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Mob attacks cops
Realtor found murdered
Poll season no more fruitful for publicity suppliers
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Maken launches campaign buses
Sonia’s rally today
Tirath vows to improve education
‘UPA has commercialised education’
Prostitution racket using minor girls busted
Human traffickers’ gang busted, two held
Communication plan prepared for poll
Hike in toll charges on DND rolled back
Flash your inked finger, get discount in Khan Market
Faridabad Seat: Prithviraj Chavan pitches in to check infighting in Cong
Noida business schools to accept NAT score
Woman stabbed, robbed outside
ATM counter
DDA Scam
City records season’s highest temperature
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Mob attacks cops
New Delhi, April 28 The mob caught hold of Phool Chand, suspecting him of causing fire that gutted over 1,300 shanties in the Shahbad area in Bawana on Monday night, and started beating him, a police officer said. The mob alleged that the fire started from Chand’s shanty and spread to other shanties in the neighbourhood. As the mob was beating Chand, a police team reached the spot and took him into custody, the officer said, adding the crowd then threw stones on the police team, injuring nine policemen. “The police resorted to baton-charge and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob. Additional forces were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control,” the officer said. An inquiry by a sub-divisional magistrate has been ordered into the mob attack. Ramesh Kumar, a resident of the area, said, “He was bribed by members of a political party to burn his shanty so that they (the party) can gain from the incident.” “My house was reduced to ashes in the incident. I lost everything and have no place to go to with my small children. I don’t know how we are going to survive in this heat,” said Kumar.
— IANS |
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Realtor found murdered
New Delhi, April 28 Giriraj Singh, a resident of Palam, was found stabbed to death in the vacant plot close to parking area of Delhi Metro’s Dwarka Sector 9 station. According to eyewitnesses, his mouth and hands were tied and had scratches on face giving impression that he was beaten severely before being stabbed to death. Originally from Rajasthan, Giri Raj was staying in Raj Nagar area of Palam and did property business. According to police, two people, including a rickshaw puller, have been detained for questioning in this matter. Giri Raj earlier worked with DESU and had been missing since Sunday evening. His son had lodged a complaint of missing the same evening. “My father was resting in his office on Sunday evening when he received a call on his mobile phone. He left saying he would be back soon. But when he did not return, we got a case registered with the police,” said Vijay, son of the deceased. He added that from his father’s phone call details, the police found that rickshaw puller Pramod had called him on the directions of Jai Bhagwan. “Pramod told the police that Jai Bhagwan had paid him Rs 2, 500 to call my father,” said Vijay. Meanwhile, the police is investigating the matter. “Our initial investigation points towards personal enmity. We are questioning Pramod, Jai Bhagwan and his friend Amit for their role in the incident but are yet to reach any conclusion,” said a police official. Jai Bhagwan works as a cleaner at the Metro Station for the last one year. |
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Poll season no more fruitful for publicity suppliers
New Delhi, April 28 As a result, the publicity suppliers are a disappointed lot these days. “There is no business at all. The polling is just a few days away and I could only manage to supply tents to about nine or ten public meetings for merely two or three hours. Election season is no longer fruitful for the business now,” says Ramesh Kumar of Kumar Tent House in Trilok Puri. He revealed that although he had been in the business for three decades, this could be the least profitable general election for him. “Earlier, candidates hired tents and chairs in load and each one had about 20 to 30 offices in various parts of the constituency. We would rent out for a month at least. However, now the candidates cannot put up tents and offices without the prior permission of administration. Even the public meetings are less and stress is more on padyatras these days,” Ramesh says. The ban on public meetings and use of loudspeaker after 10 pm is also affecting the business of these people. The Election Commission’s ban on putting posters and pamphlets on private property and limited use of flags and blow-ups during public meetings have led to a dip in the business of such people. “We used to sell publicity material worth lakhs of rupees to single candidates and hired extra hands to prepare the material during elections. But with the government’s restrictions, the demand is not much now. We hope to use the material we have prepared in advance,” says Javed Raza, owner of a flag and banner manufacturing unit in Vishwas Nagar. He says the story is the same with other colleagues in the business. Remembering past elections, a veteran BJP worker says that every party’s campaign material had a different feel about it, based on colours, design and language, but things have changed now. “These are days of hi-tech campaigning involving SMS, e-mails and blogs. Where is the time to put up posters and pamphlets?” he asks. |
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BJP playing communal game: Sajjan
