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2 doctorate sisters stay locked up for 7 months in Noida home, rescued
Psychologists blame social apathy
Youth’s body found stuffed inside bag
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New DU admission process most likely to get council nod
DTC seeks commuters’ opinion for better service
Family of accident victim teacher gets Rs 60 lakh
Jamia admits 27 street kids to its schools
CWG guilty must be punished: CM
Water safe for drinking, assure experts
MCD earns record property tax
Clouds, light rains make Delhi cooler
Youth found dead outside house
Man held for giving illegal surety in court
Youth who took drugs to burgle held
DMRC earns carbon credits worth over Rs 2 cr
People should play active role for safety: Walia
2 held for misappropriating Rs 82,000, false FIR
Notorious robber held
30 hurt as bus catches fire
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2 doctorate sisters stay locked up for 7 months in Noida home, rescued
Noida, April 12 According to the police, the sisters-- Anuradha Behl, 41, and Sonali, 38-- had shut themselves up in their house No.326 in the posh Sector 29 of Noida for seven months after their father Colonel (retired) O.P. Behl died two years ago. They had lost their mother earlier. Anuradha suffered multiple organ weakness due to insufficient vitamin intake, said Sarika Chandra, the attending doctor at Kailash Hospital. Sonali is also in a state of deep depression, said the doctor. The police, acting on information from neighbours, had to break open the door when the sisters -- both unmarried -- refused to open the door, said superintendent of police Anant Dev. Their younger brother Vipin Behl, who lives in Sector 50 of Noida with his wife and children, and a maternal uncle used to look after them. But after falling into depression, the two sisters were not cooperating with them, said inspector Vijay Prakash of Sector 20 police station. "After the death of their parents, Vipin and a maternal uncle used to support them. When their savings exhausted and the sisters stopped cooperating with them, the brother and the uncle dragged their feet," the official said. "That situation forced the sisters into isolation. Taking a note of severe isolation, officials of the Residents Welfare Association contacted social activist Usha Thakur after they failed to persuade the sisters to open the door," the official added. The two women had a dog, which died about two and half months ago. Anuradha has done her Ph.D after completing her course in chartered accountancy. She had left her accountancy practice after the parents' death. Sonali also has doctorate in history. "When we opened the door, everyone started vomiting because of foul smell. The elder woman was half nude on her bed. She could not speak and did not know what was going on. So I called Kailash Hospital," Usha Thakur, who accompanied police, told reporters. According to Vijay Prakash, Anuradha was still unconscious while being brought out of the house, but Sonali was stable and could manage to speak. When the door was opened, the women asked for water. Thakur said: "I think they are mentally disturbed. Their brother also left them and went to Sector 50. There was no one to console or talk to them." Their food came from some canteen, she said. "The neighbours said the food used to be kept outside the door," she added.
— IANS |
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Psychologists blame social apathy
New Delhi, April 12 "There is so much stigma attached to mental health in the society that people don't come out to help those in need," city based psychologist Monica kumar told IANS on Tuesday. Anuradha Behl, 42, and her sister Sonali Behl, 38, who locked themselves up at their Noida home for seven months after falling into deep depression following the death of their father two years ago, were rescued on Tuesday when the police broke open the door of their house and brought them out. There is acute lack of awareness about the ways to help such people who move away into isolation, Kumar said. Instead of abandoning people suffering from similar mental condition, they should be given proper psychological counselling and care and be involved in community activities, said the expert. Psychologists are, however, uncertain about what caused the sisters to take such an extreme step. "It is difficult to say the exact reason because of which they locked themselves up," psychiatrist Samir Parikh said, adding, "Right now these people need help and care before it can be evaluated as to why it happened." According to Kumar, the role of neighbourhood could be questioned. "If the police failed to take any action initially, people should have moved to a magistrate to get them rescued," she said, referring to the long period of locked-up isolation that the sisters
chose. — IANS |
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Youth’s body found stuffed inside bag
New Delhi, April 12 The case reminded of a recent case in which a woman's body was found stuffed inside a bag outside New Delhi railway station in
February. The body was discovered around 2 pm. He appeared to be a south Indian and is around 25 years old. The hands and legs of the body were tied with ropes and investigators suspect it to be a case of strangulating. The body is in a decomposed state and its identification appears difficult, a senior police official said. According to Delhi police statistics, a total of 761 unidentified bodies were recovered this year so far with North Delhi topping the list with 181. Crime and Railways wing registered 141 similar cases this year so far. The figures for other districts are: Central (85), North-West (53), Outer (48), West (46), East (45), North-East (44), South (37), New Delhi and South-East (31 each), South-West (18) and IGI
(1). — PTI |
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New DU admission process most likely to get council nod
