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Yamuna may soon cross danger mark
More rains forecast for today
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Police turns JP Park into fortress, 144 imposed
AISA activists show black flags to Sibal
‘Protesting peacefully, a democratic right’
Supporters throng Pragati Maidan
Angry students join in thousands, many arrested
DU 10th cutoff: One more attempt to fill OBC seats
AIIMS to keep online database
for patients
The disabled who fight
out darkness
Give and take old books at Jamia
Man gets 2-yr jail for injuring cops on duty
Gt Noida residents haunted
by theft cases
Teen snatchers held in Delhi
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Yamuna may soon cross danger mark
New Delhi, August 16 "Around 6,22,000 cusecs of water have been released from Hathini Kund. It is likely to take 40 hours to reach Delhi. This can result in a serious flood-like situation," said Delhi revenue minister A.K. Walia. At present, the water has touched the mark of 203.64 metre though the warning level is 204 metre. It is likely to touch 206 metre. An official of the department said that low-lying areas like Usmanpur, Chilla Village, Batla House and Jaitpur have been evacuated. Fifty-six boats and pumps have been pressed into service in the area. Divers have also been posted to save people.
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More rains forecast for today
New Delhi, August 16 Areas such as South Extension, Lajpat
Nagar, Ring Road, Mathura Road, ITO, Nehru Place, Azadpur and many more witnessed traffic jams. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi received as many as 66 complaints of waterlogging from various parts of the Capital. "The city saw continuous rains last night as well. Light rains are likely tonight as well. The day will remain largely cloudy tomorrow. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to oscillate between 30 and 27 degree Celsius," said an official of the Indian Meteorological Department. The maximum temperature recorded today was 28.1 degree Celsius, five degrees below the average while the minimum temperature settled at 25.1 degree Celsius, one degree below average. |
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Police turns JP Park into fortress, 144 imposed
New Delhi, August 16 Police personnel were deployed in large numbers from ITO to Delhi Gate on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg. Barricades were erected at all the entry gates of the park. Security personnel were guarding both the entry gates along with the police vehicles and a few private buses hired by the security forces were lined on the road. People were not allowed to stand there in a group, except media personnel, due to imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC in and around the park. About 10 buses packed with Anna supporters were detained and taken to Chhatrasal Stadium. The protestors were shouting slogans like "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". The people started coming to the park since early morning, though Anna was to reach there at 10 am. Many supporters were seen appealing to the people at the bus stands to support the movement launched by the Gandhian against the corruption. Ramdev Dwivedi, who came along with his wife and two small daughters from Kanpur, said the government could not crush the movement by putting Anna behind the bars. Thousands of crores of rupees have been taken away by politicians and others who are in power. In such a situation, what was wrong in bringing the Prime Minister under the ambit of the Lokpal Bill, he wondered. At least someone has come forward to prevent corruption. Now it's everybody's duty to support him. "I have come from Kanpur in support of Anna…if there is such a protest and dharna again, I will come again," he said. Prasoon Kumar Mishra, president of Global Right and Justice Welfare Society, who was motivating people waiting for bus in a bus queue shelter said arrest of Anna would make the movement stronger. There will be more protests in the city. Instead of arresting him, the government should have allowed Anna to continue his movement from the JP Park. As far as traffic problem was concerned, barricades could have been erected on footpath to prevent the supporters to come on road. The arrest of Anna and his supporters shows that the UPA government is crushing the democratic right of the people. Today's police action showed that people cannot speak against the government. They cannot make any demand, Mishra said. Activists of a few NGOs Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sangthan, Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra and Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra appealed to the people to support the movement of civil society led by Anna.
