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Death review body at
Safdarjung, soon
Budget proposals today
Power cuts add to summer woes
Human trafficking racket busted
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DELHI DIARY
Kites fly at a function to mark the launch of '200 Days-to-Go' for the Commonwealth Games 2010 at the India Gate lawns in New Delhi on Sunday.
Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
AIIMS starts course on
cadaver anthroplasty
Chaos reigns at
passport office
Woman gets 10-yr jail for killing husband
Panchayat to stop development work in Greater Noida
5 cops suspended as criminal escapes from lock-up
Govt collects Rs 15 lakh during
anti-smoking drive
Youth set afire
Stress laid on green buildings
11-km ride to promote cycling
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Death review body at
Safdarjung, soon
New Delhi, March 21 Apart from Safdarjung Hospital, the project has been initiated by the Union health ministry on a pilot basis in two other central government-run hospitals also— Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College. The nodal officer of the patent safety programme of the Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Vinod Lal, who is also the hospital’s additional medical superintendent, said, “In the last meeting, we decided to make the hospital more friendly for the physically handicapped patients through provisions of ramps and adequate number of wheelchairs. The social welfare department is preparing a report based on inputs from patients. The report will be handed over to me within a week. Thereafter, the central public works department would be contacted to carry out the required construction.” Safdarjung has a grievance cell. The cell receives complaints ranging from delay in dates for check-up and drug unavailability. On this, Dr Lal said, “The hospital on an average gets 30-40 complaints in a month about drug shortage and late dates for check-up. The hospital has strictly instructed that all drugs should be available in the hospital and a buffet stock of 20-25 per cent should be kept ready at any given time.” Dr Lal said, “We have proposed to have a death review committee to discuss the outcomes of challenging cases, improve clinical outcome and reduce medical errors. The common meeting would be attended by doctors from all specialties.” It is expected that the meet will provide a platform to discuss difficult to manage cases, especially those not covered by medical theories. Dr Lal further said that the hospital was trying to provide quality care to patients. “There are committees for adverse event reporting, blood transfusion, bio-medical waste management and infection control. Also, as mandated by the World Health Organisation, there are displays of check-list for pre and post-operative procedures at prominent places in the hospital,” she added. |
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Focus on power, water, health likely
Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 21 Sources said that in this year budget, the government might concentrate on power, water, tourism, health, technical and higher education. Last year, the government had focused on the projects related to the Commonwealth Games like transport, construction of flyover, footover bridges, beautification of crossings, footpaths, strengthening and widening of streetlights, construction of stadiums and hotels. Improvement of water and power supply was also taken on priority basis last year, but a lot more needs to be done. There is possibility to give priority to these two sectors in the coming budget estimates. Even Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna has given priority to these sectors in his opening speech. In the last budget, the government had mentioned the Bawana power plant, but the plant has not yet been completed. Besides, the government has conceived a new power plant in Rithala and another in Jhajjar, Haryana. As the government has promised uninterrupted power supply during the Games, there is possibility that a huge amount will be allocated to complete these projects. Though it is not clear how many new projects are in the pipeline for augmenting the water supply, but the government sources said the finance minister might give importance to this sector also. A large part of Delhi does not get water supply. People depend on ground water which is polluted. As far as health is concerned, the government has plan to construct seven hospitals each one in Chattarpur, Jaunti, Ambedkar Nagar, Bamnoli, Madipur, Jwalapuri and Jhatika village. Oppn to move privilege motion
The budget of session of Delhi Assembly may be full of noise tomorrow as opposition has announced to move a privilege motion against the Congress government for saying that Delhi has nothing to do with proposed serving of beef to sportsmen during the Games. Leader of opposition, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that it was in the Delhi Agriculture Cattle Preservation Act 1994 that government should make a board to implement the law. |
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Power cuts add to summer woes
New Delhi, March 21 Electricity supply remained irregular in parts of south, east and west Delhi, including areas like Safdarjung Enclave, Saket, Shahdara, Laxmi Nagar, Shiv Vihar and Karawal Nagar. Transco officials said that one unit of Badarpur power station has been dropped for maintenance and is expected to be restored on March 22, while one unit of the Dadri power station has not been working and might take another 10 days to be restored. Interestingly, the Dadri unit, which is out of order, was commissioned recently and the second unit is scheduled to open in May-June. “The Dadri unit, which was launched recently, has not been working. It might take 10 to 12 days to start working,” said Tranco spokesperson. “Delhi gets 430-MW power from the unit which can no longer be drawn because of the problem,” he said. The maximum load yesterday was 3,029 MW. A similar problem was faced on Thursday when one unit of Badarpur also tripped. However, Transco officials said there was some problem on Thursday due to the tripping of units at Badarpur and Dadri power stations but no load-shedding was reported on Friday. “It may be due to some problem in the areas of distribution companies (discoms),” said officials from Tranco. The discoms that have been appealing to the DERC for a power tariff hike for quite some time said things were in control now. “The grid frequency is not so good but it is manageable now,” said a BSES official. Delhi faced a severe power shortage last summer, prompting the government to issue strong directives to the discoms to arrange power at any cost. |
