New Delhi, September 12
Much to the delight of river Yamuna, which is being referred to as a ‘natural disaster’, a range of initiatives taken up indicate a transition in Delhiites, civic agencies and authorities responsible for the river. A committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is going to take charge of the Yamuna — and it pledges to revive the river.

“The 22-km stretch of the river from Wazirabad to Okhla will have reserves of bio-diversity like parks and trees,” said Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna today. This would be done under the Yamuna Action Plan.

Khanna said the task of making Yamuna pollution-free could be attained only with the cooperation of citizens. “Though we like our houses to be clean, we stay indifferent when it comes to matters of public interest. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or the government cannot alone keep the river or the city clean. Every one has to take the onus,” he said.

Khanna added an ongoing drive at Hazrat Nizamuddin bridge-cum-road (NH-24) requires people to refrain from improper disposing of solid waste. Solid garbage is a major contributor towards contamination in the Yamuna. The city has only three operational landfill sites even as it generates 6,800 tonnes of solid waste daily — the highest in any metro.

Supria Singh, research associate at Energy Research Institute, said 12 to 14 landfills are filled more than their capacity and are contributing to pollution as large chunks of waste are either left untreated or are dumped after inadequate treatment.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kanwar Sain appealed to citizens to use recyclable items, thereby enabling reduction in the production and management of garbage.

Surprisingly, 95% residents believe Yamuna’s predicament to be a man-made crisis, but their actions don’t attest to their cognizance. Therefore, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA) has initiated a month-long drive at a time when the Puja celebrations are round the corner. The action ground is NH-24, one of the sites bordering the Yamuna, standing witness to the insensible actions of people.

Nature activist Manoj Misra of YJA outlined, “The drive aims to motivate people towards safe disposal of waste and not use the bridge for dumping garbage into the river. Volunteers have been requesting people to cooperate and hand over the garbage to them instead of dumping it in the river.”

NGO Centre for Environment and Education has collaborated in the drive with its recycling unit taking charge of inorganic material like plastic from which it would make handicrafts.

Besides, organic components like — leftovers of religious offerings and food are put in a pit next to the Hanuman Temple.

He said, “Thousands of people use the bridge daily. Our volunteers are soliciting people’s participation to save Yamuna by holding placards and banners at several locations of the bridge where the fence is broken.”

Even while volunteers continued their vigil, the Public Work Department (PWD) has mended the fence on NH-24.

Misra said the action was partially due to the volunteers. Volunteers hope similar repair work is also taken up at other bridges —ITO, Wazirabad and ISBT bridges where due to the insensible action of certain people the fences have broken.

However, superintendent engineer Rajesh Mittal maintains the repair at NH-24 is part of the routine and is not due to the drive.

Meanwhile, the MCD has started collecting garbage at NH-24 even as it has failed to act to the Delhi High Court’s directive of establishing 13 collection sites between Wazirabad and Okhla.

Gurgaon, September 12
People in the city were seemed a bit relaxed today as weather was quite clear. During the last three days, life had come to a standstill in the city and surrounding areas with every road being waterlogged.

Since there are no storm water drains, there is no outlet for the rainwater.

The rains formed flood-like situation in many nearby areas this season. The flow of water was such that the roads submerged and the links of villages with the city clogged. Water entered the houses in nearby low-lying villages.

SDM Gurgaon South K.K. Gupta said that in the Sohna area, there was no problem of flooding. SDM Patoudi Vatsal Vasisht said that 11 villages of the Patoudi area were facing problem of waterlogging and the work of draining out water was going on in these villages. It was similar in the other villages too.

SDM Gurgaon North Satender Duhan said that barring villages Kakrola, Bhangrola and some part of Sidhravali, the situation was comfortable. These three villages were much affected by waterlogging.

Sector 14, posh Palam Vihar, DLF, Railway Road, Hero Honda Chowk and HUDA sectors were among the other worst affected areas of the millennium city.

The Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria set up a control room for providing information about flooded areas so that the remedial action could be taken up on time.

