New Delhi, November 26
A tragedy was averted due to timely action by the driver and conductor of a school bus after it caught fire in the Vasundhra Enclave area of east Delhi this morning.

None of the 40 students in the bus was injured, although driver Ghanshyam and conductor Dinesh received burn injuries and were hospitalised.

According to information, the incident took place around 7.45 am in the bus of Evergreen Public School near Dharamshila Hospital. The bus caught fire due to CNG leakage. “It was a CNG-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus that caught fire. While the exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained, leakage is believed to be the reason,” the police said.

The driver and conductor were admitted to Dharamshila Hospital. “All students were taken to the hospital for check-up, but were let go as none had received any injury. Though the driver and conductor were caught in the flames, they pulled out the students,” the police added.

According to a statement, Dinesh said the driver smelt the leakage of gas and intimated the students and teachers on the bus. “We rushed the bus to an empty plot across the road and asked the students to run out. However, in the meantime the bus caught fire and we received burn injuries,” said the police quoting Dinesh.

Fire brigade officials were informed following which two fire trucks reached the site. Priyanka Gulati, principal of Ever Green Public School, said none of the students was injured.

“Although some are in a state of shock, they are all safe,” said Gulati. Parents of the children reached the school while some expressed concern that the authorities should be more careful about the kind of bus.

“There should be someone to regularly monitor the condition of the bus,” opined Ruhie, mother of a student on the bus.

According to the school authorities, the bus that caught fire was plying on school route No. 58 and was about 1 km far from the school when it caught fire. There are also talks of suitable rewards to the driver and conductor of the bus.

New Delhi, November 26
The BJP and the Arya Samaj today organised dharna, candlelight and signature campaign to remind the government and citizens of terrorist activities sponsored by Pakistan in the country on completion of one year of Mumbai terror attack. The Bhartiya Yuva Morcha has launched a signature campaign in this regard.

The campaign was started from Pragati Maidan where about 2,000 people signed against the terrorist attack in various cities of the country. The activists of the Morcha held ‘nukkar natak’ for one hour.

The Delhi unit of the BJP today demanded death sentence for suspect of Mumbai attack in which more than hundred people were killed and over 300 sustained injuries.

Senior leaders of the BJP, O. P. Kohli, Delhi BJP president; leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly, V. K. Malhotra; former Chief Minister of Delhi, Madan Lal Khurana; Jai Bhagwan Goel and others shared the dais with the Arya Samaj leaders who organized a dharna at Jantar Mantar.

They carried placards bearing slogans, “Mohammad Kasab be given death sentence, terrorism murdabad, remember martyrs of Mumbai”.

Addressing the gathering, V. K. Malhotra asked the government to crush terrorism. Afzal Guru has been convicted by the Supreme Court, but not hanged so far, he regretted.

Youth leader of the Arya Samaj, Dr Anil Arya said that government should check its Muslim appeasement policy. The government is not punishing Afzal Guru as Muslims are vote bank of the ruling Congress, he alleged.

Students across universities in the Capital also organised events today.

Students of Delhi University formed a chain on the North campus to commemorate the event. The vice-president of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) said the students wanted to convey the message that Indians would stand united and defeat all efforts to disturb peace in the country.

New Delhi, November 26
A third-year student of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) has been recruited by Deutsche Bank at an unusual package of Rs 32 lakh per annum.

A student of Economics (Hons.) at SRCC, Adit Mathur, is one of the 120 recruits across the world hired by the bank for an annual compensation of $69,000. The salary offered to the graduate student has broken all records of Delhi University (DU) that has colleges like St Stephen’s and Hindu College under its umbrella. The highest package that a DU student has been offered hitherto is Rs 14 lakh.

“I am excited, but it hasn’t completely sunk in yet,” Adit told The Tribune.

Mathur had beaten toppers from IIT and St. Stephen’s.

“As the bank had come to DU for the first time, nobody had a clue to what they were looking for,” Adit said, adding that each student in the university was aiming for it.

Adit appeared in total seven rounds, which included interviews and scrutiny of the resumes. One of the top students in the university, Adit, has always been among the top five.

Though the students had to prepare on a short notice, Mathur said he had a clue that most questions would originate from the kind of experience mentioned in the resume.

“If you had mentioned that you were interested in theatre, they would ask you questions on the same, the kind of projects that one had done so far. They asked basic questions,” he added.

Adit, however, decided to answer questions based on his knowledge of economics and world issues. While his answers originated from his knowledge of the subject, his arguments were based on practical economic trends followed around the world.

“It helps if a person is abreast with world affairs and economic challenges faced by countries,” he said. Recent times have been crucial as some of the biggest leaders have gone through financial breakdown, he added.

