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Games Impact
Athletes fill DTC suggestion books with remarks
DTC serving bad food to staff
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Track repaired
Commercial use of residential Noida plots okayed
Palwal farmers await flood relief
Fests dot Delhi
Woman hangs self
Fireman dies in action
Mixed reaction to SC verdict in Mattoo case
Jeweller robbed of Rs 66-lakh items
Robbers kill woman
Beaten DU boy succumbs to injuries
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Games Impact
The rise in vegetable prices is because of the ongoing Commonwealth Games, say vendors. The demand is more than the supply and it is due to the Games that trucks are not being loaded timely. However, a check with the wholesale suppliers of vegetables at Azadpur Mandi, Asia's biggest vegetable market, revealed that there has been no rise in the prices of vegetables. In stead, the prices have come down. "There has been no rise in the prices of vegetables. In stead, the supply is much more than the demand. Even we had to ask people not to load the commodities daily. As the local markets and restaurants in the city have been closed, the sale has gone down, resulting in cost cutting of Rs 2 to 3 per kg at an average," said Umesh Agarwal, a wholesale potato retailer in Azadpur Mandi. "The street vendors are creating rumors that the prices of vegetables have increased and will continue till the Commonwealth Games end. This is untrue. To earn a little more profit, they are selling vegetables at higher prices," said Bishan Lal, a retailer in Azadpur Mandi. If one is buying one kg of lady finger or cauliflower from a street vendor, one has to shell out between Rs 30 and Rs 38. Similar is the case with other vegetables like -- ginger, garlic, pea, lemon and tomato. Street vendors, however, deny the allegations, saying it is not a rumor but a reality. Raja Chauhan, a vendor who sits near Maharani Bagh, said, "Due to the Games, the cost of vegetables have soared. We have a margin of Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg only." Shikha Ahuja, a resident of Saket, said, "Last week, I spent more than Rs 100 in buying onions, potatoes, tomatoes and brinjals. The vegetables have become more expensive than cereals." In Okhla Mandi, there is a vast difference in vegetable prices. While the wholesale retailers are selling 5 kg of potatoes at Rs 80, the same quality is being sold between Rs 25 and 30 in an outside market. |
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Athletes fill DTC suggestion books with remarks
New Delhi, October 6 The DTC is short of suggestion books meant for recording the comments sportspersons and officials who travel in its buses. The sportspersons and officials put in their remarks after completing their journey. Sources said the corporation had got 3,000 suggestion books published, hoping that they would be enough for the 12-day event. It has been just three days into the Games and the sportspersons and VIPs have almost filled these books. According to sources, 6,700 sportspersons have come to participate in the Games. In their comments, they have given a lot of suggestions about improving DTC bus services, quality of buses and behaviour of conductors and drivers. One thousand books are finished in a day. A senior official said in the beginning, the DTC had planned to get 5,000 books published. But after a meeting, its number was reduced to 3,000, considering that only 574 buses would be on Games duty. The authorities had never thought that foreigners would write suggestions in pages. M.S. Sehrawat, a media consultant, said , "We have only 574 buses. In each bus, only one book is kept for suggestion. Each book contains 36 pages. Commuters give their suggestion in one or two sentences. Majority of them, including Abhinav Bindra, has given a positive remark." |
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DTC serving bad food to staff
New Delhi, October 6 A total of about 2,500 employees are provided food here. However, one of the common complaints of the workers here is that sometimes the food is less than requirement and sometimes it is in excess. Some officials, on the condition of anonymity, say stale food is mixed with the fresh ones before serving. The officials said they had already conveyed their disappointment to the officials concerned. When the DTC decided to serve food to its employees, tenders were invited from private caterers. One of the applicants had offered to supply breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner at the rate of Rs 200 per person. But some senior officers rejected the offer, saying it was costly and the DTC would do the job itself. Sources say despite free food, some employees prefer home food as they complain that the DTC food causes indigestion. However, media consultant, DTC, M.S. Sehrawat said the food was very good, tasty and of good-quality wheat. Each meal has roti, pulse, rice, vegetable, salad and pickle. |
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Leafy Shera strikes a chord
New Delhi, October 6 The topiary Shera that was a part of the civic agencies' beautification drive to spruce up the Capital for the XIX Commonwealth Games (CWG) has struck a chord with residents and tourists. Shera, with a leafy grin, greets all making their way to Ashoka Road from the India Gate circle. The leafy mascot also greets visitors outside stadiums and Pragati Maidan. It can be found standing outside the Ashok and Samrat hotels, on Shantipath and at the Talkatora Stadium. Officials from various civic agencies had gone to Japan to learn the 'mosaic' art. In this art, an iron frame is covered with nylon net. Clay is spread on the net. Then, plants are meticulously placed and grown all over the surface. This topiary art was created at various nurseries of the New Delhi Municipal Council's (NDMC) horticulture department. "It is part of our drive for infrastructural upgradation, streetscaping and improvement of aesthetics for the Games," said Anand Tiwari, an NDMC spokesperson. Horticulturists