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Driver perishes as petrol tanker catches fire
Kidnapped man rescued, 5 held
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Mishaps due to fog: 1 dead, 2 hurt
Severe fog blinds Delhi
Power theft unearthed in mass raids
Refugees may get ownership of houses
Litter and be fined from Jan 1
Pollution up in NCR
CCTV surveillance at Goenka School
e-governance centre launched
Three girls go missing
Two bikers die in head-on collision
Man killed by lover’s family
ENT conference concludes
MCD to strengthen 68 roads
Blueline operators await govt notices
Package for displaced Pandits sought
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Driver perishes as petrol tanker catches fire
New Delhi, December 29 The accident occurred around 12.10 am near Pandara Raod when the speeding tanker, which had a Haryana registration number, lost balance and turned turtle causing the tanker filled with petrol to burst into flames. Bystanders and policemen rushed towards the burning tanker, but could not do much to pull out the driver who was stuck in the driving compartment. Soon the smell of petrol and burning flesh engulfed the environment as people stood as mute spectators. It was only after the fire officials reached the spot and doused the fire that the driver could be pulled out. He was rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead with 90 per cent burnt injuries. According to fire officials, it took them more than an hour to douse the burning tanker. However, eyewitnesses claimed that five fire tenders could manage to douse the fire by three in the morning.” I was returning home around 2.30 am when I saw about thirty fire personnel along with the police trying to douse the partially burning tanker. According to them the petrol in the tank was causing problem in controlling the fire,” said Ranjeet, who works at a restaurant at Pandara Road. A car parked near the spot also came under the impact of the fire and was damaged in the process. The identity of the driver could not be known as the papers in the truck were also completely destroyed in the fire. However, the police is trying to trace the owner and driver of the tanker on the basis of the registration number of the truck. “We have got in touch with the Haryana Transport Authority officials to find out the owner of the tanker and would probably get the identity of the driver from them,” said a senior police official of the New Delhi district. Unconfirmed sources said the tanker was returning from a South Delhi petrol pump after delivering oil. |
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Kidnapped man rescued, 5 held
New Delhi, December 29 Kaushik, a custom clearing agent was kidnapped on December 13 and the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of Rs 25 lakh for his release. Two countrymade pistols, three live cartridges and Santro car belonging to the victim have also been recovered from the accused. According to the police, on the basis of a tip off, the police zeroed in on a person named Satyabhan Singh of Vaishali, Ghaziabad, who works as an assistant manager in a cooperative company situated in Faridabad. On interrogation, Satyabhan, who has three daughters, accepted that it was he who hatched the conspiracy in order to earn quick money. He revealed that he contacted notorious criminals of Aligarh, Manpal Yadav and Harender alias Guddu to carry out the kidnapping. Satyabhan said that he had purchased a house in Indirapuram and had seen Pradeep returning home in a drunken state quite often. They planned to kidnap him as they knew that he always had huge money at his disposal. On Satyabhan’s instance, the police first nabbed Harender while he was waiting for the ransom money in
Aligarh. He was apprehended along with the Santro Car of the victim whose number plates were changed by the kidnappers. Later, on sustained interrogation, the victim, who was kept at Gudmai Akrabad village was also rescued. Other kidnappers namely Ramdayal and Pramod were also apprehended on the spot in the course of the rescue operations. |
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Mishaps due to fog: 1 dead, 2 hurt
Gurgaon, December 29 Shailender, a native of Bihar, was working as a labourer in a private firm here. He was going home when a vehicle hit him near the Hero Honda chowk. He was taken to Paras Hostpital where the doctors declared him brought dead. In another incident, two people were injured on the expressway near Shankar Chowk when their car hit a truck from behind, which was standing midway. The two were going towards Delhi in their Maruti car around 7 am when the accident took place. They could not see the truck due to fog. Both of them have been admitted to Artimis Hospital. A case has been registered against the truck driver in the Sector 18 police station. |
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Severe fog blinds Delhi
New Delhi, December 29 On Monday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 20.8 degrees Celsius while the minimum was 8.4 degrees Celsius. “We have seen colder days. On Dec 13, the minimum temperature was recorded as low as 6.4 degrees Celsius,” said a met department official. On this day last year, the maximum temperature was 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum 4 degrees Celsius. The Department forecast a maximum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 9 degrees Celsius for Tuesday. People in Delhi woke up to an unusually foggy morning. Many flights were cancelled or diverted and over 34, including 10 international, flights to and from Delhi were delayed for at least four hours as heavy fog enveloped the capital till noon. Train services too were hit, while road traffic moved at a snail’s pace.
