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Revised TB control programme has failed, feel experts
‘Sealing drive
would have negligible impact’
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BJP clamours for PAC meeting
Six get life for kidnapping twins, murdering driver
Artscape
Nithari
case
Constable kills wife, self
Tribunal
awards
Militant held for drug trafficking
BSES fined for ‘frivolous’ theft case
IIPM hosts C’Wealth Conference
Fire in chemical factory
Northwesterly winds keep Delhi cool
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Revised TB control programme has failed, feel experts
Faridabad, March 25 Medical experts feel that tuberculosis is not only the most neglected field of medical science, but the campaign to eradicate this menace has also not achieved the desired results. Besides, the adoption of a new treatment regime for curing the disease has also sparked off a debate. Dr Raman
Kakar, a well-known T.B specialist here, who has authored a few books and produced a documentary film on the subject, has highlighted the basic problems that are still dotting the famous DOTS (Revised National T.B Control Programme) drive of the health department, despite an investment of a huge amount of funds. In a report titled as ‘Are We on Right Track’, Dr Kakar has claimed that while the disease has already been reined in by developed nations, the campaign in India has ‘failed’ miserably due to ‘mismanagement’ at various levels. He said that the revised national
T.B. Control programme, started in 1998, had exhibited a paradigm shift with five radical changes, which included usage of best drugs and omission of the chest X-Ray test of the infected person. However, he claimed that the adoption of the thrice-a-week regime, in which medicines ought to be taken only three days a week instead the daily dose routine in practice earlier, might be attractive for many, but the lack of supervision and control could spell disaster in case of unawareness and non-seriousness on part of the patient, which is common in rural parts. According to him, the omission of chest X-Ray has been a controversial move, while depending only upon ‘sputum test’ is illogical. It was wrong on part of any physician to prescribe a heavy dose of medicine without confirming presence of the disease with the help of X-Ray images, he claimed. It is stated that spotting an X-Ray shadow instantly electrifies the doctor to clinch the presence or absence of T.B and without its help, the doctor would be like a blindfolded person. The sputum test only detects 48 per cent of the sick as it does not help in detection of pediatric, extra-pulmonary or smear negative
T.B. The X-Ray was must after every two months at least for proper supervision, it is claimed. “The second aspect that is marring the anti-TB drive is lack of professionalism, as the proper criteria for the selection of the key person
(T.B officer) has been missing and the entire clinical operation appeared non-technical,” Dr Kakar claimed. According to experts, while the key DOTS players have been saddled with enormous
non-T.B. work, the non-enforcement of the impeccable supervision over thrice-weekly regime can prove catastrophic. The experts add that a miss on a single day could cause a prolonged gap, which is not compatible with the cure process. It is believed that the authorities concerned only project superfluous results in a dishonest manner, while the ground reality is different. “All that a patient gets is medicine worth Rs 300 for six months while crores of rupees go waste on lavish meetings and conferences. There is no reason why success is still eluding the programme, despite a lot of amount being spent in the past several years,” claimed a physician here. |
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‘Sealing drive
would have negligible impact’
New Delhi, March 25 The recent Supreme Court order makes it clear that there would be no sealing or punitive action against establishments on roads, whether notified or not, that have been given relief under the Master Plan, Union Minister of State for Urban Development Mr Ajay Maken told reporters here. Terming the civic elections a referendum for the Master Plan 2021, he claimed the apex court directions were a tacit approval of the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD), which had provided relief to 99.5 per cent of the traders who could have been affected by the sealing and demolition drives. He said the Monitoring Committee recommended action against shops on upper floors in mixed land use areas, but added that on most such stretches, commercial activity is going on only on ground floor, which is permitted, and some other mixed-used areas are protected under the Master Plan. Only a negligible number of properties would be affected when the sealing drive resumes, Mr Maken said and accused the BJP of misleading traders on the issue. Ridiculing the BJP demand for an amnesty scheme for traders, Mr Maken claimed that proposal for such a scheme was mooted by the Malhotra committee and forwarded to the BJP-led NDA government in 1999, but the then Urban Development Minister Jagmohan rejected it. Mr Jagmohan’s successor Mr Ananth Kumar’s stand on such a scheme was also the same, Mr Maken claimed. “When the BJP ministers contemptuously dealt with the proposal for an amnesty scheme, the BJP has no moral authority to demand it now,” Mr Maken said. “Like the Babri Masjid issue, the BJP does not want a solution to the problem of sealing also. First they were demanding a new Master Plan, but after it was notified, they termed it as an election manifesto,” Mr Maken said. |
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BJP clamours for PAC meeting
