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Survey to decide on provisions for power theft: CM
CS for setting up of development authority
GB Nagar goes to polls today
‘Polls to be fair and impartial’
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Chance to look at Partition through the eyes of thinking artist
Court notice on encroachment issue
Debate on reservations at AIIMS on Saturday
Riots’ orphans locked out from workplace
Coffee an antidote to Parkinson’s Disease?
Forum to dwell on child security
Hospital burglary solved, one held
Golf course supervisor shot
Youth, ASI get jail terms in rape case
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Survey to decide on provisions for power theft: CM
New Delhi, April 12 UP had to supply 140 million gallon (MG) water to Sonia SVWTP, but it gave only 40 MG which was not sufficient. At present, East Delhi gets 28 MG and South gets 32 MG water from Sonia Vihar plant. The water supply in East Delhi has improved a lot after commissioning of SVWTP. She said this after opposition members raised questions in the Assembly in connection with water shortage in the national Capital. When Saket MLA Vijay Jolly sought her attention towards water shortage in Sangam Vihar Colony, the Chief Minister said that the Delhi Jal Board had enough tankers to supply water. As far as proper water supply is concerned, it would be done whenever Sonia Vihar gets complete water from Uttar Pradesh. She said that Delhi had enough power for its citizens. The government is giving its surplus power to Maharashtra. She assured that a survey would be conducted for power theft and provision would be made to take care of its citizens who have legal power connections. When opposition moved a question for desilting of drains, the Delhi PWD Minister, Dr A. K. Walia, said that there were thousands of drains in Delhi which were being maintained by the various agencies, like Delhi Government, MCD, NDMC, Cantonment Board, etc. The desilting work of PWD drains is done throughout the year. The department does not wait for monsoon season. |
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CS for setting up of development authority
Gurgaon, April 12 Mr Prashant, speaking as a chief guest on the occasion of 27th Annual General Meeting of Gurgaon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said the time had come for setting up the Authority to integrate and coordinate the measures to further develop Gurgaon. Responding to a number of issues raised by the founding president of the GCCI, Mr P.K. Jain, the Chief Secretary said that the state had formulated ‘Infrastructure Development Act’, which would generate the scope for public-private participation. The view of the Chief Secretary once again brings the issue of the Authority in the central frame in the context of the current debate on the adequacy and efficacy of the present bureaucratic infrastructure dispensing affairs of the city. Highly-placed sources say that a section within the officialdom has reservations against setting up of such a authority. Mr Prashant said that the ongoing work on the first phase of the extension project of Delhi Metro to Gurgaon had cost the Haryana government Rs 680 crore. The government had to shell out Rs 111 crore more than the original estimate as it wanted the allignment of the route of Metro vide a particular direction, he added. “Now, the government is pushing for extension of the Metro to Faridabad right up to YMCA junction. This will cost the government Rs 2,000 crore,” the chief secretary said. He said that the government was also planning for a ‘High Speed Corridor’ from Delhi-Ambala-Chandigarh, which would facilitate special trains to run at a speed of 350 kms per hour. With regard to Gurgaon, he said that a sum of about Rs 4,000 crore would be needed in the coming years for infrastructure and further planned growth of the city. “It is a challenge and all concerned will have to mull over the issue,” he said. He urged upon the private sector to shoulder some social responsibility and made out a case for the government side guided by the concept of cost effectiveness, which is the lodestar in the practices of corporate world. On the industry’s concern on raising of minimum wage for unskilled workers to Rs 3,510, a hike of 41 per cent, he said that the wages had not been hiked for the past six years. However, in an obvious bid to smoothen ruffled feathers, he said that the industry’s concern was genuine and ideally the hike should had been incremental. The Principal Secretaries relating to Power, Excise and Taxation, the Chief Administrator of Agriculture and Marketing Board, the Director, Industries, and Chief Administrator, HUDA accompanied him on the occasion. Almost all the departmental heads in the district were also present. Although the GCCI expressed concern and gave suggestions on issues like human resource development, Gurgaon-Manesar Master Plan-2021, Industrial Policy of the state, Local Area Development Tax, functioning of the Haryana Industrial Development Corporation, its tone was pungent on the electricity front. The GCCI lamented that while the electricity reforms initiated in Haryana had brought in many positive features, there was lack of coordination between the power utilities (Nigam) causing problems for the consumers. It also claimed that the industrial units of Haryana had already started facing the problem of electricity shortage, which was likely to aggravate further in the coming months. The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power, Mr Ashok Lavasa, however, appeared to be equally well-prepared in ‘soaking’ the grievances of the industry by presenting the efforts of the government to augment power generation in the state. “In all the years of the state’s existence, the power generation capacity of the state was 1500 Mega Watts, but the government has waded itself into increasing the capacity by another 3750 Mega Watts. This was excluding 700 Mega Watts vide renewable source like bio-gas and wind. All of them would be ready within three years starting with 300 Mega Watts from coming September vide thermal power plant in Panipat,” he said. |
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GB Nagar goes to polls today
