New Delhi, September 30
Saumya Vishwanathan, 25, working in the production section of Headlines Today news channel, was found dead in her car with a bullet injury, in the Vasant Kunj area of South West Delhi today.

Saumya’s body was discovered on the road across Jawahar Lal Nehru University campus with a bullet shot in her head inside her white Maruti Zen car in the wee hours. She was rushed to the AIIMS by the PCR van, where she was declared brought dead.

According to the available information, Saumya was returning home after finishing her late night shift at her news channel in the Jhandewalan area of Central Delhi.

Doctors have found a bullet lodged in her left temple. The police revealed that the Maruti car of the journalist was found rammed against the road divider and Saumya was seated in the driver’s seat with blood oozing from her head. She lived in the C block of the posh Vasant Kunj colony of the Capital.

After preliminary investigation, the police was not clear about the sequence of events leading to her death and believes that it was too early to comment on the case. While the antecedents of the girl are being checked, the police is also investigating the case from the angle of road rage. “We don’t have a clue as to who killed the woman. Obviously we need to investigate the matter first before we can say anything. Perhaps her family could throw light on her life, like whether she had any enmity with anyone,” told a police official involved in the investigation.

The forensic team is examining the car of the deceased for any evidence, since the police believes that it could also be the handiwork of someone known to Saumya and was in the car with her. 

New Delhi, September 30
Chief election commissioner of Delhi Satbir Silas Bedi today assured that the final publication of photo electoral rolls of 24 newly delimited assembly constituencies would be released on October 6 and the remaining 46 assembly constituencies of 6 districts would be displayed on October 15.

“With the final publication of photo electoral rolls, the election office shall be able to meet one of the requirements for the general assembly elections due to be conducted by December 17, 2008,” said Bedi.

The draft publication of photo electoral rolls of all the 70 assembly constituencies had been made in August to confirm that the data entries and images in the voter’s card are correct.

The election machinery launched a massive exercise to check every entry with all available documents and rectified mistakes in the finally published photo electoral rolls, confirmed an official.

The Election Commission of India deputed teams of officials to ensure that the rolls are prepared without errors.

New Delhi, September 30
A delegation comprising Kamal Faruqui, chairman and members of the Delhi Minorities’ Commission (DMC), Pushpinder Singh and Arnold James, called upon Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna yesterday and sought an impartial investigation into the September 19 Jamia Nagar encounter in which two suspected terrorists and a Delhi police inspector were killed.

Khanna assured that the government was committed to provide justice, peace and security to all sections of people irrespective of caste, creed or religion. He added that there could never be a question of looking upon members of a particular community with any bias or prejudice. He assured the delegation, “Due weightage will be given to their advice and the government will judge the issues impartially.”

The Lieutenant Governor appealed to the chairman and members of the DMC to spread the message of peace, amity and brotherhood among all sections of people.

He drew attention to the recent initiative taken in the Meera Road area of Bhayander in Outer Mumbai where religious leaders appealed to their followers not to bring bad name to the community by indulging in any act of violence, which is against the basic tenets of all religions.

The Lieutenant Governor expressed his confidence that with the active participation of community leaders would lead to peace and progress.

He also conveyed his greetings for the peaceful celebrations of Eid, Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali. 

New Delhi, September 30
“I am very scared to go outside and shop for the Navratri festival this year. I will be keeping fast for these nine days but I will not visit any temple because after these blasts, temples seem to be the next target for terrorists,” said Radhika (21), a student of Amity University.

After the September 13 serial blasts and the Mehrauli blasts on two different Saturdays, Delhiites have almost lost faith in the police, judiciary or the intelligence agencies. The death of innocent people in the blasts just before the festive season looks like a ‘warning call’ to the people here.

The nine-day festival of dance, devotion and fun, Navratri has begun, but the threat of terrorism has reduced the enthusiasm and happiness with which it is celebrated every year.

“This year, the market is very dull. There are very less buyers. Usually, there used to be a lot of rush for Navratri preparations, garba dresses and dandiya sticks. But the market has less visitors,” explained Krishan Ram, a shop owner in Sarojini Nagar.

“Compensation money cannot give back my lost child. It is the festive season but these festivals have no colour, no happiness for me. Today, I’ve lost my child, the next blast can take a few more lives. I want justice from the government. Delhi is no more safe for anybody not even for young kids playing outside,” sobbed Santosh’s mother who lost her son in the Mehrauli blast.

Clubs, party halls and garba venues booked for the Navratri celebrations too have made special security arrangements. CCTV cameras, additional security guards and dog squads are deployed to ensure the safety of the people. This has also increased their budget by 20 per cent, which is making the organisers worried about the crowd. “Due to the increase in organising cost, the tickets are going to be expensive this time which is worrying us. I am just expecting a good crowd to turn up and enjoy the festival tension free,” says Anant, organiser of a garba event.

