New Delhi, January 4
Five persons, including two children and a senior citizen, were killed while eight were injured when the roof of a one-storey house collapsed, reportedly due to an explosion caused by a leaking liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder at Mundka in West Delhi this morning.

The police said that the incident occurred about 7 am when most of the occupants of the house were asleep.

Additional Commissioner of Police (West District) V Renganathan said, "The air in the house was filled with the smell of gas. According to preliminary investigations, there was a possible gas leak from a cylinder and a spark thereafter caused the explosion. However, the exact cause of the collapse will only be ascertained by the statements of injured persons."

The injured are identified as Pushpa Devi (30), Badri Mandal (35), Sujai Mandal (18), Devo Mandal (19), Brij Mohan (19), Anjali Mandal (10), Bittu (15) and Ganesh (60). The deceased are Hema (8), Avinash (12), Santosh (18), Pawan (32) and Supan Singh (60), according to the police.

The victims lived in the three adjoining rooms of the same house, which had a compound at the back and a narrow concrete enclosure at the entrance of a neighbouring house.

The victims' relatives said that the occupants belonged to a close-knit family. Supan Singh lived with his wife, Sheila Devi and sons, Lavkush and Santosh in one of the rooms.

The adjoining room was occupied by Badri Mandal, his wife, Pushpa Devi and children, Bittu, Hema, Avinash and Anjali.

"Sheila and Badri are siblings, who have been staying here with their families since 2010. Pawan and Brij Mohan were staying with them because they all belonged to the same village," added a source.

The room located near the yellow gateway of the collapsed house was occupied by Devo, Ganesh Mandal, Sujai and Mrigan Mandal. They are natives of West Bengal.

A police official said, "All the occupants of the house were related to one another. The house collapsed because of an explosion due to gas leakage. The leak was from a cylinder located inside the house and when someone switched on the television, a spark from it caused the explosion."

However, one Devinder Gupta, who is acquainted with Sheila, Badri and their families, said, "The roof of the house fell due to its weak foundation and not because of an explosion from a leaking cylinder. The television ignited when there was a spark from a socket near it."

New Delhi, January 4
Twelve-year-old Lavkush narrowly escaped death as he had gone to stay at a friend's house last night.

This morning, his friend woke him up and gave him the news about the roof collapse.

It was the news that made Lavkush sad and worried about his family, including his elder brother, Santosh and father, Supan Singh who had passed away. As he searched for his possessions in the rubble, a policeman called out to him.

An ashen-faced Lavkush answered the questions related to the incident without exchanging glances with anyone. His voice reflected the anguish within him.

"I had slept in my friend's house last night. This morning, he woke me up and told me that the roof of my house had collapsed. I reached home and saw that there was rubble all around. My mother had been boiling water for a cup of tea and when she went to the bathroom, she heard a loud explosion. In this incident, I have lost my father, Supan Singh and elder brother, Santosh," he said.

Lavkush stopped speaking soon after. In fact, his voice was drowned out by neighbours and relatives who were giving their own reasons for the roof collapse. His cousin, Bittu, a skinny 15-year-old teenager, while standing at a corner, quietly recalled his misery.

"I was sleeping in one of the rooms when the roof of the house suddenly collapsed. I was stuck beneath the rubble and was shouting for help. Some people heard me and pulled me out. But, some of my siblings were not that fortunate. I lost my sister, Hema and my brother, Avinash. My father, Badri who got injured is attending to my mother, Pushpa Devi and sister, Anjali at the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital," he said.

New Delhi, January 4
The city police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have been asked by a Delhi court to evolve a mechanism for ensuring safety of old buildings facing the risk of collapse due to unauthorised construction or demolition in it or due to that in an adjacent building.

Special CBI Judge AK Mendiratta gave the order while dismissing the bail plea of an alleged contractor Jalaluddin, arrested for his criminal culpability in the September 2011 collapse of an old building in the Chandni Mahal area, killing seven people and injuring 23 others, during some construction in its adjacent portion.

The court also asked the commissioners of Delhi police and the MCD to fix the onus on their officials for unauthorised constructions or demolitions of buildings in their areas, often resulting in fatal incidents.

