New Delhi, August 5
The Delhi government today began the sale of application forms for the allotment of 10,000 low-cost houses aimed at making a slum-free national Capital. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today opened a sale counter at Regarpura at Karol Bagh for the Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana.

The filled application forms will be received at 54 centres from August 18 to September 5.

“The applicant must be a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years and the annual income should not exceed Rs16,000,” Dikshit stated.

“10,000 well-designed flats are ready in Bawana and Baprola for allotment. The flats have been provided with all basic amenities including water, electricity, dispensary, playground, shopping Centre for daily needs and public transport,” Dikshit said.

The flats are meant for the residents of slum clusters and urban poor. Residents of those slum clusters would be allotted flats on priority, who have been dislocated to make room for construction of projects related to Commonwealth Games.

Two-room and one-room dwelling units would respectively cost Rs 200,000 and Rs 175,000 approximately, for which the Centre would provide around Rs 60,000 under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Rest of the amount would be arranged as soft loan on easy instalment from banks, which would be repayable in 15 to 20 years. — IANS

New Delhi, August 5
Heavy rains continued to lash the National Capital Territory of Delhi for the second consecutive day today bringing the humidity levels as well as the temperature down to comfortable levels.

Delhi recorded the highest rainfall in a single day this season yesterday. The Met office said that total of 74 mm of rainfall was recorded yesterday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 25 degrees Celsius.

Traffic bottlenecks were reported at the ITO crossing, Ghazipur crossing, Nizamuddin crossing, Ashram crossing, Azadpur and several other junctions. Complaints of water logging were received from many areas like Palam, Model Town, South Extension and Lajpat Nagar.

The Met office has predicted more rain in the next 24 hours with one or two spells of heavy showers.

Noida, August 5
Over 1,000 villagers on Tuesday laid a siege to the Greater Noida Authority office at Gamma, saying the compensation for their acquired agricultural lands was not adequate.

The protesting farmers clashed with the policemen who tried to prevent them from entering the office.

They broke flowerpots in corridors of the office while some women protesters barged into the chairman’s office.

The agitating Greater Noida farmers threatened to immolate themselves if their demands were not met within the next 24 hours, starting on Tuesday afternoon.

Expressing resentment against the compensation rates handed over to them for their agricultural lands, the villagers later launched an indefinite sit-in at the Greater Noida Authority’s office.

“We have given 24 hours to the authorities for meeting our demands. If our demands are not met, I and another member Mehndi Hasan will immolate ourselves here before everyone,” said Ram Dev Rawal, a member of Greater Noida Kisan Sangharsh Manch.

People from over 10 villages, including Ghori Bachera, Dabra, Saini, Ajaibpur, Muthrapur, Kadha, Raipur and Tusiyana, who were gathered at the authority office also raised anti-government slogans.

“This government is anti-farmer and anti-people. They are not bothered about the future of farmers, who have given their only prized possession to the government for its big projects,” said Rawal.

The villagers have demanded that the new land acquisition rates of Rs. 850 per sq. metre, announced by the state government in 2008, should be applied to their lands, too, which were acquired in 2006 for Rs.322 per sq. metre.

“We want the new rates to be applicable to our 2006 acquired lands too,” said Jagveer Nagar, a protesting villager.

The villagers also claimed that they have not been allotted yet the plot they were to get in lieu of their acquire farm lands.

“The Greater Noida Authority has been delaying the whole matter,” said Vijay Kumar, a villager.

Lalit Srivastava, chairman of the GNIDA, said: “The demands of these farmers are totally unjustified. These people have already lifted their compensation amounts well under the prevalent rates announced by the state government. There is no reason for them to come and demand increase now.” —IANS

New Delhi, August 5
The helpline of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) that has been working for sometime now, is proving to be quiet beneficial to the lower middle class.

The commission receives 30-35 calls everyday.

Out of them, 25-30 cases are registered with the Commission.

Remaining are either worked out on phone or in commission’s office.

Fourty per cent of the cases comes from the lower middle class society including residents of jhuggis. Other cases are of the middle and the high- class society.

VIP cases have also been registered with the DCW, but their details are not disclosed, said Jyoti, a councellor.

According to Jyoti, lower middle class women generally register complaint against their husband’s drinking and beating habit. Their usual complaints include that their husbands do not give them enough money to run the family. And when they object to their drinking, they are beaten-up by them.

In charge of the pre-marital counselling cell, Dr Chitra Srivastava said that NGOs play a positive role in popularising the helpline and the pre-marital couselling cell, as they work in clusters.

According to Dr Chitra, the pre-marital counselling cell has been started only this month.

So far three women have come to take advice.

Geeta (name changed), a maid in Patparganj, has registered a case against her husband for harassment saying that he does not work. Geeta earns hardly 2,500 a month, which is not enough for her three children, but her husband demands money from her everyday for alcohol. When she refuses, she is abused and beaten up by him.

