New Delhi, May 8
Patients coming to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital had a harrowing time today as the doctors here were on strike. Only 250 senior doctors attended the patients, while no fresh case was entertained.

The doctors decided to go on strike after the relatives of a patient physically assaulted Dr Vipin of neurology department.

Inderaj, 65, was admitted into the hospital on May 6 after a brain hemorrhage. He died last evening. But his relatives blamed the doctor of negligence and manhandled him. Reportedly, one nurse was also beaten while the other staff had to run to save themselves.

This is the third incident of doctor bashing in the hospital in a week. Dr Ahlawat posted in ward-number 28 was beaten on Friday while Dr Pankaj was beaten in the casualty department on Tuesday.

Last year the Delhi government had removed the private security agency responsible for the security of the hospital, after several incidents of manhandling doctors were reported. Later, the responsibility was handed over to ex-servicemen but the current spate of incidents reveal that not much has changed here.

Things are not different in other hospitals of the city too. In the past six months incidents of fight between doctors and relatives of patients have led to three strikes in the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital and two in Maulana Azad Medical College. Just a day ago two such incidents were reported from the AIIMS and the Hedgewar Hospital.

The abysmal working condition of doctors leading to stress is being pointed out as the major cause of the problem. Almost all hospitals in the city are facing shortage of doctors. Though many hospitals have been opened in the city since 1981, no appointment of doctors has taken place. The staff is made to work for extra hours with little time for relaxation. A resident doctor in a Delhi hospital often works for 24 to 34 hours leading to irritation and anger.

New Delhi, May 8
Keeping in view the assembly elections in Delhi to be held in November this year, the city government has taken another step to control hoarding and black marketing by notifying the Delhi Food Control Act (DFCA). The hoarding and black marketing lead to price spiral which harms the incumbent government.

Recently the price of grain has risen manifold due to hoarding. Sensing the reason of increasing prices of grain, the food and supplies department had launched a drive against wholesale dealers and mills. Thousands of quintals of grain were recovered.

The DFCA prescribes the limit of grain storage by the wholesale and retailers. This also requires licence for traders to deal with the listed goods, government sources said.

This is being done in phases. At present the limit has been fixed for the wheat and pulses. Tomorrow the limit will be fixed for edible oil, oil seed and rice. Some other commodities can also be listed in this category in near future as the government wants to make a foolproof arrangement for prevention of black marketing.

According to the law, flour mills can store 300 quintal grain, wholesale dealers 1000 quintal and retailer 100 quintal. As far as pulses are concerned, wholesale dealer can store 2000 quintal and retailers 50 quintal, the sources said.

Earlier, the law was very liberal in connection with storage of grain and sometimes this was misused by the traders. A majority of the wholesale dealers in one or the other way are connected with political parties. Whenever there is election, wholesale dealers affiliated to opposition parties indulged in hoarding resulting in price spiral. This has negative effect on incumbent government.

Now with the implementation of this law, the traders who deal in these goods—wholesale, retailers or mill owners— have to take a licence from the government. 

New Delhi, May 8
Volunteers of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) with the help of the police and the labour department of the Delhi government rescued 23 children, 17 from zari embroidery units and eight from tin factories, in the Khajuri Khas police station area of East Delhi in two separate raids yesterday.

The children belonged to Sitamarhi district in Bihar and from Bijnour and Budaun districts in Uttar Pradesh. All the children are victims of forced labour.

Eight-year-old Naeed, one of the freed children, said that he had been working for the past one and a half years in Delhi. “I was brought to Delhi by my uncle who said that I can earn a lot of money. I came here but I got only Rs 20-25 per week. We used to work from 9.30 am till mid-night. I was often beaten up for small mistakes.”

Like any zari embroidery unit, the work is carried out in small rooms with frames fitted from end to end and the saris or the dress material which needs to be embroidered fixed to the frame. Twenty to thirty children sit around these frames and embroider different parts of the material. They sleep and eat in the same room, have little scope for movement. There is very little air circulation or light in these rooms.  

