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2 die in Amar Colony LPG blast fire
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Consultant not needed to buy disinfectants,
say councillors
Need felt to empower elderly women
Metro sought for Noida sector 62
Delhi residents seek rollback of service tax on hospitals
National Museum to be blind-friendly
Cloudy day in Delhi
Helping kids raise voice
Noida Urdu writer awarded
CM confers with Sonia on
tainted Chauhan’s fate
Marital discord leads to suicide
by woman
Drunk man strangles wife in Narela
Man commits suicide
One held for raping minor
Woman raped
Gang of dacoits busted, 10 held
Three held with spurious liquor
Cricket betting racket unearthed
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2 die in Amar Colony LPG blast fire
New Delhi, March 2 The incident took place last night around 8:50 when there were at least seven people at the basement on which Mustaq, an exporter of Kashmiri Shawls, had his office and there were five members of another Arora family on the first floor of the same building. It is believed that the fire aggravated due to the presence of chemical and white petrol tins inside the basement. Apparently, before the incident Mustaq, a native of Kashmir who had come down to Delhi over 15 years ago, had asked one of the employees to prepare tea. The employee, Rakesh, who is said to be critical with 60-70 per cent burns, had left the gas knob open. As tea spilt over the gas burner, he was washing the saucepan. Mustaq then came there from the basement’s front room and as soon as he lit his cigarette, the mishap happened. While those inside the basement suffered severe burns, Mustaq’s wife, Bilkish (37) and his 19-year-old daughter Anshu, who were at their residence on the second floor of the building were left with 25-30 per cent injuries and have now been shifted to Apollo Hospital. Of the two deceased, one body was recovered today from the debris of the partition between the kitchen and the adjoining room on the basement. Till the time fire engines reached the spot, Mustaq’s elder son Nasir (22) who went in to rescue his father was also injured and now in Apollo. Nasir’s brother, Yasir (18) was lucky to have escaped the mishap. Such was the impact of the explosion, which took place in the kitchen that the air-conditioner in the room blew off. Many cars were left damaged; clothes and things on the first floor could be seen hanging on trees outside. “It was a loud explosion and we could see flames. My husband tried to pull the synthetic curtains out and tried to pour water, but fire became uncontrollable and the entire house went smoky. We ran outside,” said Suneeta Arora, looking at her house from the park. Seven-eight fire engines reached the spot and it took over five hours to douse the fire. Amidst all this, the locals of the block lent a hand, be it taking the injured to the hospitals or arranging water and pipes for the rescue operation.
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Consultant not needed to buy disinfectants,
say councillors
New Delhi, March 2 The health department has proposed to purchase granules, chemicals and bio-larvicides that are used as sprays to prevent mosquito breeding during the monsoon season. They help fight vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. The proposal was introduced at the MCD meeting for approval but it was rejected due to disagreement by the majority of the councillors. A number of members, mostly from the ruling BJP, objected to the use of government of India undertaking Hindustan Latex Ltd as a consultant for the procurement and argued that the MCD should buy the items itself. The proposals were related to the purchase of 1,40,000 kg of Temephos granules worth Rs 50.08 lakh to prevent breeding in clean stagnant water in coolers and uncovered overhead tanks, 40 tonnes of malathion technical worth Rs 57.64 lakh used for fogging operation to kill adult mosquitoes, 5,400 litres of pyrethrum extract worth Rs 76.43 lakh for spraying to kill adult mosquitoes by mixing it with kerosene and 2,75,000 litres of bio-larvicides worth Rs 27.22 lakh. Usually, HLL fixes rate of procurement and the supplier agency for one year and gets 2 per cent as consultancy charge. But BJP councillors, including V P Pandya and Rajni Abbi, objected to the use of a consultant, asking why the MCD could not procure the items directly and avoid paying consultancy fee. "When the finance department said a certificate may be obtained from the supplier that the said insecticide was not supplied to any other state or central government agency at lower rates, only an indirect answer was given that the health department has not been procuring these itself," Pandya said. Municipal health officer N K Yadav, however, said the consultancy charges had been lowered from 3.5 per cent to 2 per cent after long negotiations. "HLL is a reputed government undertaking and provides us technical support. There are many technical aspects and the department needs a consultant to take the right decision," he said. The members were, however, unsatisfied and the processes of procurement were postponed. |
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Need felt to empower elderly women
New Delhi, March 2 "More than 50 per cent of women, who constitute a large part of the elderly age group, are widows. And out of the 28 per cent of widows eligible for pension, only 11 per cent are able to receive it even though the provisions are there because of the cumbersome process involved in claiming it," said Guild of Services chairperson Mohini Giri at the consultation today. "Elder women still face abuse and exploitation. Be it old age homes or their own households, there is no framework in place to assure that the elderly are safe. A medical set up for elderly women to deal with problems like menopause, osteoporosis, arthritis and other diseases is also required. Several departments for welfare of the elderly or a national commission to better understand the financial, healthcare, shelter, welfare and other needs of the elder citizens would be the answer to address these problems," she added. The group consultation today was organised in the Capital by the Guild of Services and Development, Welfare and Research Foundation in support with the National Commission for Women. Speaking at the consultation, Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, cited the case of a woman who was begging on the street because her children had thrown her out of their home when she was widowed, though her husband had left them huge assets. Similarly, another widow was being beaten and abused by her son. But she did not want action to be taken against him. All she wanted was some shelter. Given this scenario, Vyas said it was up to the society to ensure women, especially widows, their rightful place in their homes and their rights to live with dignity. The government, meanwhile, should ensure that every widow had access to pension. Furthermore, with the national policy for the elderly currently under revision, representatives of the Ministry of Social Justice and Ministry of Women and Child Development invited suggestions and recommendations from all the NGO's and other civic agencies working for the welfare of the elderly. Mukul Wasnik said there was an urgent need for revision of provisions for the elderly by taking into account the changing demographic, socio-economic and epidemiological aspects that were impacting the lives of the older people. "We are to submit a report to the ministry by month-end with our recommendations. We are told that because the 12th Five Year Plan would commence next year, the government wanted to push forward various concerns of the elder citizens in a manner that will fulfill their needs and help us to perform our duties in a better manner" said Mohini Giri.