New Delhi, April 12 "Everyone is expecting the final decision very soon. But due to a couple of holidays, it is getting delayed," said the dean of Student Welfare, adding that the new system will simplify the admission process this year. Till last year, applicants had to fill in a pre-admission form in the Optical Magnetic Resonance (OMR) format and mention their preferred colleges and courses depending upon the previous year cut-off lists. After the forms were submitted, the university brought out cut-off lists for respective courses which were followed by admissions. Till last year, four cut-off lists came out by the end of the admission process. If the old method is changed, students will not have to fill in the pre-admission forms. They can directly apply to colleges after the university comes out with a cut-off list. The colleges will have to submit their cut-offs with the university which will then be put up on the Internet and publicized in the media. "Only students applying under other quotas (such as scheduled castes/scheduled tribes, military, freedom fighter, Kashmiri migrant) will have to fill in a pre-admission form. Hundreds of forms were disqualified last year if they were filled in incorrectly, but that will change if the new system comes in," said the dean. According to the DU vice-chancellor (VC) Dinesh Singh, colleges will come out with five cut-off lists to make sure that all seats are filled. "The process will become more transparent and efficient. It is much more student-friendly as compared to the previous process," he said. Most colleges have welcomed the change as it will reduce the huge number of forms that poured in every year. "We used to get the information of 20,000 students for 400 seats earlier. It was a cumbersome process. This process is easier," said Savithri Singh, principal, Acharya Narendra Dev College. However, some have their worries as they might have to increase the intake in case they bring out a relaxed cut-off. "With the forms coming in, one has an idea of the performance of students that year. That contributes significantly when we decide the cut-off. This year that advantage will not be there. We cannot refuse admission if the student fulfils the criterion. I'm not sure how this will work out," said a principal of one of the most prestigious DU colleges, wishing to remain anonymous. |
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DTC seeks commuters’ opinion for better service
New Delhi, April 12 The programme has been launched in collaboration with the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited. Anybody staying in Delhi can participate in the survey which has been launched primarily to rationalise bus routes and improve services. Currently, the DTC operates about 6,500 buses on 657 routes that were finalised 15 years ago when the population of Delhi was less. Now, Delhi has spread to outer areas which need new routes. People living in villages and unauthorised colonies near the border areas of Haryana complain of lack of public transport service in their areas. However, now the national Capital has Metro and the government wants to reduce the number of buses on the routes where Metro services are available, said transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely. A senior official of the DTC said that people's suggestions were needed to know their problems. Also, the government will soon launch cluster bus service on 650 routes. The first cluster bus service will be launched in south Delhi. Its colour will be different from the DTC and other buses. Three corporate entities have been given contracts to operate the service. The buses under the cluster service will have an on-board passenger information system on the lines of Delhi Metro through which the commuters will know various information like upcoming bus stops and expected time of arrival etc. |
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Days of fasting end with Ram Navami
New Delhi, April 12 Across temples and in many homes, devotees sang 'bhajans', or devotional songs. Thousands of devotees across north India had been observing Chaitra Navratri, the nine days when Durga, the goddess of power, is worshipped. And Tuesday was the final day of the period considered auspicious by Hindus. "On each day of Navratri, we observe fasts and there are special prayer ceremonies at home and in temples where devotional songs are sung," said Saroj Sharma, a resident of the Capital. "We have a small idol of Rama in a cradle at home and on Ram Navami, we pray in front of it," she added. Poonam Sethi, a homemaker, said, "Besides fasting, we also hold a ritual with small idols to symbolise the marriage of Rama and Sita. We have special food on all the nine days, which is pure vegetarian and without the normal table salt." On the morning of Ram Navami, the youngest girl in the family applies 'tika' to the men and women of the household. Everyone participates in a ritual by first sprinkling water and putting 'roli' (red powder) on the idols and showering handfuls of rice on the deities. Then everybody stands up to perform the 'aarti' at the end of which water, ideally Gangajal (Ganges water), which is considered holy, is sprinkled over the
gathering. — IANS |
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Family of accident victim teacher gets Rs 60 lakh
New Delhi, April 12 Holding the driver of the vehicle that hit Tiwari guilty under the Motor Vehicle Act, presiding officer of the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal Kanwal Jeet Arora awarded Rs 60.19 lakh to Satya Parkash Tiwari's family. "It is clear that the deceased was the sole pillar of the family not just for the fulfillment of its day-to-day needs but also for sentimental and emotional reasons which no money can compensate," the court said while awarding the compensation. The court directed the insurance company to pay the compensation amount within 30 days along with an interest at the rate of 7.5 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the petition till the date of its realisation. The court held the driver of the sports utility vehicle guilty and said, "A driver behind wheels of a mechanically propelled vehicle is under duty to observe necessary care and caution while driving the vehicle. Having failed to observe his duty and being responsible for grievous injuries to the victim, the driver was thus negligent." The incident took place on August 4, 2010. A speeding Scorpio hit Tiwari, a resident of Palam village in southwest Delhi, at Keshav Chowk when he was returning home on his motorcycle. Tiwari fell on the road and sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to the AIIMS, but succumbed to his injuries. Tiwari worked as teacher at Navyug School in Lodhi Garden. The court also sympathised with Tiwari's family, saying, "No one can reimburse the love, affection, care and concern of the deceased by monetary means." |
