New Delhi, December 12
The Delhi government has defined that the land for which compensation has been given will be listed as public land and the land for which compensation has not been given is taken as private land.

With this declaration, lakhs of city residents who live in 400 unauthorised colonies will heave a sigh of relief as now they have no risk of demolition. Owners of land in these colonies were issued notice to acquire land but they were not given compensation by the DDA or other land owning agencies.

This declaration was made after an order was issued by the union urban development ministry through a letter addressed to Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna, sources said.

Letter pointed out two types of public land–one, acquired land after giving compensation to the land owners; the second is ‘gram sabha’ according to Delhi Land Reform Act 1994.

MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party, Ramveer Singh Bidhri who was member of the Unauthorised Colonies Development Board constituted by the Delhi government welcomed this decision saying that this should have been done earlier as this was in favour of citizens. This issue was raised in the Board’s as well as Cabinet meeting also.

Delhi BJP unit president Harsh Vardhan said that it is nothing more than an election stunt. Hardly one year is left for the assembly elections to be held in Delhi. As residents are not happy with performance of the Congress government in the national Capital, lollypop is being given to them by declaring acquired land as private one.

The Congress has seen the people reaction in MCD elections against demolition and sealing drive. It has fear of the same reaction in the assembly elections too. To woo the voters of unauthorised colonies, the government declared the government land private which may save the residents from demolition action. 

New Delhi, December 12
Two days after the Supreme Court cautioned the judiciary against indulging in judicial activism, the Delhi High Court today asked lawyers to use Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for the welfare of people.

A bench comprising Chief Justice M.K.Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna while hearing a PIL asked the lawyer appearing in the matter to make sure that the PIL is used for the welfare of the society.

“The PIL should be used for people’s interest and not for personal one. We should make sure that its misuse should not take place,” said the bench.

The court was hearing a PIL, which made the bench think that the petitioner/complainant has a hidden personal interest in that matter.

“Don’t misuse the golden tool of judiciary (PIL) in a wrong manner,” the bench warned.A Supreme Court bench of Justice Mathur and Justice Katzu, recently in its ruling observed, “In the name of judicial activism, judges cannot cross their limits and try to take over functions, which belong to another organ of the state.”

“Judges must know their limits and must not try to run the government. They must have modesty and humility and not behave like emperors,” the bench had said. — IANS 

New Delhi, December 12
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released yesterday revealed that the job market in India would remain buoyant in the first quarter of 2008. Of the 27 countries and territories surveyed globally, this quarter, the hiring intentions continue to be robust in India with an overall Net Employment Outlook of +42 per cent.

This Outlook represents a moderate decrease of 5 percentage points since the fourth quarter of 2007, but a slight year-over-year increase of 3 percentage points. Of the 5,163 employers surveyed, 43 per cent expect an increase in staffing levels in the first quarter of 2008, 1 per cent anticipate a decrease, and 45 per cent are expecting no change.

The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating the total employment to increase and subtracting from this the percentage expecting to see a decrease in employment at their location over the next quarter.

Commenting on the survey findings, Dr Naresh Malhan, managing director of Manpower India, said, “Employer hiring intentions are slightly more cautious in comparison to the previous quarter, but remain strong. The pace of hiring across six of the seven industry sectors appears to have eased as organizations during this quarter tend to focus on planning and budgeting for the next fiscal year.”

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, conducted for the 11th consecutive quarter in India, reports that employers across all seven industry sectors in India are positive about their hiring intentions. Employers in the mining and construction industry sector report the most optimistic outlook among all the seven industry sectors. Employers in the manufacturing and the public administration and education sectors report the least robust outlook [both +38%]. Hiring intentions of employers in six industry sectors reveal quarter-over-quarter decreases in Net Employment Outlook, with only the mining and construction sector reporting an increase of 3 percentage points and a net employment outlook of +49%.

Dr Malhan added, “The optimism of employers in the mining and construction sector for the second consecutive quarter reflects the infrastructure boom across the country. The introduction of the public private partnership approach in the construction sector may be adding strength to the growth of this sector.”

