New Delhi, April 5
The Delhi Police today suspended 98 policemen for taking bribes from Blueline bus operators to let off their buses for flouting traffic rules.

“The 98 policemen were found guilty following a departmental enquiry. A sting operation showed them accepting bribe from bus operators.

They have been suspended,” Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told IANS.

The suspended policemen include 18 sub-inspectors, six hawaldars and around 74 constables.

A man claimed to have filmed 98 policemen demanding and accepting bribes from Blueline bus drivers at 23 traffic lights across the Capital. The sting operation CD was submitted to the Delhi High Court on January 2.

The Court asked the home ministry and Delhi Police commissioner YS Dadwal to look into the matter.

Chetan Prakash, 34, filmed the sting operation with the help of a Blueline bus owner. The sting was carried out between September 12 and December 12 last year.

Prakash claimed that the traffic police organised a racket to extort money from the bus operators.

“The policemen used to demand money from bus owners for releasing their impounded buses and also a daily entry fee. Every bus in the Capital has to pass through one of these entry points everyday,” said Prakash. — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
The fight for domination in the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind by members of one family came to the fore at a meeting held here today.

The faction led by Rajya Sabha MP Maulana Mahmood Madni has declared Qari Mohammad Usman ,his father-in-law,as its interim president .This is being opposed by the faction led by Maulana Arshad Madni, Mahmood’s uncle.

The struggle for power and money are supposed to have sharpened the fight between Arshad and Mahmood for the last one month. It’s a 90- year- old party of Muslims, led by members of one family.

Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madni, who was a freedom fighter, was founder of the party. After his demise Maulana Asad Madni, eldest son, had become its president. Maulana Arshad Madni is younger brother of Maulana Asad Madni.

Being eldest in the family and an expert on Hadees (sayings of the Prophet) at Darul-uloom,Deoband. Arshad Madni had become president and used to organise the party affairs. He teaches at the madrasa. Mahmood Madni, his nephew was general secretary of the Jamait.

According to the sources, political ambition was one of the causes of difference between Arshad and Mahmood Madni. Earlier, the differences were simmering inside the party but today these came out in the public.

Last month , the Mahmood Madni group claimed that the working committee of the Jamiat Ulma-i-Hind had expelled Maulana Arshad Madni from the post of president on various charges.

The group members claimed that Maulana Arshad continuously took steps repugnant to the policy of the organisation. He dissolved elected units, disintegrated the democratic organisational structure and tried to establish personal rule.

There are 17 state level units of the Jamiat. The election process has been completed in14. Arshad had dissolved the elected units, claimed the other faction.

The Mahmood group announced at today’s meeting held on the campus of New Horizon School here today that Qari Syed Mohammad Usman was its interim president with Mahmood retaining the general secretary’s post. Agenda of the party under new president has ratified the decisions taken during the term of Maulna Arshad Madni.

The main decisions included disciplinary action against members involved in anti party activities, resolution on terrorism, election of two vice presidents and treasure etc.

However, Maulana Arshad claimed that today’s and earlier meetings of the opposite faction were unconstitutional. The working committee of the Jamiat consists of 21 members. Of them 11 members are in his support while two are neutral.

New Delhi, April 5
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today expressed her government’s commitment to make Delhi a world-class global city. She said that efforts were on to make Delhi a clean and green city.

She said this during the launch of a door-to-door garbage collection programme under the government’s Clean City campaign at Pandara Road in the Capital.

Citing scientific disposal and management of garbage as the most important components to make Delhi a world class city, Dikshit called upon citizens to participate in the Campaign.

She stressed on people’s involvement in curbing pollution that is caused by vehicular emission, usage of plastic bags, effluent and garbage disposal from homes.

She said that all infrastructural development that takes place in various sectors in the Capital would lose importance, if the city is not clean.

NDMC chairperson Parimal Rai said that NGO Chintan had offered to provide manpower and equipment to collect garbage from every household in the city. It will also provide uniform and identity card to workers who would be called sanitation volunteers.

The NGO will sign an MoU with resident welfare associations (RWAs) to execute the door-to-door garbage collection programme.

Ghaziabad, April 5
A student of an engineering college here has filed a police complaint alleging that his five seniors in the name of ragging brutally beat him up and caused him cigarette burns.

