The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	MCD budget focus on education Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Emphasis is on development, road lightening and primary education in the estimated budget proposals of Rs 4119.17 crore of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for the year 2008-2009 tabled by Municipal Commissioner A. K. Nigam here today. Total expenditure for the new financial year has been estimated as Rs 3841.06 crore. No new tax has been levied in the proposals. In the proposal, the Municipal Commissioner has allocated Rs 833.38 crore for development and road lightening works, Rs 600 crore for primary education, Rs 540 crore for sanitation, Rs 437.97 crore for health and Rs 123.5 crore for horticulture. Tabling the budget proposals before the MCD House, the Municipal Commissioner said that levying new tax on citizens of Delhi was not required as the corporation had a new advertisement policy to increase its revenue. Last year’s total revenue was Rs 3,450 crore and this year the corporation has estimated to increase it to Rs 3688.39 crore. He said that the MCD had estimated to collect Rs 1106 crore from property tax, Rs 300 crore from advertisement, Rs 355.43 crore transferable duty. Besides, the focus has been given to redevelop Shahjahanbad, Sadar Paharganj, Karol Bagh, heritage centre near historic Jama Masjid. Apart from this 16 multi-level parking sites will be developed, new sanitary landfill site at Jaitpur in South Delhi. The MCD would spend Rs 277 crore for purchasing new trucks and equipment for transporting garbage, debris and building material and equipment for development works. The Delhi government has already passed a proposal to redevelop Shahjahanabd and all heritage buildings like ‘havelis’ belonging to the Mughal and other powerful families of those days. Old St. Stephen’s College and Ghalib’s haveli are also in the list of heritage buildings.
	Heliport for Noida approved Medical and sports cities also get nod Parmindar Singh Noida, December 10 The Noida Authority Board in its 147 meeting today approved the setting up of special projects—heliport, medical city, sports city, IT/ITES, etc. The IT/ITES will be set up in Sectors 152, 153 and 154 on an area of 10 lakh sq metres along the expressway. These will be institutes of national level. The board also approved the setting up of a medical city of international standards on 75 acres of land in Sector-151. Although hospitals and nursing homes of national standard are functioning in Noida, there was no institute of international standard. The basic idea is to develop medical facilities of international standard at one place. Noida authority’s Additional CEO, Y.K. Behl briefing the media informed that a sports city in Sectors 101, 102 and 104 will be set up. The board approved the ‘Expression of Interest’ through sports consultants. A sports complex of international standard is proposed to be set up here. Through approval of another proposal, Noida Board decided to set up a heliport in Sector-148 on an area of 25 acres and will have the facility of hangars etc for parking the helicopters and office complex, etc. The board gave a green signal for a feasibility study. Regarding LRT or Metro rail between Noida and Greater Noida, the board decided that a meeting of Noida, Greater Noida, DMRC and GDA authorities be held to thrash out the issue. In view of the Taj Expressway and airport projects coming up in Greater Noida, the consensus was in favour of extending Metro rail to Greater Noida as well as to Ghaziabad, ACEO said. The board also decided in principle to go in for corporate towers in Sector-62 Noida. A feasibility report of consultants has been obtained from Greater Noida which is being studied by Noida officers. Two power stations of 220 KV and 400 KV in Sector-62 and 137 respectively were also approved by the board today in view of the increasing power needs of the area. According to another decision Noida industrialists have been allowed to rent out their industrials premises for 5 years as against 10 years in the past. As per another decision Noida board will permit the industrialist to combine a maximum of three units or an industrial area up to 5 acres.
