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3 robbers who disrobed victims caught
8 Gzb cops suspended
Delhi Congress greets new MPs
Country’s lone Stutz race car finds home in Delhi
Robbers strip Gzb factory bare
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They risk their lives to clean your drains
Power supply to be improved, says GB Nagar MP
Man tries to usurp land compensation
Octroi check posts to go
Trauma management labs opened
Temp dips after squall
Kids given polio drops
Elderly master rapes maid
Jobless man commits suicide after wife’s desertion
Digital X-ray launched
Ecologists call to preserve city’s heritage
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3 robbers who disrobed victims caught
New Delhi, May 24 “After robbing a person, they would take the victim’s clothes — leaving him naked — so that he could not follow them or inform the police immediately. If any of the victims resisted, they used to attack them. They admitted their involvement in more than 50 cases of robbery,” a police official said. According to the police, the gang would target people walking on roads during night. They would attack the victims and rob them of all their belongings, including clothes. Two pistols, bullets and four mobile phones have been seized from them. The accused Rajesh, Mukesh and Vasu were arrested from the Rajouri Garden area yesterday on a tip-off. According to the police, they used to commit the robberies during night at gunpoint in different areas of North West and West Delhi. “An accused disclosed they lived in Jehangirpuri and came from poor families. Mukesh is an aspiring model but his poverty was a hurdle in accomplishing his dream,” a police official said. |
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8 Gzb cops suspended
Hit by a string of robberies, the Ghaziabad police has suspended eight of its personnel, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, holding them responsible for the rising crime in their respective areas.
Holding Vaishali police post in-charge sub-inspector H.N. Singh responsible for the Rs 6,00,000 heist on Friday at a Syndicate Bank branch in the area, senior superintendent of police Akhil Kumar suspended him and three of his colleagues — constables Surendra Pal, Ansar Ali, Babu Khan and Sukhram. Similarly, Kavi Nagar police station in-charge inspector Gajendra Singh and three constables — Laxmi Kant Mishra, Yash Pal and Sansar Singh — were suspended after robbers looted a trader of Rs 5,10,000 on Saturday.
— IANS |
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Delhi Congress greets new MPs
New Delhi, May 24 The DPCC president Jai Prakash Agarwal thanked the leadership of the Gandhi family and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that has steered the Congress party at all difficult times.
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Country’s lone Stutz race car finds home in Delhi
New Delhi, May 24 Delhi-based vintage automobile collector Diljeet Titus purchased the race car made in 1929 from a collector in Godhra, Gujarat. The sleek automobile, under renovation now, will be ready to hit the vintage auto rally and exhibition trail in September. “The car originally belonged to the former ruler of Baria in Gujarat, who was passionate about fast cars. He visited a salon in New York in 1929, saw the Stutz in the top league of cars and ordered one. The car had a right-hand drive. It was shipped to him in 1930,” said Titus. The king (or the mahrol as he was known) had sold it to a friend in Godhra, who wrote in his diary that if the custody of the car was ever to pass on after his death, his kin should approach Manvendra Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, an automobile historian, car collector and author of the book ‘Automobiles of the Maharajas’. “After the collector’s death, his son sought out Manvendra Singh, who put me on to the car,” Titus said. The four-passenger speedster, a Senior Stutz belonging to the ‘M’ series, is essentially a race car prototype adapted for everyday use. Toned cigarette yellow and black, it was one of the early American automobiles characterised by advanced engineering, low centre of weight and an excelsior racing engine, similar to that used by Deusenberg car, another racing automobile. The 115 hp Stutz can rev up to 90 miles per hour. “I am restoring the car now. I have bought the literature associated with it, including vintage advertisements and company brochures from ebay to know more about the car and its make,” Titus gushed. The Stutz that was sold by the company under the catch line “The Car That Made Good in a Day” has an interesting history. According to the June 1956 issue of the automobile magazine Road & Track, the first car that the company built in 1911 as a pilot model was placed 11th in the 500-mile Indianapolis car race. Since then, the car came to be known as a racing car. Only 345 Stutz models survive across the world. The Stutz company was owned by Charles M. Schwab. H.C. Stutz was its first president. — IANS
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Robbers strip Gzb factory bare
Ghaziabad, May 24 After locking the guards in a room, the gang loaded the finished gear wheels as well as the machines, electric motors, boilers and other items on a truck and fled. They locked the factory from outside. The guards managed to free themselves this morning and informed the factory owner Dinesh Arora about the incident. Arora lives in the Kavi Nagar area of Ghaziabad. He has lodged a police complaint. “We have registered a complaint. The investigation is on and we will soon work out the case,” superintendent of police (rural) K.K. Asthana said. — IANS
