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Flood control funds
wasted: CAG
Transport fare hike to hit commuters
Bank fraud, clerk held
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Councillor apologises, gets bail
Malls, retail chains to flow sales tax
BJP legislators for action against ex-Jal Board chief
Mass career counselling
LeT plan foiled
Lashkar-e-Toiba militants Abu Kasim of Pakistan, Sahbir and Shaukat of Jammu and Kashmir in police custody in the Capital on Friday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal
Boy murdered for refusing to deliver love letter
Panel indicts officials of clean Yamuna plan
Child marriage: Parents booked Gurgaon, April 27
Mayor assures Pak visitors on visa
Install treatment plants by June, hospitals told
Pirated NCERT textbooks flood market
Power shutdown
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Flood control funds
wasted: CAG
New Delhi, April 27 In its annual report for 2005-06 released recently, the CAG cited the unfruitful expenditure relating to the work of re-modelling the Bawana escape. The executive engineer in May 2002 awarded a work of excavation of drain and making banks to a contractor at the tendered cost of Rs 26.43 lakh with stipulated dates of start and completion of June 7, 2002, and December 6, 2002, respectively. The work was meant to enable additional discharge from the Bawana industrial complex and the Narela sub-city by excavation of the drain and making banks in a length of 1,695 metres of the drain. A test check of the audit revealed the work was awarded without ensuring the availability of a clear site as envisaged in the codal provision, the report said. The contractor intimated to the division in September 2002 he had completed the work on the portion of the site remaining awarded to him and work on the remaining portion could not be taken up due to existence of a compound wall as their machines could not operate. The work was finally foreclosed in July 2004 with retrospective effect from December 2003. At the time of the foreclosure, 88.79 per cent of the work valued at Rs 18.31 lakh had been completed. Non-completion of the entire length affected the purpose of the work of enabling additional discharge in the drain and rendered the expenditure incurred unfruitful. On the matter being referred to the government in June 2006, the department stated in October 2006 the compound wall was part of works undertaken under the “Maily Yamuna” project, which were under investigation by the anti-corruption branch and permission for its dismantling could not be given till the investigations were completed. The hindrance was, thus, known to the divisional authorities at the time of the preparation of the estimates itself and, therefore, the awards should not have been awarded, the CAG said. |
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Transport fare hike to hit commuters
New Delhi, April 27 Commuters have also opposed the proposal for hike in bus fares saying that travelling through city buses was already costly and further increase in fares would curtail the movement of the citizens. At present, the bus fare slab is Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 7 and Rs 10. Now the government has prepared three slabs – Rs 5 and Rs 10; Rs 3, Rs 6, Rs 9 and Rs 12 and Rs 4, Rs 8, Rs 12 and Rs 16. One of them is likely to be finalised in the next Cabinet meeting, sources said. At present, the auto charges are Rs 8 for meter down and Rs 3.50 for each kilometer. As per the proposal, the fare has been hiked to Rs 15 meter down and Rs 5 for each kilometer. Most commuters purchase tickets of Rs 2 that is meant for three kilometers distance but they travel till 10 kilometers. Having seen the people’s attitude, the government is trying to increase the rates of bus ticket, officials say. Harish Sabharwal, Blue Line Bus Operators’ Association president, said that in the beginning, CNG was available at the rate of Rs 12.20 per kilogram, but now its price had increased to Rs 19.20. There is 70 per cent increase in its rate. Besides, service tax, VAT and charges for parking had made bus transport business in the Capital very costly, he rued. To make this business flourish in the Capital, the government should increase the bus fare, he pointed out. He said that he met the Delhi transport minister to apprise him of the bus operators’ demand. He said if the demand of operators was not met, they would go on strike. A taxi operator association member said that the demand for hike in fare was genuine because inflation rate had gone up. However, Anil Bhardwaj, a commuter, said that he had to make two to three rounds to Connaught Place from Patparganj. “At present, the bus fare is Rs 7 if it is increased it would be difficult for me to do my work,” he added. Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the Delhi Metro Rail was already out of reach of the poor people and DTC was the only succour for them to commute between their home and their work place. He said that if the DTC fares were increased then it would affect the poor and the middle income groups most. |
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Bank fraud, clerk held