He directed the officials of HUDA, public health, municipal corporation, irrigation, PWD B&R and DHBVN to take care of their duties. Kataria asked them to start 24-hour helpline in their offices.

The HUDA authorities would look after the sectors while the public health and irrigation department authorities would take care of villages.

The revenue department officials would also visit the villages in their tehsil areas and give daily report about flooding. Similarly, the authorities of municipal corporation would take up dewatering in corporation area.

Noida, September 12
The incessant rains in the past four days have brought life to a standstill in Gautam Budh Nagar district. While the roads and streets in urban areas have been converted into streams or pockets of knee-deep water, work opportunities have shrunk for the labour class.

After June and July were marked by drought, last fortnight of August and the first fortnight of September have seen monsoon coming with a vengeance throwing life out of gear in entire northwest states of the country.

In Noida, incessant rains on Thursday and Friday covered urban as well as rural areas into a vast street of water. Farmers are worried that excessive rains can spoil their paddy crop.

The situation in towns has also become quite worrisome. Trade and industry are reeling from the impact of damaged roads. Roads are full of potholes. Waterlogging has particularly affected 12-22 crossing, labour chowk, Mamura crossing, Udyog Marg, DSC Road and road on Rajni Gandha Crossing.

According to meteorological department, during the past three days, 141.4 mm rain was recorded which was the highest rainfall of the season. Earlier on July 26-27, 126 mm and on August 21-22, 74 mm rainfall was recorded.

According to weather expert Ranjit Singh, position might improve a little after Sunday in western UP and Delhi areas.

New Delhi, September 12
After three days of continuous rain, the national Capital got a breather on Saturday morning. A fine drizzle ensured high moisture level and cool weather. Since yesterday evening, Delhi has recorded 11 mm rainfall till 8.30 am today. However, a decline in the rainfall is expected due to weakening of the cyclonic circulation over Madhya Pradesh and the low pressure system over Uttar Pradesh in the days ahead.

“The cyclonic circulation over Madhya Pradesh and low pressure over Uttar Pradesh is weakening. Due to this there will be a decline in the rainfall,” said a Met official. A break in the heavy rains today gave Delhiites some respite from the waterlogging and consequent traffic snarls today.

Although the unrelenting rains might have thrown life out of gear for the last three days, the good news is that the monsoon upturn has reduced rainfall deficiency from 29 per cent in June, the driest in last 83 years, to plus one now. The last three days downpour has also improved the moisture content in the soil, beneficial for the upcoming rabi crops. According to Central Water Commission officials, the water levels in 81 key reservoirs have risen to 51 per cent of their capacity from 45 per cent a week ago. The city has registered 143 mm downpour in the last three days.

According to Met officials, the pleasant weather would prevail for another few days which would further improve the situation.

New Delhi, September 12
Oral health and hygiene has always taken a back seat in the health domain, and in view of this, a fleet of five dental mobile vans was flagged off by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at her residence on the occasion of World Oral Health Day.

The endeavour seeks to convey a message of adoption of oral health culture to a wider audience as a recent national Consumer Usage and Attitudes Survey (CUAS) points out that in India most of dental problems reflect low awareness levels and poor oral hygiene habits.

The survey, conducted by Indian Market Research Bureau, indicates that 67 per cent of Indian populace has never visited any dentist and around 87 per cent of Indians feel the need for seeking medical advice only in case of any problem.

Moreover, the survey throws light on people’s daily habits in the context of maintaining oral health, and reveals a low awareness on the correlation of the same.

The study says that only 28 per cent of respondents brush teeth twice a day and only 19 per cent of them feel the necessity to go in for brushing session at night.

According to Dr Ashok Dhoble, general secretary of IDA, regular oral check-ups are essential as early detection and healthy oral habits can keep dental problems at bay. “Oral health is vital for the overall health,” stressed Dr Dhoble.

Outcome of a private-professional partnership between Indian Dental Association (IDA) and Colgate-Palmolive (CP) (India) Ltd, the initiative, is a part of a nationwide oral health awareness drive and aims to reach out to the marginalised, who generally cannot afford basic oral care.

