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Gurgaon residents demand fully empowered civic body
Crime rate up in Ghaziabad, admits UP cop
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DU admissions open today
Memo lists problems of SC students in DU
Students to protest Australia attacks
Sibal’s agenda upsets teachers
Students queue up for part-time jobs during vacation
Science Express phase I journey ends in Delhi
Indian art spreads its wings this summer
Amitabh shoots in Metro
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Gurgaon residents demand fully empowered civic body
Gurgaon, May 31 They formed a resolution in this regard at a meeting held by the Gurgaon Unified Residents Movement (GURM) here on Sunday. Two large residents’ bodies—Gurgaon Citizens’ Council (GCC) and the Federation of RWAs of HUDA Sectors (FORWA) spearhead GURM. About 150 DLF residents attended the meeting. A number of resident welfare associations, civil society organizations, non-government organizations and citizens are also supporting the movement. The members of GURM say that the Haryana state government constituted MCG in September 2008, but the first elections to the municipal council have not been held even after six months. They mentioned that an area of 162 km has been “Multiplicity of agencies has been at the root of all development problems in cities,” said retired Major Gen Satbir Singh, senior advisor with the core committee of GURM and a member of Citizens Task Force, West Gurgaon. “For effective results, infrastructure planning as well development and maintenance functions must remain with one agency. It is also easier for citizens to deal with a single agency, not multiple,” he added. Advocate T K Malik affirmed that the government would not listen to them. “We need to come together on roads and then only we can achieve our target,” he said. “Among the 18 functions granted to the municipal corporation under the 74th amendment, urban planning, including town planning is at number one while public health and sanitation is at number six,” claimed Col S.S. Oberoi, another core member of GURM. Property tax and other forms of taxes on services are the major source of revenue for the MCG. However, GURM strongly feels that MCG has no right to collect taxes till 100 per cent development has been carried out under the corporation area. “About Rs 3,000 crore has been collected as external development charges (EDC) from the residents, but the state of infrastructure development in the city shows inadequacy in investment. We want this fund to be transferred to the MCG or a development authority based in Gurgaon,” said R.S. Rathee, core member of GURM and president of GCC. “We want a development authority in Gurgaon with full planning and implementation powers. We want our MCG to be a fully empowered body, granted all 18 powers under the constitution and not just end up as yet another tax collecting and sanitation agency,” Rathee told The Tribune. The residents also want to seek out the registration of voters’ card before municipal council elections. Prem Sablok of GURM said, “Names of thousands of urban voters, including my family, were found missing from the final voters’ list drawn up for the current Lok Sabha elections. This will have a direct impact on the results of the municipal elections in the city and all future elections. The Chief Election Commissioner and the Haryana state election commission should check the mistake.” “Many residents from HUDA sectors have also complained of missing names,” affirmed Dharam Sagar of the Federation of Resident Welfare Associations of HUDA sectors (FORWA) and member of GURM core committee. |
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Crime rate up in Ghaziabad, admits UP cop
Noida, May 31 In 2007, a total of 19 robbery cases were registered in Ghaziabad, while in 2008, the figure was 16. This year (2009) since January 1, a total of 214 robbery cases have been registered. Similarly, as many as 51 burglary cases were registered in 2008 while in 2009 so far, 114 cases have been registered. As many as 505 cases of auto theft were registered in 2008 while this figure has already reached 1,005 in 2009, Uttar Pradesh additional director general (ADG) Brij Lal told mediapersons here. “It is not a good sign. The increase in crime figures is a natural phenomenon with the sharp increase in population. Therefore, the state has given clear directions to its police heads to come forward more openly not only in registration of cases but also to be more interactive with the public and its representatives,” Lal said. The Noida crime figures and cases registered showed a marginal increase in
2009. — IANS |
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Some reprieve from heat
New Delhi, May 31 Delhi residents woke up to a pleasant morning on Sunday as overnight rains led to a drop in the temperature. There is yet a reason to cheer as the meteorological department has predicted more rains, thunderstorms and squalls in the next 24 hours. “It was pleasant weather with partly cloudy skies. Towards the evening we expect rain or a thunderstorm, accompanied by a squall in some areas,” said an official of the Indian Meteorological Department. The minimum temperature recorded on Sunday was 21 degrees Celsius, seven notches below average, while the maximum was recorded at 35.8 degrees Celsius, five degrees below the average temperature. The Met department recorded 43.4 mm rain till the evening on Sunday. “The city can expect one to two spells of rain or thundershowers,” said the official. However, humidity levels remained high. The minimum humidity was recorded at 62 per cent and the maximum humidity was 100 per cent. “It’s sweaty today. Although the weather was pleasant last night, it’s pathetic when it becomes humid,” said Rajpreet Kaur, a working professional. Angad Singh, a student, said: “Last night, I chilled out with my friends. But today I don’t want to get out of my air-conditioned room. It’s a muggy, muggy
