New Delhi, September 11
A TV journalist and his friend were critically injured when a speeding BMW with a VIP registration number hit their motorbike in South Delhi’s Moolchand area in the wee hours of today morning.

The accident took place around 3 a.m. in the service lane between Moolchand Hospital and gas station on the BRT corridor.

The injured Anuj Singh, 21, and Mrigank Srivastav, 25, were on their Pulsar bike (DL4SAW6977) when the BMW car hit them from the right side.

Bleeding profusely they were rushed to the AIIMS trauma centre by a PCR van on patrolling duty. While Anuj Singh is a BPO employee and a resident of Pratap Vihar in Ghaziabad, Mrigank works with a news channel and lives in Vasundhra.

According to the hospital authorities, Anuj is critical with multiple fractures and is under observation, whereas Mrigank is recuperating and out of danger.

The two are yet to give a statement. An autorickshaw driver had called the police and informed about the accident.

The BMW car carried a VIP registration number from Haryana HR26 AK 0020. It belongs to Sonepat-based industrialist Narendra Kumar Bhasin, who is in China for a business deal.

The BMW car was found abandoned about 200 metres from the petrol station on the service lane where accident took place.

The green slipper of the girl under the passenger seat and gents shoes under the driving seat led to believe that a boy accompanied by a woman was driving the car. Their airbags were also found open. Some MCD papers were lying on the back seat.

After the accident the couple tried to escape with the vehicle but failed as the car had broken down.

“The front wheel of the car developed a snag as a result the car had to be abandoned,” said a police official from Defence Colony police station.

New Delhi, September 11
Following allegations of sexual harassment on the current office bearer, Foreign Students’ Association (FSA) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has decided to re-elect its president.

While dissolving the present FSA union, candidates have registered their names for the election that would be held tonight.

“As allegations on the existing president are serious, a general body meeting will be convened to discuss the matter before the election takes place,” said Khalid, member, advisory committee, FSA.

A case had been registered against the outgoing president, Promod Jaiswal, a
Nepalese student, in the university gender sensitisation committee against sexual
harassment (GSCASH).

“Tonight’s election would be crucial as we would have to make sure that no other office bearer gets involved in any anti-student activity,” said Khalid.

Over 250 foreign students enrolled in the university are expected to take part in tonight’s general body meeting. Three candidates have given their names for the election so far.

Robert, an American student is popular for the presidential post. Other popular names include Muntasir, a Sudanese student, for the post of joint secretary and Kyrgyzstani national Umeet for the post of vice-president.

“Another issue that would be discussed is the non-serious attitude of the FSA
faculty in-charge. Students applying to JNU from other parts of the world have
to face a lot of difficulty, as the faculty in-charge does not reply to their queries,”
he said.

The FSA has also alleged that faculty in-charge Sushma Jain has not been active in helping the association in organising activities.

FSA, a platform for foreign students, was constituted in 1985. Recently, foreign students have started to participate actively in the university politics.

Last year, Tyler, an American student, was elected as the vice-president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU).

Several other foreign students have been elected as councillors of different schools.

Greater Noida, September 11
A large number of protesting housewives from Greater Noida “occupied” the authority office on Wednesday.

They were protesting against lack of facilities, water, power, cleanliness, security and infrastructure in the residential sectors.

Slogan-shouting groups of housewives had forced they way into various wings of the authority offices and created a ruckus on the premises. They forced stoppage of work in the offices.

Under the aegis of the Mahela Shakti Samajak Samiti, the women raised their voice against inadequate power supply, dumps of waste at every road and colony corner, and uncared-for parks.

They said power supply in sectors was only in name, though consumers were paying Rs 100 as service charges.

During hours of power cuts, nobody ever bothers to come to their help.

Even electric panels in sectors are open and damaged but there is none to restore them to functioning.

For want of proper tending and caring, green belt have assumed the form of wild growth and jungles.

Women’s main grievance was that the authorities only believe in giving assurances and making promises. There was none to take any corrective action.

In spite of security guards on sectors gates incidents of thefts continue to worry
the residents.

Women said even when residents lodge complaints against slack security guards officers seldom take any action against them.

On getting suitable assurances from authority officers that their demands would be fulfilled, the women stopped their protest.

Faridabad, September 11
A nephew allegedly murdered his uncle with the help of others at a liquor vend at Ballabgarh, near here in the wee hours today.

The police has registered a case in the matter and arrested the nephew, Jagdish, and another accomplice.

The other accused are still at large. The deceased, resident of Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh, came to Bhur colony here on visit to his another nephew yesterday.

During his stay, he went to Ballabgarh to see one of his nephews. He had gone to Ballabgarh last evening along with his brother-in-law.

When he was with Jagdish, they were joined by three other youths, all natives of Uttar Pradesh.

All of them had drinks at the vend where Jagdish worked as a salesman. The vend is owned by a private firm.