The five vans are a part of 30 mobile vans that would travel to 40 cities across the country and offer free dental check-ups in September and October during the Oral Health Month.

Dikshit said, “Basic oral care facilities should be accessible to every individual since oral health is an important and crucial part of one’s overall health and wellness. Unfortunately, it is often neglected.”

Lauding the efforts of IDA and CP, Dikshit said, “This kind of private-professional-partnership is a role model for organisations to wake up to the task.”

On the occasion, free dental check-ups were conducted for children from Pratham, an NGO, which promotes education of underprivileged children.

New Delhi, September 12
A year after five synchronised bomb blasts in the Capital killed 26 people, the trial in the case is yet to begin.

The delay in the trial of the September 13 blasts has prolonged the agony of the kin of the deceased and the injured.

The police has filed a chargesheet against 30 persons for the attacks. Of them, 12 have been arrested while two suspects were killed in Batla House gunfight on September 19 last year; 16 others are absconding.

They have been charged with murder, attempt to murder and waging war against the state, besides other offences under the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act. The police has so far looked in UP, Gujarat, Mumbai and Karnataka for the absconding people.

“We have also declared a reward of Rs 1 lakh on each of them but none have been arrested so far,” said a police official.

As for evidence, the investigators have mobile phone records, fake voter ID cards used by the accused, incriminating material found from their laptop/ computers and some crucial MMS clips found in the mobile of one suspect.

The chargesheet names Pakistan-based man Abu al-Qama as the mastermind of the blasts, who is also wanted for the 2005 blasts in the Capital.

Meanwhile, some believe the delay in commencement of the trial is because human rights groups had raised fingers at the police for the gunfight at Batla House. It was after the Delhi High Court’s intervention that a probe in it was conducted by the National Human Rights Commission and the Delhi police got a clean chit. — IANS

New Delhi, September 12
Union minister of state for minority affairs and corporate affairs Salman Khurshid today said that the demand for reservation coming from the minority community was not viable and it were affirmative actions that could ensure equal opportunity to all sections of society.

He said that the government had to explore “next generation” methods to address the concerns of each section by helping them come together instead of creating further cracks and divides amongst them.

Khurshid was speaking on “Minority and the Mainstream” at an interactive session at Delhi University’s St.Stephen’s College today.

The session was a part of college’s “St.Stephen’s Public Lecture Series” which is aimed at establishing an intellectual bridge between the college and the Capital city.

“The recent demand coming from sections within Muslims asking for reservations just because they are minority is a big challenge,” said Khurshid.

He added, “If this demand had come during the time of independence, it would have still made sense. At that time, the Muslims said they were ready to stand with the majority and would let the backward communities within majority community get the benefits of reservation.”

Khurshid said that the Congress-led UPA government was looking at formulating mechanisms to bridge the gap between people who had access to education and employment opportunities and those who did not.

“By the next session of Parliament we would introduce an Equal Opportunity Commission that would cut across different sections and ensure that each individual was getting equal opportunities,” he said.

Talking about the initiative, Khursheed said that the commission would work on the basis of scientific data collected by several committees set up by the government and any individual could trigger off an immediate enquiry if he or she was denied an opportunity that he deserved.

The commission would have a say in the private sector as well.

Khurshid also spoke about the nationwide protests following the implementation of OBC reservation.

He said the government had to watch the violent protests helplessly even though it was ensured that seats for general category were not affected and the government released huge funds for the purpose.

Talking about the initiatives launched by his ministry to improve the condition of minorities, he said 90 districts were identified across the country where the minority population was more than 25 per cent and Rs 2,500 crore would be spent on the districts to create better infrastructure there.

In addition 29 lakh scholarships were provided especially for minority students, he said.

Being an alumnus of the college himself, Khurshid said talking about minority issues in a minority institution like St Stephen’s made it even more important and college’s demand to increase the quota for Christian students over there was genuine.