day.” — IANS |
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DU admissions open today
New Delhi, May 31 DU would release its centralised forms for general, SC, ST, OBC and physically challenged candidates starting tomorrow till June 15. Expecting huge rush of students at the university, DU in collaboration with Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and Delhi police has made all necessary arrangements for the admissions. “Arrangements have been made. The sale of admission forms would start from tomorrow. An information booklet would be provided with the centralised form to clear doubts. Besides, the university is allowing the DUSU to put up assistance booths at the admission centres to help students fill up the forms,” said university authorities. The first cut-off list for the admissions would come out on June 25 and payment of fees in respective colleges for this list would start the next day. Notification of second cut-off would be on June 30 and payment of the fee for this list would start on July 1. DU would take out the third list on July 9 and payment of fees would start from July 10. Delhi police has also assured students of their safety while they could concentrate on admissions. Past experience revealed that during admission time, a lot of anti-social elements invade the universitycampus and colleges. The common incidents vary from sexual harassment to pickpocketing. To avoid any untoward incident, Delhi police picket has been deployed outside the office of the dean students’ welfare (DSW) on north campus. The picket would coordinate the admission process in the whole of north campus. The police said intensive mobile patrolling on foot, motorcycle and police control room vans would be done in the university and adjoining areas. “Women police in uniform as well as in civil clothes have been deployed at all sensitive locations. Special teams have been constituted for checking in running buses. Special anti-eveteasing teams with women police have been deployed at all strategic locations under the close supervision of a lady inspector. Lady police staff of north-east states have also been posted to help the students from the states,” said Sagar Preet, DC, north district. |
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Memo lists problems of SC students in DU
New Delhi, May 31 The state committee member of the organisation, Sunil Kumar said that KYS was fighting against the authorities for the just cause of the students coming from the deprived socio-economic background. “We submitted a memorandum raising certain issues and problems which concern SC-ST students. Memorandum highlighted the issue that SC-ST students are allotted seats with just one option,” said Sunil Kumar. The students’ organisation demanded that a provisional list should be taken out at least three days before the first allotment list so that students can change their preferences of courses. It was also demanded that students who do not want to take admission in the first cut-off list should be reconsidered in the subsequent lists. |
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Students to protest Australia attacks
New Delhi, May 31 The organisation that dominates the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) said the attacks on Indians, though not a new phenomenon in Australia, had been especially violent during the last few weeks. Throughout last year, there had been a series of attacks, which were less publicised. There had been at least 60 to 70 incidents of serious nature. It said according to police records at least three cases of crime against Indian students were registered on a daily basis. “Australian authorities say the assaults are not racial but routine robberies and muggings. If so, why do Indians constitute a disproportionate share of the victims that is 30 per cent in Melbourne,” asked Ravi Rai, national general secretary, AISA. Students alleged that the conduct of the Australian administration was racist. |
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Sibal’s agenda upsets teachers
New Delhi, May 31 In a press statement issued here today DTF said contrary to the talks of inclusive growth and emphasis on social sector by the UPA government the HRD minister had expressed eagerness to implement the regressive report of the National Knowledge Commission. “The report had been shelved by the HRD ministry after it had come under sever criticism by academia all over the country. The implementation of the National Knowledge Commission report means pushing universities and colleges toward greater mobilisation of funds for meeting their expenses, curtailing the powers of academic council, university court and executive council,” said Rajeev Kumar
Kunwar, secretary, DTF. The teachers’ organisation maintained that the Foreign Educational Educations Bill, which the minister assured to table in the parliament soon, would not only lead to privatisation of higher education with a reckless pace, but would also open floodgates for all kinds of institutions in the name of foreign universities to plunder resources of the country. “Higher education will become a luxury for a few and its mass character would stand undermined. This would amount blocking access to higher education for large number of aspiring young people who, given their economic condition, will be forced to opt out,” he said. The DTF appealed to the teaching community to guard against the “anti-higher education moves of the emboldened UPA government” and resist every move detrimental to the interest of higher education. |