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AISA activists show black flags to Sibal
New Delhi, August 16 The activists were protesting against the arrest of Hazare, his associates and other people today. "At the seminar, we asked Sibal why the government arrested people who were protesting peacefully. When Rahul Gandhi went to Bhatta Parsaul to prepare for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, no action was taken against him," said Aslam Khan, Delhi convener of the RYA. The 30 activists were reportedly beaten by members of the Congress as they showed black flags to Sibal. Aslam said that they first protested at the Delhi University campus. "We then burnt the UPA effigy at Jantar Mantar. At the Mavlankar Hall, we showed black flags to Kapil Sibal. We want to save democracy and combat corruption," he said. The AISA and RYA plan to continue their protests in Delhi and states such as Tamil Nadu, Assam, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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‘Protesting peacefully, a democratic right’
New Delhi, August 16 Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Anna's arrest is a breach of fundamental rights and killing of democratic rights. The NCPRI said though it does not agree with many of Anna's demands, it fully supports his democratic right to protest. Condemning Anna's arrest, another civil society, PUCL, said in democracy every citizen has a right to articulate his set of demands in a peaceful manner. |
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Supporters throng Pragati Maidan
New Delhi, August 16 The people, who were detained, willingly courted arrest and were transported by buses from the venue to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana. Several youngsters and teenagers were present at Pragati Maidan, where amidst heavy security the protesters were escorted by the police and DTC buses to other locations. The people were shouting slogans such as, "Anna Ji sangharsh Karo, hum tumhare saath hain." While others pledged themselves to the campaign against corruption by showing posters that read "I am Anna". The boisterous crowd was shoved into buses by the policemen, which has cordoned off the area. This prevented the protesters from following their plan to march to the JP Park. "We are taking these people in buses and will drop them off far away from the venue," said a police constable. However, Richa Bahuguna, a DU student and volunteer for "India Against Corruption," who was present at Pragati Maidan, said she, along with the other protesters, was taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. "We were detained in the stadium for a few hours, but the police then provided a special bus for only women, to drop us to ITO," she said. "I feel that the youth should support this movement against corruption. I drew inspiration from activists like Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan and what they said about not letting this movement die and therefore, came to protest today.I also received mobile text messages from 'India Against Corruption' volunteers," she added. Anshika Bansal, a student of journalism at Kamala Nehru College, said, "Posts on the Facebook page of 'India Against Corruption' informed us about the protests today. My friends and I wanted to be a part of this historic effort." People also turned up from other parts of the country, including Ahmedabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh, who thronged the venue. "I came here to fight for farmers' rights. We are with Anna and we shall give our life for him, if the situation demands it. By arresting him, the government has subjugated democracy," said Ishwarchand Tripathi, president of the Bharatiya Kissan Union, Madhya Pradesh.
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Angry students join in thousands, many arrested
New Delhi, August 16 In the morning hours, North Delhi came to a virtual standstill because of protests in different areas. Students protested across the Capital-- from Chhatrasal Stadium in Model Town to the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station and Jawaharlal Nehru University in south Delhi. Thousands of them also took part in a candlelight vigil held in the evening at the India Gate, demanding Hazare's release. And as the news of the Gandhian leader reached them, a wave of triumph took over the spot. "We are glad that Anna is being released. We wouldn't have stopped protesting until our demand was heard," said Juswin Talwar, a protestor at the India Gate. During the day, students in big groups bunked their lectures and braved the rain to reach Chhatrasal Stadium to register their support. While many of them were arrested, others were removed from the protest locations. Students from Delhi University, IIT, Indraprastha University and other private institutions reached Chhatrasal Stadium with Indian flags, big banners and shouted slogans like "sarkaar ki tanashahi nahi chalegi" and "ab Anna akele nahin, desh unke saath hai." Students at Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and DU also organised protest rallies on their campuses. "It is after a long time that the university students have come out in support for a cause in such large numbers. Be it boys or girls, everyone wanted to be a part of the movement today. Many students were arrested near the North Campus Metro station and Chhatrasal Stadium. Students feel hurt, cheated and ripped off their constitutional rights," said Rohit Chahal, one of the student activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. "This is completely unconstitutional. It looks like the government is going back to the times of Emergency. Anna being sent to jail is unacceptable," said Kirti Bhattal, a third year sociology student from LSR who was protesting near the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station. Towards the evening, members of the All-India Students Association gathered at the JNU campus to protest against the arrest of Anna and the unrelenting attitude of the central government. Jamia students also poured in to support the cause. "We are angry at the state of affairs. Thousands of people have been arrested and many were escorted off the protest sites. Anna was sent to jail. This is not the freedom of speech and expression we have studied in books. The government is telling us that what we read in law books isn't true and the constitutional rights can be ripped off as per its convenience," said Karan Gupta, an MPhil student at JNU. Meanwhile, all those who felt they couldn't be of much help during the day spearheaded a campaign on social networking websites and asked everyone to support Anna's release.
