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Fake currency brought from Pak
Medical exam scam: 2 more candidates arrested
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Metro service hit in Vaishali
Delhiites shiver as mercury dips
AIIMS plans shelter for patients’ kin
Stephen’s staff up in arms against principal
NDMC budget: No increase in taxes
Cost of CWG projects escalated due to delay: CAG
Work may begin on jinxed KG Marg parking
2 govt officials booked for buying medical items at inflated rates
2 killed in road mishap
Suicide
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Fake currency brought from Pak
New Delhi, January 13 In another revelation, he is an ISI agent who is regularly used by the agency to conduct its operations in India. Following Iqbal's trail, the Delhi police seized a huge haul of counterfeit Indian currency notes yesterday. Today it stated that the cash which was placed inside cardboard-wrapped bales of clothes had labels of Pakistani companies stuck on them. This is a clear indication that the money had indeed arrived from Pakistan. The police said that the fake currency was meant to destabilise the Indian economy. The sources added that a portion of the counterfeit notes was to be given to ISI agents in India who would exchange it for original ones. The special cell of the Delhi police has been conducting an operation for the past few days and has busted a racket of fake Indian currency of Rs 2.245 crore. Earlier, for the past two months, the police received intelligence inputs about Iqbal, alias Kana. He is a resident of Uttar Pradesh and is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Delhi police and the police of other states. Iqbal is presently hiding in Pakistan for the past few years. He is notorious for smuggling fake Indian currency notes and arms and ammunition in India with the help of his associates. Deeper investigations revealed that he was pumping a large amount of fake currency to destabilise the Indian economy. The special cell soon put this matter under surveillance. In the first week of January it gathered intelligence about Iqbal who was planning to smuggle a huge consignment of the fake currency, running into crores, to India from across the border. The police was accordingly sent to Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and adjoining states that are located near India's borders with other countries. While prowling around these states, the police was informed about Ash Mohammad, a key associate of Iqbal. He is also a resident of Uttar Pradesh. Later, intelligence agencies revealed to the police that Hassan had gone to Pakistan to meet Iqbal to procure the consignment of fake Indian currency. The former is a resident of Dabri, Delhi. The police suspected a possible hideout in Dabri and thereafter did a reconnaissance of the area on January 12. While searching for clues, it noticed a tempo overloaded with plastic bags during the afternoon. It halted in front of Zeeshan Khan's house, who is Hassan's son. One person got out of the tempo and was immediately apprehended by the police. He was identified as Zeeshan. The police suspected the goods present inside the tempo. When it opened the bags it found 19 bundles containing bales of women's fabrics. The bales were wrapped around card-board sheets that had labels of Pakistani companies stuck on them. Upon opening these sheets, the police noticed a cavity where the fake Indian currency notes in denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 were placed. There were 9,900 fake notes of Rs 500 and 6,900 notes of Rs 1,000. They totaled an amount of Rs 1,18,50,000. The sheets were heat pressed to avoid detection of the fake currency. When the police questioned Zeeshan and the tempo driver, Mahesh, it learnt that another consignment was being transported by Ash. A police team was sent to Karol Bagh to trace the tempo carrying the fake currency. After finding the tempo, the police seized 14 bundles of women's fabrics where the fake currency was similarly placed between the bales of clothes. Ash was arrested with the tempo driver. The fake currency was worth Rs 1,06,00,000. The police has presently made a seizure of fake Indian currency of Rs 2,24,50,000. The notes were of fine quality and had certain features inserted on it, which made them appear genuine. The police, thereafter, interrogated the arrested persons, who revealed that the fake currency was brought to India after Pakistan-based Iqbal hatched a conspiracy. His associates, including Hassan, Ash and Zeeshan, had assisted him in the planning. |
