New Delhi, February 26
Expressing concern at unannounced long power cuts in residential areas, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) demanded for cancellation of contracts of discoms for power supply in the national Capital.

“The power cuts are affecting the students preparing for the forthcoming board exams,” the RWAs said.

“Most of the areas in East Delhi are facing long power cuts ranging between 4-5 hours particularly during evenings and mornings. This is adversely affecting studies of our children and increasing exam related tension,” said Mr Raj Kumar Dimri of Mayur Vihar Phase III RWA.

“Power cuts are so long that even the stand by arrangements of investors also fail, as they need constant power to charge. Moreover, the quality of power is not that good through power back ups, this affects our studies, the power companies should avoid power cuts during exams,” said Sourit Arora, a student appearing for class XII living in Kiran Vihar.

“Apart from load shedding, poor-street lights, inaccurate power bills and poor grievances mechanism have made residents life miserable. In most of the countries, government has to issue a public notice explaining the reasons for power cuts, here the private power distribution company is least bothered,” said Mr V. N. Bali of Ram Vihar RWA.

He said, “Most of the streetlights in Ram Vihar are non-functional, despite repeated complaints and reminders, the BSES Yamuna officials are hardly bothered.”

Mr S. Raghavan, Federation of Mehrauli RWA, said the area was facing 5-6 hour cuts twice a day and Delhi Government was taking no steps to augment power generation and large power thefts still persisted. Mr B. S. Talwar, Secretary, Krishna Nagar RWA, said, “Five years back, we had welcomed private privatisation expecting better results. Unfortunately, the power situations as well as consumer problems have increased particularly in BSES Yamuna areas, where more that 15,000 power related consumer complaints are pending with BSES.”

RWAs are particularly miffed with the latest policy of power cuts in zones that have registered higher power thefts.

“Imagine this,” says Rakesh Dokwal, Co-ordinator, URJA, East Delhi, “They have the CISF, the police is with them, the power lines belong to them; it is their employees who fix meter, repair them or remove them, the transformers belong to them, it is their territory on which they distribute power but an honest consumer will now be punished for their inefficiency.”

New Delhi, February 26
Delhi’s Power Paradox: Highest Per Capita Income - Highest incidence of power theft and yet one of the Lowest Electricity Tariffs.

This is how the corporate honchos of the private power companies in the Capital are describing the prevalent situation.

According to sources, Delhi’s ‘power’ scenario can be best described as paradoxical. Delhi’s per capita income at nearly Rs 55,000 per annum is one of the highest in the country and electricity tariffs – one of the lowest. This is also when, at 35 per cent, Delhi has one of India’s highest levels of AT & C losses – mainly on account of power theft.

In July 2002, the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board with accumulated liabilities of over Rs 23,000 crore was on the verge of a collapse and power distribution in the national Capital in a mess. There was nearly zero investment in upgradation. To prevent the situation from getting worse, Delhi’s distribution sector was privatised and BYPL, BRPL and NDPL donned the mantle of distributing electricity in their respective licensed areas.

Also Delhi, in contrast to other states, only produces 17 per cent (675 MW) of its own requirement.

What is the achievement of privatisation, people ask? In less than five years, the Delhi’s power sector privatisation has shown brilliant results and has become a success story of public-private partnership. In fact, Delhi has been ranked first (2003-2004), third (2004-2005) and their (2005-2006) among the states in “Power Sector Rating” report prepared by ICRA and CRISIL.

Sources maintain that since, July 2002, Delhi discoms have invested over Rs 4,000 crore in improving, strengthening and modernising the infrastructure. Of this, BSES has invested over Rs 2,900 crore: Delhi government used to give an annual subsidy of over Rs 1,200 crore to the erstwhile DVB. This subsidy is no more being given to the discoms. The saved money is being used by the government for other socially beneficial schemes.

BYPL sources further claimed that Delhi discoms have also saved over Rs 3,000 crore to the government exchequer by way of reducing AT & C losses. The BSES has saved the government over Rs 2,370 crore. Delhi perhaps is the only city where the AT & C losses have been reduced by around 5 per cent - year on year.

Delhi’s tariff is one of the lowest not only among the neighbouring cities but also among all the other metros. According to these sources, an average consumer in Delhi, using around 300 units a months, will have an average electricity bill of around Rs 820. In contrast, customers living in Faradized and Gurgaon will have an electricity bill of Rs 1,132, Noida (Rs 1,000), Jaipur (Rs 1,077), Bhopal (Rs 987) and Amritsar (Rs 937).

Also consumers in Mumbai will have an average bill of Rs 930, Kolkata (Rs 1,172), Bangalore (Rs 1,088), Hyderabad (Rs 992). Only in Chennai a customer will pay less – Rs 555.

