New Delhi, October 19
Samajwadi Party leader Thakur Sunil Rana had a narrow escape today morning, when his Cielo car, only few seconds after being parked, was crushed by the under-construction Delhi Metro Rail Corporation bridge that fell in Shakarpur area of East Delhi.

Shaken by the incident, Rana said that it was announced that the DMRC would stop traffic while installing heavy equipments or lifting heavy materials, but no such precaution was taken today.

“I was with couple of party leaders when I parked my car on the road to visit a party worker in the area. No sooner had we come out of the car, we heard a large thud and the heavy structure engulfed the car.” said Rana.

He alleged that the loss of life and property could have been averted had the DMRC or the construction company involved had followed the precautionary measure of halting the traffic.

SP leader and Laxmi Nagar legislative seat nominee Omveer, who visited the site, demanded a high-level inquiry of the incident and severe punishment for those responsible for the carelessness. 

Metro accidents — a time line

The collapse of an under construction flyover may be a one-of-its-kind accident in the decade old history of the Delhi Metro, but the mass transport system of the national capital has witnessed the following small accidents.

Oct 19, 2008: An under construction flyover collapsed in Laxmi Nagar of East Delhi due to mechanical failure leading to the death of at least two persons. Nearly 30 people were injured. One blueline bus, one truck, one crane, and a few private cars were damaged.

Sep 30, 2008: A prisoner was injured after he got dragged by a Metro train across the length of the Chandni Chowk platform. The prisoner Joginder, 35, was tied to another prisoner with a rope and was escorted by three policemen. He seemed to have got off the train but his partner remained inside the coach. The otherwise sensitive doors of the metro train shut and the train began to move with the rope stuck between the doors. Joginder got dragged till the end of the platform where fortunately it snapped, saving his life.

July 18, 2008: A malfunctioning crane at a metro construction site near Ram Monohar Lohia Hospital dropped a four tonne iron beam on a passing Tavera car.

While the driver, Manoj, 23, was trapped inside the car for sometime and sustained multiple fractures, another passenger sustained minor injuries.

Jan 21, 2008: A labourer was killed at a Delhi Metro construction site here while carrying out burrowing work. Vijay Mandal, 40, was killed as the side of a hole, being dug to house an underground water tank, collapsed at a metro construction site in Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi.

Aug 28, 2007: A crane driver died after a concrete block fell on him due to a “technical failure” at a Delhi Metro construction site in Mayur Vihar in East Delhi.The victim, B. Singh, was an employee of Navyug Construction Company that is building the metro line on the Mayur Vihar-Noida stretch.— IANS

New Delhi, October 19
With ban on smoking in public places, the sale of tobacco products (gutka, khaini, zarda and pan masala) has shot up by nearly 150% in metros including many large townships across the country whereas the sale of beedi and cigarette has dropped by about 25% in the last 15 days.

The fact came to light in a survey carried out by the Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF). The survey was carried out in 1,500 retail tobacco kiosks.

Releasing the report, Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said that the consumption of cigarette and beedi had declined by 25% in lower middle class group. This group is the largest smoking lot. The ban had hardly affected people belonging to the upper class, he said.

The survey that was carried out in all metros and large townships was completed in two weeks. Retail cigarette and gutka Sellers were interviewed. They revealed that sale of tobacco products had increased greatly in cities like Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow, Mumbai, Aligarh, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad and Delhi.

The survey also revealed that 65% of respondents had confessed of having twin bad habits of smoking beedi or cigarette and chewing tobacco products, which are equally harmful.

Rawat added, “The gap in tobacco consumption is the highest in low and lower-middle income households. Urban low and lower-middle income households consume more tobacco as compared to similar income groups in rural areas.”

The ban appears to have had an impact on the number of smokers with seven out of 10 respondents claiming that they had reduced the consumption of cigarettes but increased tobacco intake.

New Delhi, October 19
Aditya Grover and Vishesh Kumar from Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, were today declared winners of the Delhi region 6th Texas Instruments Jack Kilby Science & Technology Quiz, 2008.

The announcement was received with thunderous applause by the enthusiastic gathering of high school students who thronged the Air Force Auditorium to witness this engrossing event.

Ayan Madan and Akshit Goyal from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and Manas Bhutani and Rishabh Dudeja from Delhi Public School, Rohini, were adjudged second and third, respectively. Over 100 teams from leading schools in the city participated in this year’s regional event open to students belonging to Class VIII, IX and X.

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram will now get the opportunity to compete for the national title at the All-India finals in Bangalore on November 16, 2008.

