New Delhi, March 12
A youth was stabbed to death by some Holi revellers yesterday in Khizrabad area of New Friends Colony in south-east district. The police, however, claimed to have arrested the person involved in the crime today.

According to information, Raeez, hailing from Meerut, got into an altercation with some youths when they tried to smear colours on his wife’s face while the duo were on their way to a relative’s house. “It was merely a case of eve teasing which went horribly wrong for the deceased and the culprits,” opined a police official.

According to police, Raeez, a tailor and his wife were on the way to Taimurnagar from Zakir Nagar when the incident occurred. “Some people tried to colour his wife which was objected by Raeez. The abuse and slapping turned gruesome when Raeez was assaulted by knife and left bleeding on the road,” said the police.

Raeez was immediately shifted to Safdarjung Hospital from where he was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre. However, his condition deteriorated and he could not be saved.

Angry with the stabbing and police invisibility, people staged demonstration outside New Friends Colony police station and demanded the arrest of culprits. Heavy police contingent was deployed to disperse the crowd which left only after assurance from senior district police officials.

New Delhi, March 12
The names of ticket seekers have become clear and lobbying for tickets for the coming parliamentary elections has sped up after the Congress’ screening committee meeting.

There are seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the capital. MPs Sandeep Dikshit and Ajay Maken are seeking ticket from New Delhi and East Delhi seats respectively.

While a section of senior party leaders are lobbying for Neelam Katara whose son was killed by the son of a Ghaziabad-based politician. They are supporting her on the pretext that she is the wife of a bureaucrat and mostly government employees live in the area.

Many senior leaders want Ajay Maken to contest from West Delhi which is considered a weak seat for the Congress, as the BJP might fray former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma’s son from there. If he gets the ticket, he may give a tough fight.

In North-East Jagdish Tytler, Mateen Ahmed MLA from Seelampur, Hassan Ahmed MLA from Mustafabad and Zile Singh Chauhan former MLA from Jahangirpuri are prominent among those in race.

According to sources, Zile Singh was not given an MLA ticket the last time. Secondly, he is not in the good books of the party command.

Besides, a few senior leaders are also opposing to Chaudhary Mateen. Hassan Ahmed is close to Ahmed Patel who holds a strong position in the party. While Jagdish Tytler is a senior leader and has contested Parliament election many times.

Sources said Mahabal Mishra MLA from Rohini, Mukesh Sharma MLA from Uttam Nagar, Dr Naresh, Alka Lamba, Suresh Malik and Dalbir Singh are in race in West Delhi. But none among them is a state leader.

South Delhi is Gujjar and Jat-mixed constituency. Most of the Outer Delhi area has gone to South Delhi after delimitation. Sajjan Kumar represented Outer Delhi. Two Jat leaders — Sajjan Kumar, Yoganand Shatri and two Gujjar leaders — Chatar Singh and Nasib Singh are in race in South Delhi.

North West is a reserved constituency from where former Karol Bagh MP Krishan Tirath, MLA Jaikishan and Ashok Tanwar are seeking ticket.

Sources said Chandni Chowk which was earlier known as a Muslim-dominated constituency has changed after delimitation. Kapil Sibbal is the sitting MP, but Jagdish Tytler is also pressurising to contest from here saying that majority of the earstwhile Sadar parliamentary constituency has been included in Chandni Chowk. 

New Delhi, March 12
The Election Commission in the forthcoming general polls will create awareness among its polling officers about the provisions of rule 49-O which gives right to a voter not to vote, said Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Satbir Silas Bedi.

Though the matter is too trivial to be considered, she said, it will be ensured that at least the officers at polling booths are aware of it. “Introduction of an additional option of ‘none of the above’ is a legal matter and hence will be decided by the court. But if any voter chooses not to select any of the candidates, he can of course take the help of the provision 49-O,” said Bedi.

The provision empowers a voter to reject the mentioned candidates and select none of them. Under the rule, voters who do not want to vote will have to submit a form in writing stating his reluctance to vote.

However, it is not enough to record and count the number of voters who did not favour any candidate. There should be a re-poll if the number of such negative votes exceeds 50 per cent, said another officer.

The option for ‘Vote for None of the Above’ has sparked off debates among voters of all age groups.

“There should be an option of a button at the bottom of the EVM, saying you don’t want to vote for any of the above candidates. The number should be then made public,” said Sharif Rangnekar, a media professional.

In 2004, the Election Commission had recommended the inclusion of the “vote for none of the above” button in electronic voting machines.

