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Discoms press for tariff hike
Snatchers kill woman
Cop suspended for cremating body
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54 child labourers rescued
Accident victim’s kin get relief
City’s nutrition rate worse than Sub-Sahara’s: Experts
Janakpuri Shootout
Advocates in 50 UP districts on strike
Temp drops after dust storms
Schoolchildren enjoy the good weather near the Vijay Chowk park before watching the Parliament proceedings in New Delhi on Thursday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
BJP infighting delaying MCD bodies: Cong
GPS to check speed of Blueline buses
4-yr term in heroin case
Scooterist injured by DTC bus, mob disrupts traffic
Mock drill to check security
Trader accused of molestation
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Discoms press for tariff hike
New Delhi, May 6 They made hollow of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s claims that Delhi would have surplus power soon once the upcoming power plants start generating electricity. The discoms said not a single project will be completed before the Commonwealth Games. “The power plants in places like Bawana, Jhajjar and Dadri will be completed only after the Games. Dadri was supposed to be completed in May, but now the deadline has extended to August or September. At Bawana power plant, not a single unit has started production,” he said. The discoms projected a joint front after the Delhi government had asked the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to put its new tariff order on hold, urging it to hold meetings with discoms before revising the tariff. “The only thing we want is that the total cost should be reflected in the tariff. Our revenue gap of the last year is Rs 680 crore. We are paying more than what is allocated to us,” said Ramesh Narayanan, CEO BSES Yamuna Power Limited. The three discoms, North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) dismissed reports that they are making profits. According to the discom officials, it is only the account books that show the profits, but the money has not been received in reality. “We cannot purchase power on the basis of accounts, for doing so we need money,” said the CEO. The officials also said that the Delhi government, through letters, has communicated to them to arrange extra power for the Games, which they say, would not be possible at the current tariff. “The revenue loss of tariff of last year cannot be taken forward as they are concerns about the payment of loans,” said Narayanan. However, the officials did not indicate as to how much increase in power tariff would balance their demand and supply. “If we are purchasing power at the rate of Rs 3.19 per unit, we want Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to allocate us at the same rate and not at Rs 2.45,” said the officer.
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Snatchers kill woman
Ghaziabad, May 6 When two bikers on Meerut Road (NH -58) in Ghaziabad could not snatch the chain of a woman on a scooty, they pulled her down. The woman sustained serious head injuries and died on way to hospital. The victim, Satwati (55) of Duhai, was going to meet her daughter in Modi Nagar. Her grandson, Arpit (18), was driving the scooty. As they reached Monika village after crossing Ganga canal in Muradnagar, two youths on a Pulsar bike came close to them. After driving alongside for a while, the pillion rider tried to pull the gold chain from Satwati’s neck. However, Satwati pulled her head a little backward and avoided the snatcher’s hand. But the snatcher caught hold of a corner of Satwati’s sari and pulled it forcefully, as a result of which Satwati fell off from the scooty. As she hit the road, Satwati sustained serious head injuries. While the bikers sped away, Satwati was rushed to a hospital by some passerbys. But she succumbed to her injuries on the way. |
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Cop suspended for cremating body
New Delhi, May 6 In the incident, Nagender Tewari (23) pursuing an MCA from a Paharganj-based institute had gone missing from his house at Baldev Park in the Jagatpuri police station area. Nagender’s father had lodged a missing complaint in this regard. However, Nagender committed suicide by jumping before a running train the same day in the Madhu Vihar police station area. Madhu Vihar police station sleuths kept the body of Nagender and finally cremated him on May 4. This happened even when a missing complaint about it had been lodged at a nearby police station. When family members of Nagender came to know about his cremation, they staged a protest in Preet Vihar yesterday and demanded to know why there was no co-ordination between the two police stations in the same district. The local ACP conducted inquiry in the incident and an SI of Madhu Vihar police station was suspended today. “SI Maha Singh who is posted with Madhu Vihar police station has been suspended. Station house officers of Jagatpuri and Madhu Vihar have been given a show-cause notice for not taking adequate steps to identify the deceased,” said a senior police officer. Nagender committed suicide after his girlfriend broke off with him. |
