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Bungling in distribution of plots for poor puts admn in fix
Voice raised against ‘exploitation’ of private security guards
BSP workers sore with new poll in charge
Gang of robbers held
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Five cops suspended for custodial death
Delhi trader loses eye after being hit by drunk constable
Noidaites live in fear of loots, murders
NDPL extends rebate to prepaid consumers
DDA gets bids for shops
Vardhan’s five posers to Dikshit
Parsavnath bags Metro project
Farmers put off dharna
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Bungling in distribution of plots for poor puts admn in fix
Faridabad, October 17 The administration has received hundreds of complaints about bungling and mismanagement in the distribution of plots. The complaints range from skewed survey in preparing the list of deserving family units to faults in the procedure of preparing the BPL lists. The welfare scheme, which was launched in Haryana on October 2 at a rally addressed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has been christened ‘Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti’. The administration also launched the scheme in the district of Faridabad and distributed plots at Junehra in Ballabgarh sub divison. However, the administration immediately came under the arc light with a large number of complaints that the sarpanches in the villages in cahoot with politicians of the ruling Congress and influential persons, had worked overtime to adjust undeserving acolytes and relatives. Ruling party politicians were accused of interfering in preparing the list of beneficiaries with an eye on vote. The complaint of discrimination on political grounds has a serious ring to it as the parliamentary election is just a few months away which would be followed by assembly election in the state. The political overtones related to the project become obvious when Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently accompanied Sonia Gnadhi at a Congress rally in Uttar Pradesh. In the rally, Sonia Gandhi touched on the welfare scheme in Haryana for Dalits and economically poor section of society. Hooda also dwelt on the scheme. According to reports, the presence of Hooda in the rally was to send the message to the people of the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh, especially the dalits, that the Congress government was doing more for the downtrodden than the Mayawati-led BSP government in Uttar Pradesh. However, with a large number of complaints of malpractices in distribution of plots, the administration in Faridabad found itself at tether end. Meanwhile, the opposition parties in Haryana have tried to queer the pitch in Faridabad over the issue. In order to get over the allegations, the district administration has formed village-level committees which will announce the prepared lists and also look into complaints of discrimination from the individuals and family units. Each village has been put under the charge of a senior officer. The final list of names of prospective beneficiaries will be announced at gram sabha meetings in the villages concerned. According to a senior officer of the administration, distribution of plots will be completed in two dozen villages in Faridababad district—one dozen each in Ballabgarh and Faridabad sub dvisions— by November end. As per the scheme, a cluster of plots will be set up in the common land in the villages for carving out the plots. |
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Voice raised against ‘exploitation’ of private security guards
New Delhi, October 17 In a press conference today, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) leaders questioned whether multinational security firm Group4Security had a record worthy of attaining a contract for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The campaign ‘Security of Security Workers’ is supported by the UNI Global Union of the workers. “Commonwealth Games is an occasion for India to show that the rights of its citizens are ensured,” said Phillip Bowyer, deputy general secretary, UNI Global Union. The union leaders alleged that G4S, with its operation in over 104 countries and 5,60,000 employees, had repeatedly violated national labour laws. “The agency has adopted a formula for exploiting its employees by giving them benefits only on the basic pay, which is almost half the total salary,” said Sudhir Kumar, president, Delhi CITU. He added that the Commonwealth Games committee should not associate itself with companies who had unfair labour practices. “We are not only against a particular firm; we have decided to protest against the exploitation of employees in four private security firms,” said Sudhir. Trade union representatives claimed that the security firms were deducting one day’s wage of their employees on different pretexts without any transparency. “They deduct Rs 1,000 from my salary every six months for my uniform. It should be their responsibility to provide us with an official dress,” said Subhash (name changed on request), a security guard working with a premiere security agency, on the condition of anonymity. Subhash is working with the firm since last eight years and earns Rs 5,000 a month. “I pay almost Rs 2,000 for my rented house in the Kotla area and the rest goes to my family in Bihar,” he said. Another guard complained that he never got the salary on time. “They delay our salaries at their own will and we can not even prove it, as they give us cheques made a month back,” said 35-year-old Rajesh, who gets Rs 3,400 a month. The security guards also complained that they had no job security and that money was deducted from their salaries every now and then. “Even if a chair breaks in the area we are guarding, its cost would