The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Servant poisons family, runs away with cash Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 A doctor, his wife and their nine-year-old son, were allegedly poisoned by their domestic help last night at their home in the Vivek Vihar area of East Delhi. However, their other three-year-old son was spared. The victims are currently recuperating at Max Hospital in Patparganj and their condition is reported to be stable. Dr Brijesh Yadav, his wife Milan and their son Kartavya were poisoned by their servant Raju Nepali. Raju has been missing since the incident. According to the complaint lodged at Vivek Vihar police station, Raju is absconding with some cash and valuables. The exact loss could be ascertained only after the family regains consciousness. “The servant mixed poison in their tea. We were informed about the incident at about 1:35 a.m. by the brother of the Yadavs,” said a police official. He added that Raju, who had not undergone a police-verification, had joined the family only about fifteen days back. Raju was referred to the Yadavs by a relative. He earlier worked for Yadav’s father-in-law, who owns a school in Ghaziabad. Brijesh runs a clinic in Ghaziabad whereas his wife is the vice-principal of a school in Delhi. Two more people who used to work at the Ghaziabad school were also absconding since the incident.The Delhi Police has not detained anybody so far but has sent two teams to Ghaziabad. The incident has come close on the heels of a similar incident in Noida on June 7, where the family of an industrialist Ajay Maini was poisoned by the domestic help in a similar manner. Ajay was found drugged at their Noida Sector 50 house, while their servant Akash was missing. Maini’s wife Sandhya died due to the poisoning.
	Delhi Metro among most comfortable public transports Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 The Delhi Metro is among the most comfortable means of public transport according to international standards, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) using equipment developed in the UK has said According to DMRC officials, the study used vibration levels experienced by passengers in the Metro as a measure of comfort level and compared it with international standard ISO 2631-4-1997. According to the study, the vibration inside the trains was less than 0.315 metres per second squared (m/s2), which is the most comfortable level according to the ISO standards. The study, titled ‘Real Time Ride Comfort’, was conducted by Sham Rane, a post-graduate Mechanical Engineering student of IIT, Delhi, using a device called potentiometer, jointly developed by Loughborough University, UK and IIT, Delhi. This device was used for the first time in India. A group of 10 IIT students travelling on the Metro used the potentiometer and by rotation of a knob on the device, they did a continuous judgment of their comfort level, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said. The data regarding the vibration and human responses was then recorded by a central computer and the real ride comfort was assessed. The researcher also conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 75 commuters at three stations covering Lines 1, 2 and 3. Of them, 34 commuters, or 45 per cent, ranked the Metro ride as very comfortable while the rest said it was comfortable. No commuter said that the Metro ride was uncomfortable. The DMRC is collaborating with IIT, Delhi, in other areas and is jointly developing the course content for a PG Diploma in Metro Technology which will help develop a cadre of Metro specialists for the large number of Metro projects coming up in various cities of India.
	Institutes asked to ensure ragging-free campus Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 With the new academic session set to begin soon, various regulatory bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have asked educational institutions to take necessary measures to check any form of ragging on their campuses. While the UGC has issued a circular to all universities to instruct colleges to strictly follow the measures suggested by the Raghavan panel, the AICTE has issued advertisements in newspapers. Besides warning institutions that their approval would be scrapped if case of any incident of ragging, the AICTE has asked students, parents and the public to report instances of ragging in any form in institutions imparting technical education. The Raghavan committee set up by the Supreme Court to monitor the measures being taken to prevent ragging in higher educational institutions has suggested ‘zero tolerance’ towards ragging. The committee headed by former CBI chief K.Raghavan, had asked the statutory regulatory bodies to direct educational institutions to incorporate messages in this regard in admission notices. Noting that ragging lowered the standards of higher education, the Committee expressed that release of grants under various schemes of the UGC should be linked with the compliance of Supreme Court directives by the institutions. The UGC reminded registrars of all universities that colleges should mention total number of ragging incidents that had taken place in their institutions on the prospectus each year. Following a directive from the HRD ministry, the UGC asked institutions to put suitable hoarding, bill boards or banners in prominent places within the campus asking students to prevent or not to indulge in ragging. The institutions were asked to indicate names of officials and their telephone numbers to be contacted in case of ragging. Citing that the academic session will be commencing shortly, the committee urged the Centre to take immediate steps to launch intensive multi-media publicity campaign to reinforce anti-ragging measures as directed by the apex court.
