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Buses unsafe for women: Study
MBA student stabbed
Robber gets seven years’ RI
Three dengue cases in Ghaziabad
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Hearing disabilities on the rise among call centre employees
RWAs to get Rs 50 lakh
Bollywood yet to hit highest musical note
22 cops injured in clash
Efforts to bring SCs/STs into mainstream society futile: Expert
Ragging menace persists on campuses: NGO
Pepsi to pay compensation
CC camera missing from jail gate
Youth channel ‘Bindass’ to hit TV screens
Disclosure of witness’ identity an offence: Law panel
AIIMS to consider PRO appointment
Conference on mysticism ends
DMRC earns profit of Rs 398 cr
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Buses unsafe for women: Study
New Delhi, September 23 About 50 per cent of respondents of the survey titled how secure or insecure are women in the city of Delhi said that they consider buses as most unsafe for women. As many as 630 respondents were interviewed in markets, colleges, railway stations, malls, ISBT, airport, slums and villages as part of the study conducted for the Bureau of Police Research and Development. Autorickshaws came in at a distant second (20 per cent) while 10 per cent of the women felt the roadside areas of capital were high-risk areas for women. Old Delhi ranked fourth in this regard, with seven per cent perceiving this part of the capital as unsafe. The survey, conducted to study the perception level of insecurity among women in the capital, also found that market places and colleges are places where women feel most insecure. About 80.40 per cent of women interviewed at market places said they felt insecure at the place, while 72.10 per cent said the same about colleges. Shopping malls came third where 60 per cent of respondents said they felt insecure. The level of insecurity was lowest among slum dwellers (8.70 per cent) followed by respondents from villages (22.8 per cent). The recommendations put forth following the study include making bottles of pepper spray available at a very low price in the market for women. The study also recommended that women should always move in groups if possible. They should also carry women and police helpline numbers in case of emergency.—PTI |
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MBA student stabbed
Greater Noida, September 23 Some passers-by, who came to his rescue, rushed the critically injured student to Kailash hospital in Greater
Noida, where he is stated to be in a serious condition. Police, who have registered a case and are investigating, said Sorabh was an MBA student of Sky Line Institute. He had gone to Amritpuram market late in the evening to buy some books. He was walking back alone and as he reached near the institute, three bandits atop a black Pulsar bike stopped him and snatched his mobile phone. When he resisted their attempt, one of the bandits thrust a dagger in Sorabh’s stomach. The police have informed Sorabh’s family. It may be added that bandits have looted dozens of cell phones from students and gold chains from girl students in Knowledge Park during the past fortnight, but the police have failed to crack any case. It has become difficult for students, especially girl students, to come out of their hostels. Their complaints of insecurity to the police prove useless, harried students say. |
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Robber gets seven years’ RI
New Delhi, September 23 Additional sessions judge Braja Raj Kedia held Mohammad Ubed guilty of robbing of Rs 5,000 and jewellery worth lakhs from Gopal Sharma’s residence, and also slapped a fine of Rs 4,000 on him. The court held Ubed guilty under Sections 392 (robbery), 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen
property)—PTI |
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Three dengue cases in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, September 23 CMO Dr Subodh Kumar Jindal said both the patients from urban area were admitted in a nursing home in Ghaziabad while the third dengue patient has been admitted to a Delhi hospital. Dr Jindal said as the dengue-causing mosquito bites during daytime only, people should wear such clothes that cover them fully and should also keep the water tank in their houses covered. This mosquito can also breed in fresh water, CMO said. Risk of dengue still continues to lurk, so insecticide and pesticides are being sprayed in affected areas. Fogging operations are also on in the district, said CMO
Dr Subodh Kumar Jindal. The risk of dengue continues in Vaishali, Indirapuram, Kaushambi and Vasundhara areas of Sahibabad, where about 20 cases have been confirmed so far, it is learnt. |
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Hearing disabilities on the rise among call centre employees
New Delhi, September 23 Dr Sharad Lata of St Stephens hospital said his team had conducted research on employees of various call centres in Noida which revealed that more than half of them suffered from a vague ringing sensation in the ears, irritability and high frequency hearing loss. According to RC Deka of the All India Institute of Medical Science, noise pollution is not yet a major issue in the country but considering the lifestyle of the urban youth, hearing disability may soon become a menace. “It is a real matter of concern, especially at a time when young students are hooked to their mobile phones and music players for long hours,” he added Long hours of listening to amplified sound can perforate the eardrum, a thin membrane that separates the ear canal and the middle ear, or even rupture it. Dr Ameet Kishore of the Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, pointed out that one out of 6.3 per cent of deaf people in the country suffers from noise induced deafness. According to a recent study conducted by the Hearing Institute of America, 500 million people suffer from some form of hearing loss across the globe. It has also placed hearing loss as the number one disability in the world with loud music, recreational equipment and noisy workplaces causing one-third of all such cases—PTI |
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RWAs to get Rs 50 lakh
New Delhi, September 23 The amount would be enhanced according to suggestions of the RWAs concerned. Dikshit said this today at the concluding session of the three-day Bhagidari workshop wherein RWAs from East, North-East and New Delhi districts participated. The senior officials of NDMC, MCD, DJB, transport department, Delhi Police and BSES were also present. She complimented the RWAs for bringing substantial improvement in the maintenance of parks, streetlights, enhancement of green area and implementation of various people-friendly schemes. |
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‘Rediscovery of India’ till October 3
Ravi Bhatiya Tribune News Service.