New Delhi, April 27 The bank had approached the EOW in this regard to investigate into a fraud wherein a SB account was opened in the name of one Gurdeep Kamboj with a fictitious address. The accused Ashish Bansal had allegedly produced seven applications for loan against KVPs and NSCs on behalf of Gurdeep Kamboj. The bank officials after completing the formalities, had handed over the KVPs, NSCs and other documents to the accused Ashish Bansal for getting the lien in favour of the complainant bank marked on those certificates and documents. The accused also forged letters purportedly written by Assistant Post Master, Mauzpur, Delhi to the complainant bank and receipts of the lie fee. The bank believing the lien markings and other documents to be true, sanctioned loans on all the seven applications and disbursed the loan amounting to Rs 48 lakh in the above said newly opened SB account. The whole amount, later, was withdrawn by the accused. Later, when the loan amount was not repaid, the bank officials approached the post office, Mauzpur for recovery of the loan amount but were shocked to learn that neither a single KVP or NSC was issued by them nor any lien was marked by them on the same. During interrogation, the accused Bansal allegedly confessed to have committed the fraud along with Gurdeep Kamboj, Sachin Gupta and Dheeraj Gupta. He has also confessed to having withdrawn the amount through self–cheques signed by Gurdeep Kamboj. He has been associated with the bank for more than 15 years. Efforts are being made to arrest other accused of the case, said a police officer. |
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Councillor apologises, gets bail
Gurgaon, April 27 However, the public health department relented after he tendered apology to the officials following which the police did not arrest him today. Subsequently, he moved another application for bail, which was not opposed by the complainant side (Public Health department), this afternoon upon which he was granted bail. Meanwhile, the residents of the area had to suffer due to stoppage of water supply by employees of the department for two days in protest against the alleged violence by the councillor and his supporters. The supply was snapped in the evening on Tuesday and remained enforced the next day. It was restored on Thursday, following the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon. According to many, although the alleged act of violence on the part of the elected councillor and residents of his ward cannot be condoned under any system of governance, still the causative factor for the ugly incident would reveal that the department had failed in its primary duty of
redressing the grievances of the residents who had been representing for cleaning up of choked sewerage of the area. A group of women from the area went to the office of the Junior Engineer and Sub-Divisional
Engineer on Tuesday to put forth their demand. However, an altercation ensued between the officials of the department and the group. The councillor allegedly reached the spot along with other residents and manhandled the officials. The women, however, alleged that the officials misbehaved with them. They also alleged that their complaint against the officials was not entertained by the police. |
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Malls, retail chains to flow sales tax
Faridabad, April 27 Sales tax collection in the district has gone up to Rs 1404 crore this year till March against Rs 1102.73 crore last year. This is about 24 per cent increase in the total collection. The records of the Excise and Sales Tax Department here reveal there has been an overall hike in collection of all kind of taxes, which include VAT, also known as Haryana Government sales tax, CST, local area development tax (LADT), entertainment tax and passenger goods tax (PGT). The district has been divided into two zones, known as Faridabad East and Faridabad West headed by an official of the rank of Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (DETC). Mr Wazir Singh, DETC (East), said VAT collection, which was around Rs 331.21 crore by the end of March 2006, had now gone up to Rs 401.1 crore in his zone. This was an increase of 21 per cent over last year. He said the total revenue collection in the zone this year had been about Rs 611.84 crore in comparison to Rs 508.73 crore last year. He added there was a hefty rise of about 53.39 per cent in LADT collection this time. It had been around Rs 23.97 crore in comparison to Rs 15.63 crore last year. The overall increase had been 20.27 per cent in the zone this time. The revenue collection in this zone in March 2005 had been just Rs 394.4 crore, while the total collection in the district in 2005 had been less than Rs 900 crore, said an official. The West zone of the department collected higher tax each year because it covered a larger area. The collection in this zone this year had been Rs 792.15 per cent against Rs 594 crore last year, claimed the DETC, Mr N. S. Solanki. Roadside checking by department officials led to the recovery of more than Rs 1.90 crore during the past one year in the district. The authorities admit the concept of mall shopping and buying from well-established retailer chains of FMCG goods had helped in VAT collection and would prove very beneficial as far as the government’s interests were concerned. It is a known fact all big stores issue cash memo against the shopping done by people and add about 12.5 VAT on the spot. Small shopkeepers and retailers located in the neighborhood do not issue any sale slip and avail the benefit of not filing VAT by showing that their annual sale is below Rs 5 lakh, already exempted by the government from this exercise. |
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BJP legislators for action against ex-Jal Board chief
