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On Delhi’s streets, 10,000 women shiver night away
BMW case
War widow fights for allotted land
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CM stresses importance of Navyug schools
JNU professor to deliberate on environment
Designer doors made of human excreta!
Designers present ‘Threads of Unity’
Young Indian Scientist Awards announced
Over 80 per cent suffering from dental diseases
Music review
Ex-CMS declared absconder
Gangster held
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On Delhi’s streets, 10,000 women shiver night away
New Delhi, December 8 The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) slum wing is setting up six temporary shelter homes around the city, besides the 17 permanent ones that are already there. But none of these are for women. Paramjeet Kaur of Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), the NGO which looks after seven of the permanent shelter homes, said the only home for women which existed for two and a half years was closed down in June this year. “The women’s shelter home had been opened up in December 2004 in Yamuna Pushta in east Delhi under pressure from civil society groups after the Palika women’s shelter, open for just 10 months, was shut down,” she told IANS. “Even that lone shelter was closed down this June after being asked to do so by the MCD. This resulted in the women, who were there, becoming homeless and being forced to live in the streets once again,” Paramjeet Kaur added. What came up instead of the shelter home was a warehouse. The plight of homeless women can be gauged from the plunging winter temperatures in the city - sometimes as low as 3 or 4 degrees Celsius. According to a survey done by AAA between December 2006 and January 2007, there are nearly 100,000 homeless people on Delhi’s roads of which 10,000 are women. This means that despite nearly 10 per cent of Delhi’s homeless being women, there are no shelter homes for them. Most of these women live with their children and families. Indu Prakash Singh who leads the international developmental agency ActionAid’s work on shelter and homelessness said that not only will more shelter homes for women save them from the bitter cold, but also ensure that they are protected against rape and abuse on the roads. “The New Delhi Municipal Council is one of India’s richest municipal bodies with a large amount of property at its disposal. Many buildings are lying unused which could be turned into shelters with a small investment as running cost,” Singh said. “More shelters with specific provisions for women and children would mean fewer rapes and assaults.” According to MCD officials, there is no point in setting up shelter homes for women because they never avail of the facility. Atar Singh, deputy director general of the Slum and JJ wing of MCD, said: “There are no separate shelter homes for women because they don’t stay in them. Invariably the homes remain empty.” “In the shelter home for women which was closed down this year, there were hardly 20-22 women. It was a huge place and could easily accommodate more women. “Also with women, the problem is that they tend to believe they can settle down in the shelter home and get all the belongings whereas we are aiming at providing shelter only for the night,” Atar Singh told IANS. He, however, added that in four of the shelter homes, one room was meant for women. “Three permanent and one temporary shelter homes have a room each for women. Yet last year we noticed that even in a congested area like Jamuna Bazar, there were just eight women occupying the room,” Atar Singh said. Although the MCD officials couldn’t reason out why the response was so weak among women despite their being in great need of it, Paramjeet Kaur said the location of the shelter homes played a pivotal role in this case. “Most of these shelter homes are located in cut-off areas where women don’t feel safe going. Therefore they prefer huddling together in railway platforms and temples,” she said. “If more shelter homes are being set up in places like near the Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi or Nizamuddin, I am sure women will come up.” Also, Paramjeet Kaur said the MCD needed to take a different approach. “There has to be more allocation of funds and safety and security should be of utmost importance. Also, since most of these women stay with their children, there should be options by which they can send their kids to school. “The staff in the shelter homes must be specially trained as well,” she said. The six temporary shelter homes, according to MCD officials, will be ready, complete with electricity, potable water supply and other basic facilities, by mid-December when winter officially sets in. For the women, though, this might make little difference.
