New Delhi, December 27
Even as heated discussions continued all day long in the Lok Sabha and an undeterred Anna Hazare held post at Azad Maidan Mumbai on his fast for a stronger Lokpal Bill, scenario at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi was missing the expected sheen of the movement.

The support wave that the Capital witnessed five months ago when Anna Hazare sat on an indefinite fast at the Ramlila Maidan was pretty much missing today. While some attributed it to the biting chill in the city, others said that the scenario was different since Anna himself wasn't here to encourage the crowd.

The scenario outside the ground also remained devoid of passionate supporters like at the previous protest. The ever honking traffic, the ecstatic vendors, ferocious youth, banners, posters and even the tight security in general was just not of the same quantum as the previous protest when Anna managed to attract over 20,000 people at the Maidan. The figure today would have been somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000.

Ever since morning, the crowd turnout at the Maidan remained disappointing. Even as the numbers improved as the day progressed, it fell terribly short of what the team Anna was expecting.

"It would be wrong to say that we were not expecting a better turnout. But the weather is really cold and foggy today. Also, it is a working day. People were expecting to see Anna, however, that also did not happen. We believe that people care about the movement and the real show will unfold once the jail bharo andolan starts on December 30," said a campaign volunteer managing the stage area at the Maidan today.

It was a delayed start for the team Anna's protest at the Maidan that aimed at expressing solidarity with Anna Hazare's fast in Mumbai.

The protest that was scheduled to start at 10 am started late. The main protest leader, Shanti Bhushan, arrived half an hour late at the podium.

Hazare was initially supposed to sit on a fast here but the venue was changed at the last minute due to the weather in the capital. Hazare is now staging a three-day fast in Mumbai and will then turn up in the capital for the jail bharo andolan.

Explaining the need for protest, Shanti Bhushan said, "The bill in its present form is unacceptable. Protest will continue and so will the jail bharo agitation. The government seems to believe that people's view is insignificant; it can do what it wants and not care about the people's views. And to top it all, they call themselves a participatory democracy."

Those who did turn up for the solidarity protest agreed that the numbers were better back in August, however, they swore of their support to Anna, no matter what.

"We are here to support him. Even if he is in Mumbai, Delhi hasn't forgotten about the cause. When Anna arrives on December 30, the support crowd will grow stronger. We will participate in the jail bharo andolan as well. We have already registered ourselves," said Salil Chopra, a BTech student from Indraprastha University at the Maidan today.

New Delhi, December 27
The mood at the Ramlila Ground today missed the colour and drama of the previous campaign held here around four months ago when Anna Hazare himself sat on the stage. Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan blamed the chilly and foggy weather for the low turnout in the morning.

"I am sure people will come. It is a cold and foggy day and supporters will take some time to reach. They will come, don't worry," Bhushan said.

The protest fast was scheduled for start at 10 am, but started 90 minutes late as the crowd was thin.

Shanti Bhushan came to the podium at 10.30 am. But in the meantime, his son and another Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan kept explaining to the media about the protest and the reason for the delayed start.

Activist Gopal Rai said winter and probably the absence of Hazare might be the reason for the low turnout.

"It is true that the crowd this time is less compared to the earlier occasions. But this does not mean that people are getting disillusioned with the movement. It is only because of winter and probably the absence of Hazare as he has shifted his protest to Mumbai for now," Rai said.

Explaining the need for the protest, Prashant said the bill in its present form was unacceptable.

"The government thinks it can do what it wants and not take people's view into consideration. How can it call itself a participatory democracy then?" he said.

"The bill requires amendments. The main aim of the protest is to spread awareness about the ineffectiveness of the bill," he said, adding that the government had presented a 'distorted' image of democracy.

"The present form of the bill promotes corruption and not curb it," he commented.

Maintaining that no compromises would be made on the four key demands made by Team Anna, Prashant Bhushan said the passage of a watered down Lokpal in Parliament would be meaningless.

New Delhi, December 27
The Anna effect seems to be taking over the city for the second time, with the Ramlila Grounds buzzing with activities as a three-day anti-corruption campaign was set in motion today.

