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Tenant can have separate water connection: Court
Thousands volunteer for Games
Race club told to deposit tax
NSA to be clamped on drunk men who injured cop
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Raghunath Temple officials clash
Legalisation of Illegal Colonies
For allotment, come as a body, CM to housing societies
IGNOU offers computer courses for villagers
Handicraft fair gets good response
Raj Babbar charged with stone-pelting at cops
Rs 10 lakh stolen from car
Trader commits suicide
Delhiites cycle to heritage sites
Teachers should be role model for students: L-G
Fire in sweet shop kills 1
1 killed, 4 hurt in cylinder blast
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Tenant can have separate water connection: Court
New Delhi, February 21 Additional sessions judge Pratibha Rani in an order passed last week said: “Since the appellant is in possession of the premises as tenant and has every right to have water supply even if the landlord prefers not to issue NOC, the tenant can obtain an independent water connection without NOC from the landlord for the premises in his tenancy.” The court was hearing the case of Mandeep Singh Baweja, a resident of Tagore Garden in west Delhi, who alleged that his landlord does not allow him to fill water in the tank on the terrace and his life had became miserable. The landlord is residing on the first floor and the tenant on the second floor. “For the tenant, life has become hell as even the basic requirements of life cannot be fulfilled without water, and in order to evict the tenant, all kind of means have been adopted by the landlord. So much so that the tenant has to approach the high court and an injunction order has been issued against the landlord not to dispossess the tenant without due process of law. A lock had been put on the terrace so that the overhead water tank could not be filled,” the counsel for the petitioner states. Demanding that the station house officer (SHO) of the local police should supervise the filling of the water tank, the counsel said: “In the circumstances let the SHO be directed to supervise the filling of the water tank so that there is no dispute at that time, or the landlord be directed to issue a NOC to enable the tenant to have water connection.” Turning down the plea of the petitioner for police protection, the judge said: “I am of the opinion that no such direction is required as it is not the duty of the SHO to ensure filling of overhead water tanks in case of dispute between the landlords and tenants as scarcity of water is already a major cause of litigation between landlords and tenants, and the right of tenant can be protected within the statute. Even otherwise the courts should not issue any such directions which cannot be supervised. The primary duty of the police is to maintain law and order and not supervise the filling of water tanks.” “The petitioner is in occupation of premises as tenant. The petitioner cannot be denied the amenity of water connection on behalf of the landlord,” the judge ruled. — IANS |
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Thousands volunteer for Games
New Delhi, February 21 The aspiring volunteers, both boys and girls, await their turn for a one-on-one interview for being part of the 30,000 needed for the Games, though the number of applicants is several times that number. Sudhir Mital, special director general looking after the Rs180 million (Rs18 crore) image-building volunteers programme Delhi United, said the response was so overwhelming that receiving applications online had to be discontinued for a while. “To make the programme socially inclusive, we have categorised applicants under different heads. For 5,000 volunteers in the general category, our portal has received a whopping 29,000 applications, forcing us to discontinue the service,” said Mital. It is amazing to find the kind of people who want to be associated with the Games in some form or other — from specialist volunteers to generalist. They know that a tourist will carry home the cheerful, helpful image of a volunteer and that’s exactly what they want. “We have a number of applicants from top corporate houses. They are willing to take off from their work to join the Games,” Mital said. The rest of the 25,000 volunteers will be recruited from the tourism ministry, Delhi University, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS) and sports and physical training institutes. The vetting and selection process will go on till April end. “The volunteers will be the most visible face of the Games. From the moment a visitor lands at the airport and till the time he leaves the national Capital, he will be interacting with volunteers the most. Therefore, the volunteers programme is a key component in the Games framework,” Mital said. “There are three things that we are looking for in the volunteers — commitment, communicative skills and availability of time. A volunteer should be able to give at least 10 days for the event,” he added. A volunteers’ job is not just escorting guests; there are as many as 120 specific roles with specific skills like handling accommodation, accreditation, protocol, medical support, press operations, compiling results and working on ambulances. “We have special management software that categorises volunteers into specific roles, going by the skills they have mentioned in their application forms. Whether a candidate fits the bill or not for a specific role is decided at the interview,” said Mital. Rukhsana Bee, a student of Sri Venkateswara College, said, “I am doing my B.Sc. in life sciences and also doing a 21-day course in hospitality management. So I am most probably going to be slotted in the hospitality sector.” “I am quite satisfied with my interview. The questions were simple and predictable, like what do I know about the Games and why I want to be a volunteer. I had done my homework, and my answer was that I want to be part of this show and that the experience will add to my CV,” shared Bee. Similarly, Rajesh Jain, a physical fitness trainer, said, “I want to be part of the sports administration team. I train in a physical fitness training institute, but during the Games I will take leave to be part of the great spectacle.” Mital said a special training academy would impart training for volunteers. “The training will begin in April at the venues provided by Delhi University. First, there will be a general training and then role-specific training,” he said. “To motivate volunteers, we will also give awards and recognition to those who show exemplary performance,” Mital said.
