New Delhi, August 19
Even as the Yamuna continued to flow above the danger mark, the situation was said to be under control.

Last night the water level went up to 205.70 metres, but it came down to 205.65 metres in the day, said deputy commissioner (East) of the irrigation and flood department.

The level is likely to lower within the next 24 hours because of the dry conditions prevailing in the upper catchment for the past 48 hours, he added.

Chief engineer of irrigation and flood department M.C.T. Parvera said that special camps had been organised in low-lying areas including Usmanpur, Batla House, Nigambodh Ghat and Chilla Village in Mayur Vihar Phase — 1 to house people living there.

In Usmanpur, 100 tents have been put up while, at Batla House tent arrangement has been made for those who are staying in their houses or jhuggies.

At Chilla Village in Mayur Vihar Phase — I, 25 families have been moved to a school building and are being provided cooked food by NGOs.

The divisional commissioner is maintaining strict vigil on the situation. Dry ration, medical facilities and drinking water have been provided. Floodlights have been arranged.

Regulators are being put on drains to ensure that there is no backflow in the upper areas of the colonies. Pump sets have been installed to pump water into the Yamuna on points where sluices have been closed.

The rising water level of the river in the city depends on the amount of water released by Haryana from Hathni Kund.

If Haryana releases one lakh cusecs, its impact is felt in Delhi after 36 hours. Haryana released 30,000 to 40,000 cusecs of water today. This is normal, the deputy commissioner said.

If the water level reduces with this speed, the situation will be normal within 24 hours, he said.

New Delhi, August 19
The BSES officials today distributed thousands of food packets to the residents of low-lying areas of the Capital.

The residents have been forced out of their homes because of the flood waters.

Teams of BSES officials, led by senior officers first distributed food packets at the Batla House (Zakir Nagar), near Jamia.

The other areas where flood relief work was carried out by BSES teams were Old Yamuna Bridge, Usmanpur Pushta Gali Number 1,2,3 & 5 and at Babarpur Khadar (near Sonia Vihar).

A spokesman of the BSES, the power distribution company, said that like always the discom had risen to the occasion to provide relief to those who needed it most.

This was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme.

New Delhi, August 19
Former Union minister Vijay Goel said that Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in Delhi was misleading citizens of Delhi by issuing provisional certificates for authorisation of unauthorised colonies, allotment of DDA flats and flats for jhuggi dwellers under Rajiv Gandhi Ratna Awas Yojna.

There is no provision in law for provisional authorisation of colonies. It has never happened in the history of the country. It is first time being done by the Congress government to woo voters in assembly elections. Forty lakh people reside in these colonies. They are the major vote bank of the Congress party, Goel said.

Addressing a conference, the former Union minister said that the department of Urban Development had issued a slip to the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) of unauthorised colonies after scrutinizing their documents.

Along with all documents of the colonies, the RWAs have filled an indemnity bond assuring the government that all the formalities required for authorisation have been completed.

If anything is found wrong their provisional authorisation will be cancelled, Goel said.

Conditions of indemnity bond are so tough that no RWA can fulfil them, senior BJP leader said.

He said that population of Delhi is 1.5 crore. Now the DDA has invited for application for allotment of 5000 flats in various areas of the Capital. A number of these flats are not sufficient.

This is nothing more than an election gimmick, Goel said.

The government has played another game for catching the voters by inviting application from jhuggi dwellers for flats. At present the government has declared that 10,000 flats are ready.

He said that the Congress has been in power for the last 10 years but it has never thought of dwelling units for jhuggi dwellers. 

New Delhi, August 19
Attendants accompanying an injured man allegedly fired shots in the air inside a private hospital in Shalimar Bagh in North West Delhi on Sunday night following a scuffle with the hospital authorities.

The hospital staff alleged that the police beat them up for registering a complaint against the assaulting people.

The incident took place at the Indian Hospital when four people in an Innova car approached the hospital with an injured man. The injured was rushed to the emergency ward.

The driver of the vehicle, Dinesh, told the police that they saw the injured man lying near a black Pulsar motorcycle in a pool of blood on the road.

They rushed him to the hospital, but the hospital authorities demanded money before starting treatment.

One of the men took out his gun and fired in the air.

The hospital staff informed the police and asked them to rush to the spot.

According to the hospital staff, around 9.30 p.m. four unidentified men arrived in the casualty ward of the hospital with an injured man and asked the doctors to treat him. When the staff asked the injured man’s identity in order to complete the paper work, the men reportedly refused to divulge his identity.

Later, one of the attendants took out his gun and fired shots in the air, and then broke the glass door of the hospital, an official of the Indian Hospital said.

