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1 dead, over 400 shanties gutted in 2 slum fires
A slum dweller at Shalimar Bagh in New Delhi looks at her gutted belongings
on Sunday. Tribune photo
AIIMS Metro station to be patient-friendly
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Imposter farmer takes Rs 2.1cr relief
Meet new age beggars
DELHI DIARY
Vendors take a nap at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Sunday.
Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui
Whole monument area should be protected: Experts
BSP opposes fertile land acquisition
JNU students’ referendum
on tenure of VC
4 hi-flying snatchers from rich families arrested
No respite from heat
DU best university
Lady teacher elopes with student
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1 dead, over 400 shanties gutted in 2 slum fires
New Delhi, April 18 The injured were rushed to the nearby Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. “We got a fire call at 2.47 am today from the slum area behind Ankur Apartments in Patparganj. Eight fire trucks were rushed to the spot,” an official of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said. He added that the incident took place after an electric wire caught fire and fell on the hutments. Nearly five hutments were gutted and it took more than an hour to douse the blaze. In another incident, more than 400 slum dwellings near Shalimar Bagh in north-west Delhi were gutted this morning. “We got to know about the fire around 4:00 am. Twenty-seven fire-engines were rushed to the spot,” the official said adding that the situation was brought under control after efforts of more than one and a half hours. “No one has been reported injured, but 400 slum dwellings were gutted,” he said. “We are investigating the reason behind the blaze,” a police official said. The month of April has seen several fire incidents in slum areas of the Capital. At least 28 people, including 21 children and four women, suffered burn injuries in a blaze caused by the leakage of gas cylinder at a tea shop in Shalimar Bagh on April 13. According to DFS director R.C. Sharma, fires in slum areas are caused due to combination of extreme heat wave which make the material of which slum dwellings are made combustible and overloading and short-circuits in electric wires. He added that people should be made aware of the means to avoid fire and ways to escape it. In the wake of several slum fire incidents in the recent times, chairman the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) standing committee Ram Kishan Singhal directed municipal commissioner K.S. Mehra to ensure that no commercial activities were carried out in slum areas. Demanding the resettlement of slum inhabitants at safer places, Singhal said he had appealed to the Delhi government dozens of times about this but to no avail. |
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AIIMS Metro station to be patient-friendly
New Delhi, April 18 Metro officials said the station has been strategically constructed right between the AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital on Aurobindo Road, so that patients can be conveniently taken to any of the hospitals from the station. About 60,000 people are expected to use the AIIMS station everyday by the 2011, which will be the highest for any station on this stretch. In order to cater to the requirements of the patients, four entrances have been constructed. While two entrances will directly link the station with AIIMS, the other two will connect it with the Safdarjung Hospital. “The people visiting these hospitals will not have to cross the busy Aurobindo Road for reaching the hospitals, rather they would be able to reach the hospital gates directly from the metro station,” said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Before the construction of the Metro station, there was only one subway connecting the two hospitals, but after the construction of the station is complete, there would be three subways for people to directly commute between the two premier hospitals. While DMRC is restoring the old NDMC subway, which had to be relocated due to construction, it is also connecting the entrances of the station with each other through the unpaid area so that people can also use them as subways. “Lifts installed in the station are of bigger size than the usual ones to facilitate the entry of patients sitting on wheel chairs,” said Dayal. The central lift of the station which connects the concourse with the platform and the lift on the south east entrance which connects with AIIMS are of the size 3 X 2.62 metres, which is bigger than the usual size of 2.4 X 1.5 metres. All entrances have also been provided with escalators and broad stairs to facilitate commuter movement. There are three lifts on the entrances and one central lift so that people can conveniently come out of the metro station. More than 90 per cent of the construction work of the station is complete and it is expected to be ready before the scheduled inauguration of the Central Secretariat to Qutab Minar corridor in June. “The construction of the station was also a major challenge for DMRC as the work had to be carried out without causing any disturbance to the functioning of the hospitals,” said Dayal. For the piling work, the rate of vibration was kept very low so that the two hospitals were not inconvenienced. A technical team monitored the excavation work near the south-west entry round the clock to check any possibility of a settlement while movement of cranes and other heavy equipments was done only in the night. Traffic marshals are stationed on the road round the clock to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. After the completion of the construction work of the station, 40 shops which had to be relocated due to construction will be promptly restored. Some NDMC toilets which were removed from the area will also be reconstructed.