— IANS |
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Delhi once again at 7.3 C
New Delhi, December 8 Yesterday’s temperature of 8.8 degree in Delhi dropped by 1.5 degree making it the coldest day so far of the season, Met department officials said. However, the airport runway visibility was normal and the flights took off as per the schedule, Met department officials at Palam said. In the next two days, mainly dry weather is likely to prevail in the Capital. The night temperature is expected to drop by two-three degree Celsius, according to the Met
officials. Yesterday, the maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 24 degree Celsius. — PTI |
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BMW case
New Delhi, December 8 “I permit Sanjeev Nanda to go abroad as the special public prosecutor has no objection to his plea,” Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar said and asked him to come back by January 5 for day-to-day recording of evidence of defence witnesses. The court took note of the fact that Nanda’s application described him as a British citizen, and told his counsel Ramesh Gupta that he (Nanda) should furnish the blood test reports before it on December 11, the next date of hearing. Nanda’s application, seeking permission to examine witnesses, to prove his innocence was partially allowed by the court after dropping journalist Sanjay Vohra, who in his write up alleged that the offending vehicle was not a BMW, from the list of witnesses. The court would decide on December 11 about the inclusion of Gauri Shankar, a Mumbai resident who had recently claimed that key witness Sunil Kulkarni was in Mumbai on the day of incident, as defence witness after watching a CD, supplied to Nanda by a TV news channel. Earlier, Sumitra Nanda, wife of former Navy chief Admiral S M Nanda and Sanjeev’s grandmother, had deposed as the first defence witness and said that her grandson was innocent. “He is innocent. This is what he told me at the time of arrest and...he never lies to me,” Nanda had said in her 15-minute statement.
— PTI |
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War widow fights for allotted land
Greater Noida, December 8 The government honouring the bravery and sacrifice of her late husband had allotted the land to her. “The government machinery in UP is so rotten that nothing works here”, says the frustrated woman. The government had allotted her the land because her late husband, Army Jawan Tek Ram had sacrificed his life, while defending the country during the war of 1971. After the allotment of land, she had taken up a government job in the Capital. Rampali Devi had never realised that one day the land would become so valuable that land mafia will grab it. Since 1999, she has been going around government offices including, the offices of tehsildars, SDMs’ and even district magistrates’, but nobody has helped her. Rampali recalls the letters written by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi; the then UP Chief Minister, Kamlapati Tripathi and top army officials who had expressed their sympathy and lauded the sacrifice of her late husband. Indira Gandhi had even promised to extend full support to the shaheed’s widow Her husband had died defending the frontiers of the country, but it seems she would die during her struggle to get back the piece of land allotted to commemorate her husband’s bravery and sacrifice. |
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CM stresses importance of Navyug schools
New Delhi, December 8 Speaking on this occasion, Dikshit expressed pleasure that a new well-equipped school had been commissioned today after concerted efforts during last six years. Government schools including Navyug schools would soon become more purposeful than public schools in Delhi as these were showing better results. The parents have started preferring enrolment of their wards in government
schools which are better managed today. Laying foundation stone at Talkatora Stadium, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that Navyug Schools would be able to achieve their objective of providing quality education to the wards of weaker
sections of society. The school building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 6.40 crore in two years in an area of 3.053 acres. The building is two storeyed with accommodation of 36 classrooms, one administrative block, amphitheatre having capacity of 200 persons, besides four science and computer labs and activity rooms. The special feature of this building is development of primary classes on the pattern of “Building as Learning-Aid” following the recommendation of UNICEF. The building
has accessibility for handicapped and disabled persons. Navyug schools besides NDMC schools were started in 1975 with the aim to provide quality education on public school pattern in Hindi medium to the talented students of lower income group sections of society in the NDMC area. At present, NDMC is running 11 Navyug schools out of which five are senior secondary, one secondary and five primary
schools. |
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JNU professor to deliberate on environment
New Delhi, December 8 Desai holds the Jawaharlal Nehru Chair in International Environmental Law at the JNU’s Centre for International Legal Studies. He has also served as the director and head of the department, Centre for Environmental Law, WWFIndia between 1997 and 1999. Desai had drafted a proposal for the up-gradation and strengthening of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). He had recently visited the New York in this regard. “I presented my proposal for the United Nations Environment Protection
Organisation. I also expressed my views on the future of the UNE.” |
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Designer doors made of human excreta!