be deducted from my salary,” said Suresh, who is now an active member of the security guards union affiliated with the CITU. Suresh had sustained several injuries while on job. “No one takes our responsibility and instead we are arrested by the police. Many of my friends were released with the intervention of the trade union,” he said. “We are trying to organise the workers in this sector and because of wide scale exploitation, workers are coming together,” said N.M. Muthappa from INTUC. While the leaders have written letters to the Delhi Chief Minister and the chairman of the Commonwealth Games informing them about their grievances, nationwide protests would be held against the alleged exploitation. The campaign demands the security services to be recognised as an industry, so that the agencies are bound to comply with the norms set for industries. They also demand the security agencies to respect security agent’s right to join a labour union. Interestingly, security service is one of the fastest booming businesses in India today, and private security personnel in the country outnumber army, navy, air force, police and CBI personnel put together. |
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BSP workers sore with new poll in charge
New Delhi, October 17 Earlier C. P. Singh was in charge. He is the party candidate from the Kondli assembly constituency. But now he has been replaced by G. C. Dinkar and Mahender Kumar, both from Uttar Pradesh, sources said. According to party sources, names of candidates for the assembly elections had been finalised when C. P. Singh was in charge, election affairs of the party. But after taking charge, Dinkar and Mahender Singh cancelled the list and they were giving new names, resulting in resentment among party workers. They said that it seemed that the BSP was not interested in winning the elections. It just wanted to damage the Congress so that the BJP could come to power, they alleged. While C. P. Singh is a Delhiite, Dinkar and Mahender are from UP. They are not aware of local politics and nature of voters, they alleged. The sources said that when first list of election candidates were finalised it was on the basis of winning capability. Now this quality does not matter. Since the appointment of new election in charge, programmes are organised daily, for which ticket seekers are asked to finance. This is also allegedly one of the reasons why party workers do not like Dinkar and
Mahender. |
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Gang of robbers held
New Delhi, October 17 According to Atul Katiyar, DCP (Outer), a team of the Outer district special staff was pressed into action after an increase in the incidents of robbery and burglary in the remote areas. Yesterday, the police had received a tip-off that a gang of dacoits would assemble near Delhi College of Engineering on Bawana Road at village Shahabad Daulat Pur with weapons in order to commit a dacoity in a metal factory in Prahalad Pur. Acting on the information, a raid was conducted and the accused were apprehended. Four countrymade firearms, 4 live cartridges, iron rod, knife, house breaking tools and a bag containing rope and electricity wire were recovered from their possession. A mobile phone stolen by the gang few days earlier from one of the factories in village Prahalad Pur Bangar was also recovered from the possession of one of them. During interrogation the accused disclosed that they were a part of a gang, which used to commit robberies in the factories of Village Prahalad Pur, Shahabad Dariy, Samai Pur Badli and other remote areas of Outer district. They further disclosed that they carried weapons with them and never hesitated to open fire at anyone stopping them. The accused further disclosed that they had killed one person in the brass factory while committing robbery on the night of September 11. Anil Kumar disclosed that it was he who opened fire on one of the workers on the premises when he tried to alert his sleeping colleagues. |
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Five cops suspended for custodial death
Noida, October 17 A CB CID team has decided to arrest the Bulandshahr cops after they reach Noida. A case was filed by Sonu’s father Dalbir Singh in the Supreme Court in November 2006 alleging third degree torture by the Noida police. The court had directed the UP government to get the matter probed by the CB CID. The probe started in January 2007. After one year’s probe the CB CID had filed a chargesheet against the accused in the court. Sonu was kept at Nithari police post in the night. Post in-charge Vinode Pande and SOG team allegedly tortured Sonu with third degree methods and after he fell unconscious, he was locked up in the Sector-20 police station. The probe found that property dealer Sonu had a monetary dispute with one Kanwar Pal Singh who had filed a mobile theft case against Sonu in the Sector-39 police station. |
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Delhi trader loses eye after being hit by drunk constable
New Delhi, October 17 Sanjay Kumar Gaur was assaulted by constable Neeraj Kumar and his friend Sunil Kumar near Samaypur Badli railway crossing in North West Delhi on Thursday evening, said a police official. Gaur was driving in his car with some friends, when he escaped colliding with Neeraj’s motorcycle. Neeraj was allegedly in an inebriated state and was talking on the mobile phone while driving. Sunil was riding pillion to Neeraj. When Gaur complained, Neeraj and Sunil assaulted him. “He was in an inebriated state and started beating me. He punched me on the right eye. When my friends tried to intervene they were also beaten up by the constable and his friend,” Gaur said. The victim’s brother Rishi Prakash said that Sunil fled from the spot after snatching Gaur’s mobile phone, gold chain and around Rs 15,000 cash. Gaur said his friends made a call to the PCR and they were taken to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital for medical examination. The police admitted that doctors found Neeraj in an inebriated state. Gaur was admitted to the Rajendra Prasad Hospital where doctors operated on his right eye. According to the victim, the retina and pupil of his right eye was damaged. DCP Atul Katiyar said the constable has been arrested and punitive action taken against
