New Delhi, January 11
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided the office of the Noida administration and dozens of places in Lucknow, Meerut and other places, in connection with a land allotment scam in the Uttar Pradesh town bordering the national Capital.

The scam took place during the tenure of the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government, when scores of plots in the satellite town were allegedly illegally allotted to politicians, bureaucrats, police officials, journalists and relatives of retired judges.

According to CBI officials, the raids began in the morning at the office of the Noida administration, responsible for allotting and distributing plots to applicants.

Homes of some former and serving officials of the Uttar Pradesh Development System Corporation (UPDESCO) were also raided.

“Raids were conducted at 20 places to probe charges that officials of Noida, UPDESCO and state government entered into a conspiracy, in connection with the allotment of residential plots, by falsifying electronic records, knowingly or intentionally altering the computer ‘source code’, developed for the draw of the lots,” a senior CBI official told IANS.

“The code was altered for framing an incorrect document with certain pre-decided applicants, listed as successful applicants, under the residential plot scheme, for which the draw was held on July 2, 2005,” the official added.

He claimed incriminating documents had been recovered and the raids would continue all of Friday. — IANS

New Delhi, January 11
A businessman out for a morning walk was shot dead by two motorcycle -borne assailants in the Model Town area here today. Jai Bhagwan Gupta, 55, resident of CC Colony had left his house at 5.30 a.m for walk.

He was found dead on a road in Priyadarshini Vihar, adjacent to CC Colony. The businessman was shot from a point blank range in the chest by a pillion rider.

He was taken to Hindu Rao Hospital where he was declared brought dead. No arrest were made till the filing of the report.

Jai Bhagawan Gupta owned a general store in Chandni Chowk and dealt mostly in Cumin seed (jeera) wholesale. Incidently, Gupta was attacked few days ago, but he ignored the incident.

On January 8 a motorcycle had hit the businessman from behind in which he received minor injuries ,but he did not lodge any complaint.

The businessman is survived by a son and his widow.

Gupta’s elder son was murdered in Sohana, Himachal Pradesh in 2000.

According to North-West DCP Manish Aggarwal , enmity seems to be the cause of murder.

New Delhi, January 11
Azim Khan, a resident of Zakir Nagar, was arrested under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, near Sunehari Masjid, New Darya Ganj Road here. He was held with a cloth bag containing a dead and a live falcon.

Falcon is a protected species, as per Schedule - I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The wildlife staff have said that they were large falcons (Falco peregrines), aged about two months.

The falcons are in police custody.

The culprit revealed that he had bought the falcons two days ago from Farzana, a bird seller, for Rs 3,000 from the Jama Masjid area. 

New Delhi, January 11
A traffic constable was allegedly beaten up by the owner of a mini truck and his three henchmen when he tried to prosecute the driver for jumping a traffic signal and carrying more load than allowed, the police said Friday.

The incident took place late Thursday when traffic constable Rajesh tried to prosecute the driver of the mini truck in the Sheikh Sarai area of South Delhi. The driver called the owner Sanjay, who came along with his three friends in a Honda City car.

An argument ensued after which the men allegedly beat up Rajesh and fled from the spot.

Rajesh was admitted to the nearby Max Hospital, where he is stated to be recuperating. The police later registered a case of assault and arrested one of the assailants, Sonu Gupta. The other three are missing.

The beating of the constable comes close on the heels of accidents of police officials who conduct vehicle checks at night.

On Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Suvashish Chaudhary and his team narrowly survived an accident near a police barricade on Subramaniam Bharti Marg in south Delhi when a drunk car driver rammed into another car being checked there.

On Monday, two police constables were injured when a speeding Maruti car hit them near a police picket in east Delhi after it was signalled to stop for checking. Last month, a similar hit-and-run took place at Lodhi Road when three constables and a civilian suffered grievous injuries.

On December 16, 2007 four people, including three policemen, suffered serious injuries when a speeding car hit them during a routine check of vehicles on Lodhi Road, near the Saibaba Mandir, in south Delhi.

The police are yet to arrest the driver of the car.

