New Delhi, November 13
Noting the contribution forest fires make to the rate of climate change by emitting greenhouse gases, experts today called for making greatest use of latest technology to control, monitor and prevent the fires.

Participating in a national workshop here, they also stressed the need of collecting adequate data on the incidence of forest fires, and involving the local people in their management.

Delivering the key note address, well-known forest expert and Chattisgarh Planning Board vice-chairman DN Tiwari said there was extreme lack of adequate data on forest fires which should be addressed at the earliest before formulating any management strategy.

He also called for creating a wildfire network in South Asia and a national nodal agency to coordinate fire fighting, prevention and monitoring.

Tiwari said an early warning system was a must to keep track of forest fires. Besides, there was the need of developing satellite driven products.

He called for using airjet extinguishers, adding that its use in China was so common.

Tiwari also advocated construction of check dam and water bodies to make water locally available to put out fire, as most of the time it is not to be found when a fire breaks out.

Speaking at the inaugural session, minister of state for forest and environment S Regupathy said forest cover was very necessary for climate security.

Forests both impact and are impacted by climate change. Forest fires not only contribute significantly to GHG emission but loss of resource renders the area more vulnerable to climate change.

He said a wide array of technology should be used for reporting and monitoring the fire.

The minister said forests were under increasing biotic pressure and globally 350 million hectare of forest area was affected by fire annually.

In India forest fires were leading to degradation of forest land and damaging the ecosystem.

Pointing out that there were about two lakh joint forest management (JFM) committees, he said they should be involved in forest fire management, adding that those affected by the firest most would naturally be the best ally in this fight.

Earlier, secretary of the ministry Meena Gupta said that socio-economic benefits of forests far outweigh the profits people get by burning forest, and they should be taught to understand it.

Director general of forests JPL Srivastava remarked that India was still very far behind in forest fire management, which needed to be modernised without any delay.

About 120 experts from the field of forest, environment and department of space were attending the workshop.

There are sessions on prevention, detection and monitoring of forest fires, fire suppression and management, ecological effects of forest fires, fire management in protected areas and fire monitoring proforma and data base development.

The workshop enabled participants, invited from all over the country and government officials, to interact with each other on various issues like non-availability of funds, different traditional and local management to improve water retention, effect of fire on forest dynamics, fire identification using satellite imagery, application of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis), ecological disastrous effects of forest fires besides other aspects.

Principal chief conservators of wildlife and chief wildlife wardens from states, organisations like Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education ( ICFRE), Dehradun, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) and officers from the ministry are participating in this workshop.—UNI

New Delhi, November 13
The issue of harrowing traffic snarls and frequent jams in the city echoed in the Supreme Court today, which observed that the problem was like capital punishment.

Yes we understand your problem. It is the price you have to pay for living in Delhi. It’s like a capital punishment, said a three-judge bench of justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakker and L S Panta in an oral remark.

The bench’s observation reflected the common man’s anguish over the traffic problem in the Capital.

The apex court made the observation after senior counsel and amicus curaie Ranjit Kumar, assisting the bench in the case relating to sealing of unauthorised constructions in the city, reached late in court.

Though the special bench had assembled at 10.30 am, when the court commences its usual work, Kumar and several other lawyers reached court only at the fag end of the hearing.—UNI

New Delhi, November 13
Arti Mehra, Mayor of Delhi, Subhash Arya, Leader of House and Vijender Gupta, Chairman, Standing Committee in a joint press conference today said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to increase the rates of toll tax being paid by specified commercial vehicles entering Delhi. The new rates will be implemented within three months.

Justifying the increase in toll tax rates, the MCD leaders said that the existing rates were being charged from vehicle owners since 2000. However, price index has increased by 30 per cent. Diesel and petrol rates have also been increased on 4 to 5 occasions during this period. The cost of vehicles has also almost doubled. Hence, the increase in toll tax rates was inevitable.

Moreover, the toll tax rates could not be revised since the Toll Tax Bye-Laws, 2004 were not notified by the Delhi government even after a lapse of more than three years. The matter was taken up with the Delhi government and now the bye-laws have been notified and rates are being revised.

It is estimated that increased toll tax rates will raise the income of the civic body from the existing Rs 90 crore to more than Rs 150 crore. This amount will be spent on development works.

The DMC Act empowers the MCD to levy toll tax as per Section 113 (2) (g).

The MCD started levying the tax on all commercial vehicles entering Delhi with effect from January 21, 2000.

New Delhi, November 13
The Delhi cabinet today gave its nod for construction of a 750-bedded Bharat Ratna Indira Gandhi Hospital at Dwarka and an extension of Metro Link between Sector-21 Dwarka and IGI Airport. The cabinet also approved a methodology for operations of privately owned stage carriage buses to replace existing Blueline buses and sanctioned Rs 214 crore to MCD for construction of 17 new road overbridges and underbridges.