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Medical exam scam: 2 more candidates arrested
New Delhi, January 13 On January 8, the All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination was conducted by AIIMS. Five persons, including an MBBS doctor and two MBAs, were arrested for leaking the paper and then using it to cheat in the exam. The accused are, Mohit Choudhary, an MBBS student of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore, Madhya Pradesh; Dr Amit Punia, an examination candidate; Kapil Kumar Sharma and Krishan Pratap Singh, both MBAs; and Bhishma Singh, a computer programmer. The police learnt that two doctors, Vimal Dangi (31) and Sai Balender Bakshi (35), were assisted by the accused. They both were apprehended yesterday from Rajender Nagar. During the interrogation, they said that they became acquainted with one doctor pursuing post graduation from the medical college, where Choudhary was studying. The doctor, who has been identified by the police, told the two candidates to meet Choudhary, who could help them in the examination. Vimal and Sai contacted Choudhary in the beginning of January. They struck a deal with him. They both promised to pay Rs 18 lakh each to him, if they qualified in the exam. To ensure that he received his payment, Choudhary kept their original certificates with himself. On January 7, the two doctors met the mastermind at a hotel in Paharganj. Choudhary provided each of them with a shirt that had a Bluetooth device stitched to it, besides a minute earphone and a SIM card. The doctors bought two mobile phones from a shop at Connaught Place. On the day of the exam, Vimal and Sai went to their centres at Tagore Garden and Rajender Nagar. After reaching their centres, they established telephonic communication with the racketeers. The two candidates, however, could not cheat because the racket was unearthed on the same day. The police seized the original certificates of both the doctors. Upon questioning the two recently arrested candidates, the police learnt that Vimal graduated with a MBBS degree from Odsha State University in Ukraine. From 2006 to 2007 he completed an internship with a government hospital. In 2009, he worked as a clinical researcher in a private hospital in Delhi. Thereafter, in 2010 he joined a government hospital as a research official and till date he is employed there. The police said that Sai completed his MBBS from a medical college in Karnataka. From 2009 to 2011 he attempted to enter into post graduate medical courses, but could not succeed. He then joined a private sector company in Noida, where he worked as a research medical official and till date is working there.
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Metro service hit in Vaishali
New Delhi, January 13 As a result, headway of 13 min was maintained during this period between the Anand Vihar and Vaishali section instead of the routine headway of 5 min 12 sec. Even as normal services resumed after 3 pm on the section, the increased waiting time for more than 4 hours this morning made it difficult for the passengers to reach their destinations on time. Metro officials said that the train ran as per normal schedule on rest of the sections of line-IV and all other lines of the Delhi Metro network, however, unhappy passengers complained that problems on this particular section were becoming frequent now. During the affected hours, the Metro trains remained overcrowded with the train frequency cut from 5 minutes to 15. Hundreds of passengers had to wait in long queues for much longer durations at both the stations. |
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Delhiites shiver as mercury dips
New Delhi, January 13 According to the IMD department, the winds blowing in the city are adding to the chill factor. A shallow fog was also witnessed in the morning. Similar conditions will prevail during the next couple of days. The weathermen have predicted a maximum of 21 degree Celsius for tomorrow and a minimum of 6 degree Celsius. The lowest temperature of the season was recorded last month, when the mercury dropped to 2.9 degree Celsius in the morning of Christmas. The coldest day came on Friday last when the city experienced a maximum temperature of 16.9 degree Celsius.
