New Delhi, June 13
Nirmal Singh, a 45-year-old businessman of Vishnu Garden, was allegedly beaten to death by three policemen who had come to serve a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him by a local court in a cheque bounce case.

The family members, who also protested against the incident outside the Tilak Nagar police station today, claimed that three policemen, all in mufti, arrived at their Vishnu Garden house late on Thursday evening and dragged him outside.

They alleged that the policemen became angry when he asked them to show him the arrest warrant.

The policemen, including the one who is said to have been attached to the Sabzi Mandi police station, pounced upon him and beat him up mercilessly. They later left him bleeding profusely outside the house.

The family members said he was taken to Guru Gobind Hospital in Rgahubir Nagar where he was declared dead.

Senior police officers of the area when contacted said an inquiry was being conducted to ascertain the facts and the law would take its course. They assured that no one would be spared. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

According to the police, Nirmal Singh had issued a cheque for Rs 20,000 to Ashok Khandelwal of Subzi Mandi. He had filed a case in a Tis Hazari court when the cheque bounced.

New Delhi, June 13
Even as the registrations at Delhi University near to an end, students are facing difficulties with the OMR forms and documentation required.

“The basic problem that students are facing this time is with the new OBC rule. Many don’t know how to fill in the forms. Besides, there is some confusion among students on this issue,” said DUSU president Amrita Bahari.

“We have received a lot of queries from students on the OMR forms,” said Amrita. “Students have come up with problems like — where are these forms available, help needed to fill them and the documentation needed. Many are not very confident after filling in the form and many have to do corrections after filling them.”

Sumeit, a student who has just filled in and submitted the OMR forms, says, “Yes, there has been a lot of confusion on this form. For instance, I am new to Delhi, so locating places was the first problem that my friend and I encountered. Then, we did not know where we would get this form till we got the DU brochure. However, after getting the form we needed help in filling it. I luckily had most of the documentation needed. Now that we have registered correctly, we are relaxed and are waiting for the next step.”

If Sumeit faced some problems, it was not a smooth ride for Nalini from Delhi, “I had attended the open days. They were a big help but I was very nervous. To be fair, I had problem in filling the form. But, luckily, help was available at the counters. Of course, I had to run to and forth over the documents and their attestation. On the whole, it has not been as tough as I had expected it to be.”

On the other hand, the university has been going out of its way to grapple with admissions and with the new influx of students who will get admitted due to the OBC ruling. Not only have they brought out in depth information brochures for students, held open days, opened counters across DU to help students with registrations; dean of students’ welfare office has extended itself to deal with the admissions this season. DUSU has also got its counters running across the university and is helping students in diverse ways with information and counselling.

New Delhi, June 13
A four-member delegation of students and teachers’ representatives from the Democratic Teachers Federation and (DTF) and Students Federation of India (SFI) met Delhi University vice-chancellor Prof Deepak Pental, yesterday and raised four important issues concerning the welfare of the students from the weaker sections of society.

A spokesman of the DTF said the delegation raised the issue of Post-Matriculation Scholarship for SC students.

Under this scheme, every SC student whose parental income is less than Rs 1 lakh p.a. is eligible for a full fee waiver for admissions to courses at the post-matriculation level. The Delhi University, however, has not been implementing this scheme at this moment.

The VC assured the delegation that the university would do its best to ensure that this scholarship is implemented from this academic session itself.

The delegation also said the university had arbitrarily decided to fix cut-off marks for OBC students in admissions which would be 10% less than what is fixed for the general admissions.

It said different colleges in Delhi University had been hiking their fees continually. Such unbridled fee hikes acted as a barrier to entry for students belonging to the economically weaker sections.

The VC assured them that special provisions would be made for waiving the hostel fees for the poor. 

New Delhi, June 13
Members of the Press Club of India today marched from the Press Club to the Rashtrapati Bhawan demanding the intervention of President Pratibha Patil in the case of sedition against The Times of India in Gujarat and an attack on the house of the editor of Loksatta in Maharashtra.

