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CM avoiding debate on CWG scam: BJP
Get time-bound govt services soon
Publishers use book fair as publicity platform
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Hundreds offer to pay Anna’s bill
Delhi students discover new asteroid
IIM-R inks pact with US school
Court bows to woman’s last wish, gives son to sis
Id celebrations: Devotees
pray, swap gifts
47 cops caught taking bribe
Trader strangled in Tilak Nagar
Woman murdered, house ransacked
Biker shot at in Bawana road rage
Boy’s body found in Delhi drain
3 killed, 16 hurt in accidents
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CM avoiding debate on CWG scam: BJP
New Delhi, August 31 The party alleged Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's act of keeping herself away from a discussion indicated she was guilty. "If Sheila Dikshit is not involved in the Games-related corruptions running into crores of rupees, why is she avoiding a debate in the Assembly on the issue?" said Vijender Gupta, Delhi president of the BJP. While the Congress claimed that the public representatives had the right to discuss anything in the Lok Sabha, Dikshit was degrading the dignity of the Legislative Assembly by refusing to allow the legislators of the opposition parties to debate on the issue of corruption, he added. Yesterday, Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri had to order removal of the BJP legislators after they trooped into the Well of the House, shouting anti-government slogans and demanding a debate on the CAG report. "The way in which Dikshit forced the BJP legislators out of the Assembly through marshals proves that the Chief Minister and her government have committed bunglings in the Games. We will fight against this unconstitutional act," said Gupta. "The Shunglu Committee in its six reports has declared the Chief Minister and each of her departments guilty of corruption. It had recommended to the PM to order the CBI to file cases against Dikshit and other people. Then, the CAG also found Dikshit guilty of bungling funds. In spite of this, the PM has not taken any steps to dismiss Dikshit. It shows that the money of corruption has gone to the higher levels also," he alleged. However, rejecting the allegations of wrongdoings, Dikshit has pointed finger at the Leader of Opposition VK Malhotra's role as the vice-chairman of the CWG organising committee. Washing her hands off any alleged bungling in the award of contracts for the Games projects, she has said various technical committees comprising officials and experts were set up to take decisions on the issues.
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Get time-bound govt services soon
New Delhi, August 31 The Act related to the timely delivery of the public services by the Delhi government and the local bodies is ready to be implemented from September 15. The Delhi Right of Citizen to Time-Bound Delivery of Services Act will ensure delivery of services within a stipulated period of time, failing which a financial penalty will be levied on the officials concerned. The legislation in this regard was passed by the government in March. The departments which have been included under the legislation are revenue, food and civil supplies, transport and trade and taxes. The Act also covers the MCD and NDMC. "The legislation will definitely bring accountability and put an end to red-tapism. It will also rid our system of several irregularities," said a senior state government official. A citizens' charter providing the details of the services offered by all government departments, their time limit and punishment for failing to provide the services in time was one of the key demands of Anna Hazare's recent agitation against corruption. The legislation fixes financial penalty in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 200 per day for failing to deliver services in time. The maximum penalty can be Rs 5,000. The legislation aims at sensitising the government servants towards the citizens and developing a culture of delivering services within a stipulated period of time. The government had written to the Delhi police to implement the legislation," said the official. According to the legislation, a ration card will have to be issued within 45 days of applying for it, while the MCD and NDMC should not take more than seven working days for the issuance of birth and death certificates. "The transport department should take only one day to renew a permanent driving licence, while a learner's license should be issued on the same day of the filing of the application. The Act requires the selected departments to commit to service-level agreements (SLAs), for delivering time-bound services to the citizens," he said. |
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Publishers use book fair as publicity platform
New Delhi, August 31 What's more, the customers attending the event are not searching for books based on travel and tourism. The publishers asserted that the fair gives them an idea about the category of books which the customers prefer to read. "The main aim of the book fair is that it gives us publicity. We display all our products which are educational textbooks from the kindergarten to postgraduate level. Another important thing is that we make contacts here as the budding authors come to us for publishing their books," said Navin Joshi, executive vice-president of S. Chand, a publishing firm that has a stall at the fair. "Due to space constraints, we can't display all our books. But, we have showcased our bestsellers in genres such as yoga, self-help, biography, religion, philosophy, management and fiction. After the fair is over, we get an idea about the pulse of the market and also the genre of books people prefer reading. Sometimes people like a particular book, but do not buy it if it is expensive. So, we make the price of such a book economical," explained Hemant Sharma, regional manager, Jaico Publishing House, which has a stall at the fair. The people who attend this event said that it is convenient for them to purchase books here as different categories are available. "I have always come to the Delhi Book Fair and the International Book Fair. I come here to buy books mainly for my 10-year-old daughter. She likes reading short stories and religious texts like the Mahabharata. Here one can find several varieties of books, which can't be found anywhere else," said Lakshmi Tanwar, a customer at the fair. However, some visitors have a different view. "I thought that different variety of books would be available here, but I found that such books can be purchased from the stores outside the fair as well," said Roopanjali Jasrotia, a customer at the fair.