“When the police came, rather than helping us they said that nothing had happened and the hospital staff has created a mockery. Then two officers started beating the employees of the hospital. Three employees have been admitted to the hospital,” added a hospital staff.

Deputy commissioner of police (North West) N.S. Bundela said that the police is investigating the matter. The injured man was later shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital. — IANS

New Delhi, August 19
Following a tiff between the attendants of a patient and the hospital staff, resident doctors at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital today declared a one-day strike.

The violence took place at around 5 a.m. The doctors claimed that a patient from Uttam Nagar was brought to the hospital after he consumed some poisonous substance mixed in alcohol. They also alleged that the attendants of the patient started manhandling the hospital staff including women after the patient was declared dead.

Most services including emergency were badly affected due to the strike. 

New Delhi, August 19
A woman official from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency, allegedly tried to contemplate suicide today by consuming pesticides outside the Prime Minister’s office (PMO).

According to sources, the official of the rank of a director in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) alleged harassment at workplace as the reason for taking such a step.

A police official said a police control room (PCR) van immediately took her from the South Block complex to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital around 2.30 p.m.

According to the police, she is out of danger but is not fit to make any statement. The police said that it would register a case only after recording her version.

A sample of her stomach wash has been sent for forensic tests.

The woman, nearly 40 years old, is posted in a RAW training institute in Gurgaon. She had come to the PMO in the afternoon to meet a senior official.

Greater Noida, August 19
The Greater Noida farmers have decided to wage a decisive battle with authorities for their land. The farmers said they would not allow work on any project of Greater Noida Authority.

In case their demands are not met by August 25, farmers will hold demonstrations and protest rallies at all district headquarters in the state, they declared. The farmers’ Mahasabha in Ghori Bachhera village wanted compensation at Rs 25 lakh to families of farmers killed in police firing on August 13, a government job for one member from each farming family, action against guilty government officers and unconditional release of farmers lodged in jails.

The condolence meeting was held for the peace of the departed five farmers at Gandhi Inter College, Ghori Bachhera village yesterday.

The farmers meeting also urged the central government to dismiss the UP state government.

Ex-minister Masud Ahmed said firing on farmers was highly reprehensible for which the state government was responsible. Another ex-minister Narender Singh Bhatti said people will not forgive the state government for the atrocities committed on the farmers. The people’ resolve will become still stronger as the authorities try to crush the farmers’ movement with brute force.

Congress leader Vikram Bhatti said central government will introduce a bill in Parliament to amend the act for land acquisition.

Greater Noda, August 19
Some of the national level leaders from different parties who were detained by UP police from proceeding to Ghori Bachhera condolence meeting on Monday, managed to address the farmers through their mobile phones.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, MP Mohan Singh, BJP president Rajnath Singh, national general secretary of Congress, Dig Vijay Singh, Ajit Singh, president of Rashtriya Lok Dal who were arrested and not allowed to go to the Mahasabha venue, all addressed the Ghori Bachhera farmers through their cell phones.

Thakur Amar Singh paid tribute to the farmers killed while Rajnath Singh said his party fully supported farmers in the battle for land. Dig Vijay Singh accused the state government of acquiring farmers’ land at dirt cheap rates.

“We are with UP farmers who should be paid land compensation at the pattern of Haryana farmers,” Dig Vijay said.

Ajit Singh condemned firing on farmers in strong terms. Col Karori Singh Bhainsla sent a letter to Ghori Bachhera farmers pledging his support for farmers’ fight.

Utender Bhatti said in Surajpur that families of farmers killed in firing should be paid adequate monetary compensation and their children’s free education should be guaranteed by the government.

Ghaziabad, August 19
A small breach occurred on Delhi–Dehradun railway line which went unnoticed. Throughout night on August 18-19, a number of trains passed over the same track. Luckily no mishap took place.

And when in the morning information reached the authorities, there was a pandemonium in the railways and police department.

Immediately a dozen railway workers descended on the spot and changed the broken piece of rail line and the sleepers.

The wide fluctuation in low and high temperature in the past few days was given as the reason for this break by the railway engineers.

On Delhi–Dehradun rail line between markings, under Kankarkheda police station area near Jatoli village, a joint in railway track had given way. Stone sleeper beneath it was also broken. But the whole night trains had been plying over this broken track. While passing over this spot, trains had been giving out a sound resembling an explosion.

Some villagers spotted the breach and alerted the police and railway authorities. But it was not taken seriously by the authorities till in the morning one Rajpal saw it and informed the gang man at Jatoli level crossing.

