Noida, June 10
There is yet another twist in the sensational murders of Arushi and help Hemraj. According to an AIIMS forensic expert who is a part of the CBI team, the victims were murdered with khukhri and not with any surgical blade. One edge of khukhri is sharp while the other is blunt.

According to sources, things would unravel only on the receipt of forensic reports.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted a lie-detector test on Krishna, compounder of Dr Rajesh Talwar, accused of murdering his daughter Arushi. Late last night over ten CBI sleuths had brought Krishna to Dr Talwar’s residence in Sector-25 here and searched the house thoroughly once again.

The CBI men under joint director Arun Kumar and a lady officer had reached Jalvayu Vihar in Sector-25 at about 11 p.m. yesterday. Compounder Krishna and Dr Talwar’s brother Dinesh Talwar were questioned. Some officers were searching Dr Talwar’s house while some were sent to raid different places in Noida.

According to sources, the double murder investigation has become a tough exercise as many valuable evidences were destroyed by the time the case was handed over to the CBI.

The CBI team could also interrogate Dr Anita Durrani and her husband, sources said.

After the lie-detection test was conducted on Krishna, it is being anticipated that the CBI has gathered some facts that could lead to the murderer.

Meanwhile, the investigative agency has requested the media for all photographs connected with the double murder. It has also demanded the footage from TV channels, especially of first day till domestic help Hem Raj’s body was recovered. Photographs and footage of inside and outside the premises and surroundings could be of great help in the case, a CBI officer said.

New Delhi, June 10
While pledging to fight for the restoration of the dignity of the trading community, a large number of traders under the umbrella of the Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT) today protested at Jantar Mantar here against the alleged insulting and derogatory remarks about traders made in ICRIER report on retail trade.

The protesters also burnt a copy of the ICRIER report, calling it a “biased and misleading document” ignoring the ground realties of Indian retail trade and termed it as a calculated effort to promote big corporate players in retail trade.

The protesters, raising slogans like “Vyapari rahe samman se- vyapar kare swabhiman se”, “Vyaparion ka aapman-nahi sahega hindustan”, “Jo vyapari hit ki baat karega-wahi desh par raj karega”, gave enough indication of the beginning of an era of traders’ polarisation.

While demanding serious steps from the government to chalk out a policy for the modernisation of traditional retail in the country, the CAIT asked the government to set up a working group to look into aspects of strengthening the internal trade and promotional steps, including financial assistance for traders for the adoption of modern business techniques and methods in order to face global challenges. 

New Delhi, June 10
Delhi Pradesh BJP president Harsh Vardhan has urged Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna to direct the government to ask private power companies to immediately replace defective electronic meters.

The demand follows a recent judgement of the Delhi High Court in which justice Sanjeev Khanna had ruled that if any electronic meter was found to recording power consumption faster by more than 1%, the meter would be considered defective. Power companies should replace such meters at their own expense.

In a written communication to the LG, Harsh Vardhan has claimed that the companies through defective meters have cheated consumers to the tune of about Rs 32 crore per month. The money should be refunded with interest, he demanded.

Earlier, the power companies had maintained that if a meter was found running faster by more than 3% only then the consumer could get the meter replaced. But for that he will have to deposit an amount equal to the bill of the previous three months.

Harsh Vardhan said that at present all three private power companies have installed low-grade fast recording electronic meters in houses of over 32 lakh consumers without their consent. People have been receiving hefty power bills since they have been installed.

He further said that even the government had itself, in a test found that a meter installed in a house in Shalimar Bagh was recording 150% more power consumption.

An average consumer of Delhi consumes power worth Rs 500 per month. The bill is served every two months. This way 32 lakh consumers pay Rs 320 crores every two month to these companies, Vardhan added.

He urged the LG to initiate immediate action to prevent further fleecing of citizens by private power companies.

New Delhi, June 10
Contrary to the general perception that the IT sector is the biggest job provider in the country, it is the financial sector which has lately taken the lead.

Among the 30 key sectors that provided the maximum jobs to young aspirants between Jan –March 2008, financial services outpaced the IT sector in Tier II and Tier III cities, according to the study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

The study reconfirms the recent academic trend in which it was discovered that more and more young graduates were veering away from the IT and business management sectors and opting for careers in finance.

This, according to experts, was the direct result of the radical change in investment habits of the salaried class who were now seeking additional financial gains through judicious investments and in the process throwing up a demand for trained professionals.

According to the sturdy “Job Trendz: Across Cities And Sectors” conducted by the Assocham during Jan-March 2008, out of the total 30 sectors tracked, it was found that tier II and tier III cities have cornered 18.5 per cent and 21.5 per cent share of the job space respectively.

The financial services were also the second highest job offering sector among the total top ten sectors in the total 60 cities tracked for the study comprising tier I, tier II and Ttier III cities. It has contributed a share of 26.35 per cent in providing maximum employment opportunities during January-March 2008.

