New Delhi, March 1
No time-frame has been fixed for regularisation of some 1,500 unauthorised colonies, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. The Centre approved a proposal on February 8 regarding regularisation of such colonies.

The Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr Ajay Maken, told the house in a reply that the list of colonies eligible for regularisation was to be finalised based on revised guidelines. The Delhi Government, he said, was verifying regularisation requests from more than 1,500 colonies. In view of the legal and administrative issues involved, no time-frame had been fixed, he added.

Also, the Delhi Government would be responsible for recovery of development charges from unauthorised colonies, the minister said.

Metro: The government has in principle approved a proposal of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to link the Indira Gandhi International airport and the New Delhi railway station with a high-speed express train at a total estimated cost of Rs 3,811 crore, Mr Maken said in another reply. The DMRC planned to complete the project by 2010, he added.

Land: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had reclaimed 95.91 acres in the Capital after clearing encroachments in 2006 and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) 275,000 sqm from January to November last year, the minister said.

The government, however, had made no formal assessment of the reclaimed land. Any such estimate would vary on the basis of the land use and specific situation of each such plot of land, he said.

New Delhi, March 1
Large number of traders ventilating their anger against the Union Budget expressed their protest today by burning the effigy of the Finance Minister Mr P. Chidambaram and also that of the budget provisions.

The demonstration led by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) termed the Budget as a ‘bunch of document’ having a hidden agenda of encouraging large industrial houses and multinational companies to capture retail trade in India.

The demonstrators regretted that in a document containing about 187 paras not even a single word about internal trade comprising of about 5 crore small shopkeepers across the country could find a place in the Union Budget especially when it is passing through a most crucial period of facing repeated onslaughts from big industrial houses and multinational companies like Walmart and Tesco. “This amply establishes the fact that the Finance Minister has scant respect for the trading community,” the CAIT said.

“Such an attitude needs to be condemned in strong words,” said the agitating traders.

The CAIT secretary general, Mr Praveen Khandelwal, charged the Finance Minister with playing in the hands of ‘big fish’ of the corporate and global world. “No steps regarding restriction of entry of big companies in retail trade, absence of complete ban on forward trading in commodities, no steps for simplification and rationalisation of tax structure, not a word about any long term national trade policy are some of the issues which should have been duly addressed in the Budget. The traders across the country feel deeply hurt,” said Mr Khandelwal.

He added that though agriculture and rural development sector had been given little priority in the budget, but the domestic trade contributing more than 50 per cent to national kitty and after agriculture, the largest sector providing employment had been grossly neglected.

“We have come to the conclusion that at least in the present regime, the trading community is not going to be heard so easily. Therefore, the CAIT will mount pressure on major political parties to bring amendments in the budget during course of discussion in Parliament,” said the secretary general of CAIT.

New Delhi, March 1
The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, said the Union Budget 2007-08 was not for common people. It was only for capitalists.

Reacting on the Budget, Professor Mukhi said the Budget not only disappointed the common masses but also industrialists. People of the country, who were facing extreme price rise, were hopeful the government would take concrete steps to check the rate of inflation, but in this Budget no drastic steps had been taken for putting a check on the price rise. Industrialists would have to pay more taxes in comparison to what they were paying, which would directly affect the economy.

No steps had been proposed for creating employment avenues. The government had proved to be a failure in curbing the parallel economy mushrooming in India. After this Budget, the prices would increase further. The rich would become more rich and the poor would become more poor. So, this Budget would further widen the gap in society. The target of 4 per cent growth in the agriculture sector was not possible as for basic infrastructure in the agriculture sector government investment needed to be increased but in this Budget no increase was indicated.

The data of growth in the industrial sector pertained to only few industries like IT etc. No heed had been paid to the power sector, which would affect the target of industrial growth.

Professor Mukhi said the ban on forward trading had been imposed only on two items, rice and wheat, which was not a concrete steps towards controlling the price rise. There was dire need of putting a ban on forward trading on all cereals, pulses and potatoes etc.