It also decided to set up the Delhi State Spatial Data Infrastructure for which an MoU would be signed with Survey of India. Talking to the media after the meeting, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stated that a 750-bedded Bharat Ratna Indira Gandhi Hospital with provision for teaching facilities would be constructed at Dwarka over a plot measuring 15 acres of land allotted by DDA, with an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. The hospital would be functional by 2010.

Dwarka Hospital will provide a comprehensive health care encompassing preventive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare with outreach services to the residents of Dwarka and neighbouring areas. Dikshit stated that hospital would be constructed as a green building. This will be a teaching hospital for the proposed medical college. The cabinet has given its nod for a Metro Link between Dwarka Sector-21 and IGI Airport which would be approximately 3.5 kilometer. The line would be completely underground and no additional station would be required on this extension. Indraprastha-Connaught Place-Dwarka Corridor of Metro is already operational up to Sector-9 Dwarka.

New Delhi, November 13
In a bid to ramp up security for girl students and keep eve-teasers under electronic surveillance, 12 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed on the north campus of Delhi University early next year.

The move comes two months after the eve-teasing incident in the Indraprastha College for women in which some of the examinees, who had come to take a written test for recruitment of policemen, had allegedly molested girl students on campus,

Addressing a news conference here today, Delhi University students union president Amrita Bahri said, ‘’Soon after the incident, we submitted memoranda to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, National Commission for Women chairperson Girja Vyas and Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal, seeking bolstering of security of girl students on campus.’’

‘’Among others, installation of CCTV cameras on the campus was one of our prominent demands, and I am happy that our efforts have borne fruit as the proposal has now been approved by the Delhi Police,’’ she informed.

‘’With the primary ground survey over, a technical committee would now be constituted which will undertake a survey following which the cameras would be installed on the campus with in the next three to four months,’’ Amrita added.

The points where the cameras would be installed include PWG girls hostel, School of Correspondence, Kranti Chowk, Patel Chest Chowk, St Stephen’s College, two at the vice-chancellor’s office, Khalsa College and Maurice Nagar Lane, among others.

Every movement on the CCTV cameras would be monitored round the clock by the Delhi Police personnel, drawn from Roop Nagar and Maurice Nagar police stations.

‘’With the installation of the cameras, we will be able to instil a sense of fear among those who indulge in eve-teasing as they will now be knowing well that their every move is being watched and that will act as a good deterrent to their nefarious activities. I hope with this eve-teasing will see a drop of around 50-60 per cent on the campus in the near future,’’ she optimised.

‘’We have begun with the north campus as the student concentration there is very strong, but I ardently hope the move will soon take wings and spread it to the south campus too. In the south campus, our first priority for a CCTV camera will be the secluded area near the Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam (ARSD) College,’’ she said.

She said among other measures for tightening security on the campus a yellow alert team, consisting of 54 students, has been formed and soon more streetlights in and around the campus will also be installed.—UNI

New Delhi, Nov 13
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has banned the use of mobile phones in classrooms of the schools run by it.

According to the DSGMC president Param Jit Singh Sarna, the rule will be applicable on both students as well as teachers.

“The decision was taken following complaints of excessive use of mobile phones in classrooms. Teachers are welcome to keep and use their phones in the common room but not carry them to the classrooms,” Sarna added.

This rule will be applicable on all DSGMC schools in the Capital. The Sikh body manages several schools in the Capital, including public, aided and model.

Sarna said the decision would be implemented from tomorrow onwards and later taken to classrooms of colleges and other educational institutions managed by the DSGMC.

Lately, the DSGMC has been quite active in regulating community affairs in the Capital. After the “kesh nahin to pervesh nahin” code for schools managed by it, the Sikh body followed it up by the austere code for weddings.

The Sikh body had also set up a task force to ensure that incidents similar to the one when a group of bikers harassed people around Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Central Delhi were not repeated.

New Delhi, November 13
This formula racing team, comprising budding engineers from the IIT Delhi, calls itself AXLR8R (accelerator). The team had participated in for the Formula Racing SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) west at California Speedway in the US in June 2007 with a racing car designed and fabricated completely at the IIT workshop.

The car that won the young team 58th rank amongst 80 international teams, besides 24th rank in the static event, will be on display at the 2007 IITF and the 2008 AUTO EXPO in January next year. The car had cost around 32 lakh and one-and-a-half-year of hard work. Designed and fabricated by the group completely at the IIT workshop, members of the team say they did not take any help from outside. Each team member contributed to the project according to their skills in a specialised area of interest like engine, chasis, suspension, electronics, controls or body.

