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CWG projects: Delhi govt on edge as CBI lodges FIR
Jamia forms vigilant team to check impersonation in exams
Supporters of Hazare hit the streets again
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Honest cop returns jewellery box
Cluster bus service starts on Wednesday
10-yr RI for rape of minor stepdaughter
Noida sisters’ loneliness: It’s ‘kodokushi’ in Japan
Rs 65,000 awarded for non-pecuniary losses to 8-yr boy
Pvt schools flout right to education norms
Students to get tour of airport Metro
Chatterati
Hotter week ahead after a hot Sunday
Malhotra seeks CM’s removal
Helpline for labourers
Two commit suicide after fight with spouses
11-yr-old schoolboy mowed by speeding car
Man killed in road mishap
Armed men rob Rs 7.4 lakh in Gurgaon
Girl commits suicide
Amul milk prices up
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CWG projects: Delhi govt on edge as CBI lodges FIR
New Delhi, May 1 The sources said that the agencies concerned were trying to get the copy of the FIR to study the charges laid against the departments concerned so that they could find out a legal wayout. They have already gone through the reports of Shunglu Committee and the CVC which pointed out irregularities in various projects. The reports also mentioned that delay in commissioning the projects is one of the reasons for escalation of the cost. According to the sources, departments concerned have called a meeting to discuss the issue after the FIR lodged by the CBI that has already put former chairman of the CWG organizing committee behind bars. According to a recent report on deficiencies in Games-related works by Chief Technical Examination (CTE) wing of the CVC, higher rates, poor quality control and substandard material, among others, were observed in the PWD-approved projects worth Rs 1,315.66 crore. Deficiencies were found in 26 works worth Rs 3,316.58 crore which were carried out by the Central and Delhi governments' civic and construction agencies. The CTE wing blamed the PWD for delay in work for construction of grade separator at Rajaram Kohli Marg intersection and Shastri Nagar intersection in East Delhi at the cost of Rs 214.57 crore. It said the work which was approved by the PWD in April 2007 started in October 2007 that too at higher rates. Moreover, all the six samples of concrete core failed in the test. The commission pointed out the slow progress and work by ineligible contractor in construction of elevated road over Barapulla Nallah, starting from Sarai Kale Khan to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at the cost of Rs 433.71 crore. The deficiencies were observed in constructing Ring Road bypass from Salim Garh Fort to Velodrome Road by PWD at the cost of Rs 214.73 crore. The sources said that detractors of the Chief Minister in the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee are chalking out plan to pressurize the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to resign on moral ground. |
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Jamia forms vigilant team to check impersonation in exams
New Delhi, May 1 One of the methods is to photograph all students appearing in the entrance test and the other has been to launch vigilant teams who are monitoring candidates for both entrance tests and interviews. The vigilant Jamia administration recently nabbed an impersonator on campus. The Jamia administration led by Prof Khalid Moin, dean, faculty of engineering and technology, caught Krishna Baloni, a BTech I year (computer engineering) student enrolled at Jamia, who was caught red handed by a vigilant team when they discovered a miss-match in the student who was appearing for the end semester examinations as Baloni with the one who had secured admission by appearing in the entrance test last year. This fact of impersonation was further corroborated by checking the fingerprints taken at the time of the entrance test and it was found that it did not match Baloni's fingerprints at all. On interrogation by Prof Masood Alam, the proctor of the university, Baloni confessed that he did not sit for the entrance test and had arranged for someone to appear on his behalf. He said he had arranged for the impersonator through a friend studying in a college in Delhi University. The university has lodged an FIR against him and the proctor of the university has handed him over to the police. Prof Moin said, "We are careful vigilance vis-ŕ-vis candidates, who are appearing for entrance tests, are getting results and we nabbed a student in a gross case of impersonation today. However, in future the cross-verification process shall be made even more foolproof so that such cases of impersonation can be brought to book. The university is committed this year, too, to check any cases of impersonation in the admission process which is currently underway." This extra vigilance drive at Jamia really began last year when the proctor's office nabbed some 12 students in cases of impersonation. This year, the university has taken many steps to avoid impersonation, all students have to submit ID proof to the varsity and in addition they have to submit photographs with the admission forms. The university has started vigilant teams that are closely monitoring the admission process and in case of suspicion, fingerprint testing if being undertaken by the university. |
