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Go after big fish to curb
drug
Punjabi Mela concludes
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Woman to be prosecuted for bigamy
Cancer kills over 4 lakh Indians every year
Gang of burglars smashed
Bangladeshi dacoits arrested
Child marriage rampant, generation
after generation
Depression drives two youths to suicide
Move on VAT not accepted by state ministers: Walia
Woman ends life in Sahibabad
Man beaten to death
Summit on Indian SMEs in exports held
Artscape
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Five of family killed
in fire
New Delhi, February 3 “Fire was doused well in time and did not reach the second floor at all. All those who have died were not burnt but died of asphyxiation,” told a fire official. The five dead have been identified as Raffar Hussain, 65, his wife Julaiba, 60, their daughter-in-law Manaz, 25, her kids Mushtaq, 1, and Zeba, 7. The elderly couple’s son Mohammad Aftaq Ali was not in the house when the accident took place. The bodies have been rushed to the GTB Hospital. According to sources, the blaze started at around 5 in the morning and three fire tenders were rushed. “It is a jeans manufacturing unit and usually involves just cutting and sewing machines with no hazardous instruments. Though the exact cause of fire could not be ascertained, yet we believe it to be the result of short-circuit,” said a fire official. A neighbour of the elderly couple, Wasim believes that though the fire started much later, the smoke due to short-circuit had engulfed the whole family. There were about 15 people in the building when the fire took place but the rest were evacuated well in time. The police say that the house and the garment unit were jointly owned by many members of the family including those dead. Earlier, on January 4, four members of a family, including two children, were charred to death when a fire broke out in their residence in Dakshinpuri area of south Delhi. On January 26, a major blaze broke out in a five-star hotel in south-west Delhi, leading to the evacuation of occupants including some foreigners from the building. |
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Go after big fish to curb
drug pushing: Judge
New Delhi, February 3 It has also sought a transparent system for destruction of seized narcotics to prevent them from falling into wrong hands. In some cases, the main culprit is let off and in his place a small fry is implicated, said designated judge for NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act Rakesh Kapoor, in a recent order. He added that a transparent system for destruction of seized contraband should be put in place and it must be ensured that the recovered material does not fall into wrong hands. The court, which absolved two persons — Kamlesh Kumar and Shyam from Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly possessing five-kg heroin, directed the Delhi Police to fight against drug trafficking. They were arrested from Raj Ghat here on February 12, 2004. The court held that the prosecution had failed to explain the variations in ‘diacetyl morphine’ samples collected from the spot and those drawn on the court directions. One cannot help believing that the police had let off the real culprits who, were the big fish and had implicated the persons, who might be cronies of the aforesaid person, the court noted. It also found that prosecution witnesses were not forthcoming with the facts and held back vital information. The court said that if the narcotics branch recovered some contraband within the jurisdiction of a local police station, it should be deposited there. It might enhance the course of justice in NDPS cases, the judge noted while regretting that it was not being resorted to by the narcotics sleuths. The court observed that in most cases of drug recovery, the source from which it was found and the persons to whom it was to be supplied, was not found. It appears that no effort is being made to eradicate the menace, the court said. Observing that drug trafficking had attained grave proportions, the court said that the police was treating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) cases like ordinary crimes. Such cases should be investigated professionally to rule out the possibility of the suspect being acquitted on technical ground or basis of doubt, the court said. |
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Punjabi Mela concludes