Faridabad, March 1
“The Haryana government has waived off an interest of about Rs 830 crore on the loans taken by farmers and rural artisans from the Cooperative Banks to provide them an opportunity to get rid of the debt trap resulted by the outstanding payments,” Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said today.

Addressing a public meeting at Hodal town in the district, the Chief Minister claimed that this had been done perhaps for the first time by the state government and the affected persons ought to take full benefit of the scheme without any delay.

He added that the government would soon announce a proper compensation to the farmers for the loss caused to the standing crops by the recent hailstorm and rainfall in various parts of the state. He said the survey work of the damaged crops had almost been over and the government would soon make public the compensation package.

Claiming that the present government had taken several decisions having far reaching positive results related to the problems and issues of the common people, he said the announcement regarding the waiving off of the interest on the loans availed by the farmers and other weaker sections of the society had been a step in the direction of providing some relief to them.

Alleging that while all kinds of exploitative measures including registration of criminal cases and arrests had been adopted in the past against the farmers, he added that it was for the time that the government would repay this community for their contribution to the economy.

The Chief Minister said grain production could not be undermined when this work had become more difficult and almost unsustainable in the recent years.

Stating that his government had gone for waiving off the pending bills of Rs 1,600 crore mostly against farmers and rural people, he said the move to drop the interest on pending loans had been another lifetime opportunity, which should not be missed by the affected persons.

Regarding the various demands of the region, Mr Hooda said that the government would ensure a proper supply of water and power to this area, besides making available the required funds for all round growth of the Hodal and Palwal subdivisions.

He said while development projects worth about Rs 28 crore had been in progress in Hodal subdivision, majority of the schemes announced at a meeting held here last year had been nearing completion.

Earlier, addressing a party workers’ gathering at Palwal convened by the chief of the district (rural) unit of the HPCC, Dr Harender Pal, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the party activists to make the Sirsa rally a success. Directing the district officials to be more vigilant towards public work, he said a rally would soon be held at Palwal to focus on various other issues of the region.

MLAs of the region and senior officials were also present at the occasion. 

Noida, March 1
A Noida policeman who had provided details about the relations of Nithari killings’ accused Moninder Singh with the Noida police is mysteriously missing.

The Noida police and the CBI are both trying to trace the policeman, who was ordered back to the Police Lines by the then SSP, Mr R. K. S. Rathore, after his interview was aired by a TV channel. The CBI ha contacted the Nithari police for recording the statement of the policeman. But, no one seems to know his whereabouts.

Brijender had created a sensation by giving details of Moninder Singh Pandher’s close links with police officials in an interview with a TV channel after the Nithari killings came to light.

He had said that the then Nithari police post in-charge, Ms Simaranjit Kaur, enjoyed very close and special relations with Moninder Singh Pandher. He had also mentioned in the interview on the TV channel that the SO, Sector 20 police station, Mr B. P. Singh, and former police post in-charge Vinod Pandey had demanded and accepted Rs 2 lakh from Moninder Singh.

On making these sensational statements on TV, Brijender was summoned by senior police officers after which he had proceeded on leave. Now, nobody seems to know his whereabouts. When the CBI contacted the Noida police to record his statement, the investigating agency was told his whereabouts were not known.

On Tuesday, the CBI had reportedly contacted the Noida police to record the statements of a number of policemen in connection with the Nithari case, but most of the policemen required by the CBI, the agency was told, had been dismissed or suspended. The SSP’s office had asked the Sector 20 SO to furnish information about Brijender.

Now, the Noida police and the CBI were both trying to trace the policeman. The CBI was also trying to ascertain if Moninder Singh really faced any danger to his life. The investigating agency was also trying to probe the accident in which the Tavera van, carrying both the Nithari accused for a narcoanalysis test to Ahmedabad, was hit by a Sumo from the rear in Sector 6 here. After this, both the accused were flown to Ahmedabad for the test. The CBI is busy conducting a thorough inquiry about the driver and other persons connected with the Sumo which had hit the Tavera on February 4. 

