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AIIMS doc jumps into
Yamuna
Rs 98.81 cr for repair of Gurgaon roads
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Chautala plans to revamp INLD structure
Contractor fined Rs 1 lakh
Ansari lays stress on education
BJP plans 15 meetings a day in each constituency
New procedure to cure spinal fractures
INVOcell brings hope of motherhood
Delhi Fashion Week to combine luxury with creativity
Territorial Army officers, jawans honoured
Police control room to check hoax calls
‘Technology brings stress and strain’
JNU student elections on Nov 3
Inspired by Bollywood, man plans his kidnap
Petrol station worker shot
Realtor ordered to refund money
Sarpanch faces action for land scam
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AIIMS doc jumps into
Yamuna
New Delhi, October 13 Eyewitnesses said Reeta (37) drove to the flyover and tried to break the iron railings while hitting them with her car. After the car finally stopped, she got out and jumped into the Yamuna. One of the bystanders said he tried to stop Reeta from jumping, but it all happened so fast that he could not react. He said he could not even trace her body as it was dark by that time. While Reeta’s family said she lost her brother last week and she was upset about that, reports indicate a disturbed married life. According to sources, Reeta, a resident of Noida, had constant fights with her husband. She had a tiff with him last night after which she probably took the drastic step. Several media persons alleged that they were manhandled by Reeta’s family when they reached the spot. A case in this regard was registered against the family. Meanwhile, police sources said they were conducting investigations and were in touch with her relatives. |
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Rs 98.81 cr for repair of Gurgaon roads
Gurgaon, October 13 The chief secretary disclosed this while presiding over a high-level meeting at the mini secretariat here. Dharmavir reviewed the status of ongoing repair work of all major roads that were damaged during rains. He also inspected some roads including Mata Sheetla Manfir Road, roads of Sector 4 and 5 and the old railway road to have a first-hand knowledge of the situation. The officers concerned informed him that tenders for the allotment of repair and reconstruction work of roads have been invited and in some parts work was in progress. Dharmavir directed top officials of the departments concerned to put all tenders costing above Rs 2.5 crore on the website with a standard application form, so that, applicants could also apply by simply downloading it. He informed that the constructing agency would be responsible for the maintenance of the roads for five years after construction. He asked the district administration to evolve a system of monitoring,, both by the officers of the executing department and the district administration, so that the quality of development works did not suffer. Chief administrator, HUDA, T.C Gupta informed Dharmavir that damaged roads in all the HUDA sectors on the eastern side of the national highway have been identified and tenders for their repair would be floated soon. He said that Rs 38 crore would be spent on the repair and the work would be completed in two months. Dharmavir also reviewed the status of sewerage, drinking water and traffic management in Gurgaon. He constituted a committee comprising divisional commissioner, chief administrator, HUDA, commissioner of police and deputy commissioner for finding practical solutions to the traffic problems on MG Road. He asked the Municipal Corporation to identify sites for multi-level parking and directed the HUDA authorities to reserve parking sites in all sectors in future. He also directed Gupta to launch a drive for removing illegal hoardings along the HUDA roads. Observing the hi-tech practices in Gurgaon, the chief secretary asked the commissioner of police and the deputy commissioner to launch an online grievance accepting system within a month. The complaints so received can be forwarded to concerned officer for redressal by e-mail. |
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Chautala plans to revamp INLD structure
Gurgaon, October 13 Making blunt remarks at the executive committee meeting of the party here, Chautala said there would be no place for the inert state office-bearers of the party in the revamped set-up. The need for such a step arose as the party did not want to leave anything to chance. It wants to defeat the main adversary Congress in the state to pave way for the formation of NDA government at the centre. However, the political observers perceive the development as an attempt by Chautala to preempt any dissenting voice in the party on the part of the senior office-bearers who had pinned hopes on getting the party ticket for the LS election. In order to make seat-sharing adjustments with the BJP, many party leaders would have to be denied chance to contest the election, so Chautala’s announcement regarding change in the organisational structure at this juncture should be seen in perspective of electoral adjustment with the BJP, added observers. Addressing the meeting, Chautala expressed his dissatisfaction with the working of some senior office-bearers even as he, rather ironically, said that other parties envied the strengths of INLD’s organisational set-up. In the three-year-old present set-up, there were some district presidents who had not organised even a single meeting in their areas, he pointed out adding that they would soon be weeded out of the set-up. He asked the party observers to tour the districts under their domain and present their report about assessment of those who should be shown the door. The process of revamping would be completed between October 15 and October 22. He also announced the names of district-level observers of the party. |
