the type of activities I used to do”, he adds.

Mr Arora was suffering from high blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases caused 2.3 million deaths in India in the year 1990; this is projected to double by the year 2020. Hypertension is directly responsible for 24 per cent of all coronary heart disease deaths in India.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is the key risk factor for heart disease. It is estimated that about one in every four Indian adults over 50 years has high blood pressure. It has been aptly called the silent killer, because it usually produces no symptoms. Sometimes breathlessness on exertion, headache or giddiness can be the only symptoms, which are often ignored by the patients, informs Dr J. P. S. Sawhney, Senior Cardiologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Hypertension is probably the only disease in which a person does not take it seriously as he is able to move around normally and only when the problem aggravates the patient seeks medical help.

Studies have revealed that anyone can develop high blood pressure, but the incidence is quite high among Asians. Heredity too makes some families likely to get high blood pressure. Obese individuals, sedentary lifestyle and excess alcohol consumption also predisposes one to hypertension, cautions Dr Praveer Agarwal, Cardiologist, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi. Hypertension is a major contributor to worldwide cardiovascular mortality. However, only one-third of patients with hypertension have their blood pressure treated to guideline recommended levels.

High blood pressure cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Men and women with elevated blood pressure who make healthy lifestyle changes and sustain them for a considerable time can substantially reduce their heart disease risk. With behavioural counselling, increase in physical activity, adoption of a healthy eating plan and BP lowering medication, the risk of heart disease can be minimised. In contrast to WHO guidelines which suggest six classes of drugs as the first line of treatment, an article published in the British Medical Journal states that the Indian guidelines gives extra weight to low dose diuretics and beta-blockers like atenolol for the management of hypertension.

Beta-blockers inhibit the action of certain hormones, including adrenaline, which can cause negative effects on the heart and blood flow in heart attack patients. By slowing down the heart and helping it pump more efficiently, overall circulation of oxygen-rich blood improves.

So, even if everyone is healthy, be sure you and your family get your blood pressure checked regularly. It is important to remember that high blood pressure has no signs or symptoms. If your BP is consistently normal your doctor might attempt to reduce your BP medications, but do not stop as per your wish, cautions Dr Sawhney.

New Delhi, February 9
Two tertiary care hospitals of Max Healthcare, the leading hospital chain with seven hospitals in National Capital Region (NCR), received the prestigious NABH accreditation today.

The recently established National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Organisations (NABH) has released the first set of standards. These cover all functional areas of the hospitals and validate the quality of care through compliance assessments against 500 criteria, critical to the efficient functioning of a healthcare setting. There is a strong emphasis on patient rights and benefits, safety, control and prevention of infections in hospitals, prevention of infections in hospitals, practising good patient care protocols and better clinical outcome. The standards are adaptable to a wide spectrum of healthcare services; are in sync with local culture and systems, yet at the same time, are benchmarked with the best international standards.

Mr Analjit Singh, Chairman, Max Group, said, “India has been recognised globally as a healthcare destination for high-quality and cost-effective medical care. Having a national accreditation system like the NABH will further strengthen the credibility of the Indian healthcare system.”

Dr Narottam Puri, Executive Director, Max Healthcare said, “While gearing up our hospitals operations for this accreditation, strong emphasis was laid on identifying and strengthening policies, procedures and protocols, practice of evidence-based medicine, reviewing performance through patient satisfaction surveys, monitoring key indicators of performance in clinical and service areas, conducting audits and training the staff. The journey involved clinicians, nursing, management and other staff working together with a passion and zeal for excellence and putting in extra work hours for ensuring the hospitals readiness. Going through the NABH has been a truly worthwhile experience and we look forward to carrying forward our never ending pursuit of excellence.”

Greater Noida, February 9
Two persons, travelling in a Maruti car, were killed and a third injured in a head-on collision of the car with a private bus on the Dadri road under the Greater Noida police station area on Thursday night. A youth, who was seriously injured in the accident, was rushed to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida in a precarious condition.

The collision was so strong that the Maruti car was totally wrecked and the occupants had to be pulled out of the entangled wreckage after cutting the car body. The police have registered a case of causing death through negligent driving against the bus driver.

The bodies have been sent for an autopsy. The bus driver fled, abandoning the bus.

The police said Om Pal, a resident of Dadri, along with Kailash and Gajinder, was going to Dadri from Noida in the Maruti car , while the private bus (DL-1P 4043) was carrying a marriage party from Dadri to Noida

The bus is reported to have hit the Maruti car head on near the Denso office.

