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RICO Stir: Panel to end deadlock set up
Dadwal unveils CWG security strategy
‘Objectionable’ clause dropped from
Thampu’s pact with Supreme Council
Street food to spice up Games
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Barapullah elevated road to be ready in March: Dikshit
Top cop urges Delhiites to use public transport
during Games
Traders block traffic as cops refuse to lodge loot case
1996 Lajpat Nagar Blast Case: Accused seek
speedy trial
Man posing as CISF officer held
MCD takeover tussle reaches high court
2nd accused of Sarojini Nagar kidnap bid held
Govt told to review housing societies rules
Soumya murder accused makes
escape attempt
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RICO Stir: Panel to end deadlock set up
Gurgaon, October 19
The worker who was killed in the clash between two groups of labourers late last evening has been identified as Ajit Yadav. His post-mortem examination found that he was hit in the head with some blunt object. Yadav’s body was later sent to his native village in Rewari district, where he was cremated. The RICO workers, who have been protesting for several weeks, have alleged that the violence had erupted due to police lathicharge and use of force by musclemen called by factory management. On the other hand, Gurgaon police commissioner S. S. Deswal has asserted that the police had not used force on the protesting workers. “Actually the group of protesting industrial workers of RICO had attacked another group who had reportedly joined duty,” he maintained. On the whole, the situation remained volatile with the administrative authorities as well as workers’ unions holding separate meetings to discuss the further course of action. Sensing the gravity of the matter, state financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary (labour and employment) Raj Kumar, labour commissioner Surina Rajan and additional labour commissioner M. R. Anand visited Gurgaon today to take stock of the situation. These officers held a meeting with Gurgaon deputy commissioner Anurag Aggarwal, deputy labour commissoners Suman Kundu and G.S. Thakur, besides other police and administrative officials of the district. The meeting decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Gurgaon additional deputy commissioner Pushpender Chouhan. SDM (Gurgaon-I) Satender Duhan, deputy labour commissioners Suman Kundu and G.S.Thakur and general manager of the district industries centre Hardayal Sehrawat would be the other members of the committee. The committee has convened a meeting of the representatives of the factory management and labourers at ADC’s office at 11 a.m. tomorrow. On the other hand, different labour unions have called for a strike tomorrow in protest against Yadav’s death. Meanwhile, the district magistrate-cum-deputy commissioner Anurag Aggarwal has appointed seven duty magistrates for maintaining law and order in view of the prevailing situation. Tehsildar (Manesar) Pankaj Setia has been appointed duty magistrate for the Manesar area, naib tehsildar (surplus) Sant Ram for the areas adjoining RICO and Sunbeam factories, and estate officer (HUDA-II) Satbir Singh Lohchab for national highway, SDM (Pataudi) Vatsal Vasisht for the area of new Gurgaon city, joint commissioner of Gurgaon Municipal Corporation Veena Hooda for old Gurgaon city, naib tehsildar (Manesar) Lalit Kumar for civil hospital premises and tehsildar (Gurgaon) Narender Kadian for the mortuary area. |
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Dadwal unveils CWG security strategy
New Delhi, October 19 Speaking about the security strategy during the CWG, city police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal stressed that the security would not be just restricted to the stadiums and Games Village but the entire city would be under the scanner of the security officials. “I repeat that the CWG cannot be isolated from the city. The Games would be secure only when the city would be secure. We would ensure that the normal policing of the city is not distracted by the commencement of the Games,” said Dadwal adding that the apart from the Delhi police, several units of paramilitary forces would be assisting them. “We are working closely with several agencies connected with the Games. We assure you of safe and secure Commonwealth Games,” he said. Neeraj Kumar, special commissioner (Administration), entrusted with the security for the CWG today gave a power-point presentation before the media regarding the security arrangements. According to him, Games Village, practice venues and parking lots along with Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) will have a four-layered security cordon—outer, middle, inner and exclusive. Kumar said that at the outer cordon, the traffic will be stopped and access will be controlled. At the middle cordon, security personnel will take the spectators to their designated seats while in the inner cordon, the barcode reading of tickets will take place and the spectators’ photos will be captured. “There will be surveillance from the skies with the help of the Indian Air Force. There will also be the deployment of heli-borne assault teams to thwart any attempt by terrorists,” Kumar said. The Terminal 3 at IGIA has been earmarked for the exclusive use of athletes, officials and their families arriving in the country. According to Kumar, the Terminal 3 area would be manned by CISF personnel with additional support of snipers, commando strike team, foot patrolling and various electronic gadgets. A quick reaction team (QRT) would be taking position at every 2 km on route from the airport to the Games Village to tackle any emergency. “The QRT would be placed at strategic places and would have ambulances and contingency plans of changing route in case of emergency during the transporting of athletes or officials,” revealed Kumar. Speaking about the security arrangements at the Games Village where the athletes would be staying, Kumar said that the vehicle entry to the village would be checked by radio frequency identification code apart from under vehicle scanner. “Even if the vehicle managed to break the barrier and rushes in, the tyre killers followed by road block would tackle the situation. Besides the CCTV cameras, hand-held metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanner would be installed at every nook and corner,” Kumar said. He also pointed out that apart from the usual security, the chemical-biological-radioactive-nuclear explosion (CBRNE) team would be at the village 24x7 to thwart chemical attacks. Besides, the snipers in the IAF helicopters would constantly make rounds over the places marked for the Games. |
