New Delhi, March 28
Speaker Yoganand Shastri today announced the adjournment of the Assembly sine die three days before the scheduled time, saying it was his own decision.

The House was scheduled to function till March 31 and the Speaker was not finding it right to run the proceedings without the presence of the main opposition party, the BJP. Its members raised certain issues and created a ruckus that led to their removal from the House.

The BJP asked the government today to table the Shunglu Committee report before the House. They trooped to the well of the House, thereafter the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm. When the members reassembled, the opposition members raised the same issues that resulted in the adjournment of the House twice. Finally, the House passed a resolution on the removal of the BJP members from the House for the day.

Other resolutions listed to be tabled before the House were passed in the absence of the BJP members.

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra strongly condemned the Delhi government for adjourning the House three days before the scheduled time.

Shunglu Committee has levelled serious charges against Delhi's Chief Minister. She was not in a position to face the charges so the House was adjourned sine die, but the BJP would continue to agitate for Dikshit's ouster and also demand handing over the Shunglu Committee's report to the CBI, Malhotra said.

He also criticized the Delhi government for not withdrawing the VAT imposed on sweetmeats, namkeen and suiting.

The Budget has exposed the anti-people policies of the government which has not taken any measures to control price hike, unemployment or regularize unauthorized colonies, Malhotra added.

New Delhi, March 28
The Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time-bound Delivery of Services) Bill, 2011, was today approved by the Legislative Assembly which aims to ensure rights of citizens to get time-bound delivery of services.

It also aims to sensitize the public servant towards citizens and imbibe a culture on time-bound services.

The Bill after taking shape of the Act will initially cover most of the services provided by the food and supplies department, divisional commissioner office, trade and taxes, transport, the NDMC and the MCD.

The services include issue of APL ration cards, SC, ST, OBC, domicile, income, nationality and solvency certificates, registration of dealers, issue or renewal of learners or permanent driving licences, issue of birth and death certificates.

The government will consider inclusion of more services of departments at later stages.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stated that the provisions of this Act would be deemed to be part of service terms and conditions of the government servants.

The government servants failing to deliver the services in the stipulated time will have to pay Rs 10 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 200 per application to the citizens as compensation.

Further, the competent officer may take appropriate administrative action against habitual defaulters who incur more than 25 defaults a year.

The competent officer will also recommend a cash incentive not exceeding of Rs 5,000 to a government servant who incurs no default in a year.

This will go a long way in encouraging the government servants to deliver services within the stipulated period and would also put an end to the tendency of delaying and shifting responsibilities causing hardships to the citizens.

New Delhi, March 28
The Budget for the year 2011-12 was today approved by voice vote in the Delhi Legislative Assembly with the minor amendments.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is also holding the charge of the Finance Department, gave her reply to the debate on the Budget proposals reiterating that the Budget was the best for the common man and it was a development-oriented.

There is a substantial increase in plan outlay under various sectors. An increase of 21 per cent in general education, 9 per cent in technical education, 147 per cent in EWS housing, 67 per cent in welfare of SC, ST, OBC and minorities, 19 per cent in social welfare, 8 per cent in the welfare of child development, 35 per cent in nutrition and 10 per cent in health sector.

The government provided 58 per cent of the total Budget of Rs 13,600 crore, on social services sector.

Last year, the plan outlay on social sector was Rs 6,295 crore which has been increased to Rs 7,892 crore.

Dikshit also announced some concessions. In order to promote the handlooms, handlooms furnishing has been exempted from the VAT, whereas 5 per cent rate was proposed in the Budget.

She also announced to exempt adult diapers from the VAT which invokes 12.5 per cent rate presently.

Dikshit announced an increase in the amount under MLA LADS Fund from Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore, whereas Rs 2.5 crore was proposed in the Budget speech. The enhanced amount will include an amount of Rs 1 crore for water and sewage works of DJB and Rs 10 lakh under the district development committee scheme.