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Supporters of Hazare hit the streets again
New Delhi, May 1 The peaceful walk, which culminated at the India Gate, was led by ordinary people from all walks of life on a scorching sunny Sunday. There were many, like a retired teacher from a Kendriya Vidyalaya who thinks that it is the conviction that drives the common interests of all citizens against the imbalance of resources resulting from power games within the political circles. “It is a struggle of a common man and a campaign like this would definitely inspire people to raise voice against the wrongs. It would serve as a wake-up call to those living with a ‘chalta hai attitude’,” said a member of Art of Living, preferring to be unnamed. According to retired Lt General S K Bahri, it is momentous to see poeple turning soldiers taking charge of their nation at a time when society has become suffocated with corrupt forces, who have led the country to ransom. “Earlier we get rid of corruption the better it is. The nation’s reputation is at stake due to which even foriegn investors have turned apprehensive about the Indian market. Never before has the country seen corruption to such an extent and it is entrenched from top to bottom. All should join in for the cause,” said Lt. General Bahri, who had come from Gurgaon with his wife and was also joined by his daughter from Sainik Farms. Triggered by some of the biggest events of money-laundering and scams surrounding CWG, 2G, Army and the judiciary, the movement has earned the support of the masses like never before, be it senior citizens or students. There were hundreds of civil society representatives, participation from the younger lot from schools of Krishna Nagar and students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. “We have been circulating mails for the movement and today though many could not come due to the major exams starting yesterday, we are standing for the bill,” said the final year M. Tech student Sajan Agarwal and Arun Verma and Shalini, both research scholars at
IIT. |
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Honest cop returns jewellery box
Noida, May 1 Busy in his work, Chhiddi did not notice when a woman had left her belongings below his table. At 10.30 pm on March 9, while calling it a day, he noticed a sweets box. Assuming that there would be some sweets in the box, he opened it only to find costly gold
jewellery. "The first thing that came to mind was to report the matter to my seniors who advised me to keep the jewellery in lock and key in the police station," said Chhiddi. He added, "The lady came to our place the next morning and asked me if I had got any box the day before." Chhiddi did not reveal the contents of the box. Instead, he asked her the details. She told Chhiddi that she has a jewellery shop in Noida and the stuff belonged to one of her customers, which she was taking to her shop. After being satisfied that the woman was giving him the correct information, he handed over the box to her. Chhiddi, who hails from Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, says it was a great feeling having returned the jewellery to its owner. The 48-year-old ASI has an experience of 29 years in PAC and the police. He has been awarded earlier also for his act of bravery. One of the NGOs, 'Hai Ummeed' has honoured Chhiddi at a felicitation ceremony. The senior superintendent of police, G B Nagar, Surya Narain Singh, called him the "Pride of Noida police" and said that the department has awarded him
with a cash prize of Rs 2,500 and a commendation letter. |
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Cluster bus service starts on Wednesday