New Delhi, March 25 Dr Vardhan has demanded for the third time from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Ch. Prem Singh that he should direct the chief ministers and the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee to convene the meeting of the committee immediately so that the activities, expenditure etc. of the Delhi Government may be assessed in an impartial manner. The BJP Pradesh president said that just one meeting of the Public Accounts Committee was convened for the introduction of members. The tenure of the committee is to end on March 31 and second meeting has not been convened. The Congress is deliberately paralysing this important institution so that its ‘evil’ deeds may not be exposed. He said that the last committee constituted under the chairmanship of Dr S.C. Vats had confirmed power privatisation and smart card bungles and demanded enquiry into them. The Chief Minister has not submitted Action Taken Report in the Legislative Assembly as yet. This is open violation of the constitutional provisions. He said it was the responsibility of the Speaker of Legislative Assembly that for maintaining the dignity of the Chair, he should recommend a CBI enquiry into both the bunglings so that the people of Delhi might get justice and those who pocketed the public money were sent to jail. He further said that the CAG of India, Standing Committee of Parliament on Energy, Public Accounts Committee, Delhi Government and Controller of Accounts of Delhi had demanded enquiry into the power privatisation bungle. He said that he had written letters to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly twice for enquiry. |
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Six get life for kidnapping twins, murdering driver
New Delhi, March 25 Additional Sessions Judge S. K. Aggarwal relied upon the circumstantial evidence to convict the accused. “There is no direct evidence in the case. It is based only upon the circumstantial evidence. No one had seen the accused committing the murder (of the driver)”, the judge said. It is only through a chain formed after the disclosure statement of Ashok, another driver of the complainant, that the police could achieve success in solving the case on step-by-step basis, he added. The court yesterday sentenced three convicts, Jaipal Singh, Madan Singh and Dharam Singh, to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2 lakh after holding them guilty for murdering Sunil Kumar, driver of complainant Rajiv Aggarawal, and kidnapping his twin sons. Two other convicts, Sunil Kumar and Ashok Kumar, were also handed out similar punishment with a fine of Rs 50,000 for their involvement in the conspiracy while one convict, Jai Bhagwan, was sentenced to life term with a fine of Rs 1 lakh for his involvement in kidnapping of the four-and-half-year old twins and entering into a conspiracy. Delhi-based businessman Aggarwal’s two sons, Rishab and Shubham, were kidnapped along with driver Sunil on their return in a car from Bal Bharti Public School in Rohini here on September 17, 2001. The next day, Aggarwal, a resident of Pitampura in North-West Delhi, received a ransom call demanding Rs 1 crore each for his two sons. The police, after preliminary investigation, had arrested his other driver, Ashok, who made a disclosure, leading to the recovery of the body of Sunil from a place under the Brij Ghat police station in Ghaziabad. On September 20, the accused Madan was also apprehended with the twins from the Anand Vihar bus terminus here. The car was earlier found abandoned at Wazirabad. It was only after the disclosure statement of accused Jaipal that the children were recovered from the possession of accused Madan, the court said. The court also noted that it was Aggarwal’s driver Ashok who hatched a conspiracy with the other accused to kidnap the twins after being dissatisfied with his salary. Another accused, Jeet Kaur, wife of convict Jaipal Singh, was acquitted by the court for want of sufficient evidence. |
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Artscape Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 25 S. K. Shahjahan and Shrabani Roy are both alumni of Visva Bharti, Kala Bhavana at Shantiniketan. They have both studied under the tutelage of Jogen Chowdhary. Shahjahan has participated in numerous shows across the country and his work reflects the more violent shades of love. Shrabani extends her canvases into tapestries, tempera overflows into jute and wool. This is the first time that the couple is participating in a show together in Delhi. Journey of an artist
National award winning artist Suneet Ghildial is exhibiting his paintings on wood entitled “Time and Life - A Continuous Journey” at Lalit Kala Akademi here from March 23 to 28. The exhibition has been put together by curator Varshita Shukla. At present working as an assistant professor of applied arts at Rajasthan School of Arts, Suneet has exhibited his works in several cities here and abroad. The old man and his garden
The Mask Art Performing People is staging Manoj Mitra’s famous Bangla comedy drama, “Bagiya Bancha Ram Ki”, at the Poorva Sanskriti Kendra, Laxmi Nagar, here on March 30. The famous drama revolves around 95-year-old Bancha Ram and his prized garden. The play is being directed by Dinesh Ahlawat. The Mask Art Performing People is a local drama society dedicated to the cause of stage plays. Team Baroda at Art Konsult Art Konsult here is presenting “Team-Unteamed II”, a group exhibition of works by 10 artists from the alumni of Fine Arts Department, M. S. University, Baroda, at Gallery Art Konsult, from March 26 to April 15. Curated by Bhavna Kakar, “Team-Unteamed II” exhibits works of artists like Farhad Husain, Sharmi Chowdhury, Debraj Goswami, Sukhdev Rathod, Manoj Sinha, Pravat Mishra, Shiv Verma, Ramgopal Kumawat, Alok Bal and Barun Chowdhury. The exhibition showcases the concept of portraying the hullabaloo of a big city. It focuses on the dislocations and tribulations of an urban metro city life. For instance, Sharmi Chowdhury deals with the subject of the alien female who carries the burden of her time and yet does not complain about it. Farhad Husain’s work in tempera on cloth also dwells on the human figure although with a touch of humour and sarcasm. Shiv Verma, born in a small village in Bastar district, has come out with works which are influenced by the region’s traditional art. His works in iron, bronze and local mud, are all about transgenic vegetables and fruits, which include both the folk elements and interference of external forces like science and technology.
