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Delhi comes out to support Hazare
Activists attend to one of the supporters of Anna Hazare, who is also fasting unto death, after he fell down on Thursday, the third day of the indefinite hunger strike started by the social activist against corruption.
Cabinet okays division
of MCD into five zones |
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DU guards to escort girls
during night
DU plans facilities for outstation applicants
Global Jazz festival
to begin today
Water safe for drinking, DJB assures citizens
RWAs to help combat vector-borne diseases
Master Plan needs review every 5 yr: MCD
Armed robbers loot home
security trader
2 teen girls cut to death on rail tracks
4 held with 221 kg ganja
Teenaged vehicle thieves held
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Delhi comes out to support Hazare
New Delhi, April 7
It was a crowd, both in terms of sheers numbers and the fervour it carried, which would have done any politician proud but, much to their scare, almost every participant had nothing but anger and contempt for the political class. They chanted slogans in support of Hazare's indefinite fast in support of a Lokpal Bill to tackle the growing spectre of corruption, substantiated by recent scams unprecedented in scale. "There is an Anna Hazare in all of us today. His fast is a manifestation of angry feelings collected in all of us over the state of affairs in our country. There are so many young people here. Our corrupt leadership had made me hopeless for many years but I see a home today," Ravikant Ahuja, a retired government official said. The people around cheered Hazare and many of his supporters who have joined him in the hunger strike. Not many appeared to be aware of the nitty-gritty of Hazare's demand but the atmosphere was electrifying and bubbling with energy as if they were confident that a better India would come out of their agitation. Bollywood songs giving out messages of unity, hope and struggle against the wrong played as people clapped and jived. "It is a great shame to see what is happening in our country. We are supposed to be the largest democracy but we are run by the same bunch of corrupt politicians irrespective of election results," Aarti Mehra, a housewife said. Many cried "shame, shame…", drawing applause and cheers from all round. The participants had strong words against government functionaries, including the Prime Minister. "We want our politicians to be completely transparent. We will continue with our struggle till they bring in a concrete law. We are not going to be hoodwinked by mere assurances," said Shukantu Sharma, a software engineer.
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Cabinet okays division
of MCD into five zones
New Delhi, April 7 However, no official statement has been issued in this connection as it was opposed by a few ministers and senior party leaders, saying that dividing the MCD into five zones was not in favour of the party. If the government wants to divide the MCD, it should be divided into three zones only. If this decision is implemented, the corporation would have more than 400 councillors. At present, it has 272 councillors. One assembly constituency is divided into four municipal wards. With the implementation of the proposed division of the municipal body, there would be six municipal wards in one assembly constituency, sources said. Sources said that now the proposal would be sent to the Union ministry of home affairs for notification. Once it is notified, the proposal would be implemented in its true spirit and municipal election that is to be held in 2012 may have four corporations with four municipal commissioners and four mayors. When Ramakant Goswami who deals with the election department of the city government asked about the election management, he could not explain the way the government would manage this. The sources said that a high-powered committee of Group of Ministers (GoM) would be constituted to work out the nitty-gritty of the proposal. When asked about the nature of corporation after division, the CM said that it was a big issue that would be finalized within a couple of days. The sources said that after the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit called on Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi to get her consent in favour of this historic decision of the Delhi cabinet.
DPCC opposes move
The anti-Sheila Dikshit faction in the party seems to be against the proposal that was approved by the cabinet for the division of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Spokesman of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, Jitender Kochar said that the proposal approved by the Delhi cabinet today was rejected by the party high command. He said that this proposal was not of the Congress party. It was of Sheila Dikshit who wanted to divide the MCD into five zones. Kochar said that the party high command suggested that the proposal should first be submitted to the DPCC. The party would take views of local MPs, MLAs, councillors and party activists. Their suggestion would be included in the proposal, he said. Meanwhile, the BJP said that the decision of the government has political overtones. It has been taken in haste to make the MCD subordinate of the city government. The government is not interested in the development of the city. If the Congress wants welfare of the citizens, it should make all the MCD districts autonomous so that it can become financially strong, the BJP said. |
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DU guards to escort girls
during night
New Delhi, April 7 An official statement from the university today said that the move had come keeping in mind the fact that a lot of students, especially girls, stay as paying guests or in rented accommodation around the north campus area, including Hudson Lane and Vijay Nagar. Some students work till late in university research laboratories or libraries and feel unsafe while going back home. Hence, these security guards would escort students on a specific route from the north campus. Initially, these guards would accompany students at 8.30 pm and then 9 pm from university departments up to Hudson Lane. Students can find further information on the DU proctors official Facebook page. The DU proctor has also invited suggestions from the students on Facebook so that the frequency and the nature of the new endeavour can be adjusted according to their needs. |