New Delhi, May 1 It was delayed by more than six months as the government was not getting proper place for separate depot. Now the cluster buses have been allotted a place adjacent to Millennium depot where all maintenance services are available. A senior officer in the transport department said the cluster buses would be started in the south Delhi area where DTC buses are less and there is no Metro route. All the buses are owned by the Star Bus Private Limited. A few other transport companies are registered in the cluster bus service but still they are not ready to launch their fleet of buses. Buses will have an on-board passenger information system similar to that of Delhi Metro which will provide commuters with information like upcoming bus stops, expected time of arrival and traffic flow. This decision was taken by the transport department in 2009 when the government had announced that 650 buses would be brought under the cluster bus service scheme in the Capital. This service was to be started in December 2010. Trained staff will operate the buses which shall come with global positioning system and temperature reader, while conductors will issue tickets through Electronic Ticketing Machine (ETMs). The fleet will be Euro-IV compliant. The cluster bus service was envisaged to replace the 'killer' Blueline fleet, which has almost been phased out from the Capital. With launch of the service, the transport system is set to improve further. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) currently operates around 6,500 buses, including 4,000 low-floor buses. The government had last year announced the ambitious scheme under which corporate entities were sought to be involved in this transport system on the pattern of cities like Paris and London. Officials said the private entities given contract for four other clusters will also soon launch their operations and the total fleet size under the new service is expected to be around 800 buses by August this year. Non-AC buses will be painted in orange, while those with air-conditioning system shall come in purple hue. The government wanted to do away with competition and hence, they devised to provide one cluster to one corporate entity. |
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10-yr RI for rape of minor stepdaughter
New Delhi, May 1 The court also suggested considering enactment of a law for surgical and chemical castration of such convicts, on the lines of penal provisions for similar offences in many developed countries. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Kamini Lau said: "The accused Dinesh Yadav is held guilty of the offence under Sections 376 (rape) and Section 354 (assault or criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty)." "Yadav is awarded rigorous imprisonment for a period of 10 years," said Lau, while also imposing a fine of Rs 25,000 on him. "If this is not the case for which the highest punishment is called for, there can be no other case worse than this. In my view, it is time that we as a civil society stand up and also think of a law similar to the one existing in many developed countries providing for surgical and chemical castrations," she said. The additional public prosecutor had called for the maximum sentence to be imposed upon the convict submitting that he, being the stepfather of the victim, committed "interfamilial child sexual abuse" and deserved no leniency. The young girl is of 15 years and her stepfather is a 35-year-old labourer. After the death of her biological father, her mother Bhagwati Devi married Yadav. Bhagwati has five children from him. Initially, the girl lived with her maternal grandmother but when she was around eight-year old, she started residing with her mother and Yadav in Swaroop Nagar. "The accused had been raping the girl over the period of four years prior to the date of the incident and had committed rape upon her on three to four occasions prior to the incident was reported to the police on June 13, 2009," said the prosecution. "Yadav had been sexually abusing his minor stepdaughter for almost three to four years prior to the reporting of the incident and whenever his wife, the mother of the girl protested, she was badly beaten and battered." "The convict in the present case represents the depravity and abysmal depth to which a man can go, for here is a case where the convict does not spare his own daughter and beats and batters his wife when she wants to come to her rescue," Lau said. "This is a crime which is required to be addressed differently and a full public debate with regard to imposition of castration (both surgical and chemical) as an alternative punishment for the offence of rape and molestation is the crying need of the hour," the judge said. "The recent years have seen a spurt in molestation, rape and other sexual offences. Sexual predators moving around the city spare none. Be it a child of few months or a senior citizen," she said. "Young girls are not safe even in their own families where fathers and brothers turn predators. It is sickening indeed. Rape is a growing menace which the administration is finding hard to tackle. Even stringent punishments so prescribed under the law do not appear to be having any deterrence," said Lau.