"Irrespective of the investigation in the present case (of Chandni Mahal building collapse), it needs to be ensured by the MCD and the police that in cases of unauthorised demolition and construction of old structures, some preventive action is immediately taken to ensure the safety of adjacent buildings to avoid loss of precious lives," the court said.

"To ensure safety of buildings adjacent to those under unauthorised construction some modalities and guidelines need to be laid down and followed by the commissioner of the MCD in consultation with the commissioner of police, Delhi, to ensure timely action where unauthorised demolition and construction of buildings is carried," the court added.

Ordering fixation of onus on erring policemen and MCD officials, the court disfavoured redtapism to obfuscate the issue and said "only paperwork may be insufficient as the builder/owner are normally able to achieve their nefarious designs by colluding with officials before any penal action is taken."

The court also sought a probe into the role of local police and MCD officials in the Chandni Mahal building collapse.

"The role of the local police, which remained silent till the entire building was demolished, also needs to be looked into to prevent similar incidents wherein seven precious lives are lost," the court said.

While rejecting Jalaluddin's bail and his contention of getting parity with co-accused Anil who has already been granted bail, the court said "the case of the applicant cannot be said to be analogous to Anil as the applicant was the contractor and the demolition of the adjacent structure had been carried out without ensuring the structural safety of the other parts of the building." — PTI

New Delhi, January 4
The winter chill was back in the capital with heavy fog this morning. Even as the sky remained clear, there was a spell of cold throughout the day. The minimum temperature today settled one degree above the average at 8° C.

For tomorrow, the weather department has predicted rain in the capital and has also hinted at a further rise of chill in the air over the coming days.

An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "The city is likely to see rain tomorrow. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to oscillate between a high and low of 23° and 10° C."

The maximum temperature today settled at 21.8° C. Humidity level was recorded between a high and a low of 97 and 47 per cent.

The fog this morning affected close to 100 train schedules.

According to the Northern Railway data on the website, more than 98 trains to and from Delhi are affected due to the foggy conditions throughout northern India. While 30 trains were cancelled today, more than 68 trains were running late by more than an hour.

Air traffic at the Indira Gandhi International airport today functioned normally with no flight cancelled due to fog or bad weather in New Delhi, said an official at Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

However, flights were affected due to bad weather at destination airports. While six have to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions at the destinations, eight were reportedly cancelled due to technical and operational reasons. Another 15 flights were delayed due to bad weather at the destination, while 40 were delayed due to technical and operational reasons, the statement added.

New Delhi, January 4
Leading public schools in Delhi are likely to earn revenue of over Rs 1,200 crore through sale of nursery admission forms this year as against nearly Rs 1,000 crore in previous year, according to a recent analysis by apex industry body, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Parents will have to embark to nearly 30 schools and might end up spending over Rs 20,000 for nursery admission of their kids this year, according to a report titled "Nursery Admission: Nightmare for Parents?" released by the Assocham.

In order to curb an increasing menace in private schools, especially in metros like Delhi, NCR, the Assocham has mooted a proposal for a centralised nursery admission form for all sections to the department of education (DTE).

DS Rawat, secretary general, Assocham, said, "Nursery admission has become an anxiety-ridden mission for parents seeking to secure a seat for their tiny tots in reputed pubic schools due to limited number of days for sale of admission forms."

The paper revealed that parents these days maintain a budget of about Rs 15,000 to 20,000 for applying in leading schools only. For parents, it is sort of a wild shot as even after shelling out so much of money there is no certainty that their children will eventually get through that school.

There are over 3,000 public schools in Delhi which normally sell prospectus, containing details about admission processes in their respective schools for a sum of Rs 500-1,000.

"Due to a recent notification of the Delhi government vis-à-vis 25 per cent reservation for children belonging to economically weaker sections, seats for general candidates have shrunk drastically, thereby, making it tough for parents who will have to throng about 25 to 30 schools for their children's admission," said Rawat.

The cost of prospectus for nursery admission in metro centres has spiked by nearly 10 times during the course of past decade, according to the Assocham.

The price of prospectus for nursery and KG is costlier than that of Delhi University, IIMs, IICA and IICS which really provide qualitative education, points out the study.