The manpower employment outlook survey conducted in India includes employers across seven industry sectors: finance/insurance/real estate; manufacturing; mining & construction; public administration & education; services; transportation & utilities; wholesale & retail trade.

Ghaziabad, December 12
Ghaziabad police’s STF has busted a gang of peddlers of fake currency notes by arresting two persons in Hapur.

The duo were to deliver the consignment of fake notes received from Pakistan to India to a person who was expected from Bagpat. They told the police that their leader imports notes from Pakistan via Bangladesh and Nepal for marketing in India. The STF is now trying to nab the ring leader and others engaged in this trade.

According to the police, this development has confirmed the activities of terrorist groups in Hapur.

The STF Meerut team had arrested two persons in a raid at Modi Nagar trijunction and recovered fake currency worth Rs 60,000 from them in the denominations of Rs 1000 and Rs 500.

The arrested duo included Abdul Rehman, alias Puppu, son of Meherban of Kotla Mevityan, Hapur, from whom five notes of Rs 1,000 and about 50 of Rs 500 denominations were recovered. While 56 notes of Rs 500 denominations were recovered from Imran Ilahi, alias Nimmi, son of Mohd Unus of Kotla Usaf. They had been waiting for a person from Bagpat to take delivery of the notes when the STF sleuths nabbed them.

The arrested duo told the police that another bigger consignment of fake currency is expected from Pakistan soon.

According to police, the area is a hotbed of nefarious activities of the peddlers of fake currency who have direct links with foreign terrorist outfits. They are undermining the economy of the country by circulating fake currency which is also used to fund terrorist strikes in India. 

New Delhi, December 12
The burgeoning private security industry can help authorities in providing valuable intelligence inputs as well as in policing, a top home ministry official said today.

“Private securities can do a lot to help the government in not only performing security duties, but also in tackling terrorism,” said home secretary Madhukar Gupta.

“This service industry could provide intelligence inputs through its personnel and, thus, help in countering terrorism. Such agencies are already working as an additional force by chipping in where the police force could not be spared,” he said speaking at a seminar on ‘Security industry on the threshold of changes’, organised by the International Institute of Security and Safety Management (IISSM).

For instance, Tuesday’s Gurgaon shooting incident, in which two Class VIII students shot their classmate in a school complex could possibly have been averted, if proper private security and trained personnel were employed, added another speaker.

Private security agencies employ more than 5,00,000 personnel all over the country. They have diversified from routine security to fire safety and even investigations.

The industry is working on bomb disposal and disaster management, as possible avenues for providing its services. However, lack of skills still dogs this industry, as most of the employed manpower is untrained and raw.—IANS 

New Delhi, December 12
Here’s a scientist who strives to spread awareness and eventually “stamp” out cancer and AIDS in a unique way — by collecting stamps from across the globe!

Utpal Sanyal, senior scientific officer and head of the department of Anti-Cancer Drug Development, Kolkata, is a man with a mission. He has collected 325 anti-cancer stamps and 160 anti-AIDS stamps from 68 countries till date — all with one aim: to spread awareness about the two diseases.

“I have been collecting stamps, not on any particular theme, since 1964. In 1994, I attended the 16th UICC International Cancer Congress held for the first time in India to present our scientific work on new anti-cancer agents,” Sanyal, 57, told IANS on phone from Kolkata.

“A special commemorative stamp was issued by the Indian Postal Department to mark the memorable occasion. Then I met a foreign delegate there collecting anti-cancer stamps, seeing which made me realise that various stamps from various countries on subjects such as cancer were quite informative on different aspects of the disease and could teach people in an interesting way.”

At the conference, Sanyal was also informed about a paper published in 1978 on anti-cancer stamps in “CA-A Journal for Clinicians” in the US. With no internet facility on hand, he then visited the Philatelic Museum of the Kolkata General Post Office and spent the next few weeks paying regular visits to read all about anti-cancer stamps.

