New Delhi, November 10
Perhaps pubs and parties do not suit Manu Sharma, alias Siddharth Vashist, undergoing life imprisonment for shooting Jessica Lal in one such party about 10 years ago.

This time around, out on parole to tend to his ‘ill mother’, Manu once again landed up in controversy after he was spotted in a night club with a friend on Saturday morning, misusing his parole.

Had there not been a brawl between Manu’s friend Sahil Dhingra, owner of a leading apparel brand and son of a senior police officer inside the night club leading to police involvement, Manu could have continued enjoying freedom till November 22, the due date of expiry of his parole.

However, that was not to be and he surrendered before the jail authorities this morning.

It has now been confirmed by the Delhi police that the suspected person in the night club with Sahil Dhingra on November 7 was indeed Manu Sharma.

“The Delhi government had sought report from the Delhi police whether Manu Sharma was present in the night club on Saturday morning and after going through the CCTV footages of the night club, it has been established that he was indeed there,” said Rajan Bhagat, PRO, Delhi police.

He added that the report had been sent to the Delhi government to take action in the matter related to Manu Sharma’s parole.

The controversy began after Chanakyapuri police station sleuths came to the LAP bar following a complaint against Sahil Dhingra, who picked a quarrel with the son of a senior police officer in the adjoining Ashok Hotel’s F-Bar.

Dhingra was accompanied by Manu Sharma to the bar, but when the police came, Manu managed to give them the slip and left by the rear door of the bar.

Looking for Dhingra’s accomplice, the police caught Sameer Thapar, vice-president and managing director of JCT Ltd, who was also present in the bar. He was taken into preventive custody along with Dhingra.

A case under Section 107/151 of the Indian Penal Code was lodged against the duo.

Meanwhile, Sameer Thapar, an innocent victim in the whole episode has threatened to sue the Delhi police.

Addressing a press conference today, he alleged that he was bundled into a police car and taken to the area police station ‘forcibly’.

“I did not interact with Sahil Dhingra at all, but police detained me for almost 12 hours without any reason. I will now sue the Delhi police for this,” said Thapar today.

New Delhi, November 10
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today dismissed Delhi health minister Kiran Walia’s remark that the civic agency had failed to check the rising number of dengue cases in the Capital. Meanwhile, the MCD sources confirmed 42 new cases on Tuesday.

Mayor Kanwar Sain said that the civic agency was doing its best to keep a tab on the spread of the disease that had already claimed two lives in and around the Capital. An estimated 550 people are said to be afflicted with dengue.

Sain also said that the officials supervising the construction of the Commonwealth Games Village had been fined for letting water stagnate at its building site and making it a breeding ground for dengue-causing mosquitoes.

“The Commonwealth Games Village (in east Delhi) has become a breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquitoes. We had gone there for an inspection last week and fined the officials for allowing water stagnation,” Sain said.

“This year, due to late rains in the Capital, there has been a rise in the number of dengue patients. Next year, we will have the situation under control. There will be no such problem during the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Earlier, the health minister said the civic body was not taking proper care to stop breeding of mosquitoes in Delhi.

“Despite several reminders, the MCD health officer is not informing the Delhi government about the total number of dengue cases in various hospitals,” she said.

Preparation for the Commonwealth Games, to be held next year from October 3-14, has seen a host of building and renovation activities all over the city and consequent accumulation of rubble that become breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

New Delhi, November 10
Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain today said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has reached a consensus with the meat traders over the issue of shifting their business to the new abattoir in Ghazipur.

The agreement has been arrived at after years of protests over the closure of the centuries-old Idgah slaughterhouse.

Sain said that the Delhi Meat Merchant Association (DMMA) had assured him that it would withdraw all court cases against the MCD regarding shifting the Capital’s meat trade from the Idgah slaughterhouse to the newly-built Ghazipur abattoir.

“A delegation of the butcher community met us today. The members have assured us that they would cooperate with the MCD in running the Ghazipur slaughterhouse, and said they had called off the agitation on MCD’s assurance that their grievances would be looked into,” said Sain.

“The DMMA has asked that the civic infrastructure around the Ghazipur abattoir should be upgraded. In addition, it has demanded an increase in the capacity of the abattoir in order to discourage illegal slaughtering and a proper shelter to keep unsold animals,” said the Mayor.

The traders have also demanded a provision of manual slaughtering to meet emergency situation.

Sain has assured the traders that the MCD would consider their grievances and work out solutions.

The traders’ strike began soon after the Idgah abattoir near the walled city was closed down on October 22 after a five-year legal battle between the MCD and the meat traders’ association.

The meat traders, a majority of whom are based near the Idgah slaughterhouse, refused to move to the new high-tech abattoir at Ghazipur in east Delhi, which has been criticised because it is next to a sanitary landfill site and a stinking drain.

New Delhi, November 10
Reconsidering the decision of the increased bus fares, the Delhi cabinet today decided to extend journey under first slab from three to four km and gave a substantial relief to passengers (BPL) in regard to their monthly passes in non-AC busses. 

The cabinet also gave nod for setting up business facilitation council in the industries department to provide a single window system for prospective entrepreneurs in Delhi.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the cabinet had decided to provide relief to short distance commuters and further granted a relief to BPL passengers, keeping in view their economic status. 