She was given DCW’s helpline number by an NGO active in slums. Now she has got some relief. 

New Delhi, August 5
The new session has hardly started in Delhi University (DU) and the university appears all set to hold the Delhi University Students Union elections. The elections are scheduled for September 5.

The university administration announced its election schedule today. August 22 is the last day for submission of nomination papers.

According to sources, the nomination papers will be scrutinized on August 22 and the list of nominated candidates will be released in the evening the same day.

The nominated candidates must submit the bank draft as a security deposit on August 23. The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is August 25. The final list of candidates will be published the same day. The date for counting of votes will be decided later.

DU vice-chancellor has appointed Gurmeet Singh from the department of chemistry as the chief election officer, J.M. Khurana from the department of chemistry as the chief returning officer and Rajesh Tandon from the department of botany as the additional returning officer. 

New Delhi, August 5
Do your children rely mostly on snacks and ignore eating regular, nourishing food? Are you worried about your child’s diet? These are the questions which are haunting parents in the modern fast paced lifestyle where there is little time for the family to sit together and eat.

According to medical experts, children love to snack all the time and the only way parents can influence their children’s snacking is by making sure that they do it the smart way.

Raghu, an eight-year-old student of Don Bosco School here does not eat food properly. “He loves noodles so much that he wants it in all the meals. And this worries us,” said Radha, his mother.

Srinivas, a five-year-old is another example. “He loves biscuits instinctively and doesn’t share them with anyone. Moreover, if anyone from our family asks him what he should get for him, he wants only biscuits.’ Although I am concerned about his health, I feel helpless. He doesn’t listen to me and starts weeping if I don’t let him have that,” said his mother, Vaishali.

Radha and Vaishali are not the only worried mothers. Almost every mother is concerned about her child’s health but they can’t do much. Children’s tendency to eat only what they like and avoid everything else compels parents to think. Today’s kids prefer snacks to a traditional, regular, made-at-home meal. As a result, many parents are looking for a healthy snacking option, which is not unhealthy in any way.

According to nutritionists, there are certain guidelines to be followed before you choose any snack for your child. First and foremost, you must ensure that the snacks you choose for your child are made in healthy oils. One great example of such oils is rice bran. In addition, a very critical aspect of your child’s snack is its ingredients like wholegrain, vegetables and essential vitamins.

Wholegrains play an essential role in promoting your child’s overall health. Being a good source of fibre, wholegrains can also provide your child with a number of essential vitamins and nutrients. Fibre especially from grains like wheat is beneficial for your child’s digestive health.

With the change in lifestyle and eating patterns, digestive health has emerged as a new problem in the recent past. The quality of food that a child eats today is different - since he/she eats foods, which are fiber depleted. Shift from coarse grains to ‘prestigious’ refined grains like polished rice, products made from refined wheat like naan/roti, bread, pastas, noodles etc. has driven fibre content down to 50% per serving.

It is strongly recommended for a child to have at least two to three servings of whole grains per day. Each serving is usually taken as 16 gms of wholegrain. Parents should, therefore, ensure that wholegrain forms a part of their child’s snack.

“It is generally seen among children that they don’t like to consume green vegetables and as a result their growth is impacted. Thus, vegetables like carrots and spinach, which are rich in minerals and vitamins should also be a part of your child’s snack. Though all the vitamins are vital for the body, Vitamin A, which is essential for eye health and the proper functioning of the immune system, is the most significant one for your child,” says Dr. J Kumar, an expert in child nutrition and a consultant to various hospitals here.

The sheer variety of snacks available in the market today is mind boggling and there is a need to look carefully at the label before you pick one of those as it’s a matter of health of your child.

While snacking is a good occasion to provide energy and nutrients to children, parents should take care not to replace snacking for main meals like breakfast or lunch. Parents should always persist with their children to have a well-balanced meal rather than having snacks or fast food all the time, says the doctor.

New Delhi, August 5
A 25-year-old property dealer was shot at by his business partner last night in the Pitampura area of North West Delhi.

The victim Sunil Dahiya is presently battling for life at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital with a bullet in his chest. The incident took place around 11 p.m. when Sunil was drinking with his business partner Puran, 34, at his office along with one Praveen.

All was well until Puran and Sunil got into an argument related to a property deal in the past. The argument provoked Puran to the point that he pulled his revolver and shot Sunil. He soon fled the spot and has been absconding since.

Sunil Dahiya, a wrestler from Haryana, has represented his state in various national wrestling competitions.

“They are in the business of property dealing and also lend money to people on interest. Last night, they were drinking together when a squabble broke out between them over some issue. Puran then pulled out a gun and shot at Dahiya,” said deputy commissioner of police (northwest Delhi) N.C. Bundela. Police has registered a case under section 307 of IPC at Shalimar Bagh police station and manhunt for Puran has been launched. 

