New Delhi, November 20
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi may have planned to phase out horse-drawn carriages but the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Board is looking forward to exploiting the popularity of buggies among the tourists.

Buggy, a horse-drawn rickshaw having air-conditioner, would soon be launched in and around Old Delhi areas.

The horse-drawn carriages would ply on the proposed ten heritage walks in the Walled City.

“The people would be able to relish the old grandeur of the Mughal and British times by riding horse-drawn buggies in the Old Delhi areas. The board will roll out hundreds of such buggies to showcase the historical charm of the Walled City to people, especially foreign tourists,” said a senior MCD official.

For long this old means of city transport, which was much in vogue decades ago, had given a way to the modern fuel-driven vehicles. As per the proposal of the board, a third party would be engaged to launch the fleet of air-conditioned horse-drawn buggies, which could number around 200, to serve the purpose of ferrying commuters in the walled city.

The introduction of buggies will also give an alternative means of transport to the visitors in the Walled City, as they opt for it for their travel in the inner lanes of the heritage areas.

However, the buggies will cost more as compared to rickshaws, the authorities are confident that the people would prefer it for its historical significance and comfort.

“Though Walled City has a large number of heritage monuments and are most sought-after destinations among the foreign tourists in the Capital, these buggies are really going to become a major attraction among the tourists,” he said.

“We are soon to launch 10 heritage walk routes, which will take people to the lost world of the Walled City. The buggies will be deployed on those routes. The proposal envisages involvement of a third party to make it a viable and revenue generating venture,” stated one of the members of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Board.

He added that the proposed buggies would be designed in a way that they do not take much of the space and cause snarls.

New Delhi, November 20
Calling to bring about a change in the educational pattern, the Dalai Lama today said that compassion should be incorporated as a core discipline while teaching children. The world had become mechanical and there was an immediate need for educationists to work out ways of teaching compassion to the coming generation. The Dalai Lama was delivering 15th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture on ‘Women and Peace’ here today.

“As women biologically have more potential to develop compassion for others, the responsibility of teaching compassion to the world rests on them,” he said.

He said that modern education was making the world more and more unjust. Talking about bringing equality and peace in the world, the Dalai Lama said mutual respect and dialogue were the only solution. “But arguments pushed forcibly are not dialogues,” he asserted.

In context of China, he said, the people of the country were very hard-working and practical. He said the “harmony” that Chinese President Hu Jintao was trying to achieve for the country could only come from “trust.”“Trust comes from openness. People of China deserve to know everything happening in their country. Trust cannot be ensured when there is censorship,” said the Buddhist guru.

Communists across the world he said needed to ensure a space for criticism of the party, both from within and outside.

Appreciating the socio-economic theories of the communist ideology, the Dalai Lama accepted that he was himself a Marxist. “I am a Marxist, but not a Leninist,” he said, adding the Chinese ideologue Mao Tse Tung was a revolutionary and it was later he became a dictator.

On American President Barak Obama’s remark during his recent visit to China about the country’s role in Asia, the Dalai Lama said, India and China had important roles to play for Asia’s development.

He said it was violence and greater dependence on material goods that bothered him the most in the world.

Talking about global disarmament, he said, according to him Japan and America should take the lead in nuclear disarmament.

Ghaziabad, November 20
If you think you can stop people from disturbing your area’s peace by playing loud music late in the night, then think again, else you could also be at the receiving end. Some youngsters at Indirapuram here assaulted SDM Sadar, Noida, when he tried to stop them from playing loud music on Thursday midnight.

Though an Apex Court ruling prohibits breaking the peace of a residential area by playing loud band or music or exploding crackers late in the night, it has failed to rein in boisterous people.

When SDM Vishal Singh asked youngsters who were playing loud music at Wincer Club in Indirapuram here to stop doing that, he was beaten up by some youths, including an assistant engineer of Ghaziabad Development Authority and his three friends. The engineer identified as N.K. Chaudhary posed as the PA of Uttar Pradesh minister Nammuddin Siddique to throw his weight in the argument.

Ghaziabad SSP Akhil Kumar said, “Four persons, including Chaudhary have been arrested and the police is trying to find out if they were drunk.” The accused were sent for medical test, said Rajesh Tripathi, SHO of Indirapuram police station.

According to sources, earlier the police booked the accused under strict sections of the IPC but after they received a call from Lucknow they were booked under milder sections.