— IANS |
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Power theft unearthed in mass raids
New Delhi, December 29 A total of over Rs 42 lakh in penalties have also been levied against the accused. Besides domestic use, stolen electricity was also being used for industrial and commercial purposes. “77-KW power theft was unearthed in the industrial and commercial areas of Bara Hindu Rao. A penalty of Rs 15 lakh was levied against nine persons,” says an official. The BSES raiding teams accompanied by the Delhi police and CISF personnel booked cases against 25 people under the Indian Electricity Act, 2003, confirmed an official. In Daryaganj and Rang Mahal areas, a power theft of 135 KW was also unearthed in mass raids. The Delhi police and CISF personnel registered cases against 14 people and levied around Rs 27 lakh in penalties. |
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Refugees may get ownership of houses
New Delhi, December 29 The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will decide about the matter in its next Standing Committee meeting. These residents were given houses by the government after they migrated to the Capital. The MCD is mulling to give them the ownership rights of the properties. According to an MCD official, the migrants staying in these houses have been paying a monthly rent of Re 1 from the past 60 years. “The status of these properties has remained the same and it is high time for us to decide about them. The properties come under the MCD and are in a deteriorating condition as nobody takes care of them,” said Standing Committee chairman Vijender Gupta. According to sources, the Corporation is looking forward to sell the properties to the tenants. However, no special criterion has yet been laid to identify the original tenants. Most of these properties are disputed, as there is no legal claimant. “Most of the properties are disputed and, thus, are being misused. Their depleting condition is all the more disturbing. Many of them do not even have access to basic facilities,” he said. The MCD is clueless about the ownership of these houses. “We do not have any legal document supporting our rights on the properties. Therefore, we cannot sell them. But we expect the Corporation to identify the tenants based on their old records,” said one such owner in Old Delhi. The properties are scattered in the city with many in Old Delhi. However, Mayor Arti Mehra said that she did not have any information on the matter. |
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Litter and be fined from Jan 1
New Delhi, December 29 With the 2010 Commonwealth Games barely two years away, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the capital’s largest civic agency, is keen to see Delhi look spic and span. From January 1, 2009, a team of 132 anti-litter inspectors will go around the capital, slapping on-the-spot penalties of Rs 50 on offenders to enforce a long pending anti-litter law. Though the move does not seem very different from previous attempts to enforce the anti-litter law, officials are hoping they will be able to sustain the cleanliness movement this time around. “Keeping in mind the forthcoming Commonwealth Games and in keeping with Supreme Court directives, we have decided to initiate the enforcement of the anti-litter law from the New Year and to sustain efforts to keep the city clean,” MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra said. The Supreme Court had in 2006 asked for a strict law against those who littered the city. The implementation of the MCD’s policy was lax, with just 1,000 challans for penalties issued in 2006-07. Delhi seems to face an uphill task when it comes to keeping the city clean. The city struggles to dispose of the 6,000 tonnes of solid waste generated daily, despite 50,000 MCD sweepers and 700 garbage trucks to manage the ‘legal litter’ collected at 3,000 garbage collection points across the city. Many residents feel that while the menace of littering or urinating in public places is being acknowledged in the anti-litter law, the root cause for the problem is not being addressed in the implementation. “Forget about a penalty of Rs 50 - a majority of the people who urinate or defecate in public are migrant labourers who live in slums and live off an income of Rs 20 daily,” said Delhi University student Shahana Sheikh. Sheikh’s report on sanitary conditions and state of public toilets in the capital compelled the Delhi High Court in August 2008 to direct civic bodies to provide better public conveniences. “Awareness is crucial, but just telling people not to do something ‘to keep the city clean’ is not the answer - give them alternatives like increasing the number of public urinals and conveniences, and more importantly tell them how to use it,” Sheikh added.