Raza, rescued from a tin factory, was involved in cutting of tin sheets for the making of paint cans. Locked in an apartment, the children and a few adults were working behind closed doors, when the police took note and decided to mount a raid along with the BBA team. They broke open the door when Rehman and the little children went hiding behind huge tin-cutting machines. “Many of the children had torn clothes, hadn’t taken a bath in several weeks and they earned nothing in terms of wages” a volunteer said.

The sub-divisional magistrate of Seelampur, A.K.Sharma said, “The children would be given release certificates and rehabilitated under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976. They would be beneficiaries of the government schemes on a priority basis.”

R.S.Chaurasia, the chairperson of BBA said, “There are over 50,000 children working in zari embroidery units in Delhi. In the past 2½ years, BBA has rescued over 1,500 children from several zari units. Despite several orders from the Delhi High Court, children continue to be employed. Even members from the fashion industry are also involved. This is against the spirit of the law and the Constitution of India. We want a situation where the state takes a firm step and remove children from these units at the earliest.” 

New Delhi, May 8
The Delhi Police is again in the news for wrong reasons. This time, it is the allegation of a city-based businessman Davinder Mendhiratta that has put the Delhi Police in the dock.

Davinder Mendhiratta, managing director of SRS Advertising & Marketing Pvt Ltd has alleged that Davender Aggarwal, proprietor of Lakshmi Vatika Ltd, a real estate company, physically assaulted him when he demanded the amount that the latter owed to him. He further alleged that the police was hand in glove with Aggarwal, as it refused to lodge a complaint. The Connaught Place police had refused to lodge an FIR on the pretext of conducting an inquiry first.

Even after eight months of the incident Mendhiratta’s complaint has not been lodged and he is running from pillar to post to get one registered. “Till date they have not taken any action against the accused nor, have they registered an FIR. The police is hand in glove with the culprits,” alleged Mendhiratta.

Mendhiratta has to recover Rs 60 lakh from Laxmi Vatika Ltd against their advertising campaign release in May 2007. The bank had dishonoured all post-dated cheques issued by Laxmi Vatika Ltd to SRS Advertising.

Even after three months when Aggarwal did not release the payment, Mendhiratta went to meet him on August 31 last year at his Narayan Manzil office on Barakhamba Road. He was told that Aggarwal was not in the office and was asked to leave. But, Mendhiratta insisted on meeting him. Aggarwal came out of his chamber along with his associates and assaulted Mendhiratta. “His associates tried to push me from the tenth floor of his office and threatened of killing me if I ever came for payment,” rues Mendhiratta.

He further disclosed that Aggarwal is accused of siphoning over Rs 40 crore of his investors against the land and plots promised to them and the Delhi Police is protecting him in those cases as well.

Repeated attempts made by TNS of contacting Davender Aggarwal failed, as his mobile phone was switched off. However, Shailender Singh, who looks after Davender’s legal matter, rubbished Mendhiratta’s allegations regarding assault. He admitted that Aggarwal owed the money to him and it would be returned soon. “We are working out the mode of payment to Davender Aggarwal’s clients. As far as the allegation of assault is concerned there is no truth in it,” said Singh.

Attempts to contact the SHO of Connaught Place failed as he was reported to be out of the police station every time. When asked for his mobile phone number the woman constable, who attended the phone said, “number to nahi hai. Government ne unhe mobile de hi nahi rakha” (There is no number. The government has not given him a mobile phone). 

New Delhi, May 8
The South Delhi police is clueless about the bomb blasts taking place in the area for quite some time while, residents of the area are in a state of panic. However, no loss of life has been reported yet.

Even last night a bomb blast was reported from the Lado Sarai area that left two persons injured and several cars damaged.

Few days ago, a similar blast was reported from near IIT Gate. Two bomb blasts took place in a 100-metre radius in the Lado Sarai area on January 31 injuring several people.