Noida, April 12 Giving details of the arrangements, District Magistrate Ajay Chauhan said this time the Central Election Commission has issued strict and detailed instructions and voting will be allowed only on voters’ identity card, and on the basis of other documents like ration card, driving licence, passport and even identity cards issued by private companies to their employees. The security this time has entirely been entrusted to the central forces. Every two booths will have a company (8 jawans) or one and a half company (4 persons) of paramilitary forces. Electronic media vans will be stationed at a distance of 200 metres from the polling centres. Photographers will not be allowed to go inside the polling booths. They can take photographs from outside. GB Nagar I district has been divided into 11 zones and 53 sectors. There would be in all 390 polling centres and 777 polling booths in the district. Seventy-four candidates are in the fray, the DM said. Voting will commence at 7 am and continue till 5 pm. This time the Election Commission has ordered that security will be maintained by central forces. In case central forces are not present, voting will not be started till the central forces arrive on the spot. Some 81 separate booths have been set up for Muslim women voters who come in burquas. Here special women police will be on duty. District police chief Rajiv Sabharwal said in all 31 companies of central forces, three companies of PAC, 1,100 jawans of another paramilitary force and 1,500 jawans of UP police, totalling to 8,000 to 9,000 jawans, will be deployed in the district on election duty. All the staff will reach their posts by 4 pm on April 12, it was mentioned. The polling centres and booths will have fixed digital cameras to record the proceedings. Borders with Delhi and Haryana have been sealed but at some 38 points barriers have been set up. Although people will not be stopped from coming or going but vehicle checks and frisking of suspicious persons will be undertaken, the SSP said. |
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‘Polls to be fair and impartial’
Ghaziabad, April 12 He said this while addressing a meeting of the district and police officers, where Central Deputy Election Commissioner, Ms Faizi Bala Subramanium, the Additional DG police (Law and Order), and the CRPF IG, Mr Kanwar Singh, were also present. “Security arrangements should be so fool-proof that no anti-social elements could dare create any disturbance and voters should feel free to cast their vote as per their own choice,” he stressed. Mr Bishnoi appreciated the efforts of the involved officials for ensuring peaceful poll during first phase of voting. He told the district administration officials of Ghaziabad, G.B. Nagar to ensure similar arrangements so that people freely cast their votes in the second phase also. Deputy Election Commissioner Ms Faizi Bala Subramanium said that impartial polls were the hall-mark and strength of Indian democracy. “Officials must not compromise on it, in any way,” she said. |
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Chance to look at Partition through the eyes of thinking artist
New Delhi, April 12 S L Parasher’s exhibition ‘Partition and Beyond’ will open on April 17 at the Nehru Centre in London. Born in what is now Pakistan, S L Parasher (1904-1990) believed that aesthetic insights and realisations of ancient Indian culture continue to be relevant though they may appear opposed to attitudes of the modern world. He described his method as ‘praanantarik’, or guided by an internal force. Having worked as vice-principal of Mayo College of Art, Lahore, S L Parasher was founder principal of Shimla College of Art in Shimla which later moved to Chandigarh. An acknowledged thinker, he was an artist, sculptor, muralist and writer. His work has been used in public buildings in Delhi and Chandigarh. According to Dr Raju K Parasher, a professional physiotherapist in Delhi who is son of the late artist, the exhibition will present his work—public and private—and in various materials. From the Partition sketches on common bits of paper to the bright landscapes and portraitsts of the Simla days, it will span decades of the artist’s work. “As the paintings become larger, more elaborate in style and dimension, they also become deeper in resonance and less opaque in meaning. The sketches seem to have a parallel life of their own, direct, clear, almost snapshots of a passing era,” he says. A retrospective of his work ‘A moment in time’, held in the Capital in August 2004 to mark S L Parasher’s 100th birth anniversary, was visited by thousands of his admirers, including several leading politicians and other luminaries. Dr Raju says his father thought that works of art in the Indian tradition were symbols and signs of the spirit conceived in a state of trance. For the image to emerge out of the depth of the artist’s being, the artist needs to connect with the praana, or universal life force. Parasher, who served as commander of a refugee camp after Partition, has left written text that can serve as a guide to the visual. The artist, who was widely admired by luminaries like Jawaharlal Nehru and art critics of his time, had groomed many young artists of his age including Satish Gujral. The London exhibition will also include works by his daughter Prajna Paramita
Parasher. |
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Court notice on encroachment issue
New Delhi, April 12 The court also questioned the work process of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for not properly handling the issue. Expressing his displeasure, Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Goel issued notice to the DCP and asked him to file a status report on April 23 on the encroachments and unauthorised constructions in Naya Bazaar area of Delhi. The court in its earlier order asked the MCD to demolish all the unauthorised constructions and illegal encroachments in Naya Bazaar. Praveen Kumar, a resident of the area, in a complaint last month alleged that his neighbours had constructed unauthorised buildings in violation of rules. The MCD had demolished the unauthorised constructions but illegal structures again came up in the area. Expressing unhappiness with the civic agency, the court said: “The steps taken by MCD are not sufficient enough to prevent them from making unauthorised structures. Why rampant encroachments and unauthorised constructions are going on in this area specifically? I am not satisfied with the action taken by the MCD and they have not come with clean hands. It seems that as if there is a nexus between the civic agency and some dishonest shopkeepers,” the judge said in his