The study further highlights that generally parents are bound to buy prospectus as these contain important details about admission procedure along with the admission forms.

"Soaring price of admission forms in most of private schools in metros have disturbed the budget of even well to do families. Education is now being run like a commercial business enterprise these days," added Rawat.

As per the chamber estimates, over 60 million children are studying in private schools charging hefty fees.

New Delhi, January 4
The Delhi government has started process to appoint the directorate of the MCD who divide the entire corporation in three parts - north Delhi MCD, south Delhi MCD and east Delhi MCD.

The process will be completed within one month, said minister of state for urban development AK Walia.

The director will decide that how many officials and other employees will be given to each corporation. At present there is one municipal commissioner and heads of each department.

Now there will be municipal commissioner in each MCD and head of the departments.

He said the director would also decide about share of the MCD properties, revenue, schools, dispensaries, drains, roads and headquarters of the each MCD.

According to sources, the east Delhi MCD headquarters will be in DSIIDC office at Karkardooma, north Delhi MCD in Town Hall and south Delhi office in Civic Centre.

The sources also said that according to law, principal secretary of the urban development would be director of the MCD.

He said that these administrative works would be completed before the municipal elections that would be held in April.

However, Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that he would try to get the present system of the MCD changed into the Mayor-in-Council as this system would not be suitable.

Now each corporation will have a commissioner, Mayor, standing committee chairman and they will be controlled by the director of the MCD. The executive powers will be in the hands of the director. If Mayor-in-Council is made, the executive powers will be with elected representatives.

Noida, January 4
The Noida Women Entrepreneurs' Association today wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, requesting her to abolish entry tax.

Last month, the high court dismissed traders and industrialists' petition against entry tax.

"Today we wrote to the UP Chief Minister. We have stated that if 2 per cent entry tax is not waived off, it will affect industrial growth in the state. It is not justified to charge tax even for movement of goods within the state from one district to other," said Vimla Batham, president of association.

Traders and industrialists had challenged the validity of the UP Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Areas Act, 2007, on the grounds of lack of the legislative competence of UP of enactment, as also violation of freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse guaranteed under the Constitution.

The Second State Finance Commission (2001-06) of UP had observed that octroi used to be the most important source of revenue for urban local bodies in the state. The collection of octroi was full of deficiencies, malpractice and caused harassment. It also imposed negative economic costs due to impediments on movement of goods carriers, leading to wastage of fuel and substantial time delays.

A decision was taken at the national level to abolish octroi and to compensate local bodies through matured mechanisms for the loss of revenue cost. The UP Taxation Enquiry Committee 1980 recommended abolition of octroi. In the alternative it suggested levy of entry tax on selected commodities.

Court in its order delivered on Friday held that UP did not lack legislative competence in enacting the UP Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Areas Act, 2007, imposing tax on the entry of scheduled goods into the local areas for consumption, use or sale there under.

"In the name of abolishing the sales tax and octroi, the state governments only played fool of businessmen and industrialists. They just changed the name of sale tax to trade tax and then to commercial tax. Octroi too was brought again in the name of entry tax," said Vipin Malhan, president the Noida Entrepreneurs' Association.

New Delhi, January 4
The Delhi police has arrested a third member of the college staff, Manish for his alleged involvement in the Ramjas College marksheet scam.

Sources said that 11 more cases of cancelled admissions that were secured on the basis of forged marksheets have been unearthed.

However, a police official said that they have not received complaints about such cases.

A source said, "The 11 cases were about students cancelling their admission to Ramjas College, which were secured on forged marksheets. The admissions were taken for the BCom (honours) and BA (pass) courses. Three second-year students are also involved in these 11 cases."

Manish, who is a contractual employee of the Ramjas College, was arrested about a week ago. The first college employee to be arrested was Subhash Chand, a botany lab assistant. Thereafter, an office assistant, Raje Singh was also apprehended.

A police official said, "We have again taken custody of Subhash Chand to ascertain whether he is involved in more cases. There are a couple of more staffers to be arrested."

The police has till date arrested 16 people in the Ramjas College marksheet scam.

