New Delhi, February 9
Trade of fake and spurious drugs has gone up to Rs 300 crore per annum in the national capital region (NCR) .It makes up to the 20-25 per cent of the total sale of the medicine, said a survey of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM).

The data collected by the chamber from the genuine drug manufacturers indicates that intensification of the spurious drugs in the region has not only severely affected the drug manufacturers’ annual turnover by about 25 per cent in Ghaziabad, Meerut, Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Sonepat and has threatened the life of the patients.

The report has recommended a review of the law to make stringent provision for punishment to the fake drug manufacturers.

Unfortunately, the designated agencies created to keep strict watch and take punitive action to penalize fake drugs manufacturers in the NCR has been lacking. Therefore, the chamber has suggested creation of an NCR drugs protection authority to monitor activities of fake and counterfeit drugs manufacturers.

ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat lamented that at the national level, fake and counterfeit drugs are so widely disbursed that their estimates as per latest figure exceed Rs.15,000 crore per annum.

Further commenting on the ASSOCHAM analysis, Rawat pointed out that other pockets within the NCR in which counterfeit drugs sale is effected without any fear include Mohan Nagar, Dadri, Surajpur, suburb of Faridabad, Gurgaon and other cities of Haryana.

The key factors for the spread of fake drugs in NCR comprise the shortages of drug inspectors and proper lab facilities to check purity of drugs, storage of spurious drugs by the chemists, weaknesses in drug distribution system, plenty of uneducated workforce in NCR and lack of enforcement.

Majority of such drugs are devoid of necessary ingredients estimates for which exceed even 40 per cent and therefore the government concern should activate drug inspectors to catch the guilty.

The concentration of fake drug manufacturers can largely be found out in locations such as Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Bhiwadi, Ballabhgarh, Sonepat, Hisar and Punjab. The drug factories are located close to the border areas to access bulk supply in the region without any fear of being caught.

NCR has limited drugs inspectors to monitor over 3300 chemists in the NCR. In view of limited routine checking by drug inspectors, these chemists are storing large stocks of spurious and fake drugs and most of them are purchased by illiterate and rural area patients.

For traders manufacturing fake drugs, the profits margins are very high with no apparent risk. The fake drugs are available in the popular medicines like Crocin, Voveran, Betadine, injections of calcium and syrups like Cosavil. The fake drugs business are also turned into a massive racket and even the government run hospitals in NCR have been witnessed the availability of fake drugs to the extent of 10 to 15 per cent, the report pointed out. 

Ghaziabad, February 9
A major LPG refill racket has been unearthed in the Loni area of Ghaziabad on Thursday night .

SSP Ghaziabad, Deepak Rattan has suspended three cops, including a police post in-charge for their involvement in the racket. In all, 14 persons were nabbed during the raids .FIRs have been filed against them.

Jag Roshan Singh, police post in-charge and constables, Manoj Tyagi and Jatinder Yadav are among the 14accused. Both the cops are reportedly absconding. But SSP has suspended all the three cops ,including police post in-charge, SI Jag Roshan Singh, who had reached the gas refilling joint for illegal collection. The DM had got the three cops detained on the spot.

Civil supply inspectors, Ajay Veer Singh and Arvind Narayan Trivedi had filed a case against Kalu, Bobby, Narinder, constables Manoj Tyagi, Jatinder Yadav, SI Jag Roshan Singh, Vipin Kumar, Raj Kumar, Prakash Chand, Ashok, Bablu, Sonu, Kishen, Rajnish in Loni police station under Sections 285, 286 of the IPC and various sections of the LPG supply regulations, Indian Explosive Act, 1884, gas cylinder rules of 1981.

New Delhi, February 9
With the arrest of Habib, 27, the South District Police has busted a gang of autolifters active in Okhla and adjoining areas. Ten stolen motorcycles have been recovered.

The Okhla Police was asked to look into the growing incidents of autolifting. A police team led by inspector BP Rana (SHO, Okhla) and VP Singh (ACP, Kalkaji) was formed to nab the criminals.

An information was developed that an autolifter involved in many motorcycle thefts would come at GB Pant Polytechnic, Okhla – 3. A trap was laid and Habib was apprehended with a TVS Star motorcycle. He was unable to produce the ownership papers of the motorcycle. Later, it was found that the motorcycle had been stolen from the CR Park area here.