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Students queue up for part-time jobs during vacation
New Delhi, May 31 Eesha Singh, a student of the Lady Shri Ram College, said that she prefers a summer job to lazing around and partying with friends during vacations. “Now that my vacations are on, I am looking for a summer job for some pocket money. I don’t mind compromising on my partying time with friends as long as I am working in a decent environment and making some money for myself,” Singh said. Acknowledging the growing trend,
Darshan, assistant manager at the Lajpat Nagar branch of Domino’s, said the pizza chain has been receiving numerous requests from enthusiastic youngsters for summer jobs in its restaurant. “Many students have come to us for summer jobs. Most of them want to gain experience; therefore work is assigned to them in accordance with their preferences,” Darshan said. However, it’s more than quick money that most students opting for part-time jobs are looking for, Darshan added. Those opting for summer jobs in restaurants, for instance, are looking forward to a career in the hospitality industry. “The students get paid about Rs 25 per hour and usually their shift is four-five hours a day. Mostly, students who want to pursue a career in the hospitality industry come to us but we have even had Class 10 and 12 students,” Darshan said. Even if they don’t have any long-term plan on their minds, there are many students who hunt for a part-time job at the onset of their summer break just to spend some “quality” time doing something they enjoy. The Oxford Book Store, for example, offers summer jobs for avid readers. Youngsters, they say, can identify the market trends better and help their book-loving customers a great deal. “Students working on a part-time basis here usually help customers in selecting books of their choice. They are young and so they understand the market trend and reading habits of our customers better,” Vijay Pratap Singh, store manager of the store in the capital, said. “They are paid around Rs 3,000-5,000 per month,” Singh added. The eligibility criteria for a summer job are quite simple. Sandip
Maithal, director people’s resources at McDonald’s India (North and East), said that for a part-time job there a youngster has to be Class 12 pass, be fluent in English and possess customer-orientation skills. “Our selection criteria at the crew level are not very complex. At the start-up level, we look for someone who has passed Class 12 and has the ability to communicate in English. Good customer-orientation is an added incentive, since the job is fairly demanding,” Maithal said. “The monthly CTC for a part-time employee is in the range of Rs 5,200 which also includes meals at McDonald’s. They also get all the benefits like a regular employee,” he added. Similarly, at Pizza Hut, another leading pizza chain, the eligibility criteria for a part-time employee are being Class 12 pass and possessing good communication skills. In addition, he or she has to be enrolled in a graduation
programme, if not a graduate already. Chandni, a postgraduate student of Delhi University, summed up her experience of working part-time in a food chain: “I had a lot of fun in my summer job. I was assigned work on the counter and I enjoyed meeting new people every day. Apart from that, it gave me good money, free food and a great ambience to be
in.” — IANS |
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Tobacco vendors in the dark about pictorial warnings
New Delhi, May 31 We haven’t even got the stock yet. And I really don’t think much will happen after these pictorial warnings. People already know that cigarettes kill and there was always a warning. I personally know people who don’t care about these warnings? said Dev Singh, a 43-year-old tobacco vendor at Vasant Vihar in south Delhi. All this hype about graphic warnings is just overly dramatized, he added. Starting on Sunday, observed globally as World No Tobacco Day, all tobacco products are to carry graphic pictorial warnings like the skull and cross-bones or a cancer-disfigured face or diseased lungs to highlight the hazards of tobacco intake. The fresh stock that many vendors are clueless about is supposed to have a pictorial warning occupying 40 per cent of the space on the front of all packets of tobacco products. People are not ignorant. Whether you make non-smoking zones or pictorial warnings—it really will not affect them. My business won’t get affected at all, said Navin Garg, a vendor in Sheikh Sarai area. Vendors say they have not been informed by suppliers about when the new stock with graphic warnings would reach them. We are still using the old stock—we have not been informed how long the new stock will take... I am guessing it could take anywhere between two to three months, Garg added. Vendors also pointed out that customers prefer buying cigarettes in singles rather than whole packs. Most people buy cigarettes in singles as packs are costly. What is the use of the picture warning then? asked Raju, a cigarette seller in Saket. Amit Prakash, another vendor, was hopeful that the pictorial warnings would at least deter younger customers. My only wish is that children get scared looking at these images because many under 18 are smoking these days and no one stops them. We try and refuse but they are smart and ask someone older to buy for them, he said. Although the usage of strong warnings like skull and cross-bones or a cancer-disfigured face is optional, it is mandatory to have a picture of a scorpion — pictorial sign for cancer — and