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1,020 colonies to be regularised
MCD: Charges anti-people
Anti-demolition protests choke Gurgaon |
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Panel formed to improve MCD functioning
CWG evictions violated human rights: Report
Curb driving licence fraud, court tell depts
No space for fests, complains DUSU
LG notifies circle rate
Discoms roped in for streetlight upkeep
Two Delhi youths held for revenge murder
3 held for raping 16-yr-old
Cabbie stabbed to death, robbed
Woman, paramour arrested for killing husband
Runaway J&K criminal held
Jeweller shot at, robbed
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1,020 colonies to be regularised
New Delhi, February 7 Resident welfare associations may also collect development charges and deposit them in the urban development department. This decision was taken on the basis of recommendations given by a group of ministers (GoM) constituted in the last cabinet meeting. The group was formed to recommend development charges for regularizing the unauthorized colonies in Delhi. It was constituted under the chairmanship of Delhi urban development minister A. K. Walia. The other members were development and public works minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, education and transport minister Arvinder Singh and labour and social welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal. Keeping in view the character of unauthorized colonies and the fact that most of the property owners come from the poor families, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had directed the members to adopt a sympathetic view and provide a substantial relief and ensure all the basic amenities in such colonies. The cabinet has approved the development charges to provide the basic amenities--roads, drains, streetlights. |
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MCD: Charges anti-people
New Delhi, February 7 The MCD alleged that the policy of the Congress was to regularise these colonies at the cost of hefty payments taken from the people. The leader of the House in MCD, Subhash Arya, said the government was trying to create problems for the corporation in providing services in these colonies by one or other means. He said the government had assured to regularise the unauthorised colonies while distributing provisional certificates for regularisation in 2008, but there was no mention of levying the development charges of Rs 200 per square metre in the certificate. "This was only a scheme to mislead and cheat 40 lakh poor people living in these colonies and win the Assembly elections," said Arya. He said the government had clamed to regularise 733 unauthorised colonies, but, so far, the base maps of these colonies had not been even handed over to the MCD for fixing the boundaries. "We have made provisions for improvement of roads, sanitation, streetlights and other development works for 100 municipal councillors, who represents unauthorised colonies in the budget proposal for this and the next financial year. The councillors discretionary funds have been provided with additional Rs 50 lakh for 100 councillors representing the areas of unauthorised colonies," said Arya. "They are perturbed by seeing such provisions in the budget proposal because in their term they could not make provisions in the budget due to restrictions by their government," said Chairman Standing Committee Yogender Chandolia. |
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Anti-demolition protests choke Gurgaon e-way
Gurgaon, February 7 The protesters started blocking traffic around 10 am at Bata Chowk and Atul Kataria Chowk that connect Gurgaon to Old Delhi Road. The agitation was on at least till 5 pm. The agitators were protesting against the administration's decision to demolish the "illegal" properties built in a restricted area close to an Indian Air Force (IAF) facility. The properties are spread over four colonies and fall within 900 metres of the IAF facility. In view of the public resistance, the demolition scheduled for the day was postponed by the administration. "We are not going to let the authorities demolish our houses," said Shraddha, a resident of Ashok Vihar, one of the colonies likely to face demolition. Other areas likely to face action include Sheetala Colony, Sukhrali Enclave, Sanjay Gram and Marble Market. "It took me three hours to cover a distance of one km (in the morning)," said Ketan, an employee of a MNC in sector 18 who reported late to office. On the expressway, the traffic movement was slow in both the directions -- from
Gurgaon-Delhi and vice-versa. The situation eased briefly around 2 pm, but was back to the same in the evening.
