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Rain is pain on roads
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Waterlogging panel formed
Oppn blames MCD
Amity students, teachers
interact with Kalam
Teacher thrashes class IX boy
Hoax bomb call creates panic in Guru Nanak
school
JNU students begin fast
Ragging Turns Violent
Tension in Modern School
CM: Involve women in disaster management
3 held for murder-cum-robbery
BSES to crack down on
power thieves
Truck loaded with meat damaged, villagers clash with cops
Six-year-old gangraped
Woman, paramour killed
Manihara gets Rotary award for helping street children
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Rain is pain on roads
New Delhi, August 8 Many parts of New Delhi, South Delhi, Central Delhi, East Delhi and West Delhi were under knee-deep water, making it difficult for people to navigate. Most of the roads were dotted with stalled vehicles, adding to the chaos. In some low lying areas of West Delhi, school vans carrying schoolchildren were reported stranded in water, virtually marooning the tiny tots for several hours. As usual, commuters were the worst hit as they were caught in long traffic snarls, particularly on Vikas Marg, ITO Crossing, Mathura Road, section of Ring Road between Moolchand crossing and the AIIMS crossing, Dhaula Kuan, Darya Ganj, Kashmere Gate, Azadpur, Subzi Mandi and Narela were some of the worst affected areas. The situation was pretty grim at the Vikas Marg-Ring Road crossing near the Raj Ghat which was under neck-deep water and officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi struggled to pump it out for several hours. These officials had no explanation how water had collected on this stretch of the road which sees some of the heaviest traffic flows. All over the city, harried traffic police personnel struggled to clear the roads of stalled vehicles. In many cases heavy cranes had to be summoned to tow the vehicles away. The heavy rains, which were preceded by a high velocity storm, took its toll of the Capital’s greenery as well. Many trees were reported uprooted in the East and New Delhi areas. Irate residents and commuters who were stuck in traffic snarls cursed the MCD for not having completed the desilting of drains properly and in time. They alleged that overflowing of clogged drains was the main reason for the waterlogging on roads. The showers, which hit the city in the early morning hours, however, brought down the minimum temperature to 24.9 degrees Celsius. The humidity was also reduced considerably. The Met office has predicted more rain in the next 24 hours.
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Waterlogging panel formed
New Delhi, August 8 All departments of the Delhi government and other government agencies are members of the committee. The officials have already been given a list of the areas that are vulnerable to waterlogging. They have also been apprised of the actions to be taken by them to check the menace. But it is unfortunate that the departments and the officials concerned have not yet taken any action leading to chaotic conditions on roads during heavy rains, the MCD leaders said. The leaders pointed out that many roads in the city including, Ring Road and Outer Ring Road were flooded due to today’s rainfall and the inaction of the Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Ring Road near Raj Ghat and IGI Stadium, Outer Ring Road from IIT flyover to Rao Tula Ram Marg, Aferica Avenue Marg, Kalkadas Marg near Qutab Minar, Yamuna Vihar, Karawal Nagar, Loni Road, LIG-MIG Flat, Naveen Shahdara, Gandhi Nagar, Lado Sarai Road, Mathura Road-Bhogal, RUB Badarpur, some portions of Najafgarh Road and Kalindikunj Road were affected by waterlogging. Arya and Gupta said that these roads did not lie within the MCD’s jurisdiction, yet the Corporation had deputed its men and machines including suction machines, and pumps at waterlogged points. Subhash Arya alleged that the PWD drains were choked and water could not flow properly. Due to the huge quantity of water coming from the IGI Stadium and ITO bridge side, the ways were submerged, said Arya. The PWD used to provide pumps at the vulnerable point, but this time it has not done so, he alleged. The MCD has provided three high capacity pumps to discharge the accumulated water. He said that waterlogging in some areas of Najafgarh road near Tilak Nagar police station, Janakpuri (West Metro station) and opposite Shanker Garden took place as the Delhi Metro damaged the storm water drain. Vijender Gupta said that he was surprised that the Ring Road near Raj Ghat got flooded creating chaotic conditions. He said that the area was neither a part of the MCD’s action plan nor, was it mentioned in the MCD’s vulnerable point list. He held the PWD responsible for the menace. Kalindi Kunj Road is a PWD Road. Waterlogging was noticed opposite the petrol pump around 6.30 in the morning. However, the situation was brought under control in two hours. The waterlogging was due to poor drainage system. The condition of road under bridge in Badarpur was no different. The Trans Yamuna area, Loni Road, LIG and MIG Flat suffered heavily due to the flood department’s inaction. Shahdara, Navin Shahdara, Yamuna Vihar faced waterlogging. Due to the inadequate drainage system, waterlogging took place at Gokul Puri, Bhajan Pura, Bela Road, Khari Bawli, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Sadar, Paharganj, Punjabi Bagh and Rohini areas.
