New Delhi, June 4
Gujjar leaders here today threatened that their agitation would not be withdrawn unless a recommendation towards granting 'scheduled tribe' status to the community was proposed by the Rajasthan government.

"Unless there is any assurance on our demand from the state government, the 'andolan' would not be withdrawn," Gujjar leader and Congress MP Avtar Singh Bhadana told mediapersons after 'sending off' colonel (retd) K S Bainsla to hold talks with the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ms Vasundhara Raje.

Claiming that the 'Delhi Bandh' was peaceful, barring a few stray incidents, Bhadana said they were all for peace but if people of the community were dragged out of their homes and killed, how long they could keep quiet.

New Delhi, June 4
Wife's illicit relationship with a neighbour has emerged out to be the reason behind the murder of a man whose headless body was found near railway track in Shakurpur Basti area in West district four days back, the police claimed today.

The police finally claimed to have identified the body as of one Raj Kumar, an auto driver residing in JJ cluster of the same area. His wife Meera Devi and her paramour Kanwar Singh Chauhan have been arrested in connection with this murder case.

The identification of the body was difficult as apart from his head, arms and legs were also chopped off.

However, a woman Geeta of the same area had lodged a missing report of his brother Raj Kumar.

Geeta was then taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, Mangolpuri, where she identified the body as being of her brother. She also told the police that the deceased had strained relationship with his wife Meera.

When Meera was interrogated, she allegedly confessed to her involvement in the murder and said that with the help of her lover Kanwar Singh Chauhan, she eliminated her husband.

New Delhi, June 4
A person who allegedly made an offer to Samajawadi Party leader Amar Singh to "fix" the disproportionate assets case against party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his relatives in the Supreme Court in return for Rs 5 crore for Justice A. R. Lakshmanan was today picked up by the Delhi Police from the residence of Amar Singh.

Justice Lakshmanan, who has recently been made chairman of the Law Commission after his retirement, had received letters levelling allegations against him while he was in the Supreme Court, hearing former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's son's plea against a court-mandated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case of disproportionate assets against his family members.

Amar Singh told reporters here the "impostor", who called himself B. K. Verma, a senior law officer of the central government, had been making phone calls to him, making the offer for the past about three months, and during this period he came to meet him thrice.

According to the SP leader, Verma told him he could get the case against Mulayam Singh fixed through Justice Lakshmanan.

The person said though the judge was not in the Supreme Court he would use his influence to get the case fixed in return for Rs 5 crore.

Gurgaon, June 4
The police department today suspended 18 of its men and recommended suspension of two others following a sting operation conducted by it against them.

The sting operation was conducted by DSP, Crime, Gurgaon, Rajesh Kalia, following complaints that policemen extorted money from ragpickers' shops.

The sting operation was conducted on June 1.

The suspended men are posted with riders and PCRs in Gurgaon. The two policemen whose name have been recommended for suspension are of the nearby Mewat district. The men who face action range from ASI to constable. They have been charged for indulging in corrupt practices and breach of discipline. Departmental inquiries have also been initiated against them.

It all started when a ragpicker (kabadiwala) complained to the authorities that policemen visited his shop on Khandsa road and demanded money. He alleged a couple of days back two policemen came asking for money. When refused, they threatened him with dire consequences.

A sting operation was initiated. Cameras were put up at various places. These caught the movement of the guilty men.

One of the policemen caught on camera is posted with the PCR of the office of the Inspector-General of Police, Gurgaon Range. The sting operation also revealed that a couple of the men indulging in extortion were members of the local CIA unit.

There is a feeling among the general populace though the police authorities' move to initiate action against the errant men is laudable the question arises as to why they were not arrested when they were caught red-handed on camera.

New Delhi, June 4
If the latest Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) report is any indication, the Delhi Metro, besides making the life of an average city traveller smoother and pleasurable, is also making significant environmental and social impacts on the country's Capital.

DMRC officials say environmental and social benefits of Phase 1 of the Delhi Metro will help recover the full cost of the phase by 2013. There is perhaps a lesson for all major cities to go in for one or the other type of MRTS to save from global warming and climate change.

"The completion of Phase I of the Delhi Metro project covering 65 km has resulted in reduction in road accidents, improvement in road traffic conditions, environmental improvement and improvement in travel conditions for citizens of Delhi.

If the social and economic benefits are quantified then the DMRC has helped the city of Delhi in saving Rs 1167.36 crore already, which will increase to Rs 2072.51 crore by the end of 2007," they say.

In all, these benefits are a result of passenger time and fuel cost saved, reduction in capital and operating cost of vehicles, reduction in environmental damage besides accidents saved, time saving and less maintenance cost on infrastructure.

The CRRI report, submitted to the DMRC recently, quantifies it all.

According to the report, since the Metro began operations in December 2002, there has been a progressive increase in the reduction in daily vehicle demand due to the people shifting to Metro for commuting. In other words, there has been an increase in the share of daily demand of vehicles that is now met by Metro.

Till 2006, the Metro has taken the share of 22,697 vehicles and this share is projected to increase approximately to 40,000 for all other modes of travel such as cars, buses, two- wheelers and autorickshaws by the end of 2007.

Correspondingly, 16.6 lakh vehicle km will be saved till 2007 and this is likely to result in saving on maintenance cost of road vehicles by Rs 218 crore, fuel saving worth Rs 172 crore and saving in road maintenance cost of Rs 288 crore.

There has also been significant environmental impact thanks to the Metro. The Metro has resulted in reduced consumption of petrol, diesel and CNG. Till 2007, this figure will be 57,858 tonnes out of which saving of 33,000 tonnes had already accrued.

Reduced consumption in hydrocarbons had resulted in emission savings of 2,275 tonnes. These saving would be 3,968 tonnes by 2007-end, thus contributing to improving the overall environment in the city.