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Hundreds offer to pay Anna’s bill
New Delhi, August 31 The virtual world was abuzz with messages such as "I want to pay for Annaji" on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and news sites. "The people of India are with you, Annaji. We will pay for whatever expenses borne by you. Please give us the account number of India Against Corruption (IAC)," posted Keerat Prakash on news website Yahoo. While help poured in from all corners, it was not clear if Hazare would be charged for his stay at Medanta Medicity in Gurgaon. Hazare was admitted to the hospital soon after he ended his 12-day fast for a stronger Lokpal Bill on Sunday morning. "He is a decent man. I have immense respect for what he is doing. Let us first see the bills, only then something can be said," heart specialist Naresh Trehan said. Hazare has been under the medical supervision of Trehan and has not been charged till now. India Against Corruption (IAC) member Aswathi Muralidharan told IANS: "Till now, he (Hazare) has not been charged. We can only say who will pay the bill if we get the bill." "Even when Trehan had seen him earlier, he was not charged," she added. But there is no shortage of volunteers in case of any eventuality. "I am an engineering student at IIT. I request hospital authorities and Team Anna to share the details of amount that is needed. Pocket money or part-time job, our classmates will give in all help," said S. Guru Prakash from Bangalore. Krishan Patel, from Ahmedabad, posted on micro-blogging site Twitter: " Anna is our nation (sic) hero. I am ready to contribute my one month full salary to meet his medical expenditure." Many supporters posted their phone numbers for further assistance on any financial help. It was not just people from India who were hailing the activist for his 288-hour fast for anti-corruption dubbed as "people's power" - people from across the globe also chipped in with words of praise for the activist. "I am from Zambia. I love his courage and have been following his cause. If the people of India can't contribute to his cause, I will be more than happy to do it," posted Mwenda on Twitter. Trisha Jatania wrote on Facebook: "If a taxpayer's money can go to Prime Minister's relief fund, it should be utilised for the national hero's cause also. Your struggle for India to free it from corruption is immense". -- IANS
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Delhi students discover new asteroid
New Delhi, August 31 Vaibhav Sapra and Sharanjeet Singh, class XII students of Bal Bharati Public School in Pitampura, discovered a main belt asteroid (2011 QM14) this month as part of the All-India Asteroid Search Campaign (AIASC). About 60 schools from across India participated. NGO Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) along with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), an international educational outreach programme, were behind the project involving the students. Both Vaibhav and Sharanjeet were on cloud nine after they received a communication in this regard from IASC director Patrick Miller on August 27. "I can't tell you how happy I am as I really wanted to discover an asteroid and name it. I had participated in the competition last year also but could not succeed then," said Sharanjeet, who wants to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. Last year, two Delhi students had discovered a main belt asteroid for the first time during the same programme. Asteroids are very small planet-like objects that generally go around the Sun in orbits located between Mars and Jupiter. Sometimes these are nudged by gravitational forces out of their orbits and can come into contact with Earth. The AIASC campaign, in its second year, provides an opportunity for students to collaborate and analyse data for asteroid hunting. "The participants are provided hands-on training to go through exclusive data files of the sky provided by IASC using astronomical data analysis software. The data files had images of the sky taken in the night with 24-inch and 32-inch telescopes at the Astronomical Research Institute (ARI) Observatory in the US," said Space Group chief managing director Sachin Bahmba. Explaining about the process, Sharanjeet said, "We were working on this for the last one-and-a-half months. We used to sift the data every day for two-three hours and send our observations to IASC." "It was a tough task to work on this along with our studies, but both of us were totally into it. We have sent in total 11 observations and have got confirmation for one," he said with a smile. The programme allows the discoverers to name the asteroid. "We haven't decided about the name as it will take three-four years before we get to name it. The IASC will continue to monitor and track its path," said Vaibhav. -- IANS
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IIM-R inks pact with US school
New Delhi, August 31 Michael McRobbie, president of Indiana University, and Prof P.Rameshan, director of IIM-R, signed the MoU on behalf of their institutions, in the presence of Deepender Hooda, MP of Rohtak. Both institutions will collaborate in areas like organising faculty research workshops, research projects, academic programmes, conferences, cultural programmes, doctoral student mentoring and development, besides exchange of faculty members and students. Hooda said Rohtak had progressed in the field of education, having a number of technical and medical institutions and universities. This collaboration provides an opportunity to IIM-R for building the global brand identity. Prof Rameshan said being the only IIM in the NCR, IIM Rohtak has unique possibilities and responsibilities. McRobbie hoped that the MoU would benefit both the institutions.
