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Powerless Delhi
City to have 150 civic cops
Inderpuri police station rape |
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DU teachers up in arms against semester system
Couple kills creditor
Circle rates may go up in Noida, Gt Noida
BJP plans agitation against poor water, power supply
Life interrupted at Delhi’s inhuman juvenile homes
Lack of quorum delays House proceedings
2 expressways added to masterplan-2021
Gun-toting jilted lover forces into woman’s house
Thunderstorms likely today
3 juveniles held for murder
Upset over marital discord, man burns self
Girl tests positive to swine flu
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Powerless Delhi
New Delhi, June 26 A group of around 50 people, including women, also protested outside the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) headquarters in Paharganj while a large number of people blocked traffic in west Delhi's Tilak Nagar around midnight. The protestors also blocked the busy Deshbandu Gupta Road in the walled city. When officials concerned paid no heed to their agitation, the protestors damaged three buses - two Blueline and a DTC-- in Tilak Nagar. Besides, they ransacked the BSES office in the area. This is the second incident of ransacking of BSES office over power shortage, as yesterday the protestors had ransacked Malviya Nagar office of the BSES. The protestors said that with the soaring mercury, the demand for both water and electricity had shot up, but the government had been doing nothing. While the Chief Minister has admitted that nothing can be done at the moment, except conserve water and power, the condition of the city residents is desperate. Mamta Shah, a resident of Dwarka, says, "There are around 33 flats in our apartment complex. We get water from an underground tank. But due to the erratic power cuts our water pumps are not working and the condition is terrible." Officials of DJB claimed that against a demand of 900 million gallons of water (MGD) per day, they were able to supply only 796 MGD. There is so much of water shortage in the city that shopkeepers and hawkers are seen selling water pouches priced at Rs 2. In many colonies people can be seen carrying water in buckets from far- off places and water tankers. A resident of the Seelampur area said that long queues to fill water often leads to fights. According to sources, one of the reasons of shortage of potable water in the Capital is that the Bhakra Base Management Board (BBMB) has cut down the water supply to Delhi. The BBMB has diverted its water to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan for irrigation purpose, sources added. For Delhihites, poor water supply is coupled with frequent and long power cuts. Areas like Dilshad Garden, Laxmi Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Dwarka, Pitampura, Mukherjee Nagar, Seelampur, Dimarpur, Karol Bagh, Civil Lines, Kashmiri Gate, Model Town, Jama Masjid and Jungpura faced five hours of power cut last night. The power cut was attributed to a technical fault in the power grid at Mandola. The supply has been partially restored from this grid, Delhi Transco Limited sources said. The sources also said Delhi power secretary Rajendra Kumar today asked the three discoms — BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani and NDPL — to arrange power at any cost. |
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City to have 150 civic cops
New Delhi, June 26 MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra confirmed the proposal was under consideration and had been sent for approval to the ministry. The MCD has asked the Delhi police to start a cadre, similar to the traffic police, which would work as civic police. Though policemen would not be a part of the corporation, they would work in coordination with the MCD’s 13 enforcement officers. “The Delhi police is likely to respond soon,” Mehra added. However, Mayor Kanwar Sain said after Wednesday’s violent protest during which his office was ransacked by a mob, the Delhi police had deployed 15 police personnel at the Town Hall building. “We have also spoken to the Lieutenant Governor to involve police in matters like —removing encroachments, garbage and stray cattle. We have talked to the police commissioner and he has assured full cooperation,” Sain added. The police officers will report to the MCD control rooms when they spot any garbage on road or any illegal construction taking place in the city. “The policemen can take offenders to task, as the MCD officials face stiff resistance from them. If there is a case of stray cattle, the owners chase and attack our people with sticks,” said an MCD official. Unlike the police, the MCD officials do not have legal powers to deal with such cases. “Most of the time policemen are not deputed in time. Either the police is short of staff or is busy dealing with other cases. For the police, the priority is VIP security, crime and patrolling. If time allows, they can deal with civic offenders,” he added. He further said having dedicated police officers for the corporation’s work would save time. “To carry out a raid, we need to put in a request two days before. Once the police force is approved, we need to notify the police half an hour in advance,” said he. |
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Inderpuri police station rape
New Delhi, June 26 A Delhi police official said the woman accepted making false charges against the policemen when produced before the link magistrate (crime branch) in Dwarka court. “She told the magistrate that she was not raped and accused the policemen because she feared the new SHO Pradeep Kumar who was going hard after criminals would arrest her husband, who had bootlegging cases pending against him,” said Delhi police PRO Rajan Bhagat this evening. He added the woman had confessed of accusing the policemen with rape charges, as she wanted the SHO to be transferred or lose job. She, however, said that her husband did not have any knowledge of her false charges. In spite of the woman’s confession, the crime branch would continue its investigation and produce evidenced of the false allegation before the court.
