New Delhi, August 16
Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal at a meeting here yesterday reiterated his demand for 15 seats from the BJP in a seat-sharing alliance in the Delhi assembly elections to be held in November.

He was in the city yesterday to attend a function at Jawaharlal Nehru University where a statue of Bhagat Singh was installed.

Addressing the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee members of his party, Sukhbir Singh said that his party was in touch with the BJP for seat-sharing alliance. So far the BJP has not given any response.

The Akali Dal is not only a party of Sikhs but it also represents all Punjabis and there are many Sikh and Punjabi-dominated areas in Delhi where the Akali Dal can perform better, he said.

Delhi unit president of Akali Dal (Badal), Manjit Singh Greater Kailash said, “We do not want to be a sleeping partner. We want to be an active partner of the BJP.”

When asked about Akali’s performance in last elections, he said that last time the BJP gave four seats and “we lost, the reason was that we were not given Sikh and Punjabi-dominated areas. This time we want Sikh and Punjabi-dominated areas”.

He said that when a Sikh could win the election on Congress ticket why they could not win on BJP ticket. This time the Congress party has four Sikh MLAs and last time it had five.

Meanwhile, Delhi unit chief of the BJP, Harsh Vardhan said that the Akali Dal has been “our natural alliance for ever as it has always fought for cause of Hindutva”.

As far as seat-sharing alliance is concerned, it is very difficult for the BJP to give 15 seats out of 70 because it does not have mass base here in Delhi.

They have maximum chances of losing elections. Last time the BJP allotted them four seats. They had lost all of them.

The Akali Dal is asking for Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar and other important segments where the BJP already has strong candidates. These seats cannot be given, said Vardhan.

As far as Gandhi Nagar is concerned, the BJP has defeated all the Congress candidates in councillor elections. There is no point to give it to the Akali Dal.

The BJP will have a meeting soon to decide the number of seats and areas to be given to the Akali Dal, he said.

New Delhi, August 16
It’s a sad fact that old people in India are still subjected to gross neglect and uncaring attitude from their own children.

Gone are the days when children used to act as a support to their parents during their grey days.

Tarachand, a 55-years-old man and victim of apathy of his own grown-up children, all earning, breathed his last after his son got him discharged from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RMLTC) against the advice of the doctor.

Last night, at 1.15 am, Tarachand, a resident of Kalibadi, was brought by his youngest son, Ashok Kumar, unconscious with a complaint of nasal bleeding, to the casualty of RMLTC.

Immediately, the old man was intubated and put on ventillator support. According to the doctor of the resuscitation room of the centre, the patient was thought to be having a history of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Later, his diagnosis report indicated him to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis with haemoptysis and aspiration pneumonitis.

Dr Rakhi, senior resident doctor, dept. of anesthesia of RMLH, said, “After examination, Tarachand was kept on ventillator support as it was found out that he couldn’t survive on self-respiratory effort with bilaterally creptation being heard. Though his cardio-vascular system appeared to be normal.”

The prognosis was explained to Ashok and treatment was started. However, despite Dr Rakhi’s advice, he took his father under LAMA (Leave Against Medical Advice) at 10 am, today in the morning so that his relatives don’t have to take the pain of visiting him. After three hours, Tarachand died at his home in Kalibadi, behind RMLH.

Thus, unfortunately, Tarachand had to accept the ‘mercy killing’ offer from his own son, who couldn’t even attend to his father for a day in the hospital.

As per the doctors on duty at RMLTC, the old man should have been brought to the hospital much earlier, but his sons could not bring their father for treatment though their home is behind the RML hospital.

Though a sad predicament, our country still reports many such cases where children are least bothered about the well-being of their parents.

New Delhi, August 16
There has been a tangible increase in the number of patients being diagnosed for gall bladder cancer and a vast majority of them are youngsters, claim oncologists.

According to Dr Amit Bhargava, consultant oncologist, Max Healthcare, “There has been an increase in the number of cases of gall bladder cancer being reported in people under the age of 40 years.”

The main reasons for the increase in gall bladder cancer in youngsters include improper diet, exposure to tobacco and alcohol at a very early age due to peer pressure or due to some other reasons and the onset of benign gall bladder diseases such as the formation of stones in the gall bladder.

These trends are mostly due to result of the change in work culture being brought about by the growth of MNCs, call centers and corporate houses, the doctor said.

Dr Bhargava said, “Cases of gall bladder cancer being diagnosed at an early age are more aggressive with a shorter survival rate of the person affected as compared to those observed in people in the older age group.”

Dr Bhargav revealed that a 27 year old patient (name withheld on request), has been admitted at Max, Patparganj, which according to him is the youngest case of gall bladder cancer being treated at Max.