“A change in the job trend has been observed in small cities while traditionally the maximum job openings used to be concentrated in IT sector, but in Tier II and Tier III cities financial services have taken over it,” Sajjan Jindal, president, Assocham said while releasing the study recently.

Out of the total 26.35 per cent of the jobs created in financial services, the stock market, brokerage houses and mutual funds offered the maximum job vacancies in this sector, contributing a share of 35.44 per cent.

It was followed by the insurance sector that cornered a share of 34.22 per cent in providing job opportunities to the aspirants. After insurance sector, the banking sector generated employment opportunities with a share of 30.34 per cent.

The study was based on the sample of 32,000 vacancies posted by around 3,500 companies in the national and regional dailies, journals and job portals like timesjobs.com and naukri.com during the three months period of January-March 2008.

New Delhi, June 10
Three children — Khushboo, 9, Monica, 7 and Vikas, 6 were found abandoned in a park in the Moti Nagar area last night.

According to the children, their mother made them sit in a bus and gave them ten rupees. However, she herself did not board the bus.

The children got down from the bus in Moti Nagar and sat in the park, as they did not know the address of their home or their relatives.

A passer by spot them around 2 a.m. He took them to Moti Nagar police station. The children were given food at the police station. But the police could not get their address.

“All they could tell us was that they live in Nangloi near Nithari Karori. Our team went there today but it could neither find their house nor could the people of the area recognise the children,” said a police official.

The children were taken to the Deen Dayal Hospital for medical examination. They were later sent to Nirmal Chhaya, a children shelter run by the Delhi government. 

New Delhi, June 10
A man allegedly killed his wife in the Patel Nagar area last night as he suspected her of having an affair with his brother.

According to the police, the incident took place at lane number 21 of Prem Nagar Colony in Patel Nagar around 11 p.m. yesterday. Narender, 28 stabbed his wife Shiela several times. After being sure that she was dead, he went to Patel Nagar police station and surrendered.

“He has told us that he killed his wife as she was having an affair with his younger brother,” said a police official. The couple has a son. Narender had sent his son outside the house when he planned to kill his wife.

He killed her with a kitchen knife. Narender has been arrested and the weapon of murder has been recovered.

According to neighbours, Narender did not have a regular income and could be often seen sitting at home. While his wife Shiela worked as labourer and supported the family. The couple often fought as Narender accused his wife of being a bad character. However, they did not hear any noise of fight last night when Narender smothered his wife. Shiela’s parents have arrived from UP to take her body. 

New Delhi, June 10
In view of the nearing assembly elections, the Delhi Cabinet has granted minority status to Jains. The move is likely to benefit the ruling Congress party in the elections, as 10 lakh live in the city out of which nearly two lakh are voters.

This was a long-standing demand of the Jain leaders.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that the community had already been granted minority status in many states. The status would help the community to manage their educational institutions as per the parameters specified for such institutions.

Vinod Jain, president, Akhil Bharatiya Ahimsa Sangh, said that the community leaders had been demanding minority status for a long time. This would benefit those who are in service. Besides, institutes run by the community will also enjoy the status.

The Cabinet has also approved the registration of e-governance society of the Delhi government. This would facilitate the implementation of e-governance road map and ensure transparency and efficiency in operation. The road map includes IT infrastructure, IT architecture, application architecture, networking and communication architecture.

The Chief Minister added that the new society would also facilitate convergence of different websites of the government and local bodies. This would accelerate the pace of making Delhi a cyber-state in coming years. The society would take all necessary steps to promote efficiency, reduce delays, enhance accountability, transparency and objectivity in the government’s functioning.

This would also co-ordinate in formulating and implementing policies, procedures, guidelines and e-governance through various government departments, agencies for the improvement of citizens’ services. 

New Delhi, June 10
The online system of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to deposit property tax has collapsed since the BJP has come to power in the civic body. The property tax department has again functioning manually.

The citizen service bureau opened for the purpose had stopped accepting property tax forms.

A senior officer of the department said that NGOs engaged by the earlier government in the MCD had not been paid their due. Now they have left working. The MCD is now planning to engage new contractor. Last year, the camps were organised in housing societies and other localities but this year nothing has been done so far.

Anil Chopra, a resident of Preet Vihar, said that since the e-filing system has failed, depositing property tax has become major problem. One has to stand in a queue for hours. The property form tax is very complicated. Officials do not co-operate with citizens.

Atul Goel, member of the United Residents Joint Action, has demanded a reduction in the harassment for residents by starting bulk collection camps at the RWA level itself.

However, leader of the house Subhash Arya said that a new form would do away with the complications being faced by residents. Tax rebates withdrawn from properties owned by women and widows would be allowed. Camps will be organised in all housing societies and these societies will also be given 20% rebate as they manage civic amenities in their campus.

As far as e-filing system is concerned, it would be revived very soon. There is some technical problem. Work is being done to restore the system, said Arya. 