New Delhi, April 27 They said that he was booked by the CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of more than Rs 3 crore for awarding a contract to a private company for renovation of pipelines at “over estimated value of Rs 35.84 crore”. Ramesh Bidhuri said that the Delhi government had failed to take action against Rakesh Moghan, an IAS officer, even as the CBI had booked him on charges of corruption. Deputy Chairman , DJB, Bheesham Sharma also raised the corruption issue during the budget session in the Delhi assembly. The MLAs at a joint conference said, “the Chief Minister is chairperson of the DJB and no contract is signed without her consent”. At present Rakesh Mohan is Finance Commissioner in the Delhi government. They said that on the one hand crores of rupees were being pilferred, on the other residents of Mehrauli district were not getting potable water for their daily use. The Chief Minister assured the area MLAs and councillors that once the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant (SVWTP) was commissioned, the residents would get proper water supply. Even after commissioning the SVWTP, only two lakh residents were getting water supply .The population of Mehrauli district is 12 lakh. Rest of the population was depending on private water suppliers. The residents have been barred from boring tubewells in Mehrauli district. The DJB can bore tubewells. There are 57 tubewells owned by the DJB. Of these only 18 are in working condition. Besides, there are 12 water tankers to supply water to the colony. Of these nine are being used. A few influential people of the area have got permission from the Central Water Control Board to bore tubewells. They supply water to needy people at the rate of Rs 4 for 20 litres, the MLAs said. |
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Mass career counselling
New Delhi, April 27 Along with the children some 201 principals and thousands of teachers also attended the workshop. The workshop was also telecast live to some 200 Navodaya Schools across India. Gen Saighal has career-counselled some 51,000 children in Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa through hundreds of workshops over the past three years. The workshop focused on the relationship between job, education, economy and wealth, creating a broad-spectrum for the availability of jobs at the regional, national and global levels, chalking out a global demographic profile and listing opportunities available. The workshop also dealt with the choice of subjects or a stream, career options both the traditional and emerging and detailed the modality of counselling. A platform was provided for a highly interactive meeting with children and educationists actively exchanging views. Children were provided with an exhaustive overview of various opportunities at district, state and higher levels. They were also taught how to factor in their aptitude, interest and strengths while choosing a career or a vocation. Special emphasis was laid on the need to pursue skill-based education after Plus 2. Children were provided thorough information on the minimum entry-level qualification for each career, they were also informed about degree or courses. Children were especially advised that education post 10+2 has to be correctly focused and channelized, the need to acquire knowledge and skills for the industry or the corporate sector was stressed on. Employment is and has been a growing problem in India. Due to privatization, currently government jobs have shrunk to less than 10 per cent worldwide and the unorganized sector employs up to 80 per cent people. This sector includes the corporate; the large and medium size industry, the SSEs, the NGOs and entrepreneurs and the balance 10per cent continues to remain unemployed. |
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LeT plan foiled
New Delhi, April 27 This revelation has come out after the interrogation of the three terrorists. On the occasion of 150th anniversary of the First war of Independence, the government has planned a series of celebrations. The proposed celebration at Red Fort is most significant as a number of VVIPs are expected there. The arrested terrorists were allegedly planning a suicide attack, claimed an officer with the Special Cell. They were also on a look out for cultural, ethnic, historical, tourist spots in the Capital for terror attacks. The quantity of explosives was enough in accomplishing their mission, he added. A L eT mentor had allegedly directed Abu Ammar, a resident of Pakistan, an operational chief commander of the organisation in Jammu and Doda regions to carry out terrorist attacks in the Capital. The police had specific information that he had directed another member of the outfit based in Doda to deliver a consignment of arms and ammunitions to a trained Pakistani militant in Delhi. Following the information, when two Kashmiri looking persons were spotted delivering a suspicious bag to another person near Dilli Haat, they were apprehended. Later, they were identified as – Abu Hasan (24), Shafkat Mir (31) and Shabbir Anmed (33) - of the LeT. All the three, have been sent for 10 days custody and efforts were being made to apprehend their other accomplices, said Alok Kumar, DCP, Special Cell. |
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Boy murdered for refusing to deliver love letter
Ghaziabad, April 27 The lover is alleged to have taken the help of a friend in killing the boy. Some people, who chased and opposed the killers, were fired upon by them. One 11-year-old boy was wounded in this firing. Angry people jammed the NH-24 following the incident. The Indirapuram police have arrested five persons, including the two murder accused from whom country-made revolvers were recovered. According to Indirapuram police, Gaurav, a resident of Adarsh Nagar in Sahibabad, had suddenly gone missing late in the evening on April 25. When family members were searching for Gaurav, they noticed that Gaurav Gupta, son of a guest house manager, and his friend Amit were trying to move and dump a heavy sack into the canal. Seeing a number of people coming, both Gaurav and his friend sped away on motorbike and went into the guest house. When people took out the sack from the canal and opened it, they were shocked to find little Gaurav’s body in it. The news of Gaurav’s death sent a wave of resentment in the area. A large number of people descended the guest house where Gaurav Gupta and his friend, finding themselves surrounded by a hostile crowd, opened fire from their revolvers on the people. An 11-year-old boy, Ankit was wounded in the firing. He was rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Delhi. The police who reached there in response to a call, took Gaurav Gupta and Ankit into custody. The irate people blocked the NH-24 the next morning at 8 am. According to SSP Navin Arora, Gaurav Gupta had an affair with a girl Rita, name changed, who lived nearby. The victim used to carry and deliver love letters of both the lovers. He used to get paid Rs 5 for delivery of each love letter. On Wednesday, Gaurav had refused to carry a love letter, when Gaurav Gupta tried to threaten the boy, he shot back threatening to expose their love affair. Gaurav Gupta then strangled the boy with the help of his friend Amit and tried to dump the sack containing boy’s body into the canal. The police, SSP said Gaurav Gupta had allegedly confessed to having committed the crime and the police had arrested the Guest House manager Garish Gupta also in this connection. |
