|
|
|
|
DU teachers begin strike
Delhi University’s Hindu College depicts the story of the teachers’ strike
on Monday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
DHBVN rolls out power breakdown vehicles
Legal experts call for police reforms
|
|
|
Court pulls up Delhi police over media leak on terrorists
Rajiv Chowk hoax
caller held
Games Village project to continue
Lack of awareness bane of Ladli scheme
Contempt notice issued to Central Bank MD
Rajender Nagar seat goes to Cong
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with Ramakant Goswami, the party candidate from Rajender Nagar, at her residence in New Delhi on Monday.
Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui
Sheila submits list as MLAs jostle for cabinet berths
Malhotra’s choice for CM post wrong, admits Delhi BJP
Cop stabbed in Sultanpuri
Wanted criminal arrested
Draw for over 5,000 DDA flats today
2 held for molesting Malayali girls
Paternal Suit Court exempts Tiwari from appearance
|
|
DU teachers begin strike
New Delhi, December 15 “This is an indefinite strike that would continue till announcement of pay revision by the government. Units of Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) would hold dharnas in their colleges and departments,” said Aditya Narayan Mishra, president, DUTA. With DU Academic Council (AC) and Executive Council (EC) elections round the corner, almost all the DU teachers are participating in the agitation. “We do not understand why the government is delaying our pay revision when everything is at place. All that the government needs to do is to pass the order,” said Rajib Ray, candidate for EC from Democratic Teachers Front (DTF). He added, “The teachers are getting restless. It was a unanimous decision to launch an agitation to pressurise the government.” The teachers also raised concern on the categorisation in professorship. “There should not be any categorisation in professorship. Professors cannot be classified as senior or eminent, they are all considered senior and eminent,” said RS Dahiya, AC candidate from Congress-backed teachers’ association INTUC. The teachers have decided to keep the strike on until the government makes the announcement regarding their pay revision. “As and when the government makes announcement on pay revision, the FEDCUTA executive would immediately meet to discuss the same, prepare a critique and decide on follow-up action,” said Aditya Narayan. Other universities, which observed the strike, include Aligarh Muslim University, Allahabad Central University, Assam Central University, Gurukul Kangri, IGNOU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Visva Bharati. A national-level march of teachers has also been called by FEDCUTA on December 22 in Delhi to intensify the agitation. Meanwhile, the AC and EC elections would be held in Delhi University on December 19. |
|
DHBVN rolls out power breakdown vehicles
Gurgaon, December 15 As part of the modernization exercise, it has been decided to introduce energy conservation as a subject at school-level, set up call centres to register all types of electricity-related complaints online and make necessary arrangements for effective disposal thereof. In order to enable the line (field) staff to attend power supply-related complaints of consumers promptly and efficiently, the authorities of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has added a fleet of 26 power breakdown vehicles, including 20 motorcycles, to its administrative infrastructure. Ashok Lavasa, financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary (power), Haryana, flagged off the fleet in presence of Lt-Gen (retd) O.S.Lohchab, chairman, Haryana Power Utilities, and Anurag Agarwal, Managing Director, DHBVN, here today. Gurgaon has become the first district of the state to get the facility. The six breakdown vehicles (Boleros) are equipped with ladders, ropes, tool kits, safety kits, lighting arrangements, etc. and would be ready to attend breakdowns at high-tension level round-the-clock at the call of the consumers or the operations staff. Each power complaint centre would be provided two well-equipped motorcycles for attending to the power supply-related complaints round-the-clock. A Bijli Suvidha Kendra is already running in Gurgaon to register power supply-related complaints. “The line staff has already been provided with mobile phones,” Lavasa said, adding that they would get complaints from the BSK telephonically and attend promptly by going to the consumer on motorcycles instead of cycles. Lavasa