New Delhi, February 3 Tourism and culture minister Ambika Soni had inaugurated the three-day festival ‘Anhad Naad’. The annual festival was organised by the Punjabi Academy, Delhi and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. The festival aimed at spreading awareness about the rich cultural heritage of Punjab. Singers like — Wadali brothers, Sayeeda Bano, Major Singh and Kamal Heer performed during the festival. They mesmerised the audience with their Sufi and folk music. Padma awardee Hansraj Hans and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (a prestigious award of Pakistan) awardee Hamid Ali Khan, from the family of Fateh Ali khan of Pakistan, with Idu Sharief Dhadi from Patiala and Gurmeet Bawa also enthralled the audience with their performances. Hansraj Hans left the audience spellbound with his Sufi music. Songs from his repertoire included, “Nit khair manga sonya main teri, dua na koi hor mangadi,” “Allah Allah” and “Duma-dum mast kalandar.” Mystic folk lyrics, Sufi mystics, kafians, qawwalis, secular folk music, Bhangra, giddha, ghummar, kirtan sung in jotian or halle tunes were also performed. Day performances included malvai gidda – a folk dance performed by men, saal — folk drama, gatka – martial art, dhadi — martial bards, jangam – folk orchestra, naqaal — mimicry, bazigar — acrobats, nag been – snake charmer’s flute. The event also included a seminar and lecture on ‘Anhad Naad’. |
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Woman to be prosecuted for bigamy
New Delhi, February 3 Dismissing the woman’s petition, the court said that there was no illegality in framing the charge against her and her relatives, as sufficient prima facie evidence existed against them. The woman, a resident of Lajpat Nagar here, had approached the court for quashing of the charge under Section 494 of the IPC. The Section pertains to marrying again during the lifetime of husband and entails a maximum punishment of seven years in jail. Her husband Inderjeet Singh had lodged the complaint after 28 years of marriage. He claimed that she had not taken divorce from her first husband before marrying him. He alleged that she had deceived him by showing forged divorce papers. While the woman alleged that her husband had filed a criminal case against her just to get rid of her. However, additional sessions judge S P Garg observed that there might be an ulterior motive of her husband to claim that she was not legally divorced from her first spouse, after being in relationship for over three decades. There seems to be ulterior purpose for the husband to challenge the marriage after such a long duration, the court said in a recent order.
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Cancer kills over 4 lakh Indians every year
New Delhi, February 3 The health ministry, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and independent experts believe over 50 per cent of the cancer cases stem from tobacco consumption. “Tobacco is now the number one killer. Unless we curb tobacco consumption, it would be very difficult to reduce a huge mortality rate and the loss of human workforce due to cancer,” Vikas Bajpai, a senior oncologist in the Capital, told IANS. According to the WHO, cancer is one of the top 10 killers in India. “At present there are 2.5 million cancer cases and nearly 0.8 million new cases occurring every year,” says the WHO official website. Agreeing with the Indian cancer registry, the global health watchdog has said that it kills over 400,000 Indians every year. Portraying a grim picture of the cancer situation in India, the WHO has predicted that by 2015 India will witness over 50 per cent growth in deaths due to cancer, that is, over 666,000 people will die every year in India by 2015 due to the disease. “A decade ago, nearly 80 per cent of the cancer patients were people above 50 years of age. But now the disease is affecting much younger people. I have treated breast cancer in a 22-year-old girl and lower intestine cancer in just a 18-year-old,” said Amit Bhargav, a leading oncologist with the Max Healthcare institute. “You can safely blame tobacco and alcohol for young people succumbing to cancer. I will say healthy diet, freedom from smoke and alcohol, happy family and pollution-free atmosphere can reduce India’s cancer burden by at least 70 per cent,” Bhargav told IANS. He claimed that though the government says 400,000 people die every year, the real figure might not be less than 700,000. According to the National Cancer Registry, the incidence of cancer in India stands at 36.21 per 100,000 males and 45.02 per 100,000 females. Cancer can affect head and neck, the intestine, breast, oral cavity, cervix uteri (uterus), prostate and, most importantly, lungs. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women and lungs and oral cancer is common among men. Expressing concern over the rise of cancer cases in India, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said that tobacco is the main reason behind such deaths and his ministry is taking all necessary steps to curb its consumption. — IANS
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Gang of burglars smashed
New Delhi, February 3 During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused were involved in several cases of burglary in the area of PS Dabri. As many as eight cases of burglary have been worked out. Gold and silver jewellery, DVD player and gas cylinders have also been recovered. The kingpin of the gang, Bharat, has already been arrested a few days ago and is in judicial custody. |
