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Semester Row
Metro to help showcase city's heritage
DJB fails to replace faulty meters; residents pay the price
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20 fresh cases of H1N1; tally reaches 254
Tight security for Independence Day celebrations
‘Kite flying can cause electrocution’
Uphaar Case
Building workers on dharna
Missing man’s family receives Rs 30-lakh ransom letter
Cops searching for attackers of MCF engineer
Brother shot at in Gokulpuri
Journalist found hanging
15 vehicle theft cases worked out
Pregnant woman beaten to death
Labourer raped by contractor
7 hurt in roof collapse
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Semester Row
New Delhi, August 12 After the court instructed DUTA not to stop teachers who were teaching willingly as per the semester system, DUTA today made a formal appeal to teachers to teach by the annual mode. Maintaining that the semester system was against the university ordinances, DUTA members called upon the vice-chancellor (VC) for a dialogue on the system. Noticeably, all negotiations between the DUTA and the DU administration have failed in the past. The DUTA plans to hold a massive protest at the VC's office on August 17. However, the tussle has left the students in a fix, who are clueless about how to proceed with studies. Many colleges have already adopted semester system, following repeated reminders from the VC. |
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Metro to help showcase city's heritage
New Delhi, August 12 "There will be panels on each station with proximity to a heritage site showcasing photographs along with detailed backgrounder about the specific monument. Most of the work should be complete with the opening of the line, by the end of this month. The entire project will be wrapped up, well in advance before the Commonwealth Games," said a DMRC spokesperson. Ten Metro stations on Central Sect-Qutab Metro line will be part of this project. Forty panels covering all the ten stations will display the information about the monuments and their proximity from the station. Some of the monuments to be showcased are India Gate and its surroundings, Lodhi Garden, Safdarjung Tomb, Hauz Khas complex, Vijay Mandal, Siri Fort Wall and Qila Rai Pithora. Each station on this stretch will have artworks/panels of monuments, which are in close proximity of the station. The information regarding the historical monuments will be showcased through informative panels to be mounted on the walls of the stations. The Qutab Metro station will have this information displayed this month. The stations between Central Sectt-Qutab are Udyog Bhawan, Race Course, Jor Bagh, INA, AIIMS, Green Park, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Saket. The Central Sectt-Qutab line is scheduled to be operational by the end of August. |
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DJB fails to replace faulty meters; residents pay the price
New Delhi, August 12 Umesh Bihari Lal, a senior citizen and resident of Kailash Colony who has been paying his bills regularly, was shocked to see his latest bill of around Rs 24,000-- a collective bill of the last one year. Not only this, his bother who stays on the first floor of the house has received a bill of around Rs 26,000. "The DJB officials used to come every month to take the meter reading and charged us somewhere between Rs 200 and Rs 300, saying that it was an ad hoc bill. Now, they are suddenly demanding Rs 24,000 as bill for one year," said Lal. Lal alleged that he had been running from pillar to post in DJB offices to get the amount settled, but the callousness of the officials have not provided any solution. "I met the chief engineer, who referred me to the zonal revenue officer. Even the zonal revenue officer did not suggest anything and said that the bill had to be cleared," said Lal. However, DJB officials tried to shift the responsibility, saying that water rates have been increased and it might lead to higher bills. "Sometimes, if the meter reading is not visible, the officials take minimum payment by giving ad hoc bills. But it does not mean that the bill is cleared for the month," said Kushal Singh, zonal revenue officer in DJB. The DJB had again extended the deadline for consumers to replace defective meters. This is the third time that water utility moved the deadline from December 31, 2009, to June 30, 2010. It has now been set for September 30. "Tenders are being finalised. It might take another three months to award contracts," a senior official said. |
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20 fresh cases of H1N1; tally reaches 254
New Delhi, August 12 Since the first case was reported this season, there have been 14 fatalities due to H1N1 virus. Since its outbreak in May last year, the country has reported a total of 1,833 H1N1 flu deaths till August 9 as per the weekly report of the health ministry. On the other side, the vector-borne disease continued its upward move affecting 17 more people in the city. "The number of dengue cases in Delhi rose to 174 with 17 cases coming today and there have been no deaths," Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s chief medical officer Dr N K
Yadav. |
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Tight security for Independence Day celebrations
New Delhi, August 12 Thousands of security personnel, including sharpshooters of the elite National Security Guards, will keep a vigil in the city and the Red Fort where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unfurl the tricolour and address the nation. The union home ministry has already issued a countrywide alert asking states to tighten security in sensitive locations and installations to thwart any attempt of terror strike. "We are deploying personnel everywhere. We are not taking any chance," a senior police official said. According to information, 40 CCTVs will be installed in and around the Red Fort to ensure incident-free celebrations while NSG sharpshooters will be deployed on high-rises near the fort. Ten 10 CCTVs will be installed in and around the monument covering up to three kms. Thirty more will be installed to cover a four-km stretch from Shantivan to the Red Fort police post. According to a senior police official, the localities around the Red Fort have been sanitised and informers deployed to keep a check on any movement of anti-national elements. An intense vigil will also be maintained on key installations like Parliament complex, international airport, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and Metro stations. Besides, patrolling of the skies by helicopters will be put in place around the venue to thwart any terror attacks. The Delhi police is intensifying checking at all the border points, the official said, adding they may also deploy spotters from other states to identify miscreants. The police has asked the public to dial 1090 if they find anything suspicious anywhere. To ensure complete security at Metro stations, 400 additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel are being deployed. |