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Imposter farmer takes Rs 2.1cr relief
Greater Noida, April 18 SDM Sadar Vishal Singh has found in his probe that a man claimed to be Yashpal and managed to receive Rs 2.10 crore as compensation using fake documents and duplicate signatures of the accountant, tehsildar and other officials. It is suspected that the fraud could not have taken place without the involvement of some one in the office of additional district magistrate. The SDM has submitted a detailed report to the additional district magistrate (land) in this regard. Vishal Singh said that the file through which the man posing as Yashpal managed to receive the compensation amount was not prepared in the tehsil office. The said file contains fake signatures of the accountant, naib tehsildar, tehsildar and other officials. Besides, the note by the accountant does not match the official language used for the purpose. The reports in the imposter’s file are dated March 5. It is not possible that the reports by different officials could have been issued on the same date. While Yashpal’s file contains reports issued on different dates, Singh said. It is suspected that a Mirzapur-based realtor Yogesh was the mastermind behind this fraud. He allegedly got an account opened in Corporation Bank in Yashpal’s name. Later, he opened an account in Jatinder’s name, a resident of the same village, in Maha Megha Bank. He allegedly withdrew Rs 90 lakh from Yashpal’s account via a bank draft by using Jatinder name. The SDM has questioned Jatinder and the former pradhan who verified the facts.
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Meet new age beggars
New Delhi, April 18 These beggars are decently dressed and well-spoken. They deny allegations of being a ‘beggar’ if you call the nearest policeman. But you will always see them at the same place daily, citing some or the other reason to extract money from people. Such modern beggars have invited little attention from the authorities concerned. Walk out of Patel Chowk Metro station in the afternoon when the security guards are off to lunch and a tall, slim, middle-aged man may bump into you. “This man talks in English. The other day he told me that he worked for the Intelligence Bureau and needed money to get some important documents photocopied. When I offered that I could help him contact the nearby police officials, he quickly snapped saying that just Rs 50 would be enough. When I denied parting with the money, he cursed me saying that I was heartless by not helping a government servant. I was taken aback,” shares Smriti, a call centre executive. “We see him quite regularly there. At times, policemen find him talking to people and following them, but they are least bothered. It is evident that they know about it and brush it off,” added her friend Suhas. One might come across a man at the bus stop or the red light outside the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This man poses as a patient from Chattisgarh who ‘incidentally’ got robbed and now had no money to return home. And he knows the amount of ‘help’ to demand from a particular commuter. “I was with my husband in a car when we came across this man. He requested us to help him with Rs 500. He talked in such a manner that for a moment I believed he was authentic. But the moment the red light went green, he vanished. Moments later, I saw him asking money from some people in a bigger car and I remember the lady actually gave him the money. I often find him at South-Ex red lights,” said Mallika, a business executive. Walk towards Sarojini Nagar Market and a 40 to 45-year-old woman will ask for help so that she can return home. “Being college students, Sarojini Nagar Market is one of our regular destinations. And this crazy aunty is widely known among college girls. She stops you asking for Rs 50 or 60 so that she can return home in an auto, as some one in the market had stolen her wallet. We came across her just a couple of weeks ago. She looked like any upper middle-class woman and, hence, there was no reason to doubt her credibility. We gave her Rs 100. But the shock came when some of our other friends narrated the same tale. It was then we knew that we were being tricked,” said Ashima, a student of Lady Sri Ram College. These are just a few examples, but there are many more out on the roads cashing in on the sentiments of people.