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DU 10th cutoff: One more attempt to fill OBC seats
New Delhi, August 16 After the ninth cutoff list as well on August 12, the DU colleges failed to fill up the OBC category seats. After the seventh list in late July, the university had further relaxed the admission criteria for the OBC students, but still failed to attract students in the eighth and the ninth cutoff. Now colleges have been asked to submit a new cutoff list for all the courses left with the OBC seats by 4 pm tomorrow. The list will be announced by the registrar formally tomorrow evening. The admissions and fee submission for the 10th cutoff will take place on August 18, 19 and 20. If at all, any seat is still left in the OBC category after the 10th list, the university has asked the colleges to submit a detailed list of courses and number of seats left by 8 pm on August 20. Colleges have been complaining after the ninth list that even with ultra relaxed admission norms, eligible candidates were not approaching the colleges and they feared that some seats might go vacant this year. The 10th cutoff may offer hope to students seeking admission in off-campus colleges like Bharti, Satyawati where as many as 30 to 50 per cent OBC seats are still vacant.
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AIIMS to keep online database
for patients
New Delhi, August 16 According to AIIMS spokesperson Dr Y.K. Gupta, the online database is supposed to come up in the next 18 months and with this, the patients would have a ready access to all prescribed drugs. "The idea is to introduce a database of all types of patients and drugs prescribed. The databank will provide information related to the surgeries done, clinical research at the institute, and its findings," said Dr Gupta. Apart from this, the Knowledge Hub would be involved in mapping disease patterns prevalent in the country as reflected in the hospital's OPD patients. To be built at a cost of Rs 50.85 crore, the Convergence Centre would house the departments of anatomy, electron microscopy, pathology, bio-chemistry pharmacology and microbiology. |
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The disabled who fight
out darkness
New Delhi, August 16 Fighting out darkness would not have been possible for Delhi-based freelance digital consultant Prashant Ranjan Verma without grit and determination. Little did he know that his dream of becoming a chartered accountant that brought him to Delhi from his home state Jharkhand, would come to nought due to a rare eye infection. Loss of vision may have pushed Prashant, who is supposed to be the front-runner architect of the Equal Opportunity Cell at Delhi University's (DU) north campus, to shut doors for six long years. But the spirit of life gradually swelling in him had its way that enabled him to take the technological leap with the help of the National Association of the Blind. "My sight was normal till I was 19. Due to a fungal infection after 12th class and passing of the first year of chartered accountancy, my vision was damaged in 1994. It was all darkness. Finally in 2000, I contacted NAB where I joined as a computer trainer. That is how the journey towards innovations started," said Prashant, currently associated with DAISY as a consultant, holds the credit of building the first assistive technology helpline. Having developed an IT-enabled template for printing bank cheques and railway reservation form for the visually challenged, Prashant is one among the list of individuals and organisations who were felicitated with the second (National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People) NCPEDP-MphasiS Universal Design Awards this year on Sunday here. To Arvind Ramesh Prabhoo, another recipient of the award under the disabled category, providing accessible transportation to persons with disabilities has not only become a way of life but a motto. Limited to a wheelchair for 24 years after a road accident which left him paralysed from the neck downwards, he started a company Access4All in 2008. "In the first year of medicine, I met with an accident when I was just 20. But, finally I started Access4All. Having a team of four drivers and four attendants, it provides pick-and-drop facility at a subsidised rate to disabled people. Now the services are available in Mumbai, Pune and Goa and I plan to expand its reach to other parts of the country," said Arvind, who coped with his disability with long sessions of rehabilitation in the US. Similarly, Shrirang Prakash Sahasrabudhe never allowed his visual disability, which hit him at a tender age of 13, to come in the way of his dream. After pursuing BA in maths and masters in computer management, he went on to develop software like "SpeakPad", "ReadNetForMe" for the blind and "TeachMeTyping", a typing tutor. |
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Give and take old books at Jamia
New Delhi, August 16 The books will be donated on August 17 and 18. These books will then be displayed at stalls on Jamia campus on August 23. This initiative is being arranged by Jamia's Outreach Programme in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment Resources. Simi Malhotra, spokesperson for Jamia said, "The objective of this programme is to generate the spirit of giving and sharing among students and also help students from the economically weaker section." Malhotra added, "A catalogue of all the donated books will be maintained and they will be given to the students who need them. For some time now, teachers at Jamia have been feeling that the students from the economically weaker section of society should get a helping hand both from the university and their fellow students." Syeddain Haqq, a student at Jamia, said, "This book fair is a great opportunity for me. I hail from a village in Uttar Pradesh and my father sends me limited money. I often face problem in buying all the books prescribed for my course. Also, through this fair, students can get books which are not easily available in the market." Sameera Singh, another student, said, "I am looking forward to this book fair and will donate a number of books. I also hope to find some books at the fair that are not available in the market. I think this is a really good idea and the varsity should organise such events on a regular basis."