him. — IANS |
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Noidaites live in fear of loots, murders
Greater Noida, October 17 Five major loots in three days have affected the area police that is spending sleepless nights. Questions are being raised on the police’s capability. Things had improved for a few days after police stations were upgraded in Kotwali and SOs were made SHOs. But criminals again appear to have gained an upper hand over policemen. On October 12, bike-borne persons looted a gun from a petrol pump’s security guard and shot a canter driver who had resisted them. The police has not yet solved the cases where two petrol pumps were looted on railway road in Dadri. While the police was working to nab the criminals and stem the crime wave, some bikers snatched Rs 4.25 lakh and stamp papers worth lakhs from Sanjeev Kumar of Ghaziabad, a stamp vendor in Greater Noida authority. The same day Rs 50,000 were snatched from another trader in Greater Noida. Some inmates of a car were also robbed and manhandled near Rabupura. These incidents have created a commotion in the police circle. The police’s failure to crack any of the cases has created fear among business and trade circles including petrol pump dealers. All crimes were the handiwork of bike-borne criminals. Police CO Ranjit Kumar has however said all those involved would be brought to book soon. |
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NDPL extends rebate to prepaid consumers
New Delhi, October 17 “We are pleased to extend the rebate to all our consumers which were primarily being given to government offices and institutions,” said an NDPL spokesperson. The NDPL had started giving prepaid metered connections to its consumers since 2005. At present, NDPL has over 3,000 prepaid meter consumers in its distribution network. The prepaid meters come up with smart cards to hold information on units consumed or equivalent money value. When the card is inserted, the energy meter reads it, connects the supply to the consumer loads and debits the value. The meters are equipped with light emitting diodes (LED) to inform consumers when 75 percent of the credit energy has been consumed. The consumer can then recharge the prepaid card from any of NDPL consumer care/district offices. |
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DDA gets bids for shops
New Delhi, October 17 The bids were received in response to a tender floated by the DDA. The bid amount offered was Rs 21.69 crore against the reserve price of Rs 20.28 crore. The built-up shops are being disposed of on a continuous basis to provide commercial infrastructure across the city, a DDA spokesman said. The result of the tender programme along with the detail of the highest bidder and particulars of built up commercial units is available at DDA’s website www.dda.org.in The DDA has so far constructed 642 commercial complexes of various capacities like 11 district centres, 44 community centres, 138 local shopping centres, 449 convenient shopping
Centres. |
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Vardhan’s five posers to Dikshit
New Delhi, October 17 The questions are: When the country, including the capital, is suffering from terrorism why has she not signed on the file related to the hanging of Afzal Guru who has been given capital punishment? At the instance of which Congress leaders has she kept the file regarding Afzal Guru pending? Is the Congress not responsible for the death of people killed by terrorists? When will Afzal Guru be hanged? The people occupying government and semi-government positions in Delhi are acting as the agents of the Congress and terming the terrorists as innocent persons and demoralising society. What action has the Congress government has taken against such people? |
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Parsavnath bags Metro project
New Delhi, October 17 The project, valued at approximately Rs 29.5 crore, involves construction of station box at the Dhaula Kuan metro station that connects Connaught Place to the International Airport. This is another prestigious construction contract of station building from DMRC to Parsvnath Developers Ltd. after its successful execution of the prestigious Azadpur and Akshardham Metro stations which were allotted on BOT basis. The project is scheduled to be completed within a period of just 15 months. |
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Farmers put off dharna
Greater Noida, October 17 They decided this in a panchayat on Sunday. The farmers had threatened to gherao the authority offices on October 20 if their grievances were not sorted out. This made the authority official to restart a survey of Abadi land in Bisarakh. However, the deputy CEO of GNIDA has assured Bisarakh farmers to sort out the issue in a week. Therefore, the farmers have postponed their agitation. The re-survey had been completed on Wednesday. On Thursday a delegation of farmers under Kisan Sangarsh Samiti president Rajpal Bhatti had met the GNIDA deputy CEO P.C. Gupta who assured them that their problem would be solved in a week. Bhatti said that if the GNIDA failed to issue a survey report by October 22 solving the Abadi land problem, farmers would be forced to launch an agitation. |
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