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‘Kite flying can cause electrocution’
New Delhi, August 12 The discoms have said 'manjha' (the metal-coated thread used in kite flying) being a good conductor of electricity is dangerous not only to the person flying the kite, but also poses risk to electricity supply of an area. Each year, there are several instances on both counts. "When manjha comes in contact with a live overhead wire, it causes tripping, leading to blackout in an area- a phenomenon witnessed every year," said a senior BSES official. "According to estimates, tripping of just one 33/66 KV overhead line can disrupt power supply to over 10,000 residents, while that of a single 11 KV line to over 2,500 residents. Each year, there are scores of such incidents in the city. Last year, there were 44 instances due to kite flying in the BSES' (BRPL 32, BYPL 12) area," said the official. In the run-up to the Independence Day, the BSES has put its operations and maintenance team on high alert to take care of any kite flying-related contingencies. "People should celebrate the Independence Day. But they should do it responsibly. Residents are advised not to fly kites near electricity installations, including overhead cables and certainly not use metal or metal-coated manjhas. These two simple measures will ensure safe I-Day celebrations. Any carelessness can lead to a major power failure, blackout and even electrocution," added the official. |
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Uphaar Case
New Delhi, August 12 Metropolitan magistrate Sanjeev Kumar said declining CBI's report, which stated that there was no witness to prove that it was Kanth who had allowed the extra seats in the theatre, ordered the investigating agency to issue summons against Kanth. "The investigation report of the CBI is hereby rejected. Let the summons be issued against Amod Kanth for August 20," Kumar said. It added that there was sufficient evidence to initiate criminal proceedings against Kanth under section 304A, 337 and 338 of the IPC. On August 9, the court had reserved its order on a plea filed by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), seeking rejection of the CBI report absolving the former IPS officer in the case. The AVUT had alleged that Kanth, the then DCP (licensing), had allowed extra seats in Uphaar cinema hall's balcony where 59 people died in a blaze in 1997 due to the closure of exit gates. Kanth's role came under the scanner when a trial court, while awarding jail to 12 accused, including theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal, asked the CBI to probe the IPS officer's act of allowing extra seats. The probe agency, in its report, gave clean chit to Kanth saying the decision to allow the theatre owners to retain the extra seats in the balcony was based on the technical advice rendered to him by the technical staff. The court relied on the statement of the victims' body which stated that Kanth was aware that the decision could prove fatal. |
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Building workers on dharna
New Delhi, August 12 The workers were supported by many Delhi University students, members of the Miranda House Staff Association, women's and youth organizations like Centre for Struggling Women (CSW) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS). They were also protesting against several other violations of labour laws. "The workers have not been paid for the entire one month and four days for which they have been working at the college. Furthermore, the rate of payment fixed by the contractor is well below the legal minimum wage rate. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the contractor has defaulted on paying the workers and violated several labour laws, the main employer, i.e. the college principal, Ms Pratibha Jolly has refused to step in and release the workers' arrears," said a member of the Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti. "Since August 4, only a small part of the workers' dues has been released with no further surety provided by the college administration to look into the other key demands of the workers," he said. |
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Missing man’s family receives Rs 30-lakh ransom letter
Greater Noida, August 12 "Sukhpal Singh of Meerut today gave a written complaint, stating that his son Mukesh Kumar (25) who works in automobile company had been missing since July 30. He had lodged a missing report. He said a day before the family had received a ransom letter of Rs 30 lakh from kidnappers. If the amount was not paid, they would kill his son," said Pramod Kumar Singh, SHO, Dadri. "A kidnapping case has been registered against unknown persons today. The kidnappers have asked the family members to arrange for the ransom by August 13. The kidnappers had asked them to come on a train. They have asked them to throw the cash bag when they receive torchlight," said Singh. "Mukeh's family members were waiting for further directions from the kidnappers. Instead of using mobile phone, they have used letter so that they cannot be traced through electronic surveillance," said Singh. "Mukesh lived in rented accommodation in Dadri Kasba. The ransom letter was found in the room. Someone had slipped the letter through the door," said Singh. "We are questioning his friends and residents of the area to get clues about the kidnappers. Policemen in plain clothes have been deployed to nab the person associated with the kidnapper(s) as he delivers the letter. We expect the letter at his Meerut house now," said Singh. "We informed about the letter to the police on August 6, but they were not registering the kidnapping case and took the matter lightly. It was only after they were pressurised by influential people and the media, a kidnapping case was registered," said a relative of the victim. |
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Cops searching for attackers of MCF engineer
