New Delhi, February 17
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today laid out plans to keep Delhi carbon-free during the Commonwealth Games (CWG).

The government plans to cut Games emission by up to 50 per cent through energy-efficient initiatives and use of clean fuel.

Releasing ‘Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 Ecological Code’, Dikshit said five million plant pots would be placed across the city while the government would create awareness among citizens on preserving biodiversity, waste management and resource conservation.

Apart from extensive afforestation to enhance biodiversity, all the vehicles will use only either CNG or good quality petrol to keep CWG carbon-free, she said.

She said that effective waste management system would be adopted during Games and all kinds of waste would be segregated into five categories. Some of them would be recycled and the remaining would be dumped in the landfill sites, she said.

The CM further said that the consumption of water would also be reduced by 20 per cent through use of water-efficient fixtures at Games venues. It would also encourage waste water treatment and its reuse.

Dikshit said that all stadiums were being constructed to ensure minimal consumption of electricity and water during the Games.

Thyagraj Stadium is a model green stadium, which when fully reconstructed, would have its own gas-based power generation. The government has been developing green areas around various venues and roads leading to the Games Village and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The government also intends to introduce a large number of green and red CNG-operated buses into the city transport fleet, she said.

When asked about the filth in the Yamuna, the Chief Minister said that its cleaning was a major project and could not be done before the Games. It would take ample time and would be completed only after the Games.

Chairman of the CWG organising committee, Suresh Kalmadi, who was also present on the occasion, said the release of the ecological code was a major step towards achieving carbon-free Delhi.

He said that the committee was committed towards showcasing the CWG in Delhi as “Green Games”.

Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor said the document would go a long way in enriching the Green Games concept.

New Delhi, February 17
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation of Delhi (NDMC) today released its Rs 1931.41-crore budget for the year 2010-11, reiterating to undertake projects related to the Commonwealth Games and ensure their timely completion.

The civic agency, in the year 2009-10, has showed an expenditure of Rs 1,752.40 crore and revenue collection of Rs 1,566.80 crore. However, the agency admitted that it has not completed a single project related to parking, renovation of subways, heritage building, etc.

“A single project takes around 18 to 20 months for completion. So the projects announced are still in progress and would be completed soon,” said NDMC chairman Parimal Rai.

The officials claimed that the upgradation work of stadiums would be finished well before the Games.

“The Games has given us an opportunity to upgrade the city infrastructure. The projects will be completed well in time. We will inaugurate the upgraded Talkatora Indoor Stadium on February 24. The Shivaji Stadium will only be needed from September, but work is on in full swing and we hope that it would be opened by May,” he said.

The projected infrastructure development for the year 2010-11 has an additional feature of park and ride facility at Safdarjung Airport. “A parking lot of over 1.65 lakh sq mt is being created for vehicles destined for Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Games. The parking which is located near Safdarjung Airport will accommodate 3,000 cars and 600 buses,” said the chairman.

Rai said that the façade restoration work of Connaught Place will be done by June 2010, while the construction of new subways and renovation of existing ones will be completed by August 2010. However, nothing has been said about the construction of multi-level parking lots being taken up by the NDMC at three major sites. Some of them are expected to miss the Commonwealth deadline.

The NDMC has projected revised estimates of revenue collection from property tax in 2009-10 to be Rs 210 crore against estimated Rs 189 crore, whereas the estimate for the year 2010-11 has been kept at Rs 200 crore.

The location for setting up a disaster management centre, which was announced in last year’s budget, will finally come up near Khan Market. “The centre will be equipped with the latest technology to combat any kind of disaster,” the chairman added.

New Delhi, February 17
Expressing their willingness to work in rural areas of the country, hundreds of doctors trained in alternative medicine today demonstrated at the Jantar Mantar against central government’s move to start a new course, bachelor in rural healthcare.

The doctors wearing their white coats said their MBBS degrees were futile if the government was not treating them at par with the mainstream doctors.

“There are more than 7 lakh doctors trained in alternative medicine like ayurveda who are ready to work in villages,” said Dr. Sultan Ahmed, a private practitioner.

He said the mainstream doctors had several times expressed that they were not interested in working in the rural sector. “Instead of creating a fresh course, the government should just ask us to work in the villages,” said Ahmed.

The doctors submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Union health minister Gulam Nabi Azad.

New Delhi, February 17
Young students from across the country, mostly hailing from poor families, urged the Union government to spend more on education, as they assembled at Jantar Mantar here today.

These children might not understand nuances of the budget, but they understand the importance of education. They said the country should spend at least six per cent of its GDP on education.

