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Mixed response to bandh in Delhi
Govt, INTACH ink pact to project Delhi as heritage city
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Six-hour power cuts a routine
affair in Noida
Dengue hits Noida, Ghaziabad
JEE coaching institutes rake in Rs 10,000 cr a year: Study
CBSE accepts AS level CIE course
Notorious criminal held for murder
3rd cut-off list awaited
Sore about power cuts, residents attack
BSES office
Mango fest begins today
Swords taken out over car collision
Kidney Scam CBI seeks Greek help
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Mixed response to bandh in Delhi
New Delhi, July 3 The bandh call was given in protest against the cancellation of the allotment of plots for the Amarnath Shrine Board in Jammu and Kashmir by the state government. Activists of the BJP and VHP came on the streets in the morning, asking traders and others to shut down their establishments in protest. They came in vehicles along with their leaders who chanted anti-government slogans. The response to the bandh call was mixed as some markets were seen open like Connaught Place, Ashram, Karol Bagh, Panchkuian Road and Paharganj. While a major jam was reported at Vikas Marg, which was lifted after the police intervened, several other areas in East Delhi like Preet Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Noida near Akshardham witnessed blocking of roads and widespread protests. In Laxmi Nagar, two buses were damaged after a crowd threw stones and smashed windowpanes. However, no one was injured. Demonstrations and slogan-shouting mobs marching on streets were also witnessed near Karkardooma Courts, Vikas Marg and Mother Dairy areas. Minor clashes were also reported in the Laxmi Nagar area when demonstrators forcibly tried to pull down shutters. In South Delhi’s Maharani Bagh and Ashram areas and at DND Toll bridge junction, traffic was blocked by protesters, but was later eased after the locals intervened. According to the police, no major incidence had been reported and the law and order situation in the Capital was under control till around 1 pm. Apart from traders, a large contingent of saints led by Mahant Ram Krishan Das Mahatyagi and Mahant Nawal Kishor Das, president and secretary, respectively, of the Delhi Sant Mahamandal and eminent Vedic scholar Pandit Pramod Maharaj performed the ‘yagya’ and lambasted the government for hurting religious sentiments of the nation. However, the BJP and VHP claimed a successful bandh as major wholesale and retail markets wore a deserted look as no trading activity took place. The wholesale activities of cloth and textile market at Chandni Chowk, electrical, electronics, pharmaceuticals and surgical at Bhagirath Palace, hardware, tools, sanitary fittings, paper, wedding and greeting card, stationary, files, copy manufacturing, rubber and plastic at Chawri Bazar, auto parts, tractor parts at Kashmiri Gate-Mori Gate, chemicals, rang rasyan, kirana and dry fruit at Khari Baoli, food grain and pulses at Naya Bazar, consumer durables at Lahori Gate and Sadar Bazar, opticals at Ballimaran, glass and paint, yarn at Fatehpuri, handloom at Beadonpura, jewellery at Kucha Mahajani, Dariba Kala, Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh, Plywood at Paharganj, Kirti Nagar and Kotla Mubarakpur, alluminium and acrylic at Paharganj, coal and firewood at Paharganj, gota, zari and artificial jewellery at Maliwara, coolers at Kamla Market, machinery and ball bearing and building materials at Shradhanand Marg readymade garments at Gandhi Nagar and Anand Parvat remained completely closed. Retail markets also remained closed. A business loss of about Rs 300 crore was suffered which in turn affected a revenue loss of about Rs 30 crore to the Delhi government, claimed Parveen Khandelwal, secretary general, Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT). Former national president, BJP, M. Venkaiah Naidu said it was a national shame that the UPA government has not been able to provide 100 acres of land for making arrangements for the pilgrims of Lord Amarnath, the symbol of the belief of hundred crores of Hindus of this country. The chief of the Delhi unit of the BJP, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said the question was not only of 100 acres of land. This issue was connected with the belief, honour and prestige of the Hindus. The Congress government was insulting the Hindus deliberately, he alleged. |
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Govt, INTACH ink pact to project Delhi as heritage city