	Former spy’s hearing deferred New Delhi, December 10 A city court on Monday adjourned till January 4 the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea of former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer Major General (retd) V.K. Singh, who is facing the charge of leaking official secrets in a book published this year. Motor Accident Claim Tribunal Judge Pratibha Rani, who took up the matter in the absence of Additional District Judge P.K. Saxena, adjourned the hearing. Singh, a former RAW joint secretary, was booked under Section 5 (wrongful communication of information) of the Official Secrets Act for writing “India’s External Intelligence: Secrets of RAW”. In the bail petition, Singh’s counsel Anup Khullar said there was personal anonymity behind the case against his client. “A person who is a whistle blower, highlighting corruption in the highest office, cannot be booked for disclosing the official information,” Khullar told IANS. On an earlier hearing, counsel for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the investigative agency in the case, argued that parts of the book were related to files that were marked secret. The court, however, told the CBI that without having any idea of what was being referred to, it could not come to a conclusion. The CBI then said it could present those documents in the court, provided those not connected with the case are not allowed inside. The CBI, in a previous hearing on November 5, had filed an application in the court of Additional Sessions Judge K.S. Mohi seeking permission to hold an in camera trial. On December 4, the court told the CBI that no decision could be taken on its demand to hold an in camera trial unless the agency proved that the documents related to the case were of very sensitive nature. Singh’s counsel, however, claimed that the CBI was keen on getting an in camera trial because of “critical” reports in some newspapers and on TV news channels. Citing the reports, Khullar said the former RAW official was being targeted as he had mentioned in his book an incident involving an officer. According to Khullar, this officer had gone on long leave after he was ignored for promotion. This officer, mentioned in the book, was later identified as Ashok Chaturvedi, the present RAW chief, Singh’s counsel said. Khullar also claimed that his client had tried to expose corruption in the agency. He had mentioned in his book that RAW had purchased certain instruments at a price much higher than the one at which the army had bought them. —PTI
	HC asks CBI to find if kidnappers are active New Delhi, December 10 The Delhi High Court has directed the CBI to find if inter-state gangs are operational at the railway stations who kidnap children for ‘trafficking’. A division bench of justices Mukul Mudgal and Reva Khetrapal, also directed the city police to sound alert at the airports to prevent trafficking of children. The bench issued the order after Delhi Police’s anti- kidnapping wing filed a report, following a petition, by a father that his four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who was travelling with her mother to Ganganagar in Rajasthan in a train, went missing and railway police has failed to trace her. In its report, the police said that after questioning the family members and co-passengers, it was found that the girl was kidnapped by a man, who boarded the train between Palwal and New Delhi Railway Station. In a joint effort by the Delhi and Haryana police, a sketch of the suspect was released and pasted at various railway stations, they informed the court. The bench also asked the police to display the girl’s photograph and the sketch of the suspect at the airports also. In the petition, girl’s father Raj Kumar stated that the girl, Rashmika, was travelling in Toofan Express with her mother to Rajasthan on June 17 this year. The girl slept on the upper berth of the train and her mother on the lower berth after having dinner at New Delhi Railway Station, the petition stated. But when the train reached Ganganagar railway station, the girl was found missing. The mother immediately informed the railway authorities there but she was asked to lodge a complaint with Sarai Rohilla station here. The NHRC issued notice to the police in September but so far they failed to file any response after a complaint by girl’s parent.—PTI
	Vijender Gupta happy Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Reacting to budget proposals for the year 2007-08 and estimated budget proposals for the year 2008-09, Chairman of Standing Committee, Vijender Gupta, said that it was a document based on utmost development and progress. It included various discussions and decisions of meetings of MCD, Standing Committee and other committees. The budget proposals were tabled by Municipal Commissioner A. K. Nigam here today. There is no proposal for any new tax. However, the MCD will march forward towards development without raising any financial loans. For the last 10 years, the MCD was taking loans and was paying heavy amount as repayment. Now, it has been released from this bondage. The MCD is now self-sufficient. Gupta said that eight months have passed since the BJP assumed power in the MCD. The BJP had tried to bring transparency in the local administration besides ensuring all-round development. The introduction of online system in property tax, sanctioning of building plans and computerization of engineering department are proposals to be welcomed. He further disclosed that as compared to current financial year, increased provisions have been made for the year 2008-09 in the field of primary education, medical relief and public health, environment management services, street lighting, horticulture, etc. Addressing the media, he said that it was also commendable that the MCD was the only institution in India, which had got approval of the Supreme Court on advertisement policy. It will enable MCD to earn additional income of Rs 300 crore. The responsibility of redevelopment of special area handed over to the MCD is also a welcome step. Gupta further said that there were some rectifications required in the proposals which would be discussed in the Standing Committee and members belonging to the ruling and opposition parties would be consulted and necessary amendments made. Meanwhile, Jai Kishan Sharma, leader of opposition in the MCD, said that the budget proposals were merely juggling of figures. It’s a conspiracy to hand over various departments to private agencies. In the proposals, the Municipal Commissioner claimed that it was a tax-free budget though toll tax had already been increased. He said that transportation of garbage in six zones had already been privatized which had adversely affected safai karamcharis. Expenditure as mentioned in the proposals has been increased from Rs 4206.88 crore to Rs 4119.17 crore. For the year 2008-2009 provision of expenditure to the tune of Rs 3841.06 crore has been made which is far less than this year’s expenditure. It shows that less amount will be available for development works.