Faridabad, August 12 However, the police authorities today said that they had followed a wrong lead even though they claimed to have conducted raids at several places. In a related development, the commissioner, MCF, Mahtab Singh Sehrawat, spoke to the police commissoner, P.K.Aggarwal and urged for speedy action against the culprits. The incident has shaken a large section of babudom here as this is the first time that a government official has been assaulted in such a manner. Bhaskar, who sustained multiple fractures on his limbs, was attacked by three motorcycle-borne youths in the market of sector 15 in broad daylight yesterday. It appeared that the criminals had been planning to target the officer for a long time. The fact that the three had their faces covered has made the police suspicious, leading it to believe that the attack was pre-planned. According to the police, nothing could be said with certainty as of now. |
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Brother shot at in Gokulpuri
New Delhi, August 12 "A few months ago, Ali had given some money to Nazaruddin, but he failed to return it. When Ali demanded it back, Nazaruddin said he did not owe him any money. The two had even fought with sticks last month. Ali again reached Nazaruddin's house last night and demanded his money. When refused, he shot at Nazaruddin who has been admitted to GTB Hospital where his condition is stable," said a police official. Ali was arrested by the neighbours as he tried to flee after the incident. A case of attempt to murder has been lodged. |
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Film on violence against women released
New Delhi, August 12 The film provides a basic understanding of conventional roles of 'masculinity' and 'femininity' and breaks the stereotypical notions. It develops an understanding of the growth of gender-based violence. "With inculcation of these values into the minds of the young boys and girls at the school age itself, it is expected that incidents of violence against women will substantially come down and gender equality will be more close to reality. I appreciate CEQUIN's initiative for creating this interactive CD to which students can easily relate to," said Dikshit. Dikshit also appreciated the role of CEQUIN in successfully operating a gender resource centre in Okhla which has been empowering poor women. The film is primarily targeted at children of classes 11 and 12. The founder of CEQUIN, Sara Pilot, stated, "According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau 2007, a total of 1,85,312 incidents of crime against women were reported in the country during 2007 as compared to 1,64,765 during 2006, thus recording an increase of 12.5% during 2007." |
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Journalist found hanging
New Delhi, August 12 The deceased Saiyada Shagufta Noor Ali lived with her husband Joyjeet Roy in a flat in Basant Apartment, Mayur Vihar phase-I. The police said no suicide note was found and the body had been sent for posmortem examination. An enquiry has also been ordered into the matter. According to a police official, Saiyada was to leave for her office at 4 pm. "Her husband Joyjeet Roy made calls on her mobile phone around 3 pm. When no response was received, he made a call to one of his neighbours. He requested him to go and check his residence. The neighbour knocked at his house's door many times. When he did not receive any response, he reached the flat's balcony through pipe. Later, he saw the body hanging from a ceiling fan and informed us," said a police official. According to information, the deceased worked in the leading newspaper while her husband worked for another newspaper. They had got married about a year ago and were living in Mayur Vihar ever since. The deceased's sister lives in Delhi and reportedly stayed with her at their residence last night. However, she had left this morning. The deceased hailed from Kolkata. Her family members have been informed and are expected to reach here tomorrow morning. "The body has been sent to the LBS Hospital. Statements of the neighbour and husband have been recorded. Further investigation is on to establish the exact cause of suicide," said a senior police official. |
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15 vehicle theft cases worked out
New Delhi, August 12 Accused Anas is involved in cases of robbery, murder and is also wanted in cases of autolifting from P.S. Saraswati Vihar. The police has recovered six cars and five motorcycles from his possession. His arrest was made after the police took up investigations on the complaints regarding motor vehicle thefts. Intelligence was developed and it was known that a gang of Anas is indulging in motor vehicle thefts in west district. On August 11, he was apprehended from near District Park, Paschim Vihar, where he came to meet his accomplice. The police also arrested the other two gang members. All the accused belonged to a lower class family and they wanted to earn fast money, said a senior police official. |
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Pregnant woman beaten to death
New Delhi, August 12 A morning walker reportedly found Neetu lying dead in a park near her rented house at Ramdhari Colony in Burari's Ramesh Nagar this morning. Her body had injury marks similar to that of beating. Her husband Amit Chandra (25) has been detained for questioning. "It has been alleged that Chandra used to beat Neetu. There were some injury marks on her body. We are questioning him," said a police official, adding that the victim was pregnant and her body had been sent for postmortem. The couple had got married against the wishes of their families sometime ago. They were staying in a rented accommodation. However, Neetu's mother Gurjeet Kaur used to visit them regularly. Chandra works in a mobile company. |
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Labourer raped by contractor
New Delhi, August 12 The incident took place in the afternoon. The accused, Ram Singh Kushwaha (42), is a contractor. He managed to enter the victim's house and allegedly raped her, said a senior police official. He was arrested after a complaint made at the Safdarjung police station. "We made his arrest within a couple of hours after the complaint was lodged. A case of rape has been registered against him under the Indian Penal Code," said the police official. |
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7 hurt in roof collapse
New Delhi, August 12 The roof came down, probably due to the collection of rain water last night. Of the seven, three have suffered fractures. The injured were admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and the Lady Hardinge Hospital," said a fire official. |
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