also inaugurated relocated buildings of customer care centres (CCCs) in the city. The CCCs have been relocated to places at main roads which are easily accessible. The city has six CCCs in addition to the BSK. Speaking on the occasion, Agarwal said the accounts of power consumers had been made available online on the nigam’s website www.dhbvn.com. “The nigam has computerised all its customer care centres. The consumers can now get registered complaints online. The nigam has decided to set up call centres where all types of complaints, including commercial and service related, would be registered,” he disclosed. Addressing mediapersons at the closing ceremony of the three-day Energy Conservation Fair, Lavasa asserted that a balance between the ever-increasing demand and paucity in supply of electricity could be achieved by its conservation. Lavasa claimed that by 2012, the availability of power in Haryana would be more than the demand with the coming up of two thermal plants at Jhajjar, one at Hisar and injection of 2114 MW power from projects in Orissa and Gujarat. “Haryana is one of the leading states in the matter of power generation and has been adjudged second in the country,” he pointed out, adding that the state government had decided to introduce a subject on energy conservation in schools. |
|
Legal experts call for police reforms
New Delhi, December 15 This brings to our mind the reverberating tragic memories of the recent mayhem of Mumbai and Assam, which quite blatantly points out at the reforms that need to be brought into the present-day policing system. Police reforms are too important to neglect and too urgent to delay—this was the consensus of a debate on Citizens for Police Reform: A basis for national security and good governance, which was held today at India International Centre in the Capital. Among the speakers, Soli Sorabjee, former solicitor general of India referring to the tragic incident of Mumbai, pressed home an urgent need for comprehensive police reforms. All legal experts called for a sufficiently resourced and people-friendly police force, which would be away from the infringement and nepotistic influence of any political coterie and would be accountable only to the rule of the law. The first and foremost onus of a democratic police force in a democracy like ours is to keep its people safe and provide them a secured environment. However, in the wake of recent security lapses in several states as well as in the Capital, the reasons have to be ascertained and dealt with. Former Chief Justice of India J. S. Verma said that now efforts ought to be directed towards implementing the necessary changes that would ensure effective delivery of policing services rather than holding discussions on the reforms. According to Ved Marwah, former director general of National Security Guard, there ought to be a realistic assessment of what is required. “The security of the public should not be compromised, and it is their right to have a safe life in a secured state and country. The wealth of the people should not be wasted for ego-appeasing tasks, and the security of the public should be the first and foremost concern of any government. The vigilant old system of policing is gone. The job of a DGP has become that of political patronage, and this no where in the world,” said a disappointed Marwah. However as per Soli Sorabjee, former solicitor general of India, the most significant deterrent in having a just and democratic police force is illegitimate political infringements, and hence the primary focus ought to be on resolving the issue of political influences. “The two most important Supreme Court directives involve giving the DG of police two-year tenure and setting up a police establishment board. If the Supreme Court is not respected in this regard, contempt proceedings should be initiated,” pointed out Sorabjee. The discussion was arranged by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), which has been championing the issue of democracy and good governance for a long time. Marwah said that the political parties have never bothered to consider the recommendations made by the police commission. Then Marwah went on to highlight the mollified practices in the recruitments of the policemen. Referring to UP’s hiring system, he said that the recruitment is made on the basis of caste, creed and nepotism. Further, he said that the living conditions of policemen are atrocious, and hence, a change in the basic living standard needs to be brought about.
