New Delhi, April 5
An MLA and more than a dozen policemen, including four station house officers (SHOs), are under the scanner of the crime branch for their alleged roles in illegal mining on government land.

According to sources, the crime branch began the probe after a sting operation conducted by its vigilance cell hinted at these people’s connivance with the mining mafia in the Capital. According to a crime branch official, the MLA supplied the labourers for the mining.

“We have registered two FIRs, but it is too early to be conclusive. However, the involvement of the area SHOs and more than a dozen policemen is being investigated, for it is not possible for the mining to go on without the police knowing about it. We are studying the tapes and have started questioning the officials concerned,” said a crime branch officer.

According to information, illegal mining has been reported from Narala, Bawana, Mehrauli and Shahbad Dairy in past few months and a sting operation conducted by the Delhi police’s vigilance cell has shown some policemen supporting the illegal activity. As a result, the role of all the four SHOs of these areas would be investigated.

“No SHO is seen on the tape, but there are references about them in conversations of the people involved in the mining. They would be asked to give clarifications about the whole episode and will be accordingly questioned in days to come,” the officer said, adding that a contractor was purportedly caught on camera saying that an SHO was getting between Rs 30 to Rs 40 lakh per month for turning a blind eye to their activities.

A sting operation in Narela showed a contractor claiming that an MLA was providing labourers for sand extraction. In the tape, the contractor also claims that the MLA was well-known to the SHO.

The sting operations, which were conducted in January and February this year, revealed that soil extraction was also being carried out in areas under the jurisdiction of Mehrauli and Shahbad Dairy police stations.

According to the vigilance department report, the builder lobby illegally extracted soil from land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation (DSIIDC).

New Delhi, April 5
A project was launched by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today to address the problem of electronic wastes disposal, whereby special e-waste disposal bins will be set up across the city, including in schools and markets.

These e-waste collection bins will be installed at all important areas in a phased manner from where the authorised recyclers will collect waste for recycling. The bins are made of a special material to prevent thefts even as users dispose of the unwanted electronic gadgets. The Delhi government has tied up with three authorised e-waste recyclers who will pick up the waste regularly and dispose it safely.

Dikshit said due to lack of proper collection mechanism, e-waste such as batteries, mobile phones and damaged CFL bulbs often find its way to landfills and through leaching they get mixed with ground water, causing serious health hazards.

Describing the initiative as ‘a humble beginning’, Dikshit said serious efforts are needed to deal with the problem of ever increasing electronic wastes like old computers, TVs, refrigerators and mobile phones.

“In order to address the problem, we have decided to develop a systematic mechanism to collect e-wastes,” she said speaking on the occasion.

Dikshit, a strong votary of eco-friendly measures, said it was high time the city takes the challenge of e-waste seriously. Dikshit said another common problem being faced by the city schools is the disposal of waste paper. The government has already installed paper recycling machines in nearly 90 schools.

The Chief Minister also distributed 16 such e-waste bins to NDMC and some schools. Ten bins will be installed in the schools and six will be put up in public areas under the municipal agency along with 42 paper recycling machines to private and government schools.

The state government has already instructed government offices to dump their electronic waste strictly with the authorised recyclers and warned that those found violating the direction will face penalty.

DU teacher to depose against Maoist leader

Sunil Mandiwal, a Delhi University (DU) lecturer, who was interrogated for his links with the Left-wing rebels, has been asked to be a witness in a case against Maoist leader Krishna Rao in Hyderabad.

“I was summoned by the police today. They want me to become a witness in the case against Krishna Rao,” said Mandiwal denying links with the Maoist leader.

“I don’t know Krishna Rao. A friend of mine who is known by the same name a different person,” he said.

Mandiwal added that he was cooperating with the police and would go to Hyderabad as a witness if needed.

New Delhi, April 5
The Delhi High Court today stayed the expulsion of a 12-year-old girl from her school on failing to clear class VI examination and sought an explanation from the school.

Justice Kailash Gambhir issued notice to St. Xavier’s School here seeking an explanation on May 11 and stayed the expulsion of Suman Bhati and other students who were asked to leave the school.

“The school’s action is illegal, especially at a time when the Right to Education Act (RTE) has been enforced in the country,” argued Ashok Agarwal, Suman’s counsel.

“The action is unethical and violates provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Agarwal said.

Suman’s father Naresh Bhati said that the school on Raj Niwas Marg informed him about the decision on March 27 when he went there to collect her report card.