Where the city is trying to indulge in the festive environment there are many for whom the festival brought darkness and desolation. It’s going to be a tough time for those injured in the blasts, still recovering in the hospitals and for the families who lost their loved ones forever. “It’s time when we should stand together and pray to God for peace and harmony for all innocent people who lost their lives and for their families,” says Poonam Mehra (81).

Dadri, September 30
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today lashed at the state government as a government of “loot, jhoot and shoot”— looting people, telling lies and shooting farmers who demanded land compensation—referring to the incidents of Ghori Bachhera in Greater Noida recently.

She was addressing a crowd of over 20,000 persons at a public rally at Meher Bojh college grounds in Dadri.

The Congress president said that the nuclear agreement that India has signed with the USA would do a lot of good to the country. It will give more energy to farmers and power industries. The deal will help the country’s all-round development. As such it should be viewed keeping in mind the national interest and nobody should try to indulge in petty politics on this issue.

“We are very alert to the threats to internal security and are capable of tackling any challenge. We don’t indulge in petty politics. For us the unity and integrity of the country is of paramount importance,” Gandhi said and added that the elected governments should work for the people, and not for the political party. Congress always followed this policy. We never discriminate against anybody, she said.

The funds given to the state by the Centre belong to the people and not to individual. Crores of rupees given by the Centre to the state government in UP were not reaching the people, she said and urged the people and the Congress workers to raise their voice against corruption and share pains of the people.

The Congress president said there was no transparency or accountability in the use of financial grants.

The high-handedness with which farmers’ land was being acquired was condemnable. It was due to the efforts of Congress workers that farmers got land compensation, Gandhi said.

She pleaded for a Haryana pattern of land acquisition where Rs 80,000 per acre was being paid to the farmers which was much higher than what the farmers here was getting.

Speaking earlier, the Haryana Chief Minister said Haryana was paying the highest amount of land compensation to the tillers of the soil. Besides, a farmer-government partnership was being achieved so that farmers become stake-holders in the development. Farmers were being paid Rs 1,500 per year for 33 years, the Chief Minister said.

He said his state was paying the highest sugarcane price of Rs 132 per quintal to the farmers in the country.

Local Member of Parliament Sachin Pilot said industrialists in UP were not safe which had been proved by recent incidents. Criminals and killers were targeting industrialists, including CEOs of multinational companies. 

New Delhi, September 30
Delhi Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra today claimed that the Congress-led Delhi government had done gross injustice to the people and betrayed them during its 10 years of rule, as it has completely failed to provide even the basic amenities like power and water to almost 63% of the residents of the Capital.

He said that not a single unauthorised colony had been regularised during the last 10 years.

“But now when the election schedule is to be announced in a few days, the government is playing a drama of issuing provisional certificates to the people of unauthorised colonies,” he said .

The BJP leader said that as far as regularisation of colonies was concerned, during the Bharatiya Janasangh rule in 1971, 54 colonies were regularised, during the Janata Party rule 567 colonies were regularised and in 1994 during the BJP rule, policy decision to regularise 1,071 colonies was taken. But during the last 10 years, the Delhi government has not taken any effective step in this direction.

He said that 1.75 crore people of Delhi were crying for basic amenities because of wrong policies of the government. The power situation was becoming grave even after privatisation. In 2002, at the time of privatisation, Sheila Dikshit had promised that power will be supplied uninterrupted and power tariff will be reduced, but, on the contrary, the power tariff has increased three times.

He said that in 2002, the minimum rate of power was Rs 1.50 per unit which has now increased to 2.40 per unit. Due to the fast running meters the burden on the consumers has increased three times. Also, a bungling of more than 10 thousand crore in power privatisation is unprecedented in the history of Delhi. 

Noida, September 30
J.B. Patnayak, president of the committee constituted by the High Court for conducting draw of the Noida residential scheme — 2004 said that applications of 42,000 aspirants, including those not having PAN cards, would be included in the fresh draw.

The decision about the draw will be taken as per the High Court orders. He added that PAN card was needed to identify those who had not given their genuine names and addresses.

Patnayak said that there were about 12,000 applicants who had given their bank addresses. He had visited the Noida Authority office with the other member of the committee, Himanshu Kumar.

The committee members had exchanged views and had discussed the modalities of conducting the draw with Meerut division commissioner L.Venkatashwer Loo.

Patnayak said that he would not let injustice to percolate. A committee would be set-up for the draw. He said that the date for the draw would be fixed after October 10, as the enquiry process had to be completed.

All 12,000 applicants who had given bank addresses have been asked to provide their actual addresses.

Before holding the draw, all multiple and minor applicants will be given the option to withdraw their applications. The Noida Authority officials should not be associated with the draw, J.B. Patnayak said.

New Delhi, September 30
Delhi finance minister Dr A. K. Walia today announced that the city government had exempted all entertainment activities to be organised during the 10 days of Ram Lila at different places in the Capital city from entertainment tax.

This includes swings and other activities which attract a large number of Ram Lila spectators, including children.