— IANS |
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Race club told to deposit tax
New Delhi, February 21 A division bench of Justices B.D. Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul directed the club to deposit Rs 40 lakh with the Delhi government’s entertainment, betting and luxury tax department within three weeks. The club had approached the court earlier this week seeking quashing of the tax assessment of Rs 1.4 crore by the tax department. The club in its petition stated that it collected “entry charges from those who visit the race course to bet and derive pleasure from races and try to earn money through betting. The club collects the tax at the rate of 25 per cent on entry charges and pays it to the tax department”. The department was demanding that tax should also be paid from the fees collected for the use of mobile phones inside the club. At present, the club collects Rs 2,000 per phone. Counsel for the club stated: “Some visitors carried mobile phones in the club. It was felt that the indiscriminate use of mobile phones slowly became misuse to others in the betting enclosure. In order to restrict its use the club decided to levy charges for carrying mobile phones inside the club as a regulatory measure at the instance of those who wanted to carry mobile phones so that they remain in touch with their family or place of work in case of any emergency.” Admitting that illegal betting was taking place in the club, counsel said: “The illegal betting was taking place in the club with the help of mobile phones. So levying additional fees on the mobile phone was the need of the hour.” The club wanted the government to waive 50 per cent of the tax as well as the interest. But the court refused to hear counsel of the club and said his plea would not be heard till the club deposits the money with the tax department. The court also directed the club to explain why the fee charged for carrying mobile phone should be exempted from entertainment tax.
— IANS |
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NSA to be clamped on drunk men who injured cop
Gt Noida, February 21 Kailash Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Sannil Kapoor, told The Tribune, “Today Peter was operated upon for an arm fracture. On Friday he was operated on for both legs fractures. Luckily, there was no head injury. He is still at ICU under observation.” The victim John Peter said, “I had only asked them to show the vehicle papers and hand over the driving papers. They were driving dangerously and could have hit other vehicles. It appeared the car drivers were not in their senses and drunk. Instead of stopping, they hit me and ran the car over my two legs.” This has raised an pertinent issue about the release of drunken men from police stations ostensibly under pressure from local residents or influential persons. “In view of this incident we have decided to release the drunken men only when they are out of the influence of liquor even though we have to keep them overnight at police station lock-up. As per law, we can keep a person for 24 hours,” said Shailendera Lal, deputy superintendent of police. “We have started the process to clamp National Security Act on all the eight accused. The accused were produced before the court on Thursday and sent to 14 days’ judicial custody at Dasna Jail,”said Lal. |
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Raghunath Temple officials clash
New Delhi, February 21 Today, around 70 people from two groups— the Sanatan Dharam Sabha Purana Quila (SDS) and Moolchand Khairati Ram Charitable Hospital Trust (MKRCH)—gathered on the premises of Raghunath Temple with their differing agendas. The former had made arrangements to perform a yagna, while the latter wanted a puja. Sensing an altercation between the two parties, some residents of the area had alerted the Amar Colony police station in advance. However, according to SHO Govind Sharma, there was no dispute and that the people had gathered at the temple to offer prayers and the matter was resolved. The dispute began about 11-14 years ago after one of the founder trustees, Lala Sardari Lal Talwar, died and his daughter-in-law Veena Talwar became the president of MCSDSMT, say residents of the locality. A resident of B-Block of the colony Suresh Arora, said, “It was after the current president took over that the problems within the managing committee started to surface. There have been differences between members of SDS and MKRCH. Today around 30 employees of the Moolchand Hospital, including nursing and paramedic staff, were directed by Veena to hold a yagna.” However, the Talwars were unavailable for comments. Going into the history of how the temple and its trust came into being, Arora said that many Hindus after migrating from Pakistan took refuge in Sri Kunti Mandir, the remains of which can still be found in Purana Qila. Later, the government gave them land in Amar Colony. “They formed SDS and after coming to this colony, built