“After that I tried to look for those stamps and collected a few of them from the dealers in Kolkata. But instead of restricting myself simply to collecting stamps on cancer, I decided to broaden my horizon.

“There are three well-known facts — that cancer is directly linked to tobacco use, AIDS patients are prone to developing various cancers and cancer patients often need blood. Thus, I also started collecting stamps on those themes — anti-tobacco, anti-AIDS and blood donation,” Sanyal said.

There are more than three million cancer patients in the country.

According to the Mahavir Cancer Sansthan (MCS), which works with cancer patients, nearly a million new cases get added to this number every year, of which 7,00,000 die.

Since it is an established fact that diet has a vital role to play in the prevention of one-third of all cancers — for instance, both Vitamins A and C possess cancer chemo-preventive properties, Sanyal has collected 150 stamps on such food items telling people that consuming these can help them fight the disease.

“I am also creating AIDS awareness through anti-AIDS stamps. My pioneer work in this field entitled ‘Fight AIDS with AIDS - Role of Anti-AIDS stamps’ on HIV/AIDS prevention was published in the most widely circulated AIDS journal, ‘AIDS 20’ in 2006.

“This is regarded as the first paper in the world on the above subject. It is also interesting to find that since its publication, it has been occupying the top spot in Google search under the heading anti-AIDS stamps,” Sanyal said with pride.

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in India is 2.5 million.

Besides those on the anti-cancer and anti-AIDS topics, Sanyal has collected 75 stamps on the anti-tobacco theme from 46 countries and 110 stamps on blood donation from 56 countries.

And, of course, he has some favourites. Among his anti-cancer stamps collection, Sanyal particularly likes a French stamp issued in 1970 that shows a smiling lady cured of cancer and overcoming the threat of death.

In the anti-tobacco effort, his favourite is a stamp with the world famous painting of a skull with burning cigarette by Vincent Van Gogh on it, issued by a small country St. Tome & Principe.

A stamp issued by Lesotho, which depicts unity in fighting against AIDS and not those who suffer from it, is his favourite among the anti-AIDS stamps and in blood donation, he loves an Indian stamp which shows blood flowing from a full heart to an empty one.

“Collecting stamps is not merely a hobby. I have been conducting cancer and anti-tobacco awareness programmes for several years in the capacity of an individual and as joint principal investigator, Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC), Kolkata.

“Since August 2002, about 75 such programmes have been conducted. We find that a presentation comprising only tables and charts can be boring for everybody. Hence we have prepared special PowerPoint presentations that contain those stamps on all those four themes. Those colourful presentations are understood easily by everybody and ultimately serve the purpose of spreading awareness on the diseases,” Sanyal said. — IANS 

Agra, December 12
Far removed from the high-pitched stereotypical family dramas on TV, Agra is seeing ‘saas-bahu sammelans’ that aim to empower women and address issues like education and health.

The ‘sammelans’ or get-togethers involving housewives that include mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, organised at the behest of district magistrate Mukesh Meshram, are to be held in the 15 development blocks in Agra.

Chief development officer N. Ravi told IANS, “The basic objective is women’s empowerment through such get-togethers, which create social harmony and unity of approach.”

“Agra is perhaps the only district in the country that is giving so much importance to this exercise, which is aimed at mobilising rural women into action, to bring about a better understanding of social issues like the sex ratio imbalance, health consciousness, government schemes. I am happy and surprised to see the participation of women in these sammelans.”

Subhash Jha, a development functionary of Pinahat block, said, “In these get-togethers, an effort is made to close the communication gap through joint participation in games, interactive sessions in which the two warring sides speak up, which they would not be able to do back home in a conservative set up.”

“District magistrate Mukesh Meshram usually takes the initiative to break the ice. His focus is on toilets, hygiene and issues like — education and family planning.”

The last two conferences in Achnera and Bichpuri blocks were successful, with record participation by mothers-in-law accompanied by their young daughters-in-law.

Says Ram Vati, a social worker, “The women, who come are real and human (unlike those in TV serials). Their problems are genuine, often the result of economic hardship.”