— IANS |
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Rain, winds lash Delhi
New Delhi, February 7 Traffic was affected as high velocity winds brought down the visibility and forced many to take shelter. Many parts in the Capital and neighbouring districts received hailstorm as well. The rains in the Capital began late at night. Till 8.30 pm, the IMD rain gauges had recorded no rainfall. Soon after 8.30 pm, many parts of the city experienced heavy showers. The maximum temperature today reached 26.2 degree Celsius while the minimum was recorded at 14.6 degree Celsius, almost seven degrees above average, the weather office said. "The day temperature rose considerably today due to a cloud cover and southerly winds. The cloud cover gave way to the unseasonal rain this evening. The showers may continue later at night as well," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. The weather office has again predicted a partly cloudy sky tomorrow with the maximum and minimum temperature likely to oscillate between 25 and 9 degrees Celsius respectively. "The city may see rain tomorrow as well towards the night time. There is a definite possibility of rain and thundershowers," added the IMD official. |
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Panel formed to improve MCD functioning
New Delhi, February 7 Talking to media after the meeting, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said it had been decided to constitute the committee under the chairmanship of Urban Development Minister A.K. Walia to look into the entire gambit of the functioning of the MCD to recommend a set of feasible recommendations to overcome the hassles coming in the way of proper delivery of services by the civic body, financial miss-management and other obstacles arising due to a huge size of its area. The committee consists of Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Education and Transport Minister Arvinder Singh, leader of the Opposition V.K. Malhotra and another MLA from the main opposition party Jagdish Mukhi as members of the committee. The committee is expected to study all recommendations of earlier committees constituted by the Union government in this regard. The Chief Minister stated that bifurcation of the MCD into a number of workable units would prove to be result-oriented. As far as the present work culture of the MCD was concerned it needed to be reformed suitably. The committee will consider all aspects in depth and come out with suitable recommendations. She expressed hope that the committee would be able to deliberate keeping in view the interest of common man. A large number of people have been daily contacting the MCD for various services. Their level of satisfaction needs to be improved. |
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CWG evictions violated human rights: Report
New Delhi, February 7 Former Delhi High Court chief justice AP Shah termed it a failure of the political and legal system in investigating the gross human rights violations, which caused even deaths, and prosecuting the guilty officials. All officials found guilty of violating human rights and of breaching the law must be prosecuted, the report said. The fact-finding mission of the body visited 19 such sites, from where people were forcibly evicted, before coming out with the report, "Planned Dispossession: Forced Evictions and the 2010 Commonwealth Games". The report said no notices were ever sent to the residents at 16 of the 19 sites before demolishing their houses. The tens of thousands of people were evicted for reasons ranging from construction of infrastructure to more controversial ones like beautification of city and present a niece outwardly appearance of the Capital. "At none of the sites had people been consulted or included in decision-making processes regarding the demolition of their homes. Authorities also did not conduct any public hearings about the proposed evictions," the report. The report said, at least, three persons lost their lives during the forced evictions while many more suffered injuries. The callous attitude of the government was reinforced by the fact that none of the evicted families were either rehabilitated or compensated. Most of them continue to live a worse life. The report demanded that the ongoing investigations on the Commonwealth Games by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Enforcement Directorate, Central Vigilance Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation and Parliament must be expanded to include human rights violations, including forced evictions. It also called for the government to accept responsibility for the intense suffering of the poor and stressed the urgent need for the state to undertake measures to restore social justice to the thousands of evicted families as well as the homeless, beggars, street vendors and construction workers. |
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Sufi singers enthral
New Delhi, February 7 Artists from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Tajiksitan, along with Indian Sufi maestros, including Ustad Zila Khan Sahiba, performed at the first day of the two-day festival. While the "darvish", dance performed by the Syrian group Tahleeleh, received a standing ovation from the crowd, no one could stop singing along as Zila Khan took the stage and performed some of the oldest ghazals on stage. Talking about the Sufiana trend that has been hitting the main stream music genre, Zila Khan said, "Such events are very important to maintain the visibility. For Sufi heritage to survive, we artists have to make sure that we contribute back. Young students have to be made aware of the rich Sufi heritage. It's a pure form to connect with the god, the Allah himself. Over the years, the audience has also become more receptive and aware of this beautiful genre. Let's hope for the best in the coming days." Nawab Khan and his group from Afghanistan