|
|
|
|
Aware of rights, boy ensures teacher for school
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Morning showers raise city’s temperature
Now, Metro riders will discipline fellow commuters
Mono rail to link Gt Noida, Noida by yearend
60 couples take tips on motherhood, child care
Own a dream farmhouse in Noida
Four-time assembly poll winner Prem Singh honoured
Dial 1098 to help rescue Delhi’s child beggars
Tihar wants lethal rifles to thwart terror strike
Criminal killed in gunbattle with cops
Man held for cheating UK firm
Stray bullet hits woman
Nursery boy goes missing
Food factory catches fire
|
|||||||||
|
25-yr-old man fires at woman friend, shoots self
New Delhi, January 18 According to the police, the man whose identity is yet to be ascertained had come to his friend Uma Rani’s rented accommodation in New Rajender Nagar with flowers in the morning. Uma, who has been staying in the Capital for over a year, was not at home at that time. She had gone to appear for an exam. He kept waiting for Uma. When she came, the two had a heated argument. The man lost control and shot twice at Uma before blowing his head off. “He fired two shots. One hit Uma on neck while the other was lodged in her chest. He then shot himself in the temple,” said deputy commissioner of police (Central Delhi) Jaspal Singh. While the man died on the spot, Uma was taken to the Ganga Ram Hospital. Her condition is stated to be critical. The police is trying to ascertain the man’s identity and the reasons that led to the the incident. A case has been registered at Rajender Nagar police station. An investigating official believes that the incident could be the result of a love affair. “We are trying to find out since when the two were in contact and their relationship. We are waiting for Uma’s statement,” he said. Till late evening, the police was trying to ascertain the identity of the man based on the contact numbers found in his mobile phone that was seized from the spot. |
|
Aware of rights, boy ensures teacher for school
New Delhi, January 18 Within 10 days, a teacher was appointed to his school! “Since the session started last year, we did not have a science teacher. When no one came to teach us even after six months, we decided to do something about it,” Wasim, who studies at the government high school in the Kairaka area of Mewat district, told on phone. Being students of class X — whose students sit for board examinations at the end of the term — he and his classmates were only too aware of the precious time being lost in the absence of a teacher. “Our studies were suffering as we did not have a teacher and that too for an important subject like science. My classmates were worried,” said Wasim, whose father is a shopkeeper. He wanted to do something. “I had studied a chapter about ‘our rights’ in the social sciences subject. That inspired me to follow the case and ensure that we got a teacher. But I did not know what exactly I should do,” Wasim said. “Then someone in my village advised us to go and meet the district officer of the education department. He told us to present our problem before him,” he added. “Then along with six other students of my class, I went to the district officer. We gave him an application requesting him to get a science teacher as soon as possible,” Wasim said. To their amazement, a science teacher was appointed within 10 days. “We were very happy. I had never imagined that the officials would listen to our request so soon. Within 10 days, a science teacher was appointed.” Around 4.43 million children study in Haryana’s government schools under the tutelage of 1,31,802 teachers. But as is true of most states around India, these state-run educational institutions suffer from basic infrastructure shortage, including lack of teachers. The state has 5,871 high and senior secondary schools, 3,321 middle schools and 6,722 primary schools run by the government. Asked if at any point he was afraid of approaching the higher authorities, Wasim said, “Yes, I was a bit scared and apprehensive. But then everyone around, including friends and family, inspired and supported me.” “I feel very happy and satisfied because I fought for my rights,” he said. The class X students have managed to finish studying the science course in time for the board examinations. Incidentally, said Wasim, “I want to be a teacher!”
— IANS |
|
Morning showers raise city’s temperature
New Delhi, January 18 The rain, caused by western disturbances, will continue till the overcast gets clear, the weatherman said. “The rains will lead to a rise in night temperatures. Moreover, the cloud cover over Delhi is trapping the heat,” said a Met official. Till 8.30 a.m. on Sunday Delhi recorded a rainfall of 5.6 mm. “One or more rain spells or thundershowers are expected today,” said the official. The sudden rain caught people on the road unawares. Sukhwinder got totally drenched while travelling on his motorcycle to a friend’s house. “I was not expecting the rain, or I would have taken the metro instead,” said Sukhwinder. Over the past four days, temperatures have been rising gradually but the weather has been nippy, while humidity has remained high. The minimum temperature recorded today morning was 13° Celsius — higher than Saturday’s 11.5° Celsius. The maximum temperature was 23.6° Celsius. However, the night temperature is likely to fall in the coming days. “The night temperatures will fall once the western disturbance passes,” the Met official added. January this year has been warmer compared to the last year when the minimum dropped below five degrees a number of times. The season’s lowest temperature was recorded on January 2 when the mercury registered the lowest of 4° Celsius.