She had alleged that Inderpuri police station SHO Pradeep Kumar and four constables had raped her in a lock-up on the second floor of the police station building on Monday afternoon. The allegation had led to violence in the area. An FIR was registered against the policemen the next day and investigation was handed over to the crime branch. SHO Pradeep Kumar was also suspended with immediate effect. According to the police, the woman may face six months imprisonment under Section-182 of the CrPC for levelling false charges. According to the police sources, the woman and her husband may face criminal defamation from the accused policemen. “They would not spare the woman with just six months. Criminal defamation is bound to come. Wait and watch,” said a senior police official at the Delhi police headquarters. |
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DU teachers up in arms against semester system
New Delhi, June 26 The executive members of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) today sat on a dharna to raise their voice against VC’s “high-handedness and arbitrary conduct.” Aditya Narayan Misra, president, DUTA, said that the teachers were extremely upset with Pental for introducing semester system without consulting them. Misra said that Pental had shown utter disregard to the provisions of the DU Act, though, as the VC, his primary duty was to ensure observance of these provisions.” Misra further said that Pental had also shown contemptuous treatment to the directions of the President of India to VCs of central universities to restrain themselves from using emergency powers. Pental had been using emergency powers to take decisions on all important matters without consulting the academic council, he said. The DUTA is planning to intensify its protest and has issued directives to all members of the academic council to oppose the autocratic move of the VC “tooth and nail”. Misra said that it was apparent that the VC, instead of strengthening the existing annual examination system, was hell-bent on destroying it. He said: “This move cannot be taken lightly. It is an issue that will have far reaching implications for the entire university, involving changes in the evaluation system, course structures and their contents, pedagogy and the academic calendar, including vacations.” Earlier this month, at an executive council meeting, agitated members of the academic council had stormed into the well of the house when the VC had refused to hear to the objections raised by them against the semester system. The meeting was not allowed to continue because of the members’ persistent demand to withdraw the agenda on introduction of semester system at UG level. This meeting was followed by a dharna. |
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Couple kills creditor
Ghaziabad, June 26 According to the police, the body of 35-year-old Shakeel of Pilkhua in Ghaziabad was dug up from the house of one Salim. Salim is absconding with his two children. The Pilkhua police has, however, arrested his wife Mosina. According to the police, the murder was carried out because of money. Three years ago, Salim had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh from Shakeel, which he was yet to return. When Salim did not return the money after several reminders, Shakeel, along with his wife, took up a house on rent near Salim’s house. About a fortnight ago, Salim, on the pretext of returning the loan, invited Shakeel to his house. Salim and Mosina entertained Shakeel lavishly and served him excessive booze. When he got sloshed, they strangled Shakeel to death. The couple then dug up a pit in the room and buried Shakeel. Salim and Mosina then fled away. However, when Shakeel did not return, his relatives filed a missing person’s report with the Pilkhua police station, alleging that Salim and his wife might have kidnapped him. When the police could not trace Shakeel for two weeks, it started looking for Salim and his wife. Mosina was nabbed from a relative’s house in Dasna near Ghaziabad. During interrogation, she told the police about the killing. |
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Circle rates may go up in Noida, Gt Noida
Greater Noida, June 26 The process in this regard has already been set in motion, sources say. According to S.N. Rai, assistant commissioner (stamps), a meeting at the administration level has already been held to determine the quantum of increase in circle rates. Besides, data is being collected and collated for tehsil-wise increase in circle rates. This time the location of the land will have a bearing on the extent of increase in the circle rates. The prime location land will command a higher circle rate than the land located in the interiors. Similarly, difference in the circle rates of posh sectors and normal sectors will also be maintained this time, the sources said. While in Sadar and Dadri tehsils areas, circle rates are expected to be hiked significantly, but in Javer tehsil also some increase will be affected. A committee under the chairmanship of additional DM (finance) Shiv Kant Diwedi has been set up for determining the quantum of increase in circle rates. The AIG (stamps) and SDMs of all the three tehsils will also be members of the committee. |
