New Delhi, September 12
Fearing terror attacks on the third anniversary of the September 13, 2008 serial blasts here that left 26 dead and over 100 injured, the Delhi police, which is still groping for clues to crack the Delhi High Court blast case, is known to have deployed close to 12,000 personnel across vital installments, including shopping plazas, cinema halls, railway and Metro stations and entry points to the national capital. The police is keeping a strong vigil on railway stations and bus stands, the usual modes of transport used by terrorists.

Already on a high alert following the blast in court, the police has put in extra security following an email received by it that claimed that the next attack would be made on a shopping mall on Tuesday.

"We are not taking any chances. It would be a folly to think that the email is a prank," said a senior police official.

He added that the beat constables had been asked to keep an eye on any suspicious person or thing.

Barricades have been put up on hundreds of roads across the city and extensive vehicle searches are being carried out. The district police chiefs have been directed to go on night rounds to police stations and vital installments in their area.

"All DCPs have been asked to make surprise visits to their respective areas and keep the force motivated and alert. Any suspected person has to be detained without any fear. Everything possible should be done to avert any untoward incident," said the official.

He added that a meeting of senior Delhi police officials led by police commissioner BK Gupta was held this morning.

New Delhi, September 12
After sustaining severe limb factures in the last week's bomb blast, Harish Kumar (41) managed to sail through the life-threatening condition, but couldn't escape from the rude reality of lifelong disability.

It was a tough decision for the family even as doctors had given the indication earlier that his left leg was critical due to obstructed blood supply. But the family, with his brother sitting inside the resuscitation room (RR) beside bed number two, was finding it hard to believe.

"It wasn't easy when the doctors said that his leg might be amputated. He is now on strong antibiotics given intravenously," said his brother-in-law in the evening.

"His left leg couldn't be saved. The patient's wound wasn't healing despite being debrided in order to avoid septicemia and we had to amputate it below the ankle today. He is fine now and is in the RR," said orthopaedic surgeon Dr Anil Mehtani at the hospital.

Among the reported 76 injured, Harish is not alone who now has to live with the visible scars of the blast, as on the first day itself, two other patients-Ratan Lal Saraf and Mridul Bakshi —were operated upon for limb removal and a day after another Vipin Kumar Gautam also had to be bilaterally amputated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre. It has been a tough task to prepare the families for the painful consent.

Further, the risk of amputation looms large on another patient Mukesh Arora (33) who is admitted to bed no 10 at RML's RR. His family hopes for some miracle that can make Mukesh walk back on his legs.

"He may require an amputation if the blood supply to his limb doesn't improve. He was debrided today and doctors are observing his condition. We just hope that he can walk again," said Sudhir, Mukesh's brother.

Confirming Mukesh's condition Dr Mehtani said, "Mukesh's limb is bad. He had come with a severed leg, but the damage was repaired and the blood circulation has improved. We have to wait and watch."

Earlier, chief medical officer Dr Sunil Saxena said there was some improvement in the status of Ratan Lal. However, he continued to be in a critical state in the trauma ICU while Mridul, with multiple injuries, has been recuperating on the ventilator.

At RML, five patients (involving soft tissue injuries) were discharged during the day. Of the remaining patients with orthopaedic injuries, two are undergoing treatment in the swine flu unit, four-five patients are in the RR, three in the ward apart from the one in the ICU, said Dr Mehtani.

New Delhi, September 12
Further compensation could spell out some solace for scores of blast-hit families. In this regard, many relatives of the blast victims met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit this evening and submitted a written appeal to her.

In their request, they mentioned the plight of several victims and said the meager compensation is hardly enough for rehabilitation which could take a long time, depending on how well the patient is responding to the treatment.

Deepak, son of Ratan Lal whose survival is still uncertain even after both his legs have been amputated, said, "It is both physical and emotional trauma for all those who are permanently incapacitated and we requested the Chief Minister that victims should be provided with a source of income in the form of a job. We also said that they could be provided with pension or some other viable option as per situation."