New Delhi, April 28 Sharing a dais with his brother and South Delhi candidate of the Congress, Ramesh Kumar in a conference, Sajjan Kumar said that the first time BJP had come to power by using Ram Temple issue in Ayodhya. Again it is attempting to garner votes by making communal and casteist appeals, he said. Addressing a conference, he said that during the BJP regime, neither any unauthorized colony was regularized nor any development work done. The rural folk struggled for extension of Lal Dora, thousands of workers had lost their livelihood while thousands of factories and jhuggies were uprooted. Terming the BJP government as insensitive, he appealed to people to vote for the Congress for development. Construction of 15 big hospitals in entire Outer Delhi and establishment of two dozens dispensaries have been approved during the Congress government, he added. |
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Maken launches campaign buses
New Delhi, April 28 The buses carrying huge hoardings of Maken would play an audio-video CD telling voters about his achievements and plans with the Congress’ official song “Jai Ho” being played in the background. “New Delhi is a huge constituency and it is not possible to cover it all. We have taken permission for five campaign buses. A CD telling voters about my performance and plans will be played across the constituency,” said Maken. The CD presents an account of Maken’s journey. “It includes my vision for Delhi’s future,” he said. Maken further said he was introduced to the problems of the new areas that were added to his constituency after delimitation while campaigning. “Different areas face different problems and the campaigns are helping me notice them,” he said. Acknowledging that the BRT was creating confusion on the streets of Delhi, Maken commented that the concept was good but changes were needed. “No physical segregation should happen on the first level of the corridor. Passengers should be provided with over-bridge facility to reach the centre of the street. And doors of the buses should be on the right instead of the left side,” he suggested. On the issue of school fee hike, Maken said the sixth pay commission had increased the education allowance to government employees from Rs 50 to Rs 1,000 per month and to Rs 3,000 per month for students studying in residential schools. He also broke silence on the issue of DDA flat scam. He said there was nobody except the BJP that had doubts on the matter. “There were problems on the level of applications and not during the draw. We have already stopped the allotment of flats because of the controversy,” Maken said. After the High Court’s direction to close nursing homes that were operating in violation to the building by-laws and land use norms, BJP’s Vijay Goel said, “First the Congress delayed the Master Plan by three years and it was hastily brought ahead of the MCD elections without proper legal scrutiny.” |
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Sonia’s rally today
New Delhi, April 28 The Delhi state Congress leadership expects a gathering of at least 50,000 people as this is the first election rally of Sonia Gandhi in Delhi for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Truck and bus operators affiliated to the Congress party were called to the party headquarters for deploying vehicles to transport the people from various areas of the Capital. The workers are concentrating in villages, unauthorised colonies, JJ clusters and the walled city to make fill the ground to capacity. As a security measure, the party has issued entry to its workers who are making arrangement for the rally. Chief Minister of Delhi today visited the ground to oversee the arrangements. The party has also contacted the Delhi police for security arrangement because rally will be held in the evening and that will be peak hours for the traffic. To avoid traffic jam, the police will divert the traffic from Ram Lila Ground side to other roads, a traffic police officer said. All the pavement dwellers have been asked to leave the place as buses and trucks used to transport the people will be parked there, a police official said. |
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Tirath vows to improve education
New Delhi, April 28 She said, “The Congress intends to improve education in the rural areas of this constituency.” Tirath said, “We will go in for an upgrade of educational facilities already available in the constituency. Besides, every villager will be provided with a school. The Congress government is focusing on education in a big way.” On the health front, Tirath said, “We intend to provide a dispensary in every village and colony. We will make available life-saving drugs at cheaper rates in the rural areas,” she said. “I also intend to make more jobs available for the youth in this constituency. There is a lot of work at hand on this front,” said Tirath. She added that to bring about women’s empowerment, she intends to concentrate on education of women in the area and also initiate cooperative schemes for rural women so that they can earn a decent livelihood. Tirath appealed to people to vote for the Congress listing the achievements of the Congress government that include the completion of the nuclear deal that will bring nuclear-powered energy to every village and Metro in Delhi. |
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‘UPA has commercialised education’
New Delhi, April 28 He said education is the fundamental right of citizens. The government is duty-bound to provide basic education facilities. He further alleged the UPA government was trying to get a bill passed to dissolve the UGC, the Medical Council of India and the All India Technical Education Board.