New Delhi, March 1
A delegation from Afghanistan, led by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ghulam Farooq Wardak, today met Rajya Sabha Secretary General Yogendra Narain and saw a presentation on the working of Parliament.

The delegation, comprising prominent members of both Houses of Afghan Parliament and senior officials, was given a power point presentation on the functioning of Parliament, particularly Rajya Sabha. The delegates were briefed about the arrangement of business in the House, various devices available to the members to seek information from the government, legislative process, question hour and committee system.

Dr Narain explained the constitutional position of the two Houses of Parliament, their composition and the specific roles assigned to them.

New Delhi, March 1
Colourful Chinese water guns and pistols have flooded the domestic market in the backdrop of the ‘festival of colours’ – Holi – falling on March 4.

Made of light plastic, a whole range of Chinese ‘pichkaris’ (sprinklers, water guns and water sprays) are selling like hot cakes in the markets.

Priced upward of Rs 10 for a water pistol, these Chinese water guns are also available with a price tag of Rs 2,500 for a large ‘machine-gun’ capable of holding 6 litres of water at one time and offering unlimited scope of Holi revelry.

This ‘arsenal’ of Chinese-origin comprise a whole range of ‘arms’ to suit every pocket and size. On offer are water pistols, rifles, guns, machine guns and rocket-launchers, packaged in attractive polythene jackets to lure children and an odd adult too.

Roadside kiosk to big outlets are choc-a-block with these Chinese toy guns, which have wrestled out the Indian varieties from the market, both at the end of retail sellers and buyers alike. But, no one seem to complain.

“People do not prefer Indian water guns, since Chinese counterparts are visually vibrant and durable, besides having better production quality and finish,” Anish Agarwal, a vendor at the Sadar Market, said.

The Chinese goods, which made a humble entry in the Indian markets about three years back, now hold a virtual monopoly in the water gun segment, he remarked.

These water guns are specially being liked by children in the age group of 10-12 years, they informed.

Meanwhile, people now prefer to buy ‘gulal’ rather than chemical dyes and colours for Holi.

“The sale of ‘gulal’ is now at par the traditional chemical dyes. Even in ‘gulal’, people are asking for herbal varieties, which are almost twice as costly as normal gulal,” another vendor said.

New Delhi, March 1
BSES’ intensified campaign against power theft is gaining momentum. BSES has started micro managing its anti-power theft activities and has adopted an area based approach.

Acting on tip-offs left on its anti-theft enforcement numbers and using data mapping technology, BYPL Enforcement teams recently conducted series of raids, totalling around 80, spanning three days in East and Central Delhi areas of Jhilmil, Dilshad Garden, Krishna Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Yamuna Vihar, Karawal Nagar, Nand Nagri, Chandani Chowk, Kashmiri Gate, Paharganj and Karol Bagh. The raids in East Delhi detected power theft of over 630 KW, amounting to nearly Rs 2.5 crore in penalties.

“Most of those raided were using the stolen power for running commercial establishments and for their residential premises. Of the over 640 KW of power theft load detected, about 340 KW was by way of hooking from the nearby BSES LV mains and about 285 KW was by way of meter tampering,” said a BSES official.

“BSES has started mapping all its customers. Their electricity consumption and load patterns are being closely monitored. Any deviation is immediately flagged at BSES’ end. This is the reason why the numbers of successful raids have witnessed an increase in the past few months,” the official said. According to a BSES spokesperson, since July 2002, BSES has booked over 49,000 cases of power theft and detected an electricity theft load of over 2.95 lakh KW.

New Delhi, March 1
A property dealer had been murdered by unidentified men after he was kidnapped from near his residence in North-East Delhi, the police said today.