The city-government had exempted the staging of Ram Lila from the tax as part of Kala Sanjivani Samaroh for a period of 10 days in a year through its new excise policy.

The government had been receiving a large number of representations requesting the exemption of entertainment tax on entry tickets for swings and other entertainment activities. Keeping in view the interest of spectators during Ram Lilas, the excise department had decided to grant the exemption, the minister said.

New Delhi, September 30
Stone for the BSES next generation 66 kv Bakkarwala grid station was laid today by Mukesh Sharma, MLA, in the presence of area councillor, senior government and BSES officials led by its CEO Arun Kanchan.

Congratulating the BSES for planning the grid in the South-West Delhi Mundka area, Mukesh Sharma said the power demand was increasing in the capital and this grid would help improve the power situation, especially in the difficult summer months.

The grid station with a capacity of 60 MVA and costing around Rs 28 crore is expected to be constructed in 16 months, keeping in mind the present and future needs of Mundka and adjoining areas. Arun Kanchan revealed that the BSES would add another two 66kv grids in West Delhi — one each at Uttam Nagar and Shiv Vihar in the coming months. He said besides easing the load on the existing grids in the area, including the one at Nangloi, the proposed grid would further improve the power situation for over 4 lakh residents of Mundka, Najafgargh and Nangloi, including those living in a large number of colonies.

New Delhi, September 30
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said her government had been striving hard to provide reliable and advanced medical care to the people at their doorstep.

“It has also been concentrating on rural Delhi as villagers have to rush to various hospitals situated at far away places,” Dikshit said after laying the foundation of a 200-bedded hospital at Chhattarpur.

The new hospital at Chhattarpur would have an OPD, operation theatre, wards, diagnostic facilities, X-rays, ultra-sound and other equipments. It would be developed as a centre of excellent health care.

Delhi health minister Dr Yoganand Shastri presided over the function whereas local MP Sajjan Kumar, local MLA Balram Tanwar, principal secretary (health) Rakesh Behari and other eminent persons were present on this occasion.

Dikshit said the new hospital would cater to the needs of residents of a number of villages, unauthorised colonies and even localities situated near the Delhi-Haryana border in neighbouring state of Haryana. The hospitals in Delhi have been developed as per the international standards. The hospitals are attracting foreigners as they rely on treatment in the capital city. The advanced treatment is being provided to them at reasonable charges.

The government has been concentrating on expansion of health infrastructure in rural Delhi where it has already commissioned 12 hospitals. The government is at present in the process of constructing 17 new hospitals with an aim to provide better health care in all parts of the city. It has been commissioning dispensaries across the city. 

New Delhi, September 30
A free eye-test and cataract operation camp was organised today by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Devender Kumar to mark the seventh death anniversary of former union minister and Congress leader Madhav Rao Scindia.

More than 300 people got their eyes tested, while about 50 cataract operations were done free-of-cost in the camp held at Camp Khanpur, Narela.

A prayer meeting was also held to remember the late leader. The prayer meet was attended by hundreds of people including former Governor Romesh Bhandari.

“Scindia ji was a great leader who was always concerned about the basic health facilities for the poor section of the society. He was associated with various NGO’s and other organisations for the benefit of the poor,” said Bhandari remembering the departed Congress leader.

Devender Kumar reminded people of how Madhav Rao Scindia would start a ‘Health Line Express’ train for the people of his constituency to come to Capital and get their check-ups done from time to time.

The meeting was also attended by Delhi municipal corporation member Mukesh Bhatt, Narayan Singh, Vijender Pehlawan, Deepak Chaudhry and other local Congress leaders. 

New Delhi, September 30
Manavata Abhiyan, a socio-cultural organisation, is holding its 11th rashtriya kavi sammellan on October 2 in Malviya Nagar here, where Hindi as well Urdu poets will render their compositions.

M.K. Gandhi, president of the Manavata Abhiyan said this year’s theme of the 11th Rashtriya Kavi Sammellan will be ever spiralling price rise, falling political morality manifested through cash for vote in Parliament during trust vote over nuclear deal and the burning problem of terrorism.

Faridabad, September 30
Four persons, including a couple residing in the national Capital, have been arrested on the charges of sending people abroad for jobs after charging money.

Those arrested include Gurjeet Snigh, his wife Sarvaajit Singh, residents of Delhi, and Azhar and Zakir, both residents of Faridabad.

The police had registered a case on a complaint of one Mansur, a local resident, who alleged that the four persons had promised to provide him a job in Saudi Arabia at a monthly salary of 1200 Riyad. For this, they first demanded a sum of Rs 80,000, but finally settled for Rs 70,000.

Mansur said that when he went for the job about four months back, he found that it was the work of a contract labourer.

He also claimed that he was ill-treated by his employers during his stay.

The police is verifying the documents on which Mansur was sent to Saudi Arabia.

It has taken up the matter with the concerned authorities in Delhi.

Police officials declined to make any further comment on the issue saying that it was still under investigation