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Onion at Rs 40/ kg in wholesale markets
Passengers suffer as Gujjar stir
hits trains
Temp dips to season’s lowest |
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Ignorant, yet thousands attend NDA rally
Soon: Hanging bridge over Hindon
Use cell phones in moderation, caution experts
City courts shut as lawyers protest arrest
NIT residents want Gochi drain covered
Drive to bring warmth to homeless
MCD removes 57 resale vehicles
HC questions govt on junk food ban in schools
Labourer stuck in factory
lift dies
Nithari Killings
Woman, paramour kill husband
Madarsa teacher’s conviction upheld
B.Tech student hangs self
Goons beat 4 foreign students
Two arrested for robbery
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Onion at Rs 40/ kg in wholesale markets
New Delhi, December 22 Surprisingly, while the city residents are upset with the soaring retail price of onions bringing tears to their eyes, according to the wholesale sellers, the price of onions has come down to around Rs 40 per kg. “The price rose for a couple of days initially, but now it has come down. This is just a rumour that onions are selling for Rs 80 per kg. Anybody can buy onions from Azadpur Mandi, Asia’s biggest vegetable market, for around Rs 40 per kg,” said a wholesale trader of onion. Street vendors are creating rumours that the prices of vegetables have increased so that they can charge higher rates from their customers, said another wholesale trader. The Nafed is exploring the possibility of importing onions from Pakistan to augment the vegetable supply in collaboration with the city government, said Jagmohan Bhanot, additional managing director, Nafed. Meanwhile, retail vendors say that when the prices of onions had gone up initially, they had bought onions from wholesale markets in large quantity to save on cost. Now, though the prices have come down, selling their stock (that they had bought at higher prices) at the reduced prices would mean loss for them, and so, they are spreading rumours that onions are selling at Rs 80 per kg. “News channels and newspaper are saying that onions are being sold at Rs 75-80 per kg. So, even if we sell them at Rs 60-65 per kg, people are readily taking it,” said a local vendor. The spiraling prices, meanwhile, have created discomforts for the common man. “Our economy is growing, but for somebody like me, running kitchen has become so expensive. A food as essential as onion is costing so much… it’s disgusting,” said Rahul Mullik, a government employee living in east Delhi.
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Passengers suffer as Gujjar stir
hits trains
New Delhi, December 22 As many as 22 trains have been diverted due to the agitation. Trains like — Garib Rath that connects Mumbai and Delhi and Rajdhani Express will pass through Bhopal-Mathura route. Many trains were running late by several hours and passengers said that information provided by the railways was of little use. “I have to go to Amritsar. But the train is running very late. The enquiry personnel never had the correct information,” said Amritpal Singh, a passenger. Authorities were forced to cancel Janshatabdi Express that runs between New Delhi and Kota, making hundreds return disappointed. “It is so cold. It would have been better if the Railways had put in some system to inform passengers about the cancellation or delay of trains in advance,” said Amit Mehra, another passenger. There was disorder at the railway station with the affected passengers trying to get the status of their trains. A railway official said things were better than yesterday, as far as providing updated information to the passengers was concerned. “We have had to divert trains. With traffic being diverted, massive arrangements had to be put in place,” an official said. |
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Temp dips to season’s lowest
New Delhi, December 22 However, the day was comparatively warmer with the maximum temperature settling at some degrees above the above the normal temperature. The metrological department has predicted further fall in temperature and the mornings are likely to get colder. However, the days will be comparatively warmer. For tomorrow, the weatherman has predicted the minimum temperature to settle at 6 degree Celsius, while the maximum is likely to hover around 23 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature today dropped three degrees below normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 24.4 degree Celsius, one degree above normal. Yesterday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.8 degree Celsius and maximum at 21.7 degree Celsius. The average minimum temperature in Delhi for December is 8.2 degree Celsius and the maximum is 23 degree Celsius. “The morning was very cold today. I had to travel in the wee hours from the Airport to my residence at Greater Kailash in an auto. I almost went numb. It was spine chilling. However, conditions bettered as the day progressed. Delhi’s winters have arrived. Let’s hope for an ideal weather on Christmas and the New Year Eve,” Said Bini Philips, a city-based radio jockey.