The three winning teams walked away with attractive prizes like robotic kits, i-pods, telescopes, microscopes and high-end Texas Instruments (TI) calculators.

TI organizes this quiz every year to foster the spirit of inquiry and innovation among young students that would motivate them to take up science as a career. The quiz has been designed to tap into the latent talents of scientific invention in school children, testing them beyond theoretical knowledge.

This year, TI has extended the quiz to cover Pune and Kolkata, apart from Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. This is the sixth year that the company is conducting this quiz that has emerged as a popular and sought-after annual event.

The year 2008 also marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of the integrated circuit (IC) by Jack Kilby, a former Texas Instruments employee and a winner of the Nobel Prize for physics. Therefore, this year’s quiz is named after this visionary whose discovery has changed the world.

“The depth of knowledge and the presence of mind displayed by the participating teams here in Delhi was amazing,” said Sylvia Subbaiah, head – Texas Instruments India Foundation.

“This is an important event in our annual calendar and the keen contest that we witnessed here was indeed very encouraging,” she added.

There are a few men whose insights and professional accomplishments have changed the world. Jack Kilby was one such man. His invention of the monolithic integrated circuit — the microchip – 50 years ago at Texas Instruments laid the conceptual and technical foundation for the entire field of modern microelectronics.

It was this breakthrough that made possible the sophisticated high-speed computers and large-capacity semiconductor memories of today’s information age.

Jack Kilby was the recipient of two of America’s most prestigious honours in science and engineering. In 1970, he received the National Medal of Science and in 1982, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, taking his place alongside Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers in the annals of American innovation.

In 2000, Jack Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his part in the invention of the integrated circuit.

Greater Noida, October 19
A revolution of sorts is reportedly unfolding at Gautam Buddh Nagar here, as the Yamuna Expressway Authority (YEA) has started purchasing plots directly from farmers. It made the first purchase on Friday evening.

Greater Noida sub-registrar Rajesh Tiwari informs, “On Friday two sale deeds were executed in favour of YEA by farmers of Atta Gujran and Gunpura for five hectares .”

The YEA will develop the land along the Yamuna (Taj) Expressway from Greater Noida to Agra.

Farmers here have been clamouring to have a final say in the sale of their lands. The government acquired their lands to carry out development projects after issuing notifications on the land.

“Earlier the land was acquired by the authority but no sale deed was executed. Under the direct purchase system, the sale deed is executed, yielding extra revenue in form of stamp duty. We earned stamp duty worth Rs 20 lakh from the two sale deeds,” added Rajesh Tiwari.

YEA deputy CEO R.K. Singh said, “Stamp duty is borne by the authority. This will avoid litigation and development projects will not be hampered.”

He further informed that the YEA had received over 100 applications from farmers who had agreed to sell their lands.

“Under the direct purchase scheme, the authority offers two options to farmers. Under Formula I, the land rate is fixed at Rs 700 per square metre. Besides the land cost, owners with ancestral property will get 6 per cent developed land near the village subject to a maximum limit of 2,500 square metre,” the officer added.

However, the development charge would have to be paid by farmers. They will be eligible for one residential plot under 17.5 per cent reserved quota of farmers whose land is acquired,” Singh added.

“Whereas in Formula II, the rate of land has been fixed at Rs 500 per square metre. The owners would be paid only for 90 per cent of the land sold. In lieu of 10 per cent, they can have 10 per cent developed residential land or 5 per cent developed commercial land. In this case, no development charge would be levied. Besides, ancestral farmers would be entitled to 6 per cent developed land and one residential plot under 17.5 per cent reserved category as in Formula I,” Singh informed.

“The first sale deeds were executed under Formula I. But Formula II would be more beneficial to farmers as the appreciation of 10% residential or 5% commercial land would be phenomenal in four years. Moreover, under this option there is no maximum limit. The bigger the plot sold, the bigger the developed land they get,” he said.

Meanwhile,political parties have jumped into the arena urging farmers not to sell their plots below Rs 25 lakh per bigha, which is around Rs 2,500 per square metre.

Though many wanted to sell the land under the direct purchase scheme, they are being forced to hold their decision till the state government accepts the higher rates.

New Delhi, October 19
The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble will perform at the Hungarian Embassy here on October 22 on the eve of the “Day of the Republic” to commemorate the anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Hungary as well as the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Hungary.

The Hungarian ensemble was established in 1951 and is regarded as the best in the country because of its dedication to playing authentic folk music and at the same time preserving the traditional dances and costumes which inspired internationally acclaimed Hungarian composers like Lisz Brahms, Kodaly and Bartok.

