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Techie held for hoax bomb call
Pensioners accuse councillor of malpractice
It’s festival time at Pragati Maidan, Siri Fort
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Screening crucial to detect congenital disorders: Docs
DMRC plans aesthetic Akshardham station to match temple’s beauty
HC pulls up MCD over stinking urinals
Mobile vans to rescue mentally ill in Delhi
3 more polio cases in Dadri
Woman burnt by in-laws
Chhat Puja ends
2 killed by drunk colleague
Over 40 school kids taken ill
Crime File
Delhi to get colder
Women activists allege police inaction
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Techie held for hoax bomb call
New Delhi, October 25 Police officials said that Abhishek Gupta (25), a resident of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, was going to Bangaluru by a GoAir flight which was scheduled for departure at 8.45 am today. He had boarded the overnight Lucknow Mail to reach Delhi, but he feared he would not be able to reach airport on time as his train got delayed. “Gupta called up the Mumbai call centre of GoAir informing them that he was late and asked the staff to reschedule his journey and put him on the second flight to Bangaluru. But his request was turned down by the GoAir staff,” said a police officer. The officer further stated that Gupta, who desperately wanted to reach Bangaluru, then again called up at their call centre, telling the staff that there was some suspicious object on the plane. “He thought that by doing this, the flight would get delayed for some time and in the meantime, he would reach the airport and board the same flight,” said stated the police officer. “Immediately after receiving the call, the GoAir officials informed their colleagues in Delhi who informed CISF and the Delhi police amongst other agencies. GoAir flight G8201 carrying 164 passengers was then grounded and passengers were asked to disembark at isolation bay. The bomb and dog disposal squads were pressed into service but nothing was found on the aircraft,” added the police officer. But when Gupta reached the domestic airport around 9.30 am and asked for the boarding pass, the CISF officials got suspicious and he was detained. “During interrogation, he broke down and gave the reason for his action.His technical details are available with us along with the voice samples of the phone recordings and he has been booked under Sections 182, 301 and 505 (1b) of IPC,” said the police.
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Pensioners accuse councillor of malpractice
New Delhi, October 25 Those who are eligible for the monthly pension under MCD norms, including disabled, senior citizen or a widow, can get it if one provides a month’s pension for the subscription of religious magazine Dharam Parvaha. This holds true, at least for those falling under ward No. 41 of Guru Harkishan Nagar constituency of the MCD west zone. The councillor of the area, Narender Bindal, has allegedly been providing pension for those who are willing to take the annual subscription of Rs 1,100 for the magazine. Narender Bindal is a general secretary for the magazine. According to complainants, who have approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Delhi and written to the Delhi Police Commissioner in this regard, councillor Bindal would not give the pension cheques to the pensioner unless one has given him Rs 1,100 in the name of the magazine. While the councillor says that the money is for the subscription of the magazine and the cheque goes to the account of the magazine, the pensioners allege that it is extortion as they do not want the subscription but if they do not take it, there would be no pension cheques for them. “Giving Rs 1,100 out of Rs 12, 000 for the magazine subscription is better than no money. Several pensioners, who defied giving money in the past, found their names cut from the pension holder list of the area. It is entirely in the councillor’s hands. I gave Rs 1,100 but I do not want to fall in his bad books,” said a pension holder. Rajesh Garg, a resident of Nangloi, told The Tribune that his mother Raj Dulari was getting the pension from the MCD since two years but after he fell out with Bindal on the issue of Rs 1,100, her name was stuck out from the list. “I refused to give the money for magazine subscription in April-May. Later, I found that my mother’s name has been cut down from the pension list. If an impartial inquiry is conducted, thousands of cheques going into Dharma Parvaha account will be found from MCD funds,” alleged Garg. Om Prakash, another victim, showed receipt of Rs 1,100 for the Dharam Parvaha subscription. Yet another victim, Atul Krishan, who had gone to collect the pension cheques of his parents from Bindal’s office, said he had to first dole out two cheques of Rs 1,100 each for the magazine’s subscription. “Bindal pretends as if he gives pension from his pocket whereas it is the government’s money. I fail to understand why the MCD give these cheques to the councillor while it can put the money directly in pensioner’s account. I had to give him Rs 2, 200 for getting my parents’ cheques,” Atul added. While councillor Narender Bindal did not respond kindly when asked in response to the allegations. “Every body makes an attempt to strengthen the organisation (read Dharam Parvaha) he is associated with. I am doing the same but I do not force people to take the subscription. They do it willingly. People who are accusing me are trying to tarnish my image,” said Bindal. Mange Ram Garg, an ex-MLA and owner of the magazine
could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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It’s festival time at Pragati Maidan, Siri Fort