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Human trafficking racket busted
New Delhi, March 21 Mahboob Hussain (51) was arrested from south Delhi on Thursday on the basis of a complaint of three residents of the Mewat area in Haryana — Fateh Mohammad, Sher Mohammad and Abbas. On March 18, the trio lodged the complaint that Hussain along with Shakeel had induced them to go to Saudi Arabia after arranging a handsome job for them. They demanded Rs 90,000 from them with the assurance of arranging visa for Saudi Arabia. The three handed them Rs 30,000 each along with their passports and driving licenses. They further told them that they had a good rapport with Nice travel agency which is involved in the manpower business. Their medical examination was also conducted but even after waiting for 3-4 months they did not get any satisfactory reply from Hussain regarding plans of sending them to Saudi Arabia. They started avoiding them one or other pretext, confirmed police officials. They got suspicious and later came to know that no such visa has been stamped. Accordingly, they lodged a complaint in the Hauz Khas police station. Similarly, six other persons approached the police station with similar complaints and two more FIRs were registered. On interrogation, Hussain disclosed he had taken a room on rent in Kalkaji where he would meet people who were looking for a job opportunity in Saudi Arabia. He along with a person named Shakeel would lure people with the promise of getting them an attractive salary. They used to charge Rs 90,000 each from them, said a senior police officer. “The accused has so far duped more than 100 people. Recently, a few people returned from Saudi Arabia without getting a job even after staying there for 2-3 months,” the police officer added. The police has recovered Rs 3,05,000 in cash and 46 passports from him. |
Sheila has the last word on CWG
The Commonwealth Games have frequently provided fodder to the Opposition to attack the leadership of Sheila Dikshit, the fulcrum around which the state Congress revolves. Whether it’s been the delay in completion of projects or poor quality of material used in raising the infrastructure, the BJP has gone after Dikhsit lock, stock and barrel. But the usually straight-talking Chief Minister has mostly maintained discreet silence over the CWG controversies, maintaining that her government had not much to do with policy decisions. However, a frontal attack launched on her by BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Malhotra over the controversial issue of serving beef to CWG athletes rattled her so much so that she tore into saffron camp, accusing it of playing communal card. BJP’s demand for apology from the CM did not stop her to get official comments from the chief secretary to set the record straight as far as the sensitive issue of beef-serving was concerned. In the end, she had the last word. Govt schemes:
All is not well
Whatever goody-goody homilies government ministers and officials may spout about their numerous welfare schemes, it seems there is a realisation among them deep within that all is not well. During a recent event on child healthcare, there were some candid observations from a state minister in Union government, Pradip
Jain, and a senior government health official. The official spoke about “chalta
hai” attitude among the babus and lack of priority they give to execution of such schemes. A majority of government schemes have been largely ineffective and the dismal performance is made quite evident by the various healthcare indicators, he said. However, they were quick to add that their new scheme “Nawjat Sishu Suraksha Karyakaram (infant protection
programme)” would set a new and positive precedent. It’s a different matter that launch of every new government scheme is marked by similar hype. MCD not so
public-spirited, after all
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD) might have suddenly woken up to concerns of public health being affected by harmful radiation emitting from mushrooming mobile towers in the city, but many informed people say MCD’s drive is far from perfect. A couple of
councillors, hailing from both the sides of divide, said in an official meeting that if MCD carried out an honest survey of illegal mobile towers, many of them would be found over the residential buildings of politicians or their kin. As mobile companies pay a tidy sum to the house owners, many politicians in position of influence struck deals with companies. So don’t be surprised, they say, if the “public-spirited” drive fizzles out sooner than later. Night sans dinner for security
personnel
The Delhi Daredevils’ ignominious defeat by Mumbai Indians in the IPL match on Wednesday spoiled the fun for the jam-packed crowd. But it seems the biggest sufferers were hundreds of security personnel on duty. It happened that officials started distributing food packets to these personnel right after the beginning of the second innings in the belief that they would be done with the dinner much before the match
ends. Tendulkar’s lads were apparently in a hurry and they had Delhi on the mat within a few overs of their innings. The home crowd sensed the looming defeat and began heading to exits in hundreds in the middle of the match. Poor guards had to leave their dinner midway and sprung to their work, that was to manage the crowd getting dejected and unruly by every wicket. (Contributed by Syed Ali Ahmed, Ananya Panda, Himani
Chandel, Sandeep Yadav) |
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200 days to go for Games