In the letter, they asked for an assurance that the patients would be offered post-discharge treatment till their full recovery. For a smooth rehabilitation, the families suggest that the injured should be issued a card so that they can visit the hospital in case of an emergency.

"There are patients who had to undergo several surgeries and they are being given a paltry amount of Rs 10,000. Such families have to be adequately compensated by giving them some source of income," said Ashok Randhawa, who is a survivor of the Sarojini Nagar bomb blast.

And to their relief, the Chief Minister would be visiting the hospital at 10:30 am tomorrow to see the injured.

"She has assured us that she will look into the matter and individually meet each patient and then decide. The mistake, if any, will be corrected and all the affected will be compensated depending on the requirements of their families and the extent of injuries," said Deepak.

New Delhi, September 12
Taking a major step towards introducing Citizen's Charter in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the civic agency today announced to bring five major public services under e-service level agreements (e-SLA).

The step is taken to bring transparency, accountability and effectiveness in delivery of civic services through e-governance.

This empowers the citizen to monitor the status of any application by logging on to the MCD website and entering the transaction ID number of the application. If the service is not provided within the specified time-frame, the citizen is entitled to seek a compensatory cost for each day of delay at the rate of Rs 10 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 200 per application, which shall be payable by the competent officer appointed under the act.

For works like park and community hall booking, the MCD official can take only one day, for works related to health, trade, factory and general licences, the agency will have to complete the file in maximum 60 days whereas issue of birth and death documents should take not more than seven days.

Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi said the new trend in e-governance reflected the recognition of citizens' "right-based" approach of the MCD. The e-SLAs would come into effect from September 15. With the introduction of e-SLA, the citizens would be able to obtain the services with convenience and expedition.

The senior functionaries of the MCD expressed hope that bringing the five services namely health trade licence, park booking, community hall booking, general trade licence, factory licence under the e-SLA will empower the citizens in substantial measure.

New Delhi, September 12
The BJP said that the Delhi Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services Act was passed on March 28, 2011, but due to the pressure of tainted ministers and officers in the government, it could not be implemented. The Chief Minister is now misleading the people by talking about its implementation with effect from September 15.

The BJP wants that there should be strong, impartial and effective Citizen's Charter in Delhi so that the people bearing the brunt of corruption may get some relief, said Delhi party chief Vijender Gupta.

He said that just a few days ago, the Chief Minister admitted that touts are active in government departments and no work of the common man is done without their help.

Earlier, the Chief Minister always stated that her government provided transparent and time-bound services without the use of any bribe. Now in view of the ensuing municipal elections, she is talking about corruption in the government departments in order to win the trust of the common man. This exposes the dual character of the Chief Minister and the Congress, Vijender said.

Law framed by the Delhi government to provide time-bound services to the people is very weak, he added.

New Delhi, September 12
Jamia Millia Islamia today announced that it would slam a libel case against Prof PK Basu, a guest lecturer, who was caught making sectarian remarks during a class at Jamia on September 9.

Following the blasts at the Delhi High Court, Basu told students, "This is a minority university, you are all idiots, you are all illiterates, why I am wasting my time here."

The students reported the incident to the faculty at Jamia.

Dr Simi Malhotra, the spokesperson at Jamia, said, "Prof Basu openly made communal remarks in front of his students during a class. His remarks were against both the students and the varsity. This caused a great resentment among students. This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated at Jamia. The students and the faculty are outraged. The university has a zero-tolerance policy against sectarian and communal elements of any hue. Jamia has taken the decision to prosecute Prof Basu for libel."

Basu was teaching management. After the incident, the students decided to boycott his classes. They wrote a letter to Prof UM Amin, honorary director, and asked him to take action against him. They also led a signature campaign against the lecturer on September 9 and tried to build a consensus among students against his comments.

However, students at Jamia now said they were well content with the administration's action. Farhan Ahman, a student, said, "I was horrified to hear Prof Basu's comments while attending his class. We never thought that a faculty member at Jamia would fall as low as to make such comments, this sort of behaviour is unheard of. I think that the Jamia administration has taken firm action. A case is the least of what he deserves."