New Delhi, October 25 Two of the most awaited festivals of the year have opened simultaneously. Osian’s Cinefan festival opened at the Siri Fort Auditorium yesterday with eminent writer director Gulzar being awarded the lifetime achievement award. In the 11th year of the festival, first-time Osean’s extended its boundaries beyond Asian and Arab cinema to encompass the best of world cinema in dialogue with the best in Arab and Asian world. Along with actors from the mainstream and parallel cinema crowding the auditoriums at the festival, the city residents could also catch some of the biggest filmmakers in India talking about their films. Directors Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, Raj Lumar Gupta and Dibakar Banerjee would be at the venue talking to their actors, technicians and the public this year. The venue also has exhibition on history of cinema consisting of a show of documents in archives like posters, lobby cards, showcards, song synopsis booklets, film stills, hoardings and much more. Viewers will get to see a rare and comprehensive view of Bombay film industry. Some of the popular international films to be screened tomorrow at the Siri Fort include Milk from Turkey, Dev D from India, Man’s Woman and other Stories from India, Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly from Indonesia and 3 Women from Iran. While arty-farty crowd was seen hanging around at the Osean’s venue, the youngsters queued up at the Hamsdhawani auditorium at Pragati Maidan to get tickets for “Great Indian Rock” that opened yesterday. The festival had promised to introduce Indian rock listeners to different genres within rock this time. From the international segment, bands that
performed at the festival include Solstate from New Zealand that mixes electronic with rock, Benea Reach that combines mathcore with progressive metal and Intronaut from America that plays sludge metal. GIR would end in Delhi today with performances from Scribe, Indigo Children, The Circus, Another Vertigo Rush and Boomerang. For the fashion enthusiasts, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week started in Delhi yesterday. The event saw Abhay Deol on ramp for designer Ritu Beri. Some of the designers who are lined for tomorrow include Namrata Joshipura, Gaurav and Ritika, and Varun Bahl. |
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Screening crucial to detect congenital disorders: Docs
New Delhi, October 25 This, in turn, is followed by stunted growth, slow cognitive development, if undiagnosed during pregnancy or after the childbirth. While many children in India fail to survive IEM, like glycogen storage ailments, aminoaciduria disorder, urea cycle defect and are either born dead or die after birth whereas others continue to live with neurometabolic diseases. No government hospital in the country still has the facility of Tandem Mass Spectometer, the only instrument used to screen a newborn for any inborn errors. Consultant with paediatrics emergency medicine, Dr Suresh Gupta, said, “A baby might not show specific symptoms during birth, but might develop neurological disorders and life-threatening ailments. The disease may surface in any age and can be seen starting from birth to adulthood.” He added that detecting it early helps in better management of the disease before it turns into life- threatening disease. IEM, about which parents remain unaware most times, are caused by the inheritance of 10-15 faulty genes when both parents have similar faulty genes in body composition. This indicates that the cases are more common in marriages between family groups, and in India, cases have been prevalent in many sects, religions and some specific population groups. Dr Suresh outlined, “When any member of family has an inheritable disease, the pregnant woman should undertake an anti-natal diagnosis to see if the baby is normal, and if the baby is found to be having any serious IEM, she is recommended to go for an abortion.” Those who opt to go ahead with the pregnancy have to resort to a special diet, which is not that readily available in India and is expensive too, amounting to Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 depending upon the disease. Nonetheless, paediatricians stress on screening of the newborn to detect and treat metabolic disorders, and say that the procedure should be made mandatory. Padma Shri Dr Arvind Lal, chairperson of Dr Lal PathLabs says: “Newborns can look healthy to the untrained eye, but may have underlying serious ailments that are otherwise left undetected and requires specific screening. If left undiagnosed the disorders could lead to mental retardation, epilepsy, blindness, brain damage and at times leading to death as well. Just by testing from a single drop of blood, around 30 disorders can be diagnosed.” |
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DMRC plans aesthetic Akshardham station to match temple’s beauty
New Delhi, October 25 It would also be the tallest station built so far, having six levels and standing 16.5 m above ground and 21 m from basement. Earlier, the Kashmiri Gate station that stood 15 m above the ground was the tallest station. “The Akshardham metro station will be one of the most important stations of the Yamuna Bank to Noida corridor due to its proximity to Akshardham Temple and the Games Village that will house sportspersons during the Commonwealth Games next year,” said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The daily traffic for the station has been estimated to be 78, 613 by 2011. The DMRC is constructing a Foot Over Bridge connecting the station to residential areas in Pandav Nagar. In order to ensure that the station blends well with the locale which houses Akshardham Temple, DMRC decided to use ‘dholpur’ stone on the exterior of the station structure as has been done in the temple too. Provision has been made at the upper ground and concourse levels of the station for commuters to enjoy the magnificent view of the temple. The total area of the station is 28, 000 sq m and has six levels basement, lower ground, ground, upper ground, concourse and platform. The station has two entry points, one from the Akshardham Temple side and the other from the UP Link Road. The six levels would be connected by seven escalators and four lifts. The station has a parking facility of 4,000 sq m on the side facing the Akshardham Temple that can accommodate over 500 cars. The automatic fare collection gates, ticketing counters, station control room and the customer care centre are situated at the concourse level. Public conveniences, including for handicapped persons, have been provided in the unpaid area of the concourse level. “The station will be connected to the Games Village by a road being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from the front entrance of the station,” said Dayal. DDA was also constructing a bus shelter near the front entrance of the station for the convenience of commuters. The work on the concourse and platform level was in the final stages of completion, though work on non-operational areas would continue. The Yamuna Bank to Noida section, which would carry the Metro beyond Delhi’s borders for the first time, is 13.10-km long and has 10 stations, six of them in Noida. This line was rescheduled for opening in the first week of December. However, in view of the huge rush expected during the India International Trade Fair that starts from November 14 at Pragati Maidan, the Metro was trying to open the section around the time of the trade fair. |