A Supreme Court Bench has now referred the matter to a larger bench which will decide if this concept could work in the Indian democracy.

New Delhi, March 12
The Congress, which is in opposition in the MCD, today went up against the BJP for its plan to bring out a proposal to increase property tax by 24 per cent.

According to Congress leaders, a proposal to increase property tax by 24 per cent will be tabled tomorrow in the Standing Committee meeting. Jai Kishan Sharma, Leader of Opposition, said the party will ensure that the proposal is withdrawn at any cost.

Sharma said after the rise in property tax, the unit area value of A category property will go up from Rs 630 to Rs 781. Under B category, the rate will go up to Rs 620 from Rs 500. 

New Delhi, March 12
It was a heart-rending spectacle at Lokayat Art Gallery today in Hauz Khas Village with 53 visuals depicting the sorrow and challenges faced by tuberculosis (TB) patients from all over the country. The theme of this unique photo exhibition has been conceptualised and shot by renowned photojournalist Subhash Sharma under the title “Because I Care - I am Stopping TB”.

Pictures, capturing reality bytes in an imagery form also highlights the responses of TB patients to treatment, and many examples of undying hope in the face of adversity. The underlying message, which the architect of the entire canvas wants to convey to society, is that TB is curable and persistent efforts and unique partnerships are the only way to fight it.

Receiving accolades for his humanitarian work, Subhash Sharma, the creative mind behind the photo essay, said, “There are always many sources of inspiration for the one who wants to create. It is just a matter of sensing it and reacting to it. Through my photographs, I have endeavored to showcase matters of concern in India, TB being one of them”.

Inaugurating the exhibition, state health minister, Kiran Walia said, “I am impressed with the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership which is doing such a noble work in an effort to eradicate TB. Their efforts at grassroots level will go a long way in raising awareness.”

The exhibition is supported by the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, which in India aims to support the government’s initiatives in fighting TB and multidrug-resistant TB. 

New Delhi, March 12
A metal trader’s house was robbed of valuables worth Rs 21 lakh in the C- Block of the Yamuna Vihar area of East Delhi last night. According to the police, around 9 pm, six armed robbers barged into the house of Dilshad. The criminals entered from the main door as it was not locked. 

They then tied up Dilshad and three other family members with a rope. The masked robbers brandished knives and revolvers and broke open the safe of the house, taking out Rs 12 lakh in cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 9 lakh, and fled from the spot.

Dilshad’s wife Farhana said that the family had recently sold a property worth Rs 10 lakh and the cash was kept in the safe.

A case has been registered at the Bhajanpura police station. The police believes it to be the handiwork of someone close to the family who knew about the selling of the property. “We are recording the statements of the people aware about the deal and would surely nab the culprits,” said a police official investigating the case. 

New Delhi, March 12
They got us our first hot chocolate fudge, burger, pizza and lots more. As the quintessentially Delhi institution Nirula’s turns 75, its popularity remains intact among all from 80 to eight.

For P.C. Khanna, 80, who has been visiting Nirula’s for over 40 years, the popular eatery that is much more than a fast food joint holds a special place in his heart.

As Nirula’s celebrates its 75th anniversary, Khanna reminisces, “Earlier I used to take my wife and children to the Connaught Place branch for a feast once in a while. It used to be a perfect family outing.

“After so many years, I still go there with my wife, children and grandchildren to eat mutton chops. It is not only about the food but the place has various memories that are associated with my life. Every time I come to this place, I have a story to tell my children and grandchildren.”

Since June 2006, Nirula’s has been owned by Malaysia-headquartered private equity fund Navis capital partners and Samir Kuckreja, a relative of the Nirula family. The privately held firm declines to reveal its turnover.

Nirula’s was the first to introduce burgers in India. Later, it added Indian dishes, sizzlers, pizzas and ice creams to the menu with an emphasis on quick service and convenience.

“Nirula’s has a rich Indian heritage as we have always kept our customers in mind, his likes and dislikes, what he wants to eat, his spending power, and the ambience. These things set us apart from our contemporaries,” said Sudipta Sen Gupta, Nirula’s senior vice-president of marketing and sales.

“Initially, we started as a quick service outlet but after seeing the response from our customers, we added Indian dishes and made some changes to our menu,” she added.

According to Sen Gupta, it is the spirit of innovation that separates Nirula’s from other fast-food joints. “We believe in experimenting and innovation; as a result we are ahead of our contemporaries. There was a time when we hit a bad phase, but that taught us the key to survival,” Sen Gupta explained.

