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Commonwealth Games
60 heritage sites to get new look

New Delhi, May 4
With the Commonwealth Games just five months away, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and State Archeological Department (SAD) have taken up the task of sprucing up 60 heritage sites in the Capital in an attempt to showcase the country’s rich history.

Bangladeshis held for 200 robberies in
N. India

New Delhi, May 4
Ikramul Haq, alias Minta (37), a notorious Bangladeshi robber allegedly involved in more than 200 robberies across north India has been arrested by the south district police along with his seven gang members.
The gang members in police custody The gang members in police custody. Tribune photo


EARLIER STORIES



Cong MLA, BJP workers fight over water
New Delhi, May 4
Demand for adequate water supply by residents of Jhilmil led to an argument between Congress MLA from Shahadra, Narender Nath, and BJP activists. Later the MLA lodged a complaint with the Farsh Bazar police station, alleging that the BJP activists entered his house and used unparliamentary language.

DU admission process may start sooner
Admission forms may be sold from May 28 to June 11
New Delhi, May 4
Delhi University (DU) might end its admission process earlier this year as the administration is planning to squeeze in the semester system on the undergraduate level in some courses.

MBBS students boycott classes
Protest poor infrastructure in Vardhman Mahavir Medical College
New Delhi, May 4
Infrastructural set-ups for basic amenities do exist in Vardhman Mahavir Medical College but without any maintenance. Over 450 under-graduate students of the college have gone in for an indefinite boycott of classes in protest.

People living with HIV/AIDS hold a demonstration demanding government jobs and highlighting their right to essential medicines in New Delhi
People living with HIV/AIDS hold a demonstration demanding government jobs and highlighting their right to essential medicines in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Book bogus voters, DC tells SDM
Sohna (Gurgaon), May 4
Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria has directed Sohna SDM Naresh Narwal to get FIRs lodged against those having more than one voter identity card made in their name.

1984 riots
Order reserved in Sajjan case
New Delhi, May 4
A city court today reserved its order for May 15 after conclusion of arguments on whether charges should be framed against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others for allegedly killing five people during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

No change in power tariff, says govt
New Delhi, May 4
The city government has written to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to communicate to the discoms that the tariff of various categories would stay at the same level as that of last year.

Snatchers shoot chasing man
Ghaziabad, May 4
Two bikers, fleeing after snatching a gold chain from a woman in Vaishali, yesterday shot at two property dealers chasing them. One of the realtors died, while the other is fighting for his life in the Paras Hospital at Vaishali.

ADM booked for fraud in land relief case
Greater Noida, May 4
A local court has ordered that a case be registered against eight officials, including an ADM (land) and a tehsildar, in connection with the alleged payment of land compensation from the office of DM (LA) to a bogus claimant.

Lifer on the run for 10 years arrested
New Delhi, May 4
The west district police has arrested a 39-year-old man, on the run for the past 10 years after jumping bail while serving life imprisonment for murdering a teenaged stage dancer in 1992.

Ex-staffer held for burglary in office
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4 The police has arrested a former employee of Hindustan Times Media Limited for attempting a burglary at its office in Jhandewalan on April 25. Ashish Verma along with his accomplice JP Singh, intruded into the media office and tried to open the locks of the cash box.

Life term for raping, murdering minor
New Delhi, May 4
An e-court today sentenced two men to life term for the murder and rape of a minor girl seven years ago. Presiding over the first paperless e-court of Delhi, additional sessions judge Sanjay Garg handed down life term to Amzad and Sagir. Holding them guilty, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 3,000 on each of them.

Middle schools to be upgraded
New Delhi, May 4
Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely today reiterated that all middle schools of the government would be upgraded to the senior secondary level that would help in working out admission problem in senior classes.

May could be less hot
New Delhi, May 4
Delhi experienced a hot day today, with the maximum temperature crossing the 40 degree-mark. “The maximum temperature recorded in Delhi today was 41.2 degree Celsius and the minimum was 26.8 degrees, said a Met official.

Pan vendor electrocuted
New Delhi, May 4
A 40-year-old man was electrocuted near his residence in west Delhi today. According to the police, the incident was reported from the Baljeet Nagar area around 6 am and the victim has been identified as Ram Sunder Pandey, a pan vendor.