The Embassy of Brazil here is presenting the famous “Grupo Senzala de Capoeira” at Dilli Haat here on October 20, at the Jamia Millia Islamia on October 22 and at Delhi University on October 23.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in collaboration with the Embassy of Columbia is holding an evening of dance and music by the famous Colombian musical band “Lona Preita” at the Kamani Auditorium here on October 23.The dance and music evening is part of the Colombian cultural week celebrations here.

The Sri Lankan High Commission here is holding a Sri Lankan Crafts Bazaar called “Shilpa Sri Lanka” at Dilli Haat here on October 22 to highlight the 2500-year-old craft and culture of the Island country.

Noida, October 19
In June this year Noida Authority was systematically fleeced of over a crore of rupees through cheques made on the basis of fake vouchers. The authorities, including the police, have not been able to nab or even trace the master cheat.

After a 100-day-long inquest all that the accounts department of the authority has done is to suspend an accounts officer connected with the horticulture department which had issued the cheques.

The fraud came to light after controller (Finance), Sushil Kumar’s letter to in-charge of horticulture department, Ved Pal. Sushil Kumar had sent vouchers pertaining to  two cheques issued for over Rs 16.93 lakh each for verification. These cheques had been issued in the name of a company, R.S. Associates.

One Chandan Mandal had opened an account in the name of Lalit Kumar. Mandal had been cheating the authority since October 2007. He had earlier floated a firm under the name of P.C. Contractors. In October 2007, he had got a cheque for Rs 8.69 lakh issued on the basis of a fake voucher. Later, Mandal floated another firm by the name of Jeet Contractors.

From November 5, 2007 to March 18, 2008, he had got issued eight cheques from central accounts department of  Noida Authority for over Rs 69.77 lakh. Subsequently, Mandal floated yet another firm R.S. Associates. He succeeded in getting issued for this firm a cheque for Rs 28 lakh.

After the fraud came to light, a case was registered in Sector-20 police station, Noida, and payment against two cheques was stopped during their clearance in the banks. Chief finance controller Sushil Kumar probed the fraud.

One accounts officer was finally suspended. It is learnt that a voucher has to be checked and cleared by 17 officials including seven in horticulture and four in the account department. A voucher is cleared in two phases, first part ‘A’ and the part ‘B’. Gross negligence came to light in clearing these vouchers in part B stage.

Had central accounts department been a little alert, these cheques could never have been issued. For example, the column for balance in voucher was blank. As a rule the balance amount should have been mentioned there. Secondly, there was no entry of cheque register in the voucher. Even the budget head column was left blank which should reflect the available balance. In these vouchers, there was no mention of budget code even. Half the columns were found blank in the voucher. It only showed the cheques were presented and passed in great hurry and with gross negligence.

Neither Chandan Mandal, alias Lalit Kumar, has been nabbed nor any official of Noida Authority has been proceeded against in the entire case. Interestingly, the horticulture department officials are learnt to have given in writing that they had not issued or received these vouchers during the probe.

Ghaziabad, October 19          
The Ghaziabad police has arrested a property dealer, Manvir Singh, in connection with the murder of the 40-year-old former BJP corporator from Vijayanagar, Raghuvir Bichhal. Manvir, a resident of Sector-11 of Vijayanagar, allegedly hired a killer for Rs 1 lakh.

Along with Manvir, the police has also nabbed one Farman. According to the police, a man called Sonu Giri actually fired on Bichhal. However, he is still absconding. Sonu had allegedly been paid Rs 66,000 of the contract money, while Rs 34,000 remained to be paid. A hunt is on to arrest him.

Raghuvir Bichhal, who was also the state chief of Bharatiya Janata Party’s local body cell, was shot dead around 8.30 pm on Friday while he was returning home from a meeting. Bichhal was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Regarding the motive of the murder, a police officer said, “Manvir has said that Bichhal was planning to illegally grab one of his plots in Vijayanagar. He added that he had supported Bichhal during election for the Municipal Corporation Board, but Bichhal would insult him every now and then.”

New Delhi, October 19
A Delhi police constable was shot at and injured by a youth in East Delhi last night.

The incident occurred in the Khichripur area when Sreedhar Geete, who was on patrolling duty, tried to stop three youths on a bike.

“They had a scuffle after which firing took place from both sides. One bullet hit the constable. The constable fired at the bikers and one of them, identified as Manoj, was injured,” said a police official.

Geete was admitted to Balaji Hospital, while Manoj was admitted to GTB Hospital. Both are said to be in stable condition. A case of attempt to murder has been registered against Manoj.