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Metro sought for Noida sector 62
Noida, March 2 Federation president SM Singh, stated in the letter, "There are more than 10,000 flats in sector 62 and it has a population of more than 50,000. Besides residential apartments, the sector has hundreds of institutions. Across the NH-24 highway is Indirapuram where more than 50,000 flats have been built up. If Metro is extended till sector 62, it will benefit Indirapuram residents too." "As per the earlier schedule, Metro from sector 32 was to be extended up to sector 62. Now the officials have changed priority and said that this line will be developed after the completion of Greater Noida Metro project," stated Singh. "The Greater Noida Metro project involves a cost of over Rs 5,000 crore. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation too had found the project unviable in view of low population of Greater Noida. Even if the project is allotted to private developer, he too will develop it in phases which may take a decade," stated Singh. "It is to be noted that if Metro of Sector 32 is extended up to sector 62 which is just 5 km from City Centre, it will ease the chaotic traffic conditions of Noida," Singh stated. The federation has also made a request for a community centre in sector 62. |
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Delhi residents seek rollback of service tax on hospitals
New Delhi, March 2 The impending increase in the cost of medical services has left people fuming. "Government hospitals are so packed, it is difficult to even get close to the doctor. Private hospitals are so costly that we think twice about going there. Smaller clinics and hospitals were where we could go. But now they too "Unlike government officials, we don't have the facility of availing (Central Government Health Scheme) CGHS under which healthcare is free. For people like us who have no healthcare cover, it is difficult," said the 60-year-old woman. Presenting the budget for 2011-12 finance minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed to replace the service tax on health checkups with a tax on all services provided by hospitals with 25 or more beds and having central air-conditioning, with an abatement of 5 per cent. What is worrying people is that hospitals that come under the ambit of this will pass it on to patients by increasing the cost of medical services. Similar views were shared by Tara Singh, a 57-year-old resident. "It's always the middle class which gets caught in the budget. The government never gives any thought to us. Healthcare is very important as there are so many medical problems and getting treatment is so costly. “This new service tax will further make it costly. Hospitals will obviously charge us more.It is not at all for the aam admi and should be rolled back," said Singh, who retired from a private company. Hospitals in the capital have already started discussions on how to handle the proposal. "If service tax is imposed on us, we can only get it from patients and we will increase the cost of medical treatment," said a senior manager of Kolmet Hospital, a 39-bed hospital in central Delhi. Terming it as "unfortunate", two such premier institutions said they would increase the burden on the end user. "It is unfortunate the finance minister has chosen to levy a service tax on air-conditioned hospitals having a bed capacity in excess of 25 beds. This comes at a time when the healthcare sector is already bearing the brunt of an inflationary spiral for the last few months," said Pervez Ahmed, CEO and managing director of Max Healthcare. It is the patients who are likely to bear the brunt of the hike in service tax, healthcare firms said. "The budget has levied a service tax on hospitals and diagnostic service providers and with this the end user, the patients, will end up paying much more. This is detrimental to the concept of preventive healthcare and early diagnosis," said Prathap Reddy, chairman of the Apollo group of hospitals. "We will be forced to pass on this tax to the patients, something that will certainly cause a lot of heartburn among our customer," he added. — IANS
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National Museum to be blind-friendly
New Delhi, March 2 Previously when the visually impaired came to the museum, they had to take help of the guides and could only listen to the narrations. Now with the installations of monograms, signs, and Braille inscriptions, they will be able to even touch and feel the objects in the galleries. Also, the main passages, ramps and galleries have been reworked to be made barrier-free. Likewise, the necessary modifications have also been made to accommodate the mentally challenged people. The administrator of National Museum and vice-chancellor of the National Museum Institute (NMI), Dr C V Ananda Bose said, "The disabled people, though with keen interest in art, are often left out from such pleasures of knowledge and the art appreciation of these vulnerable categories has been minimal in the country. We have now devised this highly focused system for the blind and the mentally challenged people to begin with and later it will be extended to other marginalized sections like spastics and street children." The museum has already completed the pilot programmes on accommodating the blind people. Now all the newly-laid blind-friendly facilities will be in force formally from next month. As part of the art education programme for the marginalized children, the museum and the NMI are jointly organising a 'tactile exhibition' for the visually impaired next month. "The exhibition will explore the nature of the perceptual power of the Indian images and gives audience an aesthetic, educational and spiritual experience through touching and feeling," Bose said.