Though the turn out of supporters at the ground was small due to the absence of Anna Hazare, the spirit soared high. Team Anna members like Prashant Bhushan, Shanti Bhushan, Gopal Rai, Sunita Guzara, Arvind Gaur and Sanjay Singh steered the campaign.

The team, which is campaigning to mobilise support for the Jan Lokpal, has already got the backing of more than 1.5 lakh people for its 'jail bahro' movement that will start on December 30. The highest number of registration has come from Delhi and the NCR, with 23,238 people volunteering their names. With 17,586 registrations, Mumbai is second on the list and is followed by other states of Maharastra with 16,733 volunteers.

India Against Corruption (IAC), the organisation of Team Anna, has launched a website 'jailchalo.com' to mobilise people to fight for the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill. People who are willing to go to jail for the cause have been asked to register their names with the portal.

Members of IAC said the 'jail bharo' movement would be held for three days from 30 December to January 1.

IAC is inviting suggestions from the citizens for making the Jan Lokpal stronger and people friendly.

Some supporters have suggested including yoga guru Ramdev and the RSS to mobilise support for the bill. One letter requested promotion of Hindi. Manak Vihar, a supporter, has urged people not to do business in the name of Anna.

One supporter has said "It is because of the pressure created by us that the government has extended the schedule of Parliament and is working overtime to pass the bill."

New Delhi, December 27
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today urged the National Capital Region (NCR) Planning Board to facilitate completion of eastern and western peripheral expressways to ensure that heavy transport vehicles did not pass through Delhi.

The NCR is becoming densely populated. There is a huge pressure on water, transport connectivity, health and education as five lakh people come to Delhi to settle down every year. Besides, population of NCR towns is also increasing.

Addressing a workshop - Strategies for Development of Metro Cities, Regional Centres and Counter-Magnet Areas -- organised by the NCR Planning Board today, Dikshit stressed the need for a common economic zone and common development zone to have a uniform pace of development resulting in a large number of employment opportunities throughout the NCR.

Dikshit stated that expressways are extremely important as a million of cars have been passing through the city which is already burdened with lakhs of vehicles. The eastern and western peripheral ways were envisaged to reduce congestion of traffic in Delhi. The Delhi government agreed to provide 50 per cent initial cost. It has already released its share of Rs 653.50 crore, though the response from a neighbouring state has been lukewarm. The project has not been completed in the stipulated period, resulting in traffic jams and wastage of fuel.

Raising the water issue, Dikshit said that her government was willing to settle the Munak canal tangle with the Haryana government. The Delhi government has been providing its share though the canal is yet to be completed. Its cost has crossed Rs 550 crore.

She urged the NCR Planning Board to use its influence in getting it operationalized. This concrete-lined canal will result in saving of over 150 cusec water, hitherto wasted in seepage and evaporation.

The Chief Minister also underlined the importance of the NCR Planning Board and stated that it must meet more often.

Delhi urban development minister A. K. Walia stated that all the NCR states must give equal importance to public and private healthcare facilities. It is felt that the neighbouring states have not developed enough public healthcare infrastructure. This leads to unmanageable overcrowding and stress on Delhi's hospitals. The same is the case in higher and technical education. Adjoining states must invest in public systems of healthcare and higher technical education, he added.

New Delhi, December 27
At a workshop organised by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in the Capital today, urban development minister Kamal Nath admitted that the urban planning in the National Capital Region has failed to keep pace with the increasing population.

Nath said the various infrastructural projects that have been taken up in the region recently could have extracted more economical value of the land.

He also lashed out at Delhi's lifeline 'Metro', saying that infrastructure projects such as Delhi Metro had failed to tap the economic value of the land.

Explaining the idea of monetization of land, he said that Delhi Metro could build commercial complexes alongside its routes to generate funds.

"The Delhi Metro should monetize land. Like wherever they are building their route and stations, they should also build a commercial complex," he added.

"The Master Plan should not be created looking at the past 30 years, but should be created looking at the coming 30 years. Population in NCR has increased and our planning could not match that pace. Now we are trying to plan from a perspective as to what would be the size of the population in 2015 or 2030," Nath said, addressing the media today.