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Court bows to woman’s last wish, gives son to sis
New Delhi, August 31 Acting on a plea by the child's maternal aunt for his custody, Additional Senior Civil Judge (ASCJ) N K Malhotra handed over the minor to her after divesting his grandfather of his custody. "As per the suicide note written by the deceased (child's mother) which is addressed to the petitioner (child's maternal aunt), the child will be looked after by the petitioner," the judge said, noting the last wish of the child's mother. "I am of the view that the interim custody of the minor child be granted to the petitioner (maternal aunt) as the child has also shown his intention to go with the petitioner," the court said. The court rejected the plea of the child's grandfather for his custody saying "only the welfare of child has to be considered." "It is an admitted fact that the minor's father is in jail and the petitioner (minor's maternal aunt) and her parents have also deposed against him. I am of the view that it will not be proper to give the custody of the child to respondent minor's paternal grandfather," the court ruled on the plea by the minor's maternal aunt plea for his custody. The child's aunt, in her plea, said her sister was married in 2006 and a son was born to them the following year. She said soon after the marriage, her sister had begun complaining that her husband and in-laws were harassing her for dowry and that her husband also had extra-marital relation. She often used to confide to her that if she ever died an unnatural death, her husband should be blamed for it and she should take care of her child, the child's maternal aunt wrote in her plea to the court.--PTI
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Id celebrations: Devotees
pray, swap gifts
New Delhi, August 31 Thousands of Muslims arrived at Jama Masjid, Fathepuri Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah and Moth-Ki-Masjid to pray. Devotees feasted on scrumptious seviyan (vermicelli desert), firni (rice mudding), biryani and mouth-watering meat dishes. "When the moon became visible on Tuesday night, it marked the beginning of celebrations of Eid-ul-Fitr and the conclusion of the fasting during the month of Ramadan today. Prophet Mohammed was the one who started Eid and it is celebrated for two days, offering gratitude to God. I celebrated this day with my family and friends. Before feasting we went to Jama Masjid to offer our prayers to Allah. Eid-ul-Fitr stands for peace, tolerance and harmony," said Mohammed Farooq, a resident of Chandni Chowk. The streets outside Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid were overcrowded by worshippers of Islam. "The road outside Fatehpuri Masjid was very crowded today. But, I am glad I got a chance to pray at the mosque. We wear the best clothes and then offer our prayers, followed by feasting. We also exchange gifts. Eid-ul-Fitr is a day to give respect to one another, but more importantly we express our love and affection even to people who are strangers. This day also represents compassion and patience," said Ahmed Qureshi, a resident of Turkman Gate. Ghalib, who owns a kabab restaurant near Nizamuddin Dargah, said that he received various orders today. "After coming back from the mosque, I had to rush back to my restaurant to take orders from my regular customers," he said. |
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47 cops caught taking bribe
New Delhi, August 31 According to a senior Delhi police official, of the 47 caught, 25 are constables while nine head constables. "Six sub-inspectors and seven assistant sub-inspectors were also held for taking bribes," said the official, adding that the figures indicate that taking bribe was more prevalent in the lower ranks of police force. These 47 police personnel were caught in 24 cases while the Public Grievances Commission dealing with the cases relating to Delhi police has received a total of 293 complaints since April this year. Apart from taking bribe, a total of 1,849 policemen, including 147 inspectors, faced action for dereliction of duty in the first six months of this year. The six month's figure has surpassed the figures of 2008 and 2009 when action was taken against 987 and 1,813 police personnel respectively. "Out of the 1,849 personnel who faced action on charges of dereliction of duty this year, the largest chunk came from the constabulary. While 671 constables were punished, 512 head constables are also facing the music," said the official, adding that 197 sub-inspectors and 322 assistant sub-inspectors are also under the scanner. According to him, 121 cases related to policemen involved in illegal construction have also come to light. Besides, a constable was found in possession of illegal arms and ammunition this year. Two such incidents were reported last year. Senior Delhi police officials--the DCPs and ACPs--have been asked by the police chief to conduct surprise checks in their areas and punish those who are not performing well. The Delhi police commissioner B K Gupta has started the monthly appraisal system in which the non-performers are warned to pull up their socks. |
