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Building collapse: Toll touches five
MCD to zero in on schools, offices to check dengue
Grandparents’ Day |
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KGSS to take up turban issue
with minister
Chatterati
Rahul’s padyatra earns accolades for Congress in Haryana
’84 riots: Court to record Sajjan’s statement today
11-11.5% GDP growth projected during 12th Plan
School owner killed by friend
Fake currency racketeers jailed
Farmers seek CBI probe into land acquisition
Engineer kills wife in Noida
College chairman’s murder: Case transferred to STF
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Building collapse: Toll touches five
Ghaziabad, July 17 The disaster happened last afternoon when the building tumbled down in the Shalimar Garden area, trapping several workers and killing three. Two bodies were recovered yesterday itself, while the third was pulled out pulled out from under the debris last afternoon, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officer Gopi Chand said. Two persons died today.
Rescuers - including residents, fire brigade, police personnel and soldiers - worked frantically to rescue those tripped under tons of concrete, witnesses said. SP (city) JK Sahi said soldiers were summoned from Meerut. The NDRF personnel and personnel from the Indian Air Force station at Hindon in the region were also helping to remove the debris, he said. Five cranes were deployed to remove tonnes of concrete. Four people - the building's contractor Kishan Singh and three employees of a construction firm - have been arrested. A total of 16 workers are still struggling for their lives in various hospitals in Delhi and Ghaziabad. "The entire building has fallen," said Vinod, an eyewitness. The building was being constructed on an 800 square metre plot. Three cars, parked in its vicinity, were also destroyed. — IANS |
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MCD to zero in on schools, offices to check dengue
New Delhi, July 17 It being the beginning stage and considering the cyclic pattern of the dengue mosquitoes, the civic authorities seem to be relaxed and feel the situation may not be as bad as it was last year. However, the authorities maintain that they are geared for the peak season-September-October--when containing mosquito-breeding becomes a tough task despite all the anti-dengue measures put into action. "This year, the cases may not be that high and we are prepared for it. Our focus this year would be educational institutions and working establishments compared to other years when residential places draw most of the attention around this time," said chairperson of MCD public health committee Dr V K Monga. Nonetheless, posh residential colonies, especially in south Delhi and central District, continue to be the breeding grounds of daytime mosquitoes. As of date, 560 people in total have been prosecuted this year. "Public participation still remains a concern and in our anti-dengue programme this year, a lot of stress is on schools, colleges and working places because these are the most uncared areas. People spend a lot of time at these places," said Dr Monga. However, awareness campaign continues and the civic teams comprising 1,500 staff in the charge of district health officers are actively engaged in checking mosquito-breeding through a door-to-door exercise, he added. "A good amount of breeding has been found in overhead tanks, coolers and other water sources even as it isn't the peak time of the disease," said Dr Monga. Meanwhile, the use of special mosquito-proof coolers developed by the National Centre for Disease Control and promoted by the MCD remains dismal. Though the mosquito-proof coolers were introduced two years ago, the response hasn't been encouraging.