New Delhi, September 23 Walter’s show comes at a time of great change in India, when fatalism has given way to hope and innovation has replaced frustration. Ticket to Ride will showcase the works of Walter D’Souza that are done in metal casting and wood cuts. As Walter says, “My works address images from life, outlook, ideas and illustrations. Satire contributes to the effectiveness of the images. The images do not represent or signify anything specific but set off against each other, they create not only a tension but a relationship too. The mechanisms used in the comic strips have intrigued me here and continue to do so.” Paintings of Guha
Canvas Art Gallery here is holding an exhibition of the recent paintings of Delhi artist Hemavathy Guha from September 23 to September 28. Guha who works out of her studio in Garhi village here has held several exhibitions in all the major cities of the country and is known for her abstract paintings. Works in acrylic on canvas
Gallery Art Pilgrim here is presenting a solo exhibition of 39 recent works in acrylic on canvas by Prof. Om Parkash Sharma at the Lalit Kala Akademi from September 25 to September 29. According to critics, the former principal of the College of Art here fuses a confluence of knowledge, art, philosophy and music in his works. In this particular exhibition, the artist draws inspiration from what he describes as “vision that unites the subconsciousness and the conscious”. The works are also inspired by the spiritual and the visual manifestations of Tantra, an ancient Indian philosophy which espouses the cultivation and use of the pleasures and ecstasies. Gallerie Nvya here is holding an exhibition of the recent works of artist Viraj Naik entitled, “Landscapes with Possible Monsters”. The exhibition is on till the end of the month. Born and educated in the picturesque Goa, the artist excels in painting the out of the ordinary– a man with a tiger’s head or a woman with the head of a goat or a buffalo with plumes. Naik has presented his works at a number of exhibitions both here and abroad. Studio Vasant is organising “Gallery Collections” —a painting exhibition of various artists. The exhibition will open on September 24 and will continue till October 11. Works of Rajendran
Vadhera Art Gallery here is a preview of “Chemical Smuggle”, an exhibition of recent works of Sumedh Rajendran, from September 25 to September 29 here. The exhibition will be held at Grosvenor Vadhera in London from October 12 to October 26. A tale of gods, men and
demons
Little dancers of Madhyam and the big puppeteers of Kat Katha interplay and interact in the realms of light and shadow to enact a tale of gods, men and demons—The Magic Blue. Inspired by mythology, it uses traditional movement vocabularies of Orissi and Seraikella Chhau with Bunraku style giant puppets. Innovative lyrics, set to a contemporary score of music by composer Shyam Banerjee makes this a delightful production for both children and adults. “The recommended age group that this performance is targeting is between 4-13 years. As it is our sincere effort to reach out to as many children as we can, the 3 pm show is specially for children from schools as well as profit organizations that are working with underprivileged children from different sections of society,” the organizers say. . A collaborative exercise between dancer and choreographer Shagun Butani and famous puppeteer Anurupa Roy, this production skillfully combines dance and puppetry to enact the childhood adventures of the Blue God, Krishna. The play will be presented at Kamani Auditorium here on September 29 and at Apparel House Auditorium in Gurgaon on October 6. Geeta Chandran to
perform at Kamani
Ujjwal, an NGO working for women’s empowerment at the grassroots-level, is organizing a fund-raising performance by Bharatanatyam dancer Padmashri Geeta Chandran at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, here on September 27. The event will also be an occasion for the NGO to honour outstanding grass-root women achievers with the Ujjwal Women Achievers Awards. In her performance, the dancer will present images of women both empowered and disempowered and make a plea for granting more spaces for the feminine spirit to survive! A celebrated artist and a star-performer, Geeta Chandran is synonymous with the Indian classical dance: Bharatanatyam. But she is also celebrated for her Carnatic music. She is the author of “So Many Journeys”, a coffee-table book that delineates her personal engagement with Bharatanatyam. Founder-president of Natya-Vriksha, an organization devoted to promoting Bharatanatyam, Geeta mentors over 100 students. A widely respected role model for GenNext, Geeta engages in the widest range of dance-related activities: performing, teaching, conducting, singing, collaborating, organizing, writing and speaking to new youth audiences. In recognition of her vast and varied contribution to Bharatanatyam, Geeta was awarded the prestigious Padmashri by the President in 2007. |
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Bollywood yet to hit highest musical note
