New Delhi, November 23
A day after four outsiders were held for allegedly misbehaving with girl students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, police kept tight vigil inside the campus to thwart any violence. Meanwhile, the arrested men were today produced in a city court from where they were sent to a one-day judicial custody.

“Policemen in plain clothes were deployed on campus. Nothing untoward was reported from anywhere,” said a policeman from Vasant Kunj (North) police station.

The four men were identified as Nitin Kapoor, Ankit Nanda, Amit Chauhan and Gagan Kumar.

According to students, the trouble started when drunk men were caught misbehaving with girls and threatening a security guard by putting a gun to his head on campus. 
The suspects allegedly drove into the campus around 3.30 p.m. on Sunday and were drinking in their white Hyundai Accent car, police said.

The students caught the suspects and handed them over to the police. There was uproar in the university as students did not allow the police to take the suspects out of campus demanding apologies from them, the police said.

New Delhi, November 23
Delhiites can now expect a better water supply service with improved water management system.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has given the contract for leakage management of water in the city to a Japanese agency, Japan International Co-operation Association.

The agency will take over the maintenance work of damaged meters and water pipelines, said a senior DJB official. The company will bring into play modern technology to detect leakages and ensure proper water supply in different parts of the Capital.

“We have finally decided to tackle water wastage and leakage, the two major causes that make up for the bulk of the Capital’s water problems. The new company will cater to many problems like monitoring water leakages, faulty meters, etc,” he said.

The Japanese company will hold a training workshop for its engineers on November 25. The company would also conduct a survey to gather information on the total consumption of water in each zone. The zones will be further divided into small areas to evaluate the data.

The DJB spends Rs 1,500 crore annually on improving Delhi’s water supply. “A huge amount of money is spent every year on repairing the water pipelines, some of which were laid down even decades ago, but now this would be augmented with private sector participation,” said the officer.

According to DJB officials, the demand in Delhi is about 869 MGD or 274 litres per capita per day (lpcd). The problems arise due to losses from leakages, inequitable distribution and lack of storage capacity.

The government had earlier decided to form area-wise monitoring committees to maintain checks on leakages and illegal tapping of water.

Since more than 45% of the city has unplanned growth, the consumers often face water shortage. “As DJB does not have sufficient water inventory, the present norm of 450/350 litre per head per day for hospitals and hotels respectively will soon go down to 200 litres,” he said.

New Delhi, November 23
The rush at the trade fair seems to have become an inseparable feature for the last three days. What everybody was referring to as the “weekend rush” was as strong even today on a weekday as almost one lakh visitors visited the fair.

The rush inside was so much that almost all the pavilions had long queues of people outside them throughout the day, including Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Kerela pavilions.

Mansi, a visitor at the Himachal pavilion, said, “There is a lot of rush today. Each visitor is spending almost half an hour in any pavilion and even more if they are shopping inside the pavilion.”

“Pavilions are very congested. It’s hard to stand at a stall and make purchases as you are bound to be pushed by the crowd in some direction or the other. The rush has left almost no scope for bargaining,” added another visitor at the Rajasthan pavilion.

The crowd today also led to tussles between visitors to find space to sit and relax for a while. Small parks were full of litter as people chose to eat food there.

To cap it, the dustbins in the entire maidan were full to the brim.

From the lanes outside the pavilions to the small parks inside the maidan, litter was all around. By the evening, most people were struggling to find a decent spot to sit, relax and perhaps eat calmly.

Ashok Maliwal outside the “Bharat ka khana” stall said, “There are not enough benches. Even the parks have become untidy and full of people. The food courts are unable to accommodate the visitors. It is very tiresome roaming around the pavilions with no place to sit.”

The rush at the fair also affected the traffic outside. It was considerably affected at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Bahirav Marg, Outer Ring Road stretch and towards the ITO main red light.

New Delhi, November 23
The trade fair has become quite a hangout zone for the youngsters besides being a welcome destination for shopping, eating out and trade opportunities.

While for most it spelled out to be a perfect dating spot, for the youth it was photo sessions so that they can glamorize their accounts on social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook.

Young couples at the fair roaming around have become a common sight now with not just college students but even school students thronging Pragati Maidan.

While most believe that the trade fair gives a break from the traditional dating routine of visiting malls and eating out at selected joints, for others it’s an ideal excuse to spend the entire day together.

Nikita and Sharad, a couple for the last two years now, said, “We are having just too much fun here. It’s a perfect place to come out with your partner. Be it shopping, eating or visiting options, you can never have a fight because the variety for everything is in plenty here.”

“The weather is cold now, and with a bit of sun, the fair is just ideal. It’s a break from usual friends and gives us time to talk to each other properly. It’s an outing for the whole day,” added Shruti, visiting the fair with her classmate and partner, Rohit.