— IANS |
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Noida sisters’ loneliness: It’s ‘kodokushi’ in Japan
New Delhi, May 1 A Japanese researcher says his country has been dealing with incidents of "lonely deaths" for some time now. "There are growing incidents of lonely deaths in Japan. We call it "kodokushi". Like the two sisters, these Japanese live alone and die alone without asking for help," said Yuichi Hattori, director and chief therapist at Sayama Psychological Institute, a private clinic in Sayama City, north of Tokyo. Anuradha (43) and Sonali Bahl (40) were found in a frail and dehydrated condition by social activists and police who had to break into their home in Noida. The older of the two died soon after the rescue and the younger sister is undergoing medical care. While psychologists in India attribute a combination of social apathy and life stresses to be possible causes behind the sisters' social reclusion, Hattori says people choose "kodokushi" for different reasons. "The core problems seem to be their inability to relate to people and their desire to stay away from people. But I can't say for certain, as I haven't checked the case of the two sisters by myself," says the researcher who specialises in treating dissociative identity disorder. Author Michael Zielenziger who has spent time in many countries as a foreign correspondent says India has issues of class and caste that are not really found in Japan. In his book "Shutting out the Sun", Zielenziger talks about more than one million young adults in Japan known as the "hikikomori", who withdraw from societies for months or years at a time, not going to class, not working, not even leaving their homes, and often not even abandoning their rooms. These recluses become wholly dependent on their mothers to feed them, writes Zielenziger. Researcher Hattori describes 'hikikomori' as the self- imposed confinement of people, mostly in their teens, twenties, and thirties. "They have reclusive life for years, even decades while avoiding interactions with people. They do not have psychotic symptoms." Abdul Mabood, founder director of an NGO based in south Delhi, says they come across cases where people are found living alone and dying alone. "Society is becoming selfish and the support system seems to have completely eroded. Particularly in Delhi and its satellite towns it is not easy to live the life of a single woman." Psychiatrist Jitender Nagpal says the sisters may suffer from depressive anxiety. "On an average I see four to six families per month who are living in a state of neglect and abused by society. Social apathy could be the beginning of metal illness." With thousands living alone in metros, some people buckle under the stress and withdraw into shells and become disconnected with their environment. Sonali Khan, country director of Breakthrough an advocacy group who runs "Bell Bajao campaign", says mental health is also linked to abuse and violence. "Single women are wary of seeking out help. They have to deal with complex and multiple issues of insecurity and acute sense of alienation,” says Khan. — PTI |
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Rs 65,000 awarded for non-pecuniary losses to 8-yr boy
New Delhi, May 1 "Sandeep being a minor must have suffered great pain and sufferings due to injuries and could not enjoy the amenities of life properly till the period of treatment. He could not have gone out of house to play with his friends," Motor Accident Claim Tribunal judge Ashwani Sarpal said while awarding a compensation of Rs 65,758 to the child. Out of the total compensation, the judge awarded Rs 50,000 to compensate "non-pecuniary losses" like losing simple childhood pleasure, while the remaining amount was given for his medical treatment. The compensation was given on a plea by Sandeep's father, who had approached the court seeking damages for loss to his studies. Sandeep, a resident of a slum cluster near Wazirpur fish market, was hit by a speeding motorcycle in December 2008 while returning from school. In the accident, he suffered two fractures, broke a tooth and sustained injuries on his face. The child had to undergo treatment for around three months. Though the police booked the motorcycle rider Vikas Jindal, a resident of Ajadpur in northwest Delhi, for rash and negligent driving, Sandeep's father moved the court for compensation under the relevant law. "The issue is decided in favour of petitioner and he is entitled to a compensation of Rs 65,758," the cour. It rejected the claim for damages for loss in studies holding that there was no evidence to suggest that the boy suffered any academic loss or was not promoted because of the accident.