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Contractor fined Rs 1 lakh
New Delhi, October 13 He has directed DMRC officers to impose a fine of Rs 1 lakh immediately on the cleaning contractor concerned, as he found a lot of dirt, dust and litter scattered all over the place. He was also not very happy with the way in which the platform was being
mopped. Dilshad Garden Metro station earns the second highest revenue with the earning of Rs 3.5 lakh per day and also witnesses about 25,000 footfalls daily. This station is very popular as a number of people from the neighbouring state come to take the Metro from here. Later, the MD travelled between Dilshad Garden and Kashmere Gate and stopped at Welcome Metro station also. He was satisfied with the level of cleanliness and upkeep at Welcome and Kashmere Gate stations and also found the cleanliness inside the trains up to the
mark. Sreedharan has directed all senior DMRC officers to regularly inspect Metro stations to ensure that proper cleanliness standards are maintained, a spokesman of the DMRC said. |
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Women condemn communal riots in Orissa
New Delhi, October 13 “Rape of a nun in Orissa is rape of democracy; punish the perpetrators; shame on government’s inaction,” the slogan shouting protesters said condemning the violence in Orissa. Organised by the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), the march that commenced at Jantar Mantar near Parliament Street was held to call attention to the “inadequacy of the government in dealing with perpetrators” and “focus on the plight of women caught in the violence, and precarious conditions in refugee camps in Orissa”. “Such acts of violence are blatant assaults on our democracy and constitution. The central government’s response has, so far, been disappointing,” said Kavita Krishnan, national secretary, AIPWA. She alleged that Hindu rightwing groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were behind the communal riots. “The fact that perpetrators from extremist groups like the RSS, VHP roam free is testimony to the fact that they are being supported,” Krishnan said. A nun was allegedly raped on August 26 in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, where communal clashes have claimed around 35 lives and rendered thousands homeless in the past nearly two months. The violence targeting Christians and their places of worship began after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and four of his aides were killed on August 23. The march, Krishnan said, was timed to coincide with a shutdown being observed in six of the affected districts in Orissa to press for a ban on radical groups like the VHP and
RSS. “It’s impossible to turn a blind eye to such incidents when you know that this isn’t the first of such acts. We all remember the communal clashes in Gujarat 2002, then the BJP was at the centre. Now the UPA-led government is playing the soft communal card,” said Tanika Shanker, a history professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University
(JNU). “The government is doing nothing,” Shanker said. — IANS |
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Ansari lays stress on education
New Delhi, October 13 Ansari was speaking at a key discussion organized by the Education Quality Foundation of India on a very telling issue, ‘Quality in Education’. The Vice-President added, “One third of India’s adult population is illiterate; only 12% of eligible children at school complete 10th standard. About 2 crore children are born every year. Around 7 per cent of the children do not attend school between the age group 6 and 14. Of the ones that do go through the primary and secondary schooling, about 75 lakh appear in Class X and 38 lakh in Class XII examinations. At both levels the pass percentage is 50-55 per cent.” The Vice-President also released a report titled, “Excellence in Schools—an EQFI Study in Quality”. This study was initiated in January 2008 after an intensive survey of 100 schools vis-a-vis the criteria decided upon by EQFI. While 60% of the schools were government, the rest 40% were private schools. This report offers a deep insight into the strengths of the schools and opportunities for improvement. It emphasizes the need for identifying best practices in schools and sharing new teaching–learning practices which will help strengthen quality in schools. EQFI aims at ushering in a transformation in school systems through this valuable initiative. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Anjalee Prakash, chairperson EQFI said, “Supported by experienced educationists, EQFI aims to unleash the quality revolution in schools, by enabling the schools to transform their practices, capabilities and outcomes by using Quality Assurance Criteria developed by EQFI especially for schools after extensive research”. The director of NCERT, Krishna Kumar also addressed the audience on “Quality Imperatives in School Education in India”. The other speakers for the day were Prof Siddique, chairperson NCTE, Samphe Lhalungpa, Chief/ECP, UNICEF and Shyama Chona, Padma Bhushan, principal DPS. All the speakers highlighted the need for quality and the need to consider quality assessments as a tool to transformation. |
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BJP plans 15 meetings a day in each constituency
