New Delhi, October 5
The newly notified Delhi Excise Act has increased the distance of liquor shops from religious places. It has also strengthened the law which tackles the problems concerning liquor.

Delhi planning and excise minister A.K. Walia said that it had extended the prohibited area limit from 75 metres to 100 metres from religious places.

In the earlier Act, there was no specific provision to deal with the mixing of noxious substances into liquor; whereas the new Act has a provision to deal with such instances. In case of death due to consumption of noxious substances mixed into liquor, death sentence or life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 10 lakh can be awarded. If any grievous injury is caused, imprisonment will not be less than six years that may extend to life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh.

There was no provision for possession of liquor unlawfully imported and non-duty paid in the earlier Act; whereas in the new Act, imprisonment up to six months and fine up to Rs 1 lakh have been provided against such offences.

In case of unlawful import, export, manufacture, transport, possession and sale, the earlier Act had imprisonment up to three years and fine up to Rs 2,000; whereas in the new Act, imprisonment between six months and three years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh have been provided.

Walia added that in case of liquor consumption in public places, a fine of Rs 200 was levied in the old Act, whereas in the new Act, this offence attracts a fine up to Rs 5,000.

The persons responsible for permitting drunkenness or allowing assembly of anti-social elements on the premises of liquor establishments will be fined up to Rs 50,000 and imprisonment up to six months.

To prevent employing minors at liquor shops or selling liquor to minors attracted fine of Rs 500, whereas the new Act attracts imprisonment up to three months or fine up to Rs 50,000 or both.

Walia stated that the age of employment of men where liquor is served has been reduced from 25 to 21 years and the restriction of employment of women has been done away with.

New Delhi, October 5
Despite the optimism that Indian participants at the Commonwealth Games will reap the benefit of participating on Indian soil, it turns out that it is mostly just the popular sports with big names that have been grabbing eyeballs at stadiums. Most of the games where foreign participants are playing are also going with close to nil bookings. According to the ticketing department, while queries and bookings are consistent for sports like badminton, lawn tennis, hockey, wrestling and shooting, they have very few takers.

"Empty stands are a sight at matches where mostly foreign players participate. The numbers increase when the names are popular. Otherwise, it's a letdown at the stadium. We hope that the situation improves as the games proceed. It actually lets the morale of the players down and an empty stadium is not a pretty site," said Rajiv Kashyap, official at the Yamuna Sports Complex, where archery competitions are being held.

On the first day yesterday, there were not many spectators at the venues. At a couple of venues there were just 100 to 200 people.

Only a few hundred people turned up yesterday to watch Indian stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, and those that made the effort discovered there was no water to drink in the blazing sun. However, officials claim that situation will improve with time.

"We had Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes at the court today. It was not a completely packed show, but close to packed with just a few tickets left. We are hopeful to sell all tickets for semifinals and finals on October 9 and 10. So the response is good for Indian players, but then again, at times the court sits almost empty when foreign players compete, unless it's a famous name," said Khan Sharib, an official.

"For badminton, matches where popular Indian players like Saina Nehwal play see a good crowd. We are expecting a full house in the semi-finals and finals on October 13 and 14. Also, people are more interested in weekend matches. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are in demand," said Jyotsna Kapur, venue media manager, Sirifort Sports complex.

New Delhi, October 5
Road blocks and diversions in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games yet again slowed down traffic and led to jams in some areas, causing difficulties for the office-goers and other commuters today, the second day of the mega event competition.

Traffic jams were reported on the arterial Aurobindo Marg, Mother Dairy-ITO area in east Delhi, and the commercial district of Nehru Place in south Delhi during the morning rush hours, said an official of the Delhi traffic police, adding that "the traffic is smooth now".

The traffic police has been alerting Delhiites about the traffic diversions, but commuters are still finding it difficult to reach their offices, business locations during the peak hours.

"Yes, I knew that the Games will bring back the traffic woes. The mornings in the city already have a crawling traffic and with all these diversions, the traffic flow which used to be divided between various routes has now concentrated on the only route open. For hours, the traffic does not move now," said Gopal Krishnan, who stays in Mayur Vihar area near the Games Village, and takes many traffic diversions on his way to Okhla office.

According to a police official, the road diversions lead to traffic jams but it was still under control.