Demanding action against the school and the directorate of education, the petition stated, “It is unfortunate that at a time when the government is coming up with laws, schemes and policies to encourage the girl child to study more, St. Xavier’s School is trying to jeopardise a class VI girl’s future by expelling her.”

The school said Suman had failed in her final term exams for class IV as well as for class VI. According to the rules, she had to leave the school.

However, Agarwal said, “The school has no authority to expel Suman as she has yet not completed her elementary education and has not attained the age of 14 yet. In any case, a student cannot be removed from the school on the ground that she has failed in a class.” — IANS

New Delhi, April 5
The monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) in urban area of Delhi is highest in the country says the report on ‘Household Consumer Expenditure in Delhi’ brought out by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics.

Delhi finance and planning minister A K Walia, while releasing the report today, said the MPCE of Delhi (urban) has increased from Rs 1,972 during 2007 to Rs 2,078 in 2008.

According to the report, in the urban area at the national level, the monthly per capita expenditure is Rs 1,472. The MPCE in the urban area of Gujarat is Rs1,471, in Haryana it is Rs 1,628. However, Punjab accounts for Rs 1,633 as MPCE, Tamil Nadu Rs1,410, Andhra Pradesh Rs1,550, Uttar Pradesh Rs1,121, Madhya Pradesh Rs1,190 and urban area of Bihar is Rs1,080.

Further, the survey reveals that the MPCE of 46 per cent of the total households in Delhi varies from Rs1,001-2,000 followed by 12 per cent in the range of Rs 2,001-2,500 and 29 per cent in the range of Rs 2,501 and above.

“In urban areas of Delhi about 37 per cent of monthly per capita expenditure was on food items and remaining 63 per cent was on non-food items,” said Walia.

He also said that as per the survey the literacy level in urban area of Delhi was 85 per cent in 2008. The literacy level in males was about 90 per cent and in case of females 80 per cent. The survey reveals that out of total literate persons about 18 per cent were literate up to primary level, 35 per cent up to middle and secondary level, 12 per cent up to higher secondary level, 19 per cent up to graduate or post-graduate and above level. The average number of children per household in Delhi in urban area was 1.32 and in rural area was 1.50.

New Delhi, April 5
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today slammed the city government for indulging in large-scale financial irregularities as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that released recently.

The party said that it would approach the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Delhi Lokayukta to take action against those involved in the ‘bungling’.

Senior BJP leader V.K. Malhotra said the report indicated that the government caused losses over Rs 2,000 crore, after aggregating revenue receipts and civil and commercial audit. Crores of rupees have been lost in form of payments to unregistered contractors.

In the report for March 2009, the auditor has pointed out that the city government resorted to ‘avoidable and unfruitful’ expenditure on several projects that were unviable and failed to recover around Rs 3,600 crore.

“The report has exposed the government’s poor financial management as well as corruption in almost all departments. We will approach the CVC and the Lokayukta to take action against those responsible for losses to the exchequer,” Malhotra said.

He said the party would also take up the issue with the public accounts committee of the Assembly.

Accusing the government of ‘deliberately delaying’ tabling of the report in the Assembly, Malhotra alleged that the city government had become ‘arrogant’ after coming to power for the third consecutive term.

“The report was tabled in the Assembly on April 1, the last day of the session. The government did not want a discussion over it,” he said.

The CAG report also states the under-utilisation of 38 per cent funds in water sector and 60 per cent in sewerage sector. Referring to CAG’s observation about the procurement of low-floor buses, Malhotra said the report vindicated the BJP’s position that the vehicles were procured at much higher rate. 

New Delhi, April 5
A minor fire broke out in a slum cluster near a Central Paramilitary Police Force (CRPF) camp in the Bawana area on the outskirts of the city this evening. However, no one injured in the incident.

The fire service department received a call around 4:10 pm.

"Seven fire engines were rushed to the spot. The situation was brought under control in over 30 minutes. No one was injured in the incident," said a fire official adding that the cause of fire is being ascertained.

In another such incident, a fire call was received this evening from the Shram Shakti Bhavan that houses many central government ministries.

An air-conditioner on the sixth floor of the building reportedly caught flames around 6:25 pm.

New Delhi, April 5
Kobad Ghandy, a senior functionary of the banned CPI (Maoists) today moved an application before a Delhi court, complaining that he is not given proper medical treatment inside jail.

Considering his plea, chief metropolitan magistrate, Kaveri Baweja, directed the chief medical officer and the medical superintendent of Tihar Jail to be present in the court on the next date of hearing, which is April 8.