They had gone to submit a memorandum in this regard. However, the police stopped them near Rail Bhawan and took the memorandum.

The memorandum read that the Gujarat government’s allegation of sedition against The Times of India shows its immaturity.

India is a democratic country where the press has been given the freedom of speech and expression. The press generates public awareness. Stories published against any authority are not written deliberately.

The attack on the residence of Loksatta editor in Maharashtra seems as an attack on the freedom of press, a senior journalist said.

Noida, June 13
Noida will soon get two sewerage treatment plants costing Rs 30 crore. It was decided at the Noida Authority’s board meeting.

This is one of the many facilities that the Authority has decided to set up to speed-up the pace of development of the city.

Other decisions included setting up of a modern railway reservation centre, converting the district hospital into a multi-specialty hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 378 crore and allowing private companies to set-up educational institutes in the area.

According to Y.K Behl, additional CEO, Noida Authority, the new sewerage plants will take care of the sewer problem of the hi-tech city for the next 50 to 80 years.

They will have a capacity of 103 million-litre daily (MLD) and 125 MLD respectively.

Behl informed that Sectors-123 and 168 along the Expressway, have been identified as the location of these plants.

“These plants can serve a population of 20 lakh plus 10 lakh temporary inhabitants, Behl added.

He said that in foreign countries sewerage plants are designed to function for a span of 100 years. The same formula and design has been adopted for Noida sewerage plants, which will be completed in two stages.

The railway reservation centre will be set-up in Sector-33 with 20 reservation counters. The Noida Authority will soon handover a new building to the Northern Railway for the Centre.

According to the Northern Railways, a plot of 1305 sq mt was allotted to themin 2005 for the purpose. The plot has been allotted on lease for 30 years at the rate of Re 1/- per sq m per year.

After the commissioning of the new railway reservation centre, the old reservation centre at Sector-29 will be closed. 

New Delhi, June 13
Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) took out a scooter rally in protest against the price rise of petrol and diesel. The rally started from Raj Ghat and passed through ISBT, Chandgi Ram Akhara, Old Secretariat, Kingsway Camp, Azadpur, Shalimar Bagh, Britania Chowk, Punjabi Bagh and concluded at Raja Garden.

President of the Delhi unit of the BJP Harsh Vardhan said that the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel had started showing its effect. There has been an increase of 10 to 15 per cent in the freight of cargos and 8 to 10 per cent increase in the freight of trucks during the last week. It is natural that the prices of all the essential commodities including food grains will further increase in the coming days.

Addressing the participants of the rally, he said that it was difficult for the people to make both the ends meet due to the UPA government sponsored price spiral. Now it will become difficult for them to live a normal life. The record of Congress shows that whenever it has come to power it has made the lives of common man difficult.

Had the Left Parties been serious, it could have stopped the hike by threatening to pull down the government. But they helped the Congress in increasing the price and betrayed the public, he added. 

New Delhi, June 13
The private power distribution companies have claimed a drastic reduction in AT and C losses over the last five years because of judicious deployment of vigilance staff and infusion of state of the art technology.

According to the BSES sources, the BSES has not only achieved reduction in AT and C losses but has also created a record of sorts.

In almost the last six years, the BRPL and the BYPL have reduced AT and C losses by a record 47.2% and 52.8% respectively.

According to sources, in financial years 2006-07 to 2007-08 the BYPL has managed to reduce AT and C losses by an unimaginable 10%. Since July 2002, the BSES Discoms have saved Rs 5,620 crore (BRPL Rs 3,380 crore and BYPL Rs 2,240 crore) of the Delhi government by reducing AT and C losses. In fact, in financial years 2006-07 to 2007-08 the BSES Discoms have saved Rs 1,794 crore (BRPL Rs 1,019 crore, BYPL Rs 775 crore) of the Delhi government by way of AT and C loss reduction.