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They risk their lives to clean your drains
New Delhi, May 24 “Nobody cares about our safety. If we don’t clean the drains, the city would come to a standstill. And still nobody looks into our needs,” complained Sukh Ram, a migrant labourer from Bihar working in the city elite Jor Bagh area. “We are the sole breadwinners of our families and many of us acquire deadly diseases,” said Ram. Near Pragati Maidan, another worker on the condition of anonymity said, “The authorities do nothing for us. I fear for my children. We invite diseases by working in fatal conditions.” Hundreds of ‘nallah beldars’, as sewage and drain cleaners are called and employed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), work in similar conditions. Ahead of the monsoon, these agencies are hurrying to clean drains that has not been cleaned for months to avert waterlogging but mostly without adhering to the recommended safety measures. Between August 3, 2008 to May 13 this year, 21 workers died in the mire while cleaning the drains. Of these three were DJB employees, while the rest were daily wage earners working on contract for the three agencies. In March alone, six victims from Alipur, Narela, Bawana and Sunder Nagar died after inhaling toxic gases in the drains they were cleaning. As a result, an NGO, National Campaign for Dignity and Rights of Sewerage and Allied Workers (NCDRSAW), filed a petition with the High Court to seek safety of workers. The Delhi High Court had earlier set up a committee of experts to prepare safety guidelines for those who work in underground drains. The experts said every worker needed to be equipped with masks, gum boots and additional oxygen tanks in case the drain was deeper than four feet. Workers should also be given oil and soap. Hemlata Kansotia, co-convener of NCDRSAW and the petitioner in High Court, said umpteen court directives and guidelines to the agencies have not yielded results. The situation is similar all over India, except in Gujarat, where a strong workers unions’ campaign called the Garima Abhiyan has ensured that the safety norms are followed. “The High Court has placed 16 interim orders for MCD workers and other contract workers demanding safety, ex-gratia payments in case of accidents or death, providing provident fund and social security. A committee has also been set up as per the court orders to ensure the implementation of these orders, but not enough is being done.” said Kansotia. “The MCD, NDMC and the DJB are liable for the deaths of these workers. The court has ruled any worker who dies while cleaning drains is entitled to an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh to be paid by the principal employer,” her lawyer Jai Singh said. He added so far it had been paid only to the employees who died, not to the daily wage earners. According to members of the High Court-appointed committee, workers should ideally undergo medical check-ups every six months as they are susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders, stomach infections, cholera, typhoid and respiratory problems arising due to inhalation of methane gas. The employer should then submit the results of the test to the committee. Ranjit Kaur, internal medicine specialist at the AIIMS, who has seen many such cases, said, “There is not enough oxygen in drains and this often results in hypoxia.” “They are also suceptible to skin and fungal infections,” said Suranjit Chatterjee of the Apollo Hospital. The petition to the High Court said the DJB had not been following requisite safety measures and the equipment provided to workers were of poor quality and heavy. “Workers prefer not to wear and use the equipment and most of the time DJB engineers are not present at the site,” the petition said. DJB spokesperson Sanjam Cheema said, “We try to educate workers as most of them are not used to safety harnesses and do not wish to wear them.” HoD of environment management services (DEMS) in the MCD Anil Prakash said, “We are not the ones dealing with this, it is the labour welfare officers.” But chief labour welfare officer C.A. Dham said, “I have no idea about this. The DEMS is responsible.” MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur admitted the safety measures adopted were not “too advanced” as it was “daily wagers who were employed, mostly.” — IANS
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Power supply to be improved, says GB Nagar MP
Noida, May 24 His priorities include improving the law and order in district, recruitment in police force, weaning away allottees of industrial plots from relocating to other states, creating more employment opportunities, setting up an auditorium with a capacity of 2,000 seats, setting up four government schools in Noida and Greater Noida and medical clinics in all the sectors of the cities in the district. Surinder Singh Nagar said that the state government had provided Rs 100 crore to improve the law and order and police force. Besides, Nagar wants to bring all the villages under Ambedkar Gram Vikas Yojna by 2012, under which drinking water, electricity, roads and sewerage will be provided in the villages. A sports college and a medical college will be set up in the district. A development authority in Khurja and Javer will be set to give a fillip to the potteries and other local handicrafts which could be marketed in foreign countries. “Our government will also improve the city transport system and Metro will be extended to Javer and Khurja, Nagar added.
