New Delhi, September 14
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for the security of Delhi Metro, has fortified its security plans for this popular mode of mass transport, keeping in mind the threat perception during the Commonwealth Games.

According to information, the total CISF personnel manning the trains and stations have gone up to 4,500 from earlier 3,000 men in the past one month and there is likely to be further addition if need arises.

According to Rohit Katiyar, spokesperson, CISF, the security of Metro trains would not be compromised for any reason and all efforts are being made to secure the trains, not only because of the Commonwealth Games, but beyond sporting event.

"Metro trains and stations, unlike other venues, are the responsibility of CISF and we would not compromise on it. The strength of CISF personnel on Delhi Metro has been increased to 4,500 men as on today, and if need arises, we would have more men," said Katiyar.

According to him, the issue of Metro security was also discussed during a two-day biannual operational conference of senior CISF officers which concluded in the city today.

"The matter came up for discussion during the conference and N.R.Das, director-general CISF, briefed the Union home secretary G.K. Pillai during the review about the security of Delhi Metro and the airports, modernization of the force, accommodation and other welfare measures for the jawans," said Katiyar, without going into the security details for obvious reasons.

Apart from the CISF, the Delhi police is likely to have specialized Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), assisted by bomb disposal and dog squads stationed outside some of the Metro stations.

According to Delhi police sources, police and intelligence officials in plain clothes will also keep an eye on suspected persons during the commencement of Games.

"Security is a team work and though it is the responsibility of CISF to secure the Delhi Metro, we would not shy away from giving them our assistance. The Delhi Metro police stations have been assigned specific task during the Games," said a senior Delhi police official.

New Delhi, September 14
Stating the importance of Hindi as an official language, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today urged the sports minister to display the Commonwealth Games (CWG) posters and banners in Hindi along with English.

Subhash Arya, the Leader of House, said that if the sports ministry does not take action, the corporation will display its own posters, welcoming the athletes in the Hindi language. "In case the government did not pay heed to our plea, we will use any available place to write and display our own welcoming messages in Hindi," said Arya.

"We have written letters to the Union sports minister, M.S. Gill and the chairman of the Organizing Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, urging them to give importance to Hindi," he said.

The civic body has also written a letter to the minister on the issue.

It said that Hindi has been neglected in the run-up to the Games, which is an insult to the language and Indian culture.

He said that the MCD has given 36 sites free of cost to the OC.

"The hoardings, banners and posters put up at various sites in the city bear messages in English only," said Arya.

He was speaking on the occasion of inauguration of the 'Hindi Week' organized by the MCD at Town Hall.

Municipal commissioner K.S.Mehra asked the civic body officials to do work more in Hindi.

He said he would welcome the files written in Hindi. Some officials may find it difficult in the beginning, but they will soon get used to it, he added.

New Delhi, September 14
Fogging and spraying of pyrethroid is on in the Games Village, which would begin hosting athletes and guests in a day. The task of clearing wild shrubs and draining out accumulated water from the Village is also going on. However, heaps of waste lying outside its boundary seems to have escaped the authorities' attention.

There is no mistaking the hard work the authorities are putting in to deal with the dengue menace, but officials working there concede that they are racing against time in completing all the works. Levelling of elevated ground, laying of roads leading to the Village and its fencing are being carried out hastily with just a day left for the representatives of participating countries to assemble here.

"There has been delay in completing the projects and by tomorrow the works have to be finished as, barring the designated officials, all have to vacate the premises of the Village," said an employee of the Delhi Development Authority.

The mounds of dismantled shelters of construction workers have been lying on either side of the Games Village for quite some time and this would provide conditions conducive to insects and rodents. The place is just 100 metres from the training sites and the flats which would house more than 7,000 athletes and officials during the Games.

"The remains of temporary sheds are there and construction agencies have been asked to remove them. Most of the work is complete. As far disinfecting the area, it would be done as per day-to-day planning. As it is raining regularly, it is very difficult to keep the area free of water accumulation," said Dr V K Monga, the chairperson of the MCD's health committee.

Even as the Army has been pulled out of the area, around 76 officials of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force and 50 workers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are still carrying out their tasks.

New Delhi, September 14
It was again a testing time for commuters stuck for hours in the traffic jams this morning as the police conducted trials on exclusive lanes for the Commonwealth Games. The trials, conducted on four stretches for two hours starting 8 am, threw traffic out of gear.

The trials were conducted on Chandgi Ram Akhada to Mall Road on Ring Road, Ring Road-NH-24 to Gazipur Crossing, SPM-Panchsheel to RML via Mother Teresa Crescent.

The vehicles were moving at snail's pace not only on these stretches, but also on the arterial roads leading to and fro these destinations.