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‘Objectionable’ clause dropped from
Thampu’s pact with Supreme Council
New Delhi, October 19 After the “secret” MoU signed by the two key persons of the minority institute came to light, Kumar has sent a message to Thampu today informing that the “objectionable” clause has been dropped out “as was promised”. The faculty and stakeholders of the college, including the alumni, were apprehensive about the academic implications of the pact, as it aimed at increasing the control of Church of North India in the functioning of the college through direct intervention of the Supreme Council. “We have been informed by the principal that the clause of the agreement signed between him and the chairperson that might have had academic repercussions has been removed,” said Nandita Narain, head of department (mathematics) and senior faculty at St.Stephen’s. The faculty did not have an access to the documents yet, she said, adding that the main objective of the agreement was to ensure the representation of the Synod of Supreme Council in the college governing body, 18-member body that solely enjoys the right to take administrative decisions of the college. The faculty saw the move to add the Supreme Council’s representative to the governing body as a “technical matter” that did not pose immediate threat to the normal functioning of the college. According to the MoU that was signed on September 11, the Supreme Council and the college principal were to drop the writ pertaining to Thampu’s probation period pending in the Delhi High Court on the precondition that the role of Supreme Council would be expanded in the college. Thampu had filed the case against the six-member Supreme Council in the Delhi High Court for putting him under probation for the post of principal. Though the Supreme Council maintained that all college principals were put on probation before being formally appointed, the row, however, started after the “confidential” agreement popped up in the media and the college faculty started complaining. There were also reports about changing the college constitution. Even though Thampu has called the college constitution “impeccable” and the college faculty took pride in it, the fulfillment of clauses of the agreement directly meant changing it. “The college constitution has laid down the framework under which the college functions and the college has been functioning well. We do not see any need to change it. The Supreme Council is not the deciding bodies as far as the affairs of the college were concerned,” a faculty member said. There has been a stark division between the college faculty since Thampu was appointed as the college principal. One group has been raising questions about his appointment leading to one controversy after another. Meanwhile, the college seemed to have a consensus on “the stakeholders being consulted before anything of academic implications was signed by the principal.” |
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Street food to spice up Games
New Delhi, October 19 How is Delhi preparing for the Games gourmet? Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta has a plan. He says a variety of snacks stored in cases will make the street food attractive for visitors. “India, and especially Delhi, has an amazing range of street food that no one can resist. For the Games we plan to have pre-cooked food stored in clean, hot and cold cases in a hygienic condition,” said Mehta. Those gorging on street food here usually give concerns for cleanliness a miss, but the Delhi government is gearing up to make these snacks its USP with hygiene high on its mind. “The only glitch is that the food is pre-cooked, so I am not very sure about items like golgappas. However, other things like hot gulab jamuns, kachauris and samosas will all be there to scoop up,” he added. With the countdown for the Games having begun, the food menu is being finalised, taking into account the requirements of athletes from various continents. The 8,000 athletes who would be staying at the Commonwealth Games Village will have a wide range of cuisine to choose from during the 12-day-long sporting event that will kick off on October 3. According to Commonwealth Games Organising Committee officials, the 71 Commonwealth countries will be divided into six zones. Each zone will have their own distinctive cuisine like European, Caribbean, Asian, South Asian, African and American, and every meal would have cuisine from these zones. Authorities here nevertheless want to showcase Indian food, street fare being high on the menu. According to Mehta, the Delhi government is talking to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to give licenses to vendors for these carts and take responsibility for monitoring hygiene standards. Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said the health department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has chalked out clear guidelines on the basis of which the safety standards of food in the carts will be maintained. “There will be mobile squads of health officials who will inspect these carts on a regular basis so that safety standards are maintained. While we want to showcase the variety of our food fare to the rest of the world, we don’t want any compromises on the hygiene factor,” said Sain. Mehta has a clear vision: “As of now, 1,000 carts are ready for all those vendors who will have licenses to run these cold carts. Not only will they have to make sure that the food is tasty but also that the surroundings are clean.” While the number of applications received have been in hundreds, those eligible for the licenses have been listed on the basis of a draw. The carts will be spread across the city and the areas will be earmarked.
