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Pay more for water from Jan
Sheila Dikshit addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo
Not fair, voice Delhiites
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Registration duty on property up
2 cops held for extortion
A dancer performs balancing act during an event held to commemorate
World AIDS Day in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
Bodies of missing boys found
11,009 degrees given at GGSIPU convocation
5-year-old girl issued warrants for failure to depose
BSES pays Rs 1.7 cr fine
Are you Thu-Thu Kumar, Su-Su Kumar or Kuda Kumar, asks MCD
No takers for 3 group housing plots
Expect colder weekend
Overhead cables to go
Student held for carrying
gun to school
Trader shot dead
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Pay more for water from Jan
New Delhi, December 1 There is 60 per cent hike in water tariff for residential users and 50 per cent hike in sewerage charges, additional sewerage charges for high intensive use of groundwater. Further, earlier 6,000 litre water was supplied free of charge, but now this facility has been withdrawn. The hike has been made to cover up the losses of the Delhi Jal Board as it needs finance to complete its various projects. For the new tariff rates, the government has made three slabs for domestic water users. Earlier, the DJB used to charge Rs 52 for 10,0000 litre (10kl) water, but now it will charge Rs 82 for the same quantity. For 20,000 litre (20kl) water, which was earlier available at Rs 82, the consumers will now be charged Rs 180, and for 30,000 litre, which was earlier available at Rs 187, the consumers will be charged Rs 470. The new rates will be applicable from January 1. There is 50 per cent hike in sewerage charges also. Giving details of the new tariffs, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is the chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board, said that up to 10,000 litres of water, the government had given 66 per cent subsidy, up to 20,000 litres of water, it is 63 per cent and up to 30,000 litre, the subsidy is 36 per cent. The water processing cost is Rs 244 for 10 kl, for 20 kl it is Rs 488 and for 30 kl the water processing cost is Rs 732. She said that at present, 6 kl water was supplied free of charge, and thereafter the citizens pay just Rs 2 for 10 kl water. According to the new tariffs, the consumers will have to pay Rs 2 for 1 kl to 10 kl water, Rs 3 for 11 kl to 20 kl, Rs 15 for 21 kl to 30 kl and for over 30 kl, the rate of volumetric charge is Rs 25 per kl. Earlier, the service charge was only Rs 40. Now it has been increased to Rs 50. For 1 kl to 10 kl, the service charge will be Rs 50, Rs 100 for 11 kl to 20 kl, Rs 50 for 21 kl to 30 kl and for over 30 kl, it will be Rs 200. As far as commercial tariff is concerned, at present it has been divided into three slabs—0 to 10 kl it is Rs 10 per kl, 10 to 50 kl, Rs 20 per kl and 50 to 100 kl, Rs 30 per kl. According to the new rates, it has five slabs— 0 to 10 kl-Rs 10 per kl, 10 to 25 kl-Rs 20, 25 to 50 kl-Rs 50, 50 kl to 100 kl-Rs 80 and for more than 100 kl, it is Rs 100 per kl. The Chief Minister said hotel, guest houses, banquet halls, hospitals and nursing homes would have to pay additional sewerage charges per month. For hotels, the sewerage charges will be collected on the basis of number of rooms, for banquet halls it will be collected on the basis of per function per month and for hospitals, it will be collected according to the number of beds. She said that hotels having 0 to 50 rooms would have to pay Rs 2,000 as sewerage charge, 50 to 100 rooms would pay Rs 10,000 and for every additional room the hotel would have to pay Rs 2,500 per month. For banquet halls, the owner will have to pay Rs 10,000 per month per function. As far as hospitals and nursing homes are concerned, the sewerage charge for 0-25 rooms is Rs 1500; 25-30 rooms, it is Rs 4000; 50 –100 rooms, it is Rs 10,000 and for every additional 0-50 beds, it is Rs 25,000 extra. |
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Not fair, voice Delhiites
New Delhi, December 1 Citizens said that they were already burdened with the hefty power bills, and now increase in water tariff was going to make a big hole in their pocket. “It was known that water would be expensive, but raising the prices by more than 50 per cent is not fair. The national Capital is becoming a place for the rich only,” said Neha
Shrivastav, a housewife in the Trans-Yamuna area. On the other hand, the opposition alleged that the government is preparing for privatisation of water supply.
Leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Prof V K Malhotra has termed the 80-200 per cent increase in water charges an assault on the residents of Delhi. “The Delhi government is extracting the price of its own inefficiency from the people of Delhi. It is because of the carelessness and inefficiency of the government-controlled DJB that there is widespread theft and leakages of water. Instead of checking such malpractices, the government is choosing to penalize the citizens,” said Prof Malhotra. He alleged that the Delhi government is preparing the ground for privatisation of water supply and the price revision is merely a ploy to make the takeover attractive to private companies. Meanwhile, BJP’s national general secretary and former union minister Vijay Goel said it would be better if the Delhi government made efforts to curb rampant corruption in the Delhi Jal Board on the one hand and the massive transmission losses on the other. It is shocking that the government that spends thousands of crores of rupees in the name of Commonwealth Games finds it essential to raise the tariff of basic necessity like water, he said. It may be remembered that the Auditor General and the CAG have indicted the Delhi government for a loss of Rs 8,000 crore in the power privatization process. |
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Registration duty on property up
Ghaziabad/Noida, December 1 Earlier, the maximum property fee was Rs 5,000 which has been increased to Rs 10,000. For registry of property up to Rs 2.50 lakh in value the registration fee will continue to be less than Rs 5,000. Ghaziabad additional district magistrate (finance & revenue) Sarvjit Ram said only 2 per cent fee was charged for registry of property up to Rs 2.50 lakh in value. The tax component has now been reduced from 2 per cent to 1 per cent for property worth up to Rs 2.50 lakh in value with effect from December 1, 2009. The maximum duty for registry of property of any value was Rs 5,000 but as per latest administration order, the same has been doubled to Rs 10,000. Only 1 per cent stamp duty will be paid for registry of property worth up to Rs 2.50 lakh. For property beyond the value of Rs 2.50 lakh, the stamp duty payable would be 2 per cent or a maximum of Rs 5,000. The maximum registration tax has been doubled to Rs 10,000. Now a stamp duty of Rs 5,000 for property worth Rs 2.50 lakh and Rs 6,000 for property worth Rs 3 lakh will have to be paid. |
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Awareness key to fighting AIDS
New Delhi, December 1 With the disease fast gripping the rural areas and cities, doctors feel that the country requires more well-equipped health centres to deal with the deadly disease and urge people for early detection of HIV/ AIDS as timely diagnosis would help in containing the spread of the infection. The executive director of NAZ Foundation, an NGO working for the cause of AIDS patients, Anjali Gopalan, said the launch of the Red Ribbon Express would definitely help in reaching out to the areas still uncovered. She however rued that the progress on the HIV/ AIDS bill was very frustrating. She outlined, “Taking information and help to the sections which are most vulnerable—women and children—is important. Due to the cultural set up of India, infected women find it difficult to live even within their family.” Pointing out that lack of awareness on the subject has led to the increase in mother-child transmission of HIV virus, Anjali said that for women who fail to receive treatment, there was 30-40 per cent chances of passing the infection to the baby. According to doctors, to reduce the risk of post-natal HIV transmission, mothers should go for early exclusive breastfeeding. According to senior consultant at Internal Medicine in Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr Nalin Nag, there is lack of awareness among medical professionals and patients regarding the options available for HIV treatment. “Doctors should help in creating awareness among peers and patients that HIV and AIDS should not be seen as a death sentence but efforts should be made towards directing people to better treatment centres,” he stressed. |
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2 cops held for extortion
New Delhi, December 1 According to a crime branch official, Saji E.J, a constable posted at Mahinder Park police station (northwest Delhi) and constable Ran Singh tried to extort money from a Delhi police sub-inspector who had approached the gang as a decoy customer during a raid last week. “Saji has since been suspended while Ran Singh was already under suspension when our police team confronted them. One person managed to flee in the melee that ensued,” said the official. According to him, they had received information regarding a gang which would advertise in the newspaper for providing ‘massage services’ by girls. “When the customer dialed the advertised phone number, they would call him at an appointed place and after shoving him in a car, rob him of all his valuables and money,” said the police. As one of the victims approached police in this regard, the matter was taken up by the crime branch and a police team was deployed to crack the gang. As part of the plan, SI Sanjeev Kumar called up the ‘given phone number’ and fixed up an appointment with the ‘service providers’. He was asked to come near Vishal Cinema in Rajouri Garden. But when he reached there, the racketeers instructed him to go to the Pankha Road crossing and wait beside the Sony Showroom located there. “As SI Sanjeev waited at the place, a Wagon R car with tinted glasses approached him and a man waved at him to get inside. When Sanjeev looked inside, he found no girl. Meanwhile, two men shoved him inside the car and robbed him of Rs 5,000 at gunpoint. They also snatched his Axis debit card,” said the official. When the waiting policemen saw the happening, they managed to catch two men while the driver of the Wagon R car fled taking advantage of the commotion. These two men turned out to be constables Saji E.J and Ran Singh. |