After cancellation of peak-hour trials yesterday owing to the rains, it was the first trial conducted during the peak hours and the result was disappointing.

"We are trying our best to manage the traffic keeping in mind the conditions during the Games. However, with close to 60 lakh vehicles in the city, you have to suffer some inconvenience," said a senior traffic police official when asked whether the idea of exclusive lanes was making any sense.

The trials, which have so far been conducted for six days this month, have resulted in traffic jams every time.

Palwal, September 14
Much to the relief of the villages affected by flood, the situation has started improving since yesterday evening after water level in Yamuna reportedly began receding.

The flood water that had entered areas of Mahabalipur and Indra Nagar villages, forcing the residents to take shelter in camps at nearby villages like Khatka Nangli and Acheja, has started shrinking.

The youths of the two villages residing at relief camps even visited their houses today morning. However, the fields in the two villages as well as another about a dozen villages continue to be full of water. A member of the district administration said that as a precautionary measure, the residents have not been allowed to shift to their houses. If rains stop, they will be allowed to return home after about 46 hours, he said.

Meanwhile, the displaced villagers are desperate to return home.

Sant Ram of Mahabalipur village, whose family of five has taken shelter in the camp at Khatka Nangli village, said he wanted to return home as soon as possible. Though satisfied with the arrangements done by the authorities at the relief camp, he said he and his cattle were missing home.

According to official sources, the flood situation will be reviewed late evening today.

New Delhi, September 14
Two men were killed and two were injured in two different road accidents reported from different parts of the Capital last night.

In the first incident, a 27-year-old man was crushed while two others suffered injuries when a speeding Santro car hit them in the Hari Nagar area of west Delhi late on Monday night.

According to the police, the incident took place around 9 pm near the DTC depot in Hari Nagar. The driver of the car managed to flee after hitting the victims.

"Sunil, Dharamraj and Satpal were crossing road when a speeding car hit them. They were rushed to the Deen Dyal Upadhayay Hospital where Sunil was declared brought dead while Dharamraj and Satpal are undergoing treatment," said a police official, adding that the condition of the injured was critical. The police is yet to record the victims' statements.

In another incident, a 30-year-old employee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was killed in the Shakarpur area of east Delhi when his scooter was hit by a speeding car around 10.30 pm.

The victim, identified as Rajender, was a native of Hisar in Haryana.

"It is a hit-and-run case and the accused driver fled the spot in his car while Rajender was rushed to Bali Nursing Home in Laxmi Nagar by a PCR van. He succumbed to his injuries during the course of treatment," said the police, adding that as per eyewitnesses, the car involved in the accident was a Skoda. However, the vehicle is yet to be identified.

New Delhi, September 14
Even as the national Capital is witnessing a spiralling dengue crisis, with 76 fresh cases confirmed today, a large section of city residents continue to show indifference to the measures adopted to fight the disease.

Ironically, the biggest culprits are the residents of upscale localities in central and south Delhi. One of the surprising aspects of the crisis has been its severity in these areas and experts have blamed the reluctance of residents to take sufficient measures to deal with the problem.

"Educated people of many colonies of south and central zone have not shown the required awareness. It is only after getting affected that they realise the danger. We have roped in the resident welfare associations to help us spread the message," said chairperson of MCD health committee, Dr V K Monga.

Many people prefer to go to a local chemist shop and take medicines, avoiding visits to the doctors.

Doctors warn that people should avoid self-medication and if the fever does not subside after 48 hours, medical advice is a must. "Painkillers should be avoided as they may lower BP and cause haemo-concentration," said Dr R S Mishra, senior consultant, internal medicine department of Max Healthcare.

According to doctors, more than 95 per cent of the dengue fever is milder and do not require admission.

"Delay in visiting a doctor, if dengue symptoms persist, can result in a patient fall victim to haemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome," cautioned Dr Mishra.

Noida, September 14
The chairperson of popular real estate firm Nitishree Builders was last evening arrested by the Sector 20 police for alleged fraud.

Superintendent of police H. N. Singh said, "The chairperson of Nitishree Builders, Anil Jain, was arrested last evening. A manhunt has been launched to arrest other partners and shareholders of the company."

"Nitishree Builders has defrauded people of crores of rupees. Several people had come to me and demanded action against the builder. Two days ago, a 70-year-old man met me and said that he had deposited Rs 12 lakh under a scheme of the firm, but was neither given the plot nor was his money refunded," Singh said.

"I paid Rs 6 lakh to the firm in 2006 for an apartment near NH-24. I was promised possession of the flat in 2009, but the construction has not yet begun at the site," said Parvinder Kumar, another victim of the builder.