— TNS |
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Prostitution racket using minor girls busted
Ghaziabad, April 28 Three persons were arrested and the girl rescued, while two others escaped taking away two other girls, the police said. According to the police, Sunil Chaudhary (34), Naresh Gupta (54) and the latter’s driver Vinod Kumar (28) - all residents of the Sanjay Nagar area of Ghaziabad - were operating a prostitution racket from their houses, using minor girls, brought from West Bengal. The driver used to solicit high profile clients in posh areas of Delhi and Ghaziabad, made arrangements and then used to take the girls to them and later bring them back to his employer’s Sanjay Nagar residence. Sonia (name changed), the girl who was rescued, told the police that she was brought to Delhi few months back by a man called Tarun, who promised her a job but instead sold to a man named Lala, who later sold her to the gang. However, recently one of her customers helped her contact her parents in West Bengal, who then called up the Kavi Nagar police and informed them that some people in the area were holding their daughter captive and forcing her into prostitution. The police immediately raided the houses of Chaudhry and Gupta and rescued the minor girl. However, the duo’s wives - Mamta Chaudhary and Anita Gupta - managed to escape with two other girls - who were also said to be belonging to West Bengal. Gajendra Singh, the station officer of the Kavi Nagar police station, said they were trying to find out all the places these girls were sent to by the gang. “A hunt is on to nab their wives who are absconding. Their arrest would lead to more information in the case,” he added.
— IANS |
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Human traffickers’ gang busted, two held
New Delhi, April 28 Gurcharan Singh and Bal Bahadur Karki were arrested on the basis of complaint of Desh Raj, who is a native of Himachal Pradesh, the police said, adding that five passports and incriminating documents were recovered from the accused. According to the police, the gang duped innocent people, promising them jobs abroad. Investigations revealed that 15 to 20 persons who were sent abroad by the gang were still taking shelter at Sikh holy shrines in the Milka area of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the police added. The gang’s kingpin Sharmila is still absconding. Efforts are being made to arrest her soon, the police said.
