New Delhi, July 8
Delhi food and supplies minister Haroon Yusuf today said that the Delhi government had ordered a probe into the issue of bogus ration cards. He said that strict legal action would be taken against those found guilty. He said this while addressing a press conference here.

Yusuf expressed the commitment of the Sheila Dikshit government to eliminate all bogus cards from the city. Recently, 170598 PDS cards were found to be bogus, of which 11,256 were in the AAY category, 17,364 in the BPL category and 141,978 in the APL category.

Though a proper inquiry was being conducted in the matter, the government would continue to intensify its efforts to provide a foolproof data of ration cards to ensure the delivery of essential food items under the PDS. He said that the government was committed to expose the nexus among food and supplies officials, fair price owners, PDS mafia with whose collusion the bogus cards had been made and were being operated over the years.

Even as Yusuf assured people of a thorough probe, the leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi wrote to Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna and demanded a CBI probe in the scam involving fake PDS cards.

He alleged that the corruption had reached its peak under the present government and said that every kerosene shopkeeper had 500 to 600 fake PDS ration cards and the ration acquired through these cards was later sold on the black market.

New Delhi, July 8
The rains in the National Capital Territory of Delhi while keeping the temperatures down to comfortable levels have brought along the seasonal woes of mosquito-related diseases like malaria and dengue.

According to official sources, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of suspected malaria cases in various hospitals in the national capital.

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are the basic elements of malaria control.

Early and effective treatment of malaria disease will shorten its duration and prevent the development of complications and the great majority of deaths from malaria, say doctors.

The doctors recommend that taking aspirin, disprin and brufen tablets should be avoided as these are known to increase the bleeding tendency and also lead to cramps in the stomach of the patient.

According to the World Health Organisation and the American Academy of Paediatrics, “Paracetamol is the first-line treatment for fever and pain in children”.

Also, it is advisable to get a blood test under the supervision of qualified doctors. “Keep the fever down by giving paracetamol like crocin. And drink lots of fluids,” the doctors suggest.

Malaria is a mosquito-spread disease that causes over 2.7 million deaths per year, according to estimates by the World Health Organisation. It is also a potentially fatal blood disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted to human and animal hosts by the Anopheles mosquito.

Ghaziabad, July 8
In a case of road rage, a student leader and his men yesterday evening thrashed a builder, his wife and their private security guard for not allowing their car to overtake theirs. The security guard was seriously wounded because of being repeatedly hit on the head with the rifle butt, while the builder and his wife fled from the spot. The guard was admitted to district hospital.

The students snatched the gun of the security guard and fired a few shots to terrorise them.

The student leader Yatendra Nagar and his four companions were taken into custody. A case has been registered against them.

However, immediately after the arrest a large number of student leaders gathered outside the Vijay Nagar police station and also jammed the NH-24 demanding their release.

Harsh Vardhan Yadav, the property dealer, lives in Windsor Nova Apartments. He has his office in KB-28 Ashok Nagar. At the time of the incident Harsh was going home in his car along with his wife Neetu, gunman Vinode Gupta and driver Kamal Raj. When they reached Rahul Vihar Tri-junction, a black Safari over took their car and blocked their way.

Half a dozen armed persons first pulled out their security guard, snatched his licensed rifle and fired a few shots in the air. They also snatched Harsh Vardhan’s rifle. They then beat-up Vinode mercilessly with the rifle butt. Vardhan and his wife were also assaulted.

Harsh Vardhan informed the Vijay Nagar police, which reached the spot and arrested Yatendra Nagar and his companions.

Greater Noida, July 8
With the arrest of eight persons, the Noida police has claimed to have solved the mystery behind cows being slaughtered in the area. However, their other four accomplices managed to give police the slip.

Eight of those involved in this illegal trade were nabbed in Sorkha village while they were transporting cows. When police waved at their four accomplices to stop, they opened fire and escaped, SSP R.K. Chaturvedi said.

The eight have been identified as Jamil of Pilkhua, Feroze, Yaad Illahi, Shahid and Salim of Mohanpur in Bulandshahr, Qamaruddin of Meethapur, Rahim alias Bubloo of Todi village in Ghaziabad and Khalid from Sector-55 in Faridabad.

Two vehicles, a Mahindra truck and a Bolero car, one ox, five cows, slaughtering equipment, two revolvers and a large quantity of live cartridges were recovered from them.

Over two dozen persons work for the gang. Different jobs are allotted to them. Some scout for stray cattle, some select sites for slaughter while some are involved in slaughtering, the SSP said.

The arrested gang members revealed that they had slaughtered about 24 cows in Choorhpur, Knowledge Park-I, Sakipur, Tilpata and in jungles of Jaitpur and Junpat villages.

Their four other companions are Karim, Shakir, Haroon and Sukhuddudin belonging to Haryana and are absconding.

According to the police, cow-slaughtering gangs are active in Ghaziabad, Hapur and Meerut. Those involved in the gangs sell beef with the help of big businessmen.

According to the SSP, cow-slaughtering gangs are active in Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Hapur and Meerut. The gangs have been killing cows for the past many years. Beef was even exported to foreign countries with the help of big traders. It is a smooth business that is being executed in a sleek manner. 

