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Get ready for new swanky Metro
DMRC meet to fix onus for Yamuna Bank derailment
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Varsity teachers to protest against service conditions
OBC reservation rift persists
at DU
IGNOU starts bus for students
SP worker shot dead in Gzb
30 mobile dealers challaned for selling fake connections
20 voter centres set up in Gurgaon
Sheila calls for pay cuts for MLAs
Delhi BJP to protest MCD takeover
Baby with protruding heart dies at AIIMS
Neighbour tries to rape Dalit girl
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Get ready for new swanky Metro
New Delhi, September 16 After getting final thumbs-up from the authorities yesterday, these sleek new coaches would be seen running on Line II from Jehangirpuri to Sushant Lok in the first week of October. “A total of 424 broad gauge coaches would be put together to form 83 trains— 37 with four cars and 46 with six cars,” said H.S. Anand, director of rolling stock of DMRC.The new coaches have been manufactured by consortium of Bombardier Transportation, Germany, and Bombardier Transportation India Limited. The broad gauge trains are scheduled to run on Line II and III by January 2011. The new broad coaches are slightly long, but the passenger carrying capacity would almost be the same. The four-car trains would carry 1,178 passengers and six-car trains would carry 1,792 passengers. Along with great looks and wider spaces inside, the new trains are a step ahead in passenger safety and convenience. One of the important features that has been introduced in these trains is the digital route maps on each door to indicate the present, next and destination stations of the train. “To clarify the confusion, the new coaches have external side display on each car for indication of the destination station,” said Anand. The high-capacity air conditioning in these trains is capable of fixing the temperature inside the coaches at 25 degree Celsius in summers. The broad gauge trains also have heating system for winters and humidity control for monsoon. For the convenience of the passengers travelling on longer routes, power sockets are provided at the end of each coach to charge mobile phones and laptops. “We have observed that some passengers press the emergency buttons without any reason. The broad gauge coaches have four CCTV cameras in each car enabling the driver to identify the passenger who is pressing the button for help,” said Anand. Other features of the new train include external speakers for audio warning signals at the stations, reduced noise levels in the saloons (coaches) and automatic operation of lighting in the tunnel and viaduct. The DMRC officials said in Phase I there have been two incidents in which the driver opened the wrong doors of the coach; however, fortunately no causalities happened. “In the new trains, the manual door operating buttons in front of the driver’s seat have been deactivated and instead the door operating buttons have been provided at the back on respective sides,” said Anand. The new break control system is also swift along with a higher maximum speed of the train at 85 kilometer per hour. An insulation mat has been provided at the roof of the coaches to avoid tripping caused due to the kite flying in certain areas. |
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DMRC meet to fix onus for Yamuna Bank derailment
New Delhi, September 16 The meeting attended by urban development secretary M Ramachandran, who is also the chairman of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation , started this evening at the Metro Bhawan. Sources in the DMRC said the meeting was scheduled before the accident that took place on Sunday. There are reports that the ministry that has 50 per cent stakes in the Delhi Metro is worried about DMRC’s diminishing image amongst the people due to a series of accidents. In another development last night, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation lacklisted Arch Consultancy Services for a minimum of five years for the Zamrudpur accident, in which six persons lost their lives. |
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Varsity teachers to protest against service conditions
New Delhi, September 16 To register their protest against what they are terming to be UGC’s ‘unfairness’, teachers will wear black badges on September 23. They will also hold a massive demonstration outside UGC on September 24. A delegation of varsity teachers from both the FEDCUTA and the DUTA met union HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday, informing him that the UGC has not kept its assurance of consulting FEDCUTA on the main features of the regulations on service conditions . The delegation was led by Aditya Narayan Misra, president of DUTA and FEDCUTA. According to him, the minister would advise the UGC to hold talks with FEDCUTA. The delegation had also presented a memorandum listing their main demands to the minister. At a press conference, Misra said, “Pay scales across the country change for all posts from the sweeper to high officers. Why only in the case of teachers, service conditions change drastically along with pay scales.” He adds, “The UGC has been giving us false assurances and has not been consulting us while formulating regulations on teachers’ service conditions.” Prof Tabrez Alam, secretary, Jamia Teachers’ Association, says, “Pay revision happens but service conditions don’t change. Even the fixation table for pay revision has been tampered with by the UGC and pay scales have become lower than what they originally were. For instance, under the PB4 scale in which two pay scales have been merged, the professors’ scale is lower than what he is actually receiving. All we are asking is at least stick to your given word by the MHRD and UGC.” The main demands of the teachers include rectification in the pay fixation table of associate professors and professors to a minimum given start of Rs 43,000 basic to all professors without discrimination, then enhancement of grade pay of assistant professors and professors, option from CPF to GPF, old pension scheme for teachers appointed since 1.1.2004 and lastly retirement age of 65 for librarians. |
