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Delhi Poll Scene
Malhotra confident of 2/3rds majority
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‘Jaago re’ drive wakes up voters
Want change, will
vote, say young Delhiites
RWAs to help improve voter turnout
Armymen, diplomats reluctant to vote
Crime File
A knock at traffic signal... and briefcase is gone
World Population Report 2008
SC confirms life term to 4 for kidnapping child
Truck runs over motorcyclist
Speed kills techie
Teenager dies attempting stunt on bike
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Delhi Poll Scene
New Delhi, November 12 Akali Dal’s two candidates — Jitender Singh Shanty from Shahdra and Avtar Singh Hit from Rajouri Garden — will contest the elections on the party symbol of takri. Directions issued by the CEC said the Shiromani Akali Dal, a recognised political party in Punjab, had requested the commission for allotment of the symbol. The CEC today decided to extend the concession sought by the party under Paragraph 10 of the Election Symbols (Reserved and Allotment) Order, 1968. Accordingly, the CEC directed the Delhi electoral officer that the candidates filed nominations on the ticket of the Shiromani Akali Dal at the current general elections in Delhi may be allotted the symbol ‘scales’. The order also said that returning officer may be informed that he candidates set up by the Shiromani Akali Dal are eligible for the allotment of symbol ‘scales’. Two other candidates who have filed nomination papers from Jangpura and Adarsh Nagar are contesting on the BJP’s symbol – lotus. |
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Malhotra confident of 2/3rds majority
Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra is chief ministerial candidate of the BJP in Delhi. He is contesting the assembly election from Greater Kailash. At present he is MP from the South Delhi parliamentary constituency and deputy leader of opposition in Parliament. He has been in Delhi politics since 1950. He was chief executive councillor (Chief Minister in protocol) at the young age of 35. The Tribune Correspondent talked to him on some election issues.
Q. You have long experience of Delhi politics. What are differences between the electioneering of 1950s and now? A. There is major difference. There was no legislative assembly in Delhi those days. It was only a Municipal Council. The first assembly election was held in 1952. Later, it was dissolved. In 1993, the legislative assembly restarted. The assembly constituency area is larger than a municipal council and issues are also different. Q. Before the announcement of the assembly election in Delhi, the BJP tried to make financial scam in power sector an issue but so far it has failed. May I know the reason? A. No, the issue is very much effective. The financial scam of Rs 12,500 crore in privatisation of power supply in Delhi is known to the citizens of Delhi as it appeared widely in various periodicals and relayed by the TV channels. The scam was investigated by the public accounts committee of the Delhi government. The CAG has also approved the report. The Congress government assured to get a CBI investigation into the matter. But it was not done. Besides, inflated bills due to fast-running electronic meters is an issue. Q. Will resentment in the party over the distribution of ticket affect the the electioneering? A. Not at all. The resentment was only among around 2 per cent people and it happens when such major decisions are taken. Now they have been pacified. Party activists are working in favour of the BJP candidates in their respective constituencies. Q. How many seats do you expect to win this time? A.
I expect a two-third majority in the assembly. The BJP has already won the MCD and Cantonment Board elections with the two-thirds majority. Q. Sewerage, water and power are main problems of the national Capital. What mechanism will you adopt to work out these problems if you become CM? A.
The Sewer Board, Jal Board and Power Department are under the Delhi government. These problems are due to a weak and corrupt administration. They will be worked out with a fair and effective administration. Q. You say provisional certificates given to unauthorised colonies by the Congress government have no legal validity. If the BJP comes to power, how will it tackle this issue? A.
I do not say this. The Supreme Court says this. Residents of these colonies cannot get their building plans approved by showing the provisional certificates to the agency concerned. Authorisation needs work on the preparation of zonal plan, district plan and building plan. If the BJP comes to power, it will prepare all the plans necessary for the authorisation of a colony and submit it to the agency concerned so that it can approve the colony. Q. What will be priorities of the BJP if it is voted to power? A.