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Commonwealth Games
60 heritage sites to get new look
Jyoti Rai
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
With the Commonwealth Games just five months away, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and State Archeological Department (SAD) have taken up the task of sprucing up 60 heritage sites in the Capital in an attempt to showcase the country’s rich history.

While the ASI, Delhi circle, is doing up 46 monuments of national importance in the Capital, the State Archeological Department has teamed up with INTACH to look after 14 smaller sites which have their own unique identities.

The SAD said these sites had been selected for restoration as they were placed at prime locations— on way to or near Commonwealth Games venues.

These monuments include Gol Gumbad near Oberoi Hotel, four monuments in Lodhi Garden, Munda Gumbad, Darvesh Shah in Gulmohar Park, Bijli Khan in R.K. Puram, Bara Lao ka Gumbad in Vasant Vihar, Kuli Khan’s tomb in Mehrauli , Kuli Khan in Ladoo Sarai, Foota Gumbad near Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and Talaqi Gate in front of Purana Quila.

“These monuments have been selected on the basis of visibility. Most of them are located at prime locations in the city and if they are in good form, it would reflect nicely on Delhi’s heritage. When the major monuments of Delhi are being renovated, if these sites are ignored, the efforts will seem incomplete,” said a SAD officer.

INTCAH, Delhi chapter convener, AKG Menon, said that renovation and landscaping around these monuments had been undertaken and would hopefully be completed in time, before the Commonwealth Games.

“Apart from their restoration, these monuments will also be lit up. Their illumination will attract attention from tourists and city residents. These places have been at noticeable locations, but always unknown. Once the work is complete, it would add to the heritage value of the city. The funds for this project have been sanctioned and once the basic work wraps up by July, the final touch ups should be done by September,” he said.

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Bangladeshis held for 200 robberies in N. India
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Ikramul Haq, alias Minta (37), a notorious Bangladeshi robber allegedly involved in more than 200 robberies across north India has been arrested by the south district police along with his seven gang members.

According to the police, the gang was arrested on April 30 while planning to rob the farmhouse of a Vasant Kunj-based businessman.

Jewellery worth several lakhs of rupees, one pistol, two cartridges, five vehicles— four cars, Ford Ikon, Maruti Zen, Hyundai Santro, Maruti 800 and one Bajaj Discover motorcycle— used in the commission of crimes have been seized from them.  

“Minta is the leader of the gang and the gang has committed more than 200 robberies in farmhouses, residences and bungalows. They adopted a unique modus operandi wherein each member of the gang was assigned specific task during the robberies,” said H.G.S. Dhliwal, DCP (south).

As per the officer, after committing two-three big crimes, Minta used to go back to Bangladesh with the booty and returned after 3-4 months when the police pressure was eased. Minta sold the stolen gold and silver articles to a goldsmith in Gulawathi, Bulandshahar, and sent the money to Bangladesh through hawala.      

“After his return to Delhi from Bangladesh, Minta used to purchase new vehicles and used them for committing fresh robberies. The members of this gang have committed robberies in most of the cities of north India,” said Dhaliwal.

According to him, the gang members would select a highway and would travel on it. While travelling, they would commit robberies in the cities around the highwaya and move on. Next time, they would select another highway and followed the same modus operandi.

All the members of the gang are from Bangladesh and have been arrested several times. However, they managed to get bail, but after their release from jail, never appeared before court and so, all the accused have been declared proclaimed offenders by various courts. 

Minta is an illiterate and illegally came to India from Bangladesh with his parents. He is wanted for the past 8-9 years.

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Cong MLA, BJP workers fight over water
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Demand for adequate water supply by residents of Jhilmil led to an argument between Congress MLA from Shahadra, Narender Nath, and BJP activists. Later the MLA lodged a complaint with the Farsh Bazar police station, alleging that the BJP activists entered his house and used unparliamentary language.

Nath said, “BJP workers allegation that I misbehaved with them is not correct. Some people complained to me about poor water supply. I tried to rectify it.”

The Delhi unit chief of the BJP, O.P. Kohli, said that a large number of party activists, including BJP MLAs Sahab Singh Chauhan and Narender Gaur, protested against Nath, who misbehaved with them when they visited his house to demand adequate water for Jhilmil.

The BJP activists also protested in Ghonda against East Delhi MP, Jaiprakash Agarwal’s plan to provide water to Mustafabad from Ghonda water reservoir.

“Ghonda water reservoir is only for Ghonda and Babarpur. The government should give water to the Mustafabad from Sonia Vihar or Bhagirathi water reservoirs,” the BJP said.