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Man tries to usurp land compensation
Greater Noida, May 24 Meanwhile his widowed sister-in-law Bhuri got the wind of Islam’s plan and met SDM Manmohan Chaudhary in this connection. She got an order of ‘stop payment’ of the cheque. Bhuri told the SDM that their land had been acquired by the government for the construction of Yamuna Expressway for which the authorities had issued a cheque for over Rs 2 crore which was received by Nanhe’s brother Islam. According to Bhuri, Islam had got her late husband’s land transferred to his own name earlier also with the connivance of revenue officials. After a complaint to the district magistrate, this land was transferred back to Bhuri’s name. Islam, it is alleged, is now threatening to kill Bhuri. She has requested the SP (Rural) to provide her protection. The SP has ordered Dankore police to probe the matter and take necessary steps. In another case under Javer Kotwali, a dispute over 11 bigha land has come to notice. Sumera, alias Sundro, had 11 bigha land in Bihori which Bihari Lal, Sewa Ram and Tej Veer sold off in connivance with the revenue official. The land was sold to one Balu Kheda for Rs 25 lakh. The victim’s lodged a complaint of fraud with the SDM Javer. The police is raiding different places to arrest the accused.
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Octroi check posts to go
Greater Noida, May 24 According to sources, the remaining 37 check posts will also be closed by June 30. There is only one check post in Noida at the entry of inland container depot while in Ghaziabad, there is one check post each at Vijay Nagar, Mohan Nagar and Loni. They are also due for closure. The officials working at these check posts will now be deployed elsewhere. |
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Trauma management labs opened
New Delhi, May 24 Dr O.N. Nagi of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said these associations for the study of internal fixation or AO knowledge labs promise to bring advances in management of fracture and trauma. |
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Temp dips after squall
New Delhi, May 24 The Met department said the maximum and minimum temperatures today saw two notches downward shift than the normal, and remained at 39° Celsius and 25.1° Celsius, respectively. According to the Met department, Delhiites would be greeted by a partly cloudy morning tomorrow with possibility of thunderstorms accompanied by squall in some areas of the Capital. The mercury level can reach a maximum of 39° Celsius and the minimum temperature is likely to remain around 25° Celsius, said the Met department. |
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Kids given polio drops
New Delhi, May 24 On the occasion, Walia while encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated, said, “I would like to tell all the parents in India that they should get their kids vaccinated every year. It is their responsibility to make their child’s future.” Through the World Heath Organisation, in the last 10 years, the US has provided more than $170 million to India for polio eradication. According to the WHO’s records, polio cases have seen a decline from 350,000 in more than 125 endemic countries in 1951 to about 1,500 cases last year. It is believed to be the lowest number ever. Twenty-five previously polio-free countries were re-infected between 2003 and 2005, and despite the good immunisation coverage in the northern parts of India, the virus has been persistent due to poor hygiene and overcrowded living conditions, said the WHO. The danger of recurrence of the infection and transmission to other countries remains till the reservoir of the virus exists, cautioned the world health body. Doctors hail the parents to get their children immunised against the deadly virus, which if unheeded, results in irreversible paralysis, and about 5-10 per cent of paralysed patients die due to the consequent rigidity and immobilisation of their breathing muscles. |
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Elderly master rapes maid
New Delhi, May 24 The medical examination of the victim has confirmed rape. A rape case has been registered against Thakur Das at Panjabi Bagh police station. Sheela (name changed), originally from Jharkhand, had come to the Capital city only a month ago and had started working as a maid in the accused’s house. She, reportedly, had got the job through a placement agency. Meanwhile, the accused has denied the allegations. He claimed to be 72 years old and said that he was incapable of raping any one. “We believe that he is between 50 and 55 years of age. But Thakur Das claims to be above 70 years of age. He also complained of chest pain later in the day. So he has been sent to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital,” said an investigating official. Sacked worker hangs self
A 26-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan last night in the Dwarka area of South West Delhi. According to the police, Ashok who had lost his job last month was under depression. He hung himself at his home in Dwarka Sector-14. No suicide note was found.Ashok was unmarried and lived alone in the capital. Meanwhile, a case has been registered. Paan seller robbed