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President, PM and police commissioner
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chadha had recently made it clear that the practice of holding up the traffic to allow the VIPs a smooth passage was wrong and, in fact, only the President, Prime Minister, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and a few foreign dignitaries were to be accorded this luxury. But it seems that Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal also belongs to this exclusive list, at least in practice. When his cavalcade leaves the Police Headquarters near the ITO, zealous cops stop the traffic at all other sides till their boss takes a U-turn and crosses the busy intersection. The joke is that Dadwal may not have read Chadha’s statement. DMC heading nowhere
Many NGOs empanelled with the Delhi Minorities Commission have expressed shock over the lapse of Rs 2.5 crore of its budget. They point out that this is just a symptom of a larger malaise affecting the body, which has hardly done any creditable job for the minorities. The commission is mired in internal squabbling and its members hardly speak in one voice. NGOs say had the commission been active and members alive to its agenda, funds would never lapse. It keeps itself busy with perfunctory workshops and other such exercises. The cancellation of an award ceremony, which was in the name of Maulana Azad, was also caused due to differences between its chairman and members. NGOs say they would now take up the matter with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Save buffalo
You would have definitely heard of the ‘Save Tiger’ campaign. But what about “Save Buffalo” movement! An analysis by senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials, who keep a tab on the illegal slaughtering of the bovines, estimates that they are being killed in rather large numbers. An official said around 10,000 buffaloes are killed in Delhi daily, mostly for exporting their meat. The guilty often escape punishment for a host of reasons, including paucity of staff. They say they are thinking of involving the Delhi police in their drive. Involvement of cops may instill of a sense of fear among law breakers. Salem and Salman
What happens when an underworld don whose notoriety and dirty wealth inspired movies and a senseless terrorist meet? Well, when Abu Salem and Salman Ahmed, an accused in Delhi serial blasts case, met in the packed courtroom of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate last week because both had the same date, their lawyers wanted that their cases be taken up first. Both accused exchanged nothing but cold stares and their lawyers left it to the magistrate to decide. She asked Salem to come forward. The public prosecutor was heard saying that the Mafiosi deserved the “privilege” because of his seniority. NSUI, ABVP
bhai bhai
The saying goes that there is no permanent friend or enemy in politics and the recent turn in the politics of Jawaharlal Nehru University just proves it. The NSUI and ABVP, the student wings of the Congress and BJP, have long been bitter adversaries but the burning issue of Naxalism has brought about some change of heart. Some radical left parties have come together in their campaign to project Naxalites as Robin Hoods who deserve sympathy and not police action. Alarmed over such glorification of these rebels, the NSUI and ABVP, who share their contempt for Naxals, have come together and were on the same side when pro and anti-Naxalites fought. The otherwise traditional rivals have together floated a group called Anti-Naxal Front. (Contributed by Sandeep Yadav, Syed Ali Ahmed, Himani Chandel, Rashi Agarwal, Akhila Singh) |
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Whole monument area should be protected: Experts
New Delhi, April 18 The old establishments have to be placed in harmony with the fast modernising parts of the city. For a holistic redevelopment and conservation of the city’s heritage, it is necessary that the complete area is redeveloped, expressed the experts. “As historic precincts, they offer major challenges to the city managers. For conserving them, we must take into account the myriad problems of the city at the national, state and local levels,” said O.P. Jain, founder-president, Sanskriti Sansthan, while inaugurating the two-day international conference. The presentations and recommendations made during the seminar by several heritage conversationalists and activists will be compiled together and will serve as a guide for holistic redevelopment and conservation of the city’s heritage. All the monuments created by British architect Edwin L.K. Lutyens, be it Chandani Chowk, Red Fort, Jama Masjid in Shahajanabad or Cannaught Place, Parliament, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Lodhi Garden or Jantar Mantar are an inseparable part of Delhi, the experts said. The speakers stressed that not just the Lutyens Bungalow zone, but the entire New Delhi architecture by Lutyens needed a uniform conservation scheme. |
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BSP opposes fertile land acquisition
Noida, April 18 “We must preserve fertile land, grazing grounds for cattle and forests from any damage or misuse,” the leader said. Nagar said Noida and Greater Noida still offered the cheapest residences in the national capital region (NCR) for Rs 12 to Rs 15 lakh and this was an achievement for the BSP government. “It is an equally important achievement that all round and rapid development has taken place in this industrial belt. About 1 lakh flats along the Yamuna Expressway are complete. It is no longer the well-off car-owning population who come to buy flats, but ordinary people on two-wheelers are also coming to the area to buy property,” he said. Nagar said that local residents should be exempted from paying toll for using the expressway. Another point that the MP made was that local schools should ensure at least 35 per cent reservation for local children. About two dozen realtors and developers from Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Aligarh and other places, have put up stalls in the expo.