New Delhi, December 8 As per founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak, the hard ball is made of treated human excreta, completely free of any pathogens and hard enough to be even used as building material. That the material can be used for making doors is evident from the fact that 21 such designer doors are currently on display at the prestigious Lisson Art Gallery of London. On how people will actually react to a door made of human excreta as the majority certainly has an issue with handling human excreta, whether raw or recycled, Pathak says that indeed is idea that designers of the doors wanted to convey to the world. The doors on display have been designed by Mexico-based designers Santiago Sierra and Mariana David, says Pathak, adding that the duo asked Sulabh to send the material to which they added adhesives to fabricate doors. The doors will also be displayed in the Munich Gallery in Germany to popularise the new concept and showcase the problem of sanitation in world and India. Pathak says the economics of the project have not been worked out as the basic aim was to give a new direction to the Sulabh’s belief that human excreta is not an object of taboo. “The technology has the potential to become an answer to several ecological and social problems that face the world today as the material can work as manure, fuel and even building material. It can certainly become a milestone in the effort to protect the environment by the way of fertilisers and bio-gas,” he adds. For the pioneer of sanitation movement in India, the logic behind the attempt is simple. If left unattended raw human excreta can cause diseases and pollution but put it through a bio-digester and it becomes a resource, is what he says. Pathak adds that “perception and age-old practices have ensured that we expect people to clean our toilet, even carry night-soil on their heads, but we do not want to find ways of turning it into something useful or rehabilitating the scavengers.” “For centuries we have dumped raw excreta on manual scavengers who handle it with their bare hands and even carry this night-soil on their heads. This technique can go a long way in liberating the hundreds of thousands of manual scavengers who suffer much physical and mental agony doing this job only because they are born in a certain caste,” he adds. Pathak’s revolutionary two-pit toilet technology is known the world over and recognised by several international organisations like the World Bank, the WHO, Unicef and UNDP as scientifically appropriate and economically affordable. |
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Designers present ‘Threads of Unity’
New Delhi, December 8 The show titled - Threads of Unity - was put up Friday by the country’s apex fashion organisation Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), and was commissioned by the ministry of external affairs and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Speaking on the occasion Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ambika Soni said: “Nothing can be better than such shows to forge cultural ties and revive cultural unity.” “This show has given the designers an opportunity to move beyond borders and interact with fellow designers and showcase their unique tradition on a common platform. It truly represents South Asian fashion,” said Rathi Vinay Jha, director general of FDCI.The collections captured the rich cultural heritage, textile tradition and indigenous handicraft and embroideries distinct to each SAARC country. The show kicked off with Ritu Kumar’s bridal collection, which included heavily embroidered lehengas (skirts), salwar kurtas and saris of colours ranging from shades of red, pink to pastels and off-white. “My couture wear celebrates the textiles of India, which are embellished by around 16 million practising craftspeople of the sub-continent,” said Kumar. This was followed by the display of creative brilliance of Zolaykha Sherad from Afghanistan. Apart from the ethnic outfit of the country, his line included black hooded cape dress with loads of embroidery, dresses with veil and trousers with jackets. “My collection represents the culture of Afghanistan woven into modern design. The creations are inspired by calligraphy and a poem written by an Afghan poet Abdul Wader Bedel,” said Sherad. Bangladeshi designer Nasrine Karim’s collection offered a generous dose of gossamer muslin embroidered saris. Dorothy Gurung’s from Bhutan showcased traditionally woven coats and jackets teamed with jeans, skirts and boots. Abhilash and Shimla from the Maldives used traditional patterns from the country and hand woven fabrics like feyli and kasabu to create chic dresses, skirts and drapes with splendid use of gold and silver
colour. — IANS |
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Blueline victims stage dharna
New Delhi, December 8 Goel observed that when several persons lost their lives simultaneously in Badarpur, the government had declared Rs 1 lakh compensation per head but when people were killed at other spots, no compensation was given to them. Even at present, the Blueline buses are causing accidents almost daily but the Chief Minister is doing nothing to protect them from the killer buses. Vijay Goel demanded that victims of the bus accidents should be given Rs 5 lakh each as compensation and one of the victims’ family members should be given job. So far 115 people were killed in accident involved Blueline buses and 49 in DTC, he said. Toll reaches 112