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HC pulls up MCD over stinking urinals
New Delhi, October 25 A division Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Ajit Bharihoke pulled up the MCD for failing to improve the state of public urinals in Delhi despite several directions. It said: “We are heading to host the Commonwealth Games and our sanitation is still not updated. What do you (MCD) want to show to the world?” The counsel for MCD told the Bench earlier that they were taking steps to improve the sanitation conditions. Advocate Ashok Agarwal, counsel in the case, said: “We are preparing ourselves for the Commonwealth Games and it is horrible that the city’s civic agencies do not even perform their basic duties.” On this the bench said: “No improvement is visible. You (MCD) have not done any work for the community toilets in the past five years. It is shameful for us when we see females going out in the open to ease themselves.” The pathetic state of public toilets was highlighted by Shahana Sheikh, a final year student of economics at the Lady Sri Ram (LSR) College, who undertook a tour of slums and the outskirts of Delhi from May to July 2008. She said the MCD, in its 2007 report, claims that there are 3,192 public conveniences in the national Capital, but she found only 1,534 toilets during her survey. In her report titled “Public Toilets in Delhi - An Emphasis on the Facilities for Women in Slum Areas”, Sheikh says only 132 urinals are available for women and most of them are in a dilapidated state.
— IANS |
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Mobile vans to rescue mentally ill in Delhi
New Delhi, October 25 The Delhi government along with the Institute for Behavioural Health Studies and Applied Sciences (IBHAS) under the urban mental health module informed the Delhi High Court earlier this week that they had already got the sanction for five mobile vans. “We have got the necessary permission from the central government for the mobile health vans along with the team of specialised doctors for the five districts,” advocate Zubeda Begum told a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar. The bench was hearing a public interest petition from a Delhi University law student, Pratibha Chopra, drawing the court’s attention towards the plight of mentally ill people in the Capital. The petitioner referred to the case of Nagpal and said there were more than 2,500 women in Delhi who were mentally ill and were not receiving any aid from the government which had led to their exploitation. However, the bench was surprised by the Centre’s order sanctioning only five mobile health vans. “It is pointed out that under the scheme of urban mental health module, nine mobile vans were required for the nine districts across the Capital, but the government has agreed to start only five which is contrary to our orders. “So the government must explain as to why our orders were not complied with by November 18,” the judges said. — IANS
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3 more polio cases in Dadri
Greater
Noida, October 25 Out of the past eight years, maximum 12 cases have been confirmed this year in GB Nagar district. Three more cases of polio have been detected in Kalaunda village of Dadri where three children are suffering from P-3 virus. This has taken the number of children suffering from polio in Kalaunda village to seven and in the Gautam Budh Nagar district to 12. There are two cases of children suffering from P-1 virus while 10 are from P- 3 virus. It may be noted that polio drops for P-3 virus were not administered in the past one year up to the beginning of October. Health department authorities were in for a shock with the recent detection of P-3 virus cases. Later, P-3 drops have been administered to children on October 8 and 22 under polio campaign. All the children suffering from P-3 virus are between the age group of 15 months and two years. It may be recalled that two children suffering from P-3 virus have died. The UP health department and the World Health Organization (WHO) medical staff are slated to tour polio-affected areas
tomorrow. Dy chief medical officer, Dr P.K. Singh said three more children have been confirmed as P-3 polio cases in Kalaunda village of
Dadri. He said that his department was fully prepared to deal with the polio scourge. “Kids will be given polio drops at a special camp in the affected areas on Monday. The camp will be attended by Dr
S.K. Jain, Dr Abdul Salam and three supervisors. |
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Woman burnt by in-laws
New Delhi, October 25 Police said that the incident took place yesterday evening when Nisha was alone at her residence in Pehla Pusta Gali number-11 in the Sonia Vihar area of Khajoori Khas. “Nisha had an argument with her brother-in-law, Rajiv, his wife, Sujata and his mother-in-law, Guddi over property. During the argument, Sujata and her mother, Guddi caught hold of Nisha while Rajiv poured kerosene on her and set her on fire,” said the police. Police further stated that Nisha was rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital with 95 per cent where she was undergoing treatment and her condition was said to be critical. Meanwhile, Rajiv along with his family members is absconding after the incident. Police added that Nisha’s husband, Sunil runs a garment business in the Capital and he was out of town for some work at the time of incident. “Sunil had a property dispute with his brother and the family used to have argument over the issue for the past few years. But yesterday’s argument turned violent after which Sunil’s brother set his wife on fire,” added the police.