have also made grass carpets worth over Rs 3 crore, which will be used for tourists arriving for the Games at various venues. The carpets will also be used during the closing ceremony. "For making the carpets, barmula grass was grown at a farmhouse in Hapur's Asodha village for three months. It is expected to be used at least three times during the Games. Fifty-five trucks loaded with the grass were dispatched on Monday under the supervision of a senior police official," said an official from horticulture department. Another pleasant addition to the cityscape is the China mosaic embossing on Safdarjung Flyover. The flyover that leads the CWG park-and-drive facility at Safdarjung Airport needed this overhauling. "We had strengthened the overbridge last year. Given its importance for the CWG, we decided to work upon its aesthetics too. The pillars of the flyover have been adorned with mosaic sport motifs. The work was undertaken by the architects and engineers of the NDMC. We have added 36 lights on the flyover and the work was wrapped in four to five months," said Tiwari. |
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Track repaired
New Delhi, October 6 "The tracks were damaged during the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, the measures to protect the tracks could not be enough. The technical delegates have inspected the track and it is fine. The delegates said all systems were in place and I hope the events will be smooth," said Mike Fennell, CWG Federation president. |
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Commercial use of residential Noida plots okayed
Noida, October 6 The Noida Authority has now been allowed by the state government to permit commercial activities on 50 per cent of the residential plots. This relaxation is likely to benefit thousands of plot owners. The Noida Authority had sent a proposal to the state government in this regard about 10 months ago. The matter was considered in detail at a Noida Authority board meeting also. Now, the final green signal has been received from the government. According to this decision, commercial activities will be permitted on 50 per cent of the plots allotted under the 5 per cent Abadi land rule in 1997. Over 3,500 such plots have been allotted under this scheme and another 5,000 plots are likely to be allotted soon. What makes the decision more interesting is the fact that the allottees will not have to make payment for these plots as per the commercial rates. |
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Palwal farmers await flood relief
Palwal, October 6 The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the principal opposition in the Haryana Assembly, has accused the government of delay in getting the special "girdwari" process conducted for flood-affected villages. Former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala recently visited many flood-hit villages in the district and expressed dissatisfaction over the government's approach to the problems of villagers. The district administration has decided to conduct girdwari for the affected villages in three sub-divisions of Palwal from October 11. The report will be submitted to the government by October 21. To ensure transparency and avoid injustice to any village or person, the girdwari process will follow a four-tier system. In the first tier, a survey in villages will be conducted by patwaris/ kanungos. The second tier of the survey will be conducted under the tehsildar, while the third by the SDMs concerned and the final tier on the survey of damages under the deputy commissioner. Palwal SDM said Om Prakash, the district's deputy commissioner, would conduct random surveys to scotch any injustice. However, residents of the affected villages have alleged that the government has delayed girdwari. Deshpal, a resident of Janauli village in Palwal sub-division, said it seemed that girdwari would be conducted after a long time lapse. Many villages are getting ready for the plantation of Rabi crops. By the time the patwaris visits the villages, there will be no proof of the damage caused to crops. Farmers who are awaiting the compensation hope for an early help from the government, so that they could begin the plantation of Rabi crops in time. In villages like -- Indra Nagar and Mahabaliupr -- farmers have lost the entire standing crops and need monetary assistance. According to an estimate, over 4,500 hectares of agricultural land in Palwal having standing crops has been adversely affected by the floods. |
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Fests dot Delhi
New Delhi, October 6 To give the foreigners a taste of India in a short span of a fortnight, on offer are traditional cuisines, handicrafts melas, folk song and dance performances, literary meets and audio-visual shows. "The entire stretch of CP looks like a mini-India," said Miana William from England while gulping a 'golgappa' at a food festival near Connaught Place. The Incredible India food and crafts festival on Baba Kharag Singh Marg is attracting many foreign tourists. Featuring crafts and cuisines from all over India, the event also has an open exhibition where local artists are displaying their works. "Our paintings are not expensive like that in art galleries. For an art lover with small pocket, this is the best place," said Chetna Majumdar, a painter.While shopping, one can also enjoy folk dances by artistes from various parts of the country. "The place serves a mix of colour and traditions. Apart from shopping, the festival has traditional Indian foods," said a group of foreigners who were eating dal bati at a Rajasthani stall. There are many other attractions for the foreigners in the city. There is an exhibition of textiles titled 'Power clothes of the Commonwealth' at Bhairon Singh Marg's crafts museum. The event showcases outfits of some of the most distinguished personalities from the Commonwealth countries. "This is a very different and interesting exhibition," said a foreign tourist. A classical music feast at the Kamani Auditorium is another event which is attracting foreigners as well as local music lovers. Maestros of Indian classical instrumental and vocal music are entertaining the guests and are happy with the response. "Many foreigners enjoyed the music," said Shridham, a tabla player. 