What also sets this food chain apart from the rest is its ice-cream that is loved by people of every age group.

“I have been relishing Nirula’s ice-cream ever since I was a kid. I used to love their triple sundae and I still love it. Even though the markets are flooded with so many ice-cream parlours, Nirula’s just can’t be beaten,” said Rachna Seth, a PR executive.

“Their lime ice and hot chocolate fudge is unmatched. They have maintained the same quality and taste for so many years.”

Sen Gupta said, “It is a fact that ice-cream is the backbone of our existence, we just can’t afford to ignore it. We have been introducing a new flavour each month and this experimentation makes people come to us.”

But Nirula’s is much more than an ice-cream parlour, of course. Sen Gupta said, “We are a typical family style restaurant and our menu offers loads of options for every age group. Hence everyone in the family is happy because there is something for everyone.”

Aamit Jaivir, 30, who lives in Noida, still remembers that Nirula’s was the only place where he used to hang out with his friends.

“We all used to sit there for hours and hours. It was the only place where we used to hang out. Now so many malls and new eating joints have come up. Still, I prefer to come to this place,” Jaivir said.

“The only thing that has changed is that I now come here with my girlfriend,” he quipped.

Starting from the first outlet in Connaught Place, Nirula’s has now grown to as many as 62 outlets across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.

CEO and MD Samir Kuckreja said there would be around 200 outlets by 2011.

“We will soon be entering new territories like Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities in the eastern and western regions. Along with metros, the focus will also be on second-tier and third-tier cities like Pathankot, Moradabad, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Agra,” Kuckreja said.

“We also have plans to make a presence in the US, the UAE, Nepal and Pakistan very soon,” he added. — IANS

Faridabad, March 12
A fire that broke out in a cluster of jhuggis in the Santnagar area near old Faridabad railway station today claimed one life.

The incident occurred in afternoon. The fire was triggered by the blast of a LPG cooking gas cylinder in one of the jhuggis. The inmate, Tara, died on the spot, while her husband, Piyush, received several injuries and had been admitted to the local BKU Hospital.

The fire soon spread to other jhuggis, and about 40 of them were gutted.

Seven fire brigades of the Haryana Fire Services were pressed into service. It took about two hours to tame the fire.

Santnagar area is chock-a-block with jhuggis. The fire, thankfully, spread to only a portion of the huge cluster in a pocket falling in Sector 20-A.

The incident has once again brought to the fore the dangerous situation on account of the large swathe of jhuggis in Faridabad.

According to fire service officials, jhuggi dwellers do not take care while dealing with LPG gas cylinders and other fire-sensitive goods.

Greater Noida, March 12
The district administration here has undertaken an aggressive campaign to remove banners, posters and hoardings of political parties, which have not been removed by the respective parties themselves in accordance with the election code. 

However, the expenses incurred on removing these banners and posters will be borne by the political parties concerned.

In case any political party still displays hoardings, banners or any other advertisements, an FIR will be lodged against it.

The district election officer has already informed the political parties about the election code to be strictly observed by them and has issued all necessary orders in this connection.

A team under the supervision of additional DM (administration) O.P. Arya and SDM Sadar Vishal Singh removed hoardings, posters and banners in Surajpur, Pari Chowk, Collectorate, Kasna and other places.

According to the SDM, the campaign will continue till all political publicity materials are removed.

Not only banners and hoardings, but paintings and slogans on walls will also be wiped out. Even banners and flags atop vehicles will invite action by the district administration, said additional DM (administration).

The SDMs of Javer and Dadri have also been instructed to undertake a similar campaign and clear the area under their jurisdiction of all political advertisements which violate the election code. 

Greater Noida, March 12
Ex-servicemen who have been demanding one rank, one pension for a long time are determined to teach leaders a lesson. Their mood will make a difference in the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency this time.

Over 30,000 ex-servicemen and serving servicemen form an important part of 12 lakh people living in the district.

The angry ex-servicemen have once again decided to return their medals, awarded to them for bravery and distinguished service, to the President on March 14 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

There are over 10,000 ex-servicemen voters living in sectors 19, 21, 25, 28, 29 and 37 here. While another 10,000 ex-servicemen live in various pockets of five assembly constituencies.

These defence personnel have already demonstrated at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. They allege defence forces have always been given a step-motherly treatment when it comes to facilities.

“We want to know the response to our demands from leaders and candidates. We will take our decisions accordingly in the coming Lok Sabha elections,” said Col. Thapar.