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JNU students’ referendum
on tenure of VC
New Delhi, April 18 Mess campaigns and public meetings are also being organised to ensure the participation of maximum number of students in the first of its kind referendum in India. “A large public meeting has been called tonight which would be addressed by the university’s faculty members as well as office-bearers of staff association,” said Sucheta De, general secretary, AISA. The students have called a referendum on the introduction of changes in JNU statute which facilitates the extension of the vice chancellor’s tenure to another five years. De said that given the anti-student, anti-social justice and pro-commercialisation track record of the present administration, the students’ community was determined not to renew its tenure for another five years. Candlelight march
Calling Naxalites one of the major national threats, students from JNU held a candlelight march to India Gate last night. The students under the banner of newly formed Anti-Naxalite Front in JNU also paid condolence to the CRPF personnel, police and other people who have been killed in the Maoist violence in the past few years. “We salute hundreds of people who lost their lives at the hands of Naxalites and support Operation Greenhunt launched to track the anti-nationals down,” said Vineet Chaturvedi from Anti-Naxalite Front. |
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4 hi-flying snatchers from rich families arrested
New Delhi, April 18 The accused have been identified as Siddhant Verma (28), the gang leader; Shailender Singh (28), Sheetal Chawla (27) and receiver of the stolen chains Sagar Jadhav (23). DCP (west) Sharad Aggarwal said the accused were apprehended near Laxmi Nagar Metro station in east Delhi yesterday. “Verma and Singh had gone to Mumbai for chain snatchings. They sometimes went to Mumbai by air, commit chain snatchings and return by train. They are fond of driving motorcycles,” said Aggarwal. According to the police, the accused used to spend lavishly and their expenditure touched Rs 70,000 per month with residence in posh residential colonies equipped with all luxurious facilities. Verma told the police that he came from a jeweller’s family and entered the world of crime after he took over the business from his father and landed in loss due to his lavish lifestyle. “Verma was also arrested in 2007 in cases of chain snatchings. After he was out of jail, he shifted his base from Delhi to Ghaziabad. “As their earnings from crime increased, their lifestyle also got changed and both Verma and Singh started living in a posh locality of Ghaziabad. They used to pay rent Rs 15,000 to 18,000 as per month,” Aggarwal said adding that they would indulge in more than two or three chain snatchings per day. |
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No respite from heat
New Delhi, April 18 The officials of the Met department said the severe heat conditions, quite unusual for this time (April), have been due to the absence of western disturbance over the Capital for the last few days. “The city has witnessed unbearable heat since the beginning of this month and similar conditions are likely to prevail for some time more. However, the city’s sky was overcast with clouds today,” said an IMD official. The minimum temperature was recorded at 30.6 degrees Celsius today, six notches above normal. Besides, the day continued to be somewhat biting, with the maximum humidity settling around 40 per cent and minimum at 15 per cent. Tomorrow the maximum temperature is expected to remain at 43 degrees Celsius, while the minimum would settle around 30 degrees, said the official.
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DU best university
New Delhi, April 18 The other universities that have made it to the top list are Jadavpur University, Pune University, Banaras Hindu University, the University of Calcutta, Hyderabad University, Aligarh Muslim University, closely followed by the Universities of Vellore, Osmania and Punjab. The parameters of the survey are the history and reputation, admission process, course curriculum, learning environment, faculty competence, infrastructure, foreign exchange programmes, research facilities, labs etc. |
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Lady teacher elopes with student
Greater Noida, April 18 The father of the young boy, the student, has lodged a report with Surajpur Kotwali. Depinder (changed name), a resident of Thapkheda village was studying in class XII in Dadri’s Meher Mauj College. He had been taking tuition from the 27-year-old lady teacher for the past three years. Over the period, student and teacher had reportedly fallen in love with each other. On learning about their love affair teacher’s husband had opposed it. The lady teacher and the student are said to have fled their homes on April 14. |
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Polluted water: BJP for CM’s resignation
New Delhi, April 18 |
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One person was burnt to death and more than 400 slum dwellings were gutted in two fire incidents reported from different slum areas of the national Capital today.