Development of the city would be its priority. Whenever the BJP has been in power, it has developed parks, constructed roads, helped to grow business, constructed sewer lines and provided proper supply of water. Our aim is to make Delhi a clean and green city. The Yamuna will also be cleaned which Congress government could not do during the 10 years of its rule. |
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‘Jaago re’ drive wakes up voters
New Delhi, November 12 As many as 69,414 individuals have registered with the campaign and now can monitor their application status on its online portal (jaagore.com). ‘Jaago re…’ movement is a nationwide voter registration drive covering 35 cities. “It stands for social awakening. The initiative was to awaken the youth to get the entire nation to vote. The campaign is based on a customer service model - it integrates technology with feasibility. The registration online is fairly simple and empowers people to take a step forward,” said Vikas Ratanji, outreach coordinator for the campaign in North India. The ‘Jaago re’ (wake up) campaign was initiated three months ago by Tata Tea, a leading tea manufacturing company, and Janagraha, a Bangalore-based NGO working on urban governance. TV commercials of the tea brand used lines like “Har subah sirf utho mat, jaago re” (Don’t just come out of the bed every morning, wake up), were a hit with youngsters, urging them to play an active role in dealing with issues of governance. To register with the campaign, an individual has to fill in a two-page online registration form. At present, the process still needs to be followed through by the individual, who will have to take the completed form to the indicated regional election office, to physically register and appear in the voters’ list. “The response is great - and we are in talks with the election commission for a tie-up for collecting forms in bulk from those who registered in our outreach programmes in colleges and corporates,” Ratanji said. The online portal, although in nascent stage, provides visitors guidance about their constituencies with interactive maps. “Those with voter ID cards as well as first-time voters are guided as to how to get included in the list,” Ratanji added. Although assembly elections in six states are scheduled in November and December, the campaign hopes to reach out to in as many eligible voters as possible in time for the general elections slated for early next year. “We are also trying to put up links on who all will contest from where and what do they promise, so that voters are empowered to make an informed choice,” Ratanji, who himself registered on the site two months ago, added. Delhi chief election officer Satbir Silas Bedi said she was happy to see a change in the voters’ mindset. “We endorse the campaign - and are sure that the voter registration numbers will improve as a result,” Bedi
averred. — IANS |
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Want change, will
vote, say young Delhiites
New Delhi, November 12 Across the city, young men and women say they will practice their right to vote in the coming assembly elections.
Richa Misra, a PhD scholar in Delhi University, steers away from the
rhetoric of ‘my vote does not matter’. “Of course it matters. It’s
no point simply complaining about the system if we don’t exercise our
right to choose our leaders. I think youngsters should vote because only
then can we see development taking place,” said the 25-year-old
resident of Mayur Vihar in East Delhi. She says better education
facilities and employment opportunities were important. “Frankly, I
don’t care which party comes to power as long as these are taken care
of.” Delhi will see balloting on November 29, with a resurgent
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) determined to oust the 10-year Congress
government of Sheila Dikshit. Of Delhi’s 10.7 million voters, nearly
four million are in the age group of 18 to 29. “We expect these people
to come out and vote,” said Election Commission official Uday Baxi. Anjan Katna, a resident of the Rohini area who works in neighbouring
Gurgaon, also vowed to cast his vote. “It’s my right to vote and I
will. There are a number of issues I would want my candidate to work on,
first of them being better roads. The roads are in a dilapidated
condition. Social security is another key issue. Ensuring better water
supply is important too. As of now we get water just once a day,”
Katna, 25, said. For Abha Duggal, 26, a communications officer with a NGO, education is the issue closest to her heart. “I
want my candidate to improve the quality of government schools. In our
area most children don’t go to school, a worrying trend no one seems
to be bothered about,” she said. For some like Mukesh Gupta, who
works in an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, it’s not so much a will to
vote that plagues the youth but the lack of choice one faces while
voting. “Most youngsters want change and they believe that voting
could be a way for that but the difficulty is in selecting a candidate
to vote for. All politicians seem to be the same,” Gupta said. He,
however, added that ‘report cards’ of the MLAs published by
newspapers, giving a snapshot of their record, is of great help.
