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Greenpeace berates market leaders
Lawyers’ strike hits litigants
Blueline victims
Immigration racket
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Poor to get enough ration: Cabinet
CM focuses on illegal colonies
MCD to defend exemption on sealing
DPS MUN meet held
Health institute to be set up
Groom descends from the sky
Father buries girl alive
E-mail threatens blast on Dec 10
Akalis oppose Gurmeet’s meet
LG’s homilies at IITF
Health programme announced
Woman doctor found dead in hostel
Three held for killing student
Stolen cheques encashed
One arrested
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Greenpeace berates market leaders
New Delhi, November 27 As per the report, Nintendo is the first company to have scored zero out of 10 points, while Philips and Microsoft have performed a bit better, scoring 2 and 2.7 respectively. The report was released in Amsterdam. According to Greenpeace spokesperson, Saumya Tripathy, “It holds great significance for India, as most of the companies are operating here.” “The low scores from leading manufacturers like Nintendo and Microsoft reveal that they still have a long way to go in improving their environmental policies and practices,” the report says. The sixth edition has been expanded to include televisions and game consoles. According to Greenpeace, the global games consoles sector shipped 62.7 million units in 2006. Growth of 14.9 per cent in the year made it one of the fastest developing sectors in the field of electronic products. Greenpeace campaigners say that it is encouraging to see Sharp and Microsoft providing timelines for the complete elimination of vinyl plastic (PVC) and all brominated flame retardants (BFRs) across their entire product range. The new edition of the quarterly guide shows important changes at the top of the ranking. Sony Ericsson has taken over the top spot from Nokia, while Samsung and Sony have surged ahead to occupy second and third positions respectively.
“Nokia and Motorola have received penalty points for corporate misbehaviour. Greenpeace tested the implementation of product take-back programmes in six countries where Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson claim on their websites to operate product take-back programmes. Nokia representatives in the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina, Russia and India were not informed about their companies’ programmes and in many cases provided misleading information. Motorola staffs in the Philippines, Thailand and India were unable to direct customers to collect points in their respective countries. As a result, Nokia falls from the top position to the ninth and Motorola drops from the ninth to the fourteenth position,” they say.
Iza Kruszweska, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner, warns, “Companies should not be under any illusions that we won’t check up on their claims of green greatness”. “Apple, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba have indicated that they produce personal computers, lighting LCD panels, camcorders and digital cameras - or at least major components of these items - which are free of PVC or BFRs. Firms that are upwardly mobile in the Greenpeace Guide are those whose products or major components of products, are free of specified hazardous ingredients. Companies, which simply commit to eliminating harmful chemicals sometime in the future achieve a lower score,” Kruszweska says. Commitments to coming clean in the future are no longer sufficient to secure a top place in the ranking, Kruszewska says, adding, “Companies that aspire to environmental leadership need to putt products on the market that are free of harmful chemicals. And, they need to offer customers, wherever they are, a service to take back old products for recycling responsibly.” |
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Lawyers’ strike hits litigants
New Delhi, November 27 “Advocates should not go on strike when the Supreme Court of India has declared this method of protest illegal. There are other modes of protesting,” Wadhawan told IANS. The hearing of his case was deferred due to the strike. Lawyers of the Delhi High Court and lower courts went on strike on Tuesday to protest Friday’s bomb blasts targeting courts in three Uttar Pradesh cities. Delhi Bar Council chairman K.K. Manan condemned the blasts that claimed 13 lives and asked lawyers to refrain from work as a mark of respect for those killed in the serial bombings. There are almost 30 million pending cases across various levels of the judiciary, primarily in the lower courts. The Justice Malimath Committee had pointed out that the backlog of criminal cases was so huge that it would take four years to clear it if not a single new case was added on. “Lawyers enjoy a special status in society and what they do affects not only individuals but also the administration of justice, which is the backbone of a civilised society, so holding a strike is not a favourable option,” said Rajesh Sharma, who had come to the High Court from Ghaziabad to settle a case registered against him in New Delhi. “If lawyers have any grievance, they could wear black badges and hold protest marches in a peaceful manner,” said a judicial officer. A few other sufferers said if lawyers insisted on striking work, they should be dealt with sternly and if need be their licences should be suspended or cancelled as a punitive measure. “In case the advocates do not appear on the date of the hearing, the judicial officers are competent to impose a fine of Rs 500 for one hearing and on the second hearing this fine may be raised to double for defaulting advocates. Non-payment of the fine should be considered contempt of court,” said Sandhya Rawat, another litigant who is contesting a dowry harassment case. Even the legal fraternity seemed to be divided on the issue of holding strikes. “In our country, where the crime rate is high, we continue to need more lawyers. The country cannot afford to have lawyers going on strikes. It is not the only way of registering protest,” a lawyer said, but on condition of anonymity.