Debraj Goswami’s paintings seem like scenes from The Adams Family, with objects appearing as though they have been put through magic spells as they transform from being ordinary to peculiar. Other participating artists, similarly, create works that make references to the mundane and the extraordinary in city life. Sachin connects with Capital
Shakshi Gallery of Mumbai is presenting “Connexion”, an exhibition of paintings of Sachin Karne, at Shridharani Gallery here from March 29 to April 5. Sachin has exhibited his creations at several shows in the country. Shakshi Gallery, a part of the Synergy Art Foundation, has been encouraging art and artists by organising their shows in different parts of the country. |
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Nithari case
New Delhi, March 25 If the police are to be believed, Surinder Koli, the main accused who was Pandher’s domestic help, had told the police that his boss had asked him to get children for sex. However, this statement was not made before a magistrate and therefore cannot be used as evidence in court. ‘Pandher main culprit’According to the Noida police, Pandher was the main culprit while Surinder Koli simply followed his employer’s orders. Now the CBI says Pandher was involved only in destroying the evidence of Koli’s crimes. Contradictions that seem impossible to reconcile. According to the Noida police, Koli gave them a signed confessional statement where he said Pandher had asked him to kill Payal and had on other occasions asked him to get children for sex. Koli also says he then killed these children with Pandher’s consent. However, the CBI now says Pandher was not involved. “We have traced Pandher’s cell phone records and they reveal he was nowhere near Noida when these murders took place,” said Arun Kumar, Jt Director, CBI. Narco analysis Apart from the phone records, what also worked in Pandher’s favour is that in the narcoanalysis, brain mapping and polygraph tests in Ahmedabad, neither Koli nor his employer gave any indication of Pandher’s involvement. Moreover, Koli reiterated this under oath to the CBI. When asked about the glaring contradictions, sources in the CBI say Surinder’s statement was not part of the case file handed over to them by the Noida police. But whatever the contradictions, what’s relevant is that Koli’s statement to the Noida police was not made before a magistrate. Therefore, it’s not admissible in court. On the other hand, Koli’s statement to the CBI where he gives his employer a clean chit is admissible in court as evidence. — Agencies
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Constable kills wife, self
Noida, March 25 The double death has caused a commotion in the police department here. The incident took place in Y-214 in Sector 12 here at about 6 pm yesterday. Ravinder, posted at the Sector 39 police station, was living with his second wife Pooja and her nine-year-old son Deepak. His first wife, Saroj, and her two sons, Anil and Sunil, lived on the Phase-II police station campus. Ravinder and Pooja had gone in for a love marriage two years ago. But after a couple of days relations between the two turned sour. They used to quarrel almost daily. Ravinder often used to thrash Pooja. Senior police officers had also come to know about it, but nothing was done to counsel the couple. Strangely, no action seems to have been taken by the police administration against Ravinderfor having married the second time while his first wife was still alive. When Ravinder came home on Saturday evening, an argument started between the couple. In a fit of rage, Ravinder took a kitchen knife and slit Pooja’s throat with it. When some women from the neighbourhood came running, Ravinder shooed them away with the same knife. By the time the police reached, Ravinder had also swallowed some sulphur tablets. Pooja was rushed to Metro Hospital where doctors declared her brought dead while unconscious Ravinder, who was taken to Prakash Hospital, breathed his last there. |
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Tribunal awards Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 25 Additional Sessions Judge Dinesh Kumar Sharma of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) also maintained that the driver’s acquittal in a criminal case in connection with the accident could not be a ground for denying compensation to the family of the victim. This claim petition could not be dismissed merely because the driver had been acquitted in the criminal case, the judge said in a recent order, noting that the accident happened while the driver was busy changing a cassette in the tape recorder. Madho Ram (51) had died on April 13, 1994, after receiving injuries when the driver lost control of the bus due to his negligence and the vehicle climbed over the pavement near Prithvi Raj Road here and its roof struck against the branches of a tree. An FIR was registered against bus driver Surender Singh with the Tughlaq Road police station for rash driving and he was also later chargesheeted for causing death by negligence. Singh was, however, acquitted by a court for want of evidence and he challenged the claim petition filed by the family of the victim in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) on this ground. Refusing to buy his argument, the judge said that it was a settled law acquittal in the criminal case was of no avail as far as the claim under the Motor Vehicle Act was concerned . The MACT further observed that no negligence could be attributed to the victim, who himself was a traveller in the bus, and the onus was on the driver to prove he was not rash and negligent.