Habib revealed that his associates — Muzamil, Raju and Mobin helped him to dispose off the stolen motorcycles in Aligarh, UP. He said that he used to recce the area and chose the target. He stole the motorcycle with the help of master keys. After stealing the motorcycle, he tampered with its engine and erased its number. 

New Delhi, February 9
With the arrest of Brijmohan Singh, alias Brijesh, 22, and Nisha Pandey, 22, police have solved a murder case of one Joginder Singh, resident of District Faridabad, Haryana. Joginder Singh was found stabbed to death in a guesthouse in south Delhi.

On the intervening night of February 5-6, an information regarding fire in the building at 28 Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar-IV, was received in Police Station Amar Colony. The address turned out to be a guesthouse of Narmada Valley Corporation, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh. When the fire was put out, and the police team entered the guesthouse, it was found that a half-burnt body of a man aged about 45 years was lying on the bed inside a room. Wounds of stabbing on the left cheek and near the eyebrow were also visible.

During investigation, police found out that the deceased was one Joginder Singh, who was uncle of one employee namely Mahender Singh in the said guesthouse. The deceased was working as a driver in a private company. On sustained interrogation of Mahender Singh and the scrutiny of the call details of deceased, the police team found out that before the incident, maximum calls had been made to Nisha.

It is further revealed that the deceased had developed illicit relations with Nisha, resident of Chirag Delhi. Nisha had been working as a security guard in a private security company. Later, Nisha had also developed intimacy with one Brijmohan, alias Brijesh, who was working as field supervisor in a private security company and was also residing in Chirag Delhi. Brijmohan came to know about her relations with Joginder Singh. He asked Nisha to chalk out a plan and do away with Joginder Singh. As per plan, Nisha asked Joginder Singh to arrange for a room for their meeting.

Accordingly, Joginder Singh arranged for the room. The deceased reached the guesthouse and contacted Nisha on phone asking her to reach there. However, Nisha had another plan. She sent Brijmohan to the guesthouse where he attacked Joginder Singh with a knife. After the attack, he poured whisky on the deceased and covered him with a blanket. He set it on fire then. Nisha and Brijmohan have been arrested in this case. 

New Delhi, February 8
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has stated that her government is keen to intensify its efforts in providing a modern and reliable public transport system to overcome commuting problems.

The government has introduced good quality low-floor buses. The number of such buses is being increased in phases.

The addition of 2,000 buses in DTC fleet would provide much relief to the passengers. Apart from this, the city government has almost completed work relating to a signal-free Ring Road.

The similar plan is being executed for Outer Ring Road. The government is also paving the way for commissioning of community centres, library, recreation centres, playgrounds, parks to turn Delhi into a world-class city.

Addressing a function after laying foundation stone of a community centre-cum-library at Arjun Nagar near Safdarjung Enclave, Dikshit expressed confidence that new community centre would serve as an important place for social gatherings and community programmes.

This community hall is being constructed on a plot area of 2000 square metre with a built-up area of 214.20 square metre at ground floor and 64.10 square metre at first floor. 

New Delhi, February 9
The daughter of jailed journalist Prashant Rahi, who was held for his alleged links with Maoists, on Saturday, said that her father had been arrested on “false charges” as he had raised his voice against police atrocities.

“He is a victim of extra-judicial execution. He used to raise his voice against police atrocities. He always fought for the people’s cause, and finally fell prey to the police conspiracy. The police appear bent on proving him to be a Maoist commander,” his daughter Sikha Rahi told IANS.

Sikha, along with over 125 people, was in the Capital to depose before the Independent People’s Tribunal on ‘Torture, Extra-judicial Executions and Forced Disappearances’ held at Jawaharlal Nehru University by about 25 independent human rights organisations.

Formerly associated with The Statesman, Prashant was detained by the Uttarakhand Police in Dehradun on December 17, 2007.

“First he was put in Haldwani Jail, and later shifted to Dehradun Jail. I cannot describe how much he was tortured,” said Sikha, who worked as an assistant director for Aamir Khan’s hit film ‘Taare Zameen Par’.

“As a journalist, Prashant always fought for the people in general. He participated in the Uttarakhand movement, and fought aggressively for the rehabilitation of Tehri dam victims. He is now in jail on false charges. What a pity!” said Colin Gonsalves, founder-director of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).

Apart from Sikha, there were many others who narrated the trauma they were undergoing due to the wrongful detention of their relatives.