New Delhi, September 23 Though the months gone by have had their fair share of musical successes, but the kind of mega-hit that becomes a money-spinner for the many formal and informal affiliated businesses is still awaited. Some of the musical hits of the year have been ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ by Anand Raj Anand that could be heard “Ae Ganpat…..,” booming from almost every car across the metros. ‘Guru’ by A.R. Rahman that created some foot-tapping numbers in the Mani Ratnam flick, especially “Barso re….,” and Mallika’s sexy moves in “Mayya mayya……” In ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music was the biggie’s leading saviour, when the movie shockingly crashed at the box office. ‘Honeymoon Travels PVT LTD’ with “Sajnaji vaari vaari…..” by Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani sent the whole nation on to the dance floor. Ilaiyaraaja’s score in ‘Cheeni Kum’ left a sweet taste in the mouth. Himesh Reshamiyya’s ‘Namaste London’, ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’, ‘Apne’ and ‘Aap Ka Suroor’ were the other successes, this year. Some notable work came in ‘Awarapan’ by Pritam Chakraborty and ‘The Train’ by music director Mithoon. Though ‘Ta Ra Rum Pum’ was a box-office dud, the music of the film was lapped up by young ones and their parents. Understandably, expectations from Shahrukh Khan’s true-blue Bollywood potboiler- ‘Om Shanti Om’, are sky hit. The second directorial venture of Farah Khan, who has choreographed some most famous song and dance sequences in Hindi films, is a quintessential masala flick. Much like Farah’s directorial debut ‘Main Hoon Na’, it will be replete with all the archetypical elements that make Bollywood films unique and give them a mass appeal. As film travels many eras, variety in the soundtrack is expected. Moreover, both Farah and Shahrukh are aware of the importance of music in a Bollywood movie. And, that must have been their brief to Vishal-Shekhar and Javed Akhtar, when they were roped in for the unenviable task. At the release of the film’s music this week, it became aptly clear that they have come up with unique tracks. The critics have also appreciated them—IANS |
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22 cops injured in clash
New Delhi, September 23 Some people including 22 policemen were injured in a clash between the police and the mob. The angry mob set ablaze the Jamia police post. Two gypsies of the Delhi police and 12 vehicles were also burned. Violence began when the police received an information about a major traffic jam in the area. The police resorted to firing, lobbying tear gas shells and baton charging to control the situation. 22 policemen of Sarita Vihar and New Friends Colony police stations were injured. 14 persons were have been arrested in this regard. |
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Efforts to bring SCs/STs into mainstream society futile: Expert
New Delhi, September 23 ‘’The objective of narrowing down the gap within 10 years was announced by the National Development Council in June 2005. But the Planning Commission is yet not clear in its approach on how to go about it even though more than two years have elapsed since then,’’ said Swaminath, former consultant in the planning commission. According to him the plan panel has held several meetings over the past two years with various representatives of scheduled castes and tribes who were not professional planners or experts, ‘’Such exercises will go on and on just to appease the representatives,’’ in his paper, ‘Civil society, governance and planning development of SCs/STs in the market economy’, which has been circulated to all concerned, including the Planning Commission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The paper will be presented at the national seminar on ‘SC/STs: Assets or liabilities in nation building’, organised by the forum for national interests, here tomorrow. The seminar coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Poona pact signed in 1932 when issues of scheduled castes and tribes were first
raised.- UNI |
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Ragging menace persists on campuses: NGO
New Delhi, September 23 A recent survey by Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE), 52 ragging incidents were reported in the online editions of national English media since May 21 till date, an over three fold increase from only 15 cases in the same period last year. Preliminary analysis of the cases reveal six suicides, another three attempted suicides, 17 cases of reported physical abuse and several other cases involving sexual, verbal and drug abuse. Among some of the notable cases in the past four months was the case of a first year engineering college student of Mallabum Institute of Technology being forced to consume narcotics like marijuana, brown sugar over four days in may 25. A separate case involved stripping of three first year students of Kurnool medical college in july. In another case, a fresher at the BIT Ranchi consumed poison after a bout of depression brought about by ragging in august. In a case at GMC Chandigarh in august, freshers reported that they were asked to abuse each other verbally, propose in a vulgar manner and act obscenely ‘’It is clear that the supreme court’s interim judgement has not been implemented in letter and spirit by the law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders. We also observed that despite the supreme court emphasising need for educating the society and spreading awareness on this issue, not much seems to have been done at the national level,’’ the report said. According to the report the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee are not being properly implemented at many of the higher educational institutions. A three pronged approach has been proposed to weed out ragging menace from educational institutions across the country. ‘’The psycho-social aspects of ragging need to be understood thoroughly and ragging needs to tackled through education and awareness, providing alternate means of interaction along with strict implementation of deterring laws,’’ the report said.—UNI |