New Delhi, June 10
Municipal commissioner K.S Mehra today ordered the immediate suspension of sanitary superintendent of Shahdra (North) Sahinder Singh for dereliction of duty and indifference to the job entrusted to him.

It was found that the standard of sanitation and cleanliness in the areas under his supervision was not upto to the mark. Garbage was found on roads as well as outside ‘dhalaos’. — TNS

New Delhi, June 10
Delhi University (DU) has recently announced admission to its B.A. (honours) business economics (BBE) programme for 2008-09.

This programme is in huge demand. It will be offered at ten DU colleges – B.R Ambedkar College, College of Vocational Studies, Gargi College, Lakshmibai college, Maharaja Agrasen college, Ram Lal Anand College (evening), Shivaji College, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College and Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College.

Application forms are available from offices of the ten colleges on payment of Rs 400 (Rs 200 for SC/ST and children of defense personnel) in cash or crossed bank draft drawn in favour of director, UDSC payable at the State Bank of India, service Branch, New Delhi.

The forms can also be obtained by post from any one of the ten colleges on remitting a crossed bank draft of Rs 400 payable at the mentioned branch. A self-addressed envelope with stamps of Rs 50 should also be enclosed with the request.

Interested students must have passed class XII or any equivalent examination with a minimum of 55% marks. An entrance test will be conducted on June 22.

The last date of the sale and receipt of completed forms is June 16. Meanwhile, DU has registered a sale of 6,222 forms. The maximum of 800 forms has been sold at Kirori Mal College. While 700 forms have been sold at the Faculty of Arts and 611 at dean, student welfare’s office. The total number of forms received is 8,999.

New Delhi, June 10
In a symposium hosted by the Urban Habitats Forum yesterday on “Shaping Cities of Our Future”, experts said urbanisation was an integral part of the economic development process and the country’s future would largely depend on the “manner in which we urbanise”.

These experts said urbanisation was slowly but surely emerging as a significant trend, challenging the classic perception of an India of villages. Hey said that in all 30 per cent of the Indian populace lives in urban areas and contribute to over 90 per cent of the GDP. Over the past 50 years, while the country’s total population has grown by 2.5 times, in the urban areas it has grown by almost five times.

Kiran Karnik, president, India Habitat Centre laid the agenda of the Urban Habitats Forum and discussed the implication of urbanisation in India. “I feel very passionately about how cities are today and what they can be tomorrow. I hope the Urban Habitats Forum serves as a platform that can make our cities more liveable and also play a larger role in shaping India’s emerging urban centres thus India’s future.” said Karnik.

Sanjeev Sanyal, regional chief economist, Deutsche Bank, and founder, Urban Habitats Forum, emphasised on the soft aspects of urbanisation. “I think great cities are about human interactions and clusters. So the critical need is to create urban spaces where people can interact and lead a good life. Successful urban planning is therefore about organically integrating the hard and soft infrastructure. There cannot be a “mechanical” approach but one that explicitly thinks of the city as an evolving eco-system.” he said.

Philipp Rode, executive director, Urban Age; Associate, Cities Programme, London School of Economics & Political Science, spoke on “Shaping Cities of Our Future”. He revealed the findings of the Urban Age India Conference held in Mumbai last year and released the Urban Age India Report. “India’s urban agenda is clearly a global issue given that India is the second most populous country in the world. Indian cities are faced with issues of social equity, of overloaded infrastructure and environmental sustainability. The way these cities will deal with these problems and how the upcoming cities will be planned can have a decisive impact on the world at large.” said Rode

Anupam Yog, founder & managing director of Mirabilis Advisory who anchored the discussion, concluded that building successful cities which drive economic growth while reducing poverty will be critical to the future of India.

Historically, India has been averse to the phenomenon of urbanisation. The current response towards urbanisation is also marked by short-term and quick-fix solutions. But, there is a critical need to develop innovative ideas for future cities with a long term view. The symposium attempted to better understand the opportunities and challenges that existed in shaping that vision and implementing it.

The Urban Habitats Forum is a public-private partnership between India Habitat Centre and Mirabilis Advisory. It provides a collaborative platform for a network of multidisciplinary thinkers and change-makers to push for innovation in shaping the next generation of cities in India. UHF aspires to influence by creating a platform for intelligent discourse through a variety of events, pioneering research along with result-driven advocacy.

Greater Noida, June 10
Angry farmers, including women clashed with the police at Greater Noida Authority Complex and entered the authority offices.

They were demanding the implementation of the land compensation rates from April 2006.

As scores of angry farmers entered, officials started fleeing from their chambers through back doors.

Some farmers threatened the authorities of self-immolation inside the office complex if their demands were not fulfilled.

The farmers have also threatened that they will not allow the staff to enter the office complex till their demands are fulfilled.

In view of the threats, the GNIDA had deployed sizable number of police force at its office today.