New Delhi, November 4
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will start its feeder bus service from Monday, with buses plying between Shastri Park Metro Station and Vasundhara Enclave in the initial phase.

A special feature of the buses operated by the Metro is that special control-rooms will track them with the help of the GPS technology that will permit real time tracking of vehicles based on location, speed and time.

The GPS equipment will also provide alerts such as overspeeding, deviation from route, overstopping, unauthorised stopping, emergency alerts and SMS through control center.

Twelve buses will ply on the route between Shastri Park Metro Station and Vasundhara Enclave, passing via Geeta Colony Road, Akshardham Temple, Noida Link Road, Mayur Vihar Phase - 1, Mayur Vihar Phase - 1 extn, Chilla Sarda Bangar and Dharamshila Cancer Hospital.

These buses, fitted with the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, will be available at intervals of about ten minutes, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dyal said.

More buses are expected to start shortly on another route, which will be a ring service from the Pitampura Metro Station. The services will initially be on a trial basis. This route will pass via Durga Mandir, Rohini Sector - 7 and 8 Xing, Sector - 7A Part - 1, Naharpur Village, Ayodhya Chowk, Vikram Chowk, Rithala Mor, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Rithala Metro Station, Rohini Sector - 11, Ambedkar Chowk, Rohini Sector - 16, Sector - 15, Sardar Colony, Pocket B2 and Manav.

The number of buses will increase to 120 over the next few months and they will be introduced on 19 more routes. Some of the metro stations which will be covered by these routes are Welcome, Vishwa Vidyalaya, Netaji Subhas Place, Rohini West, Indraprastha, Mandi House, Janakpuri West, Dwarka Sector-17 and Dwarka Sector - 10.

The number of buses will gradually be increased to 419 and will cover 36 routes, the spokesperson informed.

Each bus will have a seating capacity of 18 to 20 with a standing capacity of 10 with fares of Rs 5 and 8.

The safety features of the buses are as per the metro standards, with the flooring of fire-retardant plywood. Each bus will have a fire extinguisher, public address systems, fan-cooled, environment-friendly Bharat Stage III engines and run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The bus drivers have been given uniforms and training.

The existing RTV feeder buses will continue plying as well. — UNI

New Delhi, November 4
A major fire broke out in the Karol Bagh area of the Capital, in the evening today. Fire started from the Padam Singh Road and turned furious.

At 4 pm a complaint was registered with the fire department that a fire had broken out in the Karol Bagh market.

As many as 35 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and at 4.30 pm it was controlled down to the medium level.

However, the situation became out of control again and the buildings around the area had to be vacated.

Fire started from a plastic flower showroom in a building with four floors. Later, it spread to nearby buildings and the area was taken over by the fire department.

No causalities have been reported so far. The cause of fire is not ascertained.

This is not the first time that there a fire has broken out in the area.

Karol Bagh has witnessed major fire accidents before and still no substantial arrangement is being made, even with Divali round the corner.

New Delhi, November 4
The Left-supported All India Student Association swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students’ Union polls by winning all the four central posts on Sunday.

The victory also starred a Sudanese national who won one of the councillor’s posts. Sandeep Singh was elected president, while Shephalika Shekhar won the position of vice president.

AISA’s other candidates Pallavi Deka and Mohammed Mobeen Alam grabbed the posts of general secretary and joint secretary respectively. AISA is supported by the Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML).

Said AISA president Awadhesh: “Sandeep defeated Youth For Equality (YFE) candidate Babita Sharma with a thumping majority of 300 votes.”

“Shephalika, Pallavi and Mobeen also defeated their YFE rival candidates Sujeet Kumar, Swastik Rao and Kumar Abhijeet with a handsome margin,” he added.

AISA’s victory on Sunday dashed the hopes of Youth For Equality, an independent students’ group that took birth during the anti-reservation movement last year.

They made their debut in the JNU Students’ Union polls and had garnered a handsome percentage of votes, but could not manage to win any of the four key posts.

Khalid Abdallah, 29-year-old Sudanese student who contested the polls under the AISA banner, became the first African to win an election in the JNU’S history.