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Pepsi to pay compensation
New Delhi, September 23 The Delhi Consumer Commission has directed M/s Pepsi Food Ltd, its distributor and its retail outlet to pay a compensation of Rs 1,000 to S. Gopal for the “mental agony he suffered from on finding a cockroach in the Pepsi bottle.” “The presence of foreign object in the Pepsi bottle, renders the soft-drink defective. The appellant did not consume the soft-drink, otherwise it would have been fatal,” the Commission stated in a recent order. Gopal, a resident of Greater Kailash approached the Commission, after a district forum dismissed his complaint saying that the bill produced by him neither specified the product nor, carried the name of the purchaser. The forum further stated that the complainant produced a bill of Rs 80 while, a bottle of Pepsi could not cost that much. However, the Commission pointed out that the forum had failed in appreciating the fact that Gopal had purchased four bottles of the soft drink and not just one. It added that it was not necessary to mention purchaser’s name in the cash memo, keeping in view the nature of the article. Citing a provision of the Consumer Protection Act, the Commission observed that a consumer was to be compensated for any ‘defect’ that included any imperfection or shortcoming in the quality, quantity, purity or standard, required to be maintained by law or any contract by the trader. |
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CC camera missing from jail gate
Bulandshahr, September 23 While the jail authorities maintain that it was taken away by the police, the district police chief has expressed ignorance and surprise that the CC camera should have been removed without orders. It is also not being ruled out that the CC camera in question might have been stolen or removed by some influential criminals lodged in the district jail. The camera was installed about a month ago by the then SSP
Bulandshahr, N Padamaja. It was fixed at such a point that the entire space in front of the jail was under its coverage area. Authorities agree that the camera was indeed serving a useful purpose as the suspicious characters had stopped visiting the jail to meet their
friends. SSP Raj Kumar said removal of the CC camera from the main gate of the district jail is a very serious matter and a probe will be conducted and strong action taken against the culprits. |
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Youth channel ‘Bindass’ to hit TV screens
New Delhi, September 23 Representing fun, frankness, fearlessness and freedom, ‘Bindass’ is India’s first 360-degree leisure and entertainment channel for youngsters. ‘Bindass’ has announced an innovative programme ‘Bingo Bindass Go to Space Contest.’ The programme aims at finding India’s first young space tourist. It is sponsored by the ITC’s brand Bingo. The hunt for the most bindass space tourist will be organised in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The winner will get an opportunity to travel to space on Rocket plane XP, a US based commercial flight. All one has to do is watch ‘Bindass’ at 8:00 pm on September 24. Every week six questions will flash on the television screen. Viewers will have to give the correct answer of just one out of the six questions. Viewers can also log on to www.bindass.com or send an SMS reading ‘bs’ to 59995 or dial 5059995 and get an access to the questions. Speaking on the launch of the channel, CEO of ‘Bindass’ Zarina Mehta said, “We are delighted to give the young India a historic opportunity to travel to space.” The ITC Limited Food Division’s marketing head, Hemant Malik said, “Bingo is about owning youthful and innovative platforms. The Bingo Bindass go to space contest blends perfectly with our brand parameters. We are very happy to be associated with a brand like Bindass and be a part of this contest.” ‘Bindass’ has an innovative content. Lending a youthful feel to the channel will be ‘Shakira’, India’s first female action-hero; ‘Ugesh’, India’s first street-magician and ‘Lagegi’, India’s first stand-up comedy act performed before a live audience. ‘Shakira’ is an edgy, action-thriller series during the prime time, showcasing today’s woman, who fights for justice. ‘Lagegi’ is a satire on the current issues affecting the young India. ‘Sun Yaar Chill Maar’ is a comedy show on the life of five college friends. While, ‘Third degree’, featuring Ugesh Sarcar has India’s first street-magician performing live acts to enthral the audience.—UNI |
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Disclosure of witness’ identity an offence: Law panel
New Delhi, September 23 “An unauthorised disclosure by any person of the identity of a witness must be made a severely punishable offence under the proposed law (for witness protection),” the Commission stated in its recommendations. Noting that the proposed Witness Protection Programme will cover witnesses in trials of serious crimes, the panel recommended that a “breach to security as to identity (of the witness) must be visited with a punishment of three years and fine that may go up to Rs 10,000.” The Commission said that in order to make the protection programme more effective, the state and the witness must enter into a memorandum of understanding whereby, the state had an obligation to physically protect the witness outside the court. The witness, in turn, had an “obligation to depose.” The Commission also clarified that its recommendation on witness protection should not be confused with the law being enacted separately to deal with ‘hostile’ witnesses, who retract their statements because of fear or being won over by money or muscle.