“All the cases of gall bladder cancer that we have treated, in people in the age group of 40 years or less, were inoperable at the time of diagnosis of the disease, leading to a higher rate of fatality” claims Dr Bhargava.

The warning signs of the start of gall bladder cancer are relatively simple and hence there’s a chance of them being ignored.

The signs include loss of appetite, weight and continuous pain in the right side of the upper abdomen which increases continuously in frequency and severity with time. These symptoms should not be ignored.

New Delhi, August 16
Seeking protection for future generations from climate change, three children tied rakhies to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Capital today.

The children, representing International Youth Campaign KidsCall, met the Prime Minister along with climate and energy director Stefan Schurig from World Future Council and Manu Sankar from Navdanya.

The children were representing thousands of others who participated in the campaign on climate change carried out from February 2008 all over the country.

The representatives also handed over a catalogue of six points to the Prime Minister, which they felt needed immediate attention.

“Prime Minister was happy to see that small kids have such serious concerns. He read the letter in front of the delegation,” said Manu Sankar from Navdanya.

The text of the document said that, “Climate change already impacts thousands of people in India. Methods of the government to adapt to climate change should ensure that people would be able to remain in the region of their residence rather than moving into the big cities.”

The delegation also tried to highlight the importance of organic farming in protecting the atmospheric balance.

They said that they were disappointed about the government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change that focuses on biotechnology and genetic engineering even though thousands of farmers who grew genetically modified cotton have committed suicide because the seeds are costly, non-renewable and unreliable.

“Prime Minister was very receptive to the ideas and said that the government was already working on developing renewable resources,” said Manu.

The KidsCall campaign is the combined initiative of Delhi-based Navdanya and Hamburg-based World Future Council that aims to provide a platform for young people to express their concerns about climate change.

In India, the campaign was launched on February 2, 2008, by the students on the sidelines of the Gandhi, Globalisation and Climate Change conference organised by Navdanya and World Future Council in Delhi.

Greater Noida, August 16
The police on Friday registered fresh cases against another 75 farmers for rioting, violence, stone-pelting and torching government vehicles, in connection with the Wednesday’s police-farmers clash.

Fifteen among these 75 farmers have been named. Earlier on Thursday, FIRs were filed against 1,000 unidentified farmers. Twenty-four out of them were named.

Some leaders including Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA from Hathras, Anil Chaudhry; MLA from Kher, Satpal Singh; ex-minister Dalbir Singh and Thakur Sunil Singh were also arrested on Friday while they were on their way to Dadri.

Further, national secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, Ram Prakash Tripathi; district chief Pandit Nathi Ram Sharma; Chhitter Singh; Rajender Singh and Praveen Singh were also detained at Kulesra near Hindan River.

Meanwhile, the farmers injured in the clash on Wednesday are returning home from hospitals after receiving treatment. But, two farmers—Sunil and Krishen— are still stated to be in a serious condition.

Krishen has been referred to Fortis hospital in Noida after his condition had deteriorated. Eleven injured, including eight farmers and three cops are still undergoing treatment.

In a meeting held in the Greater Noida Authority office on Friday, GNIDA chairman Lalit Srivastava reiterated that the problem could only be solved through discussions. Among others, the meeting was attended by GNIDA CEO, Pankaj Agrawal; commissioner, Meerut division, Devinder Chaudhary; DIG range, P V Rama Shastri; GB Nagar DM Shravan Kumar Sharma and SSP RK Chaturvedi.

The chairman said that if the farmers agreed to discuss the compensation rates with them they would be ready to talk to them.

The meeting decided that no construction work would be resumed in Greater Noida till peace and normalcy is restored in the area.

The police has deployed a strong contingent on the outskirts of the village to keep an eye on the activities of the villagers.

Bulandshahr, August 16
The violent events of Greater Noida on August 13 appear to have shocked farmers in Bulandshahr and could adversely impact Bulandshahr Development Authority (BDA).

The farmers in Bulandshahr have indicated that they will not be ready to negotiate with the authorities if all that the state government wanted was to acquire their land at cheap prices, as is being done in Greater Noida area, in the name of projects like a hi-tech city, integrated township, city centre, etc.

August 13 was a black day for Greater Noida when five farmers were killed, hundreds of them wounded and over a dozen tractors and other vehicles were torched.

The 30-odd villages transferred from Greater Noida Authority to Bulandshahr Development Authority have a close proximity to the affected area in Greater Noida and it would not take long for GNIDA’s adverse effects to impact BDA areas, informed circles feel.

In Bulandshahr, Ansal Group is building a hi-tech city in these 30 villages for which BDA has approved a plan of over 500 hectares.

Though the city is being planned for 500 hectares initially, it is likely to cover 9000 hectare area eventually, according to informed circles.