He informed the station master and in no time GRP, RPF, civil police and railway engineers and about a dozen railway technicians came and repaired the track in about six hours. But for the next 10 days, trains will have to pass over this spot at 30 km speed only, railway engineers said.

New Delhi, August 19
Amity School of Rural Management (ASRM) has started a weeklong in-service training programme on agricultural marketing for officers of the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB).

The programme aims to sensitise elected representatives and officials of DAMB about the modernisation of services rendered by DAMB; legal and administrative framework of agricultural marketing in India; quarantine and phyto-sanitary certification for the import and export of agricultural commodities; Consumer Protection Act, economic risks in agricultural marketing; institutional and legal framework of food safety regulations; quality control, agmark grading, packaging and transport.

DAMB chairperson Brahm Yadav said that the programme would provide participants a platform to share their experiences and difficulties with experts.

Stressing on the importance of mandis, founder president of Amity University Ashok K. Chauhan said that the mandis would help in connecting rural India with urban India. He called upon the participants to suggest and express their views so that a refined teaching methodology could be designed and implemented.

Over 50 participants from DAMB are attending the training programme. 

New Delhi, August 19
A clearly emotional professor V. N. Dutta, historian, academic and author for over four decades, said that “seldom perhaps have I been so touched and humbled by this expression of strong feelings. I am indeed grateful that it has been mentioned that I am a good teacher”.

Prof Dutta was speaking on the occasion of the release of the book ‘Historical Diversities: Society, Politics and Culture,’ a collection of essays edited by K.L. Tuteja and Sunita Pathania. Many eminent historians have contributed essays for the book including Bipin Chandra, K.M. Shrimali, Indu Banga, J.S. Grewal, Aniruddha Ray, Barun De, Irfan Habib, K.N. Panikkar, among others.

The book consists of 19 essays spread over modern, medieval and ancient India and gives rather concise and indepth, introspective inspection on major historical eras. The essays have been written for Prof V. N. Dutta who has touched the lives of most of the historian-contributors in some way or the other.

In his usual graceful style, one that is strangely missing in Indian society in the 21st century, Dutta mentioned that, “I have known Bipin for the last 40 years and learnt much from his works and benefited much from Prof Bhattacharjee’s writings. I dare say that Bipin is an institution builder and there are few teachers in our times who have influenced students as he has done.”

Bipin Chandra on the other hand said that, “I am an admirer of Prof V. N. Dutta’s writings, his has been a seminal contribution on the national movement. His recent book ‘Gandhi and Bhagat Singh’ is a deeply researched and very concise work, a gift for the readers.”

The book ‘Historical Diversities’ provides interesting insight into subjects like land relations, regional identity, gender relations, composite culture, internal migrations, colonial notions of power, environment, science, nationalist discourse, ethnicity and politics of Dalit identity.

New Delhi, August 19
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said that 1,200 fire personnel would be recruited in Delhi Fire Service (DFS) to ensure better safety and security of Delhi. The fire personnel would get advanced and modernized training to handle any disaster.

The Chief Minister said that the Delhi Fire personnel would get 13 months’ salary every year. Besides, they would get ration money of Rs 1444, which has just doubled in 6th Pay Commission report.

Speaking after inaugurating a new fire station at PVC market, Tikri Kalan, she said that all fire stations in the Capital would be modernized with specialized equipment. The government would establish fire station in each Assembly constituency. Four new fire stations would be commissioned this month, she assured.

Dikshit further stated that it was becoming necessary to set up new fire stations as large-scale multi-storeyed buildings and colonies are coming up resulting in more residents in the colony. Plots for 26 fire stations have been identified whereas 15 are being constructed. New fire stations at Shastri Park, Mangolpuri, Tahirpur and Sarita Vihar would be inaugurated this month.

She commended the role of fire personnel who have been curbing fire tragedies and providing safety to the people. The government has set up Disaster Management Centre at Laxmi Nagar, Rohini and Nehru Place fire stations. 

New Delhi, August 19
The Delhi government has decided to regularise the services of 1,700 daily wage bus conductors with immediate effect.

“The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is the backbone of the Capital’s transport system and to facilitate DTC employees, the government has decided to regularise the 1,700 daily wage conductors with immediate effect,” said Delhi transport minister Haroon Yusuf on Monday while addressing the DTC Employees Congress here.

Some of these conductors have been with the DTC for the last 18 years. The corporation is currently observing its golden jubilee.

“The government has also decided to promote 564 conductors and 45 drivers as assistant ticketing inspectors after completing the necessary formalities,” Yusuf added. — IANS

New Delhi, August 19
He is widely known as the ‘renaissance man’ of the Indian art. Till the time P. Khemraj was alive, he focused on creating ‘lasting art’. He gave a new dimension to modern art with his colourful depictions.