Lachu Ram stayed overnight with Jagdish, but his brother-in-law returned to Bhur colony here.

This morning the brother-in-law was informed by Jagdish that Lachu Ram had died.

When the relatives rushed to the spot, they found wound marks on the body of the deceased. There was bleeding from nose and mouth.

The police was informed of the development which led to the arrest of Jagdish and one of the co-accused on the spot.

The police declined to give any impression on the cause of the apparent murder.

Gurgaon, September 11
Haryana chief secretary Dharamvir today directed the Jhajjar superintendent of police to ensure patrolling along the Gurgaon water channel which is the lifeline of Gurgaon and to set up police posts for the purpose so that water supply to the cyber city is not disrupted.

He issued the directions while reviewing the present arrangements and the sanctioned projects for augmenting water supply in Gurgaon, Sonepat and Jhajjar districts through video conferencing.

Flanked by financial commissioner and principal secretary, Haryana urban development minister D.S. Dhesi and other senior officers of the state irrigation department, Dharamvir directed the Gurgaon and Jhajjar deputy commissioners to ensure that water supply in Gurgaon water channel was maintained.

He has also asked Gurgaon deputy commissioners to prepare a contingency plan to meet the water crisis, in case the channel was breached as it happened last March.

It may be recalled that people of Bupania village near Daboda in Jhajjar had breached the only water supply channel to Gurgaon.

When it was repaired the other bank of the channel gave way. As a result, Gurgaon faced acute water shortage for three days.

The damaged part was mended soon after the intervention of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

At that time, the Jhajjar district administration was asked to set up police posts along the channel.

The Chief Minister had directed the HUDA authorities to increase the water storage capacity of tanks to meet any eventuality.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner Deepti Umashankar apprised Dharamvir that the water treatment plant at Basai was being augmented by HUDA at the cost of Rs 13.84 crore and the work would be completed by February next year.

After this, the Basai plant will have the capacity to treat 60-MGD water. Presently, the storage capacity in Gurgaon is sufficient for the city for four days.

An additional water works facility has also been proposed on 133 acre of village Chandu-Budhera costing Rs 86 crore.

The process of acquiring the land for the new water works is going on. After its completion, the storage capacity would be enough to meet the requirements of Gurgaon population for 10 days.

The deputy commissioner added that an NCR channel worth Rs 322 crore was also under construction. Gurgaon would get 800 cusec of water from it.

Another project of Rs 65 crore has also been prepared to provide canal-based drinking water in Sohna. The cost will be shared equally by HUDA and water supply and sanitation department.

New Delhi, September 11
The Delhi assembly today passed three important Bills–Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Garbage (Control) (Amendment) Act, Delhi Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to property) Bill and Delhi Pharmaceutical Science and Research University Bill 2008.

These Bills will be implemented after notification is made by the authorities concerned. Once the notification is made, nobody will be allowed to manufacture and sell the plastic bags made of virgin or recycled plastic bag which are less than the size of 20x30 cm and with thickness less than 40 microns.

As per the amended Bill, these bags are totally banned for the use of food stuff.

The Bill also said that plastic bags used for keeping religious material and thrown in the river is also banned.

The plastic bags also chock drains and they have dangerous side-effects when animals eat them.

Reacting to the amended Bill, the Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan said that the government has no intention to follow the court order.

In an order issued, the Delhi High Court has banned the manufacturing of all kinds of plastic bags.

He said that it seemed that the government had no intention of implementing the court’s order. It wanted to support some plastic bag manufacturing lobby.

That was why it was not banning manufacturing of the plastic bags.

The Delhi assembly passed the Delhi Pharmaceutical Science and Research University Bill. The Knowledge Commission has also recommended to open more universities for professional education.

These Bills were moved by the Chief Minister. The Delhi Medical Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions Bill has been passed after making an amendment.

The resolution said that any person caught attacking a medical staff or damaging property should be punished and he will have to pay a penalty of Rs 50,000.

When objections were raised by a BJP MLA Sahab Singh Chauhan and others, penalty amount was reduced from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10,000 and the Bill was unanimously passed. The Bill was tabled by Delhi health minister Yoganand Shastri.

New Delhi, September 11
The BJP-led opposition in the Delhi assembly today raised water scarcity issue on the second day of the session as in some areas of the national Capital, Delhi Jal Board failed to supply water. Sonia Vihar water treatment plant was started to solve the water shortage in South Delhi as well as East Delhi.

Ramesh Bidhuri who represents Tughlakabad assembly constituency said that there was no water supply in Sangam Vihar colony.

People totally depend on private tankers or ground water which is not fit to drink. In the last session, the same issue was raised but nothing has happened.

Moti Lal Sodhi, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, also said that there was no proper water supply in Jhandewalan.

He demanded that the government should supply water from Sonia Vihar water treatment plant to Jhandewalan.