This sprawling city will come up on the land of farmers belonging to about a dozen villages. But some political big-wigs are eying this land and they are reportedly going out of their way to win over farmers.

They are allegedly trying to incite the farmers to oppose the BDA plans. Besides, the land use here has been changed for setting up two integrated townships, two city centres, IT Park, Logistic Park, and dozens of other projects.

But there are many problems in transfer of Greater Noida villages to Bulandshahr Development Authority, according to reliable sources.

Instead of paying at the decided rate of Rs 800 – Rs 900 per sq mt as in Greater Noida, the developer will have to pay only at Rs 250 – Rs 325 per sq mt which is the prevalent circle rate of Bulandshahr.

Besides, 8 to 10 per cent of the land acquired has to be given back to farmers as developed land. All this could possibly incite lots of resentment among farmers of these villages.

According to the farmers, luxury hotels, multi-storey commercial buildings and apartments worth crores are not going to benefit them.

Their children will not be able to get the benefits of employment or of community services. The farmers have simply been pushed into Bulandshahr Development Authority area from Greater Noida Authority.

All this, they allege, will make developers and builders multi-millionaires and render the farmers paupers.

The farmers’ fears have got confirmed the way action under Section 4 has been taken in a hurried manner. Development projects will swallow their farms.

The way farmers are registering their opposition to the Ganga Nagar-TP Nagar project and KDA’s Ghosepur Taina and Madhuvan Vihar projects of BDA, it does not auger well.

It is feared that farmers of the area could one day form a solid block to oppose the Bulandshahr Development Authority’s plans on the lines of the resistance shown by the Greater Noida farmers.

New Delhi, August 16
A seven-member delegation of national women’s organizations which returned to the Capital from Jammu recently, expressed concern over the turbulent situation of the J&K Valley.

During its two-day visit, the team met the affected families, administrative authorities and representatives of the civil society.

The delegation said that the miscreants from the neighbouring regions are responsible for the current commotion in J&K.

The delegation after meeting the local families feels that efforts from the administration, state and central governments have not been adequate and the present J&K situation demands combined efforts from all fronts, including the media.

The group formed a Sadbhavna Samiti and the regional administration has assured full cooperation to it.

Further, the delegation also urged the government authorities as well as other local leaders to form a grievance cell.

The grievance body would include eminent people, preferably representatives from the civil society.

According to the divisional commissioner, Sudhanshu Pandey, the situation in J&K has worsened and despite the assurances of the Amarnath Samiti, 74 houses belonging to Gujjars were demolished.

Water tankers were stoned. Further, the administration’s attempts to open schools and banks for pensioners were also foiled.

Sadbhavna committee held a small rally in Jammu, putting forth the demands while laying stress on the reconstitution of the shrine board.

The unit, comprising Mohini Giri of Guild of Service, Jyotsna Chatterji of Joint Women’s Programme, Annie Raja of National Federation of Women, Afroz of War Widows Association, Subhashini Ali of All India Democratic Women’s Association and Veenabehn of Akhil Bharatiya Rachnatmak Samaj met the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and submitted a memorandum.

New Delhi, August 16
The camp organised at Delhi Secretariat to verify the documents of 1,639 unauthorised colonies to issue them provisional regularisation certificates has been extended by two days.

Now the camp will also be held on August 18 and 19. Delhi urban development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said the dates of the camp had been extended keeping in view the interest of the representatives of the unauthorised colonies.

He said this initiative of the government would ensure the certainty of regularisation of 1,639 unauthorised colonies, which included 149 colonies came up at the village land and had not been notified in the lal dora extension.

He said it would benefit the 40-lakh people living in these colonies. Mr Chauhan said all the preparations for regularising of such colonies had been made and the developmental activities in such colonies were in full swing.

The minister said the Delhi Jal Board, DSIIDC, flood and irrigation department, MCD and power supply companies had been deployed to complete the developmental works in these colonies within the stipulated time.

He said an amount of Rs 660 crore had been released during the year 2007-08 for roads, sewer system, pipelines for drinking water, cleanliness, electric supply and drainage system and the government had sanctioned Rs 943 crore for providing civic amenities in these colonies in the budget of 2008-09.

New Delhi, August 16
With the arrest of four persons— Joney, alias Rajesh, Sanjay, Dal Chand and Hanuman yesterday, Mangolpuri police claims to have solved six cases of burglaries reported from the area.

One Akai colour television and other stolen goods were recovered from their possession. The arrests were made on the basis of a secret information that some persons would go to sell stolen goods at a jewellery shop owned by a man named Hanuman in Sultanpuri.

Accordingly, a trap was laid near the X-block drain and the three were arrested with the colour television.