The works of the artist have been hosted by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) in a show titled, ‘P. Khemraj – Wings of Desire’. In the retrospective show, the gallery has put up artworks spanning four decades by P. Khemraj.

The works will be on view till September 5.

This exhibition showcases more than 50 works in acrylic, pen and ink on paper, oil, pen and ink on canvas, ink, watercolour, acrylic and gold paint on ivory board and mixed media on mount board.

Ashish Anand, director of Delhi Art Gallery, also released a 162-page comprehensive book on the artist. Besides, the gallery showcased a video presentation of artist’s works prepared by P Khemraj’s daughter Dharna Jaisinghani.

Said Ashish Anand, “P. Khemraj had given a new dimension to modern art with his often mind-boggling depiction of the female form that reflected sensuality and extravagant view of life at large in his artworks.”

Said art critic and independent curator Roobina Karode, “The exhibition not only showcases Khem’s mural sized works on combined boards and early canvases but also his delicate linear drawings swiftly moving on the surface with fluid grace. His series fluttering with hearts is full of youthful exuberance and confesses his love for life.”

Art critic Keshav Malik said: “He would invite cognition of creative interplay of different forms of artistic activity, brought about by his usual re-reading of his poems, avid strumming of musical instruments and formulate a visual cosmos in his canvas. His creativity represented a play.”

Born in 1934 to a big Gujarati family settled in Bombay, Khemraj grew up in an environment where art and music were an integral part. As a child he would daydream of becoming a painter if not a musician, and someday travel to Paris – the Mecca of Modern Art. In 1952, he joined the J.J. School of Art in Bombay under the tutelage of Prof K.S. Kulkarni.

His love for music was so strong that he was motivated to leave Bombay in 1958 after graduating and settle in Delhi, to learn playing sitar from Pandit Ravi Shankar. The tight schedule of the icon eventually forced him to seek a job as an artist in a commercial studio, but it never deterred him from pursuing the sargams on sarod and violin.

Years after he had made his life as an artist of eminence, he would diligently do his riyaaz and any joyous occasion was to be marked with music.

The artist’s childhood dream of travelling to Paris came true when he was awarded the French Government scholarship in 1962, which enabled him to study at the Ecole Nationale des Superior des Beaux Arts and then at Atelier 17.

His art was shaped by teachers like Stanley William Hayter who is regarded as the father of contemporary printmaking and Krishna Reddy who is the first person to devise the process of obtaining multi-coloured prints. His art was further influenced by many a Cubist, Impressionist, and Expressionist and Surrealist masters.

Delhi, with several galleries such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Lalit Kala Akademi, the Garhi studios, the Triveni Kala Sangam, the Crafts Museum, nurtured the native talent of the sensitive artist in Khemraj. Therefore, when he returned from Paris in 1966, he gravitated to Delhi which became his home although every two or three years he would visit Bombay which attracted artists from everywhere—Calcutta, Madras, Delhi—as the capital market for art.

For any Indian artist living in Europe for any length of time during his or her youth, it is impossible to ignore the rich possibilities of artistic expression in stained glass. Khemraj was no exception. Especially noteworthy is his use of luminous colours ranging through ultra–marine, indigo, orange colours that are not commonly found in nature.

In an essay A Toast to Bliss, Kolkata art critic Ratnottama Sengupta had emphasized Khem’s artistic journey and influences. In her essay, she has zoomed on another aspect of the artist which is - “Khem seemed to depict deep empathy for the damaged environment which gave birth to Asha Hans, where he paints the vision of a paradise that could be our earth. Dreamy landscapes, painted in subtle colours evoke a paradise that exists in our mind’s eye”.

In 1992, concerned about the increasing domination of commercial forces and disillusioned by the mono-cultural, west-oriented trend of the nineties, Khemraj along with three other Asian artists—Lee Kye Song, Hideo Sakata and Yoko Kamijyo initiated an art movement, Lantern of the East.

The Lantern group believed that Eastern art, with a different sensibility derived from the distinctive religious and cultural traditions of the Asian region, needed to become a more active force in the contemporary visual art scene and that in doing so, would be a driving force in reshaping the world of contemporary visual art in the 21st century. 

New Delhi, August 19
With the arrest of two persons — Sanjay and Raju, the South West district police has claimed to have solved the murder of Sahul.

The two alleged accused belonged to Jharkhand and worked as labourers while Sahul worked at a mobile food stall.

The police said that Raju had once borrowed Rs 50 from the deceased and did not return it for a long time. Agitated at Raju’s behaviour, Sahul manhandled him.