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DU plans facilities for outstation applicants
New Delhi, April 7 Speaking to The Tribune, the new dean of student welfare (DSW), J.K. Khurana, said several admission-related schemes were being discussed upon and that emphasis will be laid on minimising the troubles faced by the outstation applicants who travel to Delhi every year for admission. "A lot of changes are being pondered upon. Efforts are being made to minimise the paper work which will enable speedy admission. Talks about facilitating most admission formalities online are also on. The university's students' welfare team is in the process of adding an "open day" link in the DU website, which will help students interact with the university representatives online. Once the system is in place, students can access information about the university and can identify which college and course to apply for," said Khurana. "This process will especially help thousands of outstation students who come to Delhi every year for admissions. Most of the queries that we get every year are about very basic information since outstation students at times are not familiar with the admission process. The online conversation with DU officials will brief them in time and they will have enough time to pick their colleges and courses," he added. The university has already started giving important information on its community radio station and All- India FM radio station. Last year, the DSW office had appointed volunteers to handle all admission queries on a special hotline number. This year, the number of volunteers is likely to be increased. The Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) has also come up with a comprehensive plan to assist students during the admission process and during their first few months on the campus. The DUSU will come out with a detailed information booklet that will give an overall view of all the colleges and other facilities available on the campus. "A five-member team is preparing the information booklet which will have information and maps of all colleges. Besides, the booklet will have detail information about the Metro routes around the colleges, eating joints within and around the campus, hostel facilities in colleges and information on PG accommodations. Students can collect the booklet from the DUSU office and the 16 information centers where the centralised admission forms will be sold," said Jitender Chaudhary, president, DUSU. The DUSU is also working on providing the students with a unique identity card. Talks are on with a company to provide this card to the university students that will enable them to avail attractive discounts, not just on the campus but anywhere in Delhi.
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Global Jazz festival
to begin today
New Delhi, April 7 Suresh Goel, director general, ICCR, said he dedicated the festival to the people of the city to celebrate the centenary year of New Delhi. “Every major city has a world-class jazz festival that is not just named after the city, but almost defines its cultural ethos. We intend to include Delhi in this list,” added Goel. Sanjeev Bhargava, creative director, Seher, said, “We hope to give the people of Delhi a rare treat of brilliant music, the best of international jazz that will truly herald the onset of spring. Surely, this April might not be the cruelest month after all.” Nine bands from across the globe will jam over three evenings at the picturesque Nehru Park. Tradition and experimentation, the hallmarks of jazz will play the central role in every band’s music so the audience can expect to be treated to a variety of styles and sounds. |
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Water safe for drinking, DJB assures citizens
New Delhi, April 7 "We want to assure the citizens that Delhi water is safe for drinking," DJB CEO Ramesh Negi told reporters and claimed that the water supplied by the agency conforms to the standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. International medical journal 'Lancet' reported that deadly superbug NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1) producing bacteria were found in 51 out of 171 samples taken from water pools and two out of 50 water samples in the city. Both the NDM-1 positive samples were from Ramesh Nagar, west of the Yamuna river, "But the report itself states that the strain cannot grow in tap water as it is chlorinated," Negi said. "Finding the strain and spreading of the strain is two different things," the CEO argued and cited a comment of Mohd Shahid, a microbiologist at Aligarh Muslim University, in the Lancet's report, saying "There is little chance that NDM-1 will spread as the plasmids are not stable in tap water." When asked about the reports of presence of drug-resistant bacteria in water, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said she has sought detailed reports about it from DJB and the health department. "It (drug-resistant bacteria) has been found in water in some areas around Lal Quila. I have sought detailed reports," she said. Health minister A K Walia, when asked about it, said he will comment only after getting all the reports. Negi said the DJB supplies drinking water only after finding it fit in the BIS tests. "The NDM-1 is a coliform bacteria and BIS limits the presence of coliform to 10 per 100 ml of water. Its presence in our supply is much lesser than permissible limit," said Negi. He said there is also an independent check-up of DJB water by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, which in its 2006-2010 reports said the drinking water was fit for use. Negi, however, said the DSB will apply 'chlorine measure' to fight its presence in tap water and said it will also change supply pipes to fight mixing of sewer water and supply water.