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Militant held for drug trafficking
New Delhi, March 25 Four kg of heroine worth Rs 4 crore in the international market and one pistol along with eight live cartridges have allegedly been recovered from their possession. Following a tip-off that the suspects would come near Mother Dairy in East Delhi area, a trap was laid around the area. When their Pulser motorcycle was allegedly intercepted, they initially tried to escape but were later apprehended after a brief chase. Two kg of heroine was recovered during the search of a black bag of Jagdev Singh. Another two kg was also recovered from the bag of his accomplice pillion rider, later identified as a hardcore militant Gurdeep Singh Lahoria. During interrogation, Lahori allegedly accepted that in 1996, he came in contact with Ranjit Singh Neeta, chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force. In October 1996, he along with his associate Balbir Singh planted a bomb in a bicycle in a parking lot of Grandlays Cinema in Sri Niwas Puri area an in December 19996, he along with another associate again planted a bomb in Jhelum Express, which exploded at Ambala Cant. In 2006, he came in contact with Daya Singh Lahoriya and started supplying heroine in Delhi which he used to procure from some contacts of Lahoria in Punjab, said a police officer. |
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BSES fined for ‘frivolous’ theft case
New Delhi, March 25 “The casual and cavalier manner in which the BSES Yamuna Power Limited is dealing with the matter of electricity thefts, resulting in registration of cases against innocent citizens, deserves to be condemned by this court,” Ms Justice Reva Khetrapal said in a recent order. The court, taking exception to the multiplicity of such cases, said it would be failing in its duty if it did not “deprecate” the mode of action by the power supplier. “It is accordingly enjoined upon the BSES Yamuna Power Limited to exercise due care and caution in the matter of registration of their complaints in respect of electricity thefts,” it said, adding that undue harassment of the innocent citizens should be avoided. The observation came on a writ petition filed by Mr Vikas Kapoor, challenging registration of a power theft case against him on December 23 last year. Mr Kapoor contended before the court he had been implicated in the case as he was neither the owner nor a tenant of the property in Sadar Bazar against which there was a case of theft. |
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IIPM hosts C’Wealth Conference
New Delhi, March 25 A spokesman of the IIPM said it was indeed a matter of pride for India to host this conference along with Singapore and Malaysia which brought in 200 aspiring young leaders from 53 Commonwealth countries. Sharing the dreams and aspirations of the leaders in business and politics, the Dean of the IIPM, Prof Arindam Chaudhuri, said it was undeniably a great privilege to host the young leaders. The global conference would provide yet another opportunity for India to be the focal point of discussions in the business world, he added. |
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Fire in chemical factory
Faridabad, March 25 However, there are no reports of any casualty. It took about five-and-a-half hours for fire brigade personnel to control the fire that probably broke out due to a shot circuit in the factory. About a dozen fire tenders from various sources including the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) were required to extinguish the flames. This was the first fire incident in any industrial or commercial unit in the town this year. According to reports, the fire erupted around 12 noon today in a godown of the company located on Plot number 24-A, which used to supply chemical and related raw material to rubber units in the area. The chemical being kept in the godown was of highly inflammable nature and the premises had no proper fire fighting equipment, the police said. It is suspected that there could be more industrial and commercial units in the area, which are not following fire safety norms mandatory for getting a completion certificate. The completion certificates to such units were issued several years ago, with hundreds of industrial units located in this zone. |
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Northwesterly winds keep Delhi cool
New Delhi, March 25 The weather in Delhi and other parts of northwest India is likely to remain cool for the next few days with the weatherman forecasting that strong northwesterly winds were likely to prevail over northwest Indian plains during the next 3-4 days. “Numerical weather prediction models suggest that strong northwesterly winds at lower tropospheric levels are likely to prevail over the Indo-Gangetic plains for the next 3-4
days. — UNI |
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Keeping in view the possi- ble effects of sealing drive on the MC of Delhi
polls, the Delhi Pradesh Cong- ress Party today sought to assure the traders that only a negligible number of properties may face action when the drive resumes.