— IANS |
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Blueline victims
New Delhi, November 27 “It is very shameful on the part of the Union of India that no change has been made in the compensation chart in the Motor Vehicles Act after November 1994,” said a division bench of Justices Mukul Mudgal and Reva Khetarpal. “The fine of Rs 50,000 fixed in the year 1994 for the death caused to a commuter must have multiplied many times if you go by the increase in the cost of living in these 13 years,” the bench said. The court directed the central government to file its reply on an increment in the index of cost of living, which would be considered while formulating the amount of fines. Meanwhile, the court has given interim relief to the Capital’s Blueline bus owners and asked them to deposit the compensation amount and get their confiscated vehicles released. The court, however, made it clear that it was an interim arrangement till it formulated broader guidelines for fines to be imposed on bus owners for their vehicles’ involvement in fatal accidents. “We intend to frame the guidelines for compensation to be paid by the owners to send a clear message to them to hire good drivers. “All residents of the city are entitled to have a safe and efficient public transport system in the Capital like other cities of the world,” the bench said. The fines are likely to vary in each accident depending upon the gravity of crime and injury caused to victims, the court said. |
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Immigration racket
New Delhi, November 27 The CBI, in response to a letter from defence secretary Vijay Singh, has asked him to file a complaint before it so that an FIR could be lodged in the case, official sources said. It has also sought all records pertaining to the case. The racket came to light earlier this month when four persons were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport here while trying to leave the country on official army passports, prompting the authorities to investigate for possible links with a larger illegal immigration network The four detained persons were carrying official white passports issued to the army headquarters band for a performance in Germany. According to sources, an army soldier Suresh Babu had allegedly prepared these travel documents and sold them for nearly Rs 50,000 each During investigations, Babu had claimed that he had prepared the passports in the past as well, the sources said. The sources said that Babu had alleged that he had prepared diplomatic passports illegally for senior official and his wife during their visit to Malaysia. He has also named a colonel working in the ceremonial and welfare directorate at the army headquarters. While the army informed the ministry that it was carrying out investigations into the case and would submit a final report soon as it was a single case involving a soldier, the ministry refused to buy the theory and ordered a thorough CBI probe into the case as it suspected involvement of some senior officials of the army and the ministry of external affairs.
— PTI |
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Poor to get enough ration: Cabinet
New Delhi, November 27 Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that families below Rs one lakh annual income would be provided with adequate ration in Delhi. This would be achieved by affixing a stamp “entitled for ration” on their cards. The families would be identified either by a house-to-house survey or by organising field camps, in collaboration with the RWAs registered under the Bhagidari scheme. She added that a special purpose vehicle would be constituted to speed up the work on the preservation and upgradation of heritage sites in the walled city, as SPV would have more flexibility and result-oriented approach. The targeted subsidy to all domestic power consumers was enhanced up to 200 units during the peak summer and winter months. May, June and July come under the peak summer months while December and January are categorised as winter months. Besides, the meeting decided to grant relief to the members of co-operative group housing societies, who were awaiting allotment. The consumers would get electricity at Rs 1.40 per unit, which is one rupee less than the usual rate. The enhanced targeted subsidy would cost Rs 135 crore a year to the city government. This would benefit around 10 lakh consumers. The decision to enhance the targeted subsidy has been taken in view of the average usage of electrical appliances during the peak summer and winter season. |
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CM focuses on illegal colonies
New Delhi, November 27 The CM stressed on better co-ordination among the agencies concerned. A sum of Rs 660 crore has been earmarked for 2007-08 annual plan, out of which Rs 423 crore has been released. Developmental work would be carried out in all colonies on private land. The provision of water, electricity, sewage, roads and sanitation would be taken up under the first phase. Dikshit instructed that Rs 50 crore should be released for providing sanitation and street lighting in these colonies. The Discoms have assured that work on street lighting would be completed within the shortest possible duration. The MCD and DSIIDC would construct the roads. |
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MCD to defend exemption on sealing