New Delhi, October 13 The decision was taken at the daily meeting being held by the party at 4 pm to review the day-to-day situation, sources said. The meeting was presided over by party’s chief ministerial candidate Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Those present included chief of the Delhi unit Harsh Vardhan, spokesperson Arun Jaitely, leader of opposition in assembly Jaghdish Mukhi and few others. According to the sources, senior leaders are scrutinising ticket seekers to find out those who are active and have good image in their constituencies. Sources claimed that tickets would be given only to those who have the ability to win elections and there is no room for any kind of nepotism. An office bearer of the party said that Malhotra, Jaitley and Vardhan are the ones who will decide about the candidates but as of now no decision has been taken about the candidates. Meanwhile, a large number of ticket seekers can be seen at the state BJP headquarters, trying to meet Malhotra, who reaches their at 4 pm everyday. But these ticket seekers find it difficult to meet Malhotra as he tries to keep himself away from them. |
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New procedure to cure spinal fractures
New Delhi, October 13 According to doctors, the minimally invasive orthopaedic spine procedure is proving to be the most suited option to treat vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) that occur as a complication of osteoporosis, cancer or trauma. Balloon kyphoplasty essentially makes use of two balloons, inserted through only 1 centimeter-long incision. The balloons are gently inflated inside the fractured vertebrae to gently raise the patient’s collapsed vertebrae to its pre-fractured height, creating a void inside the vertebral body. After deflating and removing the balloons, the void is filled with viscous bone cement in a controlled manner under low manual pressure. This one-hour procedure, performed under local or general anaesthesia, has shown to stabilise the fracture and provide immediate pain relief in many cases. Orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and interventional radiologists are equipped to perform this procedure. They say that most patients even return to their normal daily activities immediately after the procedure or after an overnight hospital stay. Physicians have reported significant patient outcomes, including height restoration of the vertebral body, improved and sustained mental health, vitality, social function and emotional health, and decreased dependence on others. The procedure can also reduce the need for narcotic pain medication and the number of doctor visits related to back pain problems, say experts. According to Dr Anthony Fabrizi, a leading spine surgeon from Italy who is in India to train Indian spine surgeons, said “Spinal fracture sufferers can significantly improve their ability to perform normal daily activities and improve quality of life with balloon kyphoplasty. However, for best results and least complications, early screening and appropriate medical management is vital.” Dr Fabrizi further explains, “The consequences of untreated spinal fractures can be devastating. If a patient suffers one vertebral compression fracture, the risk of suffering a second fracture increases five-fold. After an injury, there may be slight reduction in the swelling and pain, and the patient may want to ignore back aches. However, Left unattended, many fractures can result in an exaggerated rounded curvature of the spine, called kyphosis, or dowager’s hump. That’s why it is very crucial to see your doctor as soon as the injury has occurred and when the pain is acute.” According to Dr. Fabrizi, “Spinal fractures can be acutely painful and incapacitating – making waking, eating, sleeping and even breathing painful and difficult. Long term, this condition can be fatal in some patients. Diagnosing such fractures is the first step toward providing patients with hope for treatment.” |
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INVOcell brings hope of motherhood
New Delhi, October 13 According to medical experts, the INVO procedure is a simple and effective infertility treatment that uses a new device, the INVO cell. INVO can be performed in a physician’s office or in a satellite facility of an IVF centre. The INVO procedure consists of fertilization of oocyte(s) and early embryo development in the INVOcell placed into the maternal vaginal cavity for incubation. The vaginal cavity replaces the complex in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) laboratory. Eggs are combined with sperm in the INVOcell device and placed in the woman’s vaginal cavity where it remains for three days. This step eliminates the need for a complex IVF laboratory and allows the woman’s body to provide the nurturing environment in which conception and early embryo development take place. However, this technique can also be done after the ICSI procedure has been performed, says Dr Nandita Palshetkar, infertility specialist, Lilavati Hospital Mumbai and Fortis La Femme Hospital, New Delhi. Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, infertility specialist Lilavati Hospital Mumbai and Fortis Hospital New Delhi, states that, “INVOcell allows conception and embryo development to take place inside the woman’s body, making having a baby simpler and less expensive, while promoting involvement by the woman”. According to these doctors, INVOcell allows the treatment of a new population of infertile couples who could not benefit from IVF due to cost and availability. The participation of the patient in the process of fertilisation and early embryo development is a psychological benefit that creates a high level of acceptance of INVOcell. INVOcell can also be used in remote areas in India, where the electric supply is erratic. It can replace the CO2 incubator which is dependant on constant electric supply and is the heart of a standard IVF unit. Previous worldwide studies (over 800 clinical cases) published in peer-reviewed journals have demonstrated an efficacy of this procedure to be comparable or even better than conventional IVF. |