"It is for the security of Delhiites and the guests who have come from other countries that these road blocks and diversions have been created. Traffic flow slows down but it is not for long," said another traffic official.

Over 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories are in the capital for the October 3-14 Games, India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games. — IANS

New Delhi, October 5
Jam-packed coaches, pushing and shoving and sometimes the doors not closing due to the rush: Travelling on Delhi Metro is getting difficult due to the Commonwealth Games and the traffic restrictions, but daily passengers still prefer it to other modes of transport.

According to a Delhi Metro official, the daily ridership has doubled after the dedicated Commonwealth Games lanes began as thousands of people are avoiding buses.

The most crowded was Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 9-Noida City Centre) which recorded a ridership of 517,000 Monday, followed by Line 2 (Central Secretariat-HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon) which had 5,06,000 passengers the same day.

The official also said that every carriage on Line 3 is 30 per cent overloaded at all times and 50 per cent overloaded during the peak hours.

"Almost all trains running from 8 to 11 in the morning and evening are getting more passengers. At times, the doors to the trains do not close because of the overflowing crowd," a security official said.

Arpita Singh, a regular commuter, said: "It is getting difficult to travel in the metro particularly during peak hours. I missed five trains and was stranded at Rajiv Chowk Metro station for half an hour. The trains are jampacked and there is no space even to stand."

"Everyone said it is easy to travel in the metro but seeing the maddening crowd at Kashmere Gate, I thought it is better to take an autorickshaw or else one needs to be really rude and cram or push oneself into the carriage," said Randeep Guleria, a passenger at Kashmere Gate.

Many commuters said stations like Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Chandni Chowk, Yamuna Bank, Karol Bagh, Central Secretariat, Noida Sector 15, Laxmi Nagar, Anand Vihar ISBT, Dilshad Garden, and New Delhi Railway Station are some of the most overcrowded, particularly from 8 to 11 am and from 5.30 to 8 pm.

An official of the Central Industrial Security Force, which provides security at Metro stations, saidfor the past one week, the same uncontrollable situation is noticed at stations like Kashmere Gate, Chandni Chowk and New Delhi Railway Station.

"Thousands of passengers can be seen boarding or getting off. It is uncontrollable. The forcible entry and exit of passengers pushing madly creates a stampede-like situation which even security personnel cannot possibly check," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Some commuters had the same problems to share but admitted they waited with patience to travel and adjust in it, as the journeys were faster compared to cars or buses with traffic jams on the roads.

The Metro runs 129 trains on a network of 138 km that has 117 stations. The average daily ridership on weekdays after the opening of the Jahangirpuri-Huda City Centre (Gurgaon) has crossed 15 lakhs. — IANS

New Delhi, October 5
Even as the country basks in the glory of a brilliant start to the Commonwealth Games, the street vendors' association today said nearly one lakh street vendors have been evicted from Delhi and are struggling for livelihood because of the Games.

Ranjit Abhigyan of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) said nearly one lakh street vendors have been evicted from Delhi and neighbouring parts because of the Games.

"I went to Shahdara this morning and found that 125 vendors were evicted today. The government keeps talking about inclusive growth, but what kind of growth is this when the poor are being thrown out without any alternative livelihood option," Abhigyan said.

"The government should have planned well in advance about the livelihood options of these hapless people who have children and women depending on them. While some of them have gone back to their native places like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, others are running from pillar to post to earn a living," he added.

The NASVI is a group of 540 street vendors associations, trade unions and NGOs across the country.

"We hope that such a treatment is never meted out to the vendors again. If the entire nation is enjoying something, why shouldn't they," Abhigyan asked. — IANS

New Delhi, October 5
The Delhi government has been forced to buy CWG tickets worth Rs 5 lakh for its ministers and senior officers after it was made clear to it that the Games passes, which allow the holder to watch all the sports, would be issued only to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and officers attached to the preparations of the Games.

Sources said the Chief Minister tried her best to get the passes, but the decision was taken by the Games Organizing Committee.

Each minister has been given five tickets while officers were given two to three tickets.

Meanwhile, sources said that the Delhi government had decided to give a one-month bonus to PWD engineers and officers as a reward for doing a commendable job in the preparation of the Games.