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BJP plans agitation against poor water, power supply
Faridabad, June 26 The former leader of the BJP in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Krishan Pal Gurjaar today said that his party had decided to organise large scale public protests and demonstrations against the Congress government at mini-Secretariat here on July 7. Gurjar added that the party would continue with its agitation if things did not improve. Gurjaar, who hails from Faridabad, alleged that the government had failed to ensure proper and adequate supply of power and water in Faridabad. The Congress government had promised that it would ensure ample supply of power within three and half years of its rule, but this had not happened, he said. In fact, the government had not been able to maintain even the quantity of power and water supply that was provided during the rule of the preceding government, he added. Gurjaar further said that the babus were not sensitive to the plight of the farmers in rural areas and the residents of urban areas with regard to power and water supply. While the farmers were getting only about three hours of power supply to irrigate their fields, the urban areas were facing load shedding of about 14 hours in a day. With regard to law and order situation in the city, he said that it had nose-dived drastically. There has been spate of murders in the past 10 days, but the police has not been able nab the culpirts in any of the case, he added. |
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Life interrupted at Delhi’s inhuman juvenile homes
New Delhi, June 26 This is stated in a report by the rights body Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and borne out by a visit to one such facility by this IANS correspondent who posed as a prospective volunteer. The condition at the Asha Kiran Complex in northwest Delhi’s Rohini area was an eye-opener. Many areas near the cottages and the medical block reeked of urine. As stated by the report, the complex lacked staff, which was not only ill-qualified to tend to the multitude of inmates’ needs but was underpaid as well. The correspondent was only allowed access to the medical and administrative blocks and not inside the cottages. “This is a government facility - one can’t have expectations. There are inmates of all ages here. We house the male children separately from adults as the severity of their conditions vary,” said a sociology graduate working as a caretaker at one of the cottages. The DCPCR inspection committee found gross negligence and conditions derogatory to any human rights during surprise checks at 10 homes under the Delhi government’s directorate of social welfare. “The worst condition was at the Asha Kiran Complex - which houses the Vikassini Home for Mentally Retarded (Juvenile), Pragati Institute for Severely and Profoundly Mentally Retarded Children, the Sukhanchal School and Home for Mentally Retarded Juveniles,” Shashank Shekhar, DCPCR member, told IANS. Although sanctioned for 250 inmates, the complex - the only state-run complex for mentally challenged people here - houses 750 mentally retarded men, women and children. One caretaker and one ‘house aunty’ take care of 30 to 40 inmates. In addition, one psychologist - who, the report, says is too overburdened to attend to emergencies - two nurses and two attendants comprise medical staff for the entire facility. The house aunty is paid a mere Rs 1,000 a month for round-the-clock care - often payment is delayed for months, the report found. The house aunty was to be paid Rs 90 per day as promised by Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit in 1998. The DCPCR report narrated tales of the poor conditions in which inmates were kept - dirty and unwashed, inmates were seen rolling naked on the floor because of lack of beds and to restrict the use of the clothes available - which would require upkeep and maintenance; food prepared was not edible.The choked bathrooms added to the stench. Around 75 inmates died between 2004 and 2008 at the complex. In many of these cases the cause of death was epileptic seizures, which the DCPCR committee said could be owing to neglect of the facility’s medical authorities. Most inmates were abandoned by their families or were picked up on the streets unclaimed. The