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Grandparents’ Day
New Delhi, July 17 "I still tell my children that I am not old. I can walk on my own, and a surgery or medical facility should only make me feel better," Verma said as he was joined by many senior citizens of South Delhi's Defence Colony to celebrate Grandparents’ Day on Sunday. Verma is keen to take his passion for photography and writing going ahead and is undeterred by his physical condition. "I suffer from arthritis. I had a surgery at the age of 79, and have been leading an active life as a writer and amateur photographer since then," he added. Joining Verma was 78-year-old N.N. Mehra, who received a liver transplant in 2010. "Life only gets better if you embrace what comes with age," he quipped. Medanta Mediclinic in the locality came out with their 'winning stories' on how the old recovered well from surgical operations that come with age. "There are certain diseases that people are more prone to after the age of 50. A timely health check-up can help in diagnosing the disease early and make them lead an active life later," said Medanta Hospital's institute of cardiac sciences chairman Naresh Trehan. Diseases such as cancer and arthritis can be treated in a much better way if diagnosed early, experts said. "Prostate cancer screening should begin by the age of 50. In fact, people who have a family history of the disease should go for screening early," Trehan said, adding that "preventive care among senior citizens is all about caution and awareness". Diabetics, after entering the age of 40, also need regular screening for eyes and arthritis. "Screening centres and comprehensive health check-ups should become a part of the health policy for senior citizens. More importantly, youngsters should bring awareness measures to their notice," said Medanta's institute of bone and joint replacement chairman Ashok Rajgopal. -- IANS |
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KGSS to take up turban issue
with minister
New Delhi, July 17 The security personnel at airports in foreign countries remove the turban while doing the personal checking of the passengers. Turban is not an ordinary thing for the Sikh community. Tying turban is their faith. Their sentiments are attached with this. It's not like ordinary cap or hat, said KGSS president Tarvinder Singh Marwah. Addressing a conference here today Marwah said he, along with a delegation of Sikhs, would meet the external affairs minister to work out this problem at the international level. He said he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi demanding that birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Gujranwala in Pakistan should be restored. The Pakistan government had converted it into a police station and jail. This should be declared as Sikh heritage building and department of archaeology. The Pakistan government should be asked to preserve its original glory and maintain it. He asked the Sikhs living in India as well as abroad that any kind of atrocities or activities that tarnish or damage the reputation of the Sikh community and religion anywhere in the world should be reported to KGSS at the email kgss.mail@gmail.com or kgss.marwah@yahoo.in for necessary action. He also criticised the terrorists act in Mumbai that killed 18 people and injured more than hundred. He said killing of innocent people could never be forgiven. He, along with KGSS members, observed two-minute silence to pay the homage to those who were killed in the bomb blast. |
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Chatterati Many years ago, all visiting friends were taken to the upmarket yet ethnic, rustic Hauz Khas market. It had everything. The cow dung everywhere which the foreigners looked at in fascination, stray dogs, the moongfali/chana walas and bad roads which had potholes and one had to literally jump, stumble and get up. It was fascinating. The look of pleasure on their faces said it all. This was the India they had read about and come to see. In fact, there were the snake charmers coming out of streets and the look of awe on the visitor's face was a pleasure to see. On the other hand, there were top boutiques and restaurants. The boutiques offered expensive western and Indian wear. The cuts were excellent and of course it was the favourite haunt of our now internationally known Indian designers. The restaurants had European and Indian cuisines. But suddenly no one went to Hauz Khas Village any more. It became dirty, unkept and as everything else, the peak time was over and the slump came. But once again, it's the favourite place of youngsters. There is a jazz club besides a great bakery. There are new furniture stores and new designers have opened their stores. A cute tiny restaurant serving Kerala food is a hit with youngsters. It has an art gallery and a shop where T-shirts are painted by rural artisans which is very popular with college-going students. The village is trying hard not to lose its character despite the razzmatazz. Most of the people as they walk through the rustic village lanes are spotted with digi-cams and Apple Macs. This is the Capital's new chic hangout zone but the 14th century village has been through some good and bad times. Great believer in astrology
Astrology is something that all the politicians usually believe in. Jayalalithaa is also, it seems, a great believer. The stellar position in her horoscope will tell her which day she should wear green, grey or blue. Maroon seems to be her lucky colour as the day she won her election she was wearing maroon. Even on the day of the swearing-in ceremony, she was wearing maroon though all her saris are plain with a small border on them. A few years ago, she added an extra 'a' to her name, so her name changed from J.Jayalalitha to J.Jayalalithaa. Her birth date being 24th-2-1948 which comes to 24 and adding an extra 'a', the numerological value then became 24 to 23. As she has sworn in on 24 ministers, her lucky number seems to be 7 and she contested for 160 seats which also come to 7. There was a time when everybody believed her lucky number was 9 as all her cars added up to 9. Phone lines are not trustworthy!