	Education in human development gets fillip Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 In a major attempt to provide fresh impetus to advanced education and research in the field of social and human development, the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and University of Victoria, Canada, have announced a collaboration on Monday. As part of this arrangement, the two institutions will jointly create opportunities for international internships, develop new advanced courses, promote collaborative research and strengthen and build new institutions. “There is a need for building capacities of many voluntary activists and organisations through participatory research and community-based learning in India and abroad. This initiative is an important step towards that direction,” says Dr Rajesh Tandon, president, Society for Participatory Research in Asia. “With this collaboration, we aim to strengthen the voluntary sector by providing hands-on experiential learning opportunities to both international and Indian students alike.” PRIA has all along advocated for a self-reliant, autonomous and competent voluntary sector in India and abroad. University of Victoria (UVic) has sent student interns to PRIA since 2004 under a program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. In 2007, the first PRIA staff intern came to UVic through a reciprocal arrangement. Building on the previous experiences of these student interns, PRIA and UVic will continue their dialogue around the possible launching of a field-based internship program for Indian and international students in the fields of education; human and social sciences; leadership and gender; community development; development management; ecology and environment; and local and regional planning. “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with a leading Indian civil society organisation since it allows the students, faculty and indeed community leaders of my university in western Canada the possibility of learning about methodologies and strategies for human and social development,” says David Howard Turpin, president and vice-chancellor, University of Victoria.
	Sixty-six educational institutes may lose recognition Our Correspondent Noida, December 10 The district administration is reported to have made up its mind to withdraw recognition from as many as 66 educational institutes in the district. The authorities are fed up with sending reminders to educational institutes asking them to furnish the number of students from SC, ST, backward classes and from the minority communities who were availing the educational scholarships. But the institutes have consistently ignored these communications. It may be added that all the students from above categories are entitled to scholarships. The decision may be hard on institutes, but it was reportedly taken as the authorities were left with no alternative. Now the administration has decided to withdraw formal recognition from such institutes. A report is likely to be sent to the higher authorities on December 12 about the defaulting institutes with recommendation that their recognition may be cancelled. About 66 institutes of management, engineering, B. Pharmacy, MCA, and B.Ed. will be affected by this derecognition which could, in turn, jeopardize the careers of thousands of students.
	HIV+ mother seeks custody of son from in-laws New Delhi, December 10 Thrown out of her matrimonial home, an HIV-infected woman has knocked the doors of a Delhi court seeking custody of her 17-month-old son, allegedly snatched away from her by her in-laws, 13-days after her husband succumbed to the deadly disease. Sheela verma, whose son is unaffected from HIV, has filed her complaint under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act for his release from the clutches of her in-laws. Twenty-six-year-old Sheela, now forced to live with her old and ailing parents at Sagarpur in south-west Delhi, has alleged that her son was forcibly taken away by her in-laws, the day when the rituals relating to last rites of her husband were completed. However, her in-laws expressed their reluctance to hand over the son, saying there was apprehension that the child who was their heir might get infected with the disease if the custody was given to his mother. After half an hour of hearing, metropolitan magistrate Anu Grover Baliga took cognizance of the complaint and asked Verma’s father-in-law Ram Gopal Verma, mother-in-law Phoolwati and other members of the matrimonial family to file their responses on the allegations on December 22. The woman was married to Satish Verma, a resident of Panipat in Haryana on June 20, 2005 and two years after on August 22 , this year her husband died at a private hospital. The son was born from their wedlock on july 20, 2006. —PTI
	AIT ties up with US varsity Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT), Gurgaon, has formally entered into an arrangement with North Carolina State University (NCSU), USA. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by Prof. M.P. Singh, director, AIT and Prof. John G. Gilligan, vice-chancellor NCSU. The scope of MoU is aimed at student and faculty exchange, credit transfer arrangement, joint research, curriculum review and development. Under the arrangements, students will study for two years at AIT and two years at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The NCSU is one of the leading universities in the US. The addition of this university into the AIT fold will open up new options for Indian students to complete their degrees from overseas universities. AIT already has a tie-up with reputed and accredited American Universities like Clemson University (CU), North Dakota State University (NDSU), San Jose State University (SJSU), Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and many others. The team from North Carolina State University (NCSU) was headed by the vice- chancellor of the university and it consists of senior academicians and administrators, including the director of the International Division.