the Raghunath Temple on the land which was bought for over Rs 26,000 with help from MKRCH in 1965. This was followed by the formation of the temple trust and it was contended that the management committee would have four members of the hospital trust and three of the sabha. But, recently one of the members of the sabha, who was the secretary of the committee, was removed from the post and Vibhu Talwar, one of the sons of Veena Talwar has been given the charge,” underlined Arora. As said by residents of the locality, the sabha was supposed to hold a meeting today, but the trustees of the hospital sent a notice to the office- bearers of the sabha, saying that no meeting could take place without the permission of trust. The president of the Lajpat Nagar IV Residents’ Welfare Association, Vijender Gupta, outlined, “The job of the trust is to fund the activities of the temple and not exercise authority. The environment of the religious place ought to be respected.” |
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Minister passes the buck to CM
The minister was not in office and officials were wary of speaking on any issue, least of all the now-routine deaths of young poor inmates of this government facility. An official said they had strict instructions to avoid the media. Journalists ask the same questions and their department always drew negative publicity irrespective of what they said in their defence. Some persistent reporters did manage to accost Singhal next day, but he tried to wash his hands of the issue and said, “Ask Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. She knows better.” For cleaning Yamuna, learn from Jaipur
Delhi could learn a lesson or two from Jaipur when it comes to cleaning the Yamuna. And this advice does carry some authority, coming from none other than Robert Oates, director of Thames Rivers Restoration Trust, which is credited to have restored the Thames–once a most polluted European river. A private firm played a key role in bringing back the pristine glory of the Mansagar Lake in Jaipur and Robert Oates said this model could be replicated in turning the Yamuna into a free flowing river again. Everybody could learn from other’s experience, he said, and going by the work his foundation has done, not many persons would disagree with him. For the heck of argument
Seasoned journalists are generally equipped with facts and figures to support any argument and it does not really matter what their ideology is. In a recent debate on “Muslims aren’t getting a fair deal in India” at St. Stephen’s College, a senior journalist, who is known for writing on issues of Indian Muslims in India, took a stand which many felt was contrary to the position he had taken in his write-ups. He said Muslims were getting a fair deal in India, much to surprise of many in the audience, while his close professional associate was on the other side of the fence. When the moderator Tim Sebastian finally asked him for the reason why he chose this line of argument, the veteran journalist said half-jokingly that it got him more attention. He might be right, for all you know! Humour in khakhi
Junior officials in Delhi police are always complaining about their superiors’ dismissive attitude to their leave application. Those who apply for leave once too often are never in the good books of officers and are not considered for plum assignments, they believe. But sometimes a bit of blunt talk does work. An inspector recently asked his DCP for 20-day leave for his sister-in-law’s wedding. Shocked, the DCP fixed him with a hard stare and asked sarcastically if he had mistakenly written 20 instead of 2 in his application. The senior officer went on to remark that he was taking only three days off for his son’s wedding while the inspector wanted three weeks off for his sister-in-law’s marriage. The quick-witted inspector, however, told his senior that he would probably do the same if he was the DCP. “Huzur, all you have to do is to order while I have to make all the arrangements myself,” he added for good measure. His leave was sanctioned immediately. NDMC tom-toms about its
achievements
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) during the release of its annual budget tom-tommed about its achievements and initiatives. However, a careful reading of the claims showed that these were almost a repetition of last year’s budget features and even the language was the same at many places. The renovation of Commonwealth Games stadiums, beautification of roads, restoration of Connaught Place and heritage buildings were the focus of both the budgets. When the chairman of NDMC was asked to name at least one project mentioned in last year’s budget which had been completed, his only explanation was that every development project takes 18 to 20 months for completion and that is why these are repeated in the successive budgets. This excuse holds little promise for the Capital which is just a few months away from one of the biggest sports event.