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Ignorant, yet thousands attend NDA rally
New Delhi, December 22 Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies like – the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Janata Dal (United), thronged the Ramlila Grounds to attend the Mahasangram Rally organised by the NDA today. But most of them were hardly aware of the issues dominating the rally. Some said that they came on the request of their local leaders, others said that they liked Advani or Sharad Yadav, while some others said they loved attending rallies and listening to politicians. Most knew that the rally had been organised to address were some corruption issues, but that was all about it. Surender Singh from Baprola in outer Delhi said that there were some corruption cases against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, but he was not aware of the kind of corruption. “I have come to listen to national leaders who will explain the number and kind of corruption cases pertaining to the Congress-led UPA government. I am a BJP supporter and have come here at the request of the block president who has made arrangements for transport and lunch,” Singh said. Amarnath, a labourer in the Sundar Nagari area of northeast Delhi, said that the BJP had always helped people in slums. Local leaders had asked them to attend the rally, so residents of the area came in buses and tempos without asking the reason behind the rally. “However, when we reached here, we came to know that the government was involved in some corruption case. The party has made transport arrangements for us,” he said. Nitish who came from Ghaziabad said, “There is some corruption going on in the government and we have to change the government in the next election. The NDA leaders said that the Congress government was avoiding probing the cases which shows its involvement in the financial bungling.” The transporters who came from Badarpur, Najafgargh, Mehrauli and other areas of the Capital and NCR areas parked their buses at Mata Sundary Lane, Rajghat and behind the Red Fort. Parking of buses disrupted local traffic.
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Soon: Hanging bridge over Hindon
Ghaziabad, December 22 Chief engineer of Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) Anil Garg said that the 22-metre wide and 100-metre-long bridge is estimated to cost Rs 30 to Rs 35 crore. A Delhi firm has been asked to submit the design and the estimates for the proposed bridge. At present, two bridges have been built on the Hindon river. In view of the perpetual jams, the administration has asked the GDA to build a bridge on the Hindon river. Garg said that the Bridge Building Corporation had refused to build a pillar-based bridge over the Hindon. So, it was decided to build a suspended bridge. The corporation felt that it could be dangerous to build pillars between the two existing bridges. Boring for new pillars at the bottom of the river could weaken the pillars of the existing bridges. As a result, the bridges could collapse, the corporation had averred. The Delhi firm approached by the GDA has already built similar suspended bridges in Allahabad and some foreign countries, sources said. Tall pillars would be erected on both banks of the Hindon. To support the suspended bridge, only one arch pillar would be built in the river over which a fixed steel rope would be hanging, Garg said. The Delhi firm is expected to submit the estimates and the final design of the suspended bridge soon, so that the work can be started promptly.
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Use cell phones in moderation, caution experts
New Delhi, December 22 On the other hand, medical experts say overuse of mobile phones could trigger possible health troubles though any comprehensive documented data is yet to come up in this connection. “There is no direct relation between electromagnetic radiation and its impact on human health. There is no real study to suggest that non-ionsing radiation can lead to debilitating illnesses. But, radiation is never hundred per cent safe,” said radiation oncologist at Max Healthcare, Dr Anil K Anand. The study, conducted independently by experts from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (IITM), Thiagaraja College of Engineering, Madurai and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology, Chennai, was for assessing the average EM frequency levels emitted by mobile phones and base stations. “The independent study states that the cumulative measurements on the electromagnetic frequencies were far below the the complaince limit set by ICNIRP and thus busts the myth that using mobile can lead to health damage. All fears are unfounded as mobiles emit non-ionsing radiations that have a defined threshold level set by International Commission on Non-Ionsing Protection (ICNIRP),” said Rajan S Mathews, director general of COAI. However, doctors caution people against abuse of radio frequency-based gadgets, especially at a time when mobile handsets and microwaves have unarguably become inseparable items of utility. “Patients with migraine or any other neural problem have not shown any clear indication of increased risk due to mobile usage. But, this doesn’t overrule the need to regulate its use. More studies needed to be done,” observed senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Dr Anoop Kohli. While the fears of its impact on the human health in the form of stimulation of perpheral nerves and muscles, shocks and burns continue to exist, short-term exposure to low levels of EM frequencies within the defined threshold limits are considered to be safe as accepted by the World Health Organisation. “Low-levels of EM radiation does not have any harmful effect on a woman’s pregnancy and the foetus remains unaffected. It is only, the ionising radiation, like X-rays or during MRIs that can damage the foetes,” said Dr Geeta B Nath, obstetrician and gynaecologist with Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon. Adding that there is a specific absorption ratio of the body, which is believed to be four watts per kg of the body weight, she cautioned, “Their use can’t be avoided, but there is always a way out through moderation.”