New Delhi, October 5
An anonymous call claiming a bomb inside the Commonwealth Games Village this evening gave anxious moments to the security force in and around the premises that launched a thorough check of the 64-hectare area before it could be declared a hoax call.

The Delhi police surveillance team managed to trace the caller, a juvenile residing in the slum dwellings of Kalyanpuri in east Delhi.

"He is a juvenile and seems to be mentally unstable. We have detained him and senior officers are questioning him," said a senior Delhi police official.

According to police sources, the police control room (PCR) received a call at 2.30 pm about planting of a bomb inside the Games Village, one of the most secured establishments in the national Capital with more than 7,000 athletes from 71 countries residing here.

The message was immediately flashed across the security official at the Games Village with all the emergency services, including bomb disposal squad (BDS) and dog squad pressed into action.

Meanwhile, the boy was traced to the mobile number from which the call had been made.

"He appears to be a cranky person. He wanted to get some of his friends into trouble and so made the call," revealed the official.

New Delhi, October 5
The designated dengue wards of the various city hospitals are running full with patients even as the official daily figures in the national Capital have taken a dip over the past few days.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today recorded a dip in the number of positive cases of the vector-borne disease surfacing on a single day- 62 cases, which has pushed the cumulative number to 3,703. Yesterday it stood at 86 cases.

The authorities attribute the downward trend in dengue to the change in weather conditions. "Cases have started decreasing and it is due to the current weather," said Dr V K Monga of the MCD.

However, the beds of hospitals designated wards continue to remain full and many hospitals, like Safdarjung and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, have been diverting their patients to the paediatric and medicine departments.

"In September, the average number of patients turning up daily with fibril illness at the casualty has been 90-100 patients and after segregation 60 per cent of those are dengue positive. This month, the cases have been more or less the same," said Dr N K Mohanty, medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital.

Safdarjung's disaster section with 25 beds, which was converted to a dengue ward to accommodate the patients, is filled to capacity. "To attend to the rising cases, we have pulled resources from other departments, including manpower. The number of technicians involved in diagnosis has been raised to 12 from four," added Dr Mohanty

He pointed out that the arrival of patients at a delayed stage is one of the important reasons behind the increasing demand of blood components.

Amidst reports of several patients facing crisis of platelets, hospital authorities of AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia and Safdarjung maintained that they were fully equipped to meet the requirements.

The medical superintendent of AIIMS Dr D K Sharma said that a prompt response from people in the event of disease would help in ensuring that no patient suffers. Instead of going for self-medication and avoiding visiting a doctor until the fifth or the sixth day, people should report early, he added.

New Delhi, October 5
Even as the semester row continues between the Delhi University administration and teachers' association, the Executive Committee (EC) of the university yesterday decided to institute a three-member panel to fix blame in the case of radiation exposure in April.

The move came after the EC discussed the report of a university-instituted enquiry on the disposal of radioactive material from its chemistry department. The enquiry report was completed in July, but the report was presented before the EC only on Friday. The committee meeting was adjourned on Friday following chaotic scenes, and the mood was no better today. Reportedly, most EC members were not satisfied with the enquiry report.

According to sources, the report, which has put a collective blame on the members of the department of chemistry, has been rejected by the teachers' representatives.

The report compiles a series of lapses since 1993 that contributed to the faulty bidding process. However, the vice-chancellor is given a clean chit, they said.

As teachers' representatives protested against taking up of the report which they had termed 'eyewash', the EC decided that another three-member panel would be set up to look into the details of the episode and fix responsibility.

It was also decided that the report by SC Pancholi-led committee would be sent to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), which has barred the use of radioactive material in DU labs, proctor Gurmeet Singh said.

Besides, the EC decided that five professors who have been named in it would not be handed over any administrative responsibilities until they are cleared in the issue, he added.

New Delhi, October 5
Taking a serious note of lapses on the part of some Delhi police officials leading to the acquittal of the accused in a case of drug possession, a Delhi court today directed the deputy commissioner of police (West) to take stern actions against the guilty officers and file an action-taken report.

"On the order of this court, an enquiry was conducted by the ACP of Patel Nagar and it has been revealed that there have been definite lapses on the part of some police officials which resulted in the acquittal of the accused," said additional sessions judge Santosh Snehi Mann.