	Fullerton holds career fair Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 In a bid to reach out to the community and make a difference in their lives, a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) — Fullerton India Credit Company Ltd — yesterday organised a unique career advancement fair called Disha. The event was chaired by Niten Chandra, director, Rural Development (Delhi). The fair organised at Community Centre, DDA Flats, Mata Sundari Road, here was open to all and was attended by men and women alike. Aimed at providing better directions for livelihood, the fair was organised for youth, college dropouts, men and women aspirants who are looking for livelihood advancement. A team of professional career counsellors gave advice on vocational courses, working from home options and entrepreneurial development.
	Delhiites wake up to cooling monsoon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 After a gap of over a century the monsoon arrived in the National Capital Territory of Delhi in the second week of June today at least a couple of weeks ahead of the scheduled date. The Capital, which was sweating under heavy humidity because of the overcast sky for the last couple of days, had witnessed an unprecedented cool May. The residents woke up to a pleasantly cool Sunday because of the widespread rains. The widespread rains brought along the usual problems of waterlogging and overflowing of drains in many parts of the Capital, but for once the residents were not complaining. In many areas, the residents came out of their homes and frolicked in the rain to welcome the monsoons. Similar scenes were witnessed in most of parks in the Capital and in the sprawling lawns of the India Gate. Heavy rains, accompanied by lightning in some areas, lashed the capital since 7.30 am. The Met office recorded a rainfall of over 16 mm. The capital, which is experiencing one of the coolest summers in the recent times, has received record showers in May. The minimum temperature recorded this morning was 27.5 degrees celsius, two notches below normal, the met said. The maximum settled at 33 degrees yesterday. While the general public has been euphoric over the unprecedented spells of pleasant weather, businessmen dealing in fans, coolers and air conditioners have been complaining of steep drop in the sales of these items. According to shopkeepers of Kamala Market, the biggest cooler market in the region, the sales of coolers had come down by as much as 50 per cent this year. May, which is generally known for its searing dry heat conditions, is also the month in which the sales of these items show a steep increase. “This year because of the cool weather there has been a drastic falls in sales”, lamented a shopkeeper. In contrast, the discoms, private power distribution companies, are very happy with the weather conditions as there has been a drastic drop in the demand in the peak hours. There have been very few outages and planned loadsheddings because of the comfortable power situation.
	Distinguished Service Awards presented Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 Former president of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam yesterday evening presented the Distinguished Service Awards. The recipients included JAGORI, a women training, communication and resource center for its outstanding work on women’s empowerment and upliftment, Ajit Joshi, an IAS officer for his contribution towards education for under-privileged children and VATAVARAN, an NGO being run by Dr Iqbal Malik for environment preservation. Apart from the citation and a plaque, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000. Present on the occasion was R.K Somany, chairman, Distinguished Service Award Committee, who said that the awards is an effort to provide recognition to those who have contributed to the field of social welfare. We have chosen the best amongst those whose efforts have benefited the society. “It’s a pleasure for us and for the winners that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam presented these awards to them,” Somany added. The jury for the awards included eminent personalities like justice (retd.) D. P Wadhwa, justice (retd.) B.P Singh, Meenakshi Gopinath, principal, Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Lalit Bhasin, an eminent lawyer. Nearly 500 individual letters were sent inviting nominations. Capt. Suresh Vasudeva, president Rotary Club of Delhi Midtown, which runs the awards, said “We introduced these awards to sustain the tremendous effort that is put in. we have decided that the Distinguished Service Awards at this level will continue for at least two more years.”