Most youngsters were attracted by the use of vibrant colours, the architectural layout of the pavilions and the various mock set-ups that made for a perfect background for pictures.

Digital cameras, handycams and even mobile phones came in handy for those who were just randomly clicking away at the fair, soothing their sense of photography.

Paramjeet and his friends were having fun with cameras at the fair. He said, “The decoration is brilliant. The bright colours at Rajasthan pavilion, the scene preparation outside the Himachal Pavilion, the bamboo tree stall, the fighter jet models at the defense exhibition were some of the places we just couldn’t resist clicking pictures.”

Also at the fair were school students, many of whom had bunked classes and were there with friends. Most young groups were scaling pavilions searching for good spots to practise their photography sessions.

“Malls now do not let us enter in school uniforms. Trade fair was a good option. It’s a picnic,” said one of the school students.

New Delhi, November 23
Agitation against the criminal cases reported from Azadpur vegetable and fruit wholesale market forced the Delhi administration to contemplate installing CCTV cameras at selective places in the market, said Delhi urban development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.

Besides, tight security arrangement will be made in the market. The security guards will be armed with guns, he said.

The agitation was started by the traders after an employee of wholesale vegetable traders was shot dead and another injured by unidentified assailants on Saturday.

Traders said that this is not the first incident. These incidents often occur in the market but neither the police nor the market committee takes action. The police should identify the criminals operating in and around the market. If it is not done, crime will rise in the area.

Chairman of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee, Azadpur, Bansal J. K. said that there was a minor protest today. Trading was normal.

“Security personnel are already deployed in the market. But I will write a letter to the deputy commissioner of police to strengthen the security in the market,” he said.

New Delhi, November 23
Even as officials of the Delhi health department said that the spread of dengue would come down, with the temperatures in the season coming below 15 degrees Celsius, the number of people affected by the disease has touched the 1,000-mark.

Still the number of cases confirmed as of date has been less than last year’s 1,200 at this time.

Today, the national Capital reported 10 fresh cases of the vector-borne disease, and with this the cumulative tally of the disease has reached 1,009, informed a Delhi health official.

The chief medical officer of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Dr N K Yadav, said, the civic body is carrying on its anti-dengue drive, but the cases have been going down and would dip further in the coming days.

“There might be a few cases here and there, but cases would surely go down. The MCD workers are on their toes, and attending to every complaint. The defogging exercise is still on and we are also educating people on the ways and need to make sure that the water tanks and other storage bins are free from mosquito-breeding.”

Anybody seen violating the norms is taken to task in the form of penalties up to Rs 500, and till today the number of people prosecuted has been nearly 800, he added. 

New Delhi, November 23
In view of promoting night tourism and capturing every visitor’s eye during the next year’s Commonwealth Games, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is quite busy illuminating the city’s monuments.

Besides the already designated task of lighting 13 monuments, another set of 33 monuments is awaiting the go-ahead from the ministry of tourism (MoT).

Vice-president of engineering department, ITDC, Ravi Pandit said the agency has drawn a panel of international consultants for illumination of 33 monuments.

Adding that the criteria for selection are history, location and prominence, he said, “The MoT is yet to sanction the plan, and the selection would come from historians and ASI experts.”

Earlier, 13 historical structures were chosen on the basis of their proximity to the Games venues and ITDC was appointed by the MoT as the implementing agency for carrying out the lighting work at the 13 monumental sites before the CWG.

Ravi stated, “Out of the 13 monuments, the work of lighting four monuments, namely Safdarjung Tomb, Sabz Burj, Purana Quila and Sher Shah Gate, has been completed under phase I, the remaining nine monuments are going to be taken under phase II upgradation.”

To yield the maximum from minimum available resource, ITDC is abiding by the call of the time by applying the concept of energy efficiency, which also brings down the cost by a substantial margin.

Ravi explained, “All the methods used for lighting are energy-efficient and consequently, the maintenance cost comes down to one-seventh of the cost incurred with routine lighting.”

Besides, said Ravi, the task involves a lot of meticulous details, given the fact that Archeological Survey of India (ASI) doesn’t want any harm to the live wire and digging activity at the site. All the monuments that are being considered for illumination are under the jurisdiction of ASI. So, the entire work is being carried out from a distance to ensure that no damage is caused to the monuments. Moreover, the lights, which do not have ultra violet radiation, do not affect the upper creamy layer of the monuments, Ravi told The Tribune.

ITDC will come up with a fusion of light emitting diodes (LID) and metallic halides (MH) to create an electrifying effect in the mind of every tourist. “To offer the visitors, an unforgettable picture of the historical past in all its grandeur, we would be working out amazing designs through variegated-coloured lights,” said Ravi.