The police claims that the bombs were of low intensity and could not have serious impacts. It has ruled out the involvement of terrorist organisations and believes it to be the handiwork of some unsocial elements that were playing out some prank on the police.

“These blasts are creating panic among residents. The police is as defunct as ever and perhaps will take seriousness of these only when a couple of lives are lost,” said Major S.K Chauhan, a resident of Lado Sarai.

While a case has been lodged at Malviaya Nagar police station. Senior police officials are shying away to talk about the matter as they are as ignorant about the blasts.

New Delhi, May 8
Delhi commuters were once again at the receiving end as traffic snarls erupted in several parts of the Central, East and New Delhi areas because of restrictions around the Feroze Shah Kotla ground where Delhi Daredevils were taking on the Chennai Superkings in the Indian Premier Cricket league match.

Owing to the restrictions, there was tremendous rush on other roads like Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Mathura Road, Connaught Place, India Gate complex and Darya Ganj. Heavy snarls were observed on these roads and it took more than an hour for commuters to negotiate these short stretches.

Even though traffic policemen descended in strength to restore some order, the chaotic conditions persisted well into the night with many a commuter cursing the organisers of the matches.

Even the side lanes, like Mata Sundari Road and Kotla Road were scene of utter chaos because these were reserved for parking for the enthusiasts coming to watch the match.

Commuters claimed that restrictions around the stadium were meaningless and served no purpose as the ITO area had the largest number of offices and thousands of people came to work there, the majority in their own vehicles. It was obvious that with the restrictions, the traffic would spill over onto other roads and this in turn would create chaos.

Office workers in the busy ITO complex said it was surprising that the authorities were unable to find a solution to the problem. After all, this was not the first time. Traffic police officials claimed that there was very little they could do as the width of the roads remained the same while the traffic volume had gone up steeply. The best they could do was to regulate the flow and this could be done only with the cooperation of the public.

While the match was scheduled to begin at 3 p m, the cricket enthusiasts started arriving at the grounds as early as noon. A large contingent of armed policemen was deployed around the gates and the venue to prevent any untoward incident.

The IPL matches here have drawn full houses because of the high entertainment value of the limited over matches.

New Delhi, May 8
While abortion up to 20 weeks of gestation has been legal in India for the last 36 years, safe and legal abortion services are not readily available, especially to poor, rural women. Unsafe abortion endangers 4 million women in India every year, damaging the health and fertility of thousands and causing an estimated 15,000 preventable deaths.

This revelation was made during a two-day workshop organised by Ipas, an international NGO which is dedicated to improving women’s reproductive health and rights.

The workshop on “Making Abortions Safer- the Way Forward” dealt with the critical issue of unsafe abortions in India and outlined strategies that will expand women’s access to safe abortion services.

The participants included central and state government officials, NGO leaders working on public health, office-bearers of FOGSI (the national association of gynecologists) and donors. A senior delegation of representatives from the ministry of health and family welfare and the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh participated.

Women’s access to safe abortion services is limited by the lack of trained providers and safe sites in rural areas, coupled with low awareness among women of their reproductive rights and the legality of abortion in India. This tragedy is compounded by the social stigma and secrecy surrounding abortion.

At the workshop, government officials and members of civil society organizations expressed their commitment to work together to increase the number of doctors, promote expanded use of appropriate and safe technologies, and raise greater awareness of the issue among women,  communities, and policy makers at all levels.

The participants outlined key strategies including: accelerating the training of MBBS doctors, modifying the law to expand the cadre of providers, such as staff nurses, and increase access to safe methods of medical abortion.

The Ipas program, established in India in 2001, has a comprehensive approach to advancing women-centered safe abortion care. Ipas works with the state governments of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

New Delhi, May 8
The computer counted as a technological marvel by the world is actually not a healthy device. Furious pounding at tiny keyboards on the computer can cause irreversible damage to the hands, leaving them immobile in extreme cases.