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RWAs to help combat vector-borne diseases
New Delhi, April 7 To avoid such a panic situation, doctors called for proactive action on preventive and clinical aspects and in this direction, involving the local community through the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) along with roping in the private practitioners would serve handy. As a first step, an interventional module-a guide elaborating on facts, dos and don'ts about vector-borne diseases-was launched at a national convention yesterday. "As public apathy is a significant factor contributing to the mismanagement of cases, preventive action has to be at the local level. In the urban slums of Delhi, more than 90 per cent people go to private doctors. Ways have to be evolved to engage them so that cases are managed better with prompt referral," Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, president of Indian Public Health Foundation (IPHF), told The Tribune. Last year, the unprecedented outbreak of diseases like dengue and chikungunya gave a harrowing time to the government in the wake of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. While the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) admitted its failure in containing the breeding of the aedes ageypti mosquitoes on two grounds-delayed action and massive construction work undertaken, the gradual shift in the pattern and time of occurrence is attributed by experts to climate change. "Along with urbanisation, pollution and rising humidity level are the major reasons for changing trends in vector-borne diseases. Due to global warming, duration of the diseases is becoming longer. Dengue has hit as early as March," observed Dr Randeep Guleria of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences' department of internal medicine. Before the monsoon, an upsurge in dengue and chikungunya cases is generally seen, however the situation doesn't call for panic. "Better protocols and an action plan to guide people to the nearest hospital have to be there and this would help in reducing chaos in government hospitals. Also, local people have to be brought in the whole task. The problem has to be dealt in proper perspective as every time the same issues crop up owing to lack of coordination between the multiple agencies and stakeholders," said Dr Guleria. Learning it the hard way, the MCD seems to have emerged saner this time, for it has already plunged into action against the mosquito menace. "With an early onset of dengue this season, we have already held a meeting with the RWAs of all 272 wards. The preventive module, a joint initiative by government, Heal Foundation, IPHF and MCD, would be distributed to them," said Delhi's municipal officer Dr N K Yadav. |
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Master Plan needs review every 5 yr: MCD
New Delhi, April 7 Ved Prakash Gupta, chairman, Master Plan-2021 implementation committee, MCD, said as per the Master Plan-2021, by 2011, 3.5 lakh new houses were to be constructed and about 3.5 lakh dwelling units were supposed to be adjusted by developing the existing houses. "Of these, about 1 lakh houses were to be built as multi-storied flats in place of slums. It was to be constructed by the Delhi government's Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (earlier known as slum and JJ department). However, nothing has been done even after four years of the notification of Master Plan-2021," he said. "Besides, about 20,000 houses were to be developed by individual plot owners and nearly 1.90 lakh dwelling units were to be developed through new housing scheme, but nothing has happened," he added. The regularisation of all unauthorised colonies had not been done so far as only 700 unauthorised colonies were in the process of regularization, he said.
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Armed robbers loot home
security trader
New Delhi, April 7 According to the police, the incident was reported around 3 am from house number 56 in Dilshad Garden. The house is owned by Kewal Grover (65). "The robbers were five in number. They entered the house in the wee hours after breaking the front door. Armed with guns and knives, they held the family hostage and decamped with whatever cash and jewellery that was lying in the house," said a police official. According to information, Grover and his daughter-in-law Sonia were injured by the robbers when they tried to resist them. The robbers stayed in the house for close to around two hours. Before fleeing, they threatened to kidnap the child of the house if the matter was reported to the police. Grover and his son Amit (44) run a house-security equipment shop at Chawri Bazar in central Delhi. |
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2 teen girls cut to death on rail tracks
New Delhi, April 7 The girls identified as Tamanna Aggarwal (16) and Ankita Aggarwal (17), were friends, schoolmates and neighbours. "Both the girls were crossing the railway tracks close to their house in the Narela area when the incident took place. The girls were crushed under the wheels of the Shatabdi Express and died on the spot. The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem at the Subzi Mandi mortuary and further investigation in the matter is on," said a police official. He refuted any foul play in the deaths. As per eyewitness, the girls misjudged the distance of the train and fell on the tracks while hurrying to get on the other side of the tracks. They were residents of DDA flats located in pocket 4, Sector -10 of Narela and studied in Class XII at Maharaja Agarsen Public School.
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4 held with 221 kg ganja
New Delhi, April 7 According to Ashok Chand, DCP (crime), the accused, identified as Gurcharan (47), Lakhwinder (60), Pradeep (35) and Kuldeep (32), were arrested from near Samaipur Badli on March 30. "The ganja that had been seized was for Gurmeet Singh and Raj Kumar, kingpins of the racket,” Chand added. |
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Teenaged vehicle thieves held
New Delhi, April 7 "Lokesh (18) along with his minor friends were apprehended from Shastri Nagar yesterday during a vehicle check drive. Six stolen motorcycles have been recovered from their possession," said Kumar. He added that Lokesh was the leader and had lured others to join him. The accused had a master key which they used to open the locks of motorcycles. They have stolen motorcycles from Saraswati Vihar, Sarai Rohillla, Rajouri Garden, Bharat Nagar and Moti Nagar
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The people's indignation over the litany of recent scams and their hope for a better tomorrow sparked by the moral authority of a septuagenarian Gandhian on fast, brought together the rich and the impoverished, the old and the youth as they held a massive candlelight march today evening at Jantar
Mantar.