— IANS |
|
Now, Metro riders will discipline fellow commuters
New Delhi, January 18 After a day-long training-cum orientation programme called Sahyog held at the Metro Rail headquarters, these volunteers were given Citizens Forum badges. “The volunteers were imparted training about various important aspects of Metro operation such as customer orientation, etiquettes, co-operation with passengers, ticketing procedures, boarding-deboarding from trains, security mechanism, disaster management and cleanliness,” said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The Citizens Forum initiative was launched a month back as part of which banners were displayed at all metro stations inviting commuters to join as volunteers. Application forms were available with the station managers and interested candidates could also mail their requests at metrocitizensforum@gmail.com. “The initiative received an overwhelming response. More than a thousand applications were received. After a month-long process of shortlisting the forms, the selected volunteers were called for today’s training programme,” said Dayal. This Citizens Forum initiative came as a follow-up of Delhi Metro’s plans to start Value Guide Programme in association with the Foundation for Restoration of National Values (FRNV), a non-governmental social service organisation. Delhi Metro recently recorded its highest daily ridership of 9.5 lakh.On an average it carries about 8 lakh passengers everyday. |
|
Mono rail to link Gt Noida, Noida by yearend
Noida, January 18 The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is preparing a detailed project report on the rail route. In 2007, the Noida Authority had asked the DMRC to study the feasibility of having either the Metro rail extended to Greater Noida or have a light rail transport system to connect the twin cities. The DMRC had disapproved the extension of Metro citing it as a costlier option and suggested the light rail project. “We are ready to do the job for Noida Authority, but we need at least about two months to file the final report,” says DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal. Earlier, RITES too had favoured the light rail as a link between Noida and Greater Noida. In a study conducted by it, RITES had reportedly considered all other transport alternatives, including dedicated bus corridors and a heavy rail transit system. It also studied the socio-economic profile of the residents of the district as well as the population projection for 2031. It was on the advice of RITES that the Noida Authority approached the DMRC asking it to prepare a detailed project report. The mono rail would cover a stretch of 54 km and the project would be implemented in two stages. In the first phase, Sector-32 will be connected to Greater Noida through the Expressway covering a distance of 29 km. In the second phase, Greater Noida will be connected to Noida City Centre along the railway station at Boraki. The second phase will cover a distance of 25 km. However, the detail of the number of stations and their location is yet to be worked out. |
|
Dalai Lama lays stress on protecting heritage
New Delhi, January 18 “At a time when the world is suffering from a crisis and decadence of all sorts, love and compassion can only address the turmoil,” said the Dalai Lama this evening in the Capital, while deliberating upon the correlation that exists between world peace and heritage. He stressed as citizens of this world we should protect our heritage, as it plays a prominent role in nurturing our soul and bringing about our spiritual well being. Emphasising upon the significance of a responsible educational system in today’s times, he pointed out, “Educational institutions lack the quintessential role of imbibing the basic tenets of humanity in children, who are supposed to be the architects of their future and the nations.” He also drew out a parallel between India and Tibet. He said there is a great link between India and Tibet because Buddha, the Tibetan guru, is from India and Lord Shiva’s abode is on Mountain Kailash in Tibet. The Lama feels the interests of all nations are intertwined. Therefore, everybody should contribute to humanity, while working towards global peace and unity. He said, “Just like a mother treats all her children equally, nurtures them and sows the seeds of brotherhood, we must love all human beings equally. And, it is this trait that connects one soul with other and strikes a unity between all irrespective of race, colour and religion.” To his holiness, India is a secular country, which is strictly characterised by warm-heartedness. “Secularism does not mean being anti-religion,” outlined the Lama. The event was staged in commemoration of the silver jubilee year of INTACH, which has played a perfect vehicle for taking up the revolution of conservation of artifacts and preservation and management of ancient heritage and culture that are the essential ingredients of a nation’s identity. |
|
60 couples take tips on motherhood, child care