He said minority institutions were morally expected to provide 50 per cent seats to the minorities.

New Delhi, September 12
BJP national general secretary Vijay Goel today demanded a high-level probe into the functioning of discoms .

He said he would launch a public awareness campaign on the issue of power tariff. He added he would also organise a Janta Adalat wherein residents would voice their complaints. The first adalat would be held in Connaught Place.

Demanding Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to respond to people’s problems, he said that she should order a high-level probe into the working of discoms.

“During the elections, when Dikshit was seeking votes her campaign surrounded the common man. But after the elections she was concerned about the profits of discoms,” alleged Goel.

Sharing his experience, Goel said even his electricity bills had reached an all time high. “It was shocking to find that between April and August my power bill had gone up as never before. The recently changed electric meters and the increased tariff are playing havoc on residents,” he added.

Moreover, he alleged people living in posh localities continue receiving electricity at rates almost 30 per cent cheaper than what people living in the other parts of the city have to pay.

New Delhi, September 12
An NCR-based NGO, Adhikaar, today appealed to the electorates of the Okhla Assembly constituency to exercise their franchise in favour of a secular candidate in the by-elections to be held on September 15.

The electorates should vote keeping in mind the issues concerning them and should not vote on communal lines, suggested Rajiv Tyagi, president of Adhikar.

He said Delhi is the Capital of India and Okhla is a key constituency of south Delhi and a key example of Hindu-Muslim unity. “During last 15 days, our team visited Okhla constituency several times and tried to educate voters to exercise their right to franchise and decide the candidate purely on merit and not to go by caste and community considerations,” he said.

He said while exercising their franchise, voters should keep in mind various issues and recent incidents. They should not vote for and not get carried away by lies and false assurances of parties and candidates, he said.

“The voters should keep in mind the recent atrocities of the Gurgaon police in city’s Jama Masjid. Police team of 30-40 members had entered Jama Masjid and had mercilessly beaten up poor labourers and rickshaw-pullers without any reason and detained 150 of them whole night and released them only the next day,” Tyagi said.

Tyagi also mentioned similar incidents of alleged police atrocity at Alawalpur village in Mewat and a very recent one in which police had booked innocent people at Badkali Chowk. People demonstrated but no action was taken against the erring police officials. This showed without correct representative, people could not get justice, he said.

There was corruption in all government departments in Delhi and elsewhere. People of Delhi have been cribbing for water. If there is a rain, waterlogging and traffic jams could be seen on all major roads, he added.

It is time to vote for candidate who could bring development in the constituency, he said.

New Delhi, September 12
With the arrest of two persons, the north district police has busted a gang involved in making forged educational certificates and marksheets of different boards/ institutions.

Rakesh Pal Singh (44) and Brijesh (28), residents of Ferozabad in UP, were arrested from the Timarpur area on Wednesday night when they were allegedly intimidating a neighbour. The king pin of the gang Mange Ram Acharya is still absconding.

“We were informed that some armed men were creating a nuisance in gali number 18 of Gopalpur village in the Timarpur area. A police team nabbed them from the spot,” said DCP (north) S.P. Hooda.

The complainant Sachin Bhati told the police that while he was returning to his home, he saw that a Santro car had blocked the gali. The car belonged to Mange Ram Acharya. When he asked Acharya to remove his car, he got furious. Two of Acharya’s associates came out with weapons and threatened him and his bothers. They also entered their house and fired in the air.

When Acharya and his men saw the police party, he and his son managed to escape while his two associates were arrested.

Meanwhile, the police also learnt that there were fake educational certificates and marksheets of different boards/ institutions in the house of Mange Ram Acharya. A police team raided his house in Gopalpur village and found bundles of educational certificates, marksheets, filled and blank application forms.

During investigation it was found that Mange Ram Acharya used to run an office in the name and style of National Human Rights Committee, Delhi.

“He is involved in nine criminal cases, of which five are related to forgery of certificates. To show his status in society he had hired two gunmen. The status National Human Rights Committee is being verified,” said DCP Hooda.