(Contributed by Syed Ali Ahmed, Ananya Panda, Akhila Singh,
Sandeep Yadav, Himani Chandel) |
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Legalisation of Illegal Colonies
New Delhi, February 21 He said the Delhi government, through media reports, was suggesting that 131 of the unauthorised colonies were not satisfying the criteria of regularisation because their occupation levels were less than 50 per cent in 2002. “It is unfortunate that before the elections Dikshit had declared that all unauthorised colonies would be regularised, but now it is using 2002 as the cut-off year to keep some colonies out of the ambit of regularisation,” said Malhotra. Apart from these colonies, the DDA has refused to give no objection certificate (NOC) to 136 colonies, the forest department has refused to give NOC to 238 and the ASI has refused to give NOC to 62 colonies. “The government gave provisional certificates to 1,639 unauthorised colonies before the elections, but now suddenly the DDA, forest department and ASI have come out with objections, said he. “That fact that the Delhi government has asked the MCD to make plans for only 692 unauthorised colonies proves that other colonies are facing objections from various governmental bodies,” Malhotra said. |
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For allotment, come as a body, CM to housing societies
New Delhi, February 21 The Chief Minister said this in a workshop organised by her office to inform the group housing societies that for allotment of plots, they should get genuine documents and approach the authorities concerned in a proper manner. The CBI is investigating 45 housing societies who were allegedly helped by some local politicians in getting the plots. The workshop that was attended by minister of cooperative societies Haroon Yusuf was conducted in two parts. The first part included a roundtable discussion between the office bearers of the societies and the deputy registrars and assistant registrars of the office of the registrar, cooperative societies, in presence of other senior officers. The housing societies expressed happiness that the registrar, cooperative societies (RCS) had started clearing the pending cases. The RCS office has already cleared two housing societies— Diamond Square and Shivani— and is working to clear six more. The registrar accepted the request of the societies to have a “single window system” for the scrutiny of documents. The Chief Minister assured the societies that after they submit all relevant documents and complete other formalities, the office of the registrar, cooperative societies, will process their cases expeditiously. She said she would also write to the DDA for expediting the process of issuing the completion certificate to the societies which is a mandatory requirement for conducting the draw of lots. |
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IGNOU offers computer courses for villagers
New Delhi, February 21 The five courses available are — diploma in advanced computers, certificate programme in HTML, certificate programme in JAVA SCRIPT, certificate Programme in SQL and certificate programme in FLASH. There are plans to add four more courses. IGNOU in collaboration with Srei Sahaj e-village limited is offering the programmes. The programmes were launched by A. Raja, minister for communications and information technology. The courses would help bridge the educational gap between the rural and urban population by making computer education available to villagers at their doorsteps. Besides, they would help students get quality education without having to relocate to urban areas and spending a lot, as well as help people who might have had to give up studies to support their family acquire a recognised certificate and make educating the girls easier. An estimated 100 million rural youths across the country stands to benefit through the Sahaj-IGNOU partnership. The university will make the courses available to 12,000 gram panchayats in digital format. It will use the modern ICT platform to offer the skill. By the end of 2010, Srei Sahaj-IGNOU collaboration promises to make this online skill education available at 27,255 common service centers in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The programmes offered have features like facility of anytime education at students’ comfort zone, affordable programme costs, industry-oriented curriculum and 100% placement assistance. |
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Handicraft fair gets good response
Greater Noida, February 21 Inaugurating the fair, Lakshmi urged the exporters to explore new markets in Latin America, Central Asia, Africa and Middle East in order to beat the recession that has affected exporters’business in US and Europe. “The ministry has doubled the budgetary allocation for the handicrafts sector in the 11th five year plan to Rs 957 crore from Rs 425 crore in the 10th plan. Handicraft sector provides employment to more than 6 million artisans and craftsmen who mainly belong to the economically weaker and backward section of society,” she stated. More than 2,150 exhibitors from across the country, including more than 900 permanent showrooms, have displayed their innovative products at the fair. |
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Raj Babbar charged with stone-pelting at cops
New Delhi, February 21 “I charge you that you along with a co-accused on May 9, 2000... in furtherance of your common intention formed an unlawful assembly and restrained complainant sub-inspector (SI) Mahender Singh and other policemen from performing their duties by throwing stones,” the court said in an order passed earlier this week. Babbar, the then Lok Sabha MP from Agra, expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and MP Sarvraj Singh, along with over 800 activists, tried to stage a rally outside the residence of the then prime minister against water crisis in his constituency, the chargesheet said. Babbar, however, pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court will start recording the statements of prosecution witnesses on July 1. Amar Singh was discharged from the case in 2004 by the Delhi High Court which had set aside the lower court’s order of taking cognisance of the offence. The leaders have been charged under provisions of the Indian Penal Code dealing with rioting, causing hurt and assaulting policemen to deter them from performing duty.