— PTI |
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Pvt schools flout right to education norms
Noida, May 1 Ashok Choudhary of Sector Alpha in Greater Noida has lodged a complaint that the school did not promote his son, Ashish, claiming he was weak. "We sent a notice to the school to promote him, but the school management has not done so. We again requested it a week ago and if the school does not respond, we will take action against it as per the RTE Act," said Basic Shiksha Adhikari Dr Dharamvir Singh. "Earlier, a school in Noida had failed Garv Khandelwal, a class sixth student. His father Sandeep Khandelwal lodged a complaint. However, after receiving a notice, the school promoted him," said Singh. According to the Basic Education Officer, "Schools are not reserving 25% seats for poor students. Instances of schools asking for donations have also been coming up but no parent has filed a written complaint about it. All the schools are conducting interviews for admissions these days," Singh added. The RTE Act makes education a fundamental right of every child between the age of six and 14. Most private schools claimed that they were not aware that the Act was applicable to unaided schools also. Meanwhile, the Association of the Private Unaided School has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, claiming the Act violates the constitutional right of private managements to run schools without government interference. |
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Students to get tour of airport Metro
New Delhi, May 1 The students will also be given discount in fare during festival seasons. It is a unique experience to cover 23-km corridor in just 18 minutes. The corridor connects city shopping hub of Connaught Place with Indira Gandhi International Airport. During the excursion, the students will be told about the benefits of the high-speed line on which trains run at a speed of 105 km per hour and technology involved in it, apart from the advantage of the modern transport system. In the first leg, over 1,000 students of Chanakyapuri's Sanskriti School will participate in the excursion this week. The first trip started from April 29, with 232 students and 10 teachers from of Class VIII, said spokesperson for the Reliance Infra. The students would board the train at the terminating station of Dwarka Sector-21 and would alight at the IGI station. After spending some time at the station, they will proceed to the New Delhi station. The spokesperson said at every station the students would be shown the facilities available there and its benefits for the commuters. Awareness would also be created about the much-hyped check-in facility, which was expected to be launched in a month's time. They would also be entertained through a skit which highlighted the importance of the line. "This activity is part of R Infra's CSR campaign, where we want to showcase airport Metro express line's technological marvel and create awareness among students about the benefits of modern urban public transport," the spokesperson said. They would also learn that how public utilities like airport Metro express controls pollution, reduces energy consumption, provides safe and secure journey and improves livability and economic well-being of the city. |
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Chatterati Luxurious lifestyle in private jets, flying for business and pleasure or even just for a meal if their mood desired for something specific. Late nights, so obviously late morning strong cups of coffee or for the health freaks, lukewarm lime water. Dozens of trained helps to wait on them---such is the lifestyle of most of the VIPs and industrialists who are now huddled together at the Tihar Jail in tiny ten by eight cemented rooms. Expensive and extensive wardrobes which are mostly dry cleaned only at 5-star hotels are now lying neatly stacked in their cupboards at home. Wining and dining at the most expensive restaurants the world over every now and then was the done thing for the high-profile guests at Tihar. These highfliers no longer travel in luxurious cars, but travel with the police escort sharing seats with the ordinary criminals. The highflying jailbirds are now getting used to sleeping without the softest linen in the world, but only a plain blanket with a basic washroom. These are the guys who are used to air conditioners even in their toilets and now have to do with only an old rattling fan to cool themselves. A basic meal of bread, butter, dal and chapattis is their daily diet. They get Rs 2,000 per week to buy some goodies from the prison bakery. Most of them have become vegetarian in Tihar. Some of them develop new hobbies like reading or they start playing sports with common inmates. Of course, they are all old friends and business associates. Most of the time, they spend going through the CBI chargesheet rather than reading books and magazines. They do miss the luxury of 5-star hotels and lifestyle of the rich and famous. Well, eating light meals on time, no late-night parties and for a change not hopping from one city to another, this may turn them into trimmer, healthier and wiser people. While the public is left wondering who's going next, the inmates are waiting for Suresh Kalmadi to join them. The drawing room class high society is not very impressed with the 'Anna Hazare' protest against corruption and understandably so. But the younger generation and the middle class are heaving a sigh of relief, feeling that the corrupt may at last be punished. Poor citizens get the third degree
Have not heard of anything Rape, kidnapping and violent crimes are all growing and are frightening aspect of life in the Capital. As citizens get wary and weary of the statistics, the chilling anxiety is that it is getting increasingly closer each day to everybody. And the natural reaction is for the public to blame the police for the collapse of the law and order. Yet Delhi is unique. The police force here is not controlled by the state government. Despite efforts by the government to involve citizens in watching over the crime in their neighborhoods, the fact is that in a city that is bursting at the seams, neighbours hardly know each other. So, it's back to the 'blame police' again. But with growing numbers, growing statistics and increasing variety of crimes, the question is being asked whether the police is equipped to handle all this? In terms of equipment and training, resources are an obvious constraint. Just imagine the task of trying to verify the domestic helps in this city. Though everybody knows it's needed, in practical terms the long delays mean the verification is given the go-by. So, the citizen's demand for better policing constantly grows, but answers are slow to come by. Politicians get away by blaming the police and the police gets away by blaming resources. So, slowly but surely the noose of crime tightness around the poor citizens' neck. |