— IANS |
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Pollution up in NCR
Noida, December 29 Air pollution in the residential sectors of Noida is at its maximum level. The ratio of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide gases has gone up to 400 mg per cubic metres. As per the norms, this ratio should not exceed 200 mg. In industrial areas, this ratio has acceded even 555 mg. The level of harmful atoms RSPM has also reached 135 per cubic metre against a maximum of 100 per cubic metre. Conditions in Ghaziabad are even worse. In Meerut Road and Sahibabad industrial areas, the ratio of RSPM is 580 per cubic metre and in residential sectors this ratio is 150 per cubic metre. Last week, the Pollution Control Board had issued notices to 18 industrial units for causing excessive pollution. The notice said that the air and water pollution created by these units were much higher than the accepted parameters. According to officials of the Pollution Control Board, things have gone from bad to worse in the past two years. They attribute this state of affair to excess increase in the number of big vehicles. Now, the Board is contemplating action against nearly 90 brick kilns reportedly functioning in the district of Noida without following any pollution-related safeguards. It is also preparing grounds to take action against nearly 400 industrial units in Sahibabad. |
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CCTV surveillance at Goenka School
New Delhi, December 29 The school has also been equipped with devices like circuit breakers, smoke detectors, latest firefighting equipments and a trained staff that knows how to use these tools. At the same time, the institution is planning to conduct workshops for students, teachers and children to train them on how to react during an emergency. Special guidelines will also be given to parents at periodic intervals, so that they can keep a track of their wards’ security. The gates of the school are also manned by trained guards in order to restrict any unauthorised access to the school premises. Commenting on the school’s security systems, Manoj Gupta, member of the board of directors of the school, said, “We have taken utmost care in providing a safe environment for students.” He added the school had also been providing the best in academics, sports, extra-curricular activities and infrastructure. |
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e-governance centre launched
New Delhi, December 29 The main objective behind the centre is to carry out research in related areas of e-governance and educating the stakeholders, including senior government officials, defence officials and other people who are a part of the e-governance system. The centre will showcase latest technology innovations and solutions to the government and also evaluate the impact of technology on the government and society and formulate appropriate IT policy papers. The centre was inaugurated by former president of Nasscom Kiran Karnik; Father of Indian Software Industry F. C. Kohli; Father of Free Software Richard Stallman; additional secretary of e-governance, Government of India, A. S. Rao; deputy director general of NIC Y. K. Sharma and member of the National Knowledge Commission Jayati Ghosh, as part of the International Conference on E-governance that concluded in Delhi last week. Speaking about the centre, Jaijit Bhattacharya of Sun Microsystems India said, “The role of technology in enabling e-governance is paramount. Technology can connect the three participants in an e-governance structure, namely— government, citizens and businesses— as well as support processes and activities. Sun and IIT share a common vision of advancement of technology use in government establishments.” Professor M.P.Gupta from IIT Delhi commented, “The centre is an apt platform to further the cause of open source and open standards, both of which are extremely relevant for the government and Sun’s expertise and propagation of these two areas are well known.” |
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Three girls go missing
Noida, December 29 Suspecting that the girls might have been abducted, their parents have lodged a complaint with the police. In their complaint, the parents have accused four boys— Rahul, Sunil, Pathak and Desh Pal—for kidnapping the girls. Suneha and Sonam (names changed) from Chaura village had gone to Government Degree College in Sector-39 on Friday, but they never returned. Similarly, Kajal (name changed) of Chotpur village had gone to buy gifts from a shop in Chhijarsi from where she never returned. Her mother has lodged a missing report in Sector-58 police station. However, according to the police, there is a possibility that this could be a case of romance and the girls might have eloped with their “lovers”. |
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Two bikers die in head-on collision
Greater Noida, December 29 The accident took place in Greater Noida’s Dadri town at about 9.30 pm on Sunday. A police officer said the two bikers, whose identity was being ascertained, were injured and were rushed to a hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. “Family members of both did not approach us. So we do not know their names. Due to this, a case has also not been registered,” police officer Shyam Rati Arya said. In another accident on Monday, three people were injured when their car hit a truck that had overturned on the Greater Noida Expressway. According to the police, Rewati Sharma, R.S. Gupta and Sameer Pandey — all from Delhi — were injured when their car rammed into the truck. The injured were taken to a hospital and were said to be stable.