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Bodies of missing boys found
The victims, Arshad (4) and Arman (8), were reported missing on November 25 and two days later, a case of abduction was registered at Saraswati Vihar police station. Both the children were neighbours and while the police believes it to be an accident, parents of the victims allege that their children have been killed and thrown in the trench. The MCD park is located in the Block E 1 area of Shakur Basti . According to Saraswati Vihar police , the bodies were discovered by some children who had gone to play in the park around 8 am. “We got a call in this regard around 8.15 am after some boys who were playing in the park spotted the bodies floating inside the 7-ft trench. They raised the alarm and informed the elders who then called the police,” said a police official. According to police, there did not appear any external injuries on the bodies and the likely cause of their death could be drowning. The bodies were sent to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital for postmortem. The police suspect that the boys might have fallen into the trench while playing. According to information, construction and repair work has been going on in the park for a fortnight and carelessness on the part of workers could have caused the accident. Contrary to police theory, the families of the boys suspect that their children werekilled and dumped into the trench. “We had searched the park earlier and did not find anything amiss. Our children have been killed first and then thrown into the trench. The police is downplaying the incident,” alleged Mohammad Ismail, Arman’s father. Ismail is a rickshaw puller while Arshad’s father, Ali, works as a welder. The police team is awaiting the postmortem report. “The truth would come in the report. If the boys were not killed by asphyxiation as happens in case of drowning, we would know what caused their death and whether it is murder or accident,” said the official. Meanwhile, MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra has ordered an inquiry into the incident. “An inquiry has been ordered and the commissioner has demanded report within three days,” said an MCD official.
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11,009 degrees given at GGSIPU convocation
New Delhi, December 1 At the convocation, 22 Ph.D. and 2,350 master’s degrees were awarded. A total of 11,009 degrees were given. “This year 10 new institutions have been added to the category of self-financing and four to the category of state-owned institutes. Further, we have also added second shift programmes in four engineering colleges resulting in an additional intake of 480 engineering students,” said the vice-chancellor. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who was also present at the convocation, gave away gold medals. In her address, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit mentioned, “Started just 11 years ago, the university has at least 100 colleges affiliated to it and there are at least 50,000 students studying here.” Chancellor and Lt-Governor Tejendra Khanna was also present on the occassion. He commented, “The world today recognizes that India has the best of intellectual resources. There was time when we used to import technology. Now we are exporting it. I expect that Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University will play a leading role in the technological world. Time has come when Indian innovation is being seen and followed by the world. I expect our universities to be in the forefront of this technological break.”
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5-year-old girl issued warrants for failure to depose
New Delhi, December 1 Metropolitan magistrate Shivali Sharma issued a bailable warrant for the girl after she and her mother failed to appear before the court to record their statements. The court has now directed the mother and daughter to appear before a court on December 10, the next date of the hearing. The case pertains to June 29, when a complaint of sexual harassment was registered against Sunil, alias
Sonu, after the mother of the five-year-old approached the police. “We have registered the case after the girl’s mother alleged that her daughter was sexually assaulted by their
neighbour. We have arrested Sunil and produced him before the court, but without the statement of the mother and daughter, the case cannot move ahead,” a police official said. “Recording the statement of the complainant is necessary in every criminal case, failing which trial cannot take place. It is a procedure which needs to be followed,” said
D.B. Goswami, a lawyer. He also added that since it was a bailable warrant, as soon as the mother and daughter record their statements before the court, it would be cancelled. The court had earlier asked the mother and daughter to appear before it on November 18, but on that occasion too they failed to appear. “Cases pertaining to sexual harassment are very sensitive. So to nail the accused and give a message to society, the only option courts have is to rely on the statement of the victim,” Goswami added. The investigating officer of the case has been told to inform the complainant and her mother to depose before the court on the next date of the hearing.