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Bangladeshi dacoits arrested
New Delhi, February 3 The fifth accomplice Hakim, alias Hakka, managed to escape taking advantage of darkness. |
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Child marriage rampant, generation
after generation
New Delhi, February 3 “The proportion of people whose community still practices child marriage is 77.2 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Rajasthan (41 percent) and Uttar Pradesh (10 percent),” says the New Delhi based Centre for Social Research (CSR). Supported by the National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development, the CSR carried out its study in Jaipur and Tonk in Rajasthan, Shajapur and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Varanasi and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh to assess the prevalence and incidences of child marriage. “Child marriages contribute to virtually every social problem that keeps India behind in women’s rights. Unless enforcement issues are addressed effectively and awareness regarding existing legal mechanisms are created, problems like soaring birth rates, grinding poverty and malnutrition, high illiteracy and infant mortality, and low life expectancy will continue,” says CSR director Ranjana Kumari. In Uttar Pradesh, only 12 percent of the respondents were aware that child marriage was illegal. In contrast, most of the people in Rajasthan (74 pe cent in Tonk and 98 per cent in Jaipur district) were aware about the illegality of child marriage. Also in Madhya Pradesh, 71.2 per cent of respondents were aware that the practice was illegal. In all, 870 people were interviewed. This included child brides and grooms, their families, panchayat members, police, NGOs and district magistrates. Poverty and economic compulsions, community practices and family traditions emerged as the major causes for continuation of this practice in all the study states. According to CSR, the consequences of child marriage could have extreme manifestations on the entire life cycle of a woman. “Nearly 45 per cent of all maternal deaths occur among women of age less than 24 years and that 15 per cent of these deaths can be attributed to complications associated with child birth and pregnancy,” said Kumari. The study stressed that there was an urgent need to create more awareness about child marriage, check loopholes in the law and increase the quantum of punishment for those continuing the practice. “All police officials interviewed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan said that Child Marriage Prevention Officers (CMPOs) were present in the state but despite that child marriages are still continuing,” said Kumari. The CSR has recommended that CMPOs be trained to be vigilant and take strict action against the culprits. —
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Depression drives two youths to suicide
Noida-Ghaziabad, February 3 The unemployed youth in Sector-41, Noida, had swallowed an excess dose of sleeping pills. He was staying with his brother-in-law. He had come here to look for a job two months ago, after his honeymoon in Darjeeling. Having failed to secure any job, he was quite depressed, the police said. Bharat Kami, 23, hailed from Darjeeling who had come to his brother-in-law’s house in G-116 Sector-41, Noida, along with his newly wed wife Elina Kami. The police have sent the body for postmortem. In Sahibabad, the police have recovered a suicide note from B. Tech 1st year student Neeraj of Indraprastha Engineering College in Udyog Site-IV. He had failed in 1st year exams of B. Tech as a result of which he was under acute depression. The police brought down his body dangling from a fan and sent it for autopsy. In his suicide note, Neeraj had expressed his frustration at having failed in the exam and felt sorry that he was wasting the money of his elder brother who was supporting him as their father had died. |
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Move on VAT not accepted by state ministers: Walia
New Delhi, February 3 He was speaking at a conference of traders organized jointly by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and Federation of Indian Hardware Manufacturers & Traders Association (FIHMTA) here. FIHMTA president Rajesh Bansal presided over the conference which was also attended by CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal beside other prominent trade leaders. Addressing the traders, Walia said that reduction in CST to two per cent from April, 2008 will cause a revenue loss of about Rs 1300 crore to the state governments and the union government will compensate such loss and no extra burden of tax will be levied on traders and people. He further said that ground realities of Indian business system will be kept in mind while enforcing Goods & Service Tax (GST) from April 1, 2010 in the country and necessary preparations have already been made for formulating a roadmap to GST. He hoped that