New Delhi, January 3
With the arrest of three persons, the Outer Delhi police today claimed to have solved an extortion case. The three identified as Rohtash (41), Surinder (24) and Vijender (24) were arrested from Bawana.

According to the police, D.P. Gupta, proprietor of Kalpana Nursing Home at Bawana had lodged a complaint on December 30, 2008, alleging that he had been receiving threatening calls from mobile number 9717060141.

The caller had demanded an extortion of Rs 20 lakh and had threatened to kill him if he informed the police. The caller had also told the complainant that he was an accomplice of Neeraj, a dreaded criminal who had committed double murder in Sector-16, Rohini.

A case was registered and a special team under an assistant commissioner of police was constituted. It was found that the caller had purchased the SIM card only for extortion purpose.

The caller used the SIM in different mobile sets, the police said. The police also managed to obtain the address of caller.

It was found that the SIM bearing the number 9717060141 was purchased from the proprietor of M/s M.K. communication, Manjeet. Manjeet told the police that Vijender and Rohtash had purchased the SIM card from his shop after submitting the address proof in the first week of December 2008.

Vijender had also purchased an old mobile set from his shop. The police conducted a raid in Vijender’s house and arrested him.

Rohtash confessed about committing the crime in connivance with his accomplices Vijender and Surinder. Later, the hideouts of the other accused were raided and they were arrested.

The three disclosed that they hatched a conspiracy to extort money from D.P. Gupta thinking that he would pay the amount easily fearing death. The three wanted to become millionaires without working hard in a short span of time.

At that time the Congress had opposed the move by staging dharnas and demonstrations. Besides, a delegation of Congressmen under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Jai Prakash Agarwal had gone to meet Lieutenant Governor Tejender Khanna and apprised him of the situation.

New Delhi, January 3
Additional commissioner of police (economic offence wing), Delhi, S.B.K. Singh has said that police has received a complaint that some people who had applied for DDA flats used forged papers to get bank loans.

According to him, the complaint was received before the draw for 5000 flats took place last year. However, he said that the document submitted by the complainant was not sufficient to register a case and that the police was investigating further and trying to collect more evidences.

Meanwhile, chairman of the All India Confederation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Udit Raj claimed that he received information in the month of August or September that some property dealers, DDA officers and bank agents have applied for the flats meant for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes by submitting forged papers. They had not mentioned their names in the application forms.

Udit Raj said that he managed to get names of two applicants – Murari Lal Mina and Laxmi Narayan Meena- who were from Rajasthan. However, when contacted, Murari Lal said that he never applied for a flat in Delhi, while Laxmi Narayan said that he gave a photo copy of his passport and ration card, but was not aware that a loan has been taken in his name, Udit Raj said.

Raj said when he informed about this to senior officers of the Delhi development Authority (DDA), he received threats. He has also filed a complained about the threats with the Malviya Nagar police, but so far no action had been taken against the suspects.

New Delhi, January 3
Theatre connoisseurs can tighten up their seat belts to experience the bliss of theatre viewing for 12 whole days in the Capital, courtesy the 11th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) that would offer a feast of live extravaganza with 63 theatrical renditions, including 51 from India and 12 international pieces.

The BRM, marking the contribution of National School of Drama (NSD) to the theatre culture, is designed to render a deep look into the malaise of Indian theatre, while highlighting the modern trends and practices of theatre culture of India. “As a part of our agenda we have approached the union ministry of art and culture to bring forth various problems associated with the theatrical genre of India,” said Amal Allana, chairperson of the NSD today in the Capital.

In this context, she informed that the Broad Based Committee Report, a part of NSD’s work focusing upon re-envisioning and re-envisaging the objectives of the organisation, has recommended the government of India to set up a national council of theatre for India to tackle the extant problems holistically.

While, orating on the various handicaps the theatre genre is battling, she hinted at inadequacy of funds, lack of infrastructure for artistes to rehearse and insufficient job opportunities. Nonetheless, “The love of theatre draws the artistes back to the performance stage,” said Amal.

The theatre treat would kickstart on sixth of this month with the open-air rendition of Awagh Rang Ekachi Zaala (Marathi) by director Ashok Samel. This play delineates the musical glory and cultural richness of Kirtan standing in contrast with the modern musical trends.

The primary area of focus this year has been to promote and nurture young talents, with 10 upcoming directors given opportunities to stage their creations. Besides, this time there are also 10 senior directors to retain the trends of classics, which portray a continuity of the contemporary theatre revolution, and this is very well exemplified through the revisiting of the classics of Tagore. Last year, the festival was alumnae-centric, with emphasis given upon the works of the products of NSD.

The other highlights of the 11th BRM are two exhibitions—one based on the life and works of legendary theatre artiste Badal Sircar and the other commemorating the 51 years of theatrical journey of NSD.