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City courts shut as lawyers protest arrest
New Delhi, December 22 Lawyers of the Patiala House, Tis Hazari, Kakardooma, Rohini, Dwarka and Saket district courts abstained from appearing before the presiding officers. They did not argue even the urgent matters or bail applications, said secretary, Delhi Bar Association, Sanjeev Nasiar. “The strike was successful,” he added. Expressing his disappointment over the way in which the CBI raided the office of Rana, a bar council member, spokesperson, coordination committee of all bar associations of Delhi, Rajeev Khosla, said, “There was no woman staff present with the investigating agency to handle the women present in Rana’s house.” We are planning to file a complaint against the agency officials who raided Rana’s house without any female staff despite the fact that only women were present in house at that time, Khosla added. Senior advocate Rana was arrested from outside the office of the Bar Council of India while allegedly taking Rs 1 lakh from a man for recommending affiliation to a private law college in Ghaziabad. Meanwhile, the strike caused immense inconvenience to hundreds of petitioners and relatives of undertrials, who unaware of the strike, turned up at the courts. “It took me more than two hours to reach court. My husband is an accused in a murder case. I came here with food and clothes for him. I was eager to meet him, but because of the strike, he was not brought to the court,” said Bhagwati (32), sitting outside a court with her children.
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NIT residents want Gochi drain covered
Faridabad, December 22 The list will be given through the state minister of revenue Shiv Charan Sharma. Hooda is to address a public meeting in the NIT Assembly segment, which will be organised by the minister who represents the area in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. According to Sharma, the main demand would be to cover up more than 2-km stretch of the Gochi drain starting from Munjesar and then set up market on it. This area could make provision for constructing about 600 shops. They could provide for a good source of revenue to the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF). Sharma said that the people of the area wanted that the government must find out a way to restart mining in some of the Aravalli hills which would allow re-employment to a number of people. There are a couple of crusher zones in the Assembly segment. The crusher zones which were once a beehive of commercial activities now present a desolate look. Incidentally, the Supreme Court has imposed a ban on mining in Faridabad. According to the minister, the demand of the people include more source of drinking water for the houses in NIT constituency, college each for boys and girls, upgradation of the government schools and a hospital. The Badshah Khan Hospital (Civil Hospital) was far off from the villages attached to NIT constituency causing hardship to the people, he added.