inspection committee found that at the Asha Kiran complex common medical care unit, 40 children were suffering from tuberculosis, seizures, skin diseases each among others due to gross overcrowding, lack of hygiene and pathetic sanitary conditions. One child was also HIV positive, the report said. The report also said at many of the homes there were gross human rights violations ranging from the ‘kutai day’ (day of beating) to lack of basic access to soap as well as being locked up at night with no access to toilets. At the Ashiana and Phulwari homes for boys in Alipur, outer Delhi, housing almost half its sanctioned capacity of 107 and 300 respectively, younger boys were bullied and beaten up regularly by older boys on fixed days known as ‘kutai’. The report said corporal punishment was rampant. The buildings of the homes for children of leprosy-affected persons at Nirmal Chayya Parisar in west Delhi were observed to be in dilapidated condition. While many parts of the damaged building were undergoing prolonged renovation, the toilets were dirty and in non-working condition, the report found. “The DCPCR has now begun an in-depth investigation into the affairs of the homes. There is an urgent need to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and red-tape that stall sanctioned funds. The human resource requirement should be fulfilled. Infrastructure maintenance and condition of these homes need to be reviewed systematically not on ad hoc basis as has been the case,” Shekhar said.
— IANS |
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Lack of quorum delays House proceedings
New Delhi, June 26 A majority of the BJP members were there in the House but when they saw vacant seats of ruling party side, some of them also went out. Later, the opposition members objected to the absence of the ruling party members. But Speaker Yoganand Shastri pacified them by saying that it was responsibility of both ruling and opposition members to run the House. But Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Malhotra was adamant that ruling party members should have been present. The House has a total of 70 members. A minimum presence of 23 members is required to run the House proceedings and there were only 19 members in the House. The budget session is of 15 days. It was started on June 15. It is for the first time that such a long session has happened. BJP MLA Jagdish Mukhi questioned about the adulterated milk being supplied in the city. Responding to him, health minister Kiran Walia said 296 samples were lifted from various areas of the Capital and 130 sent to the laboratory for examinations. Of them, only 13 were recovered of adulterated with mixture of water. Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma pointed out that samples were taken of shops located inside the Capital, but samples of milk supplied from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were not taken. The minister said that samples of milk supplied from neighbouring states have also being taken. Some samples are also being sent to Sri Ram Laboratories. The government has to pay Rs 7000 for per sample to the laboratories but it will get the examination done, she assured the House. BJP member Ramesh Bidhuri appealed the Speaker to allow MLAs to drive their vehicles in the bus lane on the BRT corridor as long traffic jam is always there on light vehicle track of the BRT. Another BJP MLA Sahib Singh Chauhan appealed for permission of beacon light on MLAs’ vehicles. |
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2 expressways added to masterplan-2021
Greater Noida, June 26 The masterplan now includes a expressway from Dadri to Mumbai (western freight corridor) and Ganga Expressway from Greater Noida to Baliya. As these expressways will meet at Dadri, a big junction is being set up at Dadri. The 78th board meeting of the GNIDA had approved the proposal for changes in the masterplan. According to sources, the Railway Budget has already sanctioned the amount needed for setting up the western freight corridor, which will start from Dadri will pass through Greater Noida, Noida, Delhi and Gujarat. It will be connected to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai. The eastern freight corridor is planned from Ludhiana in Punjab to Kolkata. Work on this project had started in Patna on February 10. This corridor from Ludhiana will pass through Ambala, Saharanpur, Meerut, Hapur, Dadri, Khurja, Aligarh, Etawah, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mughalsarai and Jharkhand. It will be connected to Dinkini in West Bengal. According to the masterplan, nearly 5.5-km of Ganga Expressway falls in Greater Noida. It touches Taj Expressway near Jaganpur-Afzalpur village and passes through Bulandshahr, Amarpur, Rawada, Allauda, Sarkpur, Bilaspur, Talara, Harniya, Bhore and Ber village. From Narora in Bulandshahr it will go to Gautam Budh Nagar, covering a distance of 94 km. About 900 hectares is being acquired in Gautam Budh Nagar for this purpose. |