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54 child labourers rescued
New Delhi, May 6 Many of these children (7-14 years), mostly from Kishanganj of Bihar, were brought here on the promise of a better future and some others were forced to come here after their poor parents had sold them for a paltry sum. All were engaged by factory owners either without remuneration or on a meagre pay of Rs 50 a week and had fixed targets of making 4000-5000 buttons a day. Parentless Shaheed (name changed), just eight years old, yet wishes to financially support his two younger siblings back in Nayi Basti (Bihar). It is this innocence that led him to the trap of a local trafficker (commonly called as chacha) after his aunt (booa ji) sold him for Rs 5,000. Similarly seven-year-old had a similar tale to narrate. “Six months back, my chacha brought me here from Bihar telling my parents that I would be paid well, but it’s been six months and I haven’t received a single penny. They tell me, as this is the training period, I would only get lunch. We had targets to achieve,” he shared. Then, eight-year-old Abdul hasn’t been allowed to visit his home for two years. The raids started at 11 am today and were carried simultaneously in the illegal units located in the residential locality. Interestingly, to fool the authorities, the employers, six in total, had employed adults on the first and second floor and children were locked on the top floor and forced to work for nearly 13 hours. What was worse is that in one of the units, 11 children ate, slept and worked in the ill-ventilated and ill-lit room. Most of the children had similar stories of abuse, exploitation and little or no wages and according to the national secretary Rakesh Senger of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a majority of children who are trafficked to Delhi are from Bihar and West Bengal. The SDM, Kalkaji, V K Singh said while the children would be sent to the rehabilitation centre in Mukti Ashram here, the six employers were booked under Bonded Labour Act 1976, Juvenile Justice Act 1986 along with several provisions of IPC. In Delhi, the south has emerged as a den of child employers and traffickers, with several instances coming to fore. “Maximum children employed in different kinds of work in several industries like leather, zari, etc are in Khanpur, Govindpuri, Sangam Vihar, Jamia Nagar, Kotla Mubarakpur and Gadhi village. We have identified nearly 5,000 children in Hauz Khas, New Friends Colony within six months,” Senger told The Tribune.
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Accident victim’s kin get relief
New Delhi, May 6 Observing that the driver of the offending vehicle, Mukesh Kumar, was driving the tempo in a rash and negligent manner, the court directed the insurance company to pay the amount within 30 days. “Petitioners are also entitled to interest at the rate of 7.5% per annum from the date of filing of petition – October 13, 2006 till its realization,” the court said in the order pronounced on May 5. The incident took place on September 9, 2005. Singh was going for Ganga Sanan at Garh Mukteshwar along with his father Bhagwan Singh to sell clay pots. They hired a tempo. The driver was driving the tempo at very high speed and in rash and negligent manner. He was told by the Singh and his father not to drive at high but he did not care and when they reached near Garh Road, the driver lost control over the tempo and it overturned. The two sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital by a PCR van. During the treatment, Singh succumbed to his injuries in St. Stephen’s Hospital on September 5, 2005. Singh was working as an LIC Agent and a property dealer. He had an old father, three minor sons and a wife back at home. He was the only breadwinner of the family. The court also sympathized with the family of the deceased and said “No amount of compensation can compensate the loss of a husband to the wife, loss of a father to the minor sons and lost of young son to his father. No amount of money can wipe the tears, the trauma of the petitioners and the feeling that the petitioners must be feeling each day having lost their husband or father or son. The trauma is for the life.” Out of the said compensation, the court granted Manita, the wife of the deceased Rs 4,20,507 with 7.5 per cent interest. |