The DCP (West) has been asked to take departmental action against ASI Gulshan Kumar and head constable Krishan Chander for their negligence while DCP (Security) has been directed to take action against inspector R.S. Bhasin, the then SHO.

The court added that the action-taken report be submitted before it by or before October 23.

The court sought action against the police officers while acquitting Ganga Prasad, alias Bittoo, of the charges of possessing 500 grams of contraband 'charas' in August.

"The FIR in the case and 'malkhana register' entries have been altered by overwriting and interpolation which have gone unexplained. It is a matter of great concern and prima facie indicates manipulation and tampering with the official records which is a cognisable offence," the court said.

Bittoo was arrested by the officers of the Anand Parbat police station on November 4, 2006 at Jhakira here allegedly with 500 grams of charas.

New Delhi, October 5
Four armed men barged into a jewellery shop and decamped with 1.5 kg gold after stabbing the owner in the Vikas Marg area of east Delhi today afternoon.

According to the police, the incident took place around 12 pm at Malhotra and Sons Jewellery at Laxmi Nagar T-point.

The shop owner, Sachin Malhotra (28), was stabbed in the hand by one of the robbers when he tried to resist them. He was taken to a nearby nursing home for first aid.

According to police officials, Sachin told them that the robbers had approached him two days ago on the pretext of buying a gold chain.

"The robbers came to Sachin's shop two days ago and told him to manufacture a gold chain which he promised to collect today. Today, he came with his friends to collect the chain. When Sachin opened the almiraha to take out the chain, two of his accomplices barged held Sachin hostage with gun and knives," said a police official, adding that the robbers managed to run away with 1.5 kg gold worth Rs 30 lakh.

While fleeing, they locked the shop from outside and probably escaped on motor cycles parked some where nearby.

Sachin is a resident of Govindpura in east Delhi. Expressing angry over the incident, shopkeepers in the area alleged that a police picket is located just about 50 metres from the spot where the incident took place.

"One can understand how safe we are when some body can dare to rob us right under the eyes of the police," alleged a shopkeeper.

Greater Noida, October 5
Four robbers atop two bikes robbed an official of a housing society in Greater Noida. After robbing him of Rs 2.83 lakh, cell phone and his bike, he was dumped in a field near Wipro Company.

The victim Dev Dutt Mishra had left the society on a bike to deposit the money in a bank yesterday afternoon. The cash had been collected from the society members as electricity bills.

Someone had called him on his mobile phone near the Greater Noida golf course. As he slowed down his bike, two miscreants on a bike overpowered him at gunpoint. The two others joined their accomplices soon and put the victim on their own bike and drove towards Wipro Company.

Here they snatched the moneybag, cell phone and Mishra's bike and dumped him in fields after tying his hands and feet.

A foreigner who chanced to pass that way came to Mishra's help. As he untied him, Mishra, called the police and his friends.

New Delhi, October 5
The alertness of a constable in the Anand Parbat police station area led to the arrest of two men evading arrest in a case of murder in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.

According to the central district police, the accused have been identified as Amit Kumar (22) and Kamal (21), both hailing from Haryana.

The two allegedly killed a man with whose wife Amit had an illicit relationship.

The duo was arrested after constable Sansbir received information about suspicious persons in his beat area.

According to Jaspal Singh, DCP (central), on questioning Amit, it was learnt that before coming to Delhi, he resided at Jind in Haryana. There, a couple-- Jai Bhagwan and Poonam-- lived as his tenants.

"Amit developed illicit relations with Poonam. One day, Bhagwan caught the two in a compromising state, after which he assaulted both of them and shifted to a nearby colony. However, the relationship between Amit and Poonam continued and Poonam agreed to live with Amit if Bhagwan was removed from the scene. Amit then hatched a plan to eliminate Bhagwan," said Singh, adding that on the night of September 25-26, Amit and Poonam along with their two accomplices-- Kamal and Raj Kumar-- killed Bhagwan by strangulating him .

They later dumped his body on the bank of the Yamuna in the area of Yamuna Nagar police station.

Poonam has already been arrested by the Haryana police from Meerut. At the instance of Amit, Kamal was also apprehended. However, Raj is still at large.