Faridabad, February 26
The success of the Navyug Rally at Sirsa has come as shot in the arm of the Hooda government in Haryana. The event resulted in a windfall in the shape of huge relief worth about Rs 4700 crore. The relief is for a raise in the minimum labour wages and waiving off the interest on loans for various categories, including farmers, to the tune of Rs 1600 crore. This is perhaps for the first time that such a relief has been announced by any government on completion of a certain term in power. Earlier, this government had announced a waiver of outstanding power bills worth Rs 1600 crore after it came into power about two years ago.

Though the attendance of the Congress party chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, was a major reason behind the rallying of party leaders and their supporters, the work, performance and overall command of the state government led by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda also led to Ms Gandhi attending to the rally. This provided a clear-cut message that there was no challenge to the leadership of Mr Hooda, claimed a senior party leader here today. He said the result of the rally may have a multiplier effect on the spirits of the present government and could show better results in various sectors, including power production, industry and employment.

The announcement of a hefty increase in the minimum wages of labour in Haryana at the rally was of major importance, claimed a spokesperson of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi. He said never had been such a rise witnessed in the history of the state when the state government had raised the wages by more than Rs 1,000 a month. He said the minimum wages would now be Rs 3,510 per month instead of just Rs 2,484 per month. This windfall would benefit at least 27 lakh labourers in Haryana, resulting in a total relief of about Rs 3,000 crore. He said this benefit would be extended to more than one lakh teachers of private schools in the state, who would also be given a raise without any discrimination. This would apply to schools affiliated to the state education board. He said the financial health and revenue generation of the present government could be well gauged from the fact the interest on loans given to farmers and other weaker sections of society were completely waived off if the defaulters paid the principle amount by June 30, 2007, in case the loan period ends on March 31 this year. This decision would benefit the farmers, labourers, weavers, tradesmen and backward sections of society who had taken a loan from the Cooperative and Land Mortgage Bank in the state and were unable to pay the defaulting amount on time. This would give relief to about 1.40 lakh farmers and another eight lakh families belonging to the poor sections and the lower middle class in the form of a waiver of Rs 1600 crore, which had been a kind of bonanza for a large number of people, claimed the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Master Rishi Pal, a leader of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), has described the rally as flop show and claimed the Congress leaders failed to take up the main issues, including SYL and SEZ, which were a cause of concern for a majority of residents in Haryana. 

Gurgaon, February 26
The recent announcement made by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana, hiking the minimum wages from Rs 2,484 to Rs 3,510 had shocked the industry in Haryana, said Mr V. P. Bajaj, President, Gurgaon Industrial Association, while speaking at a meeting of members of various industrial associations. The meeting was held today at GIA House here.

The increase in the minimum wages was unjustified, especially as the Haryana Government had revised the wages in July last year. The hike would come to more than 42 per cent after including the applicable mandatory payments of ESIC, PF, gratuity etc. It was obvious the wages of semiskilled, skilled and highly skilled categories of workers would be proportionately increased, maintained Mr Bajaj Drawing a comparison between the minimum wages prescribed by the neighbouring northern states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Mr Bajaj said Haryana had been paying the highest minimum wages. After the reported revision, the gap would further widen with Haryana having the highest minimum wage as Rs 3510, causing huge disparity in this respect.

Since the raise in the minimum wages would have implications detrimental to the ongoing industrial growth of the state of Haryana, the GIA president urged the government to review the hike in wages as announced yesterday at Navyug Rally at Sirsa.

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 26“Submit your bio-data, go and work in the constituency,” was the straight advice of the Delhi unit of BJP, Dr Harsh Vardhan, to ticket seekers for Delhi municipal elections to be held on April 5.

Hundreds of ticket seekers along with their supporters reached the Delhi BJP office today to submit their curriculum vitae mentioning their loyalty to the party and political activities in their segments.

Politicians whose seats are reserved for women approached the leadership for getting tickets in the name of their wives. They said that they had been active in the party politics for decades, if tickets were not given to them or their near ones, it would be unfair.

Since the day of announcement for municipal elections, thousands of political activists have been submitting their bio-datas to the Delhi BJP office. Every day, a huge gathering of ticket seekers can be seen at 14, Pant Marg, Delhi BJP Headquarters. Within an hour, Dr Harsh Vardhan received 200 bio-data today.

Ticket seekers of different age groups both male and female were seen appealing to the party president with folded hands for giving them chance to contest the elections. One of the female ticket seekers reminded him that she had been active in Delhi politics for the last 20 years but she had never been given chance either in corporation or assembly elections.

At this, Dr Harsh Vardhan told her that hundreds of workers had been involved in political activities but they had never asked for tickets. “They were loyal to the party. So be loyal to the party. Work to over throw the Congress from the Delhi Municipal Corporation in the elections. Leave on party high command to take final decision for the tickets,” he asked.