The present cost ceiling of Rs 70 lakh for one work under the scheme has been enhanced to Rs 150 lakh.

She also announced that a decision has been taken to increase assistance for marriage of widow's daughter from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. The government has also revised the allocated plan outlay for various development works in unauthorised colonies during 11th Five Year Plan from Rs 2,800 crore to Rs 3,007 crore.

There has been a massive increase in plan outlay for improvement of services in JJ clusters and for construction of EWS houses and to start implementation of Rajiv Awas Yojana under JNNURM. The allocation last year was Rs 125 crore which has gone up to Rs 639 crore.

Sheila stated that the government had provided subsidy of more than Rs 10 crore on sale of pulses at subsidised rates since 2006-07. As far as plan outlay is concerned, "We have managed to utilise around 96 to 97 per cent in each year and the Planning Commission has appreciated the city government for this pace of plan expenditure," she said.

New Delhi, March 28
The faculty of arts today gave a nod to the introduction of semester system in psychology department for the undergraduate courses even as several members condemned the letter written by the registrar to heads of departments, asking for names of members voting for and against the introduction of semester system.

Several teachers BP Sharma of Hindi department, VK Khurana of Sanskrit, SN Pandey of English, S Mazumdar of Germanic and Romance and Vibha Maurya of Spanish department said the Delhi University administration was issuing "various forms of intimidation and threats" to teachers of departments and colleges to enforce the semester system.

Khurana told The Tribune that "a majority of people present in the meet opposed the semester system". He wondered as to how the authorities claimed that it was passed for the psychology department.

The meeting of the faculty of arts was called by the Dean, HS Prasad, who is also the head of department. Philosophy, to discuss the proposed syllabus for BA (H) Eng, Eng for BA (P) and Psychology for BA (P).

Some members raised points of order such as the "illegal constitution of the arts faculty" as representatives of 25 colleges were missing in violation of Statute 9 (3).

They pointed out that as a result of this statutory violation, the "decision" to pass the semester system in different departments on March 14 was invalid.

New Delhi, March 28
The House meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today saw pandemonium as the Congress councillors raised slogans, accusing the ruling BJP of promoting corruption in the civic agency. The Congress members raised anti-BJP slogans, after which the meet was adjourned within 35 minutes.

Later in the day, Congress councillors held a demonstration in Chandni Chowk against price rise and corruption.

The demonstration, which was joined by members of the youth Congress, affected traffic in the Walled City.

"The dharna focused on the failure of the BJP on all fronts in its four-year rule, inflation and corruption. Hundreds of youth Congress activists gathered at the protest

site in Ghantaghar," said Leader of Opposition in the MCD, Jai Kishan Sharma.

Addressing a march in Madipur municipal ward, DPCC chief Jai Prakash Aggarwal yesterday alleged that the BJP-ruled MCD was neck-deep in corruption. He said the party would face a crushing defeat in next year's election of the civic body.

New Delhi, March 28
The crime branch of Delhi police has issued a lookout notice against a flying instructor and three pilots who allegedly managed Airlines Transport Pilot License (ATPL) using forged marksheets.

According to a senior crime branch official, the notice has been issued against pilots Swaran Singh Talwar of MDLR, Syed Habib Ali and Bhupinder Singh, yet to join any airlines. The notice has also been issued against flying instructor D Asatkar.

A senior official of airline regulator DGCA and three others, including a pilot, were arrested two days ago for using forged marksheets to procure ATPL.

With these arrests, the crime branch has arrested six persons, including three pilots, in connection with the case of pilots procuring licences using forged marksheets.

A senior police official said the lookout notices had been issued to prevent the flying instructor and the pilots from fleeing the country. "All airports and ports have also been put on high alert," he added.

Raids are being conducted across the country to nab the accused.

New Delhi, March 28
The east district police has arrested three persons for allegedly duping people of around Rs 8 lakh by phishing their bank accounts and paying electricity bills.

