New Delhi, May 15
Union home minister Shivraj Patil today assured a delegation of senior functionaries of the MCD, including mayor Arti Mehra that the civic body would be given adequate number of officers to make its working normal.

Besides mayor, the delegation consisted of the deputy mayor Savinder Jeet Singh Bajwa; Leader of the House, Subhash Arya and chairman of Standing Committee, Vijender Gupta. Various civic issues were discussed in this meeting which lasted about 45 minutes.

Mehra appealed to the home minister that there was shortage of efficient senior officers in the civic body. So as to improve the image of MCD as well as to provide an effective and transparent administration, it was imperative that experienced IAS officers should be appointed on the senior posts of additional commissioners and deputy commissioners in MCD. The mayor also requested the home minister that financial powers of the commissioner, additional commissioners and deputy commissioners should be increased, so that development works could not be delayed.

She said, at present, municipal commissioner had powers to sanction proposals up to Rs 25 lakh and deputy commissioners, up to Rs 6 lakh, which were far less than other autonomous bodies like NDMC etc. 

New Delhi, May 15
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) initiated a major encroachment removal action at Loha Mandi located in Welcome and Seelampur areas in Shahdara (North) Zone. This was initiated after instructions were given by the monitoring committee constituted by the Delhi High Court.

At Loha Mandi, 30 shops measuring 450 square feet were allotted by the Slum and JJ Department. The shopkeepers extended their shops at the back as well as in front by encroaching upon municipal land. All the encroachments from these shops were removed and about 1200 square meter of municipal land was freed from encroachment. The encroachment removal squad was accompanied by a huge contingent of police.

New Delhi, May 15
The Jamia Teachers' Forum today condemned the alleged illegal and violent attack on Chandra Mohan, a postgraduate student of graphic art in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Aesthetics, MS University, Vadodara.

BJP activists who were uninvited visitors at the varsity's annual exhibition assaulted Chandra Mohan for what they considered 'obscene' art works that the university student had displayed for annual assessment. The students wanted to file an FIR against the attackers but the police did not attend to their request, a release said.

According to the release, immediately following this incident, the present acting dean, faculty of fine arts and aesthetics, Shivji Panikker, met the Vice- Chancellor to report the violent, illegal entry of hooligans and police into the university premises. In response, he was asked by the Vice-Chancellor to apologise for the display of obscene artworks on the campus and for encouraging and supporting Chandra Mohan.

Panniker refused to apologise for he saw no offense on the part of the student or the teacher in displaying art works that expressed an individual's viewpoint and artistic concept.

The Jamia Teachers' Forum condemned in no uncertain terms this attack on basic academic freedom. It demanded security for students and teachers, of academic principles and norms from blatant fascist attacks. The BJP's fascist ideology that holds regressive and obscurantist values leaves no creative space for critical individual expression and freedom. "That such brutal attack should take place on the premises of an academic institution with the connivance of the university administration is still more appalling and we condemn it. We demand an unconditional withdrawal of all charges against Chandra Mohan, immediate reinstatement of Panikker and deterrent action against those involved in this attack", the release said.

Ghaziabad, May 15
Twenty police personnel including four station house officers have been booked for allegedly killing a farmer in a fake encounter in Sahibabad area here a year ago.

The police have lodged the case against four SHOs, seven sub-inspectors and nine constables of Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr districts at Sahibabad police station last evening, newly-appointed senior superintendent of police Deepak Ratan told reporters today.

The policemen allegedly picked up one Badal, a farmer wanted in a murder case, from his house in Jora village in Bulandshahr and shot him dead near Kanha Upvan, Sahibabad in this district on May 6, 2006, according to the FIR. Ratan said the police team had claimed that Badal and three of his accomplices were killed in an encounter.

Badal had earlier been arrested in a murder case and was granted bail by a local court, he said.

The crackdown on alleged fake encounters comes against the backdrop of the Sohrabuddin Sheikh-Kausar Bi killings by Gujarat police.

Gurgaon, May 15
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has come out in support of farmers booked under various criminal charges for blocking the national highway at Manesar last Sunday and disrupting peace.

The farmers blocked the highway for about two hours to press for the acceptance of their demand for higher compensation for their land that was to be acquired by the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) for expansion of Industrial Model Township (IMT) at Manesar.

The farmers have been opposing eviction from the areas that have been notified for acquisition for the IMT expansion project. The police has named 17 farmers, including the sarpanch of Gadholi village. They are among the 250 persons alleged to be behind Sunday's agitation.

The district president of the INLD, Antram Tanwar, said his party sided with the farmers' cause and would support them wholeheartedly. The party was opposed to any farmer being arrested or any other action being taken by the administration against the farmers.