	Daughter-in-law of ex-DSP commits suicide Parmindar Singh Ghaziabad, June 15 The daughter-in-law of a retired police officer committed suicide by swallowing poison in Ghaziabad on Saturday. Shelly had been married only three months ago. A few days ago Shelly’s mother-in-law was also seriously wounded by a gunshot in the house in suspicious circumstances. Retired DSP, V.P.Singh resides in A Block of Lohia Nagar. His daughter-in-law, Shelly was rushed to Yashoda Hospital, Ghaziabad, after she had swallowed poison. She breathed her last during treatment. The reason for committing suicide could not be ascertained. S.P. City said VP Singh’s son, Jatinder and Shelly had been married only recently. Domestic strife appears to be the cause of suicide, he said. A few days ago DSP’s wife was also wounded with a gunshot, SP City added.
	Artscape 10-day festival of Asian and Arab cinema Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 15 Osian’s-Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, which has emerged as one of the largest festivals of its kind, will celebrate 10 years of its successful existence by hosting a 10-day film festival in the Capital next month with several new features added to its menu. In addition to the annual award for writing, the festival this year will bestow an additional award, the Osian’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Cinema. This award is being given to the veteran film maker, Mrinal Sen. The writer’s award, rechristened as the Aruna Vasudev Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing on Cinema, will be conferred on Jose “Pete” F. Lacaba. Lacaba is a renowned poet, author, journalist, screen writer and translator, who is comfortable in writing in English as well as in his native Filipino. The awards carry a cash component of Rs 8 lakh each. In the last 10 years, Osian’s has grown into one of the leading art and cultural institutions dedicated to the building of infrastructure for the arts in the country. Exhibition of photographs The Indira Gandhi National Centre For Arts (IGNCA) in association with an NGO “Parijat” is holding an exhibition of photographs by author- journalist, Ranjan Kumar Singh from June 4 to June 19. The photo-cum-text documentation traces the history of Delhi through its monuments. The exhibition has on display photographs which cover 80 monuments spread over the National Capital Territory of Delhi from the Rajput era to the British period. Ranjan Kumar Singh has spent many years researching the monuments of the Capital city. Lifetime Achievement Awards The late shehnai legend Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan and Karan Singh Bishnoi were conferred the Lifetime Achievement Awards by the ‘Savitri Vikas Samiti’ at its third annual musical evening ‘Saaz aur Awaaz–2008’ at the Kamani Auditorium here last week. Dhrupad maestro Padma Bhushan Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar and Rudra Veena maestro Padma Bhusahn Ustaad Asad Ali Kahn were awarded with ‘Savitri Samman’ at the function in the presence of a galaxy of politicians and musicians. ‘Joys of Life’ The Mystiq Art Gallery here is presenting an exhibition of paintings by two artists Dharambeer Kumar and Amit Srivastava. Entitled “Joys of Life”, the exhibition is on from June 13 to June 30. Evening of classical music The India International Centre (IIC) here is presenting an evening of Hindustani classical music in the form of guitar recital by Deepak Kshirsagar from Jodhpur on June 20. A disciple of Sateesh Khanwalkar and Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Deepak has received many awards for his excellence in music over the last two decades. Plays by Punjabi Academy The Punjabi Academy here is presenting several plays at the Sri Ram Centre for the Arts on June 17 and June 18 and again at the Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College on June 20 and June 21. These plays were prepared and rehearsed during the Children’s Theatre Workshops conducted by the Academy during the summer vacations in different parts of the Capital.
	Man held for rape of baby Faridabad, June 15 A 23-year-old youth of village Gochi, near here, in this district was today arrested for allegedly raping a five-month-old baby. According to the police, the accused, Mursheed, is also a native of Gochi. The complainant in the case is Jagbir, father of the baby. The accused is the next-door neighbour of Jagbir. He took away the baby from the family by saying that he wanted to play with her. — TNS