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Hotter week ahead after a hot Sunday
New Delhi, May 1 The maximum temperature Sunday was 40.6 degrees Celsius -- three degree above average. The minimum temperature was 26.4 degrees Celsius, which was two notches above average for this time of the season. The maximum humidity stood at 55 per cent. But April this year was the coolest in the last 10 years. According to the IMD, around this time last year, the temperature had soared to 43.7 degree
Celsius. — IANS |
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Malhotra seeks CM’s removal
New Delhi, May 1 He said a neutral agency should be given the task of investigating all these charges and they should be tried under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court so that all those involved in financial irregularities be punished. He said at first CAG, then CVC and now Shunglu Committee put the CWG projects under scanner for irregularities. The CBI had arrested the CWG committee chairman. It might indict that the Delhi government was also indulged in rampant corruption, criminal negligence and criminal conspiracy to provide benefit to ineligible contractors by deliberately delaying the award of contracts. The investigating agencies have charged the Delhi government for deliberate wastage of money on unnecessary projects and for allowing their pet contractors and companies to use sub-standard construction materials. Malhotra mentioned that for the past two years, the BJP had been raising these issues in the assembly as well as outside the assembly which were deliberately overlooked, and now these charges had come to surface as correct. The Shunglu Committee had directly put the Chief Minister on the dock. |
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Helpline for labourers
New Delhi, May 1 "The 'shramik' (labourer) helpline 12789 will become an effective tool for approaching the authorities in case of denial of minimum wages by employers and the enforcement of labour laws," Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said at a function here. She said that Delhi has become the first state to launch a helpline for labourers. The helpline will be functional between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. initially and the callers will be intimated about the action taken on their complaint within four days. The government also announced the extending insurance benefits under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to all registered and eligible construction workers. At present, around 52,000 workers are registered as construction labourer out of whom only 2s500 workers are getting assistance under the
RSBY. — IANS |
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Two commit suicide after fight with spouses
New Delhi, May 1 Tony, a labourer, had a fight with his wife and in a fit of rage, he doused himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze, the police said. Tony was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital but later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. In the second incident from Aman Vihar, 20-year-old Pinki allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence last night. Pinki got into an argument with her husband, who works in a courier service. Her husband told the police that she started crying and locked herself inside the bedroom. "He called out to her but when there was no response, he broke open the door and found her hanging," a senior police official said. The couple had arguments over how Pinki would always be at her parents' place.
— PTI |
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11-yr-old schoolboy mowed by speeding car
New Delhi, May 1 The accident took place yesterday at 3.25 pm, the officer added. Ritwik was taken to Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The car sped away from the spot after the incident.
— IANS |
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Man killed in road mishap
New Delhi, May 1 The deceased has been identified as Kalyan Kumar (26), who worked as a cashier in Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj. Kumar was returning home on his motorcycle when the incident took place. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was declared brought dead, the police said. He lived in the Paschim Vihar area along with his wife Kajal (21), who works in Balaji
Hospital. — PTI |
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Armed men rob Rs 7.4 lakh in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, May 1 The robbers took all the mobiles phones and threatened to kill assistant manager Sandeep and other customers. "At gunpoint, they forced Sandeep to open the locker and took away Rs.7 lakh and cash from the counters," the officer added. Surprisingly, there was gold worth Rs.5 crore in locker but robbers did not touch it. They were not aware that there was gold in it.
— IANS |
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Girl commits suicide
Ghaziabad, May 1 A suicide note was found which stated that she was concerned about the social reputation of her parents as her elder sister married a person of a different caste recently, the police added. The body was sent for the postmortem.
— PTI Factory gutted
A garment factory was gutted in a fire at Modinagar, but there were no casualties, the police said today. The incident occurred last evening due to short circuit. It is being alleged that goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the fire.
— PTI |
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