The Chief Minister always promised to work out the problem, but once the assembly session was over, nothing was done, Sodhi remarked.

O.P. Babbar said that in some areas dirty water is supplied. People are fed up with the attitude of the Jal Board officials.

When they make a complaint, the officials do not pay attention. In many areas, booster pumps are not functional resulting in low pressure of supply water.

When told that there was scarcity of water in Gangotri Vihar, Subhash Vihar, Bhajanpura, Sanjay Mohalla, Vijay Park, Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar area of East Delhi, the Chief Minister said that there was regular water supply in these areas.

Water is supplied in these localities for five hours in the morning and five hours in the evening. All pipe lines in the area have been changed recently.

The Chief Minister who is also the chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, said that Sonia Vihar water was for only East and South Delhi.

In these areas, supply of water has been improved. The total water supplied by Sonia Vihar treatment plant is 130 million gallon. Of this, 90 million gallon is supplied to South Delhi and the remaining to East Delhi, she said.

As far Sangam Vihar, there is some technical difficulty. This apart, Jhandewalan does not come under the jurisdiction of Sonia Vihar treatment plant, she clarified.

New Delhi, September 11
With the arrest of four accused Virender, Amit, Vinod and Baleshwar, alias Cintoo, the staff of Nangloi police station succeeded in working out four cases of robbery and snatching.

The police team also recovered Rs 15.71 lakh from their possession. The money was snatched by them from a timber merchant on Rohtak Road on September 3.

That day gang members looted Rs 22 lakh from timber merchant Akash Bhatnagar who was on his way after collecting payment from another timber merchant.

A case in this regard has been registered at Nangloi police station. The police managed to arrest the culprits today after deploying informers.

The accused revealed that Baleshwar, alias Cintoo, was working with Gupta Timbers and Arvind was also ex-employee of Chaudhary Timbers and had knowledge of transaction of cash by the firm and had passed on the information to Virender.

Virender has studied up to the B.A. Ist year and had been plying CNG auto during which he fell in bad company and started committing snatching and robbery. Vinod works in a factory in Sultanpuri and received Rs 5 lakh as booty from the robbery.

While the duo were fleeing, one of them collided with a pillar and dropped his weapon, which was later discovered to be a toy gun.

Five of its members have already been sent to jail by Sector-39 and Sector-20 Kotwali Noida, SP City said.

New Delhi, September 11
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has set up an integrated telecom system on its campus to enhance contacts with learners.

The system will be operational by September-end. According to an MoU signed recently with Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL), the university will provide some 1,500 free EPABX connections which will be expandable to 3,000 extensions.

It will also subscribe to some 300 Dolphin connections integrated with the EPBAX connections. This tie-up would boost up MTNL’s Dolphin market base. MTNL will get an additional promotion of its signal for GSM phones on the campus.

Considering that the campus is growing as a hub of variegated academic activities, the system will be capable of sending group SMSs.

Three hundred Dolphin subscribers will get signals free of cost.  IGNOU think-tank is also mulling on how to tap opportunities for a mini-call centre on campus.

A proposal to this effect is under consideration, said S.K. Vyas, reader in the School of Engineering and Technology.

“As it will be a mini-set up in the university, probably we can handle learners’ queries with better service delivery,” said he.

The MoU has solidified MTNL’s extant base on the campus and large number of people will soon experience more of MTNL GMS services.

As the users will get an opportunity to unlimited free intra-EPBAX calls within the 3,000 extensions, learners’ communication connectivity with the educators are hoped to be even smoother.

Gurgaon, September 11
The maiden Haryana Football League-2008 will get under way from tomorrow. Principal secretary to Haryana Chief Minister M.L. Tayal will inaugurate it at Devi Lal Stadium of Sector-38, Gurgaon.

Raghav Football Club of Gurgaon and BFC Club of Fatehabad will play the first match of the League in which 11 teams representing Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Ambala, Hisar, Rohtak, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Haryana Power Sports Group (Power Utilities) and Haryana Police will participate.

Deputy commissioner and vice-president of Haryana Football Association (HFA) Deepti Umashankar informed that best football clubs of the state had confirmed their participation in the event to be sponsored by JCB and Hero Honda for three years.

The League matches will be played at 2 pm and 4 pm every Saturday and Sunday till the final match on November 14.

Of the total 56 matches to be played in the League, 32 matches will be played at Devi Lal Stadium of Gurgaon while the rest of the 24 matches will be played at Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad.

The cash prizes at stake are the highest being given in any such event being played anywhere in the country.

The winner of the League will receive a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, the runners-up Rs 6 lakh and the teams coming third and fourth will carry Rs 2.50 lakh each.

Besides, each participating team will get Rs 1 lakh. Special prizes for best player, best defender, best half back, best goalkeeper and best fair play will be given.

The hefty cash prizes are meant to generate professionalism among the budding football players of the state.