Noida, November 20
In view of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi next year, an 8-lane road from Akshardham temple in East Delhi to Noida Gate has been cleared.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting by Atul Kumar Gupta and Rakesh Mehta, chief secretaries respectively of UP and Delhi, it is learnt.

The Delhi government has agreed to give land to UP on either side of Shahdara drain for the purpose. The Noida authority is finalizing a proposal for utilising the land which will be acquired.

Thus, the dispute between UP and Delhi on land around Noida has been settled. The UP government in turn has agreed to give land to Delhi from Sector-14-A in Noida to Kalandi Kunj.

Due to this land dispute, the Delhi government could not convert the 4-lane road from Akshardham temple to Noida Gate into an 8-lane road. A 16-metre stretch was needed on either side for converting the 4-lane road into an 8-lane highway.

After an agreement between both the governments having been reached, the process of land acquisition has been set in motion. The state government is understood to have instructed the Noida authority to prepare the proposal for acquisition of the land accordingly.

The Noida authority is expected to prepare the proposal keeping in view the extent of land to be given to Delhi and the proposed use of land that UP will get on either side of Shahdara drain from Delhi.

Noida authority’s additional CEO, P.N. Batham, confirmed that an agreement has been reached between both the governments on the land dispute.

Instructions have been issued for giving land to Delhi and the land to be acquired from Delhi on both the sides of Shahdara drain. The Noida authority will develop the land in a suitable way, after it is acquired, Batham added.

New Delhi, November 20
Farmers have returned to their home towns after the rally, but they have left their mark at Parliament Street, Jantar Mantar and Janpath, a VIP market.

Jantar Mantar, an 18th century monument, is always kept clean. A board with instructions, ‘Litter is prohibited inside the Jantar Mantar’, is put up at the entrance of the monument. But farmers did not care for the instructions. They entered the monument yesterday, throwing cane stems in the park. When officials on duty tried to stop them, the farmers threatened them, said a watchman at the Jantar Mantar.

Even the police personnel deployed at the monument failed to control them, he said.

Superintendent, Archaeological Survey of India, K. K. Mohammad said that it was shocking that farmers threw sugarcane stems and misbehaved with the officials.

He said that security was not generally deployed at monuments. But the ASI had written a letter to the Delhi government appealing not to allow farmers rally at Jantar Mantar. But the state government took no action.

Additional commissioner of police, New Delhi district, Sharkar Dass said it was huge rush of farmers. The police tried to check vandalism. Whenever rallies are taken out, the police had to act very carefully. There were at least 40,000 farmers in the rally and it was not an easy job to control them. Police was deployed only at important places, he added.

New Delhi, November 20
The Delhi government is allegedly ignoring the request of giving five shops to the National Federation of Fisherman’s Cooperative Department (FISHCOPFED), said its managing director B.K. Mishra. The department has been entrusted with the task of supplying fish to the Commonwealth Games Society during Games-2010.

Mishra said he had written a letter to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit appealing to allot five shops to the department so that it could supply fish during the Games. But as of now he has not received any reply.

Mishra said during the Asian Games in 1982 the FISHCOPFED was allotted two shops at Yusuf Sarai in south Delhi that still in its possession.

The federation had purchased the shops from the state government after the games.

He said this time too the federation would purchase the shops allotted by the government.

He said the quality of fish supplied by the department was better than the market.

“We have air-conditioned shops and deep freezers. Other shopkeepers do not have these facilities,” Mishra claimed.

However, Delhi minister of irrigation and flood control Raj Kumar Chauhan who is the in-charge of wholesale fruits, vegetables, poultry and fish market said so far he had not received any letter from the federation.

“We will think about it if we receive a letter. We have a wholesale fish market in Ghazipur to supply fish in and around the Capital,” he said.

However, principal secretary to the Chief Minister was not available for a comment.

New Delhi, November 20
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today distributed awards to 12 cooperative institutions and 15 individual cooperators for outstanding services to the cause of the cooperative movement in Delhi.

The awardees among cooperative institutions are Delhi State Cooperative Bank Limited, the Kendriya Bhandar (central government employee consumer cooperative society limited), Vaish Cooperative New Bank Limited, Jamia Cooperative Bank Limited, Vishnu Cooperative Urban Society Limited and Meghdoot Cooperative Group Housing Society Limited.