Faridabad, July 8
The women wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the BJP Mahilla Morcha today pledged to enlist as many females to the party as possible in order to expand the party’s base in the state.

At an all-woman public meeting organised by the district unit of the Mahilla Morcha, state president of the organisation, Anuradha Sharma said that the party has decided to expand its base among the female section of society. She said that women should now come out of hearth into public life.

She lamented growing atrocities on women in Haryana and an increase in crime against women. She cited the recent alleged rape inside police station in which the victim committed suicide at state headquarters of the police.

The district president of the Morha, Meera Tomar said that women in Haryana have been showing inclination towards BJP.

Today’s public meeting was a sequel to a decision of the state unit of the BJP to prepare women to handle poll-related matters at booth level during election times. Such meetings are being organised in all districts to sensitise women and increase party’s base among them.

The importance of the meeting could be visualised from the fact that almost all senior leaders of the main BJP like former MP Ramchander Bainda, former leader in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Krishanpal Gurjar, former MLA Chander Bhatia and the district president of the party Gopal Sharma addressed the gathering.

New Delhi, July 8
Stepping up the tempo in the run-up to the assembly elections, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Jai Prakash Agarwal, MP, exhorted the Congress workers to do creative work in their areas to realise the dream of the people to make the Capital a model metropolis and defeat the nefarious designs of opportunists and communalists.

He said the Congress workers, through their dedicated service to people, should ensure that the party retained power in Delhi for the third consecutive time in the coming Assembly elections.

He said this while addressing gatherings during his whirlwind tour of the Karawal Nagar Assembly constituency as part of his people-contact programme last evening

Agarwal was accompanied by East Delhi Member of Parliament Sandeep Dikshit, who also addressed the meetings.

Prominent areas in which Agarwal and Dikshit addressed gatherings were Karawal Nagar Road, Khajuri Khas, Lakpath Adarsh Memorial School, Panchayat Ghar Khajuri Khas, Sherpur village, Sherpur and Biharipur main road, Dayalpur Village, Sadavpur Village, Karawal Nagar village, Pushta Road (Karawal Nagar), Sabhapur Village, Sriram Colony and Rajiv Nagar.

The DPCC president alleged that the BJP was a party with no direction which indulged only in spreading lies and gossips to confuse the people, instead of doing constructive work for the larger good of the people. He claimed that the Congress government in Delhi was doing many praiseworthy works for the overall development and progress of Delhi to make the Capital a world class city.

He said the government had implemented various schemes for the poor, labour, the backward classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, the underprivileged, people living in JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies. He said development works were being carried out on a fast track mode in unauthorised colonies in a bid to give every possible civic amenity.

Others present at the meetings were block president Begraj Singh, Kalyan Singh, Prof. Jile Singh, Jagdish Pradhan, Ram Singh Rajinder Singh Khari, Virender Singh Negi, Ramesh Chand Gandhi, Ballu Pehlwan, Jagpal Saini, Praveen Kasana, Rajesh Sharma, Satish Pradhan, Ram Singh, Prathap, Jai Prakash, Vikram, Ravi Choudhari, R.P.Goyal, Hem Singh Pradhan and Rajbir Sharma.

New Delhi, July 8
Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra announced that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be developing a Heritage Museum and a Tourist Information Centre in the walled city of the Capital which is the epicenter of the rich heritage and traditions of the Mughal era.

Mehra announced that the complex would be at Lahori Gate, which can be approached from Ajmeri Gate Chowk to GB road.

“Due to overcrowding, commercialisation, congestion and traffic and transportation problems not only national and international tourists but even Delhities have gradually stopped visiting the walled city. The construction of Heritage Museum is our effort to win back the visitors and know our rich past,” said Arti.

She also revealed that Vijay Goel, former MP could be nominated as the chairman of the advisory board that will be constituted for the building of the Heritage Museum.

New Delhi, July 8
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted a gang of robbers active in the area of Outer District Delhi and arrested five persons in the process. Sanjay, Sambhu, Inderjit, Vikram and Narendra had assaulted a driver and his helper and robbed their truck in Alipur police station on July 1. They had tied up the two victims with their own clothes before leaving with the truck. They were arrested yesterday from the area of Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in Samaipur Badli while planning to rob another truck.  

The accused disclosed that on July 1, they were on the lookout for a target. At around midnight, they spotted a truck coming towards them on a deserted side lane in Boorpur village. They signalled the truck to stop. As soon as the truck stopped, all five of them climbed into the cabin from both the sides. They assaulted the driver and his helper. After beating them up, they took off their clothes. They tied up the hands and feet of the two victims and gagged them. Taking them away to a distance, they dumped them in the jungle and took away the truck. They also robbed some money from the two victims. They hid the truck in village Bakhtawarpur after changing the registration number.

The two victims managed to free themselves after a little while and reported the matter to the police at Alipur police station. Interrogation revealed that in May 2008, Sanjay had sold a Tata 407 which he had been driving along with its cargo to one person in Punjab.