New Delhi, December 30
Motorists planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve in and around the Connaught Place area will have to face strict restrictions imposed by the Delhi traffic police in order to ensure smooth flow of traffic here.

Addressing a press conference in the city today, SN Shrivastava, joint commissioner (traffic) said that taking into account the heavy flow of traffic in the area during the New Year Eves; the restrictions will be imposed from 7.30 pm onwards. “No vehicles would be allowed to proceed towards Connaught Place beyond Mandi House, Bengali Market, north foot of the Ranjit Singh flyover, Minto Road-Deen Dayal Upadhyay crossing, Chelmsford Road, Ashram Marg Crossing, Gole Market, GPO, Patel Chowk and the Kasturba Gandhi Road-Firozshah Road Crossing after 7.30 pm on December 31 till the conclusion of the New Year celebrations,” said Shrivastava, adding that no vehicle would be allowed to move in the inner, middle or outer circle of the Connaught Place.

According to the traffic police, Tolstoy Marg would be one-way from Parliament Street towards Barakhamba Road. Limited parking space would be available near Connaught Place on first come first serve basis at Kali Bari Marg, Pt Pant Marg, near Patel Chowk, near Windsor Place on Ashoka Road pavement, near Mandi House on Copernicus Marg up to Baroda House, near Minto Road on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Panchkuian Road and K G Marg.

Motorists who have to visit hotels located within the restricted areas have been issued separate parking labels (authorising entry for their vehicles up to the respective hotels) along with the invitation cards/tickets. They may access the Connaught Place area through Barakhamba Road, K.G. Marg, Janpath and Parliament Street. The bonafide residents of the area/passengers bound for New Delhi Railway Station would be permitted to enter the area after due verification. They may carry papers to prove their identity and residence. The traffic police personnel will remain posted in the vicinity of hotels, restaurants, markets and religious places so that main roads are free for smooth flow of traffic.

The full strength of the Delhi police and traffic personnel are expected to be on the road on the night of December 31 to keep strict vigil on drunken driving and over speeding, the two most reported incidents in the Capital on this day.

The Delhi police has appealed to the people to refrain from drunken driving and risking their lives as well as that of others. 

Gurgaon, December 30
The local administration as well as the state authorities may have remained under fire from several quarters over the “collapsing” infrastructure of Gurgaon, but the millennium city has witnessed the launch and progress of various infrastructural developmental projects during 2008.

The work on the extension of Delhi Metro to Gurgaon is in progress and likely to be completed by the end of the coming year. The project, aimed at improving connectivity between Delhi and Gurgaon, will incur an expenditure of Rs 688 crore, of which the Haryana government is contributing Rs 592.50 crore.

According to official sources, the state government has released the second installment of Rs 283.5 crore to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Till now, an expenditure of Rs 154.77 crore had been incurred on this project. The length of this Metro rail link is 7.08 km and it will have five stations, namely Garden Estate, Sikanderpur, DT City Centre, Iffco Chowk and Sushant Lok.

The construction of Qutab Minar-Gurgaon Metro corridor will also give a boost to IT and ITES companies in Gurgaon.

The government also plans to provide 100 low-floor buses for city bus service in Gurgaon and a separate CNG depot in sector 29 for these. Nearly 40 buses would be provided by the end of this financial year and the rest 60 buses in next the financial year.

Nearly 150 bus-queue shelters will be constructed for city buses by HUDA. Ten such shelters have been already been constructed on MG road. HUDA has also provided nine low-floor AC buses for plying between Gurgaon and Delhi. 

HUDA has awarded road-related works of Rs 46 crore, which are in progress. A strict quality-control regime has also been put in place so as to do away with substandard works. The local Municipal Corporation will also spend Rs 24.48 crore for the repair and reconstruction of various roads under its domain.

A botanical garden spread over 36 acres of land is coming up in Sector 52-A, Gurgaon Leisure Valley on 35 acres of land in Sector 29; and Town Park on 29.70 acres in Sector 22. In addition, green belts as well as parks in the sectors have been developed on about 730 acres. Plantation along the master roads has been done on 130-km stretches.  

An estimate for laying down a storm-water disposal system has been approaved by the authorities concerned and an amount of Rs 11.56 crore sanctioned for it.

Gurgaon will have an ultramodern solid waste management plant near Bandhwari village, which will have a capacity of treating 1,000 tonnes of garbage per day and will cater to the needs of both Faridabad and Gurgaon districts. The area earmarked for the purpose has been handed over to the executing agency.