Naveen Singh had taken admission at the HR Institute of Engineering Technology on Meerut Road as a B.Tech first-year student. After his admission, he escaped ragging as he had fever.

But senior students were looking for an opportunity to rag him. Five of them armed with iron rods barged into his room in the hostel.

After locking the room from inside, the seniors started beating him as a punishment for escaping them. They then tattooed ‘Naveen’ on his body with burning cigarettes.

When he called up the institute chairman, he said that he could not help as he was out of station. In the police complaint, Naveen Singh named his five tormentors. The police has not yet registered the case.

Upset at the police station officer, Naveen lodged a complaint with the senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad. But no action was initiated until Friday
night. — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
Ram Kishan Yadav, 75, a farmer on the outskirts of the Capital, looks worried as he scans the heavily overcast sky.

His wheat crop, standing golden and ready for harvesting, has already taken a battering in the unseasonal rain and he does not want more showers.

The sudden thunderstorms and untimely rains during the past two days have spoilt around 10 per cent of his standing wheat crop.

“The wheat was ready to be harvested and rain at this time of the year is not good as it damages plants,” Yadav said, standing in his fields in Ghumanhera village in Najafgarh district.

“With a good growing season, I was expecting a good rabi (winter) crop but all efforts will go in vain if the rains continue,” Yadav told IANS.

The rabi sowing season starts in October-November and the crops are harvested from March onwards. India’s wheat production, second only to China in the world, is likely to drop with the untimely rains in the main growing areas of Northern India.

The plight of Suresh Dagar of Ujja village is no different.

“I had switched from wheat crop to cabbage in one of the fields for the first time. But the rains have damaged both the crops badly,” Dagar rued.

“This year is going to be bad. I will have to see whether I will recover the money spent on seeds, pesticides and fertilizers,” he added.

Over 20 villages in Najafgarh district experienced intermittent rainfall.

For the last three days, western disturbances over Pakistan have caused sudden rainfall in parts of North India including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh.

The showers have damaged the mango cultivation as well. Rataul, 35 km from Delhi, is known for a mango variety called ‘Anwar Rataul’ and mango plantation is the mainstay of the villagers.

“We expect less output this year with the rains and strong winds damaging 10 per cent of the mango buds. More damage has been caused by the lightning,” said Inshad, whose family depends on mango cultivation for their livelihood. — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
A special court of electricity in the Vikaspuri area has sentenced Master Puran Singh to two years rigorous imprisonment for stealing power.

A habitual power thief, Puran was caught stealing power as many as seven times in the past two years. An additional fine of Rs 82.46 lakh has been imposed on him. If he fails to pay the penalty, he will have to undergo another six months of imprisonment.

Earlier, Puran Singh was caught stealing over 69 KW of power for running his mid-sized plastic factory at Nangloi. As per the provisions laid in the Indian Electricity Act, 2003, a fine of Rs 27.48 lakh was imposed on him.

When he failed to deposit the penalty, the BSES filed a case in the special court in December 2006.

According to BSES officials, rampant power theft is taking place in plastic factories, most of which are illegally operating in areas like — village Ranholla, Kamruddin, Vishnu Garden, Khayala and adjoining areas.

Over the last few months, a crackdown has been launched in these areas to detect power thieves. Enforcement teams have booked over 510 persons for power theft and calculated the total power theft load to be around 10,000 KW.

New Delhi, April 5
A man was stabbed to death by a group of unidentified men when he tried to resist a mugging bid in East Delhi.

Kuldeep, 30, along with his two friends, was walking near the Metro station in the Shahdara area on Friday night.

“The three were attacked by some ruffians who asked them to hand over all their valuables. Kuldeep resisted their attempt while his friends fled the scene,” a police official said.

“During the scuffle one of the assailants stabbed Kuldeep with a knife on stomach and throat. Kuldeep sustained deep cuts and the assailants escaped from the spot,” he added.

Passers-by saw the victim lying by the road and informed police. The police took him to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
Two young labourers were killed when a dumper accidentally dropped mud on them in East Delhi.

Dharamchand, 18, and Suhail, 21, were killed at Kishan chowk late on Friday where the cable laying work of state-owned telecom firm MTNL was on.

“An unidentified dumper dropped mud on them last night when they were taking a nap at the construction site,” a police official said.