With increase in such accidents, Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said: “There is always a risk involved to the police official on night duty. We request people to obey traffic rules and regulation and stop when asked to for checking.” — IANS

New Delhi, January 11
Bir Singh, a former Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) employee, undergoing seven years rigorous imprisonment in the 1997 Uphaar case, today approached the Delhi High court, challenging his conviction. He alleged that he was wrongly held guilty under Section 304 Part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC, as he was not directly involved in the incident.

Hearing Singh’s petition, Justice H R Malhotra issued notice to the CBI and asked it to furnish a reply by January 13. However, the court denied bail to Singh, saying that it would do so only after hearing the CBI’s take on the issue.

Bir Singh, who was working as a senior electrician with the DVB, had repaired the transformer at Uphaar cinema on the morning of June 13, 1997 — the day the tragedy took place. The trial court had on November 20, 2007, convicted the 12 accused under various sections of the IPC, for causing death of 59 cine-goers on June 13, 1997.

New Delhi, January 11
Living in a glasshouse can be fun, but allowing the world to watch you live in one, is another matter. Yet, Harish Khanna has put his daily life up on show as part of a theatre festival.

The National School Of Drama (NSD) alumnus, Khanna, is living in a glasshouse at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav festival organised by the institute. He will stay there for 360 hours.

Padded with the basic amenities and some comfort too, like a toilet and an attached bath with frosted glass, geyser, a refrigerator, his personal wardrobe, bed and chairs complete with a vibrant shade of linen, the glasshouse has everything.

Khanna also has access to his mobile phone and laptop.

The concept of this installation is that if living alone in a private space and day-to-day activities are monotonous, then why not obvert it and live happily in a public or transparent space.

Deprived of human touch and under constant public glare, Khanna, who moved into his new home on January 3, the day the NSD kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations, is attracting quite a crowd. The bizarre experiment can be called “reality meets theatre”.

A.K. Barua, who is associated with the NSD, said he had never seen any “production like this” in the past 28 years.

“I have been observing Harish and have realised that he is not talking to anyone for some time now. It is a challenge to let the world intrude into private space,” Barua told IANS.

“In London and in most parts of Europe, this kind of performances are common, when actors set themselves up in a public space like a mall or continue their day-to-day activity in full public view. But here, this is the first time such a show is taking place.

‘Big Brother’, a domestic reality show on TV produced by Channel 4, was one such show that generated heat and scaled the popularity charts.

Barua, however, added that there is a tiny window in one corner of the house. But viewers are not allowed to talk to Khanna through it.

Everything in the glass apartment, from the colour of the cushions to the furniture arrangement, was meticulously planned and deliberate.

Robin Das, a professor at the NSD, said, “Theatre is redefining itself. There’s a time limit, a space and an audience.”

The reaction from the crowd has been mixed. Some people are hoping that Khanna is not feeling claustrophobic.

“If I were him, I would have been claustrophobic in that space! I hope he doesn’t feel so. There is still a long time to go, before he can come out of confinement,” said Adesh Sharma, a college student, who came to the festival.

In an attempt to make the session more interactive, the audience can be a part of the installation on January 19 and 20 for two hours. Those interested in being a part of the production can e-mail at glasshousefortwohours@gmail.com. — IANS

New Delhi, January 11
For those who are interested in the other side of the glitz and glamour, there is a comment on mobility from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) at the ongoing Auto Expo – 2008 at Pragati Maidan here. The Auto Expo – 2008 will be on till January 13.

The CSE is giving a presentation on traffic jam titled ‘Hard Times’ in the ongoing Auto Expo.

According to the CSE, thousands of Delhiites will be visiting the Auto Expo — 2008 to find their next big car.

Many will throng to find their first cars. “We can expect a few more million private cars on Delhi roads in coming years. It is time for a reality check,” it adds.

As per the CSE’s reality check, there are 1.5 million private cars on Delhi’s roads, 3 million two-wheelers and only 6,800 city buses. Many of these two-wheelers will convert to cars in coming years.

Delhi adds 41 vehicles per hour to its fleet. 31 per cent of these are private cars.