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Delhi Fashion Week to combine luxury with creativity
New Delhi, October 13 Organised by the newly created Fashion Foundation of India (FFI), the five-day DFW will run parallel to the premier Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) to be staged at the Pragati Maidan exhibition complex from October 15-19. “This event is a combination of luxury and creativity that will provide a platform for designers to showcase what they have always believed in,” said fashion impresario Sumeet Nair, a consultant to the
DFW. “The aim of this event is not just to focus on designers who have already made a mark, but to create and promote a young pool of talent. It is all about how good and creative you are,” Nair said. The event will feature five shows a day starting at 1 pm, except for October 15 when there will be just four shows and October 17 when there will be three shows due to Karva Chauth - a day on which Hindu wives fast for the wellbeing of their husbands. Like WIFW, the event has two main show areas (MSA), a lounge and an exhibition area. The event will feature 33 designers, of whom 22 will showcase on the ramp and 10 will display in the exhibition area. The event will see established designers like Anamika Khanna, Raghavendra Rathore, Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani showcasing their lines in company with upcoming talent like Abhijeet Khanna, Alpana and Neeraj of label Azara, Jason Anshu, Atsu Sekhose, Gaurav Gupta, Lecoanet Hemant, Malini Ramini, Meera Ali, Preeti Chandra, Priyadarshini Rao, Rahul Reddy, Rajvi Mohan, Savio Jon, Sonam Dubal, Varun Sardana, and Vineet Bahl. The accessory designers who will also be part of the event are Alecca Carrano, Amrita Hans, Bai Lou, Curio Cottage, Meera Mahadevia, Nivedita Swarup, Peachy Bawa, Pashma, Yasmine Rana, Nivedita and Deepti Sudhindra. “The preparations for the fashion week are going on in full swing. I am all geared up to showcase my vision and am hopeful of attracting buyers with my line,” said designer Gaurav Gupta. As the event clashes with the WIFW, many believe this was deliberately done to draw attention away from what has emerged as India’s key business-to-business event for the fashion industry - but Nair vehemently disagrees. “We are basically looking at the international model. Every international fashion week has many events running parallel to the main event,” he explained. “The whole idea of this event is to make India a fashion destination. We believe in getting designers from all over the country who are young, talented and creative. The event will definitely see new buyers. It will be a win-win situation for both fashion weeks,” Nair
maintained. — IANS |
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Territorial Army officers, jawans honoured
New Delhi, October 13 Mayor Arti Mehra presented a memento to Maj-Gen Kanwar Vijay Singh Lalotra, Additional Director-General of the Territorial Army. Similarly, the Mayor was presented a memento on behalf of the Territorial Army. Addressing the jawans, Arti Mehra said the former captain of the Indian cricket team Kapil Dev was commissioned in the Territorial Army last September, which was a matter of great pride for the Army. Welcoming the officers and jawans, she called upon citizens in the age group of 18 to 42 years to join the Territorial Army to serve their nation. The Mayor announced that every MCD officer and employee between the age of 18 to 42 who wished to join the Territorial Army would be given two months of leave with full pay to undergo training. Maj-Gen Kanwar Vijay Singh Lalotra expressed his gratitude on behalf of officers and jawans towards the citizens of Delhi for organizing civic reception in their honour. He said that any citizen whether he is a trader, businessman or employee could join the Territorial Army and undergo two months’ compulsory training in a year. |
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Police control room to check hoax calls
Noida, October 13 The SSP, R.K.Chaturvedi, said, “The cost of the project is Rs 1.5 crore and is being funded by Noida Authority. There will be 55 patrolling vehicles. Digital map of the district has been prepared. Automatic vehicle tracking system has also been installed. On the digital display screen, location of all the vehicles could be traced.” “Vehicle movement of all patrolling vehicles would also be shown on the digital screen. On getting the call at control room, voice would be recorded and knowing the location of crime, control room staff would be able to locate the nearest patrolling vehicle and immediately direct him to reach the crime site. Computers have been installed at control room. It will also help in checking the hoax calls as voice would be recorded and the number flashed on screen,” said Chaturvedi. “One tower is to be installed at Noida Phase II and additional 8 telephone lines are required at control room. Tower installation will take three weeks. From the next week, personnel training would start. In 30 days, control room would be fully functional,” said Chaturvedi. |
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‘Technology brings stress and strain’
New Delhi, October 13 Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, president, World Council of Religions. The saint was speaking at ‘Life’s True Business’, a seminar on Sunday. Maharaj further said that saints tell us that the true purpose of our lives is the communion of soul with God, but we do not focus on it. Instead, we spend most of our time in routine works. He suggested that one should spare time for spirituality, sit in silence and do meditation. He said that by practicing meditation daily our soul gets merged with God, which helps us to achieve life’s true business. |