The boy would be flying to London this July for a training of six weeks. “I still don’t know where I would be finally posted; it could be anywhere in the world,” Adit smiled.

Ghaziabad, November 26
Hundreds of women pulled out the chief medical superintendent from the operation theatre and beat him up after a missing child could not be retrieved in a women hospital here.

The protesting women forced their way into the operation theatre and damaged the equipment also.

The women accused the hospital management of carelessness and shooed away doctors and staff of the hospital.

The police, called by the hospital management, beat up the agitating women. Some of the women were beaten up with lathis.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a report against four persons for interfering in the official work of pharmacist Goverdhan’s report.

Women hospital was the scene of chaos on Wednesday after hundreds of women from Bishenpura created a tumult in front of the operation theatre. They alleged that the newborn boy had gone missing with the connivance of the hospital staff.

Some women dragged out the CMS from operation theatre and beat him up. Newborn’s father, Avdesh Khanna, his sister Sudha and wife Kamini alleged that the newborn had been stolen from the hospital’s labour room.

Security guards said they could not frisk women as only women security guards could do so in the hospital.

Advesh Khanna’s wife Kamini had given birth to a son on November 19 at 5 pm. The boy allegedly went missing from the labour room a little while later.

A two-member committee has been set up to investigate the incident.

New Delhi, November 26
The Punjab Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair(IITF)-2009 highlights its development in alternative and non-conventional sources of energy, besides showcasing the agro-processing industry in the state.

With each passing day, the pavilion has been attracting huge crowds.

The pavillion offers an apt picture of the latest developments and technological advancements in the state.

Displays of alternative sources of energy at the pavilion have attracted hundreds of onlookers. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) that came into existence in 1991 has also displayed solar cookers and solar lights in the pavilion.

Given the task to give direction and shape the future energy scenario in the state, the PEDA has been successful in bringing to light the implementation of a comprehensive energy conservation programme in the industrial, agricultural, commercial and household sectors.

“We are aware that the ever-growing demand for fuel, fast depleting conventional sources of energy and the resultant increase in environmental pollution has left us with no option but to go in for adoption of alternative and non-conventional sources of energy,” Makhan Lal, an official of the PEDA said.

The visitors are also taking keen interest in the organic food section of the pavilion being set up by the Organic Farming Council of Punjab.

The council, which is only one year old, encourages diversification in agriculture through organic farming.

“We have our own model farm on 577 acres where we provide training in agriculture, raw material production and other purposes and this we are propagating in the state of Punjab. The response is excellent because in one year’s time we have been able to register 900 farmers in 5,550 acres of land,” said Dr. Madhu Gill of the council.

There is a separate section for ethnic cuisines and handicrafts from the state.

The state’s rich embroidery on dress materials known as Phulkari is a big hit among visitors including Amritsar’s Pappad wadiyan and famous Patiala juttis that became quite a hit with the youngsters.

New Delhi, November 26
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today launched Delhi geo-portal with geo-spatial data of New Delhi district under Delhi State Spatial Data Infrastructure (DSSDI).

Dikshit said it would set benchmarks in urban management by creating comprehensive urban information system for Delhi.

She also inaugurated services like railway ticket booking, collection of LIC premium and MTNL connections through Jeevan kiosk, a Delhi government single window service initiative. 

Dikshit said a range of spatial and attribute data would be accessible through the geo-portal. The portal would provide access to MCD, NDMC, DDA, Delhi police, besides bodies of Central and state governments. 

She said urban spatial information system would provide vision for urban planning and easy monitoring of ownership of properties, tenancy, land use, etc. apart from providing preparedness for disaster management. The Delhi government will be the first region to boast of a comprehensive land information system (LIS) that houses land records and property GIS up to the level of individual building unit. 

This would help assesing information on ownership, rights and duties linked to the land and aid in decongesting the city and redeploying to the infrastructure.

She also launched a e-auction module, web-based solutions for conducting dynamic exchanges in an online environment.

New Delhi, November 26
Stepping out of the household is not easy for women entrepreneurs, says a study on ‘Marketing Achievement and Challenges, Faced by Women Entrepreneurs in Delhi and NCR’, sponsored by FICCI Ladies Organisation.

The hurdles before them range from financial constraints, socio-cultural barriers, market-oriented risks to training programmes and identification of available resources.

Prepared by the Foreign Trade Development Centre, New Delhi, the study was released in Delhi today.

The study elicited response from 700 girls and women (working and homemakers) on their views and preferences on entrepreneurship. As many as 300 women entrepreneurs were interviewed in the NCR.