Amar Singh tape, Radia tape and now the Bhushan's tape. It's getting a bit too much for everyone. Politicians and businessmen now only use the phone to fix an appointment and meet personally. Phone lines are not trustworthy any more. You never know who is taping you. Recently the young Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi has issued orders to his guard that the phones of all the visitors should be confiscated at the gate. The guard explained that a visitor had tried to tape Varun's conversation with him inside his house and was caught. So the phobia of phones in Varun's house is due to that incident. Not only are phones suspected, pens today have cameras and recorders and so have cufflinks and buttons. |
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Rahul’s padyatra earns accolades for Congress in Haryana
Faridabad, July 17 Also, the general feeling was that Rahul's reference to Haryana in contradistinction to the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh has infused a new energy in the Congress in this state. The general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), Virender Singh Rathore, who hails from Haryana, said the development had come like "manna from the sky" for the Congress in the state. Rathore, who is in charge of the youth affairs in Uttar Pradesh, told The Tribune over the telephone that espousal of farmers' cause by Rahul was likely to make farmers-related issues the touchstone of future political narrative and action in the country. Dwelling on Rahul's padyatra, he said it had sent a loud and clear message in the politically sensitive state of Uttar Pradesh that his party leader was more than earnest to protect interest of all section of the people of that state. However, move of a national leader had wide-ranging impact and the Haryana Congress appeared to have become a significant beneficiary out of padyatra. Former organising secretary of the Haryana Congress Rajan Ojha said Rahul's utterances regarding Haryana would further endear the farming community to the Congress and strengthen the party in the state. However, the opposition in Haryana, especially the INLD and the BSP, have hit right back at the Congress. Both the parties have alleged that the Congress leadership was trying to mislead the public opinion by making virtue of a "faulty" land acquisition policy of its government in Haryana. Former Chief Minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, addressing his party workers at a number of places in Faridabad district, alleged that the farmers in Haryana had been agitating at a number of places for better compensation against acquisition of their land. He cautioned that his party would take on the Haryana government against its land acquisition policy in the interest of the farmers more aggressively in the coming days.
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’84 riots: Court to record Sajjan’s statement today
New Delhi, July 17 The case against Sajjan, former outer Delhi MP, was registered on a recommendation by the Justice GT Nanavati Commission. The CBI had filed two chargesheets against him in January last year. The trial against Sajjan had hit roadblocks in the past as the Congress leader had been taking legal recourse for its stay and quashing of charges in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. However, decks were finally cleared on September 20, 2010, when the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for quashing criminal cases filed by the CBI. The apex court had rejected Sajjan's argument that he cannot be tried after such a long gap of over 25 years as it violated his fundamental right for speedy trial and that the CBI's key witnesses cannot be relied upon. It had said the materials placed by the CBI were sufficient for the magistrate to proceed against Sajjan whose guilt or otherwise can be determined only at the trial, which he now has to face. The trial court had in May 2010 framed charges against Sajjan and five others under Sections 302 (murder), 395 (dacoity), 427 (mischief to cause damage to property), 153 A (promoting enmity between different communities) and other provisions of the IPC. The CBI had accused Sajjan of provoking people against members of the Sikh community during the carnage that led to the killing of several persons in the Delhi Cantonment area. — PTI
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11-11.5% GDP growth projected during 12th Plan
New Delhi, July 17 This has been estimated after taking the data of investment in various sectors for the last five years. This is very significant as the national economic growth target is just around nine per cent. The sources said that this growth rate is the result of new economic policy of the government in which IT and other small-scale industries were given priority. They were given special facilities in Bawana, Naraina and Najafgarh areas where more than one thousand plots were allotted for only IT industries. The government has also improved facilities in Okhla and Patparganj industrial areas where small-scale industries are established. Besides, the government has tried to improve trade sector by giving licence to open malls for middle and high-class societies. The government has implemented a new excise policy and new licence has also been issued for liquor shops, increasing the revenue. The sources said that the government mentioned the service sector in its proposal. It has been strengthened to increase the government's revenue. A senior official of finance department said that while making the new industrial policy, the government emphasized the sectors that might generate jobs and increase revenue as the majority of the fund for development work is managed by the city government itself. The average real growth in the GDP in the first four years of the 11th Five Year Plan has been estimated at 10.21.