New Delhi, July 3 Sumati Mehta, principal secretary (tourism), on behalf of the government and S.K. Mishra, chairman of INTACH, signed the MoU in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The government is keen to make Delhi a “World Heritage City” by UNESCO by undertaking conservation-oriented development projects and other related strategies. INTACH has also been pursuing this through several conservation projects undertaken for the government during the past decade. The government would set up a Heritage Task Force comprising the Chief Minister as chairperson, the chief secretary as member secretary and 21 other official and non-official members. As per the MoU, the government would monitor activities to be undertaken by INTACH and provide the required support. It would also assist INTACH in obtaining information required by INTACH to carry out its responsibilities. INTACH would provide expertise and consultancy to the government for meeting the objective of projecting Delhi as a “World Heritage City”. It would assist the government in formulating heritage-related architectural and urban design schemes and policies. It would also formulate a comprehensive scheme for beautification and lighting of monuments during the Commonwealth Games. It would also bring heritage awareness to the citizens by innovative and interactive measures through the media, heritage walks, addressing school and college students, training of guides etc. |
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Six-hour power cuts a routine
affair in Noida
Noida, July 3 Though the Paschim Anchal Power Corporation is said to be having sufficient power, still power cuts have become a daily occurrence in sectors 52, 71, 61, 30, 20, 26 and 19. Though substations in sector 52 and 71 have 100 MPR additional power, the crisis continues as the power line had not been connected to it. The engineers, SDOs and JEs do not seem to care for the instructions of the Dy GM of Pashim Anchal Power Corporation. While power cut for six hours is a routine in most sectors, it is worse on Sundays when power is not supplied throughout the day. Besides, sudden power cuts or fluctuations in power play havoc with refrigerators, ACs, computers, TV sets and other gadgets in people’s homes. The Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRAW) president said they have written to the power minister and the chairman of the UP Power Corporation and if they do not hear from them in a day or two, they will write to the Chief Minister. |
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Dengue hits Noida, Ghaziabad
Noida, July 3 Besides, some 58 larvae of Aedes mosquito have been collected from the cooler water and rooftops in Sahibabad, 76 from Surya Nagar and 114 from Shalimar in Ghaziabad district. Fifteen of these have tested to be the larvae of Aedes mosquito, the sting of which spreads dengue. The National Mosquito Breeding Control Programme is learnt to have sent the report to the Noida Authority’s health department. Joint director Dr R.S. Sharma had sent one of his teams under the mosquito control programme to the Noida Authority on June 27. The team had collected 92 samples of Aedes larvae. According to the health department officials, arrangements for fogging and spraying insecticide are available with the health wing of the Noida Authority only. The matter will be taken up with the Authority to contain the menace. However, the Noida Authority is expressing ignorance about this matter, Dr Sharma said. Dr Sharma said that no sample was collected from people’s houses in Noida. But his team had collected the larvae of Aedes mosquito from stagnant waters on the roadside in Sector 6 near Noida Authority office, he added. |
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JEE coaching institutes rake in Rs 10,000 cr a year: Study
New Delhi, July 3 This is the direct result of the intense competition to qualify because of the limited number of seats available in these institutions of excellence. The paper claimed that coaching in such institutes costs as much as Rs 50,000 per annum per candidate which works out to be a huge sum. In a paper on higher education, prepared just before the beginning of the new academic year, by ASSOCHAM, it has been discovered that India despite being the third largest higher education system in the world (8-23 years age group), can only provide access to 7 per cent of the students in institutions of higher learning as compared to an average 40 per cent in most of the developed countries. Even smaller countries like Thailand and Singapore have average age participation rates (APR) of 20 per cent and 34 per cent respectively. Disclosing the findings of the paper, ASSOCHAM president Sajjan Jindal said an annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore which is currently being raked in by various coaching institutions is enough to open 30 to 40 IITs and IIMs with plenty of seats that can ensure admission to even an average candidate aspiring to become an engineering or management graduate. Seeking de-regulation of higher education, the ASSOCHAM president claimed that the real beneficiaries of the current education system were the education tsars and coaching centres. On an average there are more than five lakh students seeking admission to post-graduate programmes annually