The supply of water to Mustafabad from Ghonda reservoir has become a political issue. The Mustabad assembly is represented by a Congress MLA while Ghonda and Babarpur are represented by BJP MLAs.

The chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board was not available for comment.

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DU admission process may start sooner
Admission forms may be sold from May 28 to June 11

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Delhi University (DU) might end its admission process earlier this year as the administration is planning to squeeze in the semester system on the undergraduate level in some courses.

The admissions which generally end on August 16 might be closed on August 6 this year, after which the left-over seats from the quotas would be converted into the general category.

At a meeting of the DU Standing Committee, it was proposed yesterday that undergraduate admissions in DU should start on May 28 when the common admission forms would be released and sold till June 11.

A final decision on admission schedule will be, however, taken by the Academic Council, which is likely to meet soon.

The cut-off for the undergraduate courses would most likely be out on June 22 and within two days of it the colleges would take in admissions to different courses.

Earlier, DU sold its admissions forms from June 1 to 15 and though regular admissions were on till August 16, special cases were dealt with after the permission of the vice-chancellor.

Sources from the Standing Committee said the members who were interested in getting semester system implemented on the undergraduate level wanted the admissions to close before August 6.

“Some members proposed the last date for admissions to be July 22, which is ridiculous considering most state and open boards would not take out results before that,” said a member.

According to administration sources, most students who enroll in DU’s evening colleges of DU are from the open board that takes out its results by the end of July. If the university shuts admissions before the open school results, thousands of seats in the evening colleges might remain vacant.

Some members in the committee have even raised objections to the final proposed dates, arguing that hundreds of seats which would be converted from the OBC quota to the general category could not be filled within 10 days.

“We have seen in the past that around 50 per cent OBC seats lie vacant even by the end of admissions and 10 days is too less to take out a separate list for left-over seats and take admissions on them from left over general category applicants,” said a Standing Committee member.

The proposed dates of the committee would finally be approved by the Academic Council at its meeting that might be scheduled in the coming week.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the college administrations are still not ready with the information on admissions.

“Prospectuses could not be taken out as we do not know whether the semester has to be introduced or not,” said a principal at the meeting.

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MBBS students boycott classes
Protest poor infrastructure in Vardhman Mahavir Medical College
Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Infrastructural set-ups for basic amenities do exist in Vardhman Mahavir Medical College but without any maintenance. Over 450 under-graduate students of the college have gone in for an indefinite boycott of classes in protest.

“The airconditioning plant has been out of order for the past one and a half years. What is worse is that due to the centralised air-conditioned system, there is no ventilation, because of which students often fall ill. Then, as the elevators are not functioning, the students have to climb stairs for the classes as the lecture theatres are situated on the first, third, fourth and fifth floors. In fact, as the pathology lab is on the fourth floor, patients and attendants also face problem as they have to use the stairs,” said a student. The college building had come up in 2007.

Further, out of the total 36 toilets, only six are in use, though without urinals and pipes; the water purification system is also poor, with only one out of a total of 12 motors installed in the college is working. The false ceilings in many of the departments, including the dissection room are crumbling and peeling off.

Interestingly, the reason behind the shut toilets, non-functional elevators and sick air-conditioning system is the fact that the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has been reluctant in taking up the charge of the same on policy grounds. Last year, after students had raised the matter with the college authorities, the CPWD was approached for the task, but after onsite inspection, CPWD refrained from accepting it.

Today, the students submitted their set of demands to the college director, Dr Jagdish Prasad. He assured the students that the faulty AC would be corrected and one lift would be mended within two days.

However, the students do not seem to be convinced with and hence have decided to continue boycotting classes till all their demands are met. “It is only when a new batch of students is to be enrolled that the administration takes up the matter, but nothing comes out of the whole effort. We are not going to give up and if things do not change we will hold a demonstration in front of Parliament,” said a student.

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Book bogus voters, DC tells SDM
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service

Sohna (Gurgaon), May 4
Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria has directed Sohna SDM Naresh Narwal to get FIRs lodged against those having more than one voter identity card made in their name.

Kataria, who was interacting with local voters at the tehsil office here today, maintained that legal action would be taken against bogus voters.

As a number of local residents complained of bogus voters in their wards, the DC asked the local SDM to initiate legal proceedings against those found guilty of having more than one voter identity card.