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School owner killed by friend
New Delhi, July 17 A case of murder has been registered at the New Friends Colony police station. The police said that Deepak went to his friend Rahul Sharma's house to collect money. There were some arguments between the friends on the issue. Rahul's friend Rajkumar was also present there. He lost his cool after the heated arguments. He attacked Deepak with an iron rod, who fell on the ground. Rahul and Rajkumar ran away from the spot, leaving Deepak in a pool of blood. Having heard the commotion, the neighbours rushed to the spot and saw Deepak bleeding profusely. They informed the police control room. Later, the police came and rushed him to Holy Family Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
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Fake currency racketeers jailed
New Delhi, July 17 Additional Sessions Judge Surinder Kumar Sharma awarded the sentence to Shakila, who acted as a courier for fake currency, and Aflaq Ahmad, who supplied the notes. Both were arrested in April 2007 by the special cell of the Delhi police. Shakila was nabbed while carrying fake currency of Rs 62,600 in a polythene bag. Pursuant to her disclosure statement, Aflaq was arrested and was also found in possession of fake notes worth Rs 12,000 wrapped in a newspaper. Shakila had pleaded before the court for a lenient view on the ground that she was an old woman facing ill health and had eight children, two of whom were minors. The court refused to grant any leniency, saying the menace of fake currency was plaguing the whole nation. "Today the nation is facing menace of fake currency notes. Lot of fake currency is in circulation in the market. This is causing heavy loss to the state exchequer. Many innocent and poor people are also being cheated," the court said. "Keeping in view, I sentence both the convicts to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of five years with a fine of Rs 50,000 each, for possessing counterfeit currency notes," the court added. — PTI
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Farmers seek CBI probe into land acquisition
Greater Noida, July 17 The writ petition, which was filed on Friday, will come up for hearing on July 19. "A CBI inquiry into the episode is necessary to find out the truth behind the whole acquisition. We have no faith in a state inquiry, although even that has not been launched so far," said petitioner Inder Nagar, who is the vice-president of farmers' body Gramin Panchayat Morcha, said. The farmers also have sought a CBI investigation into the role played by the Greater Noida authority officials in the acquisition of their lands under emergency clauses (Section 17 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894). "It is important to know as to what was the emergency for which the Greater Noida authority acquired our agricultural lands. What was the public purpose in it and how did the authority change the land use from industrial to residential overnight and then sold it off to private builders?" Asked Nagar. Calling it as the state's biggest scam, he said: "It is important for us as well as the general public to know what was the real truth behind the whole act. The land purchased from farmers at Rs 7 lakh per bigha (a bigha is 0.4 hectare) was sold off to builders at Rs 1.25 crore per bigha." The farmers' body would hold a panchayat for deciding the future course of action at Chhoti Milak today, he said. - IANS
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Engineer kills wife in Noida
Noida, July 17 Shavendra Mishra was arrested after the body of his wife, Pragya (22), was found stuffed in a bed box in the wee hours in their rented accommodation on the third floor of K-Block in Noida. The couple, who hailed from Allahabad and was living in the house for about a fortnight, was believed to be having a strained relationship for some time. They were married in 2005 and Pragya had started living with her husband in 2009. Last evening, Mishra allegedly strangled Pragya, who was studying fashion designing, with an electric cord and hid her body in the bed. However, he later called a relative and told him about it after which the police arrived on the scene, sources said. Mishra was currently working as a teacher with a computer training institute. Senior police officials were questioning other tenants and neighbours. —PTI |
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College chairman’s murder: Case transferred to STF
Ghaziabad, July 17 After the police could not make any breakthrough, it decided to seek assistance from the STF, SSP Raghubir Lal said. The SSP said the documents related to case and investigation done by the police would be handed over to the STF for solving the murder case. SC Gupta, chairman of Sundar Deep Engineering College, was shot dead near his residence by unidentified persons on April 15. — PTI |
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