The two labourers were engaged by the company on a temporary basis to keep a vigil on the site at night.

“The accident came to light today morning when the labourers came to the site and started removing the mud,” the official said.

The two labourers were rushed to the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital where they were declared brought dead. —IANS

New Delhi, April 5
With an eye on the coming assembly polls in Delhi, the Congress-led central government on Friday issued guidelines to carry out development works in over 1,400 unauthorised colonies in the city.

Minister of state for urban development Ajay Maken said that the ministry had notified the regulations for regularisation of the unauthorised colonies in the city, like providing electricity, drainage, roads and other civic amenities.

Maken added that the regulations would give wide-ranging powers to the Delhi government to take up the entire regularisation process and related development work with immediate effect.

“The entire exercise of regularisation has been simplified by excluding restrictive clauses vis-à-vis requirements such as requisite social infrastructure and past registration etc,” said the minister.

“This has been done taking the ground realities into consideration and would ensure that people living in such colonies do not face unnecessary hardship,” Maken added.

The government directive empowers the Sheila Dikshit-led government to provide basic facilities to the people of these colonies who are considered to be the traditional vote bank of the Congress.

The assembly election is due in November this year.

According to the guidelines issued in October 2007, the regularisation process should be completed within six months from the last date of receipt of applications for it.

The Delhi government has already started the process, the minister said. — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
Mookhesswur Choonee, High Commissioner of Mauritius, has invited Amity to establish its campus in Mauritius to ensure the holistic development of the youth there.

He was speaking at the opening of the 3rd annual national psychology festival “Abhivyakti 08” at the Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences (AIPAS) at Noida near here on Thursday.

The festival was jointly inaugurated by Sachin Pilot, MP, Lok Sabha; Mookhesswur Choonee; Yogi Ashwiniji, Dhyan Foundation and Aseem Chauhan, chancellor, Amity University, Rajasthan.

Sachin Pilot said that globalization, fast paced lifestyle and cut-throat competition have resulted in increasing frustration among the youth leading to many serious behavioral problems.

He advised parents to accept the changes which inevitably come in the wake of adolescence and not to curb or control the desires of youth, who should be counselled and guided as friends.

He called upon the youth to pursue something, which gives them inner happiness and try to put smile on the faces of the people who care for them and love them.

Yogi Ashwiniji said that the solution to increasing substance abuse in youth lies in silence, yoga and meditation. Aseem Chauhan also spoke on the occasion.

New Delhi, April 5
Over 80 employees of Mother Dairy, who were relieved by the company last year, are sitting on a hunger strike since March 27.

Mother Dairy had hired them as temporary unskilled workers in 1998-99. Since their dismissal, they have not found a new job.

The dairy had employed 80 persons as temporary unskilled workers and relieved them after the job was done.

New Delhi, April 5
To mark World Health Day, Heart Care Foundation of India, department of health and family welfare, Government of Delhi and various NGOs and schools are organising the 8th Perfect Health Parade from Rajghat on Sunday.

The parade will be flagged off by Delhi state chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.

In a joint statement, Dr K K Aggarwal, president, Heart Care Foundation of India and Dr Jilli Devi from DHS said that the parade would move in all five directions of the city.

It will have tableaux with health messages for the benefit of the public. The parade will halt at several places on the way to conduct health education activities with magic shows and nukkad nataks.

Commenting on the theme, Dr Aggarwal said that climate change is an emerging threat to public health.

Changing temperatures bring in its wake many diseases. These include common vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, as well as other major killers such as malnutrition and diarrhoea.

Former cricketer Chetan Chauhan said that parade is a low-cost module, which can be used by the rural areas to spread health awareness.

New Delhi, April 5
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today paid homage to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his 101st birth anniversary at Samata Sthal here.

Babu Jagjivan Ram is the only leader in the world, who has had the record of having the longest, uninterrupted parliamentary career of 50 years. Born in an ordinary family in Bihar, he served the country in various capacities.

He lived for many years at Babu Jagjivan Ram Smriti. An all religion prayer meet was held at the Smriti in the morning today.

His daughter Meira Kumar, son-in-law Manjul Kumar, grandson Anshul Avijit and member/secretary of Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation OP Maurya also attended the function. — IANS