New Delhi, March 21 The milestone event ‘200 Days-to-Go’ was kicked off by young children and renowned painters like Satish Gujral and Jatin Das. On the occasion, as many as 3,000 saplings were distributed among the participants. A signature campaign was also taken up on the eve of World Water Day to develop a sense of ownership towards environment and water conversation. Inaugurating the event, Satish Gujral said, “I consider it a great occasion for the country and I am happy and proud to be part of the Games.” “Sports Unite...” was the message from painter Prem Singh and undoubtedly, the tremendous turn-out on this momentous day stands proof of this. Chairperson of the Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, Suresh Kalmadi, said that as the country is inching closer towards the landmark event, the confidence to deliver the best Games has also been growing. “The canvas being painted by eminent cultural personalities of Delhi will be displayed during the Games Delhi ,” he added. |
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AIIMS starts course on
cadaver anthroplasty
New Delhi, March 21 Orthopaedic surgeon of AIIMS and course director Dr Dr
C.S. Yadav said, “Surgeons usually have to go abroad to take such training which costs them Rs 3 to Rs 4 lakh. We are making this available in India keeping the same standard and structure at nominal fees.” According to Dr Yadav, the certification course is unique in the country with doctors undergoing training and having the opportunity to perform surgeries on cadavers that help the doctors have the ground experience in live vessels and systems. Further, courses on arthroplasty have been taken up by many hospitals in the past, but they have been limited to phenomenal lectures and training, he said. “At AIIMS, the structure is different in terms of the training. AIIMS has a good infrastructure and the department of anatomy and department of forensic medicine have an excellent facility to preserve bodies for research,” stated Dr Yadav. Last year in May, AIIMS began a course in cadaver knee arthroplasty and in continuation this year, 20 surgeons from across the country would be imparted training on cadaver course in hip joint replacement during a workshop,” said Dr Yadav. Adding that the training through cadavers would help doctors understand the art and intricacies of joint replacement surgeries better, he said that due to the increase in life expectancy, more people from varying age groups are opting for replacement surgeries. In a month, AIIMS alone receives 100 patients for knee and hip replacements and 10-20 per cent of them, of severe nature, go for arthroplasty. Detailing out the advantages of arthroplasty over the conventional modalities for joint treatment, he said, “Arthroplasty has an edge over the old methods as it corrects and provides movement to the body part. The old methods fail to alleviate pain and don’t give that flexibility that arthroplasty does.” However, natural joint should be preserved as far as possible and only when the patient experiences pain that cannot be corrected by conventional mode, a patient should be suggested arthroplasty, pointed out Dr
Yadav. |
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Chaos reigns at
passport office
New Delhi, March 21 Suneeta Gupta, 35, has applied for passport for his daughter. She came from a Haryana district to check on the application’s status. She said officials had some reservations on her daughter’s address and she was made to run between Chandigarh and Delhi offices of the passport department. “We reached early at 6 am to avoid the crowd, but it is 2 pm and I have been asked to meet another official,” she said while holding her luggage. More than anything, mismanagement and lack of adequate staff are the main causes of people’s woes. Her case is not an exception at the passport office that caters to lakhs of applicants from Delhi and nine other districts of Haryana. Applicants say that many windows open later than the scheduled time. To cap it, the token-vending machines often break down and skip numbers. A young defence person, posted in Assam, had taken leave to come all the way to Delhi to collect his passport. He had to return disappointed. “I used to live in Delhi when I applied for the passport, but was transferred to Assam later. I wrote a letter to the passport office, informing it that my address had changed,” he said. His enquiries revealed that his passport had been dispatched at the previous address. However, touts are thriving amidst all this chaos. They claim to provide you with all the services right outside the office gate. Senior passport officials declined to comment on the people’s complaints and said they were not authorized to speak to the media. Though the office does provide ‘updated’ information on applicants’ passport status, they say it is not up to date. People complain that there is little accountability in the department. After paying the fee of Rs 2,200 under the Tatkaal Seva category, a student had been to the office four times. “They did not tell me what all was missing the first time and point out one error after another in every visit,” the student lamented, not wishing to be named. |
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Woman gets 10-yr jail for killing husband
Greater Noida, March 21 Manju and her paramour Raju have been sentenced to 10 years’ jail and a fine of Rs 6,000 has also been slapped on each of them. They will have to undergo further 3 months’ imprisonments if they fail to pay the fine. According to prosecution on the day of incident, Manju had taken her sick husband Lakhmi to Dadri to get him examined by a doctor. She returned alone in the evening and told the family members that her husband had gone to Ghaziabad to his maternal uncle’s house. When they asked her about Lakhmi on the second day also, she objected and said that she was being harassed by them and drank diesel. She was rushed to hospital. On March 11, Lakhmi’s brother lodged a missing report with Bisarakh Kotwali. Suspecting her role, when the police interrogated Manju, she spilled the beans. She told the police that after marriage, she did not have an issue and people used to taunt her. Then she met Raju of Palla village. The two became close and thought of removing Lakhmi from their way. Police then arrested Raju, Babbli, Mintu and Tejbeer. Lakhmi’s body and a dagger were exhumed from a field in Palla village. After six years of hearing, additional sessions judge Shamsul Haq sentenced Manju and Raju. Mintu and Tejbir were let off for want of evidence while Babbli died during the trial.