order. — PTI |
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Debate on reservations at AIIMS on Saturday
New Delhi, April 12 The decision to hold the debate on the burning issue is sparked off by the recent Supreme Court order staying the implementation of reservations for the backward classes in the Central institutions of higher learning. Prominent among those who would address the convention are Justice Rajinder Sacchar, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Rambhushan Mehrotra, former Judge of the Allahabad High Court and Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court lawyer. Dr Anoop Saraya, a member of the medicos forum told TNS that persons opposed to the reservation policy seem to hold the delusion that there exists no caste discrimination or hatred in their midst. “Actually there is little sincerity in such homilies for what else explains the fact that there never rose any ‘Youth For Equality’ to oppose the capitation fee in colleges or privatisation and commercialisation of higher education.” |
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Riots’ orphans locked out from workplace
New Delhi, April 12 These girls come from a background where each one of them lost more than two members of their family in the riots. Before the project was initiated, these girls were struggling with not only financial difficulties but also a depraved psyche. Their fear psychosis and suspicious mind would not let them venture out of their homes, which is a slum settlement provided by the Government of India after 1984. After the project, there were noticeable changes in the behaviour of the girls/women for the project gave them hope for uplift which they had not experience for the past 22 years of their lives. In their struggle for a dignified survival, they were supported by organisations like Sahara for HIV and AIDS patients; Karam Marg (Home for Street Children); Dagshai Public School, Guru Granth Sahib Vidya Kendra, Mehrauli, Sardar Trilochan Singh (MP), senior advocate Amarjit Singh Chandhiok of Gurdwara Defence Colony and a few sensitive families. Unfortunately, a few so-called, well-meaning women of the same community could not understand the objectives of the project. They proceeded to lock out the orphans from the premises which provide them with hope, livelihood and a better future for their children. Knowing the scarred background of these orphans/girls, the confrontation between the girls and the Sikh Women Association members could become ugly. If the evacuation takes place, it will be a slap on the face of not only the Sikh community but also a statement on the collective Indian consciousness, which is morally responsible for 1984. |
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Coffee an antidote to Parkinson’s Disease?
New Delhi, April 12 Dr K. K. Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India, and Chairman, IMA Academy of Medical Specialities, commenting on the study said both coffee and nicotine had a link with the dopamine chemical present in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that falls low in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. It is possible that people who are going to have Parkinson’s Disease have lower levels of dopamine. Those with low levels of dopamine are more likely to enjoy caffeine. Parkinson’s Disease is progressive, affecting about 1 per cent of people older than 65. Symptoms start out with shaking and can progress to paralysis. There is no cure, although a number of drugs can make symptoms better for a time. Exposure to pesticides is strongly linked with disease risk. |
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Forum to dwell on child security
New Delhi, April 12 This open forum will have a presentation on the situational analysis of the status of the young child in the country and have a panel of policy makers, planners, NGOs, donors, media and civil society representations. It aims at collective deliberation on issues impacting Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) and identifying areas that require strengthening. |
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Hospital burglary solved, one held
New Delhi, April 12 After receiving the PCR call regarding burglary in the hospital, minute checking was carried out in which it was found that cash amounting to Rs 1,34,830 and some documents were stolen. During investigation, the investigating team concluded that some insider might be behind the incident. Almost all suspected employees of the hospital were interrogated and at last the team zeroed in on one employee Ajay Kumar, an electrician of the hospital. He broke down after sustained interrogation. At his instance, the stolen cash has been recovered. |
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Golf course supervisor shot
Greater Noida, April 12 The police suspect that animosity due to some financial give and take could be the reason behind the murder. Following the lodging of a murder report by the brother of the deceased, police have started investigations into the case. Brijmohan Dhudyal from Dodi in Pori Garhwal was killed in his house, H. 310 in Alpha-II on Tuesday night by some unidentified assailants when he was alone at home. He was employed as a supervisor in the Golf Course in JP Greens, but was also working for the LIC. The assailants had reportedly walked away after killing him. At the time of Brijmohan’s murder, his wife was taking a stroll along with their two children just outside the house. Her 8-year-old daughter Mini saw two strangers coming out from their house. When Mini told her mother about the two strangers, they returned home quickly to find Brijmohan lying in a pool of blood. |
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Youth, ASI get jail terms in rape case
New Delhi, April 12 Additional Sessions Judge R K Yadav convicted Sukhdev Singh, 21, for sexually assaulting a minor girl who was on friendly terms with him, after taking her to his village in Aligarh in 2006. The court also took strong exception to the fabricated statement made by the investigation officer (IO), Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Chander Pal, regarding the place of arrest of the convict and awarded three months’ jail term to
him. — PTI |
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