New Delhi, April 14
Ms Uma Bharti’s support to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has led to the resignation of former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana from the Bharatiya Janashakti Party. The former had formed the party after her ouster from the BJP following differences with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mr L. K. Advani.

“I have resigned as the acting president of the Bharatiya Janashakti Party”, Mr Khurana announced here today.

He said Ms Bharti did not consult with the party leaders before taking her decision to support the BJP during assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. It was an insult to the party leaders who had faith in her leadership. The Bharatiya Janashakti Party had contested the assembly elections in Uttarakhand and Punjab and the corporation elections in Delhi but it could not win even a single seat in any state.

He said instead of supporting the BJP she should have worked for her own party.

He announced launching of his own “morcha” following his resignation from the Bharatiya Janashakti Party. He added he would fight for full statehood for Delhi and its development. He has 62 years’ political career of which he has given 42 years to Delhi. Now, he had decided to devote his remaining life to the national Capital as Delhi was like a temple for him.

He announced 22 members of his morcha. Mr Abhay Sinha is the convenor of his party and Mr Manjeet Singh the co-convenor. Today’s meeting held at his residence was attended by 250 supporters.

In the meantime, sources said there could be two reasons for Ms Bharti’s support to the BJP. One is that she could be taken back into the party fold as she is a good orator and is known as a firebrand. Secondly, she may have a better political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Bharatiya Janashakati Party could not be an alternative to the BJP on the national level as it was the BJP which had the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and had other leaders with good political standing. Besides, the BJP was financially well off. Ms Bharti could emerge as a better leader on the national level only while working with the BJP.

She ignored Mr Khurana while taking the decision to support the BJP because she may have thought that he had his base in Delhi which, so far, had not been given full statehood and had no say in national politics, the sources added.

New Delhi, April 14
Criticising the proposal passed in the Legislative Assembly to bring the MCD under Delhi Government, the Secretary, Delhi Pradesh BJP, Mr Vijender Gupta, today accused the Congress of adopting ‘illegal tactics’ after facing defeat in Municipal elections.

“The proposal passed in the Delhi Legislative Assembly ‘motivated’ by the Delhi Government to take over Municipal Corporation of Delhi is unconstitutional and in contravention of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. For this unconstitutional Act, Delhi Government should be dissolved immediately,” demanded Mr Gupta.

Giving details, Mr Gupta pointed out that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act was an Act of Parliament, which was passed as an Act 66 on December 12, 1957. “It is an Act defining Municipal Government of Delhi as an autonmous body. As such, Delhi Government can only interfere in the matter which are clearly mentioned in the Act,” he said.

Mr Gupta claimed that there was no provision, what so ever, in the MCD Act which provides for subordination of the MCD under the Delhi Government. Therefore, to pass such proposal in Delhi Legislative Assembly was a clear-cut violation of provisions of the DMC Act, he said.

Mr Gupta further said that the Delhi Municipal Act was enacted by the Parliament and Delhi Government had no rights to contravene its provisions. He demanded that as per 74th Amendment of the Constitution of India, all the 18 functions defined in Article 243 (W), be handed over to the MCD, since these functions were to be performed by the local body. 

New Delhi, April 14
The Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Tejender Khanna, has accorded permission to convene the meeting of newly elected councillors in the MCD. The meeting will be presided over by the outgoing Mayor, Mr Farhad Suri.

The new Mayor will be administered oath by the Deputy Commissioner of North district, Mr K.K. Jindal. The other councillors will also be administered oath by the presiding officer.

The Mayor so elected will conduct the election of the Deputy Mayor and six members to the Standing Committee, four members to the Education Committee, two members to Delhi Development Authority and four members to DDA Advisory Council, an MCD spokesman said.

The last date of receiving nominations for the post of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, six members to the Standing Committee, four members to the Education Committee, two members to the Delhi Development Authority and four members to the DDA Advisory Council has been fixed as April 17.