the GST taxation system will remove complexities of tax structure and remove burden of much paper work and formalities of different taxes from the head of traders. Walia urged the trading community to adopt modern business techniques and better business practices in order to strengthen the economy and trading structure of the country. He also specifically said that sufficient information with the department should be the basis while conducting any survey. The tendency of casual raids or survey must come to end in order to relieve traders from any kind of undue harassment and victimization. Earlier while speaking at the Conference, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal stressed the need to form a separate ministry of internal trade both at the Centre and state levels. He regretted that during post-Independence, the contribution of traders has been grossly neglected by one and all and Inspector Rule was encouraged. He called upon the government to restore dignity of the trading community and make it a practice to consult traders on issues concerning trade. |
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Woman ends life in Sahibabad
Sahibabad, February 3 Reena Sahni of G-74 Dilshad Garden, New Delhi, was married to Anil Sahni of 114, Sector-2 of Rajender Nagar, Sahibabad on 23 December 2007. Anil is employed as an accountant in a private company in Gurgaon. At 12 noon on Friday, Reena’s parents got the news on phone that their daughter had committed suicide. The parents informed the police who found Reena’s body dangling from a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Her husband was away to Jalandhar at the time of the suicide. Her brother Neeraj Chopra alleged that his sister had been tortured by her in-laws from day one of her marriage. The in-laws were pressurizing her to bring Rs 1 lakh from her parents. The police have registered a dowry death case on Neeraj Chopra’s complaint. |
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Man beaten to death
Ghaziabad, February 3 The assailant had fled the scene after leaving the badly wounded and naked youth on the road. Vicky Verma, son of Suresh Chand, a resident of Brahi Mohalla, Hapur has lodged a report in Kotwali. Vicky, a dealer of artefacts, told the police that he had taken a loan of Rs 2.5 lakh on interest from Dinu Sharma, son of Kanti Prasad Sharma of the same mohalla in January last year. Vicky said he was regularly paying Rs 25,000 as interest at the rate of 10% to Dinu Sharma. But last month he could not pay the interest amount as he had incurred losses in business. This had enraged Dinu who took away Vicky, his family and father and held them in captivity. Vicky’s younger brother Vishal had come to Dinu’s house to meet his brother. This had annoyed Dinu who assaulted Vishal and took him to a lonely spot. Sometime later Vicky was informed that his brother was lying badly wounded at a street corner in naked condition. By the time the wounded Vishal was rushed to a hospital, he had succumbed to his wounds. The police have sent the body for postmortem and are trying to nab Dinu. |
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Summit on Indian SMEs in exports held
New Delhi, February 3 The summit aimed at bridging the gap between the Indian SMEs and the government policies. BIMTECH’s SMEs summit involved three plenary sessions. It included themes like governmental infrastructure and institutional framework, environmental and social issue, sector specific issues and financial issues from the SME viewpoint. The summit brought out aspects on how to increase the capability of Indian SMEs and to provide information to move ahead in the global arena. Ashwani Kumar said, “I am delighted to be associated with this event, which has taken a proactive step in SME’s direction and has provided a platform to explore the potential. I congratulate BIMTECH director for his vision to work as a catalyst between the SMEs and the government.” The SME sector is the backbone of the Indian economy. It accounts for 95 per cent of industrial units and is contributing about 40 per cent of value addition in the manufacturing sector, nearly 80 per cent of the manufacturing employment and about 35 per cent of exports. More than 32 lakh units are spread over the country. They produce about 7,500 items and provide employment to more than 178 lakh people. H. Chaturvedi, director, BIMTECH, said, “The capabilities of SMEs to compete in international markets is reflected in its share of about 35 per cent in national exports, but this sector is held back from achieving its potential because of problems like — lack of information and awareness. The SMEs need international exposure and outlook, which is vital for successful market penetration.” |
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Artscape
New Delhi, February 3