— IANS |
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Barapullah elevated road to be ready in March: Dikshit
New Delhi, October 19 Dikshit expressed satisfaction over the state of construction of the project. The work on this project was started on October 24,
2008. Dikshit stated that the Capital’s first elevated road would be commissioned in March 2010 much before the commencement of Commonwealth Games. It has been divided into two parts under two packages. The first package will connect Sarai Kale Khan Mathura Road with road length of 2,654 meter. The second package would connect Mathura Road to Nehru Stadium with road length of 2,080 meter. The elevated road would have two carriageways of three-lane each out of which one carriageway is almost complete and the work on another carriageway is being expedited. Besides, two loops near Sarai Kale Khan and slip roads near Lala Lajpat Rai Marg are also being constructed to facilitate uninterrupted flow of traffic. Slip road would provide a passage from the elevated road to Lala Lajpat Rai
Marg. Inspecting the project, the Chief Minister gave directions to further expedite the ongoing work to ensure completion before the end of March 2010. At alighting point near Nehru Stadium, two Foot Over Bridges (FOB) are being constructed. These FOBs would have no pillars as support and would be able to be transferred to other place after the Games. It was also informed that separate entry arrangement is being constructed for visitors, players and officials.
Dikshit instructed the agencies concerned to provide explanatory signage on the elevated road. The project has been designed in such a way as to take care of objections from the Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI). The Humayun Tomb and the Khan Khana Tomb would be illuminated and there would be no visibility of garbage as the entire area below the elevated road is being landscaped.
Dikshit stated that the infrastructure would prove to be an integral part of the legacy and continue to provide relief to the commuters. It would also serve as an important link between
trans-Yamuna and central Delhi. |
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Top cop urges Delhiites to use public transport
during Games
New Delhi, October 19 “When there will be an exclusive lane for Games vehicles, naturally the traffic congestion would increase. We would urge people to use public means of transport that time,” Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told reporters here. The police on pMonday made an off-camera presentation explaining the security and traffic plan for the Games.
“By the time the Games start, two more Metro routes will also start. We would encourage the people to use the Metro,” he said, adding that a publicity campaign on this would be carried out before the Games. The police commissioner said that such an event is a pride for the nation but no plan can work without public support. The police have already written to traders’ associations and corporate offices to either reschedule their weekly holidays or close their enterprises on the closing day of the
CWG. “CWG closing ceremony would take place on October 14, which is Thursday. We expect a heavy rush on that day. We have suggested to many offices, including PSUs, to take their weekly off on Thursday instead of Saturday for that week,” Dadwal said.
The police have also asked trader associations to close their shops on that day and do business on another
day. — IANS |
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Traders block traffic as cops refuse to lodge loot case
Greater Noida, October 19 Bandits had broken pad locks of around six shops on this road on Saturday night. The shops were located near the police post from where criminals had looted goods. The FIR was registered after two hours. On the Divali night, bandits had targeted a few shops while people were asleep after celebrating the festival. The bandits had looted mobile worth Rs 65,000 from Bhagwati Mobile Repair Centre. After this, computers from Anish Mobile Centre were looted. Similarly, they had decamped with cash and valuable goods from six shops. In June also, these electronic shops had been targeted by bandits who had looted Rs 1.5 lakh. The case had not been registered by the police hitherto, traders said. Thieves had looted goods worth Rs 3 lakh from Rahul Raju Centre. The traders were in for a big shock when they came to their shops yesterday. They got furious for the shops just opposite the police post had been looted. The police did not take the information seriously on phone. Thus, the traders marched to city Kotwali, but the police shooed them away saying that they would probe the matter first. It annoyed the traders so they jammed the traffic on the Railway Road, Dadri. They raised slogans against the Dadri police and jammed the road for over two hours. Later, police circle officer came and got the case registered and pacified the traders. |
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1996 Lajpat Nagar Blast Case: Accused seek
speedy trial
New Delhi, October 19 “We have been trying to reach everywhere to get ourselves heard, but nothing has been done so far. We have moved the Delhi High Court several times to seek a speedy trial,” reads the letter written by one of the accused. n October 1, 2003, The high court had issued direction to the trial court to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis and conclude it within six months. The court had again, on October 6, 2006, sought the trial to be wrapped up in a month’s time as it has been pending for over 10 years. Another reminder came on July 4, 2008, when the high court directed the judge to hear arguments daily and conclude the case within 30 days. “One-and-a-half years have passed since the last order but it seems that the trial courts are having no regard for the superior court,” said the letter of Mohammed Ali Bhat, one of the accused. “Till date, the case has been heard by several judges of lower court. We have also been produced before the court over 50 to 60 times,” he said, adding that the arguments will commence on October 22 and 23. 10 persons, including a woman, all hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, are on trial for carrying out the blast in the crowded Central Market in Lajpat Nagar on the evening of May 2, 1996, in which 13 persons were killed, 39 injured and 14 buildings destroyed. The court, which recently wrapped up recording of statements of five more witnesses, has concluded hearing the final arguments in the