— IANS |
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RWAs to help improve voter turnout
New Delhi, November 12 The RWAs would mainly spread awareness among youngsters to cast their votes and keep a tab on fake voter identification cards (ID). Besides encouraging voters to exercise their franchise, they will check the electoral rolls to ensure that duplicate or fraudulent entries are removed. “We have received complaints of fake voter ID cards specially from the areas of Rohini. Therefore, the Election Commission has allowed using other identifications also,” said Varinder Arora of United Residents’ Welfare Association Joint Action (URJA), a joint association of 60 per cent of the RWAs in the city. “The Election Commission has also allowed to cast vote on one’s father’s voter ID card if his or her name is there on the voters’ list,” he said. Under the campaign, the RWAs will also make sure that more and more young voters cast their votes, as there are around 39 lakh young voters in the age group of 18 to 29. “The young voters generally take the polling day as a holiday and spend their time in leisure at home. But we would help them in realising how a single vote makes the difference,” he said. “In the assembly elections that were held in 2003, the voter turn out was only 49 per cent and 43 per cent in municipal corporation election in 2007,” he said. |
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Armymen, diplomats reluctant to vote
New Delhi, November 12 According to the Delhi election office, most of them, known as service voters, just don’t want to vote. “They have a dismal record and hardly 10 per cent of them vote,” said J.K. Sharma, Delhi’s deputy chief electoral officer. “During last assembly elections, there were 4,425 service voters from Delhi and we had sent postal ballots to them. But most of them did not return the ballots. Some of them followed the wrong procedure, leading to the rejection of their vote,” Sharma added. With 10.7 million eligible voters, Delhi goes to the polls on November 29. “There is apathy towards elections and this I think is sad,” Sharma maintained. “We are sending our postal ballots to our embassies abroad and those defence personnel who are posted outside Delhi on November 16,” he added. The voter turnout is slowly dwindling in Delhi. While 49 per cent exercised their democratic rights in the 2003 assembly elections, the number fell to 43 per cent during last year’s municipal elections.
— IANS |
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Crime File
New Delhi, November 12 The incident took place in Chauhan Bangar Colony of Seelampur. In a case of being at a wrong place at the wrong time, Rehan (14) who lives in Seelampur had came in the firing line when the criminals were trying to flee the policemen chasing them and was shot at in his left shoulder. Rehan was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where he is recuperating. According to hospital sources, although he is out of danger, the teenager is still under shock and complains of hearing gun shots. Rehan’s grandfather Mohammad Sarish (65), who runs a hotel, said his grandson had left home to get some medicines for him from Brahampuri. According to Seelampur police station sleuths, they had gone to catch some criminals in the Chauhan Bangar Colony when three of them ran with pistols in hand. Initially, one of the criminals shot two rounds in the air to scare the police. However, as the policemen narrowed the distance and the locals too started chasing them, a panicked criminal fired back at the policemen. While they managed to dodge the bullet, Rehan was hit. The criminals managed to escape in the milieu that followed after Rehan was hit. “Once the boy was hit and he fell bleeding before our eyes, our priorities changed. We will catch the criminals sooner or later, but at that time we were more concerned about medical help to the teenager,” said a policeman who was part of the chase. According to the police, the criminals have been identified and a manhunt launched to arrest them. Senior police officers of the district rushed to the spot after hearing of the exchange of fire and took stock of the situation. |
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A knock at traffic signal... and briefcase is gone
Noida, November 12 When the traffic signal turned green and his car also moved along other vehicles, he was shocked to find his brief case, kept near the dash-board, missing. The South Indian manager of the company, whose brief case was stolen by criminals after knocking at the rear window glass of his car, had difficulty in making the cops at a police station understand that he had come to lodge a complaint for theft. By the time policemen understood it, the criminals had obviously disappeared in the streets. The police immediately organized a vehicle check at many crossings, but the thieves could not be nabbed. In another incident, a rickshaw was brushed by a car in a traffic jam. The girl inside the rickshaw then abruptly got down, slapped the car driver, pulled out the ignition keys of the car and fled away. A retired colonel, his wife and driver were thus trapped in the car for sometime in sector 18 yesterday afternoon. The colonel told his driver to chase the damsel but she made the rickshaw puller pedal up rickshaw fast. After a while she got off the rickshaw and jumped over the pillion of her friend’s bike. The friend appeared out of the blue and both of them vanished in no time. While leaving she told the driver “you will get the keys at the police station”. Retired Col. P.N. Bhatia, a resident of Sector-35 A, 19, was going to Sector–18 with his wife for shopping. The car being driven by driver Rakesh was caught in a traffic jam. The police could not trace the girl and her friend. |