Rashmi, another student, said, "I heard from my friends about the comments made by Prof Basu. It is horrifying that a respected academic can be so communal. Such behaviour from him is shameful. I think Jamia has reacted swiftly and taken timely action. A case is just what he deserves for insulting students and university the way he did."

Kunal Mishra, a student, said, "We reported the incident to both the director and the faculty at Jamia. Students also ran a signature campaign against Basu. We were shocked at his outburst and I would never have imagined that a faculty member at Jamia would make communal comments."

New Delhi, September 12
The newly-elected Delhi University Students Union has a visible rift, with the president's post with the Congress-backed NSUI and the rest three with the BJP-supported ABVP.

Both the parties foresee the problem of consensus on major issues since they are usually at loggerheads with each other.

All the four new office-bearers have their own agendas and are worried that chaos and anarchy may take over the union if they fail to work together as a team.

Ajay Chikara, the NSUI candidate who bagged the post of president, said that his focus would be to make the university a safer place for the female students.

Chikara defeated his nearest rival Neha Singh of the ABVP by a margin of 2,357 votes. While Chikara polled 11,164 votes, Singh got 8,807 votes.

Twenty-three-year-old Chikara, a final year student of the Faculty of Law, said he would try to make DU a world-class university.

However, when asked if he was worried that he might be reduced to a lame duck president with all other members from a rival party, he said, "We have to work together despite of our differences. But if other members insist on their stubborn ways, I will have to put my foot down as the president. We are answerable to the students. I hope we will work out a way to work together."

Chikara was recently in the limelight after a FIR was filed against him and some fellow NSUI members for allegedly beating up some boys in the university.

"The dream of the NSUI will be taken forward. We will work for the betterment of the university by providing facilities to the foreign students, upgrading safety for girls and improving the libraries and hostels. We will try our best to help the outstation students," Chikara said.

The young leader recently met Congress leader and youth icon Rahul Gandhi who congratulated him on his victory.

"Rahul Gandhi advised me to do my best to help the students who have showed faith in me," Chikara said.

On the other hand, the new joint secretary, Deepak Bansal of the ABVP, who made news during the campaigning for being involved in a brawl in April this year, seemed happy with the party's performance in the polls.

"We have a majority. Even if the NSUI has the president's post, we have the majority. I don't think there should be much of a problem. Most decisions in the union are taken with a majority vote. I am sure the president would not want a union who isn't onboard with him. In the end, everyone has to work together for the interests of the students," said Bansal who said his focus would be on improving hostel amenities and solving the basic problems faced by the students every day.

Vice-president Vikas Choudhary added, "We are happy with the way the ABVP has performed in the elections. If there is any rift, it will show up with time. I think things would work out if we work as a DUSU panel and not as ABVP and NSUI members." 

New Delhi, September 12
A youth, convicted for trying to sexually abuse a nine-year-old girl and sentenced to six months in jail, has been let off on probation after paying a compensation of Rs 10,000 to the victim.

Additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar, designated to hear cases pertaining to child victims, let off east Delhi resident Vicky Prakash on probation on his plea for leniency which said that he had been facing trial since 2009 and had "learnt a lesson how to live in civilised society".

"The ends of justice will meet if convict is released on probation for period of six months with direction to pay compensation of Rs 10,000 to the victim," the judge said. During the probation, the convict will have to keep the court satisfied with his good behaviour and conduct.

The court had convicted Vicky relying on the testimonies of the victim and her mother who had caught him red-handed in her house while trying to sexually abuse the girl.

The girl told the court on the fateful day in May 2009, she was all alone in her house as her brother and mother had gone out for work. She said Vicky, known to the family, came in and forcibly sat on her bed and tried to abuse her.

She said when she tried to flee, Vicky stopped her. But her mother happened to return and Vicky hid behind a fridge. As the girl narrated the incident to her mother, she caught hold of the youth and handed him over to the police.

The court convicted Vicky on the charge of using criminal force to outrage the modesty of the girl. -- PTI