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Man gets 2-yr jail for injuring cops on duty
New Delhi, August 16 Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat jailed Joginder Singh, a resident of west Delhi, after convicting him on charges of critically injuring government officials to deter him from discharging his duty. "In view of the facts and circumstances of the case, the convict is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of two years with a fine of Rs 500 for the offence punishable under Section 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code," the court said. While convicting Singh, who had stopped attending court from 2005 in the mid of trial and was later declared a proclaimed offender, the court noted that his other accomplices, who had pelted stones at the police team, were already convicted in 2009. The court was able to convict Singh only after he was arrested again in January and was put on trial. The prosecution had alleged that a Delhi police team, led by a head constable and comprising three constables, had gone to Sagarpur in west Delhi on November 10, 1999, to arrest Birsan, an accused in another case against whom extermination orders had been passed. But Joginder, along with eight others, had started pelting stones at the policemen and injured some of them. A case was later registered against all the stone pelters. In December 1999, Joginder surrendered before the court and was put on trial, which was disrupted in 2005 as he jumped bail. — PTI |
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Gt Noida residents haunted
by theft cases
Greater Noida, August 16 The victim Harish Sharma has lodged a theft case at Kasna police station today. The family members had gone to Khurja on Independence Day. When they returned today, their door lock was broken and rooms were ransacked. Thieves broke open the almirah and stole jewellery and cash. Their tenants were not at home either on the fateful night. The police said a case has been registered and manhunt launched to arrest the thieves. Till late evening today, thieves were not traceable. In another theft at sector Beta, thieves stole laptop and valuables from the house of Joginder Sharma. He too was out of town when the incident took place. The third theft was reported from sector Pi where two motorcycles were stolen from outside the house. The fourth theft was reported from Kasna village where a car was stolen. Knowledge Park too complains of theft of vehicles and goods from the parked vehicles outside the colleges. "Lack of proper patrolling in Knowledge Park has given rise to the theft cases," said DK Garg, chairman, Ishan Institute of Management Technology. "A few months ago, a theft was reported at our institute. The thieves' images were trapped in CCTV cameras, but the police officials never bothered to see the footage for over a month. The case was still unresolved," said Garg. Locked houses are not safe even for a few hours. "Several thefts took place when family members had gone to shopping or even hospital for a few hours," said residents. "Several residents have shifted out of the city due to thefts in the last two years," they said. |
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Teen snatchers held in Delhi
New Delhi, August 16 Ravinder Pal Singh and Manmeet Singh, both 19, were arrested for allegedly snatching the purse of a woman in Rajouri Garden . Manmeet is allegedly involved in three earlier cases of snatching. The police seized a motorcycle, two knives and a ladies purse from their possession. A police team was checking vehicles in Kirti Nagar yesterday. It signaled to stop a motorcycle, but the driver tried to run away. "During their search, 2 knives and one ladies purse were seized from them ," a police official said.—PTI |
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With a heavy "bandobast", the Delhi police has turned the JP Park into a fortress to prevent Anna Hazare and his supporters from holding an indefinite fast in support of a stronger Lokpal Bill.
Activists of the All India Students' Association (AISA) and the Revolutionary Youth Association
(RYA), two sections of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, today showed black flags to minister of communications and information technology Kapil Sibal at Mavlankar Hall, where he attended a seminar on the Lokpal issue.
After Anna Hazare and his team were detained by the police from the Jayaprakash Narayan Park this morning before his planned hunger strike, thousands of protesters further spearheaded the campaign at areas, including Pragati
Maidan, to vehemently fight against corruption.