Mohd Ikram was abducted from Dilshad Garden last night and taken to Sahibabad near Ghaziabad by the four-member gang in a car.

The victim’s brother, Mohd Irfan, who followed the car after he saw his brother being bundled into it, claimed he saw the men shooting Ikram.

He has also identified three of the assailants, but the police are yet to arrest any of them.

Senior police officials said there were discrepancies in Irfan’s statement.

Ikram is a bad character, the police description of repeated offenders, and has at least 11 criminal cases registered against him.

Ghaziabad, March 1
Ms Parmjit Kaur, a resident of Shibbanpura, has accused two residents of Krishen Nagar in Delhi for kidnapping her truck driver husband. Parmjit Kaur’s husband, Jagtar Singh, had taken a truck to Bihar six months ago. She has not heard from him since then.

On Tuesday, Parmjit complained to the Sihani Gate police that she had come to know that Hari Om Khushwa and Shambhu Khushwa, both residents of Krishen Nagar in Delhi, had kidnapped her husband Jagtar Singh.

On her complaint, the police have started investigations after registering a case against the two. The police have also summoned the accused.—OC

New Delhi, March 1
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women. This disease is increasing in Indian women. Awareness is required to prevent it,” says Dr Ganesh K. Mani, cardiothoracic surgeon and Chairman of the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute.

He said women should be proactive and take steps to reduce the risk for heart disease even before the symptoms occurred. The risk of developing coronary heart disease stood at one in three women. The symptoms of heart disease were found to differ in men and women. Men were more likely to have “typical” chest pain consisting of central chest location, aggravation by exertion and relief by rest. Women, on the hand, were more likely than men to report chest pain during rest, sleep or periods of mental stress.

Dr Mani said although women with coronary heart disease (CHD) had a risk factor profile similar to men the quantitative impact of a particular risk factor on overall CHD risks might differ between and men and women. Women who smoked had a risk of heart attack 19 years earlier than a non-smoking woman. Smoking lowered levels of the female hormone, estrogen.

“Women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have heart attacks. High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women”, said Dr Mani.

He said a survey report confirmed that 38 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men died within one year of a first recognised heart attack. Thirty five per cent of women and 18 per cent of men heart attack survivors had another heart attack within six years. Forty six per cent of women and 22 per cent of men heart attack survivors were disabled with heart failure within six years.

Women and men tended to have different average cholesterol levels at various times in their lives, primarily because of the effect of estrogen. Before puberty, there were no significant differences between the cholesterol levels of boys and girls. After puberty, when a woman’s ovaries began producing estrogen, the level of High Density Lipoprotene (HDL), “good” cholesterol, tended to rise while the level of Low Density Lipoprotene (LDL), “bad” cholesterol, tended to fall. This seemed to have a cardio-protective effect, especially through a woman’s childbearing years.

As menopause approached, however, and estrogen levels began declining, the opposite effect took place. HDL levels tended to drop, while LDL and triglyceride (another blood fat) levels rose. This rise in LDL cholesterol often took place in conjunction with other changes that put a woman at risk, including increasing blood pressure, fat accumulation in the abdomen (a risk factor for heart disease) and weight gain. To combat this constellation of age-related risk factors, women were encouraged to maintain higher HDL cholestrol level than men, Dr Mani said.

New Delhi, March 1
A joint forum of journalists’ associations, including News Papers Association of India, held a dharna at Jantar Mantar in protest against alleged thwarting freedom of the press and attempting to prosecute journalists and proprietors in Assam and Andhra Pradesh.

A number of MPs like Tapir, Kiron Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal, Arun Sharma, Amar Singh, Yerran Naidu, Sukhdev Paswan, R. Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Mrs N. P. Durga and PL Rao, and MLAs Maulana Badruddin Ajmal and H. A. Bashir Ahmed both from Assam were present on the occasion, a press release said.