Hearing the loud bang of the collision, company employees and villagers from the nearby village came running. Om Pal and Kailash died on the spot while Gajinder was extricated from the wrecked car in a serious condition.

He was rushed to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida in a critical condition.

The police had to struggle a lot to pull out the bodies from the wreckage. 

New Delhi, February 9
The Delhi High Court today asked the government of the national Capital, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Directorate of Education to file the regulations regarding authorisation and regularisation of private schools in the national Capital.

A division bench, comprising Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice H R Malhotra, expressing concern over mushrooming unauthorised and unrecognised pre-nursery and nursery schools in the Capital, ordered the authorities to file the norms before it on February 15. The order came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which was filed by the Social Jurist Association, an NGO, alleging that over 10,000 private schools have come up in the Capital without getting requisite sanction from the authorities. The petition sought the court’s intervention in the matter, stating that these schools did not comply with the requisite safety parameters.

New Delhi, February 9
The JNUSU welcomed the recent announcement of UGC to provide scholarships to non-fellowship holding research scholars, in all Central universities. The UGC’s decision states that the M.Phil and Ph.D students would be given Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively, with the annual contingency grant being Rs 10,000 for research in science subjects and Rs 8,000 for the same in humanities and social sciences.

“The announcement of the UGC is a major victory for the student community in this campus, who under the leadership of JNUSU successfully waged a heroic struggle demanding scholarships for students in the last semester,” the union said.

The JNUSU said it believed that this announcement would facilitate the process of more students doing research. This would ensure that students coming from the poorer and deprived sections can pursue their research without facing any financial constraint.

New Delhi, February 9
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Australia India Council (AIC) have plans of setting up an Indo-Australian Studies Resource and Research Centre at the university to help facilitate the promotion of inter-disciplinary studies ranging from fundamentals of social sciences, humanities down to vocational courses in areas where IGNOU has developed substantive expertise.

Currently, the political sciences faculty in the school of social sciences at IGNOU is developing a one-year post graduate diploma in Australian studies. This programme will include courses in politics, economy and social sciences and their interface with India.

New Delhi, February 9
Coming as a small respite for the ruling parties in poll-bound states, prices of onion – the most voter-sensitive vegetable, have started showing moderate decline from a peak of Rs 25 a kg.

After declining to Rs 22 a kg, onion prices in the Capital’s wholesale markets further dropped to Rs 18 a kg. It is selling at Rs 20 in the retail mandis after touching Rs 25 per kg.

Traders attributed excessive rise in prices to the damage of old crop in the onion-producing areas of South and Nashik in Maharashtra.

With the new crop about to reach the market, prices have started showing a decline and would come down further, wholesale trader in West Delhi, Sushil Sharma said.

However, for the price situation to return to normal where onion sells for Rs eight to 10 a kg, it would take some time, traders said.

Among other vegetables and fruits, tomato is selling at Rs 12 a kg and apple at Rs 60 a kg. According to official figures, the wholesale price index based inflation touched over two-year high of 6.58 per cent for the week-ended January 27, raising apprehensions of further hikes in interest rates.—OC

New Delhi, February 9
Fog enveloped the Delhi skyline in the early hours today, forcing diversion of 18 flights, including three international ones, at the international airport.

At around 2300 hrs last night, dense fog enveloped Delhi, plummeting visibility levels to 250m, a spokesperson for the Airports Authority of India said.

“Low visibility procedures had to be put in force twice, first at 2313 hrs due to a sharp fall in visibility levels, and the second time at 0108 hrs, soon after it was terminated at 0048 hrs. The LVP was finally terminated at 0545 hrs after visibility improved to 3000 m,” the spokesperson said.

Thereafter, at 0800 hrs, visibility improved further, facilitating simultaneous use of both the runways.

“A total of 18 flights, including 15 domestic and three international, were diverted due to fog,” the spokesperson said. A total of 46 flights were operated during the operation of the LVP, the spokesperson said.—UNI

New Delhi, February 9
In an attempt to provide an insight into the intricacies of life, two famous Samirs have collaborated to bring out a book of short stories entitled, ‘Dark and Darker’.

The two authors are Samir Kohli, an IIT graduate, ad film-maker and screenwriter and Dr Samir Parikh, Psychiatrist, chief of the Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Healthcare here. Thanks to the enormous experience, this co-created compilation of short stories conjures up visions that adequately portray both human characters and social issues that have been prevailing in society.—TNS