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Sec-18 gurdwara all set for gurpurb celebrations
Noida, November 12 Elaborate programmes have been chalked out by the Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Noida, for the daylong event beginning from 6.30 am to 2.45 pm for the morning Diwan and from 5.00 pm to 12.00 midnight for the evening session. “There is no Hindu or Muslaman. All are equal in the eyes of the Divine, irrespective of their distinctive beliefs,” observed Guru Nanak. Almost 400 years before Ram Mohan Roy, Guru Nanak had taken some epoch-making social reforms –prohibited the pernicious custom of sati, allowed widow re-marriage and even appointed Sikh women preachers. Guru Nanak elevated truth to the level of the Divine being. He preached three basic tenets—‘Dasan Noha Di Kamai’, earn your livelihood honestly by hard work of your hands, ‘Wand chhakana’, share your bounties with fellow-beings and ‘Naam Japana’, reciting the name of the supreme Lord. An Akhand Path, started on November 11, will conclude on the morning of the Guru’s birthday. It will be a pious celebration of love, togetherness and brotherhood. A special children’s programme will be held on November 13 at 7.00 pm. The programme of Shabad Kirtan will be presented by several eminent Raghi Jathas, led by Bhai Jasbir Singh from the UK, who will also present his recitals along with his group. Others who will present the Gurbani Kirtan include Bhai Amandeep Singh, Hazoori Raghis, Bhai Amritpal Singh from Sangrur and Bhai Gurcharan Singh Delhi. Giani Jaswant Singh, ex-head granthi of Gurudwara Durbar Sahib, Amritsar, will speak on the life, teachings and religious philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev while Giani Swaran Singh, head granthi will present Gurbani Vichar. Special car parking arrangements have been made opposite the Hotel Radisson from where valet of Gurdwara will ferry devotees to Gurdwara Sahib and back. All devotes are therefore requested to park their vehicles near the Hotel Radisson. Guru Ka Langar will be served at both the morning and evening Diwans. The celebrations of the Guru’s birthday will conclude on the 13th midnight with a spectacular fireworks display. |
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World Population Report 2008
New Delhi, November 12 Releasing the report here today, a few days ahead of the International Day for Tolerance, member of the Planning Commission Sayeeda Hameed spoke about the nuances of the culture she had been part of. “Culture needs to be reviewed time and again. With changing times it becomes a necessity to introduce new aspects to the culture,” she said. “The report calls for culturally sensitive approaches to development, promotion of human rights in general and women’s rights in particular. Traditions and cultures that do not support human rights would have to be changed,” said Nesim Tumkaya, UNFPA representative. Regarding India, Nesim said there was a critical need to improve the sex ratio in Indian states by educating people, launching campaigns, community actions and government intervention. “India is a diverse country and diverse cultures are always good. There would be different initiatives required for different cultural locations and these solutions must come from the grassroots,” he said. On gender discrimination, the report points out that gender inequality remains widespread and deeply rooted in many cultures. Women and girls are three-fifths of the world’s one billion poorest people. “Poorer women suffer from harmful aspects of tradition and culture, with higher risks of maternal death, illness and injury,” the report concludes. Several real life heroes, who fought against their cultural and traditional norms to introduce progressive changes in their societies, also addressed the release ceremony. A woman priest from Maharashtra, Sunidhi, had to go through a lot of trouble while pursuing her dream to become a priest. “The religious leaders claimed that a woman cannot become a priest in the Hinduism. But I challenged them and reached where I always wanted to,” she said. Health activist Jasbir Kaur was being forced to abort her triplet girls by her in-laws when she decided to lead an independent life with her daughters. “They were forcing me into the abortion and I decided that I would rather live with my three girls. Now, four of us live at a village in Rajasthan and inspire women to raise voice against female foeticide,” she said. Shakuntala Sharma, 49, became the president of her village panchayat in Himachal Pradesh this year after revolting against severe domestic violence. “I got remarried and started a new life. I am an active member of the women’s group and raise gender issues in our panchayat,” said Shakuntala. UNFPA also published a youth supplement ‘Generation of Change: Young People and Culture’ that features the stories of experiences of young women and men. |
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Doctor recommends vegan lifestyle