In response to a query, he clarified that the names of bogus voters would be cut out from the voters’ list only after due verification of facts and following the procedure laid down by the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, two more candidates filed their nomination papers for the local municipal poll on the second day of the nominations here, today.

Two candidates had filed their nominations on Monday. The process of filing nominations will continue till May 7.

Complaint costs teacher dear!

Getting his complaint about voters’ list lodged with the deputy commissioner cost Pawan Verma, a history teacher at Government Senior Secondary School, Sohna, dear.

When Rajender Kataria came to know that Verma was a teacher at a government school, he asked him whether he had sought permission from the school authorities to come to the tehsil office.

Verma asserted that he was on leave, but the DC was not convinced. He asked the officials present there to check Verma’s status with the school.

The school authorities maintained that Verma had marked his attendance, but had left the school without informing anybody. On this, the DC recommended departmental action against the teacher.

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1984 riots
Order reserved in Sajjan case
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
A city court today reserved its order for May 15 after conclusion of arguments on whether charges should be framed against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others for allegedly killing five people during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Additional sessions judge Sunita Gupta, who heard the arguments by the CBI and the defence counsel for the last several days, while reserving the order also allowed Sajjan Kumar’s counsel I U Khan and Anil Kumar Sharma to submit a few case laws with it within two days.

Arguing before Gupta, CBI counsel Y S Saxena alleged that Kumar incited a mob which killed five people near Delhi cantonment and demanded framing of charges against Kumar for sedition.

“This (riots) was not a work of a few persons. The manner in which the incidents took place showed that it was getting support from a prominent person wielding greater control over the area. It was not a handiwork of a few ruffians,” said Saxena during his argument before the court.

He further charged that the action of the accused created havoc and there was evidence to prove that Kumar was making inquiry during the riots as to how many people have been eliminated.

However, counsel for Kumar maintained that there was no against him and sighted that the case in which the CBI has sought action against Kumar was earlier closed by the police, which did not find enough preliminary evidence to try him.

Sajjan Kumar, Khushal Singh, Girdhari Lal, Balwan Khokhar, Mahender Yadav, Maha Singh, Capt Bhagmal, Santosh Rani and Krishna Khokhar were named as accused in the murder of five people in Delhi cantonment in the 1984 riots following the then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The CBI filed a charge sheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs during the riots, in which more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed across Delhi.

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No change in power tariff, says govt
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
The city government has written to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to communicate to the discoms that the tariff of various categories would stay at the same level as that of last year.

Earlier the government had received some representations from the three distribution companies - BRPL, NDPL and BYPL - on the issue of severe cash flow constraints, affecting their ability to purchase power in 2010-11.  They had also submitted in their representation that their revenue gaps have accumulated beyond sustainable levels and the assumed higher projections for tariff fixation has eroded their capability to buy more power and also that due to high debt to equity ratio they are finding it difficult to get further loan from the bank to continue their operations, a spokesman of the government said. 

The government felt that the issues raised by distribution companies are serious and has accordingly directed the DERC to examine them and to submit its statutory advice on these issues to the government.

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Snatchers shoot chasing man
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, May 4
Two bikers, fleeing after snatching a gold chain from a woman in Vaishali, yesterday shot at two property dealers chasing them. One of the realtors died, while the other is fighting for his life in the Paras Hospital at Vaishali.

The injured property dealer told the police that they were chasing the snatchers when they were shot at from a close range. Raghuvir Lal, SSP, however, said it appeared to be a case of enmity.

Both the realtors were shot at from a close range and both of them were wounded between the chest and stomach.

The matter is being investigated and we will reach any conclusion once the investigation is complete, he added.

The police could not find the woman whose chain was allegedly snatched.

The incident happened while the realtors— Sanjiv Saxena (40) and his friend Brahm Singh Sidharth (36) – were riding a bike. At a place, they saw a crowd and came to know that two bikers had fled after snatching a woman’s gold chain. The two started chasing the snatchers and confronted them in Sector 6.

Fearing that they might be caught, the snatchers shot at both the property dealers.

The wounded realtors were rushed to the Paras Hospital in Sector 4 by some people.

Saxena later succumbed to his injuries while Sidharth is in a critical condition.

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ADM booked for fraud in land relief case
Our Correspondent

Greater Noida, May 4
A local court has ordered that a case be registered against eight officials, including an ADM (land) and a tehsildar, in connection with the alleged payment of land compensation from the office of DM (LA) to a bogus claimant.