and out of these at least 50 per cent avail themselves of the services of coaching centres. The Paper suggests that the paucity of institutions of excellence can be overcome by encouraging the entry of private players into higher education, specially the big corporate houses which have the resources for financing such institutes. The Paper points out that in absolute terms, India has over 12 million students enrolled for higher education and the faculty for them is less than 3.5 lakh which is totally inadequate according to international higher education standards. Based on the findings of the paper, the ASSOCHAM has also suggested deregulation of IIMs and IITs from government shackles as this will not only help in improving the quality of management education but also expand their capacities to accommodate larger number of students in these institutions of excellence. |
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CBSE accepts AS level CIE course
New Delhi, July 3 The new directive also stipulated that the AS level will now be extended to standard XII instead of standard XI and will be a part of the external examination at the end of class XII. The move aims to streamline the procedure for admission to undergraduate medical courses. This has been communicated to the CIE by a letter by the MCI. Reacting to the directive, Ian Cambers, CIE regional manager, South Asia, said, “We are delighted that the CBSE now accepts the Cambridge AS level English advanced subsidiary course as an equivalent English language qualification for admission to undergraduate medical courses. This simplifies the process for students who aspire to take up pre-medical entrances in the country.” The development will help the CIE and CBSE bring uniformity to common entrance examinations. “The recognition of Cambridge GCE AS level English language by the CBSE as an equivalent to class 12 standard examination is indeed an achievement. Now it will allow students who are studying the CIE curriculum a fair chance to compete for medical courses in India. This is a very welcome development,” said Soumita Mukherjee, a teacher with DPS International here. Lawrence Fray, Principal, Vidya Sanskar International School, Faridabad, said, “This is the most welcome step from the CBSE for the students of the CIE as they will be treated on a par to their counterparts and can devote more time for other subjects like physics, chemistry and biology to clear medical entrance examinations.” |
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Flesh trade racket busted Indian-Canadian pimp,
3 girls arrested
News Delhi, July 3 According to HGS Dhaliwal, DCP, South District, they had received a specific information that flesh trade is being run at D-16 house in Greater Kailash–I. A raiding team was constituted immediately to raid the premises and apprehend the accused. The team was properly briefed and inspector Rohtash Kumar was given two notes in the denomination of Rs 1000 signed by ACP Greater Kailash to pose as decoy customer while inspector Harpal Singh accompanied as shadow witness. They were briefed that the shadow witness would send predetermined signal as soon as the deal was matured. At about 8.00 pm, the deal was reached for a sum of Rs 2000, the shadow witness then sent signals to the staff deployed around the premises and the house was raided. Three girls and the pimp were arrested from the spot. A case was registered against the accused. |
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Notorious criminal held for murder
New Delhi, July 3 Ishwar Singh of Bhajanpura police station has been involved in about eight cases of attempt to murder, theft and Arms Act in Delhi. On June 24 he had gone to a bar at Priya Complex, Vasant Lok in South Delhi with his girlfriend Tabassum where her ex-boyfriend, Malik was also present. When Ishwar Singh came to know about the old relations of Tabassum, he started beating her in the bar itself. The victim, Gaurav Lamba of R.K. Puram who was present there objected to it. When they came out of the bar, Ishwar Singh fired at Gaurav lamba with a countrymade pistol and fled in his car. It was learnt that the assailant would be coming near UP border in the night. A trap was laid and Ishwar Singh was apprehended from the Main Wazirabad Road. The weapon of crime along with two live cartridges was recovered from his house. Ishwar Singh admitted that he had started his criminal career in 2006. He was then arrested in a case of rioting in Bhajanpura. Since then he has been involved in several cases including attempt to murder. |
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3rd cut-off list awaited