New Delhi, December 27
Delhi may have to bid adieu to 2011 in a thick fog, according to senior officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Also, the temperature is expected to slide further in the coming days.

City residents continued to shiver today as the minimum temperature was recorded two notches below normal at 4.1 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature settled at 22.3 degree Celsius, three notches above normal.

There was fog in the morning that reduced the visibility to 150 metres, slowing down vehicular movement. However, there were no reports of any traffic pile-up. The fog returned in the evening and made it difficult for commuters to drive back home from offices.

At the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the fog reduced the runway visibility range. However, according to airport officials, the operations remained largely unaffected, though there were a couple of delays.

According to the Met department, the thick fog is likely to appear for the next 10 days. Also, the cold conditions will worsen.

Tomorrow, the minimum temperature is expected to be 5 degree Celsius and the maximum around 22 degree Celsius.

Noida, December 27
A man allegedly killed his wife and daughter and then hanged himself in Noida today.

Uma Kant Sundriyal, resident of sector E 27, said, "My elder son Shiva Anand along with his wife Hina and daughter Akrti lived on the first floor. This morning when they did not wake up, I went upstairs and knocked at the door. There was no response. I called the police and the door was broken open."

"To my shock, my son Shiva's body was hanging from the ceiling fan. His wife and daughter were found lying unconscious on bed. His body was pulled down. We took them to hospital where doctors declared them dead," said Sundriyal.

"Years ago, Hina with her elder sister Neha were living as tenants in the same room where she was found dead. Around three years ago, Hina married the landlord's son Shiva. Theirs was a love marriage," said a neighbour.

"Shiva worked with some call centre, but for the last two years, he had been unemployed. During this time, he would get some odd job for a few months. His wife was daughter of the owner of Lord Mahavira School. She was working at this school," said the neighbour.

"His younger brother Dev got married around three months ago. His too was a love marriage," he added.

"The bodies have been sent for postmortem," said Anant Dev, SP (City).

New Delhi, December 27
A 25-year-old maid allegedly upset by the strained relations with her husband, committed suicide today by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at the servant quarters of an Air Force officer's residence at Copernicus Marg.

Monica, a native of Uttar Pradesh, lived with her husband, Dharmender, and a two-year-old daughter, Deeksha, at the servant quarters of B-401, Shangli Apartments at Copernicus Marg.

Wing Commander B R Augustine lives in this residence. He has been on leave for a few days and was not present at home at the time of the alleged suicide.

A police official said that Monica had a fight with her husband this morning.

"Before Dharmender left for work, he scolded his wife and told her to keep Deeksha inside the house. He said that the residents do not like servant's children wandering in the area," added the official. Monica and Dharmender had been married for four years.

New Delhi, December 27
A 40-year-old man allegedly attempted to rape a 10-year-old girl when she was alone at her residence at Sherpur in Khajuri Khas yesterday.

According to the police, the victim and the accused, Babu alias Sikander (40) both live at Sherpur.

"The girl said that she was alone at home when Babu came inside about 3.30 pm. He gagged her and started undressing her. He then took her to the bed and tried to rape her. But then the girl’s paternal aunt came inside the room. Seeing her, Babu ran away from there," added the official.

After the girl's grandmother came back home, she was taken to the Khajuri Khas police station, where a complaint was lodged.

A medical examination of the girl has confirmed that she was not raped.

Babu was arrested and sent to judicial custody.

A case has been registered against him under Section 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and Section 376/511 (attempt to rape) of the Indian Penal Code.

New Delhi, December 27
A bribe of Rs 300 has landed a DDA official in jail, besides having to cough up a fine which is over 30 times the illegal gratification amount.

The section officer in the horticulture division of the DDA was sentenced to two and half years in jail and fined Rs 10,000 by special judge BR Kedia for demanding a bribe of Rs 300 in 2006.

In August 2006, Dalip Kumar lodged a complaint with the anti-corruption branch that section officer Dhirender Verma had demand Rs 300 bribe for allowing him to reside in a pump house in DDA Park, Mayur Vihar, Phase II.

Kumar deposed in the court that he, along with his family, was residing in the pump house as an officer of the horticulture department.

However, after Kumar had retired, Verma demanded Rs 200 for letting him reside in the pump house, which he paid.