Since July 2002, the BSES has invested around Rs 3,500 crore in improving and augmenting the infrastructure in its licensed area and deploying new technologies.

These technologies have helped the BSES in not only bringing about a record reduction in AT and C losses but also in improving the quality of power supply.

Since July 2002 the BSES Discoms have detected over 85,000 cases of power theft and have taken legal action against scores of power thieves.

New Delhi, June 12
Upset over his father’s illegitimate affair, a 27-year-old man set himself afire at the high security CGO Complex in South Delhi this afternoon.

Jasbir Singh Bisht later died at the Safdarjung Hospital, where he was admitted with 98 per cent burn injuries, according to the police.

Bisht, who lives in Mayur Vihar, poured kerosene and doused himself at gate no-1 of the CGO Complex, which houses the BSF headquarters, at about 1 p.m..

Hailing from Uttarakhand, Jasbir in his suicide note said that he was taking the extreme step to protest his father’s illegitimate affair.

His father Hanuman Singh works with the BSF and is presently posted in Tripura in the Northeast. Bisht lived with his mother and two younger brothers. — UNI

New Delhi, June 13
Indian Management and Technical Institute (INMANTEC), Ghaziabad has tied-up with Vancouver Island University (previously known as Malaspina University) in British Columbia, Canada, to offer post-degree-diploma (PDD) in international business and the regular PGDM course. The course will help students to become global managers.

Students will complete nine courses from INMANTEC finely articulated with PGDM courses, while the tenth course will be delivered at Vancouver Island University during a 21-day study trip to Canada.

The programme will not only incorporate a full-course, but will also encapsulate a valuable exposure to international markets, economy, industry, culture and environment for the participants, a release said.

New Delhi, June 13
Two weeks ago, Chander Dhawan, a resident of Gurgaon’s Palam Vihar was unwinding in the living room of his house when he heard his servant shrieking. Miscreants had broken into Dhawan’s house assuming it was deserted.

“There was no car parked outside the house. My son was travelling at that time, and I was seemingly an easy target. They held my servant at knifepoint. But when we kept on resisting, they fled,” recalls Dhawan, one of the many senior citizens in Gurgaon, who urged the HelpAge India to come to their rescue.

Today, Dhawan, with a group of ten other senior citizens from Gurgaon, met the district’s DCP, apprising him of the need for their protection. The meet, organised under the aegis of HelpAge India at Epicentre in Gurgaon, ended on a positive note with the police assuring the elders of prompt action and more frequent patrolling.

The event has come as a relief, considering the shocking rise in the incidence of crimes against senior citizens. Three elderly persons were killed in Delhi over the past week. Gurgaon, being close to Delhi and to the crime-prone Uttar Pradesh belt, is no safer.

“There was a need to bring the old face-to-face with the law keepers. They voiced their innermost fears and discussed safety issues with the police,” said HelpAge India functionaries, who had also arranged for a senior Supreme Court lawyer Shyamlha Pappu to offer legal advice on options available to the elders.

“People ask us that why did we choose Gurgaon. The reason was simple – high cost of living in Delhi has pushed senior citizens to Gurgaon in search of cheaper living options. Being new in that sense, Gurgaon is crime-prone and we are obliged to address the insecurities of people living there,” said Kapil Kaul, country head, advocacy and resource mobilisation at HelpAge India.

There is a lack of research on crime against senior citizens in India. The abuser could be known to the elderly or could be an outsider, but one needs to be prepared in any case. Worldwide, adult children, at 47.3 per cent are reported to be the biggest abusers while grandchildren account for 8.6 per cent of the abusers.

Different kinds of abuse faced by the elderly include neglect, emotional, psychological, financial and material exploitation, physical abuse and abandonment.

Today’s meeting was a way of creating support systems for the isolated old. On the one hand, it helped to remove the wall of formality between the police and the elders while on the other it helped elders gain insight into options that are available for their safety.