New Delhi, July 3 It is the eighty and seventy percenters who are in the line hoping to get admission. Many are waiting for the third cut-off which is due to be released late on Friday night and will be up at college notice boards on Saturday. Professor Gurpreet Tuteja, the deputy dean, Student Welfare, says that, “a majority of the admissions process has been completed with the second cut-off but there are a few vacancies in some of the colleges. In the more popular non-science courses, 80% to 90% of the admission process is completed. Only few seats are there for the third cut-off and they will be due to the fact that students move to other colleges.” “For most commerce courses, the admission process is completed. There may be a few vacancies—some 5%-10%, not more,” says Tuteja. The scene is much better for science students as despite the second cut-off and the major dip that came with it, most campus colleges have filled only 60% seats. “Yes, there will be some 60% seats open for admissions in science in most colleges,” says Tuteja. “Somehow, the student rush this year round has been for the arts courses and commerce programmes. Science has come in second after these and there will be seats available in most colleges,” says Tuteja. Navin Mittal, a student from Gurgaon, is waiting for the third cut-off. He says, “I have a 80.5% aggregate and so far have got admission in Physics Hons at one or two colleges but my preference is B. Com. and waiting for the cut-off to drop further. Hopefully, I will make it to the college of my choice.” There are many others in the same position. Geetanjali has managed admission in B. Com. at Gargi College but is waiting for the third cut-off, “I want this course at LSR or SRCC and am waiting for the third cut-off. Most of my friends have got into LSR. Let’s hope there is a vacancy.” |
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Sore about power cuts, residents attack
BSES office
New Delhi, July 3 According to them, the colonies in the area have been facing electricity cut of about 50 hours and the supply is restored only when they come and stage a protest here. Last night when the protesters reached the BSES office and demanded the restoration of electricity supply, the crowd went unruly on being told that it would be done only in the morning. They broke furniture and other equipments at the BSES office and later reached the Uttam Nagar Chowk where the traffic was disrupted. The tempers rose further when the police which reached the spot, instead of pacifying the people started using batons on them. The public could only be assuaged around 11 pm when the senior officers reached the spot and assured them to look into their grievances. Padampuri resident Vijay Agarwal told that there has been no electricity in his area since last 72 hours. |
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Mango fest begins today
New Delhi, July 3 The festival will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. She will also felicitate Padam Shri Kaleemullah Khan, the man credited for raising 375 varieties of the fruit on a single tree. Apart from a seminar on the luscious tropical fruit, the festival will also organise several mango-eating competitions for both men and women. |
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Swords taken out over car collision
New Delhi, July 3 The incident took place around 2 am when a Swift car occupied by Sandeep, Kamal, Pradeep and Shekhar allegedly bumped into a Honda City car driven by Puneet along with his friend Taran Preet. According to the police, all six persons were injured when the two parties accused each other for wrong driving leading to the collision. Both have accused each other for trying to hit them with sword and a kirpan. However, the police has not recovered any weapon from the involved and has not made any arrest. After the fight, Sandeep and his group reached Balaji Hospital and got themselves admitted even before the police reached the accident site. Puneet and Taran Preet were taken by the PCR van to the Deen Dayal Upadhayay Hospital for first aid and were later let off. According to police, apart from Puneet all seemed to have consumed alcohol which was testified by the blood examination. None of the boys has received any serious injury. Sandeep and Kamal live in Paschim Vihar while Pradeep stays in Paschim Puri. Shekhar is a resident of Nihal Vihar. Puneet had come from Punjab and was visiting his friend Taran Preet who stays in Mahavir Nagar. Both parties were called to the Vikas Puri Police Station. Most likely, both will be held responsible for causing a scene in a public place. |
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Kidney Scam CBI seeks Greek help
New Delhi, July 2 The CBI has sent a request to Interpol’s office in Athens seeking details about the arrests made by the Greek police of four women who are involved in the crime. Reports in the Greek media say the police there has found a woman doctor and two other women for being involved in the kidney scam. The three were arrested on June 25 and charged as members of an international gang. The gang arranged to send kidney patients to India to receive illegal kidney transplants. |
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