At the Bichpuri conclave on Monday, women raised their voices over health problems and lack of facilities.

“Hundreds of women from scores of villages congregated at Pathauli’s Kishan Singh Inter College campus,” said Kok Singh Sisodia of Barara village, who provides support services to village panchayats.

“They played games together, had lunch, sang songs, heard the motivating speeches of government officials, the refrain being if the saas and bahu come together and express solidarity, many impossible tasks can be accomplished.”

“The best part was that competitions like tug of war between the saas and bahu sides were cheered by students, who encouraged the old women to defeat the younger set!” he 
added. — IANS 

New Delhi, December 12
An elderly woman living alone was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her plush South Delhi apartment today, bringing to the fore the vulnerability of senior citizens in the Capital.

Her two tenants recovered the body of Nisha Bagla, 70, under the heap of clothes. The deceased was staying at the first floor of her Greater Kailash bungalow.

According to the police, Kalu a security guard who also worked as a cleaner at the deceased’s house pressed her doorbell like every other day. After repeated unanswered attempts, Kalu called one of her tenants, a widow, who lives on ground floor.

“After failing to get any response from Bagla, her tenant entered the house from the rear door, which was already open. She apparently discovered that the house had been ransacked. She returned and called the other tenant, a journalist working with a news channel,” said a police official.

“The duo entered the house and found the body under the heap of clothes,” the official said.

The police have found strangulation marks over the deceased’s neck. The body has been sent for post mortem to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The police also found some footmarks believed to be of assailants, who might have scaled down the wall to enter the house.

“We have found the footmarks near the walls and it also seem that the assailants entered from rear of the house. Robbery could be the motive behind the killing,” the official added.

Bagla was staying at the house for past some time, as her husband and two young sons are living in Italy.

The fourth such incident involving elderly citizens in the Greater Kailash area in the past few months has again raised questions over the safety of the old-aged in 
Delhi. — IANS 

New Delhi, December 12
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will start a new feeder bus service in Janakpuri from December 13. The service will cover both metro stations of Janakpuri—Jankpuri (East) and Jankpuri (West).

The route for the service would be Janakpuri (East) Metro station – B1 Road, Janakpuri B2B, B2, B3, Maharaja Surajmal Institute, C4C, C4G, C4F, C4E, C3, Pankha Road, C2, C1, C2B, Posangipur Mandir, District Centre Road, District Centre- Janakpuri (West) Metro station, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

Five buses will run on this eight-km route initially with a frequency of 15 minutes to begin with, which will be brought down to 10 minutes subsequently with the addition of another bus on this route.

The buses have a seating capacity of 18 to 20 with standing capacity of 10 with a fare of Rs 5 up to 8 km and Rs 8 beyond that. The feeder buses have advanced technical facilities and are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

The Delhi Metro has already shortlisted 36 feeder bus routes for which 419 buses are required. At present, two routes from Shastri Park Metro Station and Pitampura Metro Station are running successfully and other routes are being started gradually as more buses are manufactured.  

New Delhi, December 12
Another chilly morning greeted Delhiites today with the minimum temperature plummeting by about four degrees after recording a rise in the last three days.

The minimum was recorded at 8.4 degree Celsius, down from yesterday’s 12.1 degrees, which weathermen attributed to the moving away of western disturbance from the region. 

The maximum was 23.1 degree Celsius yesterday. The mercury has maintained a rising trend in the past three days, with Sunday recording the season’s lowest at 6.8 degree Celsius.

This, the Met office says, is a normal phenomenon during the western disturbance and will prevail till March.

Whenever the western disturbance approaches a region, the temperature rises and when the disturbance leaves, it plummets, say IMD scientists.

What happens is that as western disturbance approaches the northwest India, fluctuations in wind circulation are witnessed. Winds blowing from the mountains from northwest withdraw and winds from the south, which is not as cool as the north-westerlies, start blowing.

The Met forecast said that there could be a slight fall in the minimum temperature in the next couple of days. Isolated to scattered showers are also expected in the Capital during the next 24 hours.