It has decided to extend journey under the first slab from three to four km for all passengers in non-AC busses.  The ticket for the first slab will remain Rs 5 and Rs 10 will be charged from four to 10 km. 

The family members of those, who are in possession of requisite BPL certification as approved by the Food and Civil Supply Department, have been granted relief in their monthly DTC passes.  The pass for non-AC busses will cost Rs 500 that was earlier Rs 800. The new rates will come into force after issuing a notification.    

She added the business facilitation council would provide a single window system to deliver government services with more transparency.

New Delhi, November 10
The house of a junior engineer with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was yesterday evening burgled. According to the police, the thieves decamped with cash and valuables worth several lakhs of rupees. The engineer lived in Jai Apartment in Mehrauli.

“The thieves entered the house of Amit Kumar, a junior engineer with the MCD, when he was in office. Amit told the police that he had left his house for his Chhatarpur office around 9 am. He said he got to know about the incident only after he returned from office around 6:30 pm. On returning, the engineer said, he found that the entire house was ransacked,” said a police officer.

Amit claimed that thieves decamped with Rs 80,000 in cash and gold ornaments. The police said they had filed an FIR on his complaint.

Gurgaon, November 10
A 22-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by three boys. The victim lodged a police complaint against the three today.

She told the police Munish, one of the accused, took her to Manesar for an interview and raped her. She claimed he had called his two other friends and told her they would help her in getting the job. They took her to an underconstruction building and raped her there.

According to sources, the victim is married but she did not have good terms with her husband. She allegedly had illicit relationship with Munish.

Howver, the police said that the victim’s medical test had been conducted and a case had been registered against the three of them. The police is trying to identify the culprits on the basis of the phone numbers in the victim’s mobile phone.

Investigation officer Jagmal singh said while recording her statement in the court the girl said that Munish picked her from Iffco Chowk on November 8. He had said that after the interview he would take her to his home in Punjab. But he along with his friends raped her. The next day she reported the matter to the police.

New Delhi, November 10
The German cultural centre in India, Goethe-Institute, better known as the Max Mueller Bavan hit a golden jubilee today. In the last 50 years, the Max Mueller Bhavan has not only become an important part of the art and culture’s literary circle in the Capital, but also grown immensely popular with the young.

In the words of Sadanand Menon, famous writer who has been associated with the MMB since the 1980’s, “It has proved to be a healthy public space for all disciplines and people with all sorts of interests.

Over the years it has proved that it is not a diplomacy tool or a propaganda carrier, but a cultural centre in its truest sense.”

Be it programmes, film festivals, movie screenings, lectures, seminars or discussion sessions, the Max Mueller Bhavan has hosted it all. Not to forget, the German language course, this has become much more popular in the last few years.

The Bhavan named after Friedrich Max Mueller who was a German philologist and Orientalist, now stands in India with an expanded network with new affiliated language centres in cities like Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore and Trivandrum.

“More and more students are now enrolling for the German language course. The response has been tremendous in the last some years,” said, the president of Goeteh Institute, Prof Dieter Lehman.

Moreover, the Max Mueller canteen has also turned out to be quite a crowd-puller. Students in big groups are seen chatting and eating at the “value-for-money” food joint.

“Either with friends or without them, coming here is always fun. The varied events at the Bhavan have always been enriching and engaging. The best placek is the library. From fiction to books on varied subjects, one can never run short of stuff here,” said Bhavna, a Hindu College student.

Most artisans and scholars from the literary circle maintain that the Max Mueller German has always given enough freedom to their Indian counterparts to realise their projects and varied programme ideas.

“Both the cultures have indeed grown closer than before. The globalized thinking and changing times have brought about a terrific convergence of Indo-German cultures,” added Prof Dieter Lehman.

As part of the celebrations that the Max Mueller Bhavan has turned 50, the Bhavan will be granting Rs 60 lakh as production grants to support new cultural projects which may be from all fields of culture.

Jury members both from India and Germany will take a decision on the winners.

Till March 2010, the anniversary celebrations would include a variety of programmes and announcements across India.

Greater Noida, November 10
After a district hospital and colleges for girls and boys in Noida, the Greater Noida Authority (GNIDA) will now set up 11 police stations, 58 police posts and six fire stations in Greater Noida.

The GNIDA is doing this to reassure new investors and entrepreneurs that the area proved a suitable, secure and safe industrial environment.

Instead of the state government, the GNIDA would finance the expansion of the police stasions.

The GNIDA is slated to complete 11 police sttions, six fire stations and 58 police posts by 2021. According to sources, the master plan for these has already been given final touches. Locations for the new police stations have already been identified.

Three police posts are under Surajpur Kotwali, Kulesra and Surajpur town. Additional police staff would also be appointed.

Currently, there is just one fire station in Greater Noida. Six more fire stations would provide more efficient service, as there are over a dozen fire- sensitive companies in the area.

There is a plan to set up a fire station in Dadri too.

Residents of the area live under constant fear due to the rising crime graph.

A high-level team had recently visited industrial metros in the country, where they learnt that investors were hesitant to invest in Noida and Greater Noida due to poor law and order.