To meet the future drinking water requirement of the city, NCR channel of 800 cusec capacity is being constructed at a cost of Rs 320 crore. Of this, 500 cusec will be for Gurgaon.

A water-treatment plant of 20 MGD is under construction at cost of Rs 13.84 crore and is likely to be completed by March 2009.

A new water works of 66 MGD capacity will be constructed at village Chandu-Budhera for which 124 acre land has been acquired by HUDA.

For augmentation of sewerage scheme, an estimate of Rs 434.32 lakh has been approved by the NCR planning board.

During the current financial year, the DHBVN plans to spend Rs 190 crore to strengthen the power distribution system in the district. Agricultural and domestic load of 321 km long lines in rural areas will be segregated to improve power supply in villages.

In addition, the DHBVN plans to create high voltage distribution system (HVDS) of international standard in 183 villages of the district during the current financial year.

A software technology park and an information technology and telecommunication complex with world-class facilities like earth station in the electronic city have also been planned to promote computer/software exports. 

New Delhi, December 30
South Asia’s first modern Metro Museum, showcasing the Delhi Metro, is ready for inauguration. Showcasing the genesis, history and journey of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the Metro Museum at Patel Chowk Metro station, which will be officially opened to the public on January 1, 2009, is the only such installation worldwide in an operational Metro station.

According to Anuj Dayal, spokesman of the DMRC, Metro museums can be found in only a few European, US and Japanese cities, but the one at Delhi Metro is the only one of its kind in an operational station set up in a short duration of two months.

The museum, with collection of display panels, historical photographs and exhibits, traces the genesis of the Delhi Metro which took 32 years to reach the operational stage from the drawing boards, major milestones, issues regarding the selection of the technology such as rolling stock (trains), rail gauge, etc.

“It has displays on the unique management style and work culture of the DMRC that has helped it complete projects before time consistently, the importance of spiritualism which is a guiding principle and the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ which serves as an inspiration for the Metro employees,” said Dayal.

The museum has an extensive section on the construction of the Metro and the problems encountered during the process, including the story behind the construction of technological marvels such as the Chawri Bazaar Metro station, which is the second deepest Metro station in the world, India’s first extra-dosed bridge. A model of tunnel boring machine (TBM), a “tooth” taken from a TBM, soil samples collected from around the city and helmets of different colours used at construction sites form part of the museum.

The technological features of the Metro system such as the automatic train control system, automatic fare collection system, round-the-clock activities of various departments, features friendly for the physically challenged, actual Metro rails and overhead equipment (OHE) to supply power are described in the museum.

It has an account of the first day of Metro’s operation when about 1.2 million people queued up for a ride at six stations, forcing DMRC to issue a public appeal asking commuters to defer joyrides.

The museum has two touch screen computers that play the DMRC corporate movie and animations describing the way tunnel boring machines and launching girders used in elevated construction work. Mannequins wearing the different uniforms worn by operations and construction staff, along with brief descriptions of these, a model of the Metro train, models of stations, share certificates and close-circuit television camera which visitors can use are included.

Souvenirs such as Metro ties, pens, key-chains and books will be available for sale at the Metro Museum. Curator services at the museum can be availed from 10 am to 4 pm on all days except Monday when the museum would be closed.

New Delhi, December 30
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today directed officers of the planning department to conduct strict checking at the borders so that no commercial vehicle passes without depositing the tax. The direction was issued in a review meeting of the planning department.

She discussed the position of revenue in view of the ongoing recession and directed to enhance efficiency and tighten up implementation.

She also suggested encouraging dealers who had been sincere in filing their returns and had been showing good growth rate in respect of their collection. The department of trade and taxes has been directed to register all dealers.

The Chief Minister stressed on the need of effective monitoring of schemes. The government is considering formulation of year-wise five-year plan for all the departments in order to facilitate monitoring at every stage.

Dikshit also discussed the availability of funds for Commonwealth Games projects. It was decided that the projects of absolute necessity and of unavoidable nature would not be allowed to suffer.

New Delhi, December 30
The Delhi police today announced a reward of Rs1 lakh each on the 13 accused wanted in connection with the September 13 bomb blasts case.

Twenty six people had died while 133 were injured in the serial bomb blasts at Gaffar Market (Karol Bagh), Central Park (Connaught Place), Barakhamba Road and Greater Kailash.

During the course of investigation, five militants were arrested while two militants died in the shootout at L-18 Batla House, besides six militants arrested by Mumbai Police.