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Gun-toting jilted lover forces into woman’s house
New Delhi, June 26 Adil Javed, resident of Sunder Nagri and known bad character with about 21 robbery cases against him, was held last night by the beat constables on duty in the area. According to the police, after a PCR call when they reached the house of the complainant in Fanah Manzil, Basti Nizamuddin they found that Adil had overpowered the family of Shabnam (name changed) at gunpoint. When challenged, they tried to overpower him, but he jumped from the third floor of the house. He was overpowered and a revolver, with mark “Made in Italy” loaded with five rounds was recovered from his possession. It was found that in 2005 he had abducted Shabnam from the area of this police station and a case of abduction and rape was registered against him. He was arrested and remained in jail for about 18 months. After being released, he had been in contact with her and he wanted to force her to live with him. However, Shabnam refused as he already has two wives and two children. 17-yr-old boy commits suicide
A 17-year-old schoolboy committed suicide last night at Sulatanpuri in outer Delhi. The police said Lalit was found hanging from a ceiling fan around 11 pm by his family when they returned from a relative’s place in Mangolpuri. Lalit did not accompany his parents, who left around 7 pm. No suicide note has been found with the body. The post-mortem is being conducted at the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. |
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Thunderstorms likely today
New Delhi, June 26 According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the upsurge in temperature is not a sole phenomenon here, for almost the entire northern part of the country is witnessing similar heat, and it is likely to prevail for few days. S.C. Bhan, director of IMD, explained the temperature would soar in coming days and it might go northwards due to dryness in the atmosphere. The city would have a partly cloudy sky tomorrow with possibilities of thunderstorm or dust storm towards midnight. The maximum and minimum would hover around 43 and 32° Celsius, respectively. The heat wave since the last couple of days have indeed given a tough time to office goers. Besides, massive loadshedding and irregularity in water supply added to their woes. Meanwhile, the minimum today was recorded at 31.4° Celsius, three notches above normal. |
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3 juveniles held for murder
New Delhi, June 26 According to the police, the accused first committed sodomy with the victim and later killed him to hide their crime. The victim, Mohit, had gone missing from his house on Monday. His decomposed body was found after two days from Baba Khimman Singh Park in Ashok Vihar. His mother, Geeta, recognised him from his clothes and slippers. His postmortem was conducted at Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital. According to the police, Geeta said three juveniles living in her area had given her Mohit’s mobile phone after he went missing, saying that Mohit had given it to them at Nanak Pyau Gurudwara. The police interrogated the three, as they had last seen Mohit in a nearby park. The boys confessed they had killed Mohit after sodomising him. |
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Upset over marital discord, man burns self
Noida, June 26 According to the police, Veer Singh (35) was married to one Pinki from Meerut for 14 years. The couple had three children— two sons and a daughter. Veer Singh was a drunkard and this caused frequent fights between the couple. Upset over Singh’s drinking habit, Pinki, along with the children, had gone to her parents’ house in Meerut four day ago. She returned on Thursday afternoon. But as soon as Veer saw that his wife had come back, he locked himself in a room, sprinkled petrol and set himself on fire. On seeing smoke and flames coming out of the room, some neighbours informed the police. According to neighbours, Veer Singh was mentally unstable and would rarely come out of house. |
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Girl tests positive to swine flu
New Delhi, June 26 The girl has been quarantined at Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital after the National Institute of Communicable Diseases sent her reports today, said Rajan Balguha, officer on special duty, Delhi health department. Besides, four suspected cases of swine flu also came up today.
— TNS |
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