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Oppn blames MCD
New Delhi, August 8 The leaders said that waterlogging could be seen everywhere and the rainwater have entered houses. The garbage and silt after mixing with the water had spread everywhere, proving false the claims of the BJP regarding the de-silting of drains. They said Mayor Arti Mehra had announced that the MCD would accelerate the work of desilting of nallas and that ultra-moderns machines would be procured for this work. But her claims have been proved false. |
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Amity students, teachers
interact with Kalam
New Delhi, August 8 Expressing his delight in interacting with the students and faculty, Dr Kalam shared his views on the topic “National challenges as drivers for research”. Emphasising the importance of research globally, Dr Kalam said research and development enriched the quality of teaching and in turn, the quality of teaching enriched research and development. “By imbibing knowledge and its four components — creativity, righteousness, courage and indomitable spirit —, citizens can become liberal and progressive. Therefore, teachers and educators should impart the combination of all these to ensure holistic development of students,” said Dr Kalam. He said five technological challenges await students as they enter professional arenas. These include information and communication technology, energy, automobile industry and aero space field. He urged the students to prepare themselves for chasing these challenges. “A good leader is the one who has vision and passion to transform vision into action, could travel into an unexplored path and knows how to manage success and failure,” he said. “In order to achieve excellence in any area creative leadership is required, which means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach.” Maj-Gen. KJ Singh, vice-chancellor, Amity University, and Dr Ashok K Chauhan, founder-president, Amity University, were present on the occasion. Dr Chauhan announced the establishment of Amity Capacity Building Foundation, which would pursue capacity building programmes and other projects of nation building.
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His fault? He used the RTI to see the answersheets
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 8 Mohsin Ansari (17) seems to have provoked the school authorities after he used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to be shown his English examination papers in which he had fared poorly as against his expectations. The school had refused to show him the answersheet even as Ansari alleged discrimination. Yesterday, when Mohsin went to school, Jai Singh Yadav, the physical training (PT) instructor, allegedly bashed him without any provocation. Mohsin alleged that he was repeatedly slapped and pushed down the stairs by Jai Singh Yadav without any reason. He was taken to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where he was discharged in the evening. Mohsin’s father Yosuf Ansari has alleged that the school was harassing his son and he would complain about it to the education minister. Mohsin had used the RTI to get a copy of the answersheet of his English subject examination and also wanted to see the answersheets of other students of his class. Though he was given a copy of his paper, the authorities refused to show him the answersheets of other students. He then approached the CIC, which directed the school authorities to show him the answersheets of the other students. Mohsin says that the school principal was present on the campus when he was being bashed but nobody intervened.
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Hoax bomb call creates panic in Guru Nanak
school
New Delhi, August 8 While the Heritage School in Vasant Kunj, South Delhi, remained closed yesterday amidst the rumour of bomb plantation, today was the turn of Guru Nanak Public School at Rajouri Garden in west Delhi. Although the school opened in the morning, it was soon vacated of students after the school authorities received a phone call where the anonymous caller threatened of a bomb blast on the school premises. The call was received by a clerk in the office who passed on the information to the school principal without letting anybody know and thus creating a panic situation. The police received a call from the school around 8.50 am and immediately rushed a bomb disposal squad. “The bomb could not be tracked since it was never there in the first place. It was just a hoax call. The number of the caller could not be known since the school telephone does not have the facility to flash the caller’s number,” said a senior police official. It took about an hour for the police and bomb disposal squad and the dog squad to declare that the campus was free of any explosive. Classes were resumed soon after. Meanwhile, anxious parents of some students turned up at the school and decided to take their children home. |
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JNU students begin fast
New Delhi, August 8 The councillors argued that there had been an overall seat cut in the university this year. Besides, the strike is against the non-fulfillment of physically handicapped (PH) and Other Backward Caste (OBC) quotas. “The admission system is flawed. It is leading to a decline in the number of seats instead of an 18% increase. While 680 students had joined M.Phil.-Ph.D programmes in 2007, the number has been reduced to 663 this year,” said Anirban, a councillor. A delegation that had met the administration alleged that the logic placed by the JNU authorities is skewed. However, the university authorities maintain there are no legal discrepancy in the admissions this year. “Admissions for BA programme is done on the basis of the previous admission policy of JNU. So does the administration mean that BA admissions are all illegal,” said Anirban. The only forum where the issue can be addressed is the standing committee on admissions. Councillors claim that administration intended to call a meeting of the standing committee after the admissions are over. In that case any discrepancy in the fulfillment of seats would have become a fait accompli. “We have forced the university to extend the date of the standing committee meeting on admissions to August 11,” said Divya, convenor, School of Social Sciences (SSS). “The university claims of fulfilling 18% seats under OBC quota. However, we know of centres where no OBC candidates have been admitted,” added Anirban. The protestors also claimed that even after the other list of the PH candidates was published, the university did not admit the required number of students in the category.