A case has been registered in this regard at Khajoori Khas police station. |
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Chhat Puja ends
New Delhi, October 25 Women clad in saris held prayers for the prosperity of their families by performing a ritual in which they stood waist-deep in water and offered fruit and flowers to the sun.
Ashima Jha, one of the devotees, said, “When the sun god rises, we pray to him and offer milk, water and other offerings. It’s like a thanksgiving
ritual.” Aruna Misra, a homemaker who could not make it to the river bank but nevertheless offered prayers in a pond near her home, said the basic essence of Chhat is to seek blessings from the forces of nature as the sun and river are an integral part of the festival for well-being. While the Delhi government had made arrangements for tents, drinking water, lights for the devotees on the river banks, a number of people complained about the lack of cleanliness on the
ghats. “The situation on the ghats is a pity. There are places which are so dirty that you can’t even go near it, forget praying there,” rued Ashok
Misra, a devotee. — IANS |
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2 killed by drunk colleague
New Delhi, October 25 Police said that the incident took place at around 9.15 pm in a tar-making factory in Bawana. “The accused, Sanjay along with the victims, Dhananjay Kumar (24) and his brother, Akshay (22) were drinking when they had an argument over a minor issue. After the argument, Sanjay forced them out of the factory and told them not to disturb him, but the brothers kept banging the door,” said the police. Police further stated that Sanjay got irritated by their behaviour and threw acid can on the two brothers. “The victims, native of Bihar, were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were declared brought dead. We suspect that the fume generated from acid might have entered into their lungs and they succumbed. But we are awaiting the medical reports,” stated the
police. Police added that Sanjay is absconding after the incident and a case has been registered in this regard at the local police station. |
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Over 40 school kids taken ill
Ghaziabad, October 25 But parents of the children said it was unlikely that all the children consumed the fruits the same day on Saturday. The Jatropha trees have been planted near the school premises for years. The parents blamed the food consumed by children as midday meal in their school. When asked about the midday meals served to the students, Prasad said: “I am not here to inquire about the midday meal and I will not give any instructions to collect the food samples which may have been served to them. All locals are saying that they consumed Jatropha fruits.”
— IANS
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Cylinder burst leaves 5 hurt
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 25 Three children with burn injuries were admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. The doctors said their condition was stable. Robber held
The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Crime Branch has arrested a notorious inter-state robber, Ved Prakash, alias Sonu Boxer (24). The police has seized one 7.65-mm pistol with 5 live cartridges and one .315-bore pistol with 5 more cartridges from his possession. He was driving a Maruti Swift Dzire car, which was robbed at gunpoint from Haryana when arrested by the Delhi police last evening from the Vasant Vihar area. |
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Delhi to get colder
New Delhi, October 25 “It is not winter yet, but October is a month of transition and from now on it is going to get colder,” an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Early Sunday, the minimum temperature recorded was three degrees below the average, at 13.8 degrees Celsius. “It will mainly be clear skies in the coming days,” the official added. With the changing weather, sneezing and runny noses have become a common sight. Anupama Dey, a homemaker, said: “Normally, I am not worried when my school-going son has a running nose at this time of the year – it is only natural with the change in the weather. But with swine flu around, I am more careful and look out for any tell-tale symptoms”.
— IANS |
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Women activists allege police inaction
Greater Noida, October 25 Members of the Mahila Shakti Samajak Samiti gheraoed the kotwali and protested against the police, as it had failed to arrest the man. They decided to find the accused and teach him a lesson. It is alleged that Satinder Singh, a resident of Sector Gama-I in Greater Noida, wanted to take divorce as he was involved with a young girl. On his wife’s refusal to sign the divorce papers, he had beaten up his wife and son and threatened to kill them.
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