The team’s 17-year-old spokesperson, marketing coordinator Formula SAE Lavanya Kumar Jain, admits the team could not perform too well in the US but says that AXLR8R will perform much better in the next competition at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK with their new car. He says the new car will cost around Rs 27 lakh.

“We had used a carburetor engine and tuned it to conditions in India. While making changes according to conditions in the US, the car developed some problem. This time we are using MPFi engine. Considering that the California event was the first time any IIT team from India had participated, we did not do badly at all. AXLR8R was overall ranked 58 among 81 top universities from all over the world. In the static event, we were ranked 24. It was our first time and we hope to do much better in the UK,” says the first year IIT student.

The Formula SAE competition involves students to conceive, design and manufacture a formula style racing car. The car is then taken to compete with other universities in any of the seven venues of the competition, including the USA, the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Italy.

This competition, Jain says, offers huge opportunities on the extra-technical scale for those involved with the project. “The team participated in the Formula SAE-West competition in 2007 at California Speedway in the US along with 80 other elite universities from the USA, Canada, China and Japan. We attracted enormous attention of teams, judges, and the American media,” Jain says

The general dimensions of the car on display is a length X breadth X height of 2.1 X 0.56 X 1.08m. The total weight with driver is 300 kg. The wheel-base is 1.7 m and front track 1.1 m with the chasis frame of carbon steel ASTM 179.

New Delhi, November 13
In what amounts to be a unique first step forward, Delhi University is offering undergraduate and postgraduate students an opportunity to work part-time on campus while they pursue their studies.

In this sense, Delhi University is taking the lead in what will undoubtedly become an established tradition in universities across the country a few years down the road.

This will undoubtedly prove to be a rather helpful step for students from humbler backgrounds as also good exposure to work culture for others. As per the proposed scheme, students would be allowed to work for 25 to 30 hours a month through the academic year starting from July. The existing policy, however, only allows research scholars to work on a temporary basis in Indian universities.

Students can now choose from a vast variety of positions viz. research associate, library assistant, technician, cafeteria manager, website and database developer, counsellor, physical education trainer, swimming coach, hostel caregiver, gardener, staff vehicle driver, security person and many more. However, the proposal does not mention any specific pay scale for the “earn while they learn” scheme. The remuneration is expected to be “adequate” for students to sponsor their stay and study in the university.  Students across DU are already excited about this new proposal, says Pratibha, MA first year, “This is a very welcome development and we are all excited about it. It will especially benefit many students who are struggling to make ends meet.”

Yet another student Abhishek says, “Take my case, I am from eastern UP and my parents are able to afford my education but I know it is not easy for them. If I get a job on campus I can support my studies without depending on them. At least this is what many of us are hoping.”

The plan is yet to get a go-ahead signal from DU vice-chancellor Deepak Pental, who feels that it is a good idea to provide part-time employment opportunities to students but modalities have to be worked out for implementing this hitherto untried scheme. 

New Delhi, November 13
Delhi High Court will hear on December 6 former police official S.S. Rathi’s appeal challenging his conviction and sentencing for a shootout in Connaught Place here a decade ago in which two innocent businessmen were killed.

A division bench of Justices B.N. Chaturvedi and G.S. Sisthani said the criminal appeal would be heard by the court as the prosecuting agency had filed its reply.

Senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi appearing for Rathi had sought suspension of the sentence of life term, claiming that the prosecution evidence was in his favour.

Ten policemen including Rathi, who was then assistant commissioner of police, were sentenced to life imprisonment on October 24 for the murder of two Haryana-based businessmen—Pradeep Goyal and Jagjit Singh— at Barakhamba Road here on March 31, 1997.

A trial court on October 16 had held them guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 302 (murder).

Filing a revision petition, Rathi said the trial court had erred in appreciating the evidence that he was neither present on the spot of the incident nor did he fire a single shot from his service revolver.

He should not be charged with murder for no fault of his, he said.

Rathi said he did not even order his subordinate staff to fire at the duo. The trial judge, however, had failed to appreciate the defence submission, he argued, seeking immediate release of the accused on bail.

In his appeal, Rathi alleged that the trial judge had “disregarded” the statements of majority of prosecution witnesses and relied upon the testimony of Tarunpreet Singh, the only eyewitness.—PTI

Ghaziabad, November 13
Assistant engineer, Jal Nigam, S.K. Jain of Gautam Budh Nagar is among 16 officers who have been suspended in the Chief Minister’s Review Meeting covering 15 districts of four divisions, though Chief Minister Mayawati herself was not present in the meeting.

Another five officers, including chief development officers of G.B. Nagar and Badayun districts have been censured for not achieving the targets and adhering to their briefs. ASP, Bagpat was given 72 hours to explain the background of incidents. Next review meeting will be held on November 19.