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Jamia admits 27 street kids to its schools
New Delhi, April 12 These children have been admitted to ensure education for the poorest of the poor and they have been exempted from paying any school fee. "The challenge ahead will be to make the students feel comfortable in the school environment so that they can be integrated fully into the teaching-learning process," said vice chancellor of the university Najeeb Jung. "Jamia is committed to social justice and it is in this connection that it has admitted 27 streetchildren to its schools,”said Simi Malhotra, spokesperson for Jamia. “These children will get free education, books and uniform. They have been enrolled in different classes. Teachers have been asked to pay special attention on these students to help them adjust to the school life," Malhotra added. |
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CWG guilty must be punished: CM
New Delhi, April 12 She said that the guilty must be punished but "we must be careful to see that officials who are not involved in any wrongdoings and who put in hard work to make the event successful do not face any harassment," Dikshit said when asked to comment on the PMO's referring the Shunglu Committee findings to the home ministry for further action. Besides, the PMO has asked the home ministry to have discussion on the findings of the committee. It has also asked the home ministry to send its reply on the queries raised by the Shunglu panel in works done by the city government. Rejecting the report, the Delhi government in its preliminary response last month had termed the high-powered panel's observations as a "product of paranoia" which is "full of contradictions" and "anomalies". In a 24-page response, the city government rejected the Shunglu Committee report, saying that it is biased and it seems that Shunglu is not aware of city government's functioning. Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, P.K. Tiwari, also admitted that there was some corruption in every government. |
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Water safe for drinking, assure experts
New Delhi, April 12 After examination of water samples lifted from different places, the experts said that water was good for drinking. There is no need to panic. The government has asked all the civic agencies like Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Municipal Corporation of Delhi to monitor the quality of water supplied in their areas. If any complaint of bacteria is reported from any area, it should be informed to the expert, the government has directed the agencies, sources said. |
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MCD earns record property tax
New Delhi, April 12 The MCD has also claimed a growth of 5.5 per cent taxpayers. The chairman of MCD Standing Committee, Yogender Chandolia, said the gross collection during 2009-10 was Rs 1,158 crore. "The MCD has been able to collect 29.5 per cent more property tax this year as compared to last year. The gross property tax collection this fiscal has increased by Rs 342 crore," said Chandolia. The transfer duty collection during 2010-11 is Rs 728 crore as compared to Rs 460 crore during 2009-10. The pure property tax collection during 2010-11 is Rs 772 crore as compared to Rs 697 crore during 2009-10. The growth in collection of pure property tax collection is 10.6 per cent. Chandolia said that as a result of MCD's efforts, the number of taxpayers has also increased from 9.8 lakh last year to 10.4 lakh this year. The MCD had launched two settlement schemes, one under the old rateable value system and the other under the unit area method . "The MCD has brought 60,000 more property taxpayers in the net. Tere has been a growth of 5.5 per cent taxpayers," added Chandolia. |
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Clouds, light rains make Delhi cooler
New Delhi, April 12 The minimum temperature stood at 22 degrees and the humidity levels ranged between 61 and 26 per cent. "Tomorrow, we are likely to see mainly clear sky. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to oscillate between 34 and 20 degree Celsius," said an India Meteorological Department
(IMD) official. |
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Youth found dead outside house
New Delhi,
April 12 The incident was reported from house number A97 of Prem Nagar around 8 am. "Raju was declared dead by doctors at GTB Hospital, but they noticed some marks on his neck, following which the police was informed. The cause of death would be known after the postmortem," said a police official. He added that it was not clear if Raju was killed or he committed suicide. The police did not recover any suicide note from his room. Raju worked as a tailor with a private company. Meanwhile, Raju's father Shiv Charan has alleged that his son was killed by some unknown persons. The police is recording the statements of Raju's family and neighbours. |
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Man held for giving illegal surety in court
New Delhi, April 12 "Kumar is an alcoholic. He provided fake surety in courts to make money," said deputy commissioner of police Chhaya Sharma. "A case was registered against him in May 2009 after it was found that he had furnished a fake surety by producing the registration certificate of a stolen motorcycle," she added. He was involved in three more cases, the police said.