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OBC reservation rift persists
at DU
New Delhi, September 16 Once again a section of students and faculty has alleged that the implementation of OBC reservations in the central university violated constitutional provisions. Several individuals and organisations got together under the common platform of Delhi University Reservation Execution Committee and prepared a report on implementation of the OBC reservation. Along with sending their representation to vice-chancellor, UGC chairman and ministry of human resource development, the committee filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court. In a letter to the DU vice-chancellor, the committee said, “It is distressing to note that many seats reserved for the OBC category are lying vacant in spite of there being a large number of applicants. |
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IGNOU starts bus for students
New Delhi, September 16 The service would start from Khokha Market of Saket and return from IGNOU Academic Complex daily. The bus would stop at five stations on IGNOU campus. These stops are parking lot near main gate, T-junction near block 7, EMPC junction, convention centre and academic complex. The university said the service is aimed at boosting community life on campus. Students can get registered for the service free of cost. |
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SP worker shot dead in Gzb
Ghaziabad, September 16 Apart from being a worker of the Samajwadi Party, Qureshi was also the president of the Jamait-Ull-Quresh in Hapur. He was killed on Bulandshahr road. As soon as the news of his murder spread, his supporters pelted stones at the house of the alleged killer and jammed traffic on the GT road by placing his body on the middle of the road. According to Qureshi’s driver, he was asked to come at the old octroi post on the Bulandshahr road by one Iqbal, alias Tagada. When they reached, they found that ex-Samjwadi Party city unit president Yaad Illahi and some other persons were also present there. Iqbal had reportedly called Qureshi to sort out his political differences with Illahi. However, after a short while, two bikers reached the spot and started firing indiscriminately at them. In the second incident that took place in the Pilkhua Kotwali area near Hapur, a milkman was shot dead in Anwarpur village. According to information, Netrapal, 45, an Anwarpur-based milkman, was returning home after distributing milk to his customers. It was then that someone reportedly shot him in the head from close range. Netrapal died on the spot. On getting information of the incident, his family and the local police soon reached the spot. The police is investigating the case and as of now has no clue about the killer. |
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30 mobile dealers challaned for selling fake connections
Gurgaon, September 16 The local police conducted raids on the premises of various showrooms and shops to investigate the nexus between dealers selling connection on fake IDs and criminals purchasing those connections, all over the city. “Several mobile dealers were arrested for not maintaining the records of selling the connections. The police had passed orders to every connection selling establishment to collect proper ID proof and address proof and maintain the record of every connection sold,” mentioned Alok Mittal, joint commissioner of police. The matter relates to incidents of car theft in which connections of suspects were found to be on forged IDs and after which Gurgaon Police had passed orders to all mobile service providers to conduct verification before activating a connection. However, service providers had passed the responsibility on hapless dealers who have fewer resources at their end. It also had given a procedure to be adopted by the dealers and ensured that they were beyond the grip of law. Many dealers were happy with the raids. Rajeev Yadav, executive director of Universal Cell Care, sector 14, welcomed the attempts of police to ensure that every connection is given to genuine user. He assailed service providers for passing the onus of verification on dealers and said that the responsibility of verification should be of service providers. He maintained service providers have misguided top police officials and succeeded in passing the onus on dealers for verification. Yadav said every applicant has to fill up a form and submit ID and address proof after which the forms go to the company and connection is activated once the process is completed. Whatever verification is required should then be done by service provider and after due verification, connection should be activated. According to the sources, mobile connections are sold for as low as Rs 25 and one can understand the profit of dealer is negligible, however, service providers are making a profit in several crores because of monthly bills and recharges. Another dealer maintained that the service provider while appointing dealers should consider education qualification of the dealer, but in order to earn profit, service providers had appointed outlets even on a ration shop. |
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20 voter centres set up in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, September 16 The VRICs, which have been made functional from today, would remain open from 9 am to 8 pm daily. District election officer-cum-deputy commissioner Anurag Aggarwal today reviewed the election arrangements and directed sector officers in 76-Badshahpur and 77-Gurgaon Assembly segments to ensure that the VRICs in their areas had become operational. He said residents of Gurgaon and Badshahpur who want to get themselves registered as voters or get any rectifications made can approach their nearest VRIC by 5 pm on September 17. “Each VRIC has a computer with two data entry operators and a supervisor along with an assistant electoral registration officer,” the DC said, adding the people of Gurgaon had been the given last opportunity to get the errors in voters’ list amended and they can file their claims and objections by 5 p.m. on September 17. The filled forms 6, 7, 8 and 8A would be accepted at the VRIC up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, he maintained. Aggarwal said the people could know the location of their nearest VRIC by visiting the website of Gurgaon district administration, www.gurgaon.gov.in. Signboards had also been displayed at the site of each VRIC, he added. Giving details of the VRICs, Aggarwal said in the 77-Gurgaon Assembly segment, these centres had been set up at the office of joint commissioner of MCG (opposite Civil Hospital), community centres of Sector 14, Sector 7 extension, Sector 4, Cooperative Bank (Civil Lines), SD Public School Rajendra Park, Gurgaon Market Committee Office, DLF Community Centre, besides the Community Centre of Sushant Lok (near Paras Hospital). |