	Mercury rises, but city shivers Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Residents of the National Capital Territory of Delhi today woke up to a cloudy morning as the mercury, which had plummeted to the lowest this season yesterday, climbed up by two degrees. The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.8 degree Celsius, two degrees above yesterday’s 6.8 degree, the lowest this season. The maximum temperature was 20.3 degree Celsius, Met department here said adding the visibility was 800 m. The Met office has predicted some rain and thunder showers in the next 24 hours.
	Nagar Kirtan taken out Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Paramjit Singh Sarna, president and Balbir Singh, general secretary, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee today led the Nagar Kirtan to mark the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The Nagar Kirtan started at 10 a.m from the Gurdwara Sheesh Ganj Sahib . Panj Piyaras led the Palki carrying GuruGranth Sahib. A large number of schoolchildren with their colourful bands also participated in the procession. The Nagar Kirtan passed through Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak, Chawri Bazar, Pahar Ganj, Basant Road, Panchkuian Road, Connaught Circus, Rivoli Cinema, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Pandit Pant Marg and terminated at the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in the late evening. A congregation will be held on December 11 in the Lakhi Shah Vanjara Hall at the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib.
	Misuse of anti-dowry law increasing Kanu Sarda New Delhi, December 10 Vikash Tuteja, who is in his late 30s, had to pay his wife a hefty Rs 1.2 million as the settlement amount in his marriage dispute. It is Section 498 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that has spoilt his life as his in-laws have been using it quite frequently to extract money from him. Vikash, whose case was settled in a Family Court in Delhi, and many other men and their families have become a victim of this anti-dowry law, which deals with a husband or his family subjecting a woman to cruelty. The law aims to provide safety and security to women in Indian society where they are often harassed by in-laws for fat sums of dowry at the time of marriage and also subsequently. Punishment can be a maximum of imprisonment of three years and a fine. But there have been many cases of the law being misused. Mahesh Parekh, a practising lawyer at the Family Court, said: “One out of 12 cases is a vindictive case. It’s not as though there is no truth, but, yes, at times it is blown out of proportion to make the husband and the in-laws look criminal and fetch them punishment accordingly.” During the recent Lok Sabha session, it was submitted by the government that more than 11,300 false cases got registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act this year. The government, which referred to data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), said the cases were declared false on account of mistake of fact or law. Gurubaksh Singh, secretary of the Save Family Foundation, said: “There are several cases where the husbands were earning a handsome salary and a case of dowry was slapped against them. Women are misguided by the family and sometimes by lawyers to extract money.” Even the legal fraternity has come forward to stop the misuse of dowry laws and proposed the use of lie-detector tests, brain mapping tests and narco-analyses for bringing out the truth in dowry-related cases. “Even the amendment in the dowry law in the year 1993 has not brought relief to the grieving husbands. Instead, it has created more problems for them,” said D.B. Goswami, a prominent criminal lawyer. “With the help of lie detector tests, things will become easier for the complainant as well as the accused. This step will be a great relief for those who are being harassed without any fault of theirs,” added Goswami. K.T.S. Tulsi, a prominent lawyer, said: “There are instances of wives misusing the law only because they want to get away from a joint family and set up homes of their own for various reasons. If a man resists the move because the parents are aged, his wife goes to police with a complaint of dowry harassment.” The Delhi High Court had recently observed that the number of false dowry cases was increasing day by day. In a recent case, the court acquitted a man and five of his family members sentenced to two years imprisonment by a trial court for dowry harassment and an attempt to murder his wife. Cautioning the police and trial courts against “false statements” by dowry harassment complainants, Justice Shiv Narayan Dhingra recently said, “Every failed marriage is not a crime. However, the law (498 A of IPC) is being used to convert failed marriages into a crime and people use it as a tool to extract as much monetary benefit as possible. The FIRs are withdrawn once the payment is received by the complainant,” the judge said. In Bangalore, there are over 300 such cases registered with an NGO, Asha Kirana, which also runs a helpline for harassed husbands. “Our various laws, including the recent Domestic Violence Act, also support the wife even when she is in the wrong. Even before the case is investigated, the police and the judiciary sympathise with the wife. Precisely for this very reason women who are bent on punishing men use the laws very convincingly,” said activist Girish who is also a victim. Activists are of the opinion that the increase in economic independence, materialism, promiscuity, incompatibility and social acceptance, to name only a few trends, are encouraging women to constantly invoke Section 498 A .along with the Dowry Prohibition Act and the recent Domestic Violence Act to get out of a —IANS.