Thereafter, in August, 2006, Verma demanded Rs 300 from Kumar. Kumar then lodged a complaint.

"Accused Dhirender Verma stands convicted for offence punishable under Section 7 (public servant taking illegal gratification) and 13 (2) read with Section 13 (1)(d) (criminal misconduct by public servant) of Prevention of Corruption Act," the court said. The court, however, accepted his plea for suspension of sentence and granted him bail till January 6, 2012. — PTI

New Delhi, December 27
The south west district police has arrested three persons who allegedly conned job seekers by promising them employment in the railway sector after being paid Rs 50 lakh.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), south-west, Anil Kumar Ojha said that several victims - Kishan Kumar, Raju, Anil Kumar, Jai Prakash, Rakesh and Manish - together lodged a complaint at the Bindapur police station. They claimed that they were cheated by Amar Thakur, Arun Dubey, Chandra Thakur, Rajeev Thakur, Daleep Thakur and Prahalad Thakur, who promised to provide them employment in the railway sector.

Arun contacted them and boasted of having good relations with the officials of the railway department. He also said that he could provide them employment in the railway sector in Kolkata and Patna, after receiving a payment of Rs 4 lakh.

The complainants were desperately searching for jobs and therefore, paid Rs 4 lakh per recruitment.

The victims were called to Kolkata for a medical examination. They were also given fake appointment letters.

"One complainant, Kishan, joined as an employee at the Railway workshop in Howrah, West Bengal, but he was expelled. The victim learnt that his employment was fake. He informed other complainants who went to Arun, but he was missing from his residence," added the DCP.

On December 14, the police received intelligence that one of the accused Amar was hiding at his in-laws' house in Guwahati. A Delhi police team reached the city and raided his hideout. The police apprehended Amar and brought on a transit remand to Delhi.

The police learnt that Amar had a fake identity in the name of Sandeep Aggarwalla.

During the interrogation, he confessed to being involved in the racket for the past two years.

The police also arrested two other accused Vikas and Amit Singh who were the mastermind of the racket.

"Amar said that he and his associates cheated a dozen people. They have been able to conceal their identities and evade arrest for a long time. A massive hunt has been launched to nab the other members of the gang. The accused also made a fake website of the railway recruitment board of Kolkata to deceive people," added the DCP.

The police has seized forged medical papers and fake appointment letters from Amar.

New Delhi, December 27
The national Capital celebrated 100 years of Delhi with Yaadgar-e-Ghalib, the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Mirza Ghalib today.

On the 214th birth anniversary of the great Urdu poet Ghalib, his haveli at Gali Qasim Jaan Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, is displaying his rare personal belongings. His memorabilia, famous letters and soundtrack of his works were inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

The event also featured a documentary film "Yaadgar-e-Ghalib", written and directed by Kathak danseuse Uma Sharma.

The exhibition is a joint effort of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in association with the Government of Delhi. It will become a permanent exhibition at his haveli with Ghalib's life, his writings, costumes, photographs of his life and incidents related to his times. This will also be enhanced by providing soundtracks of his work as a permanent display feature.

"The highlight of this year is the remarkable transformation of Ghalib's haveli with the objective to make it an important marker on the heritage tourism trail of Delhi," said Suresh K Goel, director-general of the ICCR.

"Since we cannot display the original items because of security reasons, we have digital replicas of his letters and other personal belongings. It is for the first time that celebrations have been extended to three days."

Tomorrow, on December 28, the ICCR will also sponsor an Urdu comic play by Peirrots Troupe with Tom Alter's - "Ghalib in New Delhi" at the India Islamic centre.

Famous lyricist and poet Gulzar and Ambassador of India to Bhutan Pavan K Varma will also be present on the occasion.

"Ghalib in New Delhi" has been dubbed as the "most brilliant comedy in recent times". The plot revolves around Ghalib who decides to visit his beloved "Dehli". However, ironically "Delhi" has now changed. The entire plot revolves around Ghalib striving around an ever-present identity crisis, beginning with the occupants of his haveli mistaking him as Ghalib's "jinn". His worth is only recognised through the voice of Jagjit Singh and the screen portrayal of Nasreeruddin Shah.