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City’s nutrition rate worse than Sub-Sahara’s: Experts
New Delhi, May 6 The consultation today followed a Jan Sunvai held previously in the Capital as a collaborative effort by Delhi Forces and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights on the living conditions in Delhi’s three bastis, Kirby Place, Dwarka and Jhareda. Amod Kanth, chairperson, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), pointed that out of 70 lakh people who reside in the slum, nearly 50% are children. “It is indeed a matter of shame that the needs of such a large segment of the deprived section are not being addressed.” Most children in bastis suffer for want of crèches or anganwadis affecting their education and nutrition. Jan Sunvai also revealed that none of the people in the three bastis had ration cards. Only one person had a BPL card and there are no anganwadi centers at these places to help women and children. The jury also found that discriminatory practices relating to access, quality and affordability of healthcare are rampant across the three
bastis. Kids living with disability are denied admission to schools. Amresh from Dwarka told the jury that her disabled child was denied admission to the school on the grounds that the school cannot take care of the needs of such children. Geeta from Kirby Place lamented that she is forced to take her kids to the worksite because of lack of crèche and anganwadi centre in her basti. The jury heard 19 such cases and advised that required steps be taken at the earliest. Jan Sunvai jury member, Dr Vandana Prasad stated that there is a “gross denial of basic rights” and this “ranges from lack of electricity and water supply in the permanent settlements, denial of payment of minimum wages and children’s rights to survival, protection and development”. The jury called for strict action against any authority that does not comply with the Supreme Court orders on opening anganwadi centres. The jury also said that children affected by disability must be reached out and measures taken to address their issues, including education . Older children looking after younger children as their mothers work, must be helped by providing daycare facilities in bastis, the jury added. FACTFILE 1.Delhi has 35.4% stunted and 33.1% underweight children (under the age of three) 2.Infant mortality rate in Delhi’s slum population is 54% 3.Immunization in slum children stands at 34% (incomplete) 4.Out of 8 lakh contruction workers in Delhi, 67% children and 69% women are undernourished 5.Only 35% slum children in Delhi are in the reach of any developmental scheme
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Janakpuri Shootout
New Delhi, May 6 According to Sharad Aggarwal, DCP (west), the woman Sudesh through her relative Sandeep contacted a contract killer Jaideep to kill Vikram Singh. “Singh told us that he suspected one Dilbag Singh Puniya, a contractor from Haryana, to be behind the incident. However, probe led us to Sudesh,” Aggarwal said. During the course of investigation, police learnt that one Jaideep, a history-sheeter from UP, who was recently released from jail could be behind the incident. Jaideep was arrested on May 2 wherein he confessed to have fired at Vikram Singh. Jaideep further told police that Sudesh and Sandeep promised him Rs 7.50 lakh for the murder and they even paid him Rs 1.8 lakh in advance. “Singh had good relations with Sudesh and was one of her associates in property dealings. However, Sudesh told us that Vikram had an eye on her property and daughter. Whereupon she decided to get rid of him,” said Aggarwal. Sudesh approached her relative Sandeep who hired Jaideep for the job. As per plan, Jaideep took position near the car of the victim at Janakpuri District Centre and as soon as the victim opened his car, he fired upon him and ran away. The weapon of offence has been recovered.
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Advocates in 50 UP districts on strike
Ghaziabad, May 6 The advocates have decided to strike work till May 11. Courts in Ghaziabad and Noida will also remain closed till then. The advocates have held a state-level meeting in Kanpur and reportedly threatened to gherao the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in case their demands were not met by May 11. Representative of 65 bar associations in 45 districts attended the meet. The Kanpur advocates have called for a strong action against the policemen involved in the lathicharge. They have also demanded transfer of Kanpur district judge who had reportedly supported police action. President, district bar association, Vijay Pal Rathi, said lathicharge on advocates was a serious matter. Meanwhile, the UP Bar Council has clarified that the council is not a party to the strike.