— IANS |
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Rs 10 lakh stolen from car
Noida, Febrauary 21 Driver Kishore Kumar said, "I was sitting in the car in the parking area when someone told me that a few currency notes were lying near the car tyre which appeared to have fallen from my pocket while boarding the car. I opened the door and went to fetch the three notes of Rs 10 denomination. As I stood up, another driver told me that one of doors of my car was open. When I looked in, the bag had gone missing." "There was cash of Rs 10 lakh and a revolver inside the bag. Car belonged to Brij Mohan resident of Agra. He is rice mill owner and had purchased a house in Noida. He had come to buy some furnishing for the house when the incident took place,"said A.K. Tripathi, superintendent of police. "After a few hours, the empty bag and revolver were found from the Gol Chakkar area near Sector 1. Cash was missing. An FIR has been lodged at Sector 20 police station and a manhunt launched to arrest the criminals," said Tripathi. |
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Trader commits suicide
Gt Noida, Febrauary 21 "He was facing financial problems and was depressed for the past few days. His one son studies in classs 9 at St.John School. His wife is a nurse at Dankore Hospital. His elder son was working at Kerala. He was running a provision store at Lal Market in Rampur near sector Beta. He was not able to earn enough from the shop," said
Waliyan. |
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Delhiites cycle to heritage sites
New Delhi, February 21 Receiving over 30 enthusiasts, including IT professionals, academicians, architects, environmentalists, students, social activists from different parts of Capital, NCR and some foreign countries, the 12-km long ‘heritage ride’ began from Pragati Maidan and extended to localities along Mathura Road and in the vicinity of Nizamuddin area. The participants pedalled to Humayun Tomb, Purana Quila, Matka Pir, Sabzburz, Tomb of Rahim Khankhana, Nizamuddin Dargah Complex, Tombs of Mirza Ghalib and Amir Khusro, Shershah Suri Gate during a two-hour free guided tour. |
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Teachers should be role model for students: L-G
New Delhi, February 21 Teachers are supposed to be the role model for their students, said the L-G at the sixth foundation day of Army Institute of Education. He also released a book, ‘Teacher Education Curriculum’. Quoting Rigveda, he said urged youths to keep the window of their minds be open and wind come from all the directions. |
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Fire in sweet shop kills 1
New Delhi, February 21 While a 22-year-old employee died of asphyxiation in his sleep, another was injured. According to a Delhi Fire Service official, two employees were sleeping in the shop when the shop caught fire. The police is probing the cause of the blaze. "They victims were taken to a nearby hospital where one of them, identified as Sunil, died due to asphyxiation," the official said. "A portion of the sweet shop was gutted in the fire," he added.
— IANS |
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1 killed, 4 hurt in cylinder blast
New Delhi, February 21 According to the police, the cylinder exploded around 7:30 am due to gas leakage, leading to the collapse of two rooms in the staff quarters of the Nirmal Dental Clinic at Saidulajab village on Mehrauli-Badarpur road. “Five persons were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre where one of them died. The deceased was identified as Tania,” said a police officer.
— IANS |
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It was almost a curfew-like situation in the office of minister of social welfare Mangat Ram Singhal after Asha Kiran Home hit headlines again for the deaths of its inmates.