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Cloudy day in Delhi
New Delhi, March 2 A cool breeze prevailed bringining a chill in the air all day long as Delhiites enjoyed their day outside in this bittersweet weather. The minimum temperature was recorded at 12.7° C, average for this time of the year, as compared to yesterday's 11.3° C. The maximum temperature on the other hand was recorded at 24.6° C, two degrees below normal against yesterday's 24.2° C. For tomorrow, the weatherman has predicted a possibility of rain in several parts of the city. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to oscillate between 24° and 15° C. "There could be hailstorms tomorrow," a senior Meteorological official said. The first week of February saw the temperature rise well above normal levels, but then a spell of rain brought the temperature down, slightly delaying the onset of summer. |
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Helping kids raise voice
New Delhi, March 2 Giving a strong voice to children is an initiative of Delhi-based `Save the Children' and 'Society for All Round Development' organizations. This effort has helped raise the awareness of children about various government schemes meant for them, according to a press note. Many children living in 25 villages of Kaman block of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan have been benefited as these organizations have created bal mandals for them there. The bal mandal of Indrouli village has decided to take up the issue of construction of road approaching the upper primary school with the block development officer. |
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Noida Urdu writer awarded
Noida, March 2 The UP Chief Minister is chairperson of the Academy. Srivatsava is a retired railway officer who has been residing in Noida since 1991. In 1966, his first book Regzar was published. His books Gul Rang (1974), Shaher e Ehsas (1981), Shajar Shajar Chaon (1992), Jagti Tanhaiya (2005) were awarded by the UP Urdu Academy. |
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Cong protest at BJP office
New Delhi, March 2 They demanded registration of case against the BJP activists presented at the camp. Erecting camp at Rishikesh is not allowed. Two youths of the DYC sustained minor injuries. DYC president Anil Kumar and other protestors alleged that some male and female leaders of the BJP youth wing organised a camp on the bank of the Ganga at Rishikesh in Uttarakhand on February 28 and cooked non-vegetarian food and consumed alcohol there. "They did not maintain the dignity of the holy place and that is why we protested. The BJP does politics in the name of religion but does not follow the religious rules. They showed their double standard at Rishikesh," Anil said. A police official said teargas shells and water cannon were used to disrupt the DYC workers who were trying to enter the office to confront the BJP workers inside. The crowd assembled outside the office around 2 pm and started raising slogans. No one sustained injuries. |
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CM confers with Sonia on
tainted Chauhan’s fate
New Delhi, March 2 Sources said that Sonia called her under pressure of the opposition parties who demanded the resignation of
Chauhan. Delhi Lokayukta had last week recommended the removal of Chauhan from the Delhi cabinet for trying to protect the owners of the Tivoli Garden Resort in a tax evasion case. This is the first time that the Lokayukta recommended the removal of a minister. There is indication that Chauhan may be asked to resign, the sources said. The Lokayukta has also recommended prosecution of the minister under various sections of the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004. The Lokayukta had taken a suo motu action on the media reports that VAT commissioner Jalaj Srivastava had written to the Delhi government saying that a minister had asked him to recall an enforcement team from the survey. When a group of journalists tried to meet Raj Kumar Chauhan in his office yesterday, they were told by the officials that the minister had not come to office. However, sources said that he was busy in signing some papers inside. |
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Marital discord leads to suicide
by woman
New Delhi, March 2 Sunita and was discovered dead hanging by a ceiling fan by her mother Kaushalya at her house. While the police did not recover any suicide note, it has reasons to believe that Sunita was depressed due to marital discord with her husband Jag Mohan. "Sunita was living separately from her husband for the past eight months at her aunt's house in Sahyog Vihar area of Dwarka-3. Today she had gone to her mother's house and hanged herself while her mother was not home," said a police official. The body has been sent to DDU Hospital for a post-mortem. Jag Mohan and Sunita got married about eight years ago and had two children.