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JNU student elections on Nov 3
New Delhi, October 13 The elections will be held on November 6. A tentative voter list would be put up in the university tomorrow. “The presidential debate would take place in the Jhelum hostel lawns on the night of November 1,” informed Sarada Prasanna, chairperson, election committee. The final action would however start from the night of November 3 when the counting for different schools would begin. “The counting would continue on November 4 and the final results would be declared on November 5,” said Prasanna. The elected JNUSU office bearers would take oath on November 6. |
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Inspired by Bollywood, man plans his kidnap
New Delhi, October 13 The police said the accused was a fan of Bollywood films and borrowed the idea from a Hindi film to earn easy money. Kumar was a crane driver in complainant Gulshan Lamba’s construction firm. He first wrote two extortion letters to Gulshan on September 29 and September 30 demanding Rs 20,00,000. Then, on October 5, went missing from work. He later phoned Gulshan informing that he had been kidnapped by dacoit Khatial Singh Yadav and asked him to pay the ransom for his release. Santosh directed Gulshan to deliver the ransom money around Buddha Garden on Ridge Road. The police team laid a trap around the spot and apprehended Santosh when he came to collect the money. According to the police, Santosh confirmed that he used to call Gulshan by placing a piece of cloth on the phone so that he could not recognise his voice. Further investigation is in process. |
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Petrol station worker shot
Greater Noida, October 13 Petrol pumps in city observed 4-hour closure on Monday in protest against the incident. Till late Monday evening, robbers were not traceable. Greater Noida superintendent of police Babu Ram, said, “Around 10.10 pm on Sunday, three youths on a motorcycle came at Dolly petrol pump. They snatched the gun from a guard. Thereafter they tried to rob the petrol pump. Tank driver Ram lakhan (25) challenged them. He managed to nab one of the robbers. Other robbers shot at him. Bullet hit him in the chest and he fell down. Robbers then escaped towards Ghaziabad. The injured Ram Lakhan was rushed to Kailash Hospital where he was declared brought dead. “Till late Monday evening, robbers were not traceable. They appeared to be locals in the age group of 20 to 25 years. Manhunt has been launched to arrest the assailants,” said the superintendent of police. Petrol pumps association held a meeting today and observed four-hour closure as token protest. “If the administration was unable to provide security to our staff members, we will open the petrol pumps from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. only,” said D.Choudhary, representative of the association. |
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Realtor ordered to refund money
Noida, October 13 Raji Verma, a senior citizen and wife of retired scientist, had applied for 240 square meter plot at Greater Noida in 2006 under residential scheme announced by Triveni Infrastructure Developers. She deposited Rs 4 lakh through two cheques of April 2006. She got the receipt and customer code. Rate to be charged under the scheme was Rs 6,912 per square meter. Even after 18 months, the company could not allot the plot in spite of repeated requests from the applicant. Unable to get relief, she approached the Consumer Forum. Forum headed by president R.P.Shukla and senior member Zeeshana Khan observed that deficiency of service was confirmed as it failed to allot the plot in the scheduled period. As the company representative did not appear before the forum despite repeated reminders, the forum decided the case ex parte. The forum ordered the refund of Rs 4 lakh along with simple interest of 10 per cent as per the agreement clause with two months. Further the company has been asked to pay Rs 15,000 towards financial damages and Rs 2,500 towards legal expenses. In another similar case, the forum on the complaint of Sanjiv Verma directed the Southern property to refund Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5,000 towards damages and Rs 2,000 towards legal expenses. He had executed agreement for 50 square meter house at Y block sector 12. But the complainant failed to get possession of the house. |
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Sarpanch faces action for land scam
Faridabad, October 13 Acting on complaints from some villagers to the deputy commissioner, Faridabad, Brijender Singh, the SDM of Ballabgarh, was deputed to inquire the case. A three-member committee, including the BDO concerned was constituted. According to the SDM, Ballabagarh, H.C.Jain, the committee has found truth into the complaints of the villagers. Jain said that the report has been submitted to the deputy commissioner. The sarpanch, Aasin, is likely to be suspended. The area under question was about 9,000 sq yds and the land is of high value as it falls along the Agra-Mathura national highway. The associates of the sarpanch, all residents of the village, had allegedly started building constructions on the land. About 40 persons had allegedly tried to grab land. Each of them was trying to corner about 50 sq yds of land. The land has history. The village panchayat had recently recommended rehabilitation of the BPL families. However, the local administration had rejected it and decided to provide land for the families at some other
place. |
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