|
|
Court pulls up Delhi police over media leak on terrorists
New Delhi, December 15 The police denied allegations that it had allowed a journalist of a news magazine to interview the suspected terrorists and contended that the scribe might have talked to them when they were being taken to the police station after being arrested at Jamia Nagar. “It’s an elaborate interview and prima facie it was difficult to believe that the journalist conducted the interview while they were being arrested by the police and taken to the police station in interrogate them,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Praksh Shah said. Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramanium contended that since a large crowd was following the accused, the journalist might have got an opportunity to talk to the alleged terrorists. “As a large number of people comprising local leaders, RWA members etc. also started questioning the detainees, the journalist also managed to talk to them while they were in police custody,” he said. The court, however, was not satisfied with his contention and said that if this is the case, then it is a serious breach of security. “In such a sensitive case, you take the accused to a place where everyone can come and go. How can you secure the safety of the accused? It is a serious breach of security,” the bench said. “You say it was a chaotic environment when they were arrested but the alleged confession is elaborate, which prima facie seems not possible,” the court said. The court also refused to order a judicial probe into the matter as demanded by the petitioner. The court was hearing a petition filed by an NGO seeking action against police officials who allegedly leaked the information pertaining to investigations into the case to a magazine. — IANS
|
|
Rajiv Chowk hoax
caller held
New Delhi, December 15 The hoax call had led to stopping of entry to Rajiv Chowk station and inspection of the
station and the tracks by the bomb disposal and dog squad. However, nothing was found after hours of search. According to Anuj Dayal, spokesperson of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the accused was traced through CCTV footage of December 6 when he was making that call from a PCO installed at Rajiv Chowk Metro station after analysis and replay of the CCTV tape. “From that footage, his movement was observed by CISF team for eight days before he was nabbed at about 9.30 am today when he was entering Dwarka Mor Metro station,” said Dayal. The CISF team was able to establish that the accused was a smart card user and by the analysis of that card, it was established that he used to enter Dwarka Mor station in the morning and used to exit mostly from Central Secretariat or Barakhamba Metro station. The accused is presently being interrogated at the Rajouri Garden police station. This is the second arrest of a hoax bomb caller this year. In July, a man who had made six hoax calls claiming that bombs were placed at Chawri Bazar Metro station was nabbed by CISF at the station after study of CCTV footage. The accused Ajit Singh was later handed over to Metro Rail police and booked under Section 67 of Delhi Metro O & M Act. The punishment under the section is imprisonment up to 4 years or fine up to Rs 5000 or both. The hoax caller was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody and is presently out on bail. |
|
Games Village project to continue
New Delhi, December 15 The stay order by a Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam, came after a battery of senior advocates, including Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati and Additional SG Gopal Subramaniam, contended that any hindrance to the project would result in India losing the opportunity to host the games. As many as 8,000 athletes from 71 countries are preparing for the games and if the project was placed in jeopardy, the prestigious event would be shifted to some other country, the petitioners responsible for holding the sports meet argued. Several countries have offered to host the event even if they are asked to do so at the eleventh hour. Senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Harish Salve appeared for the petitioners, who included the Delhi Development Authority, the sports ministry, the games organising committee and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The petitioners contended that one of the HC judges had reversed his verdict in the post script after holding that the project could not be halted. Also, the project was not on the river bed/plane and was adjacent to the Akshardham Temple, which had been cleared by the apex court. Several expert committees had made it clear that the project posed no danger to the eco-system and as such the HC order should be stayed totally to remove uncertainties over the prestigious project, it was argued. The case would come up for next hearing in the third week of January.
|
|
Lack of awareness bane of Ladli scheme
New Delhi, December 15 “We have heard about the scheme, but we don’t know whom we should approach for it and whether we are eligible for it or not,” said Asha, a maid working in the Malviya Nagar area. According to the people of the weaker section, the eligibility criterion of the programme also makes it inapplicable. The condition that the annual income should not be more than Rs 1 lakh and the need of a Delhi residence proof is what they find hard to attain. “We do have identity proof, but they cannot be taken as permanent resident proof of Delhi. To apply for a permanent resident proof in Delhi like passport, we again need a similar residence proof,” said Reshma, who works as a cook in Munirka Village. Also, the people of weaker section with low annual income mostly have more than two children. “I have three daughters, so I don’t qualify for the scheme. There should also be some help for people having more than two daughters, they need it more,” said Laxmi, a resident of R.K.
Puram. The scheme was launched in March with an aim to curb female foeticide and promote girl child’s education. As per the scheme, the interest on the amount gets deposited in the girl child’s account at different stages by the government. This amounts to a deposit of up to Rs 1 lakh which is paid to the girl when she attains 18 years of age and passes out of Class X. However, the social welfare department of the city government had in the last weeks of August said that only 6,000 girl children were registered under the Ladli scheme, while another 25,000 forms were in the process. The first phase of the scheme ended on August 15. The phase had targeted to collect 30,000 forms by the way of distribution among parents through schools and area MLAs. |
|
|
Contempt notice issued to Central Bank MD
New Delhi, December 15 Justice S.N. Agrawal passed the order after the bank’s general manager, Abhijit Ghosh, told the court that a fresh chargesheet was filed against him in an alleged misconduct matter despite the court staying all proceeding against him. Ghosh was suspended from his job on September 24 after a chargesheet was filed against him on a charge of misconduct. Aggrieved by the departmental inquiry, Ghosh approached the court, seeking a stay on all proceedings against him. The court, in an interim order, stayed the departmental action against him and directed the chief managing director (CMD) and the petitioner to appear before it in order to reach an amicable settlement. In the meantime, the bank filed a fresh chargesheet against Ghosh, alleging that he had fabricated documents. “It is apparent that the latest chargesheet has been issued with the ulterior motive to frustrate the order of the court staying the departmental inquiry against him. In fact, the CMD is taking one step after another to circumvent the order,” advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Ghosh, said. He alleged that Ghosh is being victimised as he filed a complaint against the CMD for her misdeeds and gross abuse of authority before the Central Vigilance Commission.