New Delhi, November 27 He said that many doctors, lawyers, architects, chartered accountants, company secretaries, cost and works accountants, engineers, town planners, media professionals and documentary filmmakers would be benefited by the decision. Gupta informed that the residential premises, where professional activities were being carried out, were being sealed, since there was confusion with regard to the provision of Master Plan - 2021. Clause 15.8 of the Master Plan - 2021 states, “In case of plotted development with single dwelling unit, professional activity shall be permissible on any one floor only, but restricted to less than 50 per cent of the permissible or sanctioned FAR, whichever is less on that plot.” |
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DPS MUN meet held
New Delhi, November 27 This year, the DPS MUN 2007 Conference hosted 700 High School teachers and students from all over India and other countries, including Sharjah, Dubai, Nepal, Kuwait, Pakistan and the UK. For the first time students of DPS Shiksha Kendra were participants, representing Pakistan at the MUN. The agendas taken up ranged from cooperation amongst troop contributing countries, maternal health and violence against women, human cloning, the Kashmir issue, landmines, and sustainable development of megacities, among others. The closing ceremony of the conference was graced by eminent dignitaries. The Principal, Dr Shayama Chona, stressed the need for global citizenship. “We are citizens of a global world which is shrinking in many ways” and emphasized the importance of the M.U.N. in making students aware of their role in such a scenario. She appreciated that the students, “learnt to debate and create peace and harmony needed to make this world a better place to live in.” The Chief Guest, Shalini Dewan addressed the gathering. She acknowledged that a lot of efforts had gone into organizing the event and making it a wonderful success. She emphasized the need to, “tackle problems and find appropriate solutions that fit in with the cultures of different societies”. The Secretary-General of the MUN, Sanjana Manaktala gave a brief report on the three-day conference. The cultural programme that followed consisted of a melodious composition, ‘My Song’, about peace and harmony, sung by the DPS Choir. A vibrating, foot-tapping fusion was presented by the students of DPS, R.K.Puram. The tiny-tots of DPS Shiksha Kendra won the audiences’ hearts with a delightful dance performance. This was followed by a mesmerizing jazz-and-ballet performance. |
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Health institute to be set up
New Delhi, November 27 A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed today in this connection by the principal secretary, health, government of the NCT of Delhi, Vivek Rae and the president of the PHFI, Prof K. Srinath Reddy, in the presence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The IIPH, part of the PHFI’s national network of public health institutions, will come up at a cost of about Rs 140 crore, on around 51 acres in the Kanjhawala area in northwest Delhi. The land is being provided on lease. Under the terms of the MoU, the IIPH will be set up as an autonomous, registered society in the Capital with representatives of the PHFI, and other stake holders on its governing body. The core objective of the IIPH will be to contribute to the improvement of public health in India in general and the National Capital Territory of Delhi in particular, through sustainable educational activities, research, training and policy advocacy. Emphasis will be on providing evidence-based, context-specific and resource-sensitive education, training and research on prioritized public health problems. The MoU signed between the Delhi government and the PHFI on Monday provides for 20 per cent of the seats in the academic and training programmes conducted at the IIPH to be reserved for students from Delhi and the state government employees respectively. The PHFI will support the government in the development of public health training programmes and assist in an advisory capacity. |
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Groom descends from the sky
Ghaziabad, November 27 Vipin, a resident of Ghaziabad, on Monday chose to fly to his bride’s place by helicopter at Sihani village here on the occasion of his marriage, doing away with the lesser equine pleasure, usually associated with traditional Hindu marriages. Vipin’s father Mangat Ram rented a helicopter for four hours and in the process shelled out Rs 3 lakh to make his son’s marriage unique in its own way. The marriage, which was scheduled to take place earlier, was put off by the groom’ father as he earnestly wanted his son to airdash to his would-be-daughter-in-law on D-day. Vipin’s mother Begwati said,’’I am very happy that my son is flying to his bride’s place in a copter as this will make the day very memorable. Something unique always stands out and it will be remembered for a very long time not only by the bride and groom but also by the people of the nearby areas.’’ The family members of the bride also beamed from ear to ear on hearing that the groom is taking the aerial route to take his bride, saying, ‘’It is the first marriage in our family and what better way could have been there than this to celebrate the occasion?’’ People from the nearby areas also came in droves to witness the ‘’historic’’ occasion.