The individual cooperators are Arun Kumar Jain, president, Vaish Cooperative Adarsh Bank; B. R. Sharma, managing director, Kangra Cooperative Bank; P. N. Bhaskar president, Capital Cooperative Industrial Society Limited; Pushpa Gupta, director, Vaish Cooperative Commercial Bank, Sangeeta Goel, secretary, Kothari Cooperative Group Housing Society Limited.

Noida, November 20
A security guard living in rented house in Wajadpur village in Noida phase-II has beaten his colleague to death. The accused fled after locking the room. Later, he informed his company on phone.

Two security guards, Ravinder Kumar Singh of Kanpur and R.K. Singh of Shekhpur Sarai in Bihar, employed by Walson Security Agency in Sector-6, were posted in Sector 135, Metlife Company. Both were living together in Hajpur village in phase-II. They reportedly had a drinking bout on Tuesday night after which they fell out on some issue.

Ravinder from Kanpur hit his namesake from Bihar with a rod on his head which killed the latter. After locking the door from outside, the assailant fled away.

The next day, he informed his agency of it in the evening. The company then informed the police. The police brought out the body after breaking open the lock of the room.

There were injury marks on the face and head of the deceased.

The police has registered the report.

New Delhi, November 20
A Delhi court sentenced a Delhi police sub-inspector to three years of prison term here on Thursday for demanding bribe from a man for not taking any tough action against his brother who was wanted in a criminal case 12 years ago.

Holding Siddhartha Pareek guilty, special judge Rakesh Siddhartha refused to show any leniency and said, “The convict does not deserve any indulgence from teh court of law and as such, custodial sentence of rigorous imprisonment alone would serve as a real deterrent as the conduct of corrupt government servant deserves to be severely deprecated and no clemency can be shown.”

Pareek along with his father-in-law Madhusudan Sharma was held guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and various provisions of the IPC.

The court slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 besides the prison term on Pareek.

Another convict Sharma, accused of throwing the bribe money of Rs 40,000, was, however, released on probation of good conduct. He was also imposed with a fine of Rs 20,000.

Pareek and Sharma were apprehended by a team of Anti-Corruption branch officials on July 18, 1997 on a complaint of Vijay Populi at the time of taking the bribe money at their residence in Amar Colony from him.

Populi alleged Sharma demanded money for toning down the charges against his brother Arun, who was wanted in a case registered with IGI police station.

New Delhi, November 20
A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced a man to one-year imprisonment for outraging the modesty of a 67-year-old woman.

Metropolitan magistrate Twinkle Wadhwa refused to release Wahajuddin on probation due to good conduct, saying that the way he had committed the offence with a 67-year-old woman did not entitle him to such a benefit.

“The complainant is an old and aged lady and the way her modesty has been outraged, the convict is not entitled to be released on probation,” said the magistrate.

The court, however, granted bail to the convict who is a father of three minor children, on furnishing a personal and surety bond of Rs 10,000 to enable him to file an appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Earlier, on May 3, 2002 a case was registered against Wahajuddin (30), on a complaint lodged by a woman who alleged the accused, residing in her building, had outraged her modesty and caused injuries to her following a verbal duel.

The prosecution produced nine witnesses to prove its charges against the convict.

New Delhi, November 20
An accident claim tribunal awarded Rs 22.15 lakh as compensation to the family members of an employee of an export firm who died in a road accident after his motorbike collided with a truck four years ago.

Reena Singh Nag, presiding officer of the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal, held the owner and the driver of the water tanker liable of negligent driving which resulted in the accident and subsequent death of 34-year-old Nizam.

On October 27, 2005, Nizam and his brother Naim were going to their respective offices on a motor cycle around 11 am when suddenly the driver of the water tanker, who was driving just ahead of them, negligently applied brake on National Highway 8. The victim, who was behind the tanker, received fatal injuries in the accident.

Shamida Khatun, the widow of the victim and resident of Saharsa in Bihar, approached the tribunal seeking compensation on account of death of her husband who was the only breadearner of the family and was a young man earning a salary of Rs 15,000 per month.

Allowing the petition moved by Khatun, the tribunal asked National Insurance Company Ltd, the insurer of the tanker to pay the compensation money within a month.Nizam has three minor sons an old mother and his widow.

Nizam was working as a supervisor with Gurgaon-based firm, Campari.