— IANS |
|
Rajender Nagar seat goes to Cong
New Delhi, December 15 This is the first time that a Congress candidate has won from this seat. The assembly seat had fallen vacant after the sudden death of the BJP candidate, Puran Chand Yogi, who was the sitting MLA from here. Yogi had been representing the seat since 1993. The voting for this seat had taken place on December 13 and the result was declared this afternoon. The counting of votes was done at Dwarka. The Congress candidate was ahead of the BJP candidate right from the first round to the last round. In the eighth round, the Congress was leading with a margin of 7,000, but in 11th round the margin came down. BJP had issued ticket to Asha Yogi hoping to cash in on the sympathy factor. However, experts had predicted victory for the Congress from this seat after the party emerged victorious with 42 out of the 70 assembly seats on December 8. A senior BJP leader commented that it was a defeat of the entire party, as all senior leaders like Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan, former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, Leader of the MCD House, Subhash Arya and chairman of the Standing Committee, Vijender Gupta, had campaigned for the seat. Madan Lal Khurana was made the election in-charge for the seat following talks that the party could have won the election if he had been made the chief ministerial candidate. But, now with the results out, it seems that in that case also, people would have voted for development.
|
|
Sheila submits list as MLAs jostle for cabinet berths
New Delhi, December 15 The oath-taking ceremony will take place on December 17 at Raj Niwas. The names of ministers for the state cabinet are not yet revealed to avoid scenes at the DPCC and other party offices. There was pressure from various party quarters for MLAs. Even novices were pressurising for the ministerial berth, the sources said. According to sources, there was probability to continue the present cabinet, as hardly one year is left for the Commonwealth Games and development works are still to be done. This needs experienced hands. The only change expected is Kiran Walia MLA from Malviya Nagar. She may replace health minister Yoganand Shastri who may be elevated to speaker’s post. Chaudhary Prem Singh, who was the speaker in the last assembly, is probably not mentioned in the list, sources said. First time MLAs like Hasan Ahmed from Mustafabad and Arvinder Singh Lovely, son of former union minister Buta Singh are pressurising for ministerial berth. MLA from Okhla and AICC general secretary Parvez Hashmi is also trying to get a ministry. He was the transport minister in 1998 when the Congress came to power for the first time in Delhi. The sources said that hardly one day was left for the swearing-in ceremony and MLAs were still jostling for ministerial berth. They were seen at Sheila Dikshit’s residence, DPCC headquarters and AICC office. |
|
Malhotra’s choice for CM post wrong, admits Delhi BJP
New Delhi, December 15 The letter written by senior Delhi BJP leader P.K. Chandla stated people mainly held the choice of chief ministerial candidate responsible for the party’s debacle. “The party had first suggested the name of Arun Jaitley. Later, it was followed by Vijay Kumar Malhotra. When Jaitley did not agree, the only choice left with the leadership was Malhotra. There had been a simmering resistance about Malhotra right from the beginning,” stated the letter. According to the letter, the situation would have been different if Jaitley had been projected as the chief ministerial candidate in stead of Malhotra. It noted the saffron party would have comfortably formed the government if Jaitley had been the chief ministerial candidate. “The feedback suggests our campaign was negative and we failed to suggest our future plans and programmes. Therefore, despite all efforts on the part of poll managers and our media campaign, the strategy failed to work,” stated the letter. Besides, the letter mentioned the BJP’s collapse in the recent elections was due to the absence of transparency, objectivity, co-ordination, mutual faith and trust among the party workers. “We felt to drag the Congress for issues like price rise and terrorism. Therefore, the thrust on the campaign centered on these two issues. Probably, this strategy boomeranged among people,” said the letter. |
|
|
Cop stabbed in Sultanpuri
New Delhi, December 15 The incident took place about two hundred metres from the Sultanpuri bus terminal around 10 pm. According to the statement given by Haider, he saw about four persons trying to rob some passengers of an autorickshaw. As Haider intervened and challenged the robbers, he was attacked by one of them with knife. Haider was stabbed in the face and neck. However, when the robbers realized that he was a Delhi police official, they fled from the spot. This seemed to have scared the autorickshaw driver as well and he ran away from the spot leaving behind profusely bleeding Haider. With no help in sight as the place is usually deserted during night hours, Haider called up the police control room for help. It was only when the police Gypsy arrived that Haider was taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. According to police officials, Haider is presently out of danger and recovering at the hospital. Even the passengers whom Haider saved from being robbed did not wait for him. Haider could not note down the number of the autorickshaw due to darkness though he claims to remember the face of his attacker. Although police has lodged a case against unknown assailants, it could not make any arrest till today evening.