The court has passed the order on the plea of a farmer of Nilini Mirzapur village. The farmer, Yashpal, in April complained that an impersonator had taken Rs 2.10 crore compensation for his land.

District magistrate Deepak Agarwal had asked the SDM of Sardar to probe the case. The probe had blamed an ex-village president and a realtor for the fraud.

The property dealer, through fake documents, got the payment made to one of his relatives, who impersonated Yashpal.

Out of the total amount of Rs .2.10 crore, Rs 91 lakh have already been withdrawn by the accused.

Both the accused have been taken into custody by the SDM. But since the police and the ADM (LA) released the compensation amount without proper enquiry, they were also held guilty by the court.

The deceived farmer was making rounds of the Kasna police station and the ADM (LA) office, but when he did not get any help, he moved the court, which ordered filing of a case against the eight accused.

The victim farmer even alleges that the police had arrested him for two days and had pressurised him to withdraw the case.

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Lifer on the run for 10 years arrested
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
The west district police has arrested a 39-year-old man, on the run for the past 10 years after jumping bail while serving life imprisonment for murdering a teenaged stage dancer in 1992.

Kulwant Rana had allegedly murdered a 17-year-old stage dancer Rani in 1992 in Tilak Nagar by pouring acid on her after she refused his proposal to marry him. He was convicted and awarded life imprisonment in 1994 but he later jumped bail in 2000.

“Kulwant Rana filed an appeal against the conviction in the Delhi High Court. He was granted bailed by the court during pending appeal in 2000. Thereafter, the appeal of the accused against the conviction order was dismissed by the high court but Rana did not surrender,” said Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Additional DCP (West).  

According to Randhawa, the arrest came after the police got a tip-off about his presence in Mumbai.

“A police team was sent to Mumbai to trace the convict. They remained there for about a week and made secret and intelligent investigation on the available clues with the help of the Mumbai Crime Branch. Ultimately, Kulwant Rana was found to be living in a house at Thane (Maharashtra) and was arrested on Sunday,” said Randhawa.

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Ex-staffer held for burglary in office

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4 The police has arrested a former employee of Hindustan Times Media Limited for attempting a burglary at its office in Jhandewalan on April 25. Ashish Verma along with his accomplice JP Singh, intruded into the media office and tried to open the locks of the cash box.

When the security guard objected, they hit him on the head and when they could not succeed in taking away the cash box, they picked his phone and fled. 

A complaint in this regard was registered at the Paharganj police station.

It was further revealed that accused Jai Prakash is a postgraduate in political science and worked as a cashier in Hindustan Times Media Office at Jhandewalan.

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Life term for raping, murdering minor
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
An e-court today sentenced two men to life term for the murder and rape of a minor girl seven years ago. Presiding over the first paperless e-court of Delhi, additional sessions judge Sanjay Garg handed down life term to Amzad and Sagir. Holding them guilty, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 3,000 on each of them.

The convicts had kidnapped the girl from her home under Gandhi Nagar police station on the intervening night of December 12 and 13, 2003 on the pretext of offering her chocolate. Her body was later found from a toilet at Geeta colony.

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Middle schools to be upgraded
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely today reiterated that all middle schools of the government would be upgraded to the senior secondary level that would help in working out admission problem in senior classes.

Inaugurating a Sarvodaya School in Shastri Park , he said at present the government had 900 middle schools . If they are upgraded, thousands of students will be accommodated and teachers will also get jobs.

The government has implemented the Right to Education policy under which majority of the children will be enrolled and this requires the number of schools to be increased, he said.

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May could be less hot
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
Delhi experienced a hot day today, with the maximum temperature crossing the 40 degree-mark. “The maximum temperature recorded in Delhi today was 41.2 degree Celsius and the minimum was 26.8 degrees, said a Met official.

However, the Met office has predicted that heat in May will be less severe than April.

“The heat in Delhi will be less severe in May than in April,” the official said.

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Pan vendor electrocuted

New Delhi, May 4
A 40-year-old man was electrocuted near his residence in west Delhi today. According to the police, the incident was reported from the Baljeet Nagar area around 6 am and the victim has been identified as Ram Sunder Pandey, a pan vendor.

He switched on a booster pump connected to an underground water tank and got electrocuted. He was declared brought dead at hospital. — TNS

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