Similarly, last date of receiving nominations for Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Ward Committees and also one member to Standing Committee from each zone has been fixed as April 18. Election to these posts will be held on April 24 for six zones and on April 25, for remaining six zones.

Noida, April 14
There was a hue and cry among the residents of Noida over omissions and mistakes in the voters’ list.

Many senior citizens, including two former chief secretaries of UP, Mr Brijender Sahay and Mr D.S. Bagga, a former Director-General of UP police, Prakash Singh and army officers from Noida’s VIP Sector-15 A were among 183 Noida residents who could not cast their vote this time because their names did not appear in the voters’ list. They had cast their votes during last parliamentary elections.

“Officials responsible for this faux pas can’t be pardoned for this carelessness. I am the president of this sectors’ RWA. I am not alone as some 183 residents have been deprived of their right to cast their votes this time,” rued Mr Sahay. Mr Prakash Singh and his wife who had to return from the polling station without casting their vote, blamed the state government for this. He said, “Perhaps the government does not want that educated and responsible citizens should exercise their right to vote. They perhaps fear their government will be toppled by intelligent voters.”

A retired senior Army officer, Mr PC Goel and his wife Ms Raj Goel, who also could not cast their vote, said, “We are senior citizens. If our names are deleted from voters’ list, we should have been at least informed.”

A large number of voters were deprived of voting in this election because in the new voters’ list, they were listed as dead.

While on the contrary, the names of many voters, long dead, still appeared in the voters list. This scene was peculiar to the polling station in Bhil Akbarpur village in Dadri area. Here names of about two dozen voters were by mistake included in the category of the dead.

New Delhi, April 14
The Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms Sheila Dikshit has conveyed to the BSES to refrain from load shedding as Delhi is not presently facing any power shortage.

She also directed the discom, which is supplying power in major part of the city, to win confidence of customers.

Ms Dikshit further directed Power Department, Delhi Transco and discoms to jointly make public daily status report relating to power supply in the Capital to enable people to know the real picture.

These directions were conveyed by the Chief Minister at a high-level meeting convened to discuss power cuts being resorted during last one-week in different parts of the city.

The meeting was attended by Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf, East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, number of MLAs from East Delhi, Chief Secretary Ramesh Narayanswami, Principal Secretary to the CM P.K. Tripathi, Principal Secretary (Power) Rakesh Mehta, CEO (BSES) Arun Kanchan, Director (Operations), DTL and other senior officers.

Ms Dikshit requested elected representatives to voice difficulties being faced by people due to unscheduled longer power cuts being resorted by the BSES.

All MLAs present in the meeting across party line, reported that there had been longer power cuts in their constituencies affecting normal life. They demanded that power cuts should be avoided during early hours and night.

They further demanded that a schedule of load shedding should be communicated to them. They also raised their concern about ongoing power cuts and expressed their apprehension that situation might go out of control during peak summer. The Chief Minister directed the BSES to come out with area-wise theft details and not resort to load shedding in less theft-prone areas. She further asked the BSES to refrain from any load shedding on speculative reasons.

The CEO (BSES) Mr Arun Kanchan gave assurance that there would be no load shedding if power supply remained adequate. He made it clear that longer load shedding would become a thing of past. He further assured that load shedding would not be resorted for longer duration and all possible steps would be taken for redressal of consumers’ grievances. A best possible redressal system would be developed, he added.

Ms Dikshit advised the BSES to make use of available recourse to have consultations with the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to the CM, Principal Secretary (Power) and other concerned officers to get clarifications on their doubts if any and not resort to such measures which may directly affect common man. She further asked the BSES to give heed to voice of the elected representatives.

East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit said that consumers had every right to know the real picture of power supply on daily basis to establish transparency and dispel prevailing doubts about load shedding. He suggested that the Power Department should come out with a daily status report on power supply, which could be conveyed through SMS or official statement to elected representatives and media. 

New Delhi, April 14
For the third consecutive day today, hot summer conditions left Delhiites scorching, with the mercury rising to 39.2 degree Celsius.