The 13 militants still wanted by special cell of the Delhi police in the case are Ariz Khan (23), Shahzad Ahmed (20), Mohd Sajid (22), Mirza Sadab Baig (25), Mohd Khalid (25), Dr Shahnawaj (28), Hakim (23), Asadullah (23), Salman (29), Mohd Khalid (25), Iqbal and Riyaz Batkal and Amir Khan. While Iqbal and Riyaz are from Karnataka, Amir Khan hails from West Bengal and the rest come from Azamgarh district of UP.

According to the police, the cash reward of Rs 1 lakh will hold good for one year with immediate effect for anyone who may give any information/clue(s) or render any help leading to the arrest of these militants.

Information regarding them can be sent to Inspector Computer Centre (website), 10th floor/PHQ as well as in C&T Branch, PHQ. 

Gurgaon, December 30
The economic recession and the recent terror attacks in Mumbai have not lessened the spirit of people here as most of them have planned to celebrate it with fervour. The malls, restaurants, pubs and discs are prepared to welcome the New Year with a knock.

Every hotel, pubs and discs are trying to attract customers by offering various kinds of discounts.

Brig Deepak Kapur, general manager of mall operations, Ambience Mall, told The Tribune that the mall has been decorated to welcome the New Year. “We have arranged for a rock band performance to enthrall visitors. Besides, 93.5 Red FM will also broadcast live from here. The radio station will conduct competitions for visitors and we are sponsoring them with prizes worth Rs 3 lakh,” he said.

He said with gleam in eyes, “We expect to pull a large crowd tomorrow.”

Neeraj, manager of Defence Services Officers Institute (DSOI), said, “We have arranged for a dance troupe and have called singer Raj Jogia, who belongs to pop singer Mika’s group, to entertain our guests. Vishavjeet, a participant at Laughter Challenge Show, will also come.”

Rocky, manager of disc at Sahara Mall, informed DJ Parth and Manish will amuse couples. “We don’t want to create a mess, so we have arranged the party just for 100 couples. Couples should be able to enjoy the party and feel comfortable, as we are not here just to collect money. We want to make our customers relax,” he said.

Security arrangements have also been beefed up in the city. Policemen have been deployed at all public places. Metal detectors have been installed all over.

Regarding the security arrangement Brig Kapur said three sniffer dogs have been deployed in the Mall. Besides, the latest metal detectors have been installed at all entrances. “Also we have the non-linear junction instrument which can easily detect the explosive,” he added.

A senior police officer told The Tribune that the police has made full security arrangement for the day across the city and many commandos have been deputed to avoid any mishap.

New Delhi

Most Delhiites have planned a low-key celebration this New Year due to the economic recession and the recent terror attacks in Mumbai.

Shifting from the usual trend of going to disco theques, pubs or lounges, celebrations for welcoming 2009 are being arranged in personal farmhouses, flats or courtyards.

“I feel the places you own are far safer and parties are much cheaper there as compared to disco theques, restaurants or pubs. Markets are hard hit by the economic slowdown and the recent terror attacks in Mumbai. In such conditions it is better to enjoy with friends at home,” explains Deepak Saxena, 22, a resident of Greater Kailash.

If one takes a close view of the market, there are many places where recession has hit the New Year festivities. Restaurants and nightclubs are set to lure guests with attractive packages, offers and celebrity dance nights.

“We have slashed our prices keeping in mind the recession and the terror attacks. But people do not seem that enthusiastic this year,” said Harshita Singh, a spokesperson of Claridges.

Aura, the disc at Claridges, has slashed its rates from 10 to 15%, she confirmed. Where the entry ticket for aura this year is priced at Rs 7,999 per couple, the last year it was Rs 9,950.

Five star hotels like the Taj, the Oberoi and the Hyatt have cancelled their New Year celebrations.

“Looking at the recession and the terror attacks there would be no gala event this year,” informed an official of the Hyatt hotel.

“There will be no celebrations during this period at any of our hotels. We will only have special menus for our guests,” said spokesperson of the Oberoi group of hotels.

Some hotels are trying to attract customers by offering good packages or by slashing their entry tickets.

Aqua at the Park offers wine, dine and lounge experience to guests. Last year the couple entry to Aqua was Rs 15,000 whereas this year it has been slashed to Rs 12,500.

“Even though we are not offering any special discounts to our guests, this time we have slashed the prices of our party entry tickets,” said Ritu Bararia, PRO, Park Hotel.

Navneet Rai, the unit head of Play lounge and bar at Rajouri Garden, finds a different way to attract people. Rather than giving hefty discounts, they are offering free entries to women whereas, are charging Rs 2,500 for a couple.