—PTI |
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AIIMS to consider PRO appointment
New Delhi, September 23 Responding to a petition filed by retired AIIMS PRO Bijoy Kumar Dash, who was appointed a consultant by Ramadoss, the institute said that the recent general body meeting condemned the stand of its director P. Venugopal and would initiate steps to accommodate Dash. “Dash was appointed as a consultant pending regular appointment to the post. However, Venugopal did not allow him to function as the Protocol and PRO, on the plea that he could not be appointed as a consultant in the absence of any (such) post,” said the Institute’s counsel Mukul Gupta, in the court of justice Hima Kohli. The AIIMS also informed the court that it would release Dash’s pension and gratuity. Dash had accused the AIIMS’ management of illegally withholding his pension and gratuity besides his passport and chequebooks. He had alleged that the Institute did not allow him to perform his duty despite being appointed as consultant. Earlier, on Dash’s petition, the court had issued notice to the AIIMS through its president (the health minister) and the director. In the petition Dash had sought an enquiry into the alleged sealing of his office room in February 2007. Submitting a list of articles before the court, Dash alleged that in October 2002, the management at the behest of the director had illegally taken away his passport, PAN card, flat ownership document and Employees Health Scheme (EHS) card, while he was on leave.
—IANS |
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Conference on mysticism ends
New Delhi, September 23 During the conference, Sant Rajinder Singh Maharaj stressed for attaining peace and tranquility among everyone. “ Peace is within all of us and by following the path of mysticism, we can germinate the seeds of love, This is the path through which we can awaken our soul and merge with God”, he said. Arti Mehra, the Mayor of Delhi in her address to the gathering said that the true meaning of spirituality could be conveyed only through such conferences “In this mission we are taught simple meditation which results in self knowledge and god realization”, she said. Delegates from more than 40 countries attended the conference that touched upon topics like “Meditation for stressless world” and “Meditation – a tool for eternal happiness”. As many as 227 volunteers donated blood at the blood donation camp, organised as part of the conference. The camp was set up in collaboration with the Indian Red Cross
Society. |
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DMRC earns profit of Rs 398 cr
New Delhi, September 23 “ This ensures that Delhi Metro continues to be one of the few metros in the world making a profit. The operational profit in the previous year was Rs 346.53 crore. During 2006-2007 there has been an increase of 15 per cent in the operational profit,” says DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal. Internationally, out of 135 Metros the world only four —Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore and Tokyo—manage to make an operating profit, apart from Delhi. This is because metro construction is very capital intensive as a result of which governments subsidise or support metro operations as their social and economic benefits are very high for the citizens of a city, he adds. The DMRC began commercial operations in 2002-2003 and has been making operational profits from the first year of its operations. This has been possible as the organisation has harnessed alternate sources of revenue, kept the number of its personnel to the minimum and curbed maintenance expenditure. During 2006-2007, the company generated a total revenue of Rs 542.78 crore from operations, real estate, consultancy and other incomes. After meeting all the expenditure, except interest and depreciation, an operating profit of Rs 398.69 crore was generated. After adjustment of interest and depreciation, the DMRC earned profit before tax of Rs 23.59 crores during the financial year 2006-2007. After prior period adjustment of Rs 0.36 crore, the net surplus stood at Rs 23.23 crore. In fact, the DMRC happens to be one of the lowest fare structures in the world, other than the Kolkata Metro. “To keep the fares at a low level, the company has extensively harnessed its resources other than operations. These include lease rentals and property development. The DMRC is funding about five per cent of the cost of Phase-II from its internal resources generated from Phase-I earnings,” Dayal adds. The fully operational Phase-I, comprising 65.1 km, carries an average of 6.15 lakhs commuters per day with the highest ridership in a day recorded so far at 7.36 lakhs. To meet the requirements of the growing number of passengers, the DMRC has added 10 train sets this year and will procure another 15 for Phase-I next year. |
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