Dr Harsh Vardhan said that some guidelines had been decided unanimously by the Pradesh Election Committee of the party for the selection of candidates. 

New Delhi, February 26
Thanks to the Commonwealth Games 2010, the National Capital Territory of Delhi is likely to get a substantial financial package from the Centre in Budget 2007-08 for improving the infrastructure and facilities.

Financial observers claim there are indications the Budget will have a package of Rs 550 crore relating to the preparation of the Commonwealth Games, which will include Rs 150 crore for developing the Commonwealth Games Village and Rs 400 crore for improvement and development of infrastructure.

This will be in addition to the plan of the Railways to start a Metro link between Connaught Place and Delhi airport. Sources say the bottlenecks relating to linkage of Connaught Place and Delhi airport by the Metro have been resolved by the Group of Ministers.

This includes the problem of setting up an underground tunnel in VVIP areas. The GoM has recommended the proposed underground tunnel should have no outlet in VVIP areas, thus protecting the areas from a possible terrorist attack.

The fate of Delhi’ s first ever underground tunnel connecting the Commonwealth Games village site and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been in a limbo for some times now.

For the development of the Games Village, even last year Rs 150 crore was provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs and indications were that another Rs 200 crore would be provided for this purpose.

The Standing Committee of Parliament relating to the Ministry of Human Resource Development has projected the cost of holding the Commonwealth Games at Rs 5,165 crore, much higher than the earlier estimates. 

New Delhi, February 26
With the arrest of one Lakhvinder Singh, a permanent resident of Chandigarh, the Central district police today claimed to have seized a rare ivory idol of Bhagwan Gautam Budha weighing about 1.70 kg and 8 inches high. The estimated cost of the idol is Rs 50 lakh in the international market.

Following a tip-off that a person would come to New Delhi Railway Station with an ivory idol of Bhagwan Gautam Budha to strike a deal for the sale of the idol in Jama Masjid area, a trap was laid around the area.

The person was nabbed at Ajmeri Gate area and the idol was allegedly recovered from his bag during search.—OC

Gurgaon, February 26
The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA) jointly organised an interaction for highlighting the recently launched scheme of receiving contributions online and discussing other related issues at the GIA house yesterday.

Mr T. K. Bhattacharya, Additional Commissioner, and Mr B. S. Negi, Regional Director, ESIC, Mr Rajesh Vaish, DGM, IT, State Bank of India, and Mr S. K. Garg, Director, Systems, ESIC, interacted with representatives of the industry and explained the advantages and procedure of the online scheme of depositing ESIC contributions.

Mr V. P. Bajaj, President, GIA, said though such a scheme was the need of the hour it had to be properly explained and understood. The complexities of the statutory regulations governing the industrial operations should be discussed threadbare and possible solutions of the problems could be mutually found and examined, he added.

The problem of depositing ESIC contributions in the State Bank of India, maintained Mr Bajaj, had been eased to some extent by accepting the payments online but there were certain impediments the industry had been facing in this respect which, he hoped, would be sorted out through this interaction.

The GIA president drew the attention of Mr Bhattacharya and other officials towards the pending project of ESIC Hospital for Gurgaon whose foundation was laid in Sector 9 some years ago. He stressed on the need of a model hospital in Gurgaon for the treatment of workers in view of the rapid industrial expansion.

However, Mr Bajaj welcomed the recent announcement of Mr Ramesh Inder Singh, DG, ESIC, for building a 50-bedded ESIC Hospital in Manesar. He hoped this project would not be delayed considering the ever increasing growth of industry and workforce in Manesar and the surrounding areas.

He also reminded the ESIC authorities about setting up an ESIC office at the regional level at Gurgaon for the convenience of the entrepreneurs of this industrial town.

He further urged the corporation on providing adequate stock of patent medicines for the use of insured workers and their dependents and tie-up with other hospitals till the ESIC’s own hospital started functioning in Gurgaon. Mr K. C. Papreja, honorary general secretary, GIA, said entrepreneurs in Gurgaon were quite meticulous in depositing the ESIC contributions despite the hardships. But now the facility of accepting the contributions online would relax them to a great extent.

He also emphasised on the urgent need of an ESIC ambulance which could be parked at the ESIC dispensary in Gurgaon for attending the emergency cases so that unnecessary casualties could be avoided.

Explaining the online scheme for accepting ESIC contributions, the officials gave a live demonstration of the scheme using the Internet facility. Dr Kellay, Senior Technical Director, National Information Centre, which had designed and developed the software for the scheme, assisted Mr Bhattacharya in explaining the procedures of making payments of contributions online. 