“I have won the councillor post at the School of International Studies (SIS). Of the 23 candidates contesting for five councillor posts, I have won one seat,” an elated Abdallah told IANS.

“Of the 600 votes, I got 192 votes. Of the five candidates who won the five posts, I stood at number three,” said the M.Phil scholar, adding that he joined the fray to learn politics in India and restore democracy back home in Sudan.

After the results were declared, jubilant AISA supporters celebrated their victory with music bands and chanting of slogans. — IANS

New Delhi, November 4
India may be the world’s fastest growing telecom market, but subscribers are increasingly dissatisfied over poor customer care, according to an International Data Corp (IDC) survey.

The average waiting time to speak to a customer care executive is well over five minutes, according to the survey by the IDC, a global market intelligence firm specialising in IT, telecommunications and consumer technology markets.

The survey, entitled ‘India Mobile Services Usage and Satisfaction Study 2007’, was conducted on a sample of 4,760 users.

The IDC noted that the key concern areas of consumers were lack of knowledge and promptness among customer care representatives, with no satisfactory final result.

“It appears that service providers are not upgrading their infrastructure to match their growing customer base. This needs greater attention. Implementation of a well-defined customer care programme is likely to benefit service providers,” Shailendra Gupta, senior manager for consumer research, IDC (India), said.

Although there had been an overall improvement in consumer satisfaction levels, customers are eager to change their service operator any time for better offers, the survey found.

The number of loyal customers has gone down and the number of disloyal and opportunist consumers has risen, the survey highlighted.

According to the IDC (India), this problem would become greater when the long-awaited number portability policy is implemented.

Mobile number portability would allow users to retain their numbers even if they change service operators.

“Mobile service providers should not let go of their brand’s inherent perceived strengths and continue to devise innovative pricing schemes and offers. With the total number of mobile subscribers in India set to double to 500 million by 2010, the pie is big enough for everyone,” Gupta added.

Among the 11 service providers surveyed, only three - Aircel, BPL Cellular and Vodafone - emerged as the most preferred operators.

“Indian telecom operators have done a good job of satisfying customers continuously over the last three years. But this may not continue if the government does not address the issue of spectrum availability speedily,” said Kapil Dev Singh, country manager, IDC (India).

“Although at present it is considered a core technology issue, customers will soon start complaining about network quality,” Singh added. — IANS

New Delhi, November 4
Health experts around the city have cautioned people regarding the health hazards that they might be exposed to on the eve of Divali.

They have urged people to stay away from firecrackers and have issued certain guidelines for the most susceptible persons.

The chemicals emitted through smoke can cause asthma, allergic rhinitis, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. Moreover, the sound and dazzling light can cause serious optical and ENT-related problems. The sound produced by firecrackers can also damage the eardrums.

“The impact of crackers with their ear-splitting noise is something that the medical fraternity has long been advising against,” said Dr Arvind Soni, ENT surgeon, Apollo Hospital. “Hearing impairments and burns owing to negligent handling of firecrackers can also affect the mental health”.

According to a recent survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board, the set value for crackers is 124 decibel at a distance of four meters. However, 95 per cent of the crackers breach this sound and pollution standard.

It is not just the sound, crackers like ‘phuljari’ and ‘anar’ include highly toxic metals like copper, cadmium, lead, manganese, zinc, sodium and potassium.

People suffering from heart problem and hypertension can face problems that may manifest as fatigue, headaches and irritability.

The sudden bursting of crackers can injure the eyes. “People need to be cautious in splashing water on their eyes, in case of irritation. If some chemical enters, then water should not be splashed, as it can aggravate the problem,” said Dr Alkesh Chaudhary, senior eye surgeon, GM Modi Hospital.

New Delhi, November 4
A court here has acquitted a man accused of murdering his neighbour three years ago, after two eyewitnesses turned hostile.

It held that the prosecution had failed to prove its point in the case. Additional sessions judge Braj Raj Kedia acquitted Jaipal, 31, a resident of Karol Bagh, who allegedly killed his neighbour Ram Chander, after eyewitnesses Radhey Shyam and Ramraj turned hostile during the course of trial.

Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, a mere examination of the four out of six witnesses could not provide adequate nourishment for the survival of the case of the prosecution, who were formal in nature.

“I have no hesitation to conclude that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove the offence committed by the accused and he is ordered to be acquitted of all charges,” the ASJ said in a recent order.

According to the prosecution, on the intervening night of December 15-16, 2004, Jaipal, on the pretext of taking Ram Chander to his friend’s house in Lajpat Nagar, took him to a deserted place in Karol Bagh and stabbed him due to personal enmity. The wounded Chander was taken to a nearby ESI Hospital but was declared brought dead.

New Delhi, November 4
A dozen Indian fashion designers are all set to dazzle Dubai with their creative brilliance, as part of the Chivas Fashion Tour, organised by global spirits brand Chivas Regal.

Currently on in the Capital, the 50-day five-city tour that began on October 5, will travel to Dubai Nov 22-23.

It travelled to Mumbai and Kolkata last month and will also visit Banglore November 7-8.

“Chivas is a global lifestyle brand, and its association with fashion in India will be mutually beneficial. Designers will have an opportunity to touch consumers across key cities in the country and overseas,” said Bikram Basu, vice-president marketing, Pernod Ricard India, which manufactures Chivas Regal.

As a part on the tour, designers Manish Arora, Malini Ramani and Wendell Rodricks displayed their collections on the ramp here on Saturday evening.

Arora showcased his spring-summer 2008 line, for which he drew inspiration from the pop art movement of late 1950’s mixed with the defining silhouettes from the 1970’s.

“The look has nose rings, snakes and ladders one sees on the road. All that reminds of Indian tradition,” Arora told IANS.

Using fabrics like hand woven silk, chiffons, cottons, vinyl and even plastic, the outfits have motifs like classic Indian dancers, gods, toys, Indian and Japanese comics. Disco and fluorescent colours gave it a youthful feel.

Ramani’s collection invited everyone to a wonderful day at spa.

The look that she created was in four sections - sunrise, brunch, sunset and cocktail party. —IANS

New Delhi, November 4
Regional socio-cultural boundaries blurred, as a South Indian raga came into focus at a jugalbandi, where the Carnatic veena and the Hindustani sitar displayed the essence of the country’s classical music ‘give and take’.

‘Vachaspati’, a melody type with roots in the Deccan, found a different colour and timbre as sitar took the cue from the veena, the concert’s lead instrument, which unveiled the original charm and character of the raga.

Saraswati Rajagopalan played the veena and Saeed Zafar Khan the sitar at the programme in the Capital last evening, exposing the scope for mutual inclusion of ideas and their happy execution on cultural platforms.

The event organised as part of the ongoing HCL concert series had at least two rare features. Firstly, that the veena, with deep and gamaka-filled tonal features, seldom appears on jugalbandi stages.

Two, the main raga taken up was, unusually, one that is not common in both idioms, ‘Vachaspati’ is traditionally absent in the Hindustani style. Also, the two performers of the day were colleagues both A -grade artistes with the All India Radio, New Delhi.

The 90-minute concert got off to a start with the conventional ‘alaap’, the lyrics-free portrayal of the raga through gradual ascension of its set notes followed by their measured descent. The 24-fret veena brought out the weighty details of the raga, while sitar, typically, was more vibrant and romantic in delineation.

“The veena, by nature, permits a slower speed because it is played with the single-stroke technique. It is, thus, unlike the sitar, where you use the finger to stroke the strings from both sides,’’ pointed out Saraswati, a frontline disciple of the renowned instrumentalist K S Narayanaswami.

Added Khan, a practitioner of the Delhi Gharana said, ‘’Since we have been working together for long, we know each other’s artistic capability well.

Thus, there’s no question of any ego clash on stage.’’ Saraswati said that she and khan — both had travelled across the country and world, and were winners of various awards and titles — thought it novel to take up a raga that was not a part of the repertoire of any one system.