The scorching heat forced Delhiites to confine themselves in the comfort of their homes and offices as the maximum temperature, continuing its increasing trend since Wednesday, rose to 39.2 degree Celsius, from 38.6 degree Celsius yesterday.

The minimum was also recorded at 22 degree Celsius, two degree above normal. The hot conditions could intensify in the coming days with the weathermen forecasting day temperatures in Delhi and other parts of northwest India to remain at four to five degree above normal in Delhi and other parts of northwest India during the next three to four days.

The current Meteorological analysis suggests that the day temperatures are likely to remain 4-5 degree Celsius above normal over parts of northwest India during the next three-four days, the weather office said.

The Met office has forecast a mainly clear sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours with dust and haze likely in some areas. They have also forecast a rise in maximum temperature to 40 degree Celsius tomorrow.

Faridabad, April 14
A confrontation between the management and employee union of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) over the issue of starting a customer care centre seems to be on.

Though the DHBVN authorities claimed this move had received an overwhelming response and was a historic step in providing much needed relief to power consumers, the employee unions of the department has refused to budge and decided to carry on an agitation.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) has announced a demonstration will be staged outside the office of the Managing Director (MD) of the Nigam on April 17 at Hisar. The power department has reportedly received an aid of Rs 250 crore for improving its services.

A spokesperson of the JAC and the All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union said here today the approach and method of the Nigam to improve its functioning were not justified though the union was not opposed to any move which was in the interest of the consumers.

He claimed starting just one customer care centre to cater to thousands of customers spread in several kilometres in a city like Faridabad was improper and amounted to gross inconvenience to them. He said till date residents of various areas and colonies were just required to visit the office of the SDO concerned, located just a couple of kilometres away. Now, a customer would have to travel several kilometres to get work done and the harassment may increase if the problem was not attended to immediately. He said the union was against clubbing all services at one spot. This was a problem not only for the consumer but also for the employees. He said the unions were also opposed to the policy of outsourcing and opening “Bijli Suvidha Kendra” managed by private parties.

Claiming that it amounted to sheer wastage of funds, he said the complaints of the consumers were attended to by the staff of the Nigam and not the employees of the kendra. He said there was hardly any justification for paying an amount of Rs 80,000 per month to the private company which just attended the calls and passed on the complaints to the linemen. He said there had been several complaints of employees of this kendra not attending the phone during a power cut. This made the whole concept a failure.

The union also demanded that the Nigam should withdraw the contract of meter reading and distribution of bills extended to the Ex-Servicemen League. The department had adequate staff to do this work. The spokesman said the department should improve the existing infrastructure and facilities instead of paying towards outsourcing bills if the authorities wanted to improve work. However, a spokesperson of the DHBVN refuted the claim of the union and said this exercise was aimed at improving the functioning of the department and providing relief to the consumer.

Describing the agitation as just an attempt to mislead the consumers, he said where had all these unions gone during the past several decades when the consumer was made a victim of corruption and mismanagement. He added when there was an attempt to improve the functioning it was taken as an intrusion into the interest of the employees. He said the consumers had welcomed the opening of the customer care centres and the tough stance of the management towards the staff. 

New Delhi, April 14
The Ansal Institute of Technology has introduced a postgraduate programme in construction management in collaboration with the real estate giant Ansal-API. The programme is specially put together for engineers and diploma holders who are graduates in civil, electrical and mechanical fields and are aspiring to take up techno-managerial roles and responsible positions in the thriving construction industry.

This programme for graduate engineers involves a one-year PG diploma with nine months of academic training that is two semesters and three months paid industry internship. Further, for diploma holders it entails two years with 18 months of rigorous academic training (four semesters) and six months of industry internship.

The arrangement between AIT and Ansal API will enable every student undergo practical training at various sites of Ansal API and other establishments during which interns would be paid a suitable remuneration. On the completion of the programme, Ansals will arrange for placements within their group and with other leading players.