The children, under the aegis of the National Coalition for Education, had come from West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and other states.

Most of these children are leading a better life after being rescued from forced labour by NGOs. The NGOs have admitted them to schools.

The students largely toed the line of the groups that had brought them here, including opposition to privatisation of education.

It was clear that they wanted millions of disadvantaged kids like them to enjoy the fruits of education, which only the government could provide.

“Under the Right to Education Act, it is the government’s responsibility to provide education to every student,” said Ravi Prakash Verma, coordinator, National Coalition for Education.

He added that private schools would only add to taking education away from the section which needed it the most.

Rihana (13) from Meerut decided to be part of the demonstration as she wants other poor children like her to get equal opportunities. “I and many other children from my region were working in a factory where we stitched covers of footballs,” said Rihana, whose parents were approached by volunteers of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

“The volunteers convinced many parents, including mine, to get us enrolled in the government school. I am in Class VI now,” she said.

Another boy, Prashanto (18), was rescued from a jeweller’s shop in the Karol Bagh area in Delhi.

“I was working there as a bonded labourer four years ago,” he said. Now, Prashanto has a mobile cultural group called Mukti Caravan. “We go to far-off villages and perform plays and songs that inspire children to take up education,” he said.

“Initially, the government school in our village did not have a boundary wall. It was then that I wrote to the officials concerned,” said Prem, adding that after his efforts, the school had a boundary wall and had employed people to ensure proper sanitation.

New Delhi, February 17
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has directed the state’s social welfare department to decongest Asha Kiran Home. She has ordered the department to shift around 400 inmates of the home to other homes run by the state government.

Asha Kiran Home houses mentally challenged people. Presently, 750 people are living here. However, it has the capacity to accommodate only 350 inmates.

The extra people would be shifted to homes at Bindapur, Dwarka and Najafgarh, said Dikshit at a review meeting today.

The shifting will be carried out on the basis of segregation. The inmates will be shifted keeping in view their mental condition. The segregation will also be need-based. An expert team of doctors will guide the segregation process. Buildings in Bindapur, Dwarka and Najafgarh are being upgraded to accommodate the inmates.

Besides, a special ward is being set up at the Ambedkar Hospital to treat inmates who may require hospitalisation. 

The Chief Minister also instructed to deploy three well-equipped ambulances for the inmates of Asha Kiran Home.  The ambulance will serve the purpose of a mobile hospital. Besides, experts from the IHBAS will be visiting the home on regular interval to carry out medical check-up the inmates.    

Dikshit also approved a series of short-term and long-term measures to overcome the existing deficiencies. 

She has instructed the social welfare department to review all homes in the Capital so that no untoward incident takes place in future. 

It has been decided that attendants on contract basis would be deployed in observation homes to cope with the problem of staff shortage. Sensitisation of staff is also required to make them concerned about inmates who have been brought in emaciated condition from streets. 

The meeting that was convened to take stock of the situation at Asha Kiran Home was called after 25 inmates died within two months at the home.

Delhi finance minister A.K. Walia, social welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal, health minister Kiran Walia, chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, principal secretary (finance) J.P. Singh, secretary (social welfare) Manoj Parida, director of the IHBAS and other senior officials of the departments concerned attended the meeting.

New Delhi, February 17
The expenditure finance committee (EFC) of the Delhi government has cleared four projects– three public works department projects and one health department project— amounting to Rs 60.50 crore.   

Delhi finance minister A.K. Walia said the city government had been giving priority to expansion, modernisation and development of the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital at Shahdara, a major hospital in the Trans-Yamuna area. 

The EFC has decided to sanction Rs 22.42 crore for the construction of a diabetic, endocrine and metabolic care centre at the GTB Hospital within 26 months the work is started.     

Walia also noted Vikas Marg to be an important road of the Trans-Yamuna area. Heavy traffic plies on the road.  One end of it is connected to 75-B Extension Road which would be a feeder road to Yamuna Sports Complex during the Commonwealth Games. This Road from ITO Chungi to Karkari More was handed over to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and is due to be transferred to the public works department (PWD). 

It requires re-surfacing of service road, improvement of drains, central verge and re-surfacing of the main carriageway. The EFC has sanctioned Rs 7.52 crore for this purpose. The work will be completed within six months. 

Rs 17.95 crore has been sanctioned for the improvement of six roads close to the UP border.  The work will be executed by the PWD on behalf of the UP Irrigation Department (UPID).  

Walia said that Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would host the opening and the closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.  A foot over bridge is to be constructed near the stadium so that pesestrians can cross the road easily. Rs 12.57 crore would be sanctioned for it.