The condition is called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), says Dr Vijay Sheel Kumar, India’s first fellow of Interventional Pain Practice from the World Institute of Pain in the United States.

Dr Kumar who runs a super specialised pain management centre in Gurgaon explained that the CTS is a condition that manifests in the hands from repetitive trauma in the median nerve. The pain begins in the wrist or the muscular capsule and then spreads till it reaches the shoulder and neck. The pain is severe and can lead to progressive disability.

Dr Kumar who was a Neurosurgery Professor at the State University of New York, says that CTS is one of the most commonly known Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI).

Equally at risk of developing CTS are persons engaged in repetitive activity as keyboard operators, people working in airline counters, people using vibrating machines, electrical hand drills besides carpenters.

Diabetics, persons suffering from hypo thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis or those who have had old hand injuries, are more susceptible to this.

Dr Kumar has been seeing 10 to 15 patients diagnosed with CTS, says, “Till recently, CTS victims were meat packers who had to slice scores of carcasses every day, food processors or auto workers who had to drive the same screws hour after hour. Today, the victims are white collar professionals. Most of the cases are fortunately in the initial stages. Patients come with complaints of numbness, muscular fatigue in fingers and hands, especially in early morning hours. Most of them are IT professionals working in call centres. I have had a few journalists too. These are occupational hazards. The only way to prevent this malady is to use proper equipment, take periodic breaks and use proper mechanics as avoiding two finger typing, keeping the wrist suspended as in while playing the piano.’’

New Delhi, May 8
While the mystery and the legend of Elvis Presley continues to haunt people around the world, thousands of fans claiming to sight the debonair rock and roll star every now and then, fans in Delhi got to the first-hand experience of the amazing music of the legend which was brough to the city by Black Dog 8 YO.

The musical performance by international award-winning Elvis stylist and tribute artist Stephen Kabakos that took place last night here and for the first time Delhiites witnessed the aura of the man, who has remained an enigma all his life and even after his death. Stephen Kabakos enthralled the audience by rolling out the ever-favourites of Elvis in the very own style of the master of rock n roll.

Said Amrit Thomas, executive vice-president (Marketing), USL, which has sponsored Stephen on a nine-city tour of the country, “Even after 125 years, Black Dog remains faithful to its original blend. With Black Dog 8 YO’s association with the tribute performances, we intend to celebrate the timelessness of Black Dog 8 YO with an equally timeless - the great Elvis Presley.”

Stephen Kabakos, on his first visit to India said, “I am very excited about my maiden visit to India and cherish the eternal music of the great king of music - Elvis - with thousands of Indian fans. I am happy that Black Dog is holding this tribute musical tour for the timeless classics of the great Elvis Presley.”

Stephen with his performances guarantees to bring out ‘The Way It Was’ for the very first time in India. ‘The Way It Was’ covers Elvis’ entire career, featuring the early Sun Studio recordings, through to the army, movie, ‘68 Comeback, and explosive concert years.

Born to play Elvis, Stephen Kabakos executed a dynamic portrayal of authenticity.

Said Stephen Kabakos: “I love Elvis Presley and still get goose bumps while impersonating him on stage. When I perform, I do my best to recreate and pay tribute to Elvis, the man.”

Stephen delivered a high-energy stage performance mastering the look, sound, vocal dexterity and mannerisms of the King of Rock & Roll. His ability to successfully capture an authentic portrayal of Elvis Presley, together with superb musicianship endeared him to audience and he received a standing ovation.

New Delhi, May 8
The Delhi High Court on Thursday gave the green signal to the sessions court for framing charges against former Delhi Development Authority (DDA) vice-chairman Subhash Sharma, former Delhi High Court judge Shameet Mukherjee and three others accused of irregularities in property allotments.

Justice S. Murlidhar also asked Judge I.K. Kochar to pursue the case further.