said they were astonished at the reception from the Indian audience on their visit. "Though much influenced by the Indian Chisti tradition of qawaali in public shrines, the Afghan musicians have tended to perform in more private sessions, where music is married to the texts of considerable theosophical complexity. This is one of a kind experience for us when we have traveled across borders to perform in front of a live audience," said Nawab Khan. Director of the Syrian group Tahleelah, Hisham Al Khatib was surprised to know that even Bollywood is picking up the "darvish" dance form and more and more Indian audiences are now aware of it. "Since our last visit, we have noticed a lot of changes in the Sufi culture in India. Today, the number of Sufi musicians in India has increased drastically. During our last visit, people were reluctant to pick it up, as it wasn't the surest way to a successful livelihood. But now, the passion is beyond words. We are very pleased, indeed," said Khatib. |
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Curb driving licence fraud, court tell depts
New Delhi, February 7 "The secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways; secretary of the department of unique identification number; DCP (traffic); DCP (traffic engineering and computer and secretary-cum-commissioner, transport, GNCT Delhi, are directed to work together and evolve a process to explore the possibility of working in co-ordination," presiding officer of the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) Swarana Kanta Sharma said. The court sent a copy of the order and a previous order to all the departments, asking the officers concerned to appear in person on the next date of hearing. "It is expected that the concerned secretaries, commissioners and DCPs should appear in person instead of sending request of exemption from their personal appearance because it is only in their presence that a submission will be made which can be actually implemented," the court said. The remarks came in connection with a case where a man continued to drive a Blueline bus even after his licence was cancelled by the transport department following an accident in 2005 because the official record of the traffic police showed that his licence was valid. The error came to notice when the same driver committed another accident in 2006 which lead to the death of a man. The family members of the victim had filed a case seeking compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act. The judge also said that a system having Unique Identity Processing System should be evolved. "I consider that if a system is evolved which will have unique identity processing system to have co-ordination between Delhi and other states, it will help in curbing the menace of fake driving licences or one person possessing many driving licences," the court said. The transport commissioner, who had to appear before the court, had filed his response through the deputy commissioner (operations), submitting that they have decided to send the intimation regarding cancellation of driving licences to its holder through speed post so that the department has the proof of delivery of the same. |
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No space for fests, complains DUSU
New Delhi, February 7 "The university tells us that they do not have space for us. They have asked us to host events in colleges, but that is not possible since almost all colleges are hosting their own festivals these days. The only place left for us is Arts Faculty, but we are often told that any event held there will disrupt studies and class schedules. Teachers in the administrative blocks keep sending us from one office to another," said DUSU vice-president Priya Dabbas. "Youth Nexus is generally held in December. But this year, till now, we have no confirmation as to where to hold it. The fest is usually hosted at the university's Polo Grounds, but the ground is still under the CWG organising committee," added Dabbas. "We plan to discuss the issue with vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh. As far as Youth Nexus is concerned, we plan to organise it in the second week of February. If we are unable to host it in February, there might be no Youth Nexus this year. With exams nearing, this is the only time we can hold the festival," said Akshay Kumar, joint-secretary, DUSU. Office bearers of DUSU are also in the process of organising a rock concert at Arts Faculty on February 11, but have still not got the clearance. "We still haven't been able to meet the VC. To hold the event at Arts Faculty, we might have to pay Rs 10,000 as rent. In case, they allow us to use the venue, we will host the event, otherwise it will have to be postponed," said Dabbas. |
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LG notifies circle rate
New Delhi, February 7 Commissioner of revenue D. M. Sapolia said that the proposal on circle rate had been notified by the Lt-Governor, but the rates would be announced tomorrow. An official of the LG office said that the Lt-Governor notified the circle rate on Saturday as he had to go out of the city. The Delhi cabinet had first sent the proposal of the circle rate to the LG for notification in November 2010 that was returned by the LG office, suggesting some amendment in the last category that is meant for resettlement and other colonies where the poor reside. However, Dikshit was firm on getting it notified without any change. The LG had returned it thrice and the issue was discussed in the last Assembly session also. |
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Discoms roped in for streetlight upkeep