The last five years have seen a surge of 43 per cent in vehicles and a mere 9 per cent in road space.

Already, 20 per cent of Delhi’s land area is devoted to roads. Only 10 per cent of it is covered with greenery.

Moreover, a car pays only Rs 400 as tax, per year. While, a bus is charged Rs 13,000.

Private cars take up 75 per cent of the road space, while buses get only 8 per cent.

Private transport carries only 20 per cent of Delhi’s passengers; buses carry 61 per cent.

More roads and flyovers are not the answer. Our collective automobile experience is ending with a traffic jam. 

New Delhi, January 11
The temperature in the Capital today dipped by nearly two degrees from yesterday, but the cloud cover over the city still kept the minimum above normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 11.5 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal.

Yesterday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 13.2 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal.

According to the Met office, though the minimum temperature in the Capital, at this time of the season, remained usually low, the absence of cold wave in the city was due to the cloud cover, caused by western disturbance.

The Met office has predicted a mainly clear sky with the minimum temperature to hover around 9 degrees Celsius, for tomorrow. 

Agra, January 11
Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s six-pack abs may be sending all and sundry to the gym, but it is driving the nails into the coffin of traditional wrestling schools known as ‘akharas’ in the city.

Agra once had scores of ‘akharas’ or wrestling schools along the Yamuna river. Now, only a handful remains and the number of patrons has declined.

“Where ‘akharas’, once were the pride of the neighbourhood, today we have modern gyms where machines roar. There is music and fun in the air, but no regimentation,” says Nasir Husain, an old timer.

The ‘ustads’ and ‘khalifas’, or instructors, of Agra’s akharas, where hundreds of youths would come daily to tone up their body muscles and practise ‘pahelwani’ - the traditional art of wrestling - are sore over the loss of interest.

“Our chelas (students) have shifted loyalty and have become clients of mechanised gyms, which have mushroomed all over the city,” laments Mahesh Sharma, a wrestling instructor.

The traditional wrestling rings are disappearing and with them a whole culture of relationships and discipline.

According to the ustads, ‘dangals’ or wrestling matches are the best way to tone up the muscles. The tradition dates back to the Vedic times and finds mention in the Mahabharata.

But they say that gyms are attracting the youth and killing traditional pehelwani. Agra today has over 40 gyms with fancy names like Body Temple and Adonis.

The traditional turf holders are bitter for other reasons too.

“The boys often end up taking steroids and patronising pills, which harm more. This generation is in a hurry and is ready to do whatever it takes to have a toned body like Salman Khan or Hrithik Roshan,” says Sharma.

The rigorous schedule of training, the regimented culture of the akharas and the smell of the oil and ‘pili mitti’ (soil) don’t find favour with youth.

Pandit Ashwini of Rawat Para, a long-time akhara enthusiast, says a lot of attention was earlier paid to diet. “Youngsters used to gorge on dry fruits, butter and milk to tone up their bodies, but now they survive on fast foods,” he says.

Says old timer Hari Mohan Goswami of Yamuna Kinara, “They would rather rush to the nearest gyms in their trendy track suits and branded boots, where they would not be required to take off their clothes and rub oil and mitti on their bodies, as one has to do in an akhara. “Today’s kids do not want to be seen in ‘langots’ (loin cloth),” he adds. — IANS

New Delhi, January 11
Euro Books has brought out the legendary Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew in a fresh and trendy avatar. The popular series of detective books chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy and the mystery solver Nancy Drew will has been re-launched in graphic novel format.

These all-new stories are available in full color graphic novel format for the first time in India.

Based on contemporary issues, these teen crime fighters battle evil with modern day technology.

Published by Euro Books,a division of EuroKids International Private Limited, these books are available in all leading book stores in India.

The original Hardy Boys series was produced between the year 1927 and 1979 by various authors.

The new adventures of Hardy Boys are based on the series by Franklin W. Dixon.

The new series of Nancy Drew will set the heart beats racing with the Indian twist. Nancy Drew finds herself in India for the first time to solve a tricky case!