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Trader strangled in Tilak Nagar
New Delhi, August 31 According to the police, the victim has been identified as Gurucharan Singh, resident of Rajouri Garden. Singh was running a franchise of West Union Money Transfer. "The matter came to notice around 2 pm when a computer salesman Satish came to his office and found Singh lying on the floor with blood oozing from his mouth and a cable wire around his neck. The police rushed him to DDU Hospital, but he was declared brought dead," said a police official, adding that robbery does not seem to be the motive as several dollar bills were found lying in the office while around Rs 2 lakh in cash was found in the brief case kept there. "Prime facie it does not look like a case of robbery," said the official. The police has also learnt that five Nigerians had come to Singh's office early in the day. Efforts are being made to identify them.
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Woman murdered, house ransacked
New Delhi, August 31 Tthe victim has been identified as Meena Marwaha. She was attacked when she was cooking food in the kitchen. The police has found the house ransacked even as losses are yet to be ascertained by the family of the deceased. "The incident was reported around 2.30 pm and the entry to the house was friendly. Meena was attacked in the kitchen and later dragged to the drawing room where she was found lying dead in a pool of blood. She has deep knife injuries on the neck that probably led to her death. The bedroom was found ransacked. The family is yet to estimate the losses," said the police. |
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Biker shot at in Bawana road rage
New Delhi, August 31 According to the police, the incident was reported around 9 am in the Puth Khurd area of Bawana. The victim has been identified as Pradeep and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. "Pradeep was on his motorcycle when a Scorpio car coming from behind signalled for passage. However, by the time Pradeep could let them pass owing to traffic on the road, driver of Scorpio car got enraged and hit his bike from behind. As Pradeep fell down, one of the miscreants in car got down and shot at him. Luckily, the bullet grazed his thigh and a serious injury was averted," said a police official, adding that Pradeep was also hurt in the leg and back owing to skidding of his bike. He owns a mobile shop in the Bawana area. According to the police, Pradeep managed to remember the registration number of the car and police officials are now working to trace the vehicle.
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Boy’s body found in Delhi drain
New Delhi, August 31 The body has been sent to the LBS Hospital mortuary. The victim is yet to be indentified. "The body is in a decomposed state. Some passersby informed the police about it," said a police official. He added that the cause of the death would be ascertained only after the postmortem. The police believes that the boy died at least a week ago.
3 gangsters arrested
in Gzb
Ghaziabad: Three members of a gang were arrested here while they were allegedly planning to help the kingpin escape from police custody. The criminals-- Vikram, Sachin and Vineet-- hatched a plan to help their leader Amit Bhura, lodged in a Faridabad jail, escape police custody, district SSP Raghuvir Lal said. —PTI |
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3 killed, 16 hurt in accidents
Ghaziabad, August 31 While Rajesh Kumar (38), a resident of Bihar, was crushed by a speeding truck in the city, Manohar (40) died when a bus hit him in the Garhmukteshwar area. In another incident, 22-year-old Tika Ram, who hails from
Kotgaon, died after a truck hit him. In a separate incident, 14 people were injured when a three-wheeler overturned in Modinagar while two more persons were injured in Muradnagar after a bus hit them. -- PTI |
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Though the theme of the 17th Delhi Book Fair 2011 is 'Travel and Tourism', most of the publishers are not selling this genre of books and instead using it as a platform for their marketing and publicity.
Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated today with fervour across the national Capital by the people who arrived at mosques for prayers and then feasted and exchanged gifts with their loved ones.