Noida, August 5
By arresting the maid servant, Sector-24 police claimed to have solved the mystery of the death of a senior citizen on July 27 in Dawlagiri Apartments, Sector-34.

Police said the maid had strangled the senior citizen allegedly for having physically abused her as well as for some monetary dispute between the two.

According to SP City, the body of 79-year-old Raghunandan Prasad Srivastava was recovered from Flat No C-54 in Dawlagiri Apartments on July 27. The body of Srivastava, who had retired as joint director from Indian Audit & Accounts Service, was found in a semi-naked condition from his bedroom. His hands and feet had been tied.

The security guards of the sector told the police that Srivastava’s previous maid servant, Puja had come to meet the senior citizen on July 25 as well as on july 27, the day of murder. Puja has confessed to the murder, police said.

According to SP City, Puja was an ex-maid in Raghunandan Prasad’s house.

Puja alleged that Raghunandan used to harass and molest her. 

New Delhi, August 5
The recent terror blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore has come as a warning for the Delhi Police. The Delhi Police has come up with plans to set up a centralised and 24x7 electronic surveillance of busy marketplaces, railway and bus stations, VIP zones, historical monuments and other important places vulnerable to terrorist strikes.

The police has CCTV facility at six busy markets and railway stations only. These include markets of Sadar Bazar, Ajmal Khan Road, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, Chandni Chowk, Khan Market and New and Old Delhi Metro and railway stations. However, in absence of centralised command and control centre, these CCTV cameras are a stand-alone system with monitoring facilities only in the offices of local police station, ACP and deputy commissioner of the district.

To do away with this anomaly, the new project aims to set up a central command and control centre for all CCTV cameras across the Capital so that security threat could be monitored.

Delhi Police public relations officer ACP Rajan Bhagat confirmed the plans and said that the department had floated a tender for the project few days ago. “We are working towards setting up a central command and control centre for CCTV cameras across the city and it would take few months from now, once the company to execute the project is selected,” said Bhagat.

He said that September 4 was the last date for submitting the bids. The Delhi Police was open to ideas that would make the surveillance system more effective, he added. With the setting up of a centralised command and control Centre, the alertness of police personnel on duty can also be checked.

The project would also include integration and upgrading of the existing CCTV installations. The Delhi Police is looking forward to the installation of PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) and fixed cameras with day and night vision so that any technology glitches do not arise.

“The need for cameras that do not move in a fixed pattern was felt after hoax bomb calls were made at Chawri Bazaar Metro station. The caller who twice called from Rajiv Metro terminal PCO was well aware of the camera movement and was able to dodge it. The PTZ cameras have a varied moving pattern and can be quite helpful,” said a security official. 

New Delhi, August 5
An interstate co-ordination meeting aimed at strengthening co-operation and co-ordination in order to address various issues related to policing in NCR region was held today at the Police Headquarters.

Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal addressed senior officers of the Delhi police and their counterparts from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttrakhand states with focus on evolving a comprehensive mechanism to deal with terrorist threats especially in view of the forthcoming Independence Day.

Dadwal stressed on increasing police presence, intensive checking at vulnerable places, tenant verification, guesthouse checking and sensitisation of cyber café owners, second hand car dealers, property dealers, cycle sellers, chemical dealers and public telephone booth owners, in order to strengthen the counter terrorism measures. It was decided to organise joint combing operations in border areas.

Deliberations were held to improve co-operation between police forces.

Jt.CP/Crime, Delhi stressed the need to have an institutional arrangement for exchange of information on inter-state criminals. The latest trends in crime and modus operandi of criminals were discussed and focus areas in combating crime were identified. It was decided that joint action would be taken against the notorious interstate criminals.

The meeting ended with a resolution to have a more co-ordinated approach in policing in order to provide a more secure environment to citizens of Delhi and neighbouring areas.

New Delhi, August 5
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today announced that the government would establish a fire station in each assembly constituency. Seven new fire stations with modern equipment would be commissioned this month.

Inaugurating two fire stations at Sector — 5 and 15 in Rohini, the Chief Minister said that it was becoming necessary to set up fire stations as large-scale multi-storeyed buildings and colonies were coming up. As a result, more people live in a colony.

Plots for 26 fire stations have been identified whereas 15 are under construction. Fire stations at Paschim Vihar, Shastri Park, Mangolpuri, Tigri Kalan, Tahirpur, Sarita Vihar and Jwala Heri would be inaugurated this month.

She commended fire personnel for controlling fire tragedies and saving people. The government has set up a Disaster Management Centre at Laxmi Nagar in Rohini and Nehru Place fire stations. Fifteen water tenders, three hose tenders, one BA set-cum-control van and 200 BA set have been added to the fleet of Delhi Fire Service. Six hundred fire protective suits have been procured for the staff.