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Ragging Turns Violent
Greater Noida, August 8 According to reports, the clash was so serious that clubs and lathis were freely used by both the groups. Fifteen students received serious injures. A student Shushant has received severe injuries in his head and had to take 10 stitches. But, surprisingly, the Institute did not inform the police. In fact, CEO of the Institute, Ritesh Jain, said that the clash took place in the mess of the institute over the collection of food trays. He said that the students clashed, as each group wanted to take the food first. Following the incident, the Academy has been closed till August 12 and students have been asked to bring their parents/guardians when the come back on the day. District magistrate Shrawan Kumar Sharma has ordered a probe into the matter. Kumar said that the government was very serious to put an end to ragging. He, in a meeting with the management of all educational institutes, said that it was emphasised that in no case ragging should take place in any institution.
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Tension in Modern School
Following Wednesday’s hoax bomb call at Modern School leading to the evacuation of kids, the atmosphere at the school remained tense on Friday.
According to rumours, two bombs were defused at Modern School today. Bela, mother of
Roshan, a class 7 student at Modern School said, “this is terrifying. I did not send my son to school yesterday, who wants to take a chance? But children cannot be kept at home indefinitely so I sent him to school today.” “We had the bomb squad today again. They searched the entire school. Our classes have been hit and most of us have been talking only about this,” said
Roshan. |
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CM: Involve women in disaster management
New Delhi, August 8 She said this inaugurating a workshop on ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Disaster Management’. She said that the cultural belief and restricted mobility make women more susceptible to disasters. But as women today have proved that they are not less than men in any field, it is essential to involve themselves in disaster management. This would help in minimising the effect of disaster, which is feared in all probability in Delhi as it is in the seismic zone. The government would provide a fire station for each two lakh people. There are 48 fire stations in Delhi. The number is expected to shoot to 70 in one and a half year. |
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3 held for murder-cum-robbery
New Delhi, August 8 Mahesh Kapoor, an employee of Nokia showroom was shot and Rs 1.34 lakh was looted from him on July 2. Mahesh had withdrawn the money from HDFC Bank in Preet Vihar and was going to the showroom at Vikas Marg on his scooter around 12 p.m. While he was parking his scooter, four helmet-borne persons tried to snatch the bag containing cash that he was carrying. When he resisted, they shot him nine times and fled away with the bag. It was learnt that those involved in the murder of Mahesh would come in an East Delhi area. Around 5 p.m. a special staff team laid a picket on Pushta Road near SDM Office and confronted two youths on a motorcycle. They were signalled to stop but they sped fast and fired at the police party. However, the team managed to overpower them. They were identified as Yogesh Kumar and Arun Sharma of the Hari Kishan gang. An English pistol of 9-mm bore, seven live cartridges and one used cartridge was recovered from Yogesh while, a .32-bore English pistol along with five live cartridges was recovered from Arun Sharma. The motorcycle that they were riding was found to be a stolen one. They disclosed that their leader Hari Kishan would meet them at Indraprastha Metro station. Hari Kishan was apprehended near the Metro station after brief chase. Hari Kishan has been running the gang for the last five years. He himself is a sharp shooter and works on contract for Bablu gang. Yogesh and Arun have been working with Hari Kishan for the last four years. The accused revealed that Arun and Bhola were watching the activities of Mahesh Kapoor in HDFC bank and informed Hari Kishan and Yogesh who were waiting outside the bank. They followed Mahesh on two motorcycles. On reaching Nokia showroom Arun and Yogesh fired nine bullets at Mahesh Kapoor and robbed the cash.