Persuaded by the duo and in desperate need of recognition, Ghalib decides to sell himself.

The consequent press conference and Ghalib opting for an advertising agency to perpetuate his presence in the minds of the people is one of the best sequences of the play.

New Delhi, December 27
A resolution adopted by the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) said that the Delhi government was not performing its duties in respect of the forthcoming Delhi Sikh gurdwara elections in the streamline manner.

A low number of Sikh voters has so far been registered.

Having seen this it appears that the government favours Sarna brothers who have been ruling the gurudwara committee for the past many years, the resolution said.

The committee had not been able to maintain the land and other properties of the gurdwaras in Delhi, including parking lots and hospitals. The injustice to the victims of 1984-Sikh riots and the failure of the government to rehabilitate the distressed families was strongly condemned, the resolution said.

It is shameful that instead of helping the poor Sikh children, money is being spent on gold plating the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. In spite of high cost of living, the committee is not increasing the salaries of its staff.

The SAD (Badal) has promised to support the campaign launched by the Sikhs worldwide, especially in France with regard to the respect of the turban offered to the Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, the 10th Guru of Sikhs.

The government of India is appealed to elaborate this issue to the Government of France, the resolution added.

The government's ignorance about the migrated Sikh and Hindu families from Kabul, Afghanistan, is highly criticised. The government is denying these families with the rights of benefits of the Indian citizenship and the appeal is being made to the Government of India to provide permanent citizenship of India to these migrants.

The Anand Marriage Act had been recognised by the British government but was secluded from the Indian law after Independence. The registration of Sikh marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act is condemned.

The Act should be immediately restored which is suppressed in the legal system of the government despite their assurance in this regard from time to time.

New Delhi, December 27
A vegetable seller has been freed by a Delhi court, which slammed the police for invoking a stringent law meant to deal with criminal gangs and keeping him behind bars without evidence.

Rajeev, who was jailed for offences under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, was freed by additional session judge Sanjeev Aggarwal in an order made available Tuesday.

"The investigating agencies are directed to be careful in future before invoking the provisions of the MCOCA against any individual without proper material and home work," the court said.

The police arrested Rajeev in 2011 and claimed he was an accomplice of interstate gangster and contract killer Amit.

"The accused was only involved with accused Amit in a case at Haryana, in which he was acquitted on October 23, 2003. There is no other involvement of this accused, either prior to this FIR or after that with the syndicate or organised criminal gang," the court said.

The court observed that Rajeev was earning a living from selling vegetables and cleaning utensils at marriage functions.

Judge Aggarwal said that during the investigations no evidence could be collected to establish any nexus between the organised crime syndicate being run by accused Amit and Rajeev.

According to investigators Amit was arrested on February 22, 2006. During questioning, he had revealed the names of his 31 accomplices, including Rajeev. — IANS

New Delhi, December 27
Four persons, including two women, were arrested here in two cases of drug peddling, the police today. The police claimed to have seized 38 kg charas and 150 gram heroin worth around Rs 1.85 crore.

Bihari Lal (40) and Rakesh Kumar (35) were apprehended from Rohini on December 19 allegedly with 38 kg charas worth around Rs 1.70 crore, DCP (crime) Ashok Chand said.

"They had procured charas from Bihar. They carried drugs in small bags and travelled in public vehicles. They kept their bags at some distance from their seats and kept a watch over it. If the luggage was checked in transit, they would not claim it and abandoned it," he said.

In the second case, two women -- Ajmeri (27) and Lovely (28) -- were arrested from near Nirman Vihar Metro Station in east Delhi on December 23 allegedly with 150 gm heroin worth around Rs 15 lakh.

Ajmeri told the police that since her husband was a drug addict, she started business of artificial jewellery to earn money but could not earn enough to meet her expenses.

"To meet the expenses of her family, she started trafficking drugs. She procured drug from her contacts and sold it through her associate Lovely. Ajmeri had earlier been arrested twice in cases of drug trafficking," Chand said.

Lovely had been living with Ajmeri for the past 10 years and had been assisting her in trafficking of drugs in Delhi and Loni in Uttar Pradesh, he added. — PTI