Prof M.P. Singh, director AIT, commented recently, “Indian youth really needs to come forward and take full advantage of this opportunity knocking at their doorsteps as the construction sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in our now-booming economy.”—TNS

Faridabad, April 14
Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) here has decided to give a hearing on April 16 to the schools functioning from the plots allotted by it and which were running nursery and pre-primary classes (wing) in their premises. The move is in response to the notices issued to several schools under Section 17 of the HUDA Act.

The notices were issued in compliance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had asked the department to give a personal hearing in connection with the charge of violation of the Act levelled in a civil writ petition by a society this year.

It is claimed in the petition that these schools were not authorised to run the pre-primary and nursery classes as only those schools which had been accorded prior sanction could do so. The society has demanded closure of such sections in its petition.

According to Mr J. S Ahlawat, Administrator, HUDA, the schools issued notices in this connection have been asked to appear in person in the office at 11 am on April 16 to put up their version. He said notices had been sent in written, but any school which had not received it could also represent itself before the department and submit the reply on the said date and meet the Estate Officer.

It is claimed that those schools which have received permission for holding secondary and senior secondary classes could not hold classes for pre-primary and nursery. There are over 70 schools in the city, which have been operating from the land provided by the HUDA in its sectors. There are certain norms and conditions required to be fulfilled by these schools and the department is authorised to issue notices against the violations. HUDA could even resume the plot and building of any institution which is found to be violating the rules or not following them, officials say.

The Faridabad Abhibhawak Ekta Manch, a parents’ association, has demanded that the authorities concerned strictly implement the norms and guidelines for all the schools located on its land in the wake of reports of violations of rules by many schools leading to ‘harassment and victimisation’ of both the students and parents.

According to a spokesperson of the association, revising fee and other charges, provision of seats to poor students and local residents of sector and denying permission to weak students to appear from the school in the Board examinations are common complaints.

New Delhi, April 14
Maths need not be a nightmare for school-going children. It can become a creative and enjoyable subject. This unique opportunity is provided by ALOHA–Abacus Learning of Higher Arithmetic.

ALOHA is an international method for a child’s mental development. It is specifically designed to impart arithmetic training to children and enable them calculate even the most complex mathematical problems mentally by using Abacus instrument. Children with this method of learning will no longer look at calculations as a nightmare.

This program is really a mental development program based on mental arithmetic system, which starts with the use of an Abacus and soon the child can calculate complex calculations in his mind, and that too; in a jiffy! ALOHA helps in the whole brain development, balancing the left and the right brain, to enable the child gain both logical and creative faculties.

Apart from the mental arithmetic, ALOHA offers a wide gamut of other courses like Smart English, Speed Maths, Tiny Tots, Kids Art, Power Plus and NINE Smart. ALOHA India has a strong presence in Tamilnadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Gujarat. There are some 40 centres in Delhi and the NCR region, which are managed and looked after under the guidance of Mr Raghvan Murali.

According to Mr Raghvan Murali, ALOHA, Master franchisee for Delhi and NCR region, “Not only does the child’s ability to solve mathematical problems improve with ALOHA, the child’s attention span, memory, analyzing power, observation, listening and logical reasoning get enhanced leading to all-round development.”

He adds, “ALOHA equip the new generation mentally and functionally for meeting and overcoming the challenges in today’s competitive environment.”

To ensure every student gets personal attention by the teachers, the class size is confined to not more then 20 students. Headquartered in Ipoh, Malaysia, ALOHA is affiliated with Malaysian Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association (MAMAA), which is now a premier institute recognized the world over. ALOHA has a wide presence in China, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.

New Delhi, April 14
The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today said that the country’s education strategy should be oriented to allow English and regional languages to work in harmony.

Delivering a memorial lecture on ‘Education Today: Issues and Choices in Higher Education’ organised by Dr Sarup Singh Educational Foundation here today, Mr Hooda said that one language should not be neglected over the other and interaction between them should be promoted. He said a purposeful education system alone could help an individual cultivate values and new skills.