"Jain has been arrested in connection with six cases of fraud registered against Nitishree Builders. The complainants are: Ganga Prasad Verma, a resident of Patel Nagar, Ghaziabad; Kashi Nath, a resident of Sector 30, Noida; Rahul Sons, a resident of Vasundhara, Ghaziabad; Arun Kumar Saxena of Sahibabad; Anand Dubey of Vasundhera and Parvinder Singh of Greater Noida," said Singh.

"Jain's firm has been accused of fraud worth crores of rupees. So far, we have around a hundred complaints against the builder. We are searching for more complainants," said Singh.

"Jain has told the police that there has been delay in execution of schemes so he could not give possession of the flats on time," said Arun Kumar Singh, SHO, Sector 20 police station.

"As there are so many complaints against the builder, we are planning to impose the Gangster Act on Jain and seize his property," the SHO added.

Another case is registered against the builder. The chargesheet has been file, but Jain has procured a stay order on his arrest in the case.

New Delhi, September 14
Improvement in sex ratio is visible on the basis of registration of births that has increased to 1,004 females per 1,000 males, claimed Delhi finance minister A. K. Walia while releasing the annual report on "Registration of Birth and Death Events in Delhi 2009".

Credit to this improvement goes to the Ladli scheme launched by the Delhi government in 2008. Under this scheme, the government imparts free education to girl child till the senior secondary level and provides various other facilities, Walia claimed.

The minister said that during 2009, the sex ratio figures seemed to have stabilized at 915 females per thousand males.

Out of the total births registered in 2009, about 1.85 lakh were male and 1.69 lakh female. However, in 2008 about 1.66 lakh male births and 1.67 lakh female births were registered.

However, the government has failed to achieve its target of institutional births. The government target should be to reach at 85-90 per cent of institutional deliveries in the next 2-3 years, Walia said.

As far the death rate, about 1.12 lakh deaths were registered in Delhi in 2009 as compared to 1.08 lakh in 2008.

New Delhi, September 14
As part of its preparations for the Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation unveiled its official website, www.delhimetrorail.com, with a new look and a host of additional features today.

The website was formally launched by DMRC managing director E. Sreedharan at a function at Metro Bhawan.

The site will help the foreign visitors who are planning to visit Delhi during the Commonwealth Games. The map in the website will help the commuters look for routes and fares easily. The route map is also available in an easily downloadable format. Besides, all major information is available on the home page itself without having to surf much.

The website also has a special section on the Commonwealth Games and tourist spots in Delhi. This section has all the information related to the facilities provided by the Delhi Metro during the Games along with the details of its connectivity to the venues.

Other interesting features include information on the Metro Museum, the Right to Information Act and a photo gallery. The website will also have 'lost and found' and interactive feedback sections.

What's more, there is a separate section for the media persons from where they can access press releases and where old articles on DMRC are available. The new look of the site is more user-friendly with all the relevant information.

The revamping of the website has been done after a study of the websites of other international Metro systems such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.

The website can be accessed in both Hindi and English.

New Delhi, September 14
It was a day of rejoicing for the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today as the student body celebrated its victory in many parts of the country, including Delhi University, where it bagged three out of four seats in the union election.

Representatives from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand were welcomed by the party's Delhi wing on north campus today.

Talking about the further course of action, ABVP leaders said that the party will now start acting on the manifesto that they spoke of during the election.

"ABVP will further strengthen its campaign against commercialization of education and semester system. The students are not ready to take semester exams this year. We have planned a nationwide protest on student issues on September 16, wherein the Delhi ABVP will focus on the problems of semester system," said ABVP state secretary Ashutosh Srivastava.

New Delhi, September 14
After days of heavy rains, the Capital today saw a sunny morning with light drizzle in some areas.

The day largely remained warm with maximum temperature settling at 32 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.6 degree Celsius, normal for this time of the year.

However, the weather department has predicted rains within the next 24 hours.

“There may be one or two spells of heavy rains in some areas and the sky will remain cloudy,” a Met official said.

According to the Met office, the maximum temperature tomorrow is likely to hover around 33 degree C.

New Delhi, September 14
A 30-year-old man was allegedly shot by his neighbour in the Najafgarh area of south-west district on Sunday night.

According to the police, the incident took place around 10.30 pm.

The victim has been identified as Pradeep of Mitrao village while the accused has been identified as Naveen.

According to the police, following a dispute with Pradeep over telephone on Sunday night, Naveen asked him to come to Valmiki Chowk.

"Both, Pradeep and Naveen, arrived on the spot with their respective friends. But the meeting turned into a quarrel between the two groups and Naveen allegedly shot Pradeep," a senior police official said.

Pradeep was rushed to Rao Tula Ram Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Naveen in the Najafgarh police station. Naveen has absconded.