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BSES to crack down on
power thieves
New Delhi, August 8 A spokesman of the BSES claimed that Najafgargh and Jaffarpur are the two areas that continue to symbolise the state of Delhi before power distribution reforms in July 2002. Power theft is estimated at 85% here and this continues to be a major concern. With their mostly rural set-ups and a mix of agricultural, commercial and industrial users, these two areas are also known as Delhi’s Wild Wild West. BSES enforcement teams coming under attacks from the residents are a routine phenomenon here. Direct theft (DT) is the predominant method of stealing electricity. To crack down on this menace of power theft, BSES is investing crores of rupees to replace the original uninsulated cables with state-of-the-art insulated LTAB cables which besides being more robust are also impossible to steal from. This move by the BSES is no doubt helping to bring down the incidence of DT. But at the same time, there are telltale indications that residents are not willing to give up their right to free power, the spokesman said. The spokesman revealed that the culprits were now adopting modern techniques of meter tampering. This changing trend came to the notice of the BSES recently. BSES vigilance department flying squads have detected 30 cases of tampered meters in Najafghâr’s Ranaji Enclave. Most of these meters were found 50 to 84% slow in just a couple of days. Preliminary investigations into the incidents have revealed that residents are using all options like illegal services of local electricians, touts and even bribing employees of contractors engaged by BSES to have their meters tampered with, said a BSES official. |
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Truck loaded with meat damaged, villagers clash with cops
Greater Noida, August 8 The truck carrying meat from Rajasthan to a Khurja meat factory broke down near Neemcha village. Its driver requested the villagers to push the truck. They soon realised that meat was being carried in the truck. They jammed the roads and pelted stones on the truck. The agitated crowd broke the windowpanes of the truck and tried to torch it. Later, workers and local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindu organisations joined them and staged a demonstration on Khurja road. The police had to resort to lathi charge and firing to disperse the enraged people. The additional district magistrate and SP (rural) have ordered an inquiry. The SDM has said that strict action would be taken against the guilty. The police got the truck pulled out with the help of a crane and was takingg it to the police station, but the crowd did not allow it to do so. It demanded that a veterinary doctor be called and it should be found as to whose meat was loaded in the truck. A veterinary doctor was called who said it to be buffalo meat. The furious villagers then beat up the veterinary doctor.
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Six-year-old gangraped
Greater Noida, August 8 The men—
Vipin, Bobby and Pradeep—reportedly took the girl into jungles outside the village after enticing her. The incident came to light after the profusely bleeding girl reached home. A case of rape was registered against the three men in Surajpur police station on Friday. Pradeep has been arrested, but the other two managed to escape. The parents of the girl have accused that while they were going to Surajpur police station to lodge a complaint, the three men accosted them on the way and pressurized them to get the child admitted to a private hospital. They then took her to Dhani Ram Hospital in Surajpur. The preliminary report there did not confirm rape. The parents have also alleged that the boys even tried to get the matter dismissed in a panchayat meeting. The girl has been sent to Noida district hospital for medical examination. Her reports have been sent to Ghaziabad. According to CMS, Noida district hospital, Dr S.C. Singhal, the child was examined by Dr Archana Tyagi. Some stitches on the private parts of the girl have been noticed. The CMO said that the child had been treated in a private hospital before bringing her to the district hospital that created problems. |
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Woman, paramour killed
Noida, August 8 Sulekha
Chaudhary, 28, and Roop Ram were found dead at the woman’s residence at Naya Gaon in Noida Phase-II at about 10.30 p.m on
Thursday.Reportedly, Sulekha was having an extra-marital relationship with Ram, who belonged to UP.
— IANS |
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Manihara gets Rotary award for helping street children
New Delhi, August 8 Founder and managing trustee of the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Vidyavihara (SKCV) Children’s Trust, Manihara, has been a ray of hope for many homeless children. Manihara started the SKCV in 1984. His altruistic efforts earned him acclaim and appreciation from the likes of late Mother Teresa, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, former President S.D. Sharma, former Vice-President Krishna Kant and former British Prime Minister John Major. Born into a family of doctors in England in 1953, Manihara got disenchanted with the showbiz world and got associated with various charitable organisations. He obtained Indian citizenship in 1978. The chief guest of the function Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna, before presenting the memento to Manihara said, “The rotary fraternity has demonstrated super esteem in addressing the needs of the street children and sensitising the issues related to all areas of humanitarian service. This step of honouring a person who has dedicated his entire life for the well being and social upliftment of orphans and street children, would act as an inspiration to other rotarians.” Manihara was selected from a total of 30 nominations received from all over India. The high-level jury comprised chairman, Emeritus M.M. Sabharwal of Help Age India, eminent journalist B. G. Verghese, retd. I.A.S. Binoo Sen and former chief justice of India J. S. Verma. |
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New Delhi, August 8
New Delhi, August 8