Quoting Rabindranath Tagore, he said, “In no country of the world except India, was the language of education divorced from the language of the students and that the use of English as the medium of education in universities confirmed higher knowledge and culture to a select citizens instead of making them universally available to the people.”

Mr Hooda said Mahatma Gandhi had also written strongly on the subject: “I must cling to my mother tongue as to my mother’s breast, in spite of its shortcomings. It alone can give me the life giving milk.”

He claimed that Haryana had initiated reform in the education system in a way, which would enable students to compete globally while providing them job-oriented education. He said while improving education infrastructure, attention was being paid to the needs of poor sections.

Mr Hooda said a women university was being set up in a rural area at Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat district to inspire rural women for taking up higher education. He said Rajiv Gandhi Education City was being set up at Kundli near Delhi to provide students of the state quality education in the emerging fields. He said that 25 per cent of the seats would be reserved in the Rajiv Gandhi Education City for students hailing from Haryana.

The Chief Minister said Dr Sarup Singh was a son of a farmer and was closely associated with his family. Recalling the work done by Dr Sarup Singh in various capacities including that of Vice-Chancellor and Governor, Mr Hooda said he laid stress on providing quality education in rural areas to help the students there compete with those in urban areas. In his remarks, the Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai said that Dr Sarup Singh was an eminent educationist who played a valuable role in inculcating qualities of leadership among the younger generation.

New Delhi, April 14
Jamia Millia Islamia organised an India-Cuba Friendship Meeting on the university campus on Thursday. The meeting began with the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Mr Felipe Pérez Roque.

The Vice-Chancellor of Jamia, Prof Mushirul Hasan, welcomed the Cuban Foreign Minister and delegation as well as other dignitaries present, describing the visit as a historic day for Jamia. He recalled the common experience of colonialism shared by the two countries and their political and economic trajectories as independent nations.

Mr Hasan said, “Jamia, which was started by freedom fighters and has a great nationalist tradition, has taken several new academic initiatives through the formation of new research centres of which the Centre for Latin American and Spanish Studies is one. He hoped the Centre would play a constructive role in encouraging academic exchange between India and Latin America in the context of increasing interest in Latin America.”

Mr Sitaram Yechury, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, recalled the role of Cuba and India in the Non-Aligned Movement. He spoke of the “importance of the Cuban revolution in the current context of the struggle against neoliberalism.” He stressed on the bonds of friendship between India and Cuba, which went beyond ideology and the long-existing friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

Greater Noida, April 14
In protest against alleged thrashing of some people by the police, villagers boycotted polling in Dhandhola village under Secunderabad assembly seat.

The cops had allegedly physically assaulted some people outside the polling booth. The people, the villagers alleged, were talking among themselves when the police, reportedly abetted by some musclemen, assaulted and even chased them into their houses.

Six villagers, including an elderly woman, sustained injuries in this police action.

Subsequently, polling was held up for about an hour in Dhandhola. Later, the Presiding Officer and other officials persuaded the voters to take part in the polling.

At about 8.30 am, villagers were chatting at the back of Primary School in which a polling station had been set up. The policemen went there and told the people to move on from that place. But the people continued to stand and gossip there.

According to villagers, when cops abused them, they resented it. The cops, however, chased them away. Some people who had gone back to their houses, were allegedly chased and beaten up by the cops. A teacher, Shiv Dutt who resented the police action, was also beaten up with lathis.

According to the report, the brutal police action continued for 15 minutes in which six persons, including a 90-year-old woman, were seriously injured. In protest, the villagers boycott the poll.

Half of an hour later some officials intervened and persuaded the people to return to the polling booths to cast their vote.

Gurgaon, April 14
A minor fire broke out in a coach of Delhi-bound Kalindi passenger train from Rewari.

In the pandemonium marked by passengers jumping out of the train, a boy received minor injury on his head as he fell on pebbles laid along the railway track.

The incident occurred at 1 pm, soon after the train started from Gurgaon station after its scheduled halt. The fire erupted just outside the platform.