— IANS |
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BSES pays Rs 1.7 cr fine
New Delhi, December 1 The discom had earlier submitted a review petition to DERC, requesting it to reconsider the matter. After the DERC failed to pay heed to their appeal, the discom paid the amount late last week, said sources in BRPL. “We have deposited the amount through cheques right before the last date of submitting the fine. But we are still waiting for a response on our review petition. The might get some reply by 15 of January in 2010,” said Gopal Saxena, CEO of BRPL. The last date was November 15 earlier, till then neither of the two fines 1.68 crore to be paid by the power utility and Rs 1 lakh to be paid by its former CEO Arun Kanchan in his personal capacity has been paid. However, after being denied for getting any exemption from paying the fine, the last date was extended to November 22. “Though the discom had filed a review petition but the penalty could not have been stayed. BSES Rajdhani had been asked to file a compliance report after depositing the penalty. The fine had to be paid by November 22 otherwise we would have to take action,” said a senior official in DERC. According to sources, former CEO Arun Kanchan has also paid the fine of Rs 1 lakh. The intensive investigations by the DERC had proved that the discom was guilty of not procuring enough power to meet Delhi’s needs in June and resorted to massive overdrawing from the Northern Grid, often below the safe frequency limit. |
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Are you Thu-Thu Kumar, Su-Su Kumar or Kuda Kumar, asks MCD
New Delhi, December 1 To drive home the message, the civic body has created a series of advertisements and prepared nearly 600 signboards and hoardings which will be put up at various spots in the city. The civic agency has also decided to introduce three characters in its advertising campaigns as Thu-Thu Kumar (one who spits), Su-Su Kumar (one who pees in public) and Kuda Kumar (the litterbug). The advertisements will be put on kiosks, hoardings and even on television and radio in order to instill civic sense in Delhiites. “We want people indulging in littering or spitting to feel embarrassed. Hence, the advertisements will refer to them as Su-Su Kumar, Thu-Thu Kumar and Kuda Kumar. The ads will appeal to Delhiites not to spit, urinate or litter in public places and not to throw polythene bags on roads,” said Mayor Kanwar Sain. Meanwhile, the MCD is yet to implement the anti-littering law that would allow it to deploy sanitary inspectors in the city as well as levy steep fines on offenders. “We have sent the case to the Delhi government for approval,” said a senior MCD official. At the beginning of the year, MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra had set up a proposal for 132 anti-litter inspectors under 12 zonal inspectors to fine the offenders.
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No takers for 3 group housing plots
Noida, December 1 Noida Authority has received six bids for three group housing plots out of six plots offered for group housing residential scheme in Sector 137. There were apprehensions that builders might hesitate to bid for these three plots. It had been clarified by the group-housing department of Noida Authority that land use permission was yet to be detained for these plots. Four plots, including one of one lakh sq metres, two of 60,000 sq mt and four of 50,000 sq mt plots had been included in this scheme. The application bids were to be deposited by 12 noon on Monday in Authority office. At 3 pm, technical bids for the scheme were opened by the technical committee member OSD K. Yash Pal Singh, financial controller A.C. Singh along with Shailender Koire, in charge of group housing department. One technical bid for one lakh sq mt plot, two each for two plots of 51,000 sq mt were received. No applications were received for 1.62 lakh sq mt area out of a total of 3.64 sq metre area. Should any company’s offer be rejected in technical bids then it would be difficult to allot a plot on the basic of single bid, official sources of Noida Authority said. |
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Expect colder weekend
New Delhi, December 1 Delhiites woke up today to thin fog and cold winds as the minimum temperature dipped to 9.3 degrees Celsius, a notch below average, said a Met official. “There was shallow fog in the morning with partly cloudy sky towards the later part of the day. Visibility recorded today at 7.30 am was 600 meters,” added the official. The maximum temperature recorded today was around 24.7 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow, while the minimum temperature is expected to be around 10 degree Celsius, the maximum temperature is expected to be 25 degree Celsius. The city might again see mist/ shallow fog in the mornings for the coming some days. Yesterday the city recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius, and maximum was recorded at 25.1 degrees Celsius. Just four days back, the temperature had dropped to 7.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the lowest that has been recorded for the season so far. |
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Overhead cables to go
New Delhi, December 1 He was answering a question on the Capital’s dilapidated roads, uncovered manholes, drains and hanging
wires. Chidambaram said the government had instructed the Delhi Jal Board to cover the missing manholes. He said in the last four years, eight cases of accidental death by falling in manholes had been reported in the city.
— IANS |
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Student held for carrying gun to school
Gurgaon, December 1 The Gurgaon police arrested Deepak (17) for possessing a revolver at Dhanker High School in Farrukhnagar, about 30 km from here. Police commissioner S.S Deswal said during questioning Deepak said that one Vijender gave him the revolver. The police had arrested Deepak and was looking for Vijender, he said. — PTI
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Trader shot dead
New Delhi, December 1 Personal enmity is suspected behind the killing. |
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Within a year of the Assembly elections, the Congress government in Delhi has jolted the citizens several times by increasing prices of various essential commodities and services. First, it was power tariff hike, then hike in bus fares and today it has hiked water tariff.
New Delhi, December 1