New Delhi, February 7 Dikshit said the discoms would take charge of the maintenance of the streetlights as they have ample workforce and technical infrastructure to provide a better and well-managed service. The Chief Minister further said that at a cabinet meeting held today she had given nod to a revised estimate for the construction of an automated car parking system for the Delhi High Court. The parking lot, which will have six levels that will accommodate 1,550 cars, is being constructed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. While the earlier estimate for the project was Rs 125 crore, the revised estimate is Rs 182.71 crore. The revision in the estimate has been carried out because of an escalation in cost. |
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Two Delhi youths held for revenge murder
New Delhi, February 7 According to the police, Shushil was shot dead while he was shopping with his wife by. The accused took revenge for the beating which the deceased had given to Naveen for passing remarks against his wife. According to Chhaya Sharma, DCP (outer), the statement of victim's wife Preeti nailed the culprits as she told the police about their identity. "She identified them as she knew both of them. She told us that in 2009, her husband had beaten Naveen and since then Naveen harboured a grudge against her husband," said Sharma, adding that the accused had been on the run since the murder and were arrested from Singhu border after a tip-off yesterday. |
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3 held for raping 16-yr-old
New Delhi, February 7 Mohit was friends with the victim. On February 2, he took her to a friend's place in Mohhommadpur where the other two accused were already present. There the three youths raped the girl and thereafter beat her up. "They even threatened her against disclosing about the incident to anybody," said officials. A case was registered after the victim, who studies in a convent school in Delhi, filed a complaint with the police on the day of the incident. She was taken for medical examination, which confirmed rape. |
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Cabbie stabbed to death, robbed
New Delhi, February 7 "Vijender was admitted to hospital with multiple knife wounds, but he died. He was a cab driver. The body has been sent to the LBS mortuary for postmortem," said a police official, adding that the investigation had revealed that the attackers were three in number. Although, prime facie it appears that Vijender was killed for money, as his wallet was missing, the police is investigating the matter from all angles. Vijender was a resident of house number 19/135 in the Kalyanpuri area and was on his way
home when the incident took place. |
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Woman, paramour arrested for killing husband
New Delhi, February 7 The deceased was identified as Navinder, alias Naveen (31). He was working as LDC in the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Ministry of HRD). The incident took place on February 3 at Raju Park, Khanpur. Navinder, along with his family members, was coming back home when some unknown persons shot at him outside his home. A case was registered and investigation taken up. It came to be known that Navinder and his wife were not having good relations. Arti used to work in a BPO in Noida and wanted to have a modern lifestyle while Navinder wanted to live a simple life. During investigation it came to notice that one Rishi Kumar was in continuous contact with Arti and at the time of the firing incident, he was in Raju Park, said a senior police official. On this information, Rishi was apprehended and during interrogation he confessed to the crime. "Rishi, along with his accomplices Parveen and Sumit, tracked down Navinder outside his home. Parveen fired at Navinder and they all escaped in a Maruti-800 car," officials added. At his instance, the police arrested all the accused by conducting raids at several places in Delhi and NCR. Arti has a daughter. In 2008, she came in contact with accused Rishi as she used to commute to her work place in his bus. They became friends and their friendship soon flowered into an intimate relationship, officials said. |
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Runaway J&K criminal held
New Delhi, February 7 According to Vivek Kishore, DCP (Central), the police was tipped off about Rahul's presence in the Daryaganj area while he was trying to get rid of the handcuffs. "When the police team found Rahul with handcuffs, he tried to mislead them by saying that he escaped from the Maharashtra police custody, but the close scrutiny of handcuffs showed Jammu and Kashmir scripted on it," said Kishore, adding that he was arrested in August 2010 under the provisions of Public Safety Act, a special Act used only in Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of National Security Act. According to information, Rahul is a dreaded criminal in Udhampur district and was having several criminal involvements, including attempt to murder, hurt and illegal possession of arms. "Rahul has studied up to Class XII and can speak fluent English. He had earlier escaped from police custody in 2008," said Kishore, adding that the JK police was informed. |
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Jeweller shot at, robbed
New Delhi, February 7 The jeweler, Ghan Shyam Garg, and his employee Akash have been admitted to hospital with bullet injuries. Their condition is said to be critical. The jeweller has reported loss of cash and jewellery worth Rs 4.5
lakh. According to the police, the incident took place outside Garg's shop, Baba Jewellers. "Garg along with one of his employees had just locked the shop when two bike-borne youths tried to snatch from him a bag containing jewellery and cash. When he resisted, one of the bikers shot at him and his employee. More than five rounds of bullets were fired, after which the bikers fled with the bag," said a police official, adding that while Garg suffered bullet injuries in the neck and stomach, Akash was hit in the leg. The locals rushed the duo to the nearby Saroj
Hospital. |
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