Even Elevates, a popular nightclub at Noida, has slashed its rates by 10 per cent. “Somewhere or the other the terror attacks has made an impact on people and the recession is also making them a less enthusiastic. So we have reduced our prices by 10 per cent,” said Rohit Sharma, manager.

This year the New Year eve tickets for Elevates are priced at Rs 6,500, Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000.

New Delhi, December 30
The inter-state cell of crime branch has arrested four Mumbai-based suspects for allegedly kidnapping TV actor Rakesh Kathuria alias Babla and his brother Manish from Mumbai and Delhi respectively on May 12 this year.

The kidnappers had impersonated as Delhi police’s crime branch and Mumbai police’s ATS officials to commit the crime. They had demanded a ransom of Rs 25 lakh for their release.

Rakesh was kidnapped from the Malad area of Mumbai. The kidnappers had called Rakesh at Malad to discuss the story of a serial. Manish was kidnapped from Plaza PVR at CP here the same day.

However, Manish was released later in the evening after the kidnappers made him talk to his brother Rakesh to arrange the ransom.

According to the police, the kidnappers were given only Rs 6.5 lakh, some gold ornaments, a laptop and a mobile phone to release Rakesh. He was instructed to leave Mumbai immediately after his release. He came to Delhi and lodged a police complaint.

According to DCP (crime) Neeraj Thakur, the kidnappers’ movements were traced after a long investigation. The accused Adil Nawaz Khan was the first to be identified.

He was arrested on December 19. He disclosed that he along with his accomplice Yusuf Pathan had impersonated as Delhi police officials to kidnap Manish.

He also revealed that Yusuf Pathan alias Vishal Kapoor was the gang leader who along with other associates hatched the conspiracy to kidnap Manish Kathuria in Delhi. And as per the directions of yusuf Pathan, Gaurav Gupta, Kasif Khan alias Gaikwad, Rehman and others kidnapped Rakesh Kathuria in Mumbai and kept him in captivity in Goregaon, Mumbai.

Further, at the instance of Adil Nawaz Khan, three more accused — Yusuf Pathan, Kasif Khan and Rohit Singh alias Rahil were arrested on December 22 from the Santacruz area of Mumbai. One laptop belonging to the complainant has been seized.

The accused had deleted data from Rakesh Kathuria’s laptop. They had taken the Goregaon flat on rent of Rs 18,000 per month. The flat was being used only as a hideout.They have been sent to police remand.

Rakesh is also a fashion choreographer. He has acted in TV serials like ‘Durgesh Nandini’ and ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’. He has also worked in Bhojpuri, Tamil and other movies.

Faridabad, December 30
The district food and supply department along with the police raided a number of shops and restaurants in the Ballabgarh area and seized more than half a dozen LPG cylinders being used illegally.

Those booked include shop owners in the restaurant and sweet meat businesses. They were found guilty of illegally using LPG gas cylinders meant for domestic consumption.

An officer of the department said that the raids were conducted in view of the brisk business done by these shops during the fag end of the year. Shops, particularly sweet shops, increase their production during this time for the New Year celebrations.

The department has cautioned of conducting more raids at other places to curb such illegal use of LPG gas cylinders.

There has been a shortage of cooking gas cylinders in Faridabad district in the past few months. The distributors say that the oil companies have reduced the supply of gas cylinders. But, it has been reported that gas cylinders were being sold in black market at a heavy price ranging from Rs 500- Rs 700. 

Although the raid by the department is being appreciated, many wonder why the department did not maintain a constant vigil against the illegal use of gas cylinders. The residents here have been wondering that how the owners of sweet shops had access to gas cylinders even though they were deprived of them in the name of short supply by distributors of all the oil companies.

New Delhi, December 30
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today filed in a city court five charge sheets in five cases relating to irregularities in cooperative group housing societies (CGHS).

Filing the charge sheets in the court of a CBI special judge, the investigating agency said these cases were registered following the Delhi High Court order in relation to 135 housing societies.

Subsequently, CBI registered cases relating to 97 CGHS societies in which land was allotted by Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The CBI has filed charge sheets in the cases of United Nations Staff CGHS Ltd., Sarvakalyan CGHS Ltd., Sarvottam CGHS Ltd., Chitrakoot Dham CGHS Ltd. and Ashraya CGHS Ltd.

These cooperative societies were registered in the 1970s and 1980s and were not allotted land by DDA. On becoming defunct, they were wound up by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS).

But builders, in collusion with YCS officials, fraudulently revived these societies and RCS recommended to DDA for allotment of land on the basis of false and forged documents to cause undue gain for themselves and others, the CBI has alleged. — IANS