“Hence, ‘Vachaspati’. Otherwise, jugalbandis mostly involve much-heard ragas common in the two styles. Like ‘Yaman’ (‘Kalyani’ in Carnatic) or ‘Sohini’ (‘Hamsanandi’). We wanted to change that.’’ — UNI

In an unprecedented move, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Sony Pictures have decided to premiere ‘Saawariya’ on November 7, two days ahead of its actual release.

And, the team is so confident about the final product that they say negative publicity will not harm the film.

Normally, films are premiered on Thursday, 14 hours ahead of release on Friday, so that the chances of negative publicity are minimised.

“But we have enough faith in our product not to be bothered by such considerations. To my mind, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the finest filmmaker in this country,” Uday Singh, CEO of Sony Pictures, told IANS.

A lot is at stake as far as the film is concerned. The musical love story is the launch vehicle of two scions of Bollywood - Neetu and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam.

And, their future depends on the success of the film. Also starring Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji, the film is Bhansali’s first venture after ‘Black’.

Singh says they decided for an early show for the guests’ sake.

“With Diwali on November 9 and people being busy preparing for the puja in their homes, we did not want to cause inconvenience to our premiere guests. We are not scared of showing the film two days in advance. We have seen the product and we now know Sanjay has given us a superlative film. In fact, we were keen on hosting the premiere of ‘Saawariya’ in New York, and we did not mind doing the NY premiere almost a week before release. However, the special effects delayed the completion and the NY idea had to be dropped.”

Sony is releasing about 600 prints of ‘Saawariya’ in India and approximately 900 more globally. — IANS

New Delhi, November 4
The Ryan Foundation is presenting the annual mega event, the 8th International Children’s Festival of Performing Arts 2007 from November 23 to November 28 here.

With the theme, “Let’s Give Peace a Chance”, the festival is a unique event as it brings together more than 5,000 young cultural ambassadors from across the globe.

These young adults of different age groups will meet to present their ideas, dreams and hopes for peace for the future, their language being drama, dance music, rhythm, mime and puppetry.

This year’s festival will have shows from Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Israel, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Thailand, the United Kingdom, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Bangladesh and Venezuela.

The festival is hosted by Ryan International Schools in association with the National Bal Bhavan. The six-day festival will present more than 200 performances at Kamani Auditorium, Shri Ram Center for Performing Arts, National Bal Bhawan and LTG Auditorium.

The International Children’s Festival has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young audiences. Young adults are exposed to theatre traditions from around the world. Performances allow the imagination to run wild and also teach children about the world beyond their own doors.

“This festival of Performing Arts is a platform which brings people from different walks of life together with a purpose of creating a better understanding among the children of the World,” said Dr Augustine Pinto, Chairman of Ryan International Groups of Institutions.

The highlight of the event will be the various activities which will address the theme of the festival, “Let’s Give Peace a Chance”.

A Peace March where all international performers at the festival will light candles, carry placards and colorful flags, raise slogans, to bring home the message to use peace as a tool to reach solutions will also be held.

Theme nights, international symposia and erecting a wall and a pillar of peace where the performers will post their view on wars and its impact on races and cultures will add to the colour of the festival.

A ‘World Village’ will be set up by the national and international participants which will provide an opportunity to all performers to pick up mementos and gifts from 30 countries for themselves; their friends and families back homes.

But, all things must come to an end, and every ending makes people nostalgic. To record this nostalgia and give it permanence “White T – Shirt Ceremony” will conclude the good and memorable times spent together.

Each participant will wear a white T Shirt with parting messages, scribbled for memorabilia.

“This festival is a perfect place for children from different parts of the world to unwind their talents in an unfettered manner to their optimal degree of performance. Every year young cultural ambassadors come together to celebrate myriad cultures and experience the magic of some of the finest children’s performing arts in the world,” said Mrs Grace Pinto, managing director of Ryan International Groups of Institutions.

“The idea for the festival grew from a simple concept; to give the very best performing arts the world has to offer. We are passionate about the richness that diversity adds to our lives, that’s why we cover multicultural issues and invest in events that bring people together,” according to festival director Utkarsh Marwah.