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Sheila calls for pay cuts for MLAs
New Delhi, September 16 Dikshit further said she wanted no multiplicity of authority in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and called for a clear demarcation of power. “We are not insisting on to bring the DDA and the Delhi police under the city government. What we want is a clear demarcation of power in the MCD to end multiplicity of authority ,” she said. She said her government had maintained that it wanted powers to dissolve and constitute the MCD, which lies with the central government. However, the Chief Minister had earlier maintained that she wanted the DDA and the trifurcation of the city police into special units, with the traffic police being transferred to the city government. Dikshit also issued an advisory proposing a 20 per cent salary cut for state ministers and legislators. “I call for 20 per cent salary cut of all Delhi ministers and MLAs to save money,” she said. |
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Delhi BJP to protest MCD takeover
New Delhi, September 16 “The state government does not have any real powers over us. They have been given powers of only 19 sections out of the 512 sections under the MCD’s DMC Act 1957. The power in respect of four fundamental additional sections can be exercised through the approval of the Central government only. The four powers are dissolution of the corporation (Section 490), power to make bylaws (Section 349 A), appointment of the commissioner (Section 54) and division of Delhi into zones (Section 3 A),” said Subhash Arya, leader of House in MCD. He aded the move to transfer 19 powers to Delhi government was politically motivated and it would not serve any purpose other than just allowing the government to inspect the works being taken up by the MCD. It would not give any power to control the budgets. “They are just trying to hide their own shortcomings by asking for MCD,” said Arya. A committee of senior BJP leaders has decided to oppose the transfer of powers. “We have decided to oppose this move. Our leaders will study the document and will come up with an action plan in the next few days,” said Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain. |
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Baby with protruding heart dies at AIIMS
New Delhi, September 16 Born with a protruding heart—a rare case of congenital anomaly called as ectopia cordis, on August 26, the infant was being referred as the “miracle baby” after it survived the operation in which a five-member team of AIIMS doctors had managed to place the heart during a crucial surgery. “After the three and a half hours surgery on September 3, the infant had been under observation and his condition critical though stable. But for the last couple of days, the boy had developed severe infection and doctors couldn’t pull him out,” said another doctor from AIIMS. According to Dr Bisoi, the fact that the baby had survived for so many days is a miracle in itself as all babies with the condition are either born dead or die within 36 hours after birth. The mortality rate of children born with the rare anomaly, with fiv eto nine cases witnessed in one million births across the world, is very high. Moreover, the baby was brought to AIIMS on August 28, wrapped in an unclean cloth, by his father Chandar Majhi, from Chapra Bihar and during the night-long journey, the infection had already spread in his body. But, doctors at the premier institute initially carried two blood transfusions to rule out the possibility of any infection, and then pushed the protruding heart by creating space for it in the abdominal cavity. However, despite all efforts it succumbed to the infection this afternoon, said Dr Bisoi. Doctors said earlier AIIMS has performed four such surgeries and only one has survived. According to Dr Bisoi, cases with such critical heart anomalies can be treated only through operation. |
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PETA calls for closure of zoos
New Delhi, September 16 During the protest, PETA activists shouted slogans, “Let Animals Show Their True Colours—Shut All Zoos”, while referring to the recent deaths of animals at a zoo in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Voicing for the rights of animals, who are held captives under inhuman and manufactured conditions in zoos, Ashish Verma of PETA said the animals are deprived of their normal life and compelled to adapt to a surrounding that keeps them away from their natural behaviour, like swimming, hunting, scavenging and selecting a mate. According to PETA, most of the zoos are not adhering to the safety norms mandated by the Animals Act, and hence the animal body urges the Central Zoo Authority to take strict action against all violators. |
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Neighbour tries to rape Dalit girl
Noida, September 16 The victim, a native of Azamgarh, used to live with her friends in sector-22. While the girls were asleep on Tuesday morning, a man named Neetu Shah barged into their room and started molesting the girl. The victim raised the alarm, hearing which her friends and some people from the neighbourhood rushed to her rescue. It is learnt the accused is from the neighbourhood only. People overpowered Neetu Shah and beat him up. He was later handed over to the police. SP (city) Ashok Tripathi said a case of attempt to rape and a case under the SC/ ST Act had been registered against him. Meanwhile, the police has intitiated investigations into the case. |
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