The social impact included improvement in travel conditions.

People in the city saved 66 minutes every day at an average by traveling to and fro by the Metro, which had resulted in a saving of Rs 415 crore up to 2006 as their earning capacity time increased. This would increase to Rs 725 crore by the end of 2007.

In addition, passengers travelling on Delhi Metro saved on the energy expended in travel because of smooth and much comfortable travel.

The study estimates savings of 17.57 tera joules of human energy consumption up to 2006.

New Delhi, June 4
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today opened an eight-lane express highway at Yamuna Pushta for traffic from ITO Chungi to Kailash Nagar and laid the foundation stone for an underpass at ITO Chungi and two flyovers at Raja Ram Kohli Marg and Shastri Nagar Pushta crossing in East Delhi.

Dikshit said the upcoming underpass at ITO would not only provide an effective link between different localities of East Delhi but also serve as an important link between trans-Yamuna and other parts of the Capital. ITO Chungi junction witnesses huge traffic. It is the main junction on the Vikas Marg and Pushta Road near Lamxi Nagar. 

New Delhi, June 4
In its pursuit of excellence, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram has been organising various Exchange Programmes with schools across the world. This year, the school had two such programmes, with France and Germany. The French Exchange was held between Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram and Lycee Marguerite de Valois from May 3 to 15.

As many as 20 students from classes X and XI accompanied by two teachers participated in this exchange. The objective was helping Indian students to get a better grasp of the French language and to develop their skills of communication.

The programme commenced in Angouleme, a town situated in south-west of Paris.

During the week, the students stayed in the school hostel, whereas on weekends, they took up residence with their French correspondents. There, they interacted with the French families and learnt about their way of living. This also enabled them to get a better perspective of their language and culture.

The school arranged for site-seeing to various tourist attractions. Apart from this, the Indian students attended classes and interacted with the French students and professors. On the last day, the Indian students showcased their talents in a cultural programme and the French students were dazzled by the vibrant display of colours and trends. After May 15, the students departed for a four-day trip to Paris.

The city tour included a visit to all the world-renowned museums and churches and of course, a bird's eye view of the city from the third level of the Eiffel Tower.

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram has been involved in an Exchange Programme with Theodor-Heuss-Realschule, Kornwestheim, Germany, since the past two years.

This year, the students from India visited Germany between May 14 and 24.

New Delhi, June 4
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) yesterday invited applications for admissions to the under graduate and post graduate programmes for the session commencing in July. A university statement said the student handbook and prospectus were available at all regional centre, sub-regional centres and IGNOU main campus till July 15.

The last date of submission of forms is July 31. Electronic version of the prospectus is also available at IGNOU website at www.Ignou.Ac.In. Post graduate degree programme includes Master of Science in Dietetics and Food Service Management, Master of Arts in English, Hindi, History, Political Science, Commerce, Public Administration, Sociology, Economics, Rural Development, Library and Information Science.

New Delhi, June 4
GRAS Academy, set up by a group of IIM Calcutta Alumni with a vision of offering specialised courses in the emerging fields of retail and hospitality, recently announced admission open for its first ever batch from June 10.

Admissions are open for six-month certificate programmes in retail operations, in bartending, front desk operations (butler services), and food and service skills. A two-month certificate in front line retail operations is also available. Both the retail programmes are affiliated to the Retailers' Association of India. The last date for the submission of forms is June 30.

New Delhi, June 4
After a scorching weekend when the mercury touched the season's high of 44 degree Celsius mark on Sunday, a cloudy sky throughout Monday and a dip in the temperature brought some relief to Delhiites. In fact, the Met Office says Monday has brought the much-needed respite to the entire northwestern region of the country.

Followed by a cool May when temperatures largely hovered at comfortable below-40 degree Celsius levels, last Saturday saw the season's high of 44.1 degree Celsius.

The good news is that Delhi recorded relatively cooler 38.5 degree Celsius today, which, as per weathermen, is a departure of two degrees from the normal. Still better is that the fact that weathermen have predicted some more relief for the northwest, which is currently reeling under the onslaught of heat wave. Three systems in the upper air, a western disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir and two circulations over Rajasthan and Utter Pradesh are doing the trick, they add.

Which means there will be dust haze and possibility of scattered dust storm and thunderstorm due to which prevailing heat wave conditions over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi are likely to abate from today and this is likely to continue for a couple of days.

For Delhi in particular, the weathermen predict a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of a dust storm or thundershower accompanied with squall in some areas. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 40 degree Celsius, maybe not beyond 39 degree Celsius.

While monsoon rains are still some days away from Delhi the current meteorological analysis also suggests rainfall activity over extreme south peninsula is likely to increase from June 7 onwards. Besides this, heat wave conditions over some parts of east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and adjoining Bihar are also likely to abate during next 48 hours.

For the rest of the northwest, comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, west Utter Pradesh, rain and thundershowers are also likely at a few places over J & K, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Besides this, a scattered dust storm or thunderstorm is likely over the rest of the region. Incidentally, adjoining Rajasthan will also experience an isolated dust storm or thunderstorm.

Gurgaon, June 4
Fire broke out this afternoon in a shop doing illegal business in the sale of chemicals in Khandsa village, now part of Urban Estate of Gurgaon.

Two fleets of Haryana Fire Services were pressed into service to douse the flames. Two employees were injured, one seriously.

The shop was run on hired premises in the heart of the village. The owner used to buy chemicals, stock them on the premises and supplied to various units on retail basis. The cause of the fire is not yet known. In the past also, incidents of outbreak of fire in a chemical shop have taken place in Gurgaon. The owners of the shops generally operate on hired premises.

According to sources, there are many shops running illegally in this city.