In his application, the 64-year-old politbureau member of the banned terror organisation has stated that as he is a patient of arthritis and is suffering from joint pain because the jail superintendent has stopped his physiotherapy and medical treatment.

The application also states that because of the stoppage in the treatment, Ghandy is not able to walk properly.

Ghandy pleaded the court to get him treated either at AIIMS or Safdarjung Hospital.

The Maoist leader, who was allegedly in charge of expanding the banned organisation's influence in urban areas, is also suffering from prostate cancer and cardiac problems.

He was arrested on September 20 by the special cell of the Delhi police under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Even the Andhra Pradesh police has interrogated him for his alleged involvement in a case registered under the Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Karimnagar district in 2008.

New Delhi, April 5
Doctors today separated conjoined twins, Sita and Gita, after a marathon surgery. However, they said that reconstructive procedures were still on.

A multi-disciplinary team of 27 doctors has been engaged in the marathon surgery since 7 am.

Chief executive officer of Batra Hospital and senior consultant paediatrician Dr Sanjeev Bagai said that the 15-hour corrective surgery is expected to be on till midnight and seven teams from seven disciplines— neurology, urology, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics and anaesthesia— have been inside the operation theatre.

“Everything has been fine as of now. In fact, it has been much better than we had anticipated. I am constantly in touch with the operating team. The reconstructive part is underway,” said Dr Bagai.

He further said that when the kids, who were born with congenital structural anomalies— being joint on the waist, hip and legs— had come, they were malnourished and anaemic. Therefore, before operation, a lot of nutrition building was done.

Thereafter, “We carried tests like— CT scan, MRIs during a week’s time and reconstruction imaging was also done to have an idea of the anatomy of the case. The twins have a common genital, urinary and intestinal system. We ensured that functional bladder, intestine and other major parts were separated, but with caution,” explained Dr Bagai.

Hoping a successful prognosis from the corrective operation, he said, “The surgery seems to be moving towards success. Post-operation the babies would be shifted to the ICU and would remain under observation for about a week. But the follow-up would be given after a few weeks.”

Doctors believe that conjoint twins or Siamese twins as they are commonly known, are rare and not many make it to the surgical dissection stage. The long-term success in many international centres is less than 50 per cent and Indian specialists are considered to have high-hand on such challenging cases. 

Greater Noida, April 5
A man allegedly murdered his aunt and two cousins for Rs 20 lakh.

The woman Nathu Devi, a resident of Sadhopur village here, had gone missing with her son and daughter for the last four days. The police fished out her children’s body from Agra Canal near Hasanpur late on Sunday evening.

SP (rural) Surinder Kumar Verma said that the police was trying to find Nathu Devi’s body.

The police said that Pramode, a contractor in a construction firm, along with his accomplices Rakesh, a painter; Ved Prakash and Pappu, his neighbour, had allegedly planned the triple murder. Promode had promised to give Rs 2 lakh to each of his accomplices.

Pramode was a frequent visitor to his aunt Nathu Devi’s house. He knew that she had a fixed deposit of Rs 20 lakh in the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Gurgaon.

On March 22, Promode took Nathu Devi to Gurgaon and made her deposit her fixed deposit amount in savings account of Omaxe Bank, Gurgaon. Promode then dropped her back.

He told Ved Prakash, Rakesh and Pappu that would give them their share after the situation became normal.

On March 28, the Haryana police suspected Promode of killing Nathu Devi and her children. When Pramode came to know about it, he allegedly tried to suppress the matter with the help of his relative in the Haryana police.

Now, Pramode in connivance with his relative is allegedly trying to sneak into jail in some other case.

SP (rural) Gautam Budh Nagar Surinder Kumar Verma said that a team from the Noida police had been sent to Haryana to arrest Promode and Pappu.

Ghaziabad, April 5
Thieves struck the house of a journalist in the posh Raj Nagar colony in Ghaziabad and decamped with cash, jewellery and valuables worth several lakhs of rupees on Saturday.

The robbed house belonged to one S.P.Singh, a correspondent with a newspaper. At the time of the robbery, the family was out of the city. The robbery came to light on Sunday evening when the tenant of the family, one Gurmeet Singh, who had gone to his relatives’ place on Saturday, returned. He found that all the locks of the ground and first floors were broken.

The tenants returned around 7 pm to find the house ransacked. The locks of all the almiras were broken.

According to S.P. Singh, the robbers took away cash and jewellery worth several lakhs from his as well as his tenant’s house. Gurmeet said that the appeared that the thieves stayed at the house for a very long time and searched the house at leisure.

Blood stains were also found in the house. The thieves probably fought over the booty.