— IANS |
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Man killed by lover’s family
Ghaziabad, December 29 Amir, 22, was killed on Saturday midnight in Pooja Colony of Loni here. He was invited by the 21-year-old woman to her house on the pretext of discussing their marriage with her family, Circle Officer of the Ghaziabad police S.P. Singh said. Later he was murdered in the house by the family members and his body thrown into a drain. Amir’s body was recovered on Sunday night by the police. Singh said the victim was originally a resident of Bhajanpura in East Delhi, but shifted his residence to Pooja Colony in adjacent Ghaziabad to stay close to his lover. “Three people have been arrested,” he said.
— IANS |
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ENT conference concludes
New Delhi, December 29 More than 200 delegates from Armed Forces and North India attended the event. Lt. General Y. Singh said that every child had the right to able hear and communicate. The delegates comprising eminent surgeons discussed cochlear implants and phonosurgery with emphasis on recent advancement made in the field. Brigadier S.S. Panwar, senior neuro otologist in the Army, demonstrated the technique of cochlear implant surgery, while Dr Pierre Garin from Belgium showed vibrant middle ear implant. The occasion also marked a lecture by Sambia Labassi from France about the ideal candidates for vibrant implant and intricacies of the implant. Dr Milind Kirtane, Dr James Thomas and Dr Milan Amin also spoke. The organisers, Surgeon Captain S. Badhwar and his team released a compendium on cochlear implantations titled ‘Cochlear Implantation- A handbook for surgeons’. |
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MCD to strengthen 68 roads
New Delhi, December 29 “Sixty-eight roads that are prone to waterlogging will be provided with ready mixed concrete surface to improve their quality and strength,” said Standing Committee chairman Vijender Gupta. “Waterlogging depletes and washes away bituminous surface on roads leading to potholes during the rainy season. The MCD has decided to do away with bituminous surface on roads prone to waterlogging,” he said. He further said the Central Road Research Institute had established that cement roads were much stronger and had longer life span. “We want to ensure that there are no potholes due to waterlogging. Waterlogging and potholes are a perpetual public problem during the rainy season. The use of ready mixed concrete will not only provide longer life to roads but will also ensure that the construction of roads are more economical than bituminous roads,” said a senior MCD official. |
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Blueline operators await govt notices
New Delhi, December 29 A few days ago, Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had said that low-floor DTC buses would be started from April 2009 and there after the government would phase out Blueline buses from the city’s roads. A bus operator said that the government had not yet proposed in writing to phase out the buses. Let the government issue notices then we will chalk out our plan, he said. He said a few days ago major bus operators had met Lovely, but this issue was not discussed. Residents have often raised a hue and cry due to the continuous accidents caused by these buses. The bus operators were even issued notices and the then transport minister called meetings too. Having seen the sensitivity of the issue the government decided to phase out these buses bay plying low-floor buses. |
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Package for displaced Pandits sought
New Delhi, December 29 Samiti’s president L.N. Dhar said the Samiti had boycotted the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed those who did not follow its call and contested the elections were defeated. There are over 24 such candidates who had opposed the call and had lost the elections. Hira Lal Chatta, Sanjay Sarah, J.K. Shakdhar and Raman Mattoo were some of them, he said. He further said whichever government came to power in the valley would just exploit the Pandits. The government is talking of economic packages for those who are willing to go back to the valley. But going back to valley is a different issue and economic package should be treated as a separate issue, he said. |
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2 Afghans held with fake visas
New Delhi, December 29 Later, 21 fake visa stickers of the Afghanistan Government, 2 fake consulate stamps, a laptop used for scanning and 2 printers were recovered from their house. Further search led to the recovery of three counterfeit Nepalese and one Afghani passport. According to the police, the Afghans had rented in house No. 0-34 in Lajpat Nagar-l just 20 days back. The police is interrogating the two and is trying to ascertain if they have any links with terrorist organisations. |
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