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Panel indicts officials of clean Yamuna plan
New Delhi, April 27 In a recent report submitted to the Rajya Sabha, the committee said the quality of water in the river remained below acceptable norms though sufficient funds were available and various plans were in place. “Financial constraints have never been a problem with the cleaning of Yamuna. Funds have been pouring in from national as well as other global banking systems,” it said. It said that it had been pressing for proper co-ordination and management between the Centre and state governments, but till date the river remained a dirty drain. Expressing concern over the functioning of the authorities concerned, the panel said that if this was the state of the highly propagated immensely funded river, than one could imagine the plight of other major rivers in the country. “Hence, the environment ministry should take punitive action against those found lacking in commitment to clean the river,” the committee said. The panel report comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision in early April to appoint a five-member committee to examine Delhi government’s proposal to introduce a new technology for cleaning the dying Yamuna river. |
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Child marriage: Parents booked
Gurgaon, April 27 The parents of thirteen-year-old Santosh had arranged her marriage to a man of 26 years of age from Delhi. The bridegroom party had reached here and the marriage was being solemnised when the Programme Officer of the Department of Women and Child Development along with a police team arrived on the spot. According to the Programme Officer Chanchal Dhalwal, the father of the girl, Fhakkad, a migrant labourer, has been booked under Child Marriage Restraint Act. She said the residents of the village had complained about the child marriage following which the administration authorities had directed the department to reach the site. When asked as to why the legal proceedings were not initiated against the family members of the bridegroom, Dhalwal said that the marriage had not taken place. |
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Mayor assures Pak visitors on visa
New Delhi, April 27 She spoke to them when they called upon her at Town Hall to discuss bilateral issues between the two countries where the good offices of the Mayor could be used to promote the cause of mutual co-operation. The delegation members said that visas of many years were issued in respect of European countries whereas for India the duration was so inadequate that they could not visit the places of their choice. It would be in the interest of both the countries if people from each country could stay for longer duration in the other country. It would also help trade and commerce between the two countries.
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Install treatment plants by June, hospitals told
Noida, April 27 The Central Pollution Control Board will take action against defaulter hospitals and nursing homes. The hospital authorities could be punished by issuing a show cause notice or arrest or both if found negligent, a source said. The Board has expressed strong displeasure at water directly flowing from operation theatres, labour rooms and pathological labs of hospitals into the sewer. With notices issued six months ago having produced no effect, fresh and final notices have now been issued to the hospitals with an ultimatum to have their treatment plants operational by June end. Sources said that except two big hospitals in Noida, all other hospitals and nursing homes were functioning without incinerators or treatment plants. Water from operation theaters, labs, and labour rooms of the hospitals was not treated in a plant before it is allowed to flow into sewer lines. |
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Pirated NCERT textbooks flood market
New Delhi, April 27 The NCERT, which has introduced new textbooks for classes II, IV, VII, X, XII this year, has come across the sale of pirated versions of the books in the market. “We have got complaints about pirated books being sold. We have passed all complaints to the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police had conducted raids on the unscrupulous producers. Some people have also been arrested”, NCERT spokesman Vineet Joshi told newspersons today. “The NCERT textbooks sport a watermark logo that can distinguish them from pirated textbooks”, he said. — TNS
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Power shutdown
New Delhi, April 27 The affected areas are Vasant Enclave, Western Colony, Vasant Vihar Block B, Vasant Vihar Block F and Vasant Lok Community Centre.
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New Delhi, April 27
The three LeT terrorists arrested last evening by the Delhi police near Dilli Haat were to execute a series of blasts during celebrations here to mark the 150th anniversary of the first war of Independence, especially a national event on May 10 at the Red Fort.
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