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Drunk man strangles wife in Narela
New Delhi, March 2 According to the police, the matter came to light this morning when the victim's children were heard crying inside the house by neighbours. The victim has been identified as Shikha while her husband Ranjeet, who allegedly strangulated her to death in a drunken state last night, has absconded. "The murder took place last night after which the Ranjeet left the house. The couple has two children and when they woke up in the morning they were heard crying when their mother did not respond to them. A neighbour went inside and saw Shikha dead on the floor after which the police was informed," said a police official. The body has been sent for a post-mortem to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri. Marks on the neck of the victim point towards strangulation. Meanwhile, Shikha's brother Krishan has told the police that Ranjeet was an alcoholic and often fought with his sister. "He has told us that Ranjeet often beat up his sister after drinking," the official said. A case of murder has been registered and efforts are on to nab the accused husband. According to information, Ranjeet is originally from Munger district of Bihar and works in a private company.
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Man commits suicide
New Delhi, March 2 According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Tek Chand and was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside his house by his neighbours this morning. "We have not recovered any suicide note, but neighbours said Tek Chand was depressed after his wife left him about six months ago. We are investigating the matter," said a police official. Tek Chand was married to one Rekha about six years ago but his habits of alcoholism and fighting forced her to leave him. |
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One held for raping minor
New Delhi, March 2 According to the police, the incident was reported on Sunday night after the girl was raped by one Rishipal earlier in the evening. The girl was alone in the house at the time of incident. According to information, the incident was reported from the Khanpur locality underlying in the Neb Sarai police station area. "The girl and her elder sister were alone at home as their parents had gone to attend a marriage ceremony. When the elder sister went out to nearby grocery shop, Rishipal, who lives just across the house, came in and raped the minor girl," said a police official. The girl is a student of class IV. When the victim's parents returned, the girl confided to her mother and the police was informed. The medical examination of the girl at Safdarjung Hospital has confirmed rape. A case in this regard was registered at the Neb Sarai police station and hunt launched to arrest the accused. "Rishipal had gone absconding in the night but we managed to arrest him the next day," said the officer. |
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Woman raped
Faridabad, March 2 In her complaint the woman alleged that she had gone to purchase vegetable yesterday evening when an acquaintance,
Pramod, lured her to his house nearby and raped her, the police said. He also threatened her of dire consequences if she revealed the ordeal to anyone. The police has registered a case under relevant Sections of the
IPC, and the hunt for the accused is on, the police added. — PTI |
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Gang of dacoits busted, 10 held
New Delhi, March 2 According to the police, the accused were arrested after a sustained investigation into an incident happened on February 27 wherein they had looted a truck loaded with six tonnes of copper. The arrested have been identified as Dinesh (27), Sandeep (28), Mukesh Yadav (25), Vikram (21) and Rohit Sharma (21), all alleged dacoits, and receivers of stolen materials: Satpal Singh (52), Vipin Uppal (37), Ankur Suri (32), Rajpal Chauhan (40) and Vikram Bansal (36), a cable manufacturer. According to the police, Bansal is the main receiver of copper. He is a well-known cable manufacturer who converted the stolen copper into copper wires. On the night of February 27, the five dacoits had waylaid the truck carrying six tonnes of copper in Faridabad. "The five men took control of the vehicle at gunpoint and later dropped two men who were in the truck. To divert the line of investigation, the dacoits left the canter abandoned near Mewat as the Mewati gangs also operate on the same modus operandi," said a senior police official from the district. Further investigation has been taken up by the Faridabad police who has been intimated about the arrests.
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Three held with spurious liquor
Faridabad, March 2 Devendra, Sandeep and Sunil were arrested in raids conducted in Sector 3, 22 and the Malerna Road area of the city yesterday and 75 bottles of country-made liquor were seized from their possession. — PTI |
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Cricket betting racket unearthed
New Delhi, March 2 According to DCP (Crime) Ashok
Chand, this was the fifth betting syndicate busted in Delhi since the World Cup Cricket began. Those arrested have been identified as Navjeet Singh (29), Shailesh Payal Kalu (34) and Karan Singh Chadha (28). According to
Chand, the gang had received bets from punters to the tune of Rs 1 crore. |
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