In absence of the Chief Minister, the meeting was taken by UP cabinet secretary Shashant Shekhar Singh and chief secretary P.K. Mishra, while principal secretary, House, J.N. Chander. agricultural production commissioner Anis Ansari, industrial development commissioner Atul Gupta, D-G. Police, Vikram Singh, were also present.

Divisional commissioners of Meerut, Saharanpur, Muradabad and Barielly divisions, I.G. police, attended the meeting. All senior officers of Lucknow division were also present.

State cabinet secretary Shashant Shekhar Singh said basically the law and order situation and development projects were reviewed in the meeting.

Chief development officers of Badayun Hari Kant Tripathy and G.B. Nagar, P.K. Panday were reprimanded and given time to improve their performances. Besides, project director, DRDA Barielly, Ram Naresh, project director, DRDA Muradabad, Promode Kumar Srivastva, project director, DRDA Bijnore, Suresh Chander—were pulled up.

UP Power Corporation’s officers were suspended for their failure to stop power thefts and change defective transformers. Those suspended included superintendent engineers of Bulandshahr, P.K. Sharma and Bagpat’s Sheesh Pal Singh, S.K. Jain EXN of Bagpat, Subash Chander, superintendent engineer of Sayana, S.K. Agarwal of Khurja and Kamlesh Kumar of J.P. Nagar. Departmental action has also been ordered against all of them, Shashant Shekhar Singh added.

New Delhi, November 13
Delhi Power Minister A.K. Walia has instructed all three discoms to ensure 24-hour power supply during the days of Chhath Puja from November 14 to November 17.

The companies have also been instructed not to resort to power cuts during these days.

Walia issued these instructions today after meeting a delegation of various Chhath Puja Samitis led by MLA Mahabal Mishra who requested for uninterrupted power supply during the days of Chhath Puja and adequate lighting at all Chhath Puja Ghats on November 16 and November 17. Mishra underlined the need of uninterrupted power supply as Poorvanchalis settled in Delhi celebrate this festival with religious fervour. Any loadshedding may create difficulty in religious celebrations.

Mishra was accompanied by Shiwa Ram Pandey, chairman, Purvanchal Cell, Delhi Pradesh Congress Commmittee, Jagdish Singh, Mohan Singh, P.K. Pandey, P.K. Mishra and others. 

NEW DELHI, November 13
Come November 30 and Delhi would be rocking to the compositions of our own Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, Strings from Pakistan and Stigmata from Sri Lanka in the three-day SAARC Bands Festival as part of the festivities to mark India heading the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Being organized by NGO Seher, in conjunction with the ministry of external affairs and the ICCR, the festival will see the participation of 14 bands from the eight SAARC countries. The festival would be held at the Central park of Connaught Place and will be open to all.

Besides Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, Strings and Stigmata the other bands participating in the festival include Abhaya and Steam Injuns from Nepal, Bangla Fusion Band from Bangladesh and Zero Degree Atoll from Maldives.

The Aryan Band from Afghanistan would be performing on the final day. Afghanistan was admitted as the eighth member of the SAARC in April last when the summit was held here.

Conceived and designed by Sanjeev Bhargava, artistic director, Seher, the first ever SAARC Bands Festival will showcase the best fusion music bands from around the region. This is a SAARC initiative specifically aimed towards the youth .

Each evening four to five bands will play a 60 to 90 minute sloteach. According to Sanjeev Bhargava, “students from SAARC countries will come to witness the festival as part of a students exchanges programme. The idea is to sensitise the youth to be proud of the talent in theregion and promote cultural harmony.”

He adds, “This is also a wonderful opportunity for the bands of the region to interact with each other and also experience their music. None of them have earlier played music along side each other and it would be great to see so many talented musicians playing together. Imagine the lead singer from Bangla Band from Bangladesh singing with Shankar Ehsaan and

Loy—or the Nepali band jamming with Strings from Pakistan—We are proud that our SAARC Bands Festival will help in increasing the people to people contact between the artistes of the region and the youth of India will get an insight into the immense talent that exists in our region”

“The Festival has been curated as one of the biggest Cultural Fests and a big ticket event for the music lovers of Delhi. I don’t think Delhi would have seen such a variety and talent from these countriesand all at one venue. It definitely will be a treat for Delhi-ites. I know our artistes are charged and raring to perform at Connaught Place,” he says.

The opening act of the festival would be by a Delhi Band Advaita with the Strings from Pakistan being the last performer on the first day. The second day would see Stigmata from Sri Lanka besides Indian Ocean and

Rahul Dixit Project from Bangalore. It would be the highly talented trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy who would bring down the curtain on the three-day festval with the performance on December 2.