One Moni Kumar, a resident of Meerut succumbed to his head injuries, after he slipped out of a Blueline bus, plying on route number 236, at Anand Vihar ISBT, on Friday. With this, the toll has reached 112. Moni was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The driver of the bus has been arrested. |
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Young Indian Scientist Awards announced
New Delhi, December 8 A brainchild of Elsevier, one of the leading publishers of science and health information worldwide, the awards provide a platform for original and authentic scientific research. A jury that included subject experts and senior academicians from across the country considered the researchers on both quality and quantity. The awardees comprised research scientists from Life Sciences, Oceanic Sciences, Aerospace, Chemistry, Material Engineering, Mathematics and Solid State Physics. Phil Govaert, global business development director for the Elsevier’s International markets, highlighted the company’s responsibilities towards knowledge dissemination. |
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Over 80 per cent suffering from dental diseases
New Delhi, December 8 Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated a six-day dental health mela organised by the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences here, as part of its silver jubilee celebrations. She said, “Schools should initiate ‘child smile’ programmes and aim at preventing tooth decay in youngsters through early interventions”. She added that schoolchildren should be encouraged to practice the best oral health norms. “Ninety five per cent of the oral health problems are preventable, but people
treat oral health lightly, only presenting when the conditions have advanced. Brushing after every meal, daily flossing, seeing a dentist, at least once a year, can help one maintain miles of smiles”. Health minister Yoganand Shastri said that the Delhi government had approved the UGC scales for family members of the institute, which would be developed as centre of excellence in the country. Prof Mahesh Verma, principal, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental
Sciences, said, “The health mela will conduct free dental check ups, education on preventive measures, smile competition, public lectures and dental quiz”. |
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Music review
The successful composer-lyricist Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire deliver a fantastic album yet again. After the success of “Parineeta”, they present another bouquet of melodious songs in “Khoya Khoya Chand”.
Comprising seven numbers with no remixes, this album opens with “Chale aao saiyan”. Shreya Ghoshal sings it in a slightly husky voice and it has all the elements of a typical mujara. “Khoya Khoya Chand” shifts the track from ‘mujra’ to ‘qawalli’. Sung by Ajay Jhingran and Swanand Kirkire, it’s a great number and sets the right tempo and rhythm. Everything seems to be going great for the song including the music, lyrics and the vocals. It is the highlight of the album. Next is “Khushboo sa” that reminds of “Dil ko hazaar baar” from “Murder” and “Kaisi paheli” from “Parineeta”. Hamsika Iyer’s sensuous voice does justice to the song. But knowing the audience well, this track won’t be a chartbuster. After that is the slow and sentimental number “O re paakhi” where Sonu Nigam gives one of his best renditions. Keeping 50s style in mind, Moitra composes yet another classical number “Sakhi Piya”, which is sung by Pranab Biswas and Shreya. Although the song is impressive, it would be liked only by a tiny section of the audience. Next track “Thirak thirak” is about celebrating life. Once again, Sonu stands out in the song and Shreya is not bad either. A relatively fast-paced number, it is a fun song. It is followed by a jazz number titled “Yeh nigahein” and Sonu croons it with Antara Chowdhury. Indian classical music makes its presence felt in every song. “Khoya Khoya Chand” is a noteworthy album.
— IANS |
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Ex-CMS declared absconder
Ghaziabad, December 8 Ex-CMS Dr Vinode Kumar, accused of trying to implicate a colleague, through a sting operation has been declared an absconder now. The Ghaziabad police have issued arrest warrants against Dr Vinode Kumar and intensified its efforts to nab the former CMS. Even Dr CMS’s family is said to be unaware of his movements, though he continues to have the official house allotted to him on hospital campus. Even other doctors and colleagues considered close to Dr Kumar, who have been quizzed by cops, have not been able to help the police in this connection. Hospital’s ex-doctor Dr Ajay Agarwal had filed an FIR against ex-CMS accusing that Dr Kumar had tried to implicate him falsely through a string operation and had thus damaged his reputation. On December 3, former CMS, Dr Vinode Kumar had approached the Allahabad High Court for a stay on his arrest. The High Court has dismissed his 162- page writ plea. After that arrest warrants have been issued against him. The police have intensified their efforts to nab him by declaring him an absconder. |
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2 women held for murder
New Delhi, December 8 According to the police, their friend Joginder had planned the murder. The deceased was called at Joginder’s house, where he was poisoned. Mansi was suspected behind the murder. On her instance, Manju was also arrested. |
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Gangster held
New Delhi, December 8 A non-bailable warrant had been issued against
him. — TNS |
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