According to a spokesperson, the PBC Art Gallery is a non-profit art gallery at the Paharpur Business Centre here and constantly endeavors to bring something new and of value to art lovers as well as art collectors. Within a short span, the PBC Art Gallery has hosted a number of exhibitions and art shows of eminent artists. The themes depict a large range comprising ordinary life paintings and landscapes to human struggles of the economically deprived section of society and so on. The spokesperson claims that PBC has always been a socially committed organization and the Art Gallery is yet another venture in this direction. The PBC’s share of proceeds from art exhibitions goes to support environmental initiatives undertaken by it thus supporting Art for Environment through its attempt to provide a platform to eminent as well as upcoming artists to showcase their works of art. Expo brings forth 12 artworks
The Vadehra Art Gallery here is hosting an exhibition of artworks by artist Farhad Hussain. The exhibition opened on February 1 and will continue till February 16. This exhibition, bringing forth over 12 artworks of one of the young generation artists Farhad Hussain, includes paintings made on canvas with acrylic as medium and sculptures as an enhanced extension of the artist’s style and ideas into the space, with the help of the third dimension. Farhad has completed his education in art from two of the foremost art institutions in the country, namely Kala Bhavana of Viswa Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal and the Faculty of Fine Arts of Maharaja Sayaji Rao University in Baroda, Gujarat. Both the schools have created history in the making of promising artists and potential art languages. According to critics, Farhad’s paintings are formalistically figurative with a fluorescent palette of greens and pinks, to exaggerate his already garishly caricatured protagonists. The figurative narratives of his paintings address manifold observations about the morphing societal classes irrespective of their geo-political position. Farhad Hussain belongs to that category of contemporary artists who tend to look at the conditions of art production through a neo-materialist viewfinder, with a clear understanding of the relationship between modes of consumption and the product. Kaavad artists to hold workshop
The India International Centre (IIC) here along with the Delhi Crafts Council and the Craft revival Trust is holding an exhibition “Travelling Tales—The Kaavad Tradition From Rajasthan” at the Gandhi King Plaza, IIC Main Building on February 5 and February 6. The exhibition will have on display portable shrines made of mango or Sheesham wood, decorated in bright colours to depict myths and folk tales. The Kaavads unfold to reveal pictorial narratives hidden in doors and alcoves. The Kaavad artists and story tellers will also hold a workshop and demonstration on both the days. Kaavad is a rich, oral tradition of story telling and is still alive in Rajasthan where stories from the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata coexist with the stories from the folk tradition in the form of the local kaavad shrine. Photographs of children
“Children In Times of Flux”, a unique exhibition of photographs of children shot by the pioneering woman photographer, Sarvesh is being held at the India International Centre Annexe from February 6 to February 12. The photographs catch the many moods of the children. This is the second exhibition by Sarvesh, one of the few woman photographers in the country. Her earlier exhibition “Women in Times of Flux” was a big draw. The Anant Art Gallery here is presenting “The Singing Line”, an exhibition of the recent works of artist Jai Zharotia from January 30 to February 20. The exhibition is being curated by Kavita Singh. Creations of Kakoli Sen
The Gallery Beyond here is also holding an exhibition entitled “Reverie” consisting of the recent creations of artist Kakoli Sen at the Galerie Romain Rolland here from February 1 to February 5. The Mint and the Embassy of Ireland here are presenting an exhibition “Long Shots and Cutaways”, consisting of photographs shot by the famous Marc-Ivan O’Gorman from February 5 to February 9 at the Mint Gallery in Defence Colony. Exhibition of drawings
The Gallery Pioneer here is presenting “Rainbows In the Sun”, an exhibition of paintings, drawings, sculptures and graphics by some of the well-known contemporary artists at the Lalit Kala Akademi here from February 2 to February 8. The exhibition is being curated by Praveen Upadhye. Gallerie Alternatives is presenting “White Heat”—a solo exhibition of the works of artist Trupti Patel at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre here from February 8 to February 10. The exhibition will shift to the Gallerie Alternatives in Gurgaon and will open to public from February 12 to February 24. According to critics, “White Heat” is about life, energy and burnt edged images. Humans float free in the world with ideas, conceptions and compulsions. The subtle play of light adds a layer of meaning and nuance to the sculptural forms in paper. |
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