Gurgaon, January 18 Around 60 couples participated in the session where hospital’s senior obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians addressed all issues related to pregnancy, delivery and after birth care. The discussions were followed by a question and answer session with doctors, where curious parents raised their concerns related to pregnancy and child birth. Dr Kapil Garg, general manager, Columbia Asia Hospital, said , “Beginning of motherhood is one of the most important phases of a woman’s life, hence, expecting mothers are often concerned about their pregnancy and associated issues like breast-feeding, food and vaccinations schedule. We are certain, after this session, parents will feel much more confident.” The couples were also made aware about infection transmission after birth. The gynecologists spoke of how critical it was for a new mother to take flu shots to prevent influenza infection from spreading to her newborn infant. |
|
|
Own a dream farmhouse in Noida
Noida, January 18 The application forms will be available from banks from January 19 onwards and a cheque for Rs 31 lakh—10 per cent of the total price will have to be sent as registration fee along with the form. The minimum size of plot to be allotted under this scheme will be of 10,000 sq meters at the rate of Rs 3,100 per sq mt fixed for the land. A sum of Rs 3.10 crore can make the connoisseurs of good living owners of 10,000 sq mt sprawling plot to set up the farmhouse of their choice in Noida area, which has lately emerged as a top address in the country. According to information available, this belt is situated along Yamuna Pushta for 20 km from Kalindi Kunj. The green belt and agricultural land is being developed in Kondli Bangar, Badauli, Khaddar and Jhutta villages. A similar planning will be done on the land along the Hindon river bank in Safipur, Nalgarh, Shahdara and Kulesra villages. In Noida Authority’s scheme, there won’t be any plot of less than 10,000 sq mt. A 10 per cent of the total price of the plot will have to be remitted along with the application form as the registration fee. Ten per cent of the area in the farmhouse will be under garden cover and construction on 1000 sq mt will be permissible with a floor area ratio of 0.15 per cent. The rest of the area will be developed as open and under green cover. The height of the building will not exceed 7.5 metres. The authority officials are busy giving final touches to the planning after which the total number of plots will be worked out. The authority is acquiring farmers’ land at Rs 1,000 per sq mt, it is learnt. The farmers have also been allotted mandatory 5 per cent land in this belt. |
|
Four-time assembly poll winner Prem Singh honoured
New Delhi, January 18 Singh was speaking at a felicitation function organised by the party of Shiromani Akali Dal Master Tara Singh. The function was to honour Chaudhary Prem Singh for winning assembly elections in capital for the fourth consecutive time. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was also honoured for coming to power in the state for the third time. Four-time MLA from Ambedkar Nagar, Chaudhary Prem Singh has a record of being an undefeated leader in Delhi. “He has never lost any election and has always fought from the same constituency and from the same the party,” said Jetedar Rachhpal Singh, president of Shiromani Akali Dal Master Tara Singh. “Similarly, after having won third straight mandate in Delhi, Dikshit has become the longest serving women chief minister in the history of India,” he said. “Chaurdhary Prem Singh has done tremendous work for the party and has been the most faithful party leader. Even at the time when the party was in midst of division, Singh stuck to the party and played an important role in building its image,” said Dikshit. “We have full confidence that Congress will bag all the seven seats in the Lok Sabha elections,” said Chaudhary Prem Singh. Delhi Congress president JP Aggrawal and Deoli MLA Arvinder Singh
Lovely. |
|
Dial 1098 to help rescue Delhi’s child beggars
New Delhi, January 18 It is a Delhi government initiative to rescue child beggars. There are nearly 58,000 beggars in the city, majority of whom are children accompanied by their parents. “This practice (of children begging) is a disease,” said social welfare and labour minister Mangat Ram Singhal. Talking about the helpline, he said the caller would be expected to provide details about the location of the child beggar and continue on his or her way. The number 1098 was actually started in 1998 as a child helpline, but from February it will be used to draw attention to the problem of child beggars. It will be manned by NGO workers spread over five zones. Unlike the police helpline, officials would not appear immediately at the place from where a person calls. “Children who are regular offenders would be identified at permanent locations, then the ‘beggar squad’ would pick them up,” Singhal said. “We hope that eventually we will give more speedy solutions. This is not a permanent solution,” he added. He said, “We have an adequate number of officials on our beggar squad who can identify these children. If they are orphans, the children will be taken to our child homes or other government institutions where they can avail themselves of hostel and technical education facilities.” Rules state that a child cannot be separated from the parent, but the department seems to have found a way out as far as child beggars are concerned. “I am responsible not only for social welfare but also the labour department now. The parents too would be identified and booked under child labour laws,” said Singhal. Begging is illegal in the Capital but is widely prevalent. The government is also planning an exhaustive awareness drive about the helpline to “allow citizens to be directly involved in the project”. The campaign will be popularised through advertisements and radio jingles soon.