According to OP Mishra, DCP (east), the accused have been identified as Anil Jain, Suresh Khandelwal and Rakesh Roshan. "The trio was arrested following the investigation into a complaint filed by HDFC Bank regarding some un-authorised payments of electricity bills and other payments from the trans Yamuna area through net banking by fraudulently acquiring data of customers," said Mishra.

The initial investigation revealed that data of customers was obtained through "phising", he added.

The accused used to take electricity bill of private discom BSES from the users and consumers in cash and deposit the bills through net banking from the bona fide account holders of the bank. When beneficiaries were contacted and it came into notice that they had made payment of their bills to the shopkeepers for deposition of their bills.

"After verification from the details of the consumers of BSES and the data of bank officials, Jain was first arrested followed by Khandelwal and Roshan," said Mishra.

The investigation revealed that around Rs 8 lakh had been duped by this gang from 14 customers of HDFC Bank and had deposited BSES bills of about 150 consumers of BSES. "It has also come in notice that the gang has also duped the customers of other banks by depositing the BSES bills and other payments of recharging of mobile phones," he said.

New Delhi, March 28
A man accused by the police of killing a child by throwing him into a well, has been acquitted by a city court for want of evidence.

Based on the allegation of the deceased's parents, the police had prosecuted Surender of killing Vishal, 4, after his body was found floating in a well near his house in Swaroop Nagar in west Delhi.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Tewari, however, acquitted him after expressing doubts over the prosecution's claim that the victim was last seen with him on July 15, 2006, and then disappeared. The judge also ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish any motive behind the ghastly crime. He also found contradictions in the claims made by Vishal's father and mother.

The court said if the theory that the victim was last seen with the accused were to be true, the deposition of the parents, who were the most crucial witnesses in the case, did not reconcile with the natural human behaviour.

When Vishal went missing, his father Ramesh Jaiswal informed the police about it but did not raise suspicion against anybody. However, when his body was recovered, Ramesh's brother-in-law Banwari told the police that he had seen Vishal with Surender around 7.30 pm on July 15.

The police immediately arrested him who had lived as a tenant at Ramesh's house until a year back.

Ramesh told the court during trial that he had taken a loan of Rs 20,000 from Surender and paid back Rs 5,000. He said he was never harassed for the repayment of the rest of the money.

His wife Mahalaxmi, however, took a different stand and said Surender used to harass her as he was sexually interested in her. She said she had rebuked him several times and he used to claim that her husband had to pay him back his loan.

The judge ruled that it was difficult to believe both the versions. He also wondered as to why Banwari did not question Surender when the search of the child was on, if he had seen him last with him.

Noida, March 28
A student of Amity University who mysteriously fell to death at Centre Stage Mall in January did not commit suicide, but was murdered, allege the victim's father.

On the order of a senior police officer, a case of murder was registered against a friend of the victim last evening.

The victim, Adhiv Raj Singh, fell to death on January 22. On the fateful day, his father Brijesh Singh, an officer with the Research and Analysis department, was to return India from China, and the boy and his brother was to go to airport to receive him.

Some time before his death, Adhiv had spoken to his brother and he did not sound disturbed, said Brijesh Singh.

Initially, the Noida police told the boy's family that he accidentally fell to his death. However, the family did not believe this, and the victim's father saw the footages of the CCTVs installed in the mall. He also retrieved the call details of his dead son's mobile phone.

It was revealed that a friend of Adhiv, Mohsin, was with him at the time of his death. On being questioned, Mohsin gave contradictory statements.

On this, Brijesh Singh wrote to the director general of police, Uttar Pradesh. It was on his order that a case of murder has been registered.

The CCTV footages of cameras installed at Metro stations have revealed that on January 22, Mohsin and Adhiv started from Khan Market Metro station around 4.31 pm and reached Pragati Maidan station around 6.27 pm. Then, around 7.12 pm, they reached Sector 18 Metro station. Mohsin had told the police that Adhiv had left for home from Akshardham Metro station.