During interrogation, they admitted that the television was stolen from Mangolpuri’s S-block. They also confessed their involvement in six other burglaries committed in the area this year.

Hanuman was also arrested on their instance and several stolen jewellery items sold to him were recovered.

New Delhi, August 16
Tata Group, in its second edition of the Tata Building India Essay Competition, felicitated the city-level winners of 6th to 12th standard in senior, medium and junior levels in Delhi.

The felicitation took place at an event at Sri Sathya Sai International Centre in the Capital. Prof. V.N Rajasekharan Pillai, vice chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University gracing the occasion as the chief guest, distributed the prizes.

The lucky winners of the three categories were— Manchi Raju Kaushik from Ramjas No.- 4, Kriti Srivastava from Deep Memorial Public and Priyanshi Chaudhary from DAV Public School in junior, middle and senior levels respectively.

The theme for the essay competition was ‘nation building’, and the topics given to the students across all the 12 cities were “What must we do to make our education system prepare us for better tomorrow” and “India in the last 60 and next 60.”

One of the winning pieces expressed the idea “Education not only builds a person’s character, but builds the entire human race.”

New Delhi, August 16
Two persons were reported dead in Hamidpur village in the Alipur area of North West Capital yesterday after one of them fell into the well and the other jumped into it to save him.

The deceased have been identified as Suraj Sharma, 35, who fell into the well and Vaidnath who jumped to save Suraj.

According to villagers, they did not hear Suraj’s cries of help but some neighbourers working in the field came to the rescue.

Vaidnath went inside the well but he did not come out. It was only after Vaidnath’s body was seen floating on the surface of the well that fire brigade was called.

New Delhi, August 16
Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Francois Truffaut, Federico Fellini - they were exclusive names in the domains of discerning and cerebral moviegoers across India until a few years ago. Not any more.

Earlier, the iconic movies made by them were either shown in film festivals organised by small groups or sold in video formats at exorbitant prices in high-end home entertainment stores. The process of acquiring them online was risky.

But now, thanks to the booming home entertainment industry in India, the scene has changed dramatically.

The video prints are reaching the film buffs legally much cheaper and much faster - sometimes in barely three days.

The home entertainment sector in India comprises the fast-moving home video or the DVD and VCD segments.

“Earlier, one had to go online to download classics illegally or had to purchase the videos through Aamzon.com or get a pirated version from the neighbourhood CD or the DVD shop,” Amit Kapoor, head of sales and marketing of Mumbai-based Palador Pictures, one of the country’s largest content production, programming and publishing companies, told IANS.

The other alternative was to buy the classics during trips abroad or receive them as gifts from non-resident Indian relatives and friends visiting India.

Mail ordering video cassettes was difficult because it would take months and the cost would double.

According to Kapoor, competitive pricing, easy availability of video prints and new video formatting technology designed to cut cost are responsible for the boom in the home entertainment segment.

The fact that prices of DVD players have declined has helped usher in exponential growth in the home entertainment sector over the last two to three years. Earlier, a branded DVD player cost Rs 6,000. Now you can get one for Rs 1,999.

A report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said revenue models in the film entertainment industry have changed with the emergence of new streams that go beyond the box office.

Different platforms like home video, merchandise, re-make rights and several branded entertainment opportunities have pushed up the growth of the entertainment industry, which now stands poised at Rs.96 million. It is expected to reach Rs.176 billion by 2012, the FICCI projections for 2008 said.

According to the report, the entry of the world’s second largest optical storage manufacturer Moser Baer in the home entertainment segment is changing the model of home entertainment from rentals to sell-throughs (direct sale).

Moser Baer, the first pan Indian company to offer home videos in every popular Indian language, has triggered a stiff price race in the DVD and VCD segments by pricing its DVDs of Hindi movies at Rs.34 and VCDs at Rs.28.

Kapoor, whose firm Palador has tied up with Moser Baer, felt selling celluloid masters to the mass Indian audience had become easy ever since Moser Baer moved to the premium category of distribution, pricing the products at Rs.399 early this year.

“This is the first time classics are being sold at such prices. The first run of 40 classic DVDs that we jointly launched in the market in May has been sold. We plan to launch 50 premium titles every year,” Kapoor said.

Palador Films is currently promoting its “Collector’s Items” - DVD box sets of movies by master filmmakers like Bergman, Akira Kurosawa and Francoise Truffaut - through a five-day retrospective of Ingmar Bergman’s films, “Remembering Bergman: A Retrospective”. The retrospective held in the capital Aug 8-14 will now travel to Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.

Palador introduced its collector’s box set of Bergman videos comprising five movies, “The Silence”, “Summer With Monika”, “Music in Darkness”, “Winter Light” and “Through A Glass Darkly” at the festival. The box set is priced at Rs.2,000. — IANS