This annual and multi-lingual festival, which is supposed to be the largest theatre festival of Asia, started a decade ago by the NSD, and in all these years it has taken international overtones, while catering to theatre practitioners both in India and abroad. “This festival has grown in stature, and this time theatrical performances from Japan, Israel, Nepal, Poland, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Germany and Czechoslovakia would be presented on this platform,” said Anuradha Kapur, the director of NSD.

This year’s BRM stage is all set for striking narratives with wide-ranging and ever-expanding themes from so many nations, which would give the audience a chance to explore their tastes and passions by visualising varied cultural perspectives strewn in theatre form from a global prism.

Amal enumerated, “The plays that are going to light up this year’s BRM are intellectually stimulating, having been culled from over 400 proposals, and are the result of adaptations, many are drawn from rich and ancient texts and others developed through training and workshops.”

In the Capital, the festival would go on at seven venues, namely the Kamani Auditorium, Shri Ram Centre, Meghdoot, LTG Theatre, and three play sites are scheduled at Abhimanch, Sammukh and Bahumukh theatres within the NSD. These venues would offer five-six plays daily until January 19 and about 2,000 theatre practitioners have registered for the event.

Meanwhile, the festival would also travel to Lucknow, and out of 63 productions,
18 would be showcased from January 11-19, and Laila Majnu would inaugurate the
fest there.

It is indeed going to be a perfect theatre treat for all the passionate lovers of theatre who have already started readying themselves for many stimulating theatre sessions by securing berths for them.

Faridabad, January 3
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will visit Bihar around January 15 to formally hand over pucca houses and other infrastructure to the people of Shahabad-Mushahri village that was devastated in the massive flood of August-September 2008.

The Haryana government through the district administration of Sonipat had adopted the Dalit-dominated village that was ruined in the Koshi river flood last year.

All houses in the village were damaged during the calamity. Haryana had adopted the village after the Bihar government identified it.

According to a senior Haryana government officer, a team headed by additional deputy commissioner of Sonipat Anita Yadav had visited the village in Bihar to have a first-hand assessment of the damage.

The poverty of the village was such that there was only one pucca house in
the village before the flood. There was nothing in the name of infrastructure, not
even a school. Only one person in the village had completed his formal education
till class VIII.

Meanwhile, the Haryana government has constructed  233 pucca houses, a temple, a school, roads and has also lighted up the village with solar light system.

According to sources, the village has become a model in the area and the Haryana government has come out as a beacon of hope for people of the region.

The Haryana government had raised money for the village by donations and contributions from employees and schoolchildren. The Sonipat district administration had appealed to government employees to forego one day’s meal and contribute to the cause of the people of Sahabhad-Mushahri.

Haryana is the first state to have provided relief material in terms of cash and kind to the flood-afflicted people of Bihar.

Ghaziabad, January 3
Taking investigation ahead in the sensational Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, the central bureau of investigation (CBI) has summoned one of the accused Raj Kumar from Nepal for interrogation. Raj Kumar, at the time of the murders, worked as domestic help for Aarushi’s family friend, Durranis.

Aarushi, daughter of a reputed dentist Dr. Rajesh Talwar and their domestic help Hemraj was found dead at their Sector-25 house in Noida on May 15, 2008.

This is a major development in the case since the time the three main accused—Talwar’s compoundor Krishna, neighbour’s domestic help Vijay Mandal and Raj Kumar— were released on bail for lack of evidence.

Even CBI, the country’s premier investigating agency, after taking over the investigation from the Noida police, has not been able to come to a definite conclusion in the case. A CBI court had set free all the accused after the investigating agency failed to produce sufficient evidence against any of them within the stipulated time period.

Reacting on CBI’s summon, Raj Kumar’s advocate Naresh Yadav said that he suspected that his client would be tortured during interrogation or the CBI might produce fake evidences and so he has also filed a prayer in the court to this effect.

Ghaziabad, January 3
In a decision that will usher in a communication revolution of sorts in the remote villages of Uttar Pradesh, the state government has decided to set up 17, 909 cyber cafes in villages, especially those falling in the remote belt.

The contract for setting up these cyber cafes has been awarded to a private agency of Noida and the responsibility of providing power backup to these cafes has been given to the UP Power Corporation. According to sources, the government has not yet decided about the charges of the cafes.

It is however expected that the rates in the village cafes will be half the normal rates.

The director of the UP Power Corporation has informed the managing directors of Madhyanchal, Paschimanchal, Dakshananchal and Poorvanchal power distribution about the scheme through a letter. Managing directors and chief engineers have been requested to immediately arrange power supply for these cafes.

As per the scheme, the government has planned to open a cyber café in every revenue village of the state and they will be called Jan Seva Centres.

Revenue villagers are the villages that generate high revenues for the state government.