— IANS |
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Communication plan prepared for poll
Gurgaon, April 28 Information from booth level officer (BLO) appointed at each polling station would reach the district electoral officer (DEO) after passing through various channels of communication. Similarly, any message or order from the DEO would percolate to each polling station through these channels. The district information officer (DIO) of the NIC, S.K. Rastogi has been appointed the communication team leader for the DEO who would be receiving information from the assistant returning officers (ARO) of all four assembly segments in the district. The ARO has been appointed the communication team leader for his assembly segment and he would get information from the BLO through the supervisors appointed for election duty on the day of polling. In the communication plan, the deputy commissioner-cum-DEO has been placed on the top in hierarchy and a district-level control room has been set up at the office of deputy commissioner-cum-district electoral officer Deepti Umashankar. The city magistrate-cum-deputy DEO Veena Hooda would be the district nodal officer who would be supported by the DIO of NIC being the communication team leader for DEO. The administration has made two district communication circles (DCCs) for providing information to the communication team leader for DEO. The DCC-I would be receiving information from Patoudi and Badshahpur assembly segments through their AROs. The ARO for Patoudi assembly segment is district revenue officer Ram Avtar Gupta, while ARO for Badshahpur is district development and panchayat officer Lalaram. Similarly, the DCC-II would get information from Gurgaon and Sohna assembly segments through their AROs. The ARO for Gurgaon assembly segment is SDM (north) Shakti Singh, while ARO for Sohna is SDM (south) K.K. Gupta. As per the communication plan, each ARO would be assisted by six communication teams headed by the supervisors and each team has been allocated polling stations for giving and receiving information. For example, in Patoudi assembly segment, polling station no. 1 to 15 and 29 to 40 would be looked after by team no.1 for communication purposes. Team no.2 would keep vigil on polling station no. 10 to 24 and 77 to 83. |
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Hike in toll charges on DND rolled back
Noida, April 28 The Noida Toll Bridge company (NTBL) rolled back the increase in toll charges yesterday. This decision was taken in a meeting of the Board of Directors of NTBL held on Monday. The withdrawal of the hiked tax was announced with immediate effect. Noida Authority had issued a notice to NTBL company for having hiked the tax without Noida Authority’s permission. The toll bridge witnessed daily a long queue of vehicles after the charges were hiked by Rs 1 on two-wheeler, Rs 2 on cars and Rs 10 for heavy vehicles. As per an agreement between Noida Authority and NTBL in 1997, the company had completed the project at a cost of Rs 326 crore. The company had hiked the toll tax charges under the condition that it could increase the toll tax by 20 per cent every year. Over 2 lakh vehicles use DND daily out of which there are 50,000 golden and silver card holders. There are 50,000 buses, trucks and other vehicles using the DND daily. The company can recover toll tax up to the year 2030, according to the Noida Authority. |
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Flash your inked finger, get discount in Khan Market
New Delhi, April 28 Shop owners in the upbeat Khan Market have taken an initiative to provide discounts to the customers with the voters’ ink mark for two days, on May 8 and May 9, after the May 7 election. “We decided to encourage people by giving discount on the ink mark. We thought it would be a good way to contribute to the democracy,” said Sanjeev Mehra, president, Khan Market Traders’ Association. Ten shops have already signed the documents declaring a discount of 10 per cent for two days. “We have 140 members in our association and we think most of them would eventually declare discounts, leaving aside banks and grocery stores. We are estimating 40 to 50 apparel stores to put up discounts,” said Mehra. Interestingly, the documents signed by the shop owners guarantees discounts irrespective of party politics. Vibe beauty stores are also offering discounts up to 50 per cent on beauty services in all their outlets across the city. |
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Faridabad Seat: Prithviraj Chavan pitches in to check infighting in Cong
Faridabad, April 28 The general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and in-charge of party affairs in Haryana, Prithviraj Chavan, today held close-door meetings with the MLAs and the office-bearers of the units in Faridabad and Palwal districts and urged them to extend unqualified support to Bhadana. The visit of Chavan literally brought a bounty for the Congress and gave a boost to the party’s election campaign, as the general secretary of the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) Shayam Sunder Kapoor quit his party to join the Congress. The development is considered to be a big jolt to the HJC (BL) and to its credential as a party having base among the Punjabis in Faridabad district. Kapoor announced about joining the Congress in the presence of Chavan. Earlier, Chavan addressed a meeting of the Congress workers of Faridabad parliamentary constituency. Chavan, who is minister of state in Prime Minister