New Delhi, November 12 A total of 15 activists of the Indian chapter of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), today came together at India Gate lawns with placards conveying the message of “Be a champion for animals: Be Vegetarian”. On the occasion was present Sushil Kumar, Olympic Bronze medallist who shot an ad on the lines of vegetarian protocols. Sushil said, “I derive all my energy from a healthy and vegetarian diet and strongly feel that one doesn’t really require to rely upon animal stuff to live healthily.” Interestingly, these days in India many youngsters have resorted to plant-based food sources such as vegetables, whole grain, fruit, legumes, nuts and other non-animal products. To them, vegetarianism is passé; hence they have gone for this change in lifestyle, which involves no animal exploitation. Jayasimha, the PETA campaign manager said that in India though the movement of veganism is still in its infancy, more and more people are coming under its fold after being apprised about the health benefits of renouncing animal produce. They are ready to lead a life sans dairy products, meats, fat, junk food, leather, silk, wool etc. as research data suggests that meat industry thrives on the butchery of billions of animals. Moreover, non-vegetarian people have reported more cases of cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, obesity and several types of cancer. A vegan lifestyle brings cholesterol levels to 160-40 counts below normal. Dr S.C. Manchanda, a renowned cardiologist and consultant at Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said, “The major causes of heart diseases are consumption of meat and dairy products, besides the modern style of living under which people consume more of trans fats present in pure ghee, oils and all types of animal produce.” Dr Manchanda recommending a vegan lifestyle, asked people to opt for conola oil and refrain from refined oil, pure ghee and vanapathi. He emphasised the usage of soya milk and products as substitutes of dairy produce. A recent study conducted by the UN has pointed to the fact that raising animals for food adds up indirectly to the pollution woes, and is responsible for 18 per cent of world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, which is supposed to be higher than the combined emissions of all the vehicles, ships and planes moving across the world. “Major causes of heart diseases are consumption of meat & dairy products. |
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SC confirms life term to 4 for kidnapping child
New Delhi, November 12 The convicts — Shyam Babu, Revti Raman, Chander Bhan and Tejpal — had snatched the child, Anchit, from his mother, Bhawna, after attacking her at 1.25 pm on September 24, immediately after he had returned from DAV School, Ballabgarh. The Haryana police had subsequently rescued the child and apprehended the culprits following a complaint filed by Bhawna. It was clear that all the accused persons had, undoubtedly, committed the offence under Section 364A and the trial court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court were right in convicting them for the offence, as also awarding them the life imprisonment for the same. |
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Truck runs over motorcyclist
New Delhi, November 12 Motorcyclist Amit (23) was hit by a speeding truck near the red lights in the Gulabi Bagh area around 10.30 pm, causing his death on the spot. According to eyewitnesses, the accident took place when the speeding Tata 407 truck tried to overtake the motorcyclist from the wrong side. Anand Parbat resident Amit was followed by his brother on the other motorcycle when the accident took place. Angry people gathered at the accident site and broke the glasses of the truck. They held a demonstration and stopped the traffic on the road. The driver of the truck, Rustam, managed to run away after the accident but was arrested today. The Sarai Rohilla police managed to arrest him after a tip-off from the owner of the truck. According to the police, Amit was killed due to his head being crushed between the tyres of the truck. “We had managed to call the ambulance at the accident site within minutes of the accident but Amit had died on the spot,” said a police official. A case of negligent driving has been lodged against the driver
Rustam. |
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Speed kills techie
Noida, November 12 His other companion is fighting for his life in hospital. Originally a resident of Bareilly, software engineer Ketan Sharma, son of Dr Rakesh Sharma, was employed in a Bangalore-based software company. He had come to Noida on Monday to meet his friends and was returning on his bike at 12.00 at night when his bike hit a divider near Sector-60 crossing. Ketan Sharma and his friend Abhishak Kushwaha, seriously injured in the accident, were rushed to Fortis hospital, Noida. Ketan breathed his last at 2 am during treatment while Kushwaha is in a critical condition. Police DSP Shailender Lal said the deceased was to celebrate his birthday on November 13 and after three days, he was due to leave for the USA. |
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Teenager dies attempting stunt on bike
New Delhi, November 12 The victim, Kartik, 15, was riding with his friend Harpreet, 17, on the motor cycle in the morning. At the Dwarka flyover, Kartik and Harpreet started driving rash and performing filmy stunts and lost balance before hitting a pole. The two got injured and were taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here where Kartik, a student of Class 10, was declared brought dead. Harpreet was discharged from the hospital after treatment.
— IANS
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Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra is chief ministerial candidate of the BJP in Delhi. He is contesting the assembly election from Greater Kailash. At present he is MP from the South Delhi parliamentary constituency and deputy leader of opposition in Parliament. He has been in Delhi politics since 1950. He was chief executive councillor (Chief Minister in protocol) at the young age of 35.