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Panchayat to stop development work in Greater Noida
Greater Noida, March 21 Around 5,000 farmers from over 50 villages had participated at the panchayat. Kisan leader Choudhary Ajit Singh, BJP leader M.A Naqvi and Congress leader Surinder Goel, Vir Pal Singh of Samajwadi Party and several other national and local leaders attended the panchayat. The seven-point demand of the farmers included non-acquisition of abadi land, hike of land compensation to Rs 2,500 per square meter, landless families be given residential plots of 120 square meter. Besides, the CBI inquiry should be instituted against authority officers to access their ill-gotten assets. Zamin Adhigrahan Pratirodh Andolan Samiti convenor Sardaram Bhatti said till the authority accepted our demands, they will not allow the development work at any of the villages or in sectors.” However, the district administration was making arrangement to see that no development work was stopped and no effigy of Chief Minister burnt by the agitating farmers. |
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5 cops suspended as criminal escapes from lock-up
Greater Noida, March 21 A case has been registered in Kasna police station against these cops and a home guard. According to SSP Ashok Kumar Singh, Tejinder, alias Teju, of Nai Basti in Bulandshahr was arrested by Kasna police at 9 am from an underpass in Expressway on Saturday. Due to some leakage, the Kasna Kotwali lock-up had been flooded with water. So the criminals in the lock-up were shifted to munshi’s office. At 1 pm, Jeetu went to the toilet after the munshi unlocked his handcuffs. The criminal then escaped. The SSP suspended munshi Devinder Singh along with Gurbachan Singh and Ravinder Singh. |
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Govt collects Rs 15 lakh during
anti-smoking drive
New Delhi, March 21 Head of smoke-free Delhi campaign with the city government, Dr R P Vashishta said, “Since the beginning, we have collected over Rs 15 lakh and nearly 11 lakh people have been
penalised. This year more than one lakh prosecutions have been made and annually the collections go up to Rs 12 lakh with penalties ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 200.” Adding that punitive action in the form of penalties have worked, he said, “In Delhi, the slow impact of the drive has been due to the lack of awareness among general public as to which are the places prohibited for smoking. Most of the people know that smoking is punishable, but there is need for more
sensitisation. Smoking is considered fashionable.” The Delhi anti-smoking campaign prohibits smoking in all enclosed places of public utility, including bus stands, railway stations,
stadia, malls and markets. |
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Youth set afire
New Delhi, March 21 The victim has been identified as Amit Gupta. He was set on fire at around 2.30 am. He was staying in his father’s house and found lying on the ground floor with burn injuries.
He was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital where doctors said he suffered 80 per cent burn injuries. According to sources, someone poured petrol on Amit and set him ablaze. However, police is expecting it to be a cylinder blast. “Nothing can be said at the moment, we are just expecting it to be a cylinder blast. The investigations are going on,” said a senior officer. Meanwhile, the police has arrested two of his cousins as suspects after it was known that Amit, a BCA student, had a property dispute with the family of his father’s elder brother. The cousins had allegedly threatened him previously. The cousins may have committed the crime for taking over the property owned by him,” a police official said.
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Stress laid on green buildings
Gurgaon, March 20 The Governor also laid the foundation stone of the second phase of IRRAD office complex and released the case study compendium of the organisation. Pahadia congratulated the Sehgal Foundation and IRRAD on constructing the green building, which, he said, was the need of the day. He also appreciated the rural uplift programmes being run by the foundation in 20 villages of Mewat district. The Governor also highlighted various welfare programmes of the state government.
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11-km ride to promote cycling
New Delhi, March 21 The 11-km ride along the stretch of Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand, which saw nearly 100 participants from Delhi and NCR, was the third such rally with two already held in June and December last year. |
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