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AIIMS plans shelter for patients’ kin
New Delhi, January 13 This will cover an area of 250 sq m, a Delhi government statement said today. AIIMS has also provided a built-up area of 6,000 sq feet, to be used as a shelter on temporary basis. The proposed hall will accommodate about 250 needy people. The Supreme Court ruled January 9 that shelter be provided to the relatives of AIIMS patients living on the pavements. - IANS |
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Stephen’s staff up in arms against principal
New Delhi, January 13 The staff association members wore black bands on their hands as a sign of their protest and said they would continue to do so even while taking classes. One of the matters that have irked the teaching community is the manner in which disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against professor MS Frank after he questioned Thampu's eligibility to be the principal of the college. Last month, an enquiry was conducted against Frank over a series of misconduct charges. The members of the staff association, at a meeting held a day before, questioned the manner in which Thampu had brought the matter before the governing body of the college and managed to get approvals for initiating an enquiry against Frank. Teachers said they felt that the enquires were being conducted with an ulterior motive to pressurise Frank to withdraw the case challenging Thampu's appointment as the principal. "The way the matters are being handled in the college has become intolerable. Even today, we submitted a staff association resolution to several members of the governing body, including the chairman, but their attitude wasn't helpful. The principal had arbitrarily taken up the issue of enquiry against Frank at the governing body meeting to get everyone's approval for it without giving them time to think," said Nandita Narayan, a member of the staff association. Apart from professor Frank issue, the principal has drawn flak for making "derogatory" and "threatening" remarks against a woman employee of the college, who had reported a case of sexual harassment against a fellow worker, at a governing body meeting. The woman employee wasn't satisfied with the report prepared by the internal committee in the matter and had approached the apex committee of Delhi University. The apex committee had ruled that the internal college report wasn't satisfactory. The staff members today said that without introducing the apex committee report at the governing body meeting and explaining the entire matter, Thampu had criticised the woman employee for taking the case to the university. |
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NDMC budget: No increase in taxes
New Delhi, January 13 While, in the budget estimate of 2012-13, the revenue receipts are estimated at Rs 1,954.45 crore and revenue expenditure at Rs 1,681.44 crore, the main focus will be CCTV camera survey of drainage for retrofitting, revamped power and water supply system, sprinkler irrigation system in Shanti Path, upgrading of markets, 35 new public toilets and a flower show. Though, there has been no significant increase in the property tax collection in the current year, it is estimated to be Rs 259.98 crore for the next year. Outlining its revenue proposals, NDMC chairperson Archna Arora said the budget proposed no increase in property tax rates in the coming year. Giving budget speech, Arora said the budget for 2012-13 was aimed at asset creation which would be beneficial to the NDMC both in terms of civic infrastructure and increasing receipts in the long term. "The pace of infrastructure development was very high and creation of capital assets was large in numbers during the last three years. Now is the time to maintain these assets with increased levels of quality bench marks using latest technology as per international standards," she said. Later, Arora told mediapersons that a detailed roadmap for revamp of electrical system had been prepared and that the NDMC had no plans to recommend hike in water or power tariffs. The NDMC is also working towards ensuring uninterrupted water supply in the next 5 to 8 years, she said. "We have appointed a consultant. The final report is awaited. The civic body also plans to collect Rs 268.89 crore as licence fee, Rs 702.53 crore from power supply and Rs 113.60 cr from water supply.
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Cost of CWG projects escalated due to delay: CAG
New Delhi, January 13 The report that was released today on the last day of the winter session of Delhi Assembly observed that the initial budget estimate for hosting and conducting the CWG-2010, projected in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) bid of May 2003, was just Rs 1,200 crore which increased to Rs 18,532.31 crore by December 2010. Out of this, the share of the Delhi government was Rs 9,672 crore, that is 50 per cent of the total amount. The report also pointed out that the final bills for most of the projects had not been paid until August 2011 by the implementing agencies. Exposing the government, the report observed that contracts were awarded for upgradation of Talkatora Indoor Stadium and Shivaji Stadium to an "ineligible" firm, Raja Aederi Consultant in July 2006. It also said that much avoidable expenditure was done for preparation of the Games like filling of column pits. The government had to pay Rs 1.39 crore for this work. In addition, Rs 0.16 crore was also paid to remove the excavated earth from the site. Overpayments were