Office as well the minister for personnel, praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said that the Prime Minister was an internationally acclaimed economist and the world leaders saluted the prowess of his knowledge and foresightedness. While the world was reeling under severe economic recession, Indian economy was comparatively gung-ho due to the policies of Manmohan Singh, he added. Taking a dig at the BJP, he said that the projection of the Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi as the future prime minister by senior BJP leaders was on account of their belief that L.K. Advani did not carry mass appeal. The BJP had conceded defeat. The UPA will return to power , he added. Chavan, who enjoys great amount of respect and appeal among the Congress workers, said that the NDA was in total disarray and urged his party workers to work with renewed vigour for Bhadana’s campaign. Avatar Bhadana, speaking on the occasion, lamented that some Congress leaders were indulging in anti-party activities. He urged for action against such leaders. It was clear that Bhadana, without taking names, was referring to the Haryana local bodies minister A.C. Chaudhary, the chairman of the Haryana administrative reforms commission Karan Dalal and Mahender Pratap. All the three are MLAs from assembly segments falling in Faridabad parliamentary constituency. A.C. Chaudhary has tendered his resignation from the Haryana cabinet to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi in protest against the party not giving ticket to Punjabis in Haryana. Later, Chavan met the Congress MLAs and firmly told them that the parliamentary election had higher goals. The Congress’ effort was to return to power at the centre. The victory in Faridabad will strengthen the hands of the Congress at the national level. Hence, the MLAs must bury their differences with Bhadana and work in unison for the success of the Congress, he added. It may be recalled that Chavan met Karan Dalal and Mahender Pratap at Magpie restaurant. The two did not turn up at the workers’ meeting addressed by Chavan at an election office of the Congress nominee. He met Harsh Kumar and Udai Bhan separately. Chaudhary did not turn up. Chavan clarified that Chaudhary could not turn up due to pressing domestic reasons. He said that all the Congress MLAs would works for the success of the Congress nominee. |
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Noida business schools to accept NAT score
Noida, April 28 The towns also happen to be a center where the NAT examination is conducted. Society for Research and Development in Education that conducts NAT test every year for admission to courses in management and business programmes announced this. Over 70 institutions and eight universities are accepting the NAT scores. NAT is a common entrance-cum-aptitude test administered under the aegis of SRDE for students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The last day for the sale of admission forms for NAT 2009 is May 7. The form and prospectus are available at select 50 branches of Axis Bank across 47 cities. |
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Woman stabbed, robbed outside
ATM counter
Noida, April 28 The victim, Vidhi Singh, wife of a pilot, was rushed to Max Hospital in a serious condition. She was injured in the stomach, neck and hands. According to SKS Pratap, inspector, Phase-II police station, Singh is a resident of Green Apartments in Sector-93. She had withdrawn money from an HDFC Bank ATM counter at Sector-110 in the Kendriya Vihar Market. As she stepped out of the counter, the robbers repeatedly stabbed her with daggers. She had gone to the market with her husband Tushar Singh. At the time of the attack, he was parking his car. |
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DDA Scam
New Delhi, April 28 The draw of lots for 5,238 DDA flats, priced between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 70 lakh, took place on December 16. The police started investigations after a man, who was allotted a flat in the draw, told the police that he had neither applied for a flat nor had a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. Deepak Kumar, who allegedly blew the lid off the scam after he fell out with some fellow real estate agents, and five others — retired DDA employee M L Gautam, Satbir Singh, real estate agent Raju Ram, Suresh Kumar Meena and Laxmi Narayan Meena - have already been arrested. |
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City records season’s highest temperature
New Delhi, April 28 “The heat will continue and temperature will remain more or less the same over the next few days. The entire northern India has been seeing a rise in temperature, therefore the heat in Delhi accompanied by hot winds is not unusual,” said S.C. Bhan, director of India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature recorded a day earlier was 41.5° Celsius. Tuesday’s maximum temperature, at 42.2° Celsius, was four degrees above normal. The extreme heat conditions forced most people to stay indoors or go out well protected with umbrellas and hats. “I had to go out for some work at around 11 a.m. and I took an auto. Those 15 minutes that I was on the road, it literally felt like being in an oven! Not only was it extremely hot, the hot winds made it even worse,” said Anshu Jain, a PR professional. The minimum temperature similarly was three degrees above normal at 26.1° Celsius.
— IANS |
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