Besides, providing internet assistance, these Jan Seva Centres will also provide IT solutions, ensure payment of telephone and electricity bills and installments of life insurance premiums and facilitate on-line banking.

A team of computer experts will always be available at these centres for any kind of assistance needed by the villagers.

Ghaziabad, January 3
The authorities here have received a letter threatening to blow up an ordnance factory and a power station in Ghaziabad district, a senior official said Saturday.

A letter addressed to the Ghaziabad district magistrate stated that an ordnance factory and the 320-kv power station of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) situated at Muradnagar would be targeted.

“The letter came on December 20, 2008. It said the ordnance factory at Muradnagar and a strategically located 320-kv power station which supplies power to Ghaziabad, Noida and other surrounding towns in the NCR would be targets of a terror attack,” district magistrate Deepak Agrawal said.

“We have taken all precautionary measures to protect the establishments. The chief security officer of the ordinance factory has assured us that all necessary steps have been taken to guard it. The same steps have been taken by the UPPCL officials,” Agrawal added. — IANS

Noida, January 3
India is not only attracting large number of patients from foreign countries for treatment of critical diseases, but off late; a lot of foreign doctors are looking at India as a destination to learn new advances and techniques in medical science.

The Metro Hospitals and Heart Institute of Noida has emerged as one such centre in the field of cardiac care. Six aspiring cardiologists from Iraq have been receiving training here for the last two months.

The hospital, which is equipped with the latest international technologies to carry out the most critical cardiac procedures, like the removal of blockage in heart arteries, opening of the tight valves of the heart and heart hole closure without surgery, has experts like Dr. Purshotam Lal, a pioneer of interventional cardiology.

Besides, the visiting cardiologists are also observing pacemaker and electrophysiological procedures under the guidance of Dr. Rajnish Sardana, head of electrophysiology study and pacing.

“We find Metro Heart Institute a perfect centre for training in cardiology. I have never before come across such an organised team who fight like soldiers to save the lives of their patients. It is a privilege to observe Dr. Lal saving lives of his patients,” said Dr. Hazim Kahdim, one of the six Iraqi cardiologists undergoing training.

“Dr. Purshotam Lal is one of the greatest interventional cardiologists of the world and to learn from him is a privilege,” said Dr. Mohammed Abdul Hussien, senior interventional cardiologist of the Iraqi centre for heart diseases. “The personal involvement of Dr. Lal and his team with the patients is remarkable,” said Dr. Yaseen Obaid Yaseen, another senior Iraqi cardiologist undergoing training.

Lal on his part said, “It is a matter of great pride for India that senior doctors from other countries have started coming to India to increase their knowledge and talent.

He further informed that Metro Hospital and Heart Institute in Noida will be shortly conducting nurses training for foreign students. Pal added that in order to meet the growing overseas demand of quality training, the Metro Institute will soon launch a series of training courses across specialties for foreign doctors.

Noida, January 3
Dense fog in Noida and on the expressway led to several accidents on Friday, in which two men were killed and many others injured, the police said.

Santosh, a native of Gorakhpur, was killed and Subhash critically injured when their motorcycle was hit by a speeding car near the Sector 34 traffic signal in Noida.

On the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, where the visibility was low due to dense fog, a Tata Sumo collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction around 6.30 am.

The drivers of both vehicles escaped with minor injuries, the police said. In Sector 82, a badly damaged Skoda Octavia was found early on Friday by the police.

The police was still trying to trace out the owner of the vehicle. In Sector 35, two motorcyclists Nikhil and Nitin hit the divider early Friday and received serious injuries and have been admitted to a hospital.

In yet another accident, scooterist Ruab died after hitting the divider near Safiq Chowk in Sector 39. — IANS

New Delhi, January 3
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) recently launched a post graduate diploma course in disability management for medicos of all disciplines, including MBBS, ayurveda, siddha or unani graduates.

The duration of the course ranges from one year to three years. The university has invited applications for admission to the January 2009 session. According to the university’s notice, those having two years of experience in the relevant field will be given preference.

The programme has been specially designed in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) to explain the genesis of disability, terminologies used in the area of disability rehabilitation and to identify and assess children, adults and elderly having physical, sensory or cognitive impairments or those who are at risk.

The course aims at preparing learners for prevention, assessment, early identification and rehabilitation for all types of disabilities.

The course will also teach the students to carry out family counseling and play a role in community mobilisation and generating awareness about preventive measures and possible therapies for persons with disabilities by propagating the needs and rights of the disables.

The programme has been designed in a manner to educate learners about existing facilities like disability certification procedures and laws in favour of persons with disabilities.

The prospectus and handbook for the course can be downloaded from the IGNOU website. The filled-in forms have to be submitted to the regional director on or before January 30 along with the fee.