made to the contractor of Thyagraj Stadium. The audit observed that the overpayment to the contractor was of Rs 3.03 for plates, nuts and bolts in steel work. A payment of Rs 2.51 crore could be avoided in this case. Besides, an amount of Rs 0.33 crore was paid in excess on account of customs duty on steel. The government has paid an additional amount of Rs 1.645 crore to the contractors for streetscaping and beautification of roads. The report also observed that for the upgradation of streetlight of roads, the luminaries were imported at high prices. The selection of imported luminaries and fixture of their base price at high levels were in violation of financial propriety. Contractors managed to earn an extra profit of Rs 10.02 crore. As far renovation and restoration of Connaught Place, the report said that the original estimate cost of Rs 76 crore in May 2005 went up to nearly Rs 671 crore by July 2007. The Directorate of Health Services purchased 68 ice-making machines at a cost of Rs 0.78 crore from the open market on August 30, 2010 from Dolche India. The report observed
that the rates in many cases were even higher than the maximum retail prices. |
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Work may begin on jinxed KG Marg parking
New Delhi, January 13 In fact, the parking lot at Kasturba Gandhi Marg was announced before the Commonwealth Games and slated to be completed before the event, but the project was opposed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) because of its proximity to a historical structure. While presenting the budget estimates for the financial year 2012-2013, Archana Arora, NDMC chairperson, said, "There is a historical monument just beside the parking site. So the matter did not get approval of the ASI. However, it has now been approved by the state monument authority and we expect to get the nod soon," said Arora. The second parking, which was proposed at Khan Market, has finally been granted land for the construction. The project was stuck in the clearance process, but now it will be constructed soon, she said. Out of the total four multi-level automated parking projects announced in the NDMC area, two have already been constructed, though one is yet to be inaugurated. The multi-level parking at Sarojini Nagar was inaugurated in November last year and is fully operational at present. The other at Baba Kharag Singh Marg is in the final stage of completion. "The parking at BKS Marg is likely to be inaugurated within one or two months," said the chairperson. Besides, she said that the council is yet to take decision on the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Bhure Lal Committee, which has suggested doubling the surface parking rates located near the multi-level parking. "No decision has been taken on this as of now. The matter is yet to be proposed in the council," she said. The parking space at KG Marg will accommodate 1,500 vehicles; Kharag Singh Marg will adjust 1,480 vehicles; while the parking lot at Sarojini Nagar will accommodate around 1,600 vehicles.
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2 govt officials booked for buying medical items at inflated rates
New Delhi, January 13 The crime branch of the Delhi police apprised special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal of the lodging of the case against the two health ministry officials, both doctors, while submitting the First Information Report (FIR) against them in her court. The two officials, who have been booked by the police on a string of criminal and corruption charges, were Dr D S Rao, Chief Medical officer at the Central Procurement Agency, and Dr S Bhattacharjee, Director, Health Services. In the two FIRs lodged against them, the two have been accused of favouring MRK Healthcare of Mumbai and Centennial Surgical Sutures of Thane in bulk purchase of surgical gloves and sutures at an exorbitant cost. They have also been accused of scrapping the gloves supply contract with the Mumbai firm and then buying its product from the same firm or open market at higher rates. The amount involved is to the tune of Rs 1 crore. In one of the FIRs, the two doctors have been accused of favouring the Mumbai firm by giving it the contract to supply surgical gloves for two years from April 2010 through one of its authorised distributors M/s Pharmatek (India) at a rather higher cost. The FIR said while giving the gloves supply contract to the Mumbai firm, the duo did not even insist upon securing the full bank guarantee of Rs 15 lakh from it and allowed it to make a performance security deposit of Rs 3 lakh only. -- PTI
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2 killed in road mishap
Greater Noida, January 13 The third person was hospitalised with injuries. - PTI |
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Suicide
Ghaziabad, January 13 Ashish Mishra, from Bihar, was staying with his aunt in Uttarakhand colony in Nandgram. He left home on Wednesday night. His body was found on Thursday morning on the Delhi-Meerut railway track. In the suicide note, Mishra named his cousin Sanjay and uncle Adesh for torturing him. --IANS |
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Iqbal, a wanted Indian criminal presently living in Pakistan, who under the umbrella of the ISI is helping its agents settle in India by providing them enormous amount of fake currency, according to sources.
In another major breakthrough in the medical entrance exam cheating scam, two doctors, both candidates, have been arrested. They had allegedly struck a deal of paying Rs 18 lakh