New Delhi, February 17
Teachers and parents of the Capital are divided in their opinions on the effectiveness of continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) system introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Under the system, school students are evaluated continuously over the year through class tests and project works.

Many teachers feel that the system has come to Indian “before its time” when society and the students are not ready for it. Echoing their sentiments are some parents who feel that CCE would increase the burden on students and that under the system they will have to work twice as hard, leaving little time for their creative development and extra-curricular activities.

“There are both advantages and disadvantages to CCE. However, I feel that the system has come to us before our schools are ready for it. Under this system, teachers will have a major say in a student’s result, as the marking will be in grades and not marks. It goes without saying that teachers can abuse this power leading to favouritism,” said a teacher from Vasant Valley School.

“Also, for effective implementation of CCE, we need to give time to both the teachers and the students to get used to it. The syllabus has to be reworked for this system,” the teacher added.

However, not all teachers are convinced that CCE has been introduced before its time.

A teacher from Springdales School says, “The CCE has more advantages than disadvantages. It is a much-needed step to replace rote learning by learning based on understanding. Marking in grades is also better than the older form. Overall, I think we are moving towards a better education system.”

But unlike teachers, parents are clear in their dislike for the system.

“I feel that the new system is putting increased burden on students. There are more internal assessments and my daughter is constantly preparing for one or the other test. Also, there has been an increase in the project works. This increased pressure is taking its toll on the children,” said Shveta Kunj, the mother of a Springdales School student.

Sachin Gupta, whose son studies at Vasant Valley School, agrees with Kunj.

“The system does promise to end rote learning, but the number of internal tests and assessments has increased. So in the end, while preparing for all these tests the student gets crammed and this leads to rote learning. For the proper implementation of this system, teachers need to be given intensive training,” said Sachin.

He added, “Where has the pressure ended for students? My son is in Class IX, and this year he will have an examination where the question papers will be prepared by the CBSE. Despite the fact that these papers will be assessed internally, the pressure on students is high.”

The CCE was implemented in October 2009 for Classes VI to X and the annual and half-yearly examinations were discarded.

New Delhi, February 17
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted an international gang engaged in printing and circulation of counterfeit cheques drawn in favour of various US-based banks and arrested a Delhi-based accused.

A team of CBI sleuths conducted searches at the house of Hemant Reddy in the Dwarka area yesterday morning where fake cheques having a face value of Rs 1.25 crore were seized. Reddy has been arrested.

The gang has members in the USA and Reddy developed his computerized unit for printing of such counterfeit cheques by using the base papers coming from abroad.

“After printing such counterfeit cheques in the names of various US banks, they were forwarded to that country on the various addresses provided by their accomplices,” said Harsh Bahl, CBI spokesperson.

During the raid conducted by the CBI, cheques having a face value of US $3,00,000 have been seized. Besides, a large number of base papersheets for printing such cheques have been seized.

Investigation is in progress to identify the various modules based in other countries, their links, modus operandi and the channel of money transfer, etc.

The US authorities are also being approached through Interpol.

Gt Noida, February 17
Three women were killed and nine women and children were last evening injured in an incident of wall collapse at Jevar Revti Mohalla village.

The mishap took place when the victims were watching a marriage procession passing through the street. The slab on which they were standing broke and the adjoining 7-foot wall collapsed and fell on them.

“The deceased have been identified as Ramvati (50), Satto (40), and Asarfi (60). The injured, Sondevi (58), Ghajani (60), Sheela (40), Prakashi (45), Karni (58) and two children—Arun (6) and Priyanka (8)—, were taken to a Bulandshahr hospital. They were discharged after first-aid,” said Gulam Akbar, station house officer, Jevar.

Noida, February 17
Two undertrials on Monday night escaped from the custody of the Noida police. The incident took place in the Agra area of Noida. An FIR against the criminals and the responsible policemen has been lodged at Agra police station. The senior superintendent of police (SSP) today suspended three constables for the incident and ordered a departmental enquiry.

Three constables— Davinder Kumar, Gavinder Singh and Bhagwati Prasad— had on Monday morning taken two undertrials— Salli and Sahun— from Dasna Jail to Agra court. They were lodged at the Dasna Jail since January 21.

While on their way back from the court, they stopped at a tea stall in the Agra area. Two constables were having tea, while the third one was sitting in the vehicle with the undertrials. Taking advantage of the absence of the two constables, the undertrails escaped with the car and the constable seated in it. After some distance, they threw the constable out of the car and went away.