A wholesaler dealing in paan (betel leaves) was robbed of Rs 70,000 by two bikers this morning in the Uttam Nagar area of West Delhi. However, the public managed to catch one of the accused. The incident took place around 10:15 a.m. Dilip Mohanty, a paan trader and resident of Sahibabad, was carrying a bag containing Rs 70,000 when two bike-borne men stopped him near the R-Block area of Vikas Nagar and asked him at gunpoint to hand over the money. “One of the robbers took the money bag and placed it on the bike, while the other was to sit on the pillion. As Mohanty called for help, the robber driving the bike drove past without realising that his accomplice had not yet sat,” said an investigating officer. The arrested accused revealed as people rushed to catch him he ran towards a lane where he was eventually caught and beaten up before he was handed over to the police. “We have arrested one robber and are trying to locate the whereabouts of his accomplice who escaped with the money,” said Ashok Kumar from Uttam Nagar police station. Kumar said Mohanty had collected the amount from retailers on Sunday when robbed. 2 families robbed
Two families were robbed of cash and jewellery worth Rs 3.5 lakh, by eight robbers in the Nand Nagri area of North East Delhi last night. The families of Jaipal and Anil were robbed of cash and valuables by eight robbers who struck in their houses within half an hour. While three of the miscreants stood guard, five others executed the heists by tying up and gagging the family members. They fled after committing the crime. |
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Jobless man commits suicide after wife’s desertion
New Delhi, May 24 “Kumar used to work at a private hospital in the Chankyapuri area but had recently lost his job,” a police officer said. Kumar had got married the last year, but, according to the police, there were frequent fights between the couple after he lost his job. “Recently, his wife left him and started living with her parents. Her parents live in Dwarka,” said an investigating official. “On Saturday, he came to meet his wife but failed to convince her. He then went to a park in the Dwarka area where he allegedly hanged himself. A suicide note was recovered from him, but we are confirming whether it was written by him only,” the officer said. — IANS |
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Digital X-ray launched
New Delhi, May 24 As a result of the new technology, the darkroom and chemicals would no longer be required to process X-ray while there would be reduced storage costs as images can be stored digitally. —
TNS |
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Ecologists call to preserve city’s heritage
New Delhi, May 24 Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, enumerating her government’s commitment towards nature conservation, said, “The Delhi government has preserved many water bodies and has extended the forest land. A six-ft wall would be built to prevent encroachments and dumping around Asola, Sanjay Van and Aravalli Biodiversity Park.” Surveys are being conducted on the Yamuna due to the emptying of sewage and hazardous residuals from the nearby industries. In fact, keeping the Yamuna and Aravalli region cleaner is the government’s priority, said Dikshit. However, environmental experts, who have been pointing out the absence of a blueprint towards realising the goal of integrating the Delhi Ridge and the Yamuna riverfront, are yet to be convinced. Dikshit stresses an attitudinal change in Delhiites and inculcation of conservation culture. “We need to conserve what we have. For that we need to identify trees, species and ecosystems that are characteristically Delhi’s. All changes have to be in tune with the natural habitat of Delhi,” She said. In this context, the JNU ridge ecosystem, which in 40 years has transformed gradually from a barren land to lush environs as it is today and harbours 160 species of birds and 80 species of butterflies, can be hailed as an example of revival of the Capital’s natural identity. Laying emphasis on people’s participation, Dikshit urged residents to develop a sense of belongingness and work with the government to conserve nature. “People are the stakeholders of their city’s heritage. Unless they follow the rules, no effort or policy would work. Conservation bodies like INTACH can help in changing people’s attitude. Besides, a national council for heritage is needed,” states Dikshit. As per the Chief Minister, the task is enormous, but little things like switching to simple invitation cards rather than wrapping them in cellophane, avoiding crackers during Divali etc. would help in making a difference. “Though people find it difficult to accept at first, but gradually they start realising and follow it,” says Dikshit while citing examples of introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the city in 1998 and the ban imposed on plastic bags early this year and the protests thereafter.
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