— IANS |
|
Tihar wants lethal rifles to thwart terror strike
New Delhi, January 18 The need to purchase INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) assault rifles for the central paramilitary forces guarding Tihar was felt even more after the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike that claimed over 170 lives. “We immediately reviewed our security after the Mumbai attacks. And, then, based on the recommendation of the central paramilitary forces, we have decided to purchase the INSAS assault rifles,” said deputy inspector general (prisons) C.R. Garg. “In the first week of this month, we sent a proposal for buying 100 INSAS assault rifles to the home ministry. The Delhi government has also been informed,” Garg said. The INSAS rifles are accurate, fast and easy to handle, making it one of the most modern weapons in the country. Garg said they expected the proposal to be cleared soon. “Once we get the weapons, 10 each would be distributed to the 10 jails — nine in the Tihar complex and one in Rohini.” The INSAS assault rifle is the standard infantry weapon of the Indian armed forces and is being largely used in combating Maoist insurgency. It is broadly based on the time-tested Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, but with many modifications. The Indian Army also uses it. And, now, Tihar Jail has also decided to purchase it. The sprawling jail complex is guarded by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Tamil Nadu Special Police and Delhi Armed Police. The jail, which houses over 11,500 inmates despite a sanctioned capacity of 6,250, also has its own security officials. According to jail sources, over 350 hardcore criminals, including many terrorists, are lodged in
Tihar. — IANS |
|
Criminal killed in gunbattle with cops
Ghaziabad, January 18 “Three men near Nizampur locality on National Highway-24, did not stop their car when signalled by the police at about 3 a.m.,” superintendent of police (rural) Jagdish Sharma said. “The three men fired at the police and the police personnel returned fire,” Sharma added. “The gunbattle lasted for about 15 minutes and two of the men managed to escape under the cover of fog. The third man was found lying in the car. He was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead,” Sharma said. The man was identified as Sanjiv alias Hira, who belonged to Samastipur in Bihar and who was presently living in Delhi. Sanjiv was wanted by the Bihar police in cases relating to murder and extortion. He carried a reward of Rs 25,000. The police recovered a 9-mm pistol, six mobile SIM cards, three rings, one PAN card, a driving licence, some cash and a car from the gunbattle site.
— IANS |
|
Man held for cheating UK firm
Noida, January 18 Edward and his friends had been cheating the insurance company since 2007. His computer has been seized. Edward allegedly transferred the amount into the accounts of UK banks maintained by his three friends Sion, Morris and Cheril Ruberio. According to the police, Sumeer Anand of HCL and Head Overseas Excel Services had filed the report. Kotwali Sector-58 nabbed Edward Burns from Sector-62. Shailender Lal police CO-II has claimed to have come across significant clues. Meanwhile, the police is trying to find out the mastermind of the fraud. UK-based Dennis is also suspected to be the mastermind. It is learnt that Edward had joined the work on Dennis’ instructions. Dennis allegedly made available the accounts numbers of the three persons into which money was regularly transferred. |
|
Stray bullet hits woman
Noida, January 18 Meena, 25, sustained bullet injuries when she was standing on the terrace of her employer’s house in Sector-15 here, the police said. Her employer, V.K. Garg rushed her to the hospital, where her condition was stated to be critical, the police said. A resident of slum clusters in Sector-14, Meena was working with Garg for the last one year, the police added. A search is on to find the man who fired the gun shot, the police said.
— IANS |
|
|
Nursery boy goes missing
Noida, January 18 The family of the boy, after searching for him at all possible places, on Saturday lodged a complaint at the Sector -58 police station. Seven-year-old Shivam studied in a village school. His father works as a quality control engineer in a firm in Sector-60. Though the officials are not saying anything, but it has been learnt that the police has formed several teams to trace the child. |
|
|
Food factory catches fire
New Delhi, January 18 “The fire broke out at around 9:15 a.m. Eleven fire tenders were rushed to the spot,” a fireman said. He added that efforts were on to douse the blaze. No casualty has been reported so far, the official said. However, he added that the cause of fire was yet to be ascertained. |
|
| 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 | |