— IANS |
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Youth who took drugs to burgle held
New Delhi, April 12 The police claimed to have recovered 2 kg silver, 3.5 kg artificial jewellery, 450 gram gold, two cameras and a motorcycle from the accused. According to Ashok Chand, DCP (crime), the gang was arrested yesterday from near Daryaganj. "The accused have been identified as Mohammad Furkan (29), Naved Alam (32) and Mazhar (30). Mazhar used to buy the stolen items," said Chand. He added that about 17 cases of burglary had been solved with the arrest. Furkan is a resident of Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi and had been declared a 'bad character' by the city police. According to Chand, Furkan used to consume Ecstasy to heightened his senses and get the boost to commit daring burglaries. "Furkan and Alam have committed at least 17 burglaries. Six burglaries have been committed in Paharganj, five in Mandir Marg, two in Barakhamba and one each in Darya Ganj, Lodhi Colony, Mandawli and Nizammudin," said
Chand. |
DMRC earns carbon credits worth over Rs 2 cr
New Delhi, April 12 DMRC had earned above Rs 1.2 crore on the sale of 39,000 CERs for the year 2008 and Rs 1.3 crore on the sale of 43,000 CERs for 2009. The money earned from the sale of CERs will be used to offset the additional investment and operation costs incurred due to the implementation of the project activity. DMRC was the first railway project in the world to be registered by the United Nations under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which enabled it to claim carbon credits, wherein DMRC earns CERs for the use of regenerative braking system in its rolling stock (trains). This was the first time in the world that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had registered a project based on regenerative braking. Under the regenerative braking process, whenever trains on the Metro network apply brakes, three phase-traction motors installed on these trains act as generators to produce electrical energy which goes back into the Over Head Electricity lines. The regenerated electrical energy that is supplied back to the OHE is used by other accelerating trains in the same service line, thus saving overall energy in the system as about 30% of electricity requirement is reduced. DMRC had reportedly stopped the emission of 90,004 tonnes of carbon dioxide from 2004 to 2007 by adopting regenerative braking systems in the trains. |
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People should play active role for safety: Walia
New Delhi, April 12 "Cases of rape, abduction and other heinous crimes are reported everyday in the Capital. A few days ago, a woman was sexually harassed by taxi drivers in Dwaraka and on Saturday, a class X student was raped in Vasant Vihar. I condemn these incidents," Walia said. "The police cannot be deployed everywhere. Crimes against women cannot be controlled if the people do not play an active role. People should come forward if they hear commotion on roads or in their neighbourhood," she added. The minister said that the government should start fast track courts to punish rapists. |
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2 held for misappropriating Rs 82,000, false FIR
New Delhi, April 12 According to Chhaya Sharma, DCP (outer), the accused have been identified as Pankaj, a mobile recharge coupon distributor, and his friend Amit. The police has seized Rs 44,000 of the misappropriated money, recharge coupons worth thousands of rupees and a mobile phone from their possession. On April 2, Pankaj reported to the police that three men snatched his cash bag containing Rs 82,650, recharge coupons and a mobile phone in the Budh Vihar-I area. However, during investigation, Pankaj's employer expressed suspicion that Pankaj could be involved in the incident. "The call details of Pankaj's mobile phone were analysed and it came to light that he was lying. He has confessed to the crime and Amit too was arrested two days ago," said Sharma. |
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Notorious robber held
New Delhi, April 12 On interrogation, Mohan revealed that he came into the contact of Hasim, Chintu, Amit Phalwan and Santosh, all notorious criminals of his area, and started committing crimes to earn fast money, a police official said. He was arrested by the crime branch in 2009 for his involvement in several cases of robbery. |
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30 hurt as bus catches fire
Ghaziabad, April 12 Fire tenders were pressed into service and the injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital, where their condition is stated to be stable. The bus driver is absconding.
— PTI |
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