Further, Mohsin had also told the police that he was with another friend at Great India Place mall when Adhiv died. However, the call details of his phone revealed that he had talked twice on phone with the friend he had claimed to be with. "If he was with his friend, then why did he talk to him on phone?" asked Singh.

New Delhi, March 28
Three youths, two of them graduates, have been arrested by the crime branch of the Delhi police for allegedly cheating at least 35 people on the pretext of getting loans sanctioned for them from banks.

The accused have been identified as Rajat Kataria (27), Shankar Lal Chawla (23) and Kewal Krishna (24), all hailing from Fatehabad in Haryana. According to Ashok Chand, DCP (crime), the trio was arrested from near Kingsway Camp on March 24 following investigations into a complaint filed by a woman from Vadodra," said Chand. He added that while Kataria, a former call centre employee, and Chawla are graduates, Krishna has studied up to class X. One of their accomplices, Girish Wadhwa, is on the run.

A total of 1,450 SIM cards, 33 mobile phones, a laptop, eight debit cards of different banks, 13 cheque books, 10 pass books and two fake driving licences were recovered from their hideouts.

The gang had allegedly made the complainant deposit Rs 1.5 lakh in seven accounts after telling her that a loan of Rs 5 lakh has been sanctioned for her. However, after she deposited the amount, the accused stopped taking her calls and went underground.

According to Chand, the gang mainly targeted those who wanted loan for marriage, education, business and personal loans.

The cheats told their victims that they could get loan sanctioned from the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, HSBC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank and some other banks.

"They would take the victim's PAN card and other relevant documents and then in order to convince him, sent forged approval letters. They would then ask the victim to deposit some money for getting the loan sanctioned," Chand said.

The gang advertised in newspapers and cheated more than 35 people from Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP and Maharshtra. 

Ghaziabad, March 28
A gang of five armed men looted an Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus in Ghaziabad district on Sunday night, injuring the conductor and two passengers who resisted the robbery attempt, the police said today.

The incident occurred in the bus plying between Hapur and Modinagar. The five robbers boarded the bus at Bhojpur as passengers, and as the bus was moving, targeted the conductor Manoj, snatching the bag containing the fare money and tickets. They stabbed him when he resisted.

The next were two passengers, who were robbed of their mobile phones and the cash they were carrying. Both were attacked when they resisted.

The robbers jumped out of the bus in the Modinagar area.

All three victims were admitted to hospital. Manoj was discharged after first aid while the condition of the two passengers was said to be stable.

The exact amount of loot could not be recorded since both the passengers were not in condition to reveal further details, nor had Manoj toted up the total receipts.

"The inventory is being prepared. The victims are being treated properly and the hunt is on to nab the robbers," said Nirankar Singh, circle officer (Modinagar).

Till late Sunday night, the case could not be registered as the Bhojpur and Modinagar police stations argued over jurisdiction. It was finally registered in Bhojpur police station after the senior police officers intervened.--IANS

New Delhi, March 28
A 59-year-old woman was stabbed and critically injured over a property dispute in the Aman Vihar police station area of outer Delhi last night. According to the police, the incident was reported around 9 pm from Kirori Chowk.

The victim has been identified as Manti Devi. She was stabbed in the back and is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. "Manti Devi, wife of Nandrup, was sitting at a telephone booth at the ground floor of their house when two men attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon. Her sons, Naresh and Dinesh, were inside the house and the assailants fled before they could catch them," said a police official. The official said that Dinesh had named Than Singh Dhiya as the one responsible for the attack.

The family has a dispute with Than Singh over a plot in Sultanpuri. He often threatened the family of dire consequences if they did not withdraw their claim over the plot.

A case of attempt to murder has been registered and the police is verifying the claims of the victim family.

Meanwhile, angry neighbours of Manti Devi held a protest later in the night, demanding prompt action.