According to railway officials at the station, the cause of fire was overheating of the generator installed in coach number 11043.The affected coach was at the midway between the engine and the last coach of the train. However, an administrative probe has been ordered into the incident.

The ticket collector informed the driver of the incident after which emergency brake was applied bringing the train to a halt.

The fire brigade service of the Haryana Fire Services reached the spot in less than 10 minutes when the fire was first noticed. It had no difficulty in dousing the fire as its influence was only at the upper reaches of the coach.

The upper portion of the coach was partially damaged due the fire.

The boy injured was discharged from a nearby private hospital after being provided first aid treatment. 

New Delhi, April 14
A Delhi court has sentenced three persons to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment each for robbing a Delhi-based businessman and his son four years ago.

The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr Braja Raj Kedia, held Raju, Avdesh and Ghanashyama, all in their thirties, guilty of robbing the father-son duo Raghuvansh Arora and Anjum Arora here under Sections 395 (dacoity) and 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 each on the convicts, apart from the imprisonment. However, the court discharged their close associate Babu Shankar due to lack of evidence.

As per the prosecution, on October seven, 2003, accused persons, Raju, Avdesh and Ghanashyama along with their close associate, Babu Shankar equipped with a knife and ‘katta’ robbed Rs 5,800 from the 55-year-old businessman of Wazirpur Industrial Area Raghuvansh Arora.

The accused persons also robbed a watch, a mobile phone, a zip polighter and some gold jewellery from Anjum Arora.

During the course of investigation, accused Raju, Avdesh and Ghanashyama were arrested on November 11 that year.

The prosecution produced 12 witnesses including two sub-inspectors and two eyewitnesses, father-son duo, the victim and also the complainant in this case. The charges were framed against the accused persons on July two, 2004.

New Delhi, April 14
A septuagenarian woman has been arrested by the police in North-West Delhi for allegedly cheating several persons through a group housing society promising them a flat.

Vimla Dhiman (70), a resident of Rohini here, was yesterday produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate G P Singh, who remanded her to 14 days judicial custody.

The woman, arrested on Friday, has been sent to judicial custody till April 27.

According to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police, Dhiman, acting as treasurer of Delhi Union of Journalist co-operative group housing society in association with other office-bearers, had cheated several persons to the tune of Rs 13 lakh.

A case was registered with Prashant Vihar police station invoking Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (breach of trust) and 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC following a complaint by one S K Mitra.

He had alleged that a total of Rs five lakh was deposited with Dhiman through installments since 1996 to 2000 for allotment of a flat.—OC

New Delhi, April 14
The Special Cell of Delhi Police today claimed to have arrested a desperate gangster of UP, Raju Cheeta along with his three close accomplices after a brief encounter. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition along with a stolen Indica car have been recovered from them.

The gangster had created a terror in Delhi and UP by making extortion and threatening calls to a number of businessmen. Acting on a tip-off that he would come to Harsh Vihar area from Wazirabad Road, a trap was laid.

When challenged, his one accomplice Sompal fired upon the police party. However, after a brief exchange of fire, he was overpowered by the raiding team. One countrymade pistol along with two live cartridges were recovered from him. 

New Delhi, April 14
The sixth edition of India’s largest annual education exhibition ‘Aspirations 2007’, launched yesterday in the Capital at The Ashok Hotel, Chankayapuri.

The two-day education extravaganza features over 150 leading national and international institutes and provides aspirants a single gateway to the entire gamut of academic and professional courses available in India and abroad in various conventional and non-conventional streams. The event also provided two full days of counselling sessions with renowned career counsellor Ms Usha Albuquerque and her team from Careers Smart Pvt. Ltd.—TNS

New Delhi, April 14
Star Plus has announced the launch of a new talent hunt show, “Star Voice of India”, conceptualised by Gajendra Singh and produced by Saibaba Telefilms.

According to Gajendra Singh, for the first time talent from each audition city will get an opportunity to perform live in their cities before the show goes on the air.—TNS