New Delhi, January 4
A Blueline bus driver, sentenced to six months in jail for causing grievous injuries to a woman passenger by his rash driving, has been let off by a Delhi court with a fine on the ground that he had been facing the trial for over 13 years.

Additional sessions judge Lal Singh modified driver Raghunath's sentence awarded by the magisterial court after he showed repentance for his act and assured the court that he would be a "useful citizen in society" in future.

The judge showed leniency to the driver as he had four minor children and was the sole earning member of the family. Also, the driver prayed that he had been facing trial in the case since 1998.

"The accused (Raghunath) is stated to be having four young children. The youngest girl is two years old and he is the sole bread earner in his family. Keeping in view this fact, the accused deserves some leniency. In my view, Raghunath deserves an opportunity to reform himself without going to jail," the judge said.

"The present case is concerned to 1998 and the appellant (Raghunath) had been facing the trial for such a long period. Otherwise also, the accused has reflected repentance and assured to be a useful citizen in society in future," the judge said.

The court, however, said from the testimonies of the witnesses and the case record, it was clear that Raghunath was negligent and the accident was caused due to his rash driving.

"It is amply clear that Raghunath was negligent and had started the bus without ensuring that all the passengers had alighted. It was clear that the accident was caused due to Raghunath's rash and negligent driving," the court said.

The case dates back to February 22, 1998, when victim Anjana Mandal along with her family members had boarded the bus from Laxmi Nagar to go to Gole Market.

According to the prosecution, when the bus stopped at a traffic signal at Punchkuyian Road, the conductor asked the passengers to alight there. But when Mandal was getting down, the driver suddenly started the bus and the victim fell down and her leg came under the wheels of the vehicle.

When the passengers raised the alarm, Bihar native Raghunath ran away, leaving the bus at the spot.

Mandal had suffered multiple fractures in her left leg and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Raghunath said at the time of the incident, there were around 100 passengers in the bus and so he was not in a position to see all of them from the rear view mirror.

He said he had stopped the bus at the red light and when the signal turned green, he started the bus and it was the negligence of the passengers who began alighting from the bus. — PTI

New Delhi, January 4
Water supply will be irregular in some areas of the city due to cleaning of underground water tanks.

The water will not be available in the overhead tanks in the areas of Sarojini Nagar and South Avenue for three days from January 5 to 7.

The affected areas include Africa Avenue, 6th Cross Road, I-Avenue and entire South Avenue MP Bungalow, Kushak Road, Krishna Menon Marg, Duplex Road and adjoining area, said an NDMC official.

Due to annual flushing programme in reservoirs and booster pumping station, water supply will be available at low pressure on January 6 in the areas of Munirka Enclave, Chilla DDA Flats, Bapa Nagar, Tank Road, Dev Nagar, Old Seemapuri, DG-II, New Vikaspuri area, DG-II Vikaspuri area, C-4/D block Janakpuri, Inderpuri, GH-9 Paschim Vihar area, 356 Madipur, Sectors 11, 3 and 7 of Rohini.

The other areas are C-1/A Block Janakpuri, Hari Nagar area, Inderpuri, GH-10 Paschim Vihar area, 468 Madipur area, Munirka DDA Flats, Qutab and C-Block Seemapuri.

Residents are advised to store sufficient quantity of water in advance as per their requirement, said an official at Delhi Jal Board.

Ghaziabad, January 4
A day after a triple murder in this town neighbouring the national Capital, the Ghaziabad police was yet to effect any arrest in the killing here of a migrant worker's wife, sister and brother.

Two suspects were questioned in the case, the police said today.

Migrant worker Sonu's wife Arti, 20, his sister Khushboo, 15, and bother Monu, 12, were found murdered in Sandeep Colony around 6 pm yesterday. Arti's one-month-old baby was not harmed.

"We have questioned two people but till now have not found any substantial clue to solve the case," said circle officer Rajesh Bharti.

"Mithlesh and Ramesh, being questioned, are residents of the same colony," he said.

At the time of the incident, Sonu, the main earning member of the family from Bihar, was away at work. The bodies were discovered by his mother after she returned from the market. Inspector general of police Rajiv Krishna said: "Robbery motive could not be ruled out." — IANS