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Drive to bring warmth to homeless
New Delhi, December 22 According to the Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), which has launched “Save the Lives” campaign along with Arc International, there are approximately 1,50,000 homeless people in Delhi and every year there are many deaths caused by cold. Sanjay Kumar of the AAA said, “We plan to collect, sort and distribute the clothes to the needy.” Those who wish to donate clothes can contact Paramjeet Kaur, director of AAA, at 09312668807 or Kumar at 09810711644. “All winter wear that we collect will be personally distributed among the homeless,” he said. — IANS |
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MCD removes 57 resale vehicles
New Delhi, December 22 The vehicles include 31 two-wheelers and 26 cars. The MCD officials acted along with the Delhi police and the traffic police. These vehicles were parked outside shops on Arya Samaj Road and the Naiwala area, officials said. MCD has warned second hand vehicle dealers against parking vehicles on public land. The civic body has threatened that vehicles parked on public land will be confiscated. The Delhi High Court had last month said it would initiate contempt proceedings against the Delhi traffic police and civic agencies for failing to take action against second hand car shops and automobile workshops in south Delhi encroaching on public space. |
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HC questions govt on junk food ban in schools
New Delhi, December 22 A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Manmohan has asked for responses to the notices by February 12, 2011, and has appointed Neeraj Kishan Kaul as the amicus curiae to assist it in the case. A PIL was filed in the high court by NGO Uday Foundation to ban the sale of junk food in and around schools across the country. It asks the Delhi government, the HRD and health ministries and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to formulate a comprehensive canteen policy so that only healthy food is available in schools.— IANS |
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Labourer stuck in factory
lift dies
New Delhi, December 22 “Hailing from Kannauj in UP, Pramod had gone to the third floor of the factory last night around 9 pm. While returning by lift, the wire broke and he got trapped inside. He was brought out by fire officials by breaking the walls of the lift after a n operation that lasted for over four hours,” said a police official, adding that a case of negligence against unknown persons has been registered and investigations are on to check if there was any foul play.
Bikers shoot
at teacher
A 24-year-old man was shot at by some bikers in the Turkman Gate area of central Delhi last night. The victim Aadil, who teaches at a computer training centre, was standing outside his workplace when two persons on a bike came and shot him. “The incident took place around 9.45 pm. Aadil was shot at in the neck and shoulder. The attackers managed to flee the spot. Aadil was rushed to the LNJP in a critical condition,” said a police official from the Chandni Mahal police station where a case of attempt to murder has been lodged. According to information, the assailants sped off in the direction of Ramlila Ground while no one remembered the registration number of the bike. |
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Koli gets 4th death sentence
Ghaziabad, December 22 Koli, who was present in the court when special CBI judge A.K. Singh pronounced the judgment, appeared calm. Asked for his reaction, Koli did not say anything and the policemen led him away through the rear gate of the court. CBI special public prosecutor J.P. Sharma said the court had found Koli guilty under sections 302, 364, 376 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code. He was awarded the death sentence for murdering Deepali, the public prosecutor said. The court also sentenced him to life imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 6,000 on him for abducting the victim. It also awarded him seven-year imprisonment and fined him Rs 1,000 for raping the girl. Koli was also sentenced to seven year’s imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000 for destruction of evidence, Sharma added. The sentences will run concurrently. Of the 19 cases of abduction, rape and murder of four women and 15 children, mostly girls, the CBI has filed chargesheets in 16 cases. All cases are being heard separately. While Koli has been charged with rape, abduction and murder in all cases, Moninder Singh Pandher, in whose house the crimes are alleged to have been committed, is a co-accused in only six cases. — IANS
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Woman, paramour kill husband
New Delhi, December 22 The accused have been identified as Renu and Raju. The two allegedly killed Shankar on the night of December 20-21. According to Meenu Chaudhary, DCP (North-West) the duo had been having an affair for quite sometime. Their affair was known to the victim who had taken up the matter with Raju’s mother on the day of his murder. “Shankar had gone to Raju’s house in Wazirpur Industrial Area to complain about Raju to his mother and stayed there till 9.30 pm. When he left for his house in his tempo, Raju boarded the tempo from the rear side without Shankar’s knowledge. At Bhai Parmanand Chowk, Raju told Shankar that he was in his tempo and that he should stop. When Shankar stopped the tempo, Raju shot him in the neck and threw his body in the fields near Barota Akbar Pur village,” said Chaudhary, adding that the body had been recovered. Meanwhile, Renu reported the matter to the police, saying that her husband had gone missing. However, Shankar’s father tipped the police about the possibility of his daughter-in-law’s involvement. On interrogation, Renu broke down and confessed to the crime. Shankar and Raju worked together at Azadpur Subzi Mandi and stayed as neigbhours in Wazirpur till three months ago. During the time, Renu and Raju started seeing each other. On knowing this, Shankar shifted to Mukundpur village. However, the duo did not stop meeting and when Shankar took a tough stand, they decided to eliminate him. Renu and Shankar have three children and were married about 12 years ago.