case. — IANS |
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Man posing as CISF officer held
New Delhi, October 19 He has also cheated public persons of their mobile phones and cash, who are working in and around Vishwa Vidayala Metro station. “The police also recovered a CISF uniform with badges, tokens, name plate, belt and cap, fake identity card of CISF sub inspector, one driving licence as Sikh with turban, five mobile phones that were taken fraudulently from CISF personnel by impersonating as CISF sub-inspector,” said N S Bundela, DCP (northwest). The accused said he worked as a driver of vehicles, supplied to the CISF officials, who are on duty for the last 4 years. During the course of his duty, he came to know about the deployment, command and control of CISF officials. According to the police, he had removed the ID of AK Pathak, a CISF officer, and pasted his own photograph in CISF uniform of a sub inspector. He was a Sikh with turban but after that he got his hair cut. He travelled by using forged ID and started calling him sub inspector in the crime branch. On the basis of the discloser statement made by the accused and on his pointing out the receiver of stolen mobiles, Deepak, five mobile phone sets stolen from CISF officials and public persons, sold by the accused, have been recovered from his possession. |
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MCD takeover tussle reaches high court
New Delhi, October 19 Filing a civil petition, advocate V.P. Sharma in his plea said: “Since the Delhi government is already overburdened with the work of Commonwealth Games, so an additional responsibility of handling MCD should not be given to it.” The petition will be heard soon. Asking the government to withdraw its decision of handing over the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to the state government, the petition contended that the opinion of the MCD’s elected councillors had not been taken before taking this decision. “There are two more civic bodies—New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB)—but the Home Ministry has not cared to touch them for taking their control by the state government. The present act of the ministry is not only discriminatory but is also politically motivated to throw out the elected members of the BJP,” the petition reads. “The state government does not have any parameters to estimate the work done by the MCD so how can the Chief Minister of Delhi claim that the working of the MCD has been below expectations and inefficient,” the petition said.
Demanding full statehood to Delhi, the petition said: “Instead of taking control over the MCD by the Delhi government, it would be ideal if Delhi was given the status of full statehood with enormous powers inclusive of the control of law and order through police.”
— IANS
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2nd accused of Sarojini Nagar kidnap bid held
New Delhi, October 19 While Sunil (22) was arrested from the spot immediately after the two accused pulled the girl into their Maruti van with the intention of raping her, the second accused Akash Deep (20) managed to flee the spot taking advantage of the commotion. However, the south district police, after nightlong raids, arrested him this morning while he was planning to leave the city. Sunil works as a driver for Amity School,
Noida, while Akash Deep works as a guitarist at Iskcon Temple, East of
Kailash. The incident occurred around 7 pm near Africa Avenue roundabout in Sarojini
Nagar. The girl was returning home after finishing her duty at the Ashok Hotel. She was first molested by the accused and then pulled inside the moving van. But the girl raised the alarm, which attracted the attention of the people who encircled the van and beat Sunil. However, Akash Deep
escaped. During interrogation, Sunil gave information about Akash Deep, who was then
arrested. The boys said that at the time of the incident they were heavily drunk and found the girl to be a soft target. |
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Govt told to review housing societies rules
New Delhi, October 19 They suggested that there should be a set time frame for disposal of various matters of these societies. The proposed suggestions will facilitate timely disposal of matters pending with the Registered Cooperative Societies (RCS) and on its failure to decide the issue within the given time-frame. The committee has recommended a stern action, including prosecution, as prescribed in the Act, against the erring office-bearers of the Cooperative Group Housing Societies. The committee has also recommended setting up of a monitoring committee to follow up action taken for redressal of grievances. It has also suggested to examine the feasibility of converting existing societies into RWAs after allotment of flats on the pattern in DDA’s housing complexes. Appreciating the constraints of the RCS, the committee has recommended a work study to assess the exact requirement of staff in view of the increasing volume of work and to augment manpower of the office. |
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Soumya murder accused makes
escape attempt
New Delhi, October 19 However, the attempt was foiled by the police of Safdarjung Enclave police station. “The court had ordered for orthopedic treatment of Ravi Kapoor at Safdarjang Hospital, and hence, was brought to the hospital yesterday. After his x-ray, Ravi took out the red chilly powder from his pocket that he had brought surreptitiously and threw at the eyes of ASI Umed Pal and ran off,” said HGS Dhaliwal, DCP (South). Meanwhile, the police caught him but he again ran away. During this chase, Umed Pal fired three rounds from his service pistol. The accused was finally caught with the help of head constable Ashok and constable Virender of Safdarjang Enclave police station. |
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New Delhi, October 19