diseased lungs on all tobacco products. Some vendors are worried if their earnings will be affected in the future. I did not know of this (the new regulation)... If people want to smoke it’s their discretion. I really don’t think these images will deter people from smoking but if it does, it will kill our livelihood, said Rajpal, who owns a small shop in Dwarka, Sector 6. The implementation of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Packing and Labelling) Rules 2008 follows a long battle between NGOs and tobacco industries. The central government had deferred the new law for six months in the wake of pressure from influential tobacco companies. The move finally came on a plea in the Supreme Court earlier in May by NGO Health for Millions, which alleged that powerful tobacco lobbies were to blame for coming in the way of the law over the last three years. Campaigners have maintained that graphic warnings will convey the message to a large population of illiterate and rural consumers as well as youngsters who use
tobacco. — IANS |
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Science Express phase I journey ends in Delhi
New Delhi, May 31 The second phase will kick off from Ahmedabad August 12. Science Express, a train that was started on November 30, 2008, features over 300 large format science-related visuals, 150 video clips explaining different scientific phenomena and multimedia exhibits. The 16-coach train has thus far travelled a distance of 17,000 km. "The main idea behind Science Express is to promote the importance of science amongst youth. We wanted the students of schools across India to be a part of a scientific environment," said Dilip Mirzhapure, the project coordinator. The fully air-conditioned museum-cum-exhibition is a joint initiative of the ministry of science and technology, the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre, Germany based Max-Planck-Gesellschaft company and Indian Railways. "We have had over 12.5 lakh (1,250,000) visitors and we look forward to another successful journey of Science Express that begins on August 12 from Ahmedabad. This phase will be about eight months long," added Mirzhapure. The train carried over 50 science communicators from the Sarabhai centre and other project coordinators. "It was a lifetime experience on the train and I loved educating the curious students who came to visit the train. Science communication is not easy but it was a learning experience," said Shraddha Gargatti, an engineer by training, who was part of the team aboard the Science Express.
— IANS |
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Indian art spreads its wings this summer
New Delhi, May 31 He will exhibit jointly with senior artist S.H. Raza during the Venice Biennale at Gallery Bugno. The biennale begins on June 7. On June 9, Pushkale's show opens at the Galerie Muller & Plate at Munich. Galerie Muller & Plate has a long love affair with Indian contemporary art, having exhibited artists like Ambadas, Jahangir Jani, Amitava Das, F.N. Souza, Harsha Vardhana S., Iranna G.R, Jagannath Panda, Bose Krishnamachari and Mithu Sen. "I am looking forward to interacting with European audiences," Pushkale said. He will be showing with German artist Julia Ziegelmaier. The Delhi-based Seven Arts Gallery is taking works by 22 leading artists to an exhibition "India Xianhai" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai in the first-ever show dedicated to Indian contemporary art in China by a museum. The exhibition will also facilitate intellectual and aesthetic exchange between Indian and Chinese artists in a panel discussion. The show which begins on July 10 is being supported by the governments of both countries. "The discussion will host young Indian artists like Jitish Kallat, Thukral & Tagra, Prashanta Mandal, Mithu Sen and Alexander Keefe," one of the curators of the exhibition, Aparajita Jain of the Seven Arts Gallery, said. The exhibition roots on the premise that Indian culture and history have acted as inspiration for diverse groups of artists, not only within India but also those residing abroad. Artist Gunjan Gupta will present her wrap works in an exhibition "Inspired by India" at Sotheby's on e 8. Gupta's wrap products innovate on the ancient Indian tradition of wrapping precious metals around wood used for making 17th century thrones and to make contemporary images. "Gunjan's works speak for themselves," Jain of Seven Arts Gallery, which is presenting the works at Sotheby's, said. Paintings depict
Vishnu avatars
A story is best narrated in a series - be it in movies, books or art. An exhibition by a group of senior contemporary artists "Expressions... of our times" at the Visual Arts Gallery in the Captal's India Habitat Centre features at least eight series in continuous narratives of single themes. A series of four paintings depicting the avatars of Lord Vishnu by Ajay Zharotia stands out for the fluid lines, vivid colours and surreal images of the Vamana (the dwarf) and the Varaha (the pig) incarnations of Vishnu. "Art is a language. Ever since I opened up to pakriti (nature), my mind has become more visual. Every thought becomes a picture," says the artist. Another series that creates a complex web between human figures and environment is a Laxman Aelay's "The River Underneath". The five-day show opened on
27. — IANS |
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Amitabh shoots in Metro
New Delhi, May 31 Aongwith Vidya Balan, they shot the sequence for the film in a to-and-fro journey from Dwarka Sector-9 to Yamuna Bank and back, spending around four hours in DMRCpremises. ‘Pa’ is helmed by aR.
Balakrishnan — IANS |
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