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Madarsa teacher’s conviction upheld
New Delhi, December 22 The crime of Md Mahmood was the breach of trust of the highest order which the child, his parents and society had put in him, additional sessions judge Santosh Snehi Mann said, while upholding a magisterial court order which had sentenced him to three years’ jail. Mahmood appealed for his conviction and said that the court was wrong in convicting him as there was no witness in the case and he was framed by the police. Mahmood was accused of sexually abusing the child on May 29, 2006, inside a mosque at Turkman Gate. The child alleged that like everyday, he went to Mahmood for religious training when Mahmood asked him to stay back after the class. Mahmood allegedly took him to a lonely room and sodomised him. The magistrate also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. The additional sessions judge said that any leniency showed to the convict would dilute the credibility of the system as he was accused in one of the most serious crimes. Mahmood, however, claimed that two police personnel had implicated him in the case because he was from West Bengal. He said the area where the incident is said to have taken place was a crowded one and there should have been any witness to support the allegations. However, the additional sessions judge said that the child was too innocent to cook up the story and his account was enough to convict Mahmood.
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B.Tech student hangs self
Ghaziabad, December 22 The police has sent the body for autopsy. The SHO of the Link Road police station Avenish Gautam said he got a call that a student had killed himself in his hostel room no. 102. Students of the hostel told Gautam that Gupta was alone in his room in the evening. When his companions returned, they found Gupta’s body hanging from the ceiling fan. They brought down the body and rushed him to the Yaashoda Hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead. The police said no suicide note had been recovered from Gupta so nothing could be said about the reason of his suicide. |
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Goons beat 4 foreign students
Greater Noida, December 22 The students-- Tenzing, Karzu, Kingjung and Sumendra-- who live in Delta 3 were taking a stroll when three criminals on a bike hit them. When they protested, the bikers called up their friends, and soon half a dozen goons reached the spot and beat the four students. The goons fled after threatening the students with dire consequences. The victims have lodged a report with the Kasna police station against the unknown assailants. The victims were treated in the Kailash Hospital at Greater Noida. This is not the first incident of its type. Previously also goons have beaten up foreign students for no fault.
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Two arrested for robbery
New Delhi, December 22 On December 8, three bike-borne men allegedly accosted two employees of a courier firm near DBG Road Gurdwara. They allegedly robbed them of Rs 21 lakh and fled. The police learnt that Bhanwar Lal, an employee of a jewellery shop in Karol Bagh, was involved in the robbery. “Lal (25), a resident of Old Rajinder Nagar and originally from Jalore in Rajasthan, has been arrested. He disclosed that he had provided information to a gang of robbers. Kaushal Kumar, alias Pappi, Rehan and Ramesh were the members of the gang. A raid was conducted and Pappi was apprehended,” said a senior police official, adding that Rs 83,000 and Rs 97,000 have been recovered from the duo, respectively. Rehan and Ramesh are absconding. Efforts are on to nab them. Lal further disclosed that on February 10, 2010, he had provided information regarding the movement of diamond jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh to Pappi. Pappi’s gang allegedly robbed the courier employees in a moving bus in the Mandir Marg area. One of the courier employees was shot at in the heist. The crime branch managed to seize diamond jewellery worth Rs 2 lakh from the accused. In this case, Lal received Rs 50,000 for providing information to Pappi. Investigation is in progress. Efforts are on to apprehend the remaining accused persons.
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Not many had any inkling of the 2G spectrum scam and fewer had an idea what the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was all about, but they came in thousands to make the Opposition National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) rally which was centred around the twin issues a success.
District court lawyers in the city today observed a daylong strike to protest against the arrest of advocate Rajendra Singh Rana by the CBI for allegedly accepting bribe to grant affiliation to a private law college. Rana was arrested yesterday.
A 28-year-old woman and her 23-year-old paramour have been arrested for killing her husband two days ago in the Bhalaswa Dairy police station area in north-west Delhi.