The case took a turn when Mamta Sehgal, judge in-charge of the Patiala House court, was transferred as district judge May 1 and Kochar succeeded her. Special judge R.K. Yadav, in turn, replaced Kochar and started looking at the matters pending against the accused in what has come to be known as the DDA scam.

One of the accused, Dharamvir Khattar, an alleged middleman, moved the High Court pleading that the case not be transferred to any other judge as it will not only take more time but also prove to be a costly affair.

The High Court agreed and ordered that the same judge would continue to pursue the matter and directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to present all the accused in the court on Friday. It further directed the judge to fix an early date to frame charges.

There are four cases of irregularities in which the five accused have been named. They deal with irregular possession of two DDA flats on the Aruna Asaf Ali Marg and illegal allotment of a plot of land at Shalimar Bagh on which a school building was constructed.

During arguments over the framing of charges, all the accused had claimed they had been implicated in the case. They also sought discharge before commencement of trial.

Opposing their plea, the CBI counsel told the court that the agency had submitted 19 CDs that contained alleged conversations between the accused pertaining to the land deal.

The CBI had termed the CDs as “crucial evidence”. — IANS

New Delhi, May 8
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) today opened admissions to part time MBA programme for working professionals.

The application form and prospectus can be downloaded from IITF website www.iift.edu and can be sent to the IITF office with a demand draft worth Rs 1,200 (Rs 600 for SC/ST/physically challenged) or can be purchased from the IITF office from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The last date for sale and receipt of completed forms is May 9.

The course structure comprises economic and trade policy, marketing, finance, logistics, general management, strategy, e-business and technology management, foreign languages, field visits and project studies.

The MBA international business targets at providing a comprehensive coverage incorporating key areas and disciplines relevant to international business activities. 

New Delhi, May 8
The Delhi Integrated Multi-Model Transit System Limited today gave presentation of monorail project before transport minister Haroon Yusuf suggesting that this system of transport was feasible in congested areas where roads are narrow.

The technical report of the project will be completed within five or six months by the department concerned.

In the beginning, the government may take up three corridors. First corridor is from Budh Vihar to Rohini West, Gulabi Bagh, New Delhi Railway Station, Red Fort via Pitam Pura, Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Gulabi Bagh, Karol Bagh, Pahar Ganj and Darya Ganj. The second corridor will be from Kalyanpuri to Red Fort at Mithai Pul via Patpar Ganj, Mother Dairy, Scope Tower, Geeta Colony, and after

crossing the river Yamuna via Shanti Van, Red Fort and Delhi Main Railway Station.

The third corridor is from Delhi University to Gulabi Bagh via Shakti Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Guru Teg Bahadur Marg. The length of these corridors will be 47. 7 kilometre.

Construction work of the corridors may be completed within 16 months from the day of beginning, the minister said. 

New Delhi, May 8
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today paid floral tributes to the martyrs of famous Harding bomb case in a simple function organised at Maulana Azad Medical College campus where once used to be a jail.

While paying floral tributes to the brave sons of Delhi, the Chief Minister exhorted people to imbibe the spirit of patriotism shown by the martyrs of Harding bomb case.

Delhi health minister Yoganand Shastri along with a number of freedom fighters and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Master Amir Chand, Bhai Bal Mukund and Master Awadh Behari were executed on May 8, 1915 in Old Delhi Jail whereas Basant Kumar Biswas was executed the next day in Ambala Central Jail.

In memory of these martyrs, a modest memorial was built at the site of ‘Phansi Ghar’ of the Old Delhi Jail.

New Delhi, May 8
A major fire broke out on Thursday evening in a commercial building in Karol Bagh area here though there was no report of any causality, officials said.

The fire broke out in a storehouse in Bidanpura area around 7.35 p.m. The police said 15 fire-fighting tenders brought the fire under control in 45 minutes.

“There is no causality. We are ascertaining the cause of fire,” deputy commissioner of police (Central Delhi) Alok Kumar said. — IANS