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Temp drops after dust storms
New Delhi, May 6 According to Indian Met Department, the national Capital may experience thunderstorms and rain may follow. The weather office has forecast a cloudy sky with a possibility of thunderstorms and rain for tomorrow as well. While the maximum temperature is expected to settle at 38 degree Celsius, the minimum may hover around 29 degree Celsius tomorrow. “Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius which was five degrees below average. This drop in the temperature came because of a dust storm which lashed several parts of the city,” an IMD official said. “The weather has been tricky for some days. It has been a pleasant day today with the thunderstorms and dust storms. I hope the rains greet the city soon,” said Rashi, a city resident. |
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BJP infighting delaying MCD bodies: Cong
New Delhi, May 6 "It is surprising that no dates have been notified for holding elections for the posts of chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of these important committees. The dates of elections for the posts of ward committees, from where the six members of the standing committee-- the most important and powerful committee of the MCD-- have to be elected, have also not been notified," said J.K. Sharma, Leader of Opposition. Sharma said a number of decisions pertaining to the Commonwealth Games were to be taken by these committees. Because of their non-existence, the works at the zonal level are suffering, he added. The MCD is in limbo as all activities pertaining to such important departments-- engineering, education, health and all the 12 zones-- have come to a standstill. "Non-functioning of statutory committees is highly deplorable. We have demanded an immediate announcement of the schedule of elections," added Sharma. |
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GPS to check speed of Blueline buses
New Delhi, May 6 Under the pressure of transport association, the government is installing global positioning system (GPS) in 1,000 Blueline buses. This system has already been installed in 100 buses, said a senior officer of the transport department. The government had announced to phase out these buses after their involvement in accidents. Over 150 people were killed in accidents during the last three years. The maximum speed of these buses would be 40 per km. The speed limit has been set by the Supreme Court, the officer said. All the private buses cannot go beyond the speed limit set by the court. The GPS system would help the department to keep a tab on the speed. There will be a control room where the officials concerned would monitor the speed of each bus whether it is private or DTC. They will also monitor whether the bus is stopped at designated stops. The officer said that the GPS would be installed in another 1,000 buses after a few months. The system is being installed at Burari transport authority. The contract has been given to a multinational company. |
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29 schoolgirls fall ill after midday meal
New Delhi, May 6 Girl students suffered food poisoning after consuming midday meal supplied by an NGO. They were rushed to the LNJP Hospital where they were kept under observation till evening. Doctors attending on them said their condition was stable. There were conflicting reports about the actual number of victims and an education department official and medical superintendent of the hospital, Amit Banerjee, said doctors treated 29 students. However, chairman of Vidyalaya Kalyan Samiti, Amir Ahmed Raja, said many among the 296 students complained of food poisoning while 39 of them were visibly sick. The midday meal was supplied by Bal Vikas and Paryavaran Sanrakshak Sanstha located at Prahladpur in Bawana. The NGO supplied “puri and chhole” in the meal today. Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said that he had asked for a report and would take appropriate action. The sample of the meal had been sent to laboratory for examination. “Strict action would be taken against the person concerned and the NGO if the report finds any wrongdoing,” he said. As the news of the food poisoning spread, the narrow lanes of Kucha Pandit was packed with parents of the students and locals who had rushed to help. Local MLA Shoaib Iqbal visited the school to inquire the condition of the children and said strict action should be taken against the guilty. |
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4-yr term in heroin case
New Delhi, May 6 Holding Sri Pal, a resident of Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, guilty under various provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (dealing with possession and distribution of commercial quantity of the contraband), additional sessions judge Sanjiv Jain also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on him. “The convict is involved in trafficking of drug. Trade of such a huge quantity would have an adverse impact on the lives of various persons,” said Jain. The court, however, acquitted Pal’s co-accused Sandeep Singh due to lack of evidence. The two were arrested by the narcotics control bureau (NCB) on April 29, 2006 from Sarai Kale Khan bus terminus.
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Scooterist injured by DTC bus, mob disrupts traffic
New Delhi, May 6 Angry over the incident, hundreds of people tried to block traffic on Ring Road. According to the police, the incident took place around 6.45 am. “The victim, Ashok, was driving a scooter when he was hit by a bus. He has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition,” said a police officer, adding that following the incident there was a minor disruption in traffic on the road. Ashok is a fruit merchant and was on his way to Azadpur Mandi when the accident took place. |
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Mock drill to check security
New Delhi, May 6 A senior police official said all the agencies, including fire and police, participated in the drill. The Games are to be held from October 3 to 14. |
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Trader accused of molestation
New Delhi, May 6 Vineet Tokas (25), a resident of Kalindi Kunj, was arrested and later released on bail after a resident of the same area alleged that Tokas tried to rape her after offering her a ride. "A medical examination was conducted on the victim, but no indications of rape were found," a police official
said. — IANS |
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MCD seeks more funds
New Delhi, May 6
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New Delhi, May 6