'Raag-Rang', a festival of music, dance and creative fusion of eastern and western instruments is going on at the FICCI auditorium. The annual Qutub festival has witnessed huge number of footfalls. Famous singers from Bollywood are enthralling people with live performances. "We kept shouting for more. Live music is always fun and when performed at such a beautiful place it adds to the fun," said a group of DU students. The narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk are also inviting people interested in ghazals at Jashn-e-dilli, a colourful festival of mushaira, quawwalis, ghazals and drama. Delhi Haat is also decked up for the tourists. Then there is the youth festival at Connaught Place's Central Park. The rocking festival is overflowing with the sound of claps and whistles. The festival has puppet and laser shows, kite-flying and lot more. |
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Woman hangs self
New Delhi, October 6 Lata's death came to light when one of her neighbours, Om prakash, came to her house to ask for an LPG cylinder. Despite knocking on her house's door several times, there was no response. "Om Prakash peeped in through a window and saw Lata hanging from the ceiling. He immediately informed us about it," said a police official, adding that he told the police that Lata's husband had died of dengue a day ago. The police found that the couple had been living in the area for the past one year and mostly kept no interaction with neigbours. "Neighbours told us that they did not share an amicable relationship with the deceased couple. Besides, the neighbours never saw any relative or friend visit them," said the official. Lata's sister Seema told the police that Lata was already married and had two children before she eloped with Kapil. Kapil was from Mumbai. Seema claimed that she did not have any contact with Lata and was unaware that Kapil had died. |
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Fireman dies in action
New Delhi, October 6 More than 25 fire trucks took more than three hours to control the blaze that had engulfed a tyre godown in Vishwas Nagar. The dead fire fighter has been identified as Nand Kishore Tiwari. Tiwari was burnt in a blast in the godown and was rushed to the Hedgwar Hospital where he was declared dead. Tiwari was about to retire in a few days. "We received a fire call around 1.10 am from a two-storey building. The fire had broken out in the godown which stores tyres. Because of the presence of rubber in the godown, 25 trucks could douse the fire only around 4 am," said the fire officials. Several people, including Tiwari, got injured when the shutter of the godown broke after an explosion inside. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained. "Around 20 people were injured and 17 of them are still under treatment. Four of them is very critical," said the police. A case has been regstered against the owner of the godown, Sumer. However, he has absconded. |
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Mixed reaction to SC verdict in Mattoo case
New Delhi, October 6 Singh, son of a retired IPD officer, was given death sentence by the Delhi High Court for raping and killing Mattoo, a Delhi University student. Expressing disappointment over the judgment, Meera Shiva, an activist, said the death sentence should have been upheld as Singh had raped and killed an innocent young girl. However, she added that it was still satisfying that he would face life imprisonment. Another activist, Rita Devi, who works with AIDS patients, said, "The SC verdict could have been more lethal, as in this case, a death sentence is well-deserved. However, the court has given life imprisonment to Singh and this is also a severe punishment. I would not complain too much about the verdict. It is fair." Similarly, sounding satisfied with the verdict, P.C. Bhatnagar, also an activist, said, "I think the verdict is absolutely fair. The guilty has been punished adequately. A life imprisonment is not a light sentence." A two-judge bench of justice H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad upheld the conviction of Santosh Kumar Singh for the rape and murder of Praiyadarshini Mattoo, who was found raped and murdered in her uncle's flat in Vasant Kunj in January 1996. |
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Jeweller robbed of Rs 66-lakh items
New Delhi, October 6 "A jeweller, identified as Sunny Gupta, was yesterday allegedly robbed of jewellery and diamonds worth Rs 66 lakh around 5 pm near the Geeta Colony flyover. "Gupta's bike accidentally hit a bike at the Geeta Colony flyover. When he stopped to say sorry, the bikers started demanding compensation. Even as he was busy arguing with them, other bike-borne men decamped with his bag containing the jewellery," said the police. |
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Robbers kill woman
Greater Noida, October 6 The bikers stopped the duo for asking an address. While Asha was telling them the way, the men tried to snatch her gold chain at gunpoint. But Asha held the wrist of one of the assailants. The assailant then shot at her. The men sped past after firing at her. The people who collected at the spot rushed Asha to a hospital where she was declared dead. |
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Beaten DU boy succumbs to injuries
New Delhi, October 6 "There was some fight between students over politics. The two were thrashed by seniors headed by Prasant Tyagi over some student union money," said the police After beating, Tyagi and his friends fled the spot. Kumar had received minor injuries while Prakash was critically injured, A case was registered on the same day and on the statement of Kumar, the accused was held. |
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New Delhi, October 6