— UNI |
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Father buries girl alive
Greater Noida, November 27 On November 24, Naresh Pal, a resident of Kulesra found some women trying to dig up a ditch. They told him that a child was calling out “Ma” from the ditch. As he dug out some earth, he found a girl buried in the ditch. Soon her consciousness returned and she feebly called “Ma”. The child was taken to the nearby Kulesra police post and examined by a doctor. She said she was Raveena, daughter of Manoj and Savita. The girl said her father had brought her here by bus. And he started beating her up saying “your mother has gone what can I do with you” He mercilessly beat her up, banged her on the road. He had even tried to strangle her by pressing his foot on her neck. After she became unconscious, he buried her in the ditch, police said. SP Rural, A.K. Vijeta said the girl has told the names of her father and mother, but she is not in a position to tell the name of her village or the whereabouts of her parents. The child is with Naresh Pal for the time being, while police are trying to locate her parents. |
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E-mail threatens blast on Dec 10
Ghaziabad, November 27 A high alert has been announced till December 10 in the Ghaziabad district. Special checking and surveillance in courts, jails, railway stations, bus stands, multiplexes and other crowded places like markets will be maintained. Suspicious looking persons, vehicles, houses, shops, etc could be subjected to special checks and frisking. Ghaziabad SSP Deepak Rattan said one or two private TV channels have received these E-mails threatening bomb explosions in different places, including Ghaziabad Mahanagar. The security at sensitive places has been beefed up. A high alert had been announced in the district after bomb blasts in Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad. Special police teams are thoroughly checking places like hotels, guesthouses, courts, multiplexes, etc. SSP said the first E-mail did not seem to pose any threat, still we are not taking any chances and there will be no laxity in security. |
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Akalis oppose Gurmeet’s meet
New Delhi, November 27 The Shiromani Akali Dal has objected to the forthcoming congregation of Baba Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh in the National Capital Region. The Akali Dal has requested the Delhi Police commissioner to discourage the congregation of the Sauda chief in Narela on December 2 or, it would lead to a confrontation between the Sikhs. Talking about the tension prevailing in Punjab and Haryana, the Akali Dal has advised, “In the (given) circumstances, it will be advisable that Sachha Sauda should not be allowed to hold the congregation in Delhi.” |
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LG’s homilies at IITF
New Delhi, November 27 Embarking on the economic relevance of the Fair, he said, “The presence of the SAARC nations, as partners, would promote intra-regional trade and investment and would help in the creation of the South-Asian Union, on the lines of the European Union, for the free flow of goods and services within the SAARC countries.” Thirty countries had participated in the Trade Fair this time. “The Trade Fair is an opportunity for multinational brands to test the quality of their products and services, which is of prime concern for the quality conscious customer,” he said. |
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Health programme announced
New Delhi, November 27 The yearlong initiative announced on the anti-Obesity Day is aimed at reaching out to 1,50,000 corporate
executives. Yogesh Sethi, CEO, education and services business, VLCC Health Care, said, “World health record projections for the next ten years is alarming. They indicate that India may lose more than $200 billion due to employee sickness.” |
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Woman doctor found dead in hostel
New Delhi, November 27 The body of Rama, 27, was found by some of her friends in her hostel room. Her friends informed the college administration, which called the police. According to police, a suicide note by her read: “I am not happy with my life and nobody should be blamed for my step.” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Delhi) Alok Kumar said the death seemed to be a prima facie case of suicide as a syringe was recovered near her bedside. “It seems that she might have injected some poison in her left forearm. We have called her family to cooperate in investigations. Nothing could be ruled out yet. We are awaiting
autopsy reports,” Kumar said. — IANS |
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Three held for killing student
Agra, November 27 Pushpendra, son of former BJP district unit president Balveer Kehervar, is the main accused in the killing. He was enraged over Udit’s love affair with the college girl, whom he too liked, the SSP added. After murder, Udit’s body was thrown at a railway track, in order to hoodwink the police. Devendra, Deepak and Pujan Sharma were arrested yesterday, the police said adding, during interrogation they confessed to the
crime. — UNI |
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Stolen cheques encashed
Noida, November 27 Sachan Kataria, a businessman from B-62 in Sector-60 has lodged a report in Sector-58 police station in which he said that his HDFC bank cheque was stolen from his office on November 9. He thought he had just misplaced the chequebook, hence he did not inform the HDFC bank branch in Sector-18. But when his other cheque for Rs 80,000 had bounced, he lodged an FIR with police on Sunday. During investigations, police have learnt that the said amount of Rs 48.80 lakh had been deposited in SBI branch of Ghazipur through two cheques by one Ramesh. Ramesh had opened this account only to deposit these cheques. The account now shows only Rs 9 lakh in the balance. The police have got further payments stopped. |
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One arrested
New Delhi, November 27 Three stolen motorcycles have been recovered from him. Ravinder was arrested while a check was being carried out in the Vasant Kunj area. He was on a motorcycle. He speeded up, when asked to slow down. He could not produce the driving licence. Two more motorcycles were recovered at his instance. |
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