|
|
|
Wanted criminal arrested
New Delhi, December 15 One countrymade pistol and two live cartridges were seized from him. Dabas was wanted in various cases, including the sensational double murder of two youths Sandip Lathar and Ravi Sehrawat on September 17 this year at Sector-24 in Rohini. Naveen carried a reward of Rs 50,000. He was also involved in a shootout case in which Pawan Pradhan of Barahi village at Bahadurgarh district in Haryana was injured in August. He and his associates Ravinder, Ajay, Deepak, Lucky, Vikram and Rambir were arrested in 2007 for looting a Tavera car at gunpoint on Dadri Bilota road in Bhiwani. However, they were released on bail after five months. The police is conducting raids in to apprehend his gang members.
|
|
|
Draw for over 5,000 DDA flats today
New Delhi, December 15 The computerised lottery draw would start at noon on Tuesday and would get over within an hour. The result of the draw would be uploaded on DDA’s website www.dda.org.in by 3 pm. “Nearly 9,00,000 application forms were sold and around 3,00,000 were downloaded from the DDA’s website. Nearly 5,60,000 forms were submitted to the DDA,” said DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar. The flats put on draw are in different parts of city such as Rohini, Dwarka, Vasant Kunj, Motia Khan, Narela, Pitampura, Paschim Vihar, Shalimar Bagh, Dilshad Garden and Lok Nayak Puram. The DDA has offered similar schemes in the past also. The sale of application forms, costing Rs 100 each, started on August 6 and the process ended on September 16. — IANS
|
|
2 held for molesting Malayali girls
Gurgaon, December 15 The girls had lodged a molestation and assault complaint against the three, including the arrested persons – Vibhu and Rinku – on Saturday. The victims, Daisy and Marry, are still admitted at the Sri Ram Hospital. Their condition is stated to be serious. Marry was working in a Chandigarh-based BPO and had recently shifted to this town adjoining the national Capital in search of another job. Just two days ago they had shifted in a rented accommodation worth Rs 3,500. Krishan Kumar was their landlord. Talking to The Tribune, Daisy said, “When we took the room the landlords behaved gently but we realised their motive in just one day. This is the worst experience of our life and we don’t feel like staying here anymore.” She added, “We will return to Chandigarh as soon as we are fine.” |
|
Paternal Suit Court exempts Tiwari from appearance
New Delhi, December 15 A bench comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and Manmohan Singh, hearing Tiwari’s petition challenging a single judge’s order asking him to appear on December 16 before the court granted him the permission to be represented by his lawyer on the date. They, however, refused to set aside the order of the single judge, saying the matter pertaining to Tiwari’s appearance must be argued before the same judge. The court said since the matter is coming up on December 16, Tiwari would not have sufficient time to file a fresh application, so “he is exempted from personal appearance for tomorrow.”
— IANS |
|
Chilly mornings
New Delhi, December 15
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Classified Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In response to the call by Federation of Central Universities Teachers’ Association, teachers of Delhi University today observed complete strike protesting the delay by the government in deciding pay revision.
New Delhi, December 15