Gurgaon, February 26
Two girls, who were allegedly abducted last evening from DT City Centre, had accompanied an acquaintance and gone of their own volition, said Senior Superintendent of Police Hanif Qureshi, clarifying that they had not been abducted as reported by the complainant.

The SSP added as per police investigation Mr Vipul Scott Jaitley, who had a US passport issued to him, came to Palm Town and Country Club, located at Sushant Lok, at about 11 am and booked room no 106. After some time, he sought a taxi from the club attendant.

He took the Tata Indica taxi with registration no HR 26 Y 4632 driven by driver Shish Pal to DT City Centre at afternoon and got the vehicle parked there.

At around 4.30 pm, he came out with two girls. The three were dropped at the domestic airport at Delhi.

All three reportedly got on board the Jet Airway flight (no. 9W354) at 7.40 from Delhi and flew down to Mumbai, informed the SSP.

Two girls, Jaonne Ruchi Jaitley, 20, and Aaisa Aditi Jaitley, 9, went to DT City Centre with a relative, Ms Rita Kapoor, from their Beverly Park (11) residence on foot at around 4 pm.

A security guard at the mall, who saw the three and the youth eating at a food outlet, informed the police the two girls accompanied the youth to the vehicle. No force was employed.

However, Ms Rita Kapoor informed the girls’ father Tajpal Jaitley that his daughters had gone missing.

Tajpal Jaitley informed the Gurgaon police control room, alleging that his two daughters were abducted by someone and they might be taken to the USA or Canada.

The local police immediately swung into action and lodged an FIR under Sections 363 and 366 of the IPC last evening against unknown person on the information based on the telephone call, added the SSP.

The Inspector-General of Police, Gurgaon Range, Mr Mohinder Lal, added the police suspected a family dispute which could be the reason behind the alleged abduction. All circumstances revealed no force was used in taking the girls.

However, the police would soon trace the girls and seek their version, he added.

The IG further said the immigration department had been alerted about the incident and asked to ensure the three did not leave the country. The Mumbai police had also been alerted, informed the IG. 

Noida, February 26
With the death of one of the two young men wounded in a clash in Dadri on Saturday night in a Ghaziabad hospital, the Dadri police are looking for four youths after registering a murder case against them.

According to the police, there was a feast at Master Shahid’s house in Nai Abadi Dadri on Saturday. After the party, Bablu, alias Mehrajjuddin, Chand, Munna, alias Babu, Farman, Irshad and Idris were all returning home. At the Nai Abadi crossing an altercation took place among them.

When Bablu tried to bring about a peaceful settlement, Farman, Irshad, Idris and Munna all pounced on him. One of them pulled out a gun and fired. Another stabbed Bablu in the stomach. When Chand tried to come to Bablu’s help, he was also stabbed. Bablu and Munna both slumped in a pool of blood while the assailants fled. 

Greater Noida, February 26
Armed musclemen attacked Dalit farmers in Attai village under the Greater Noida police station area in an effort to gain possession of Dalits’ plots.

When the Dalits tried to resist this high-handedness, the assailants beat them up mercilessly and fired many rounds of gunshots to scare them away. At least six Dalits wounded in the attack were rushed to a private hospital.

In spite of their complaint, the area police had not registered any case against the musclemen, victims said.

In 2002, some 56 plots, each measuring 100 sq mt, were allotted to the Dalits in Attai village. This land was previously said to be under the possession of the powerful upper castes. When these took possession of the plots, they were shooed away and the usurpers, meanwhile, filed a case in the court, claiming that they had the ownership right on the land. Though the court had given a verdict in favour of the allottees, the powerful upper caste men still refused to hand over the possession and thus a long struggle ensued.

Yesterday, some allottees came to the plots and started erecting their jhuggis. Soon after, a group of musclemen came and started an altercation. Somebody informed the police. Both the parties were persuaded to calm down. As a result, the troubleshooters left the place. But, as soon as the police had departed, the musclemen, armed with guns, came back. They attacked the Dalits. Gunshots created fear among the allottees, who ran for their lives. Six wounded persons were admitted to a private hospital. The injured included Sunil, Nabya, Anand Swaroop, Tejpal, Sushila, Lal Chand and Mahesh.

The Dalits have alleged that in spite of their written complaint the police have not taken any action in the matter.

New Delhi, February 26
The Anti-Kidnapping Section of Crime Branch today claimed to have solved a six-year-old kidnapping case by tracing a 16-year-old boy Gyanesh.

The family of the boy had filed a report six years ago and claimed that he had been kidnapped. However, the police claimed, the boy had been living in Ahmedabad and was working as an assistant to a local doctor.

“Despite enquiries, nothing came out to corroborate the version of the complainant, who continuously mounted pressure on the police to get the alleged kidnappers arrested,” the police claimed.

All the leads provided by the complainant were followed up and it was established that the complainant’s story was not trustworthy.—OC