Significantly, the notice under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act for the acquisition of land of farmers in more than a dozen villages was initiated in 2004 when the INLD was in power. But the INLD today has done a volte face in an obvious effort to put the present Congress on the mat.

The farmers' agitation has become politically complex, largely due to the campaign allegedly initiated by opponents of the ruling Congress. An agitation by farmers of the area pertains to the proposed setting up of a special economic zone (SEZ). Farmers of five villages, including Gadholi, Khadsa, Harsaru and Mohammadpur, are demanding higher compensation. Their land had been acquired by the HSIDC. For this, compensation had been paid by the then INLD government. It is now alleged the land is being given to the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group of industries by the present Congress government.

Another agitation is by farmers whose land has not been acquired, but compensation against the land proposed for has already been fixed. These farmers are now demanding higher compensation.

The argument of the farmers is that the market price of land has shot up since Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was served on them in 2004 with regard to the IMT expansion plan. Hence, the government must pay them suitable compensation. The argument from the ruling party's side that the present government has increased the floor rates manifold in comparison to what was given to them by the preceding government does not seem to cut much ice. 

New Delhi, May 15
In a major philanthropic gesture, renowned artist Ameena Ahmad Ahuja has donated some 33 paintings to Jamia Millia Islamia.

This collection, all black and white calligraphies of ink on paper, shall be on view beginning till May 23 at the Jamia Archives Gallery. The show has been dedicated to the memory of the artist's sister, the late Sameena Ahmad. The exhibition shall remain open from 9 am to 5 pm (Saturday and Sunday closed). Incidentally, each one of her paintings usually fetch anywhere between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.25 lakh in the international market.

Ameena Ahuja has taught Russian at Jawaharlal Nehru University and lectured on poetry at Columbia University. She has worked as Artist in Residence at Harvard. Her works have been exhibited widely in Moscow, Tokyo, Venezuela, Columbia, New York and in India. Having studied art at the Slade School of Art, London University, her work blends a uniquely oriental sensibility with a highly stylised western training.

Her exotic calligraphies of birds and animals reveal an amazing synthesis of art and poetry, especially the poetry of the great masters of Urdu such as Ghalib and Iqbal, the Sufi masters such as Attar and Rumi, and the great Persian poets such as Hafiz and Saadi.

She uses a range of calligraphic styles such as the Kojic, Nastaliq, Shikaste as well as Cyrillic. She draws on sources as diverse as the classical poetry of the East - in Arabic, Persian, Urdu - as well poems by the great Russian writers such as Pushkin, Tiutshev and Akhmatova and Mayakovsky.

In addition, Ameena Ahmad Ahuja has also pledged a sum of approximately Rs 30 lakh to Jamia. Donated in memory of her late brother, the money is to be drawn from the Barrister and Mrs Nooruddin and Fareed Ahmad Memorial Trust. It shall help young and needy girl students.

New Delhi, May 15
For increasing the stability of power supply to Gopalpur and Subzi Mandi areas transmission system, strengthening work is being undertaken in a phased manner.

To carry out the strengthening work, the shutdown of 220 KV Mandola-Gopalpur double ckt. line is planned tomorrow from 5 am to 11 am. All possible steps have been taken to feed the areas through other sources.

However, in case of exigency loadshedding to the tune of 2-4 MW in a rotational manner may have to be resorted to during the shutdown period in the areas fed from Gopalpur and Subzi Mandi substations: B G Road, Shahzadwala 
Bagh, Subzi Mandi, Indra Vihar, Shakti Nagar, Azadpur and adjoining areas.

New Delhi, May 15
The wait for the CISF company to assist the BRPL combat the menace of power theft has finally ended. The BRPL has become the second discom after the BYPL where this trained force is being deployed. The BRPL organised a simple and impressive ceremony today to welcome the CISF. Those present on the occasion included senior BSES and CISF officials.

Welcoming the CISF company, Ajay Dhagat, member, management committee, BRPL, said, "The deployment of the CISF for controlling power theft in Delhi is a milestone. We at the BSES are confidential that the CISF personnel will strengthen the BRPL's efforts to reduce power theft." He added CISF personnel would be working in tandem with the Delhi Police.

A CISF company comprising 114 officials would assist the BRPL enforcement teams in their drive against power theft in South and West Delhi. Under the CISF Act, its personnel may carry and detain the accused without a warrant, before handing him over to the local police for further action.

New Delhi, May 15
With the arrest of four persons-Ravi Bhatia (48), Mohd Shakeel (32), Narender Solanki (30) and Brij Mohan Gupta (32), the South district police claimed to have busted a desperate gang of auto lifters. Twenty autorickshaws have been recovered at their instance.

The kingpin of the gang Ravi Bhatia was first arrested near Sangam Vihar flyover. He used to sell lifted autos after making forged papers. On the basis of his disclosure, his three other accomplices were arrested later, said a police officer.