Bibi Khatoon from Godhra described how her three sons were picked up after the burning of the train in Godhra in 2002.

Bakti, a Srinagar resident and mother of Manzoor Alam, who went missing after security forces allegedly arrested him in 2001, broke down while deposing before the people’s tribunal.

“Over 1,000 people are missing from Jammu and Kashmir. The government is not ready to tell us their whereabouts. We must be told where they have been kept if alive or where they were buried if dead,” said Parveen Ahangar, who is fighting for the relatives of those who disappeared from the valley. — IANS

Greater Noida, February 9
To house the sportsmen and foreign visitors during 2010 Commonwealth Gmes, the UP government has decided to set up 15 five-star and 3-star hotels here .

GNIDA chairman Lalit Srivastava said green signal has been given to construct 15 five and three star hotels at five different spots in Chi Phi extension, City Centre, Delta-I, Alpha-II and KP-5 sectors. Each hotel will come up on one acre to 5 acre land. Two hotels will be built on 1500 sq mt plots each. Besides, the construction of a few bread–n-butter and fast-n-budget hotels has also been approved. All these hotels will be completed before 2010.

The GNIDA will ensure that allotments for hotel plots are finalized by February end or mid March.

New Delhi, February 9
Butterflies, a voluntary organisation working with street and working children, in association with HSBC India launched a Mobile Education Research Centre (MERC) at an event held at Presentation Convent Senior Secondary School here.

MERC is a bus, equipped with computers and other educational resources that will travel in various parts of the city to impart activity-based education, IT skills and financial literacy to street and working children.

The programme would help streetchildren become computer literate. Boys and girls who demonstrate an aptitude for computer application will be offered vocational training. 
Malini Thadani, head of group communications and corporate sustainability, HSBC India said, “HSBC is pleased to support the Mobile Education Research Centre. It will help Butterflies reach out to many children and create responsible citizens. The project will equip streetchildren with skills and knowledge to protect their rights and assist them to earn a dignified living.”

Butterflies has been operating in Delhi since 1989. It promotes children’s participation in decision-making as part of its programme — planning, monitoring and evaluation.

The organisation uses the constitution of India, children-related laws and the UN convention on a child’s rights, as a tool for ensuring government and public accountability.

The NGO is in contact with more than 1,500 street and working children through 12 contact points in Delhi. It has earned recognition for its innovative, realistic and relevant programmes for street and working children.

The organisation also works with 6,000 children in tsunami- affected villages of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

New Delhi, February 9
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today launched another round of pulse polio campaign (PPC) at her residence in the Capital. She administered anti-polio drops to children between 0 to 5 years of age. The pulse polio immunisation programme is slated for tomorrow.

Delhi health minister Dr Yoganand Shastri said that 7,500 polio booths would be established to administer anti-polio vaccine to children between 0-5 years tomorrow.

The Chief Minister said that it would be ensured that no polio virus entered the NCT of Delhi.

“For making a strong nation, we must have strong children. This would be possible only with the success of the pulse polio programme. Being a pioneer in pulse polio programme, Delhi is regarded a role model and it would continue to strive to eliminate polio,” she said.

Only two cases of polio have been reported this year. The country has reported 592 cases this year, as against 676 last year. Delhi had initiated the pulse polio immunisation programme in 1994 and had launched house to house ‘search and immunisation’ programme in 1999.

The Chief Minister complimented the health department officials for their efforts in overcoming the threat of polio in Delhi.

New Delhi, February 9
Chill returned to the national Capital, as the minimum temperature dropped by four degrees Celsius today. It was recorded at 5.6° Celsius, three notches below normal.

The maximum was recorded at 16.8° Celsius, six degrees below normal. A shallow fog was witnessed in the morning today, leading to a slight drop in the visibility levels to around 500m. The visibility, however, improved soon to above 1000m.

Airport sources informed that flight schedules remained unaffected, as the runways were operational.

Chilly conditions in the Capital are likely to persist, with the weatherman forecasting cold waves during the day in the next 24 hours. The Met office has forecast that the minimum temperature in the city might drop to 4° Celsius tomorrow. It has predicted a clear sky with mist or fog in the morning.

The Capital has been experiencing intense cold conditions from January 20, with the minimum and the maximum temperatures remaining below normal, except for a few days.

A western disturbance over the north-west India has led to a rise in temperature in the past four days, giving respite from intense cold.