At the four monuments, ITDC has employed LED, and the remaining lighting work at other sites would also involve MH, given MH has time control device, which enables in adjusting/ altering the intensity of light after fixed intervals of time.

The work is in advanced stage, with the designs and estimates for the nine monuments already submitted by the department concerned of ITDC, and the work of awarding the tenders would be within a week’s time, said Ravi.

While the illumination of 13 monuments is targeted to be complete by March 2010, with an estimated expenditure of Rs 23.75 crore, the confirmation for starting lighting for the selected monuments from 33 identified is likely to come by next week, as learnt from confirmed sources.

Even though, not much work has been completed till now, the spirit is really high within the official quarters.

“The task has to be achieved within a definitive timeframe. The idea is to promote night tourism, and the concept has already borne fruit in several parts of India,” said Ravi.

Here, with the “Incredible India” campaign already setting the ball rolling for promoting tourism during the next year’s Commonwealth Games (CWG) by bagging the year’s best campaign award at the recently held World Travel Market in London, the lighted monuments would add momentum to the task. 

New Delhi, November 23
The east district police has rescued a seven-year-old boy who was kidnapped for ransom on November 15.

Two persons identified as Sushil and Shivpal were arrested on Saturday from Rohtapur Village in Kanpur and Delhi, respectively. The child was rescued the same day. The third accused, Ravinder, is absconding. 

The police said the boy was rescued from the house of Sushil Yadav at Kanpur.

The boy had gone missing from his house in Jhilmil area of the Capital. On the complaint of the victim’s father, a case of kidnapping was registered at Vivek Vihar police station. The victim’s father Sita Ram had allegedly received ransom calls for the safe recovery of his son. 

“Teams were formed rescue the child. A 24-hour vigil was kept at all ISBTs and railway stations,” said a senior police official adding that success eluded them until the kidnappers started making ransom calls. “The child’s father started receiving ransom calls from November 19, after four days the child was kidnapped. The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 2.5 lakh,” the official said.

The child’s father called from many mobile phones of western and eastern UP areas like — Kannauj, Auraiya and Kanpur. Technical surveillance was deployed and raids were conducted at suspected hideouts of the accused.

Sushil disclosed that he was in dire need of money so he planned to kidnap the child. The two have no previous criminal record.

5 robbers nabbed

With the arrest of five persons, the special operation squad of Delhi police’s crime branch has busted a gang of inter-state robbers and vehicle lifters. 

The accused identified as Ramjan, Irshad, Imran, Javed and Nazim were arrested last night near Khalsa College in north Delhi.

Ten cases of robbery and vehicle theft in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have been solved with their arrest. One 9-MM pistol, three .315-bore countrymade firearms, 10 live rounds, four stolen motorcycles and jewellery worth Rs 4.65 lakh have been seized from them.

Greater Noida, November 23
A young man was electrocuted in Khodna Kalan village with a snapped power line under Surajpur Kotwali area. The villagers protested by placing his body on the road and jamming it for five hours.

The dharna was lifted only when the Noida Power Co Ltd (NPCL) announced that Rs 1.25 lakh compensation would be paid to the victim’s family.

While Raj Kumar was on his way to work, he came in contact with a snapped wire in Khodna Kalan and died.

Angry villagers sat on dharna in protest by keeping Raj Kumar's body in the middle of the road. They raised slogans against NPCL, the administration and the police. They said the NPCL had been informed of the snapping of the high voltage wire three days ago. The NPCL officials had at that time assured the villagers that they would soon repair the fault by cutting the cable.

NPCL and police officials promptly reached the site of agitation. NPCL officers announced a compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh to the next of the kin. SDM Sadar Vishal Singh also announced another grant of Rs 20,000 for the family of the deceased. The villagers then lifted the jam.

Gt Noida, November 23
The police has arrested two bikers who were caught performing stunts on the busy Expressway on Sunday for endangering public life.

The accused are the residents of Geeta Colony in Delhi. However, seeing the police, the other comapanions of the accused managed to flee.

On Sunday morning, the Noida Phase-II police learnt that a group of bikers was performing dangerous stunts on the Expressway. SI Rajinder Singh reached the spot with a team of policemen. They found some youths with women on the back seat performing dangerous stunts on bikes. The police surrounded them and nabbed them.

Over 10 bikers slipped away while two were caught. The arrested persons have been identified as Jaspinder Singh and Arvinder Singh. Their bikes have been seized.

The accused disclosed that on Sundays they came to the Expressway and performed stunts on bikes as the road was usually without traffic.7