New Delhi, January 16
With the sale and submission of nursery admission forms in the capital finishing today even as the toiling part is over, the dreadful part is still there for parents.

Most city schools will declare their first general and economically weaker section (EWS) category lists very soon. With most families having applied in more than 10 schools on an average, the wait for the results will indeed be excruciating as those children who do not get in this year, will face much more troubles for KG admissions next year. Or, their parents will have to wait for a year and apply in nursery again next year at age four.

"Whatever happened to the Right to Education? The only rights this time seem to be with the alumni parents, those live close to the school or who have one of their children already studying in that school. No points, no seat. It is that clear. We have applied to 23 schools till now. The list will also be out in the coming week. Till then, we are waiting for the lists with crossed fingers," said Usha Bharti, mother of three-year-old Parul, hoping to get admission at Tagore International, East of Kailash.

Mridul Dikshit, an east Delhi resident and father of four-year-old Garvit added, "Those are lucky who get through the first list. After the first list, chances of your favourite schools run very bleak. I would suggest that parents should grab any seat they get and apply for transfer later. I made that mistake of letting go a seat last year after I applied for my son in 16 schools and this year not one school on our list has opened KG admissions. His one year is wasted. He is four now and again I applied to 25 schools this time for nursery and hopefully something positive will come around."

Some parents, who know will score less on the point system that works on distance from schools, alumni and sibling connection, said that they were hopeful that not all the EWS category seats would be filled.

Prabuddha Singh, father of four-year-old Dipali at Vasant Valley School today said, "Schools are not very proactive with EWS admissions. As from what we hear, EWS lists will be declared later in most cases. By then, if nothing works out, maybe a hope on the EWS vacant seats may help parents from the general category. However, then again one wonders that what happened to EWS seats in the last time. None of them opened KG admissions this year saying their nursery batches were full last year which have migrated to KG this year. This wasn't what we were told last year. Seats suddenly go vacant and then they get filled on the whims and fancies of the school authorities. So, it's a wait and watch game now."

New Delhi, January 16
The city schools today completed their form submission process and have now started work on the first cut-off list.

Directorate of Education officials today clarified that bringing out the first cut-off list before the February 1 deadline was not against the norms.

"Once the schools complete their form submission process, they can bring out the list the very next day. There is no breaking of norms there. However, if a school brings out its list after February 1 and doesn't complete its admission process before March 31, it will be seen as defiance of the DoE norms. We haven't got any complaints in the matter yet," said education department official.

Till yesterday, DoE officials were unclear regarding the list declaration norms. But today, their stance bailed many schools out of trouble. Most schools plan to bring out the general and EWS lists on separate days, in most cases after the February 1 deadline.

"The EWS data needs more time to be checked and sorted. The document verification takes more time and hence the difference in dates. As for the February 1 deadline, we are not aware of any such rule. We have completed the form sale and submission process today, according to the guidelines. I don't see a problem with list declaration," said Suman Seth, Principal, Tagore International, East of Kailash.

The education department also seems lenient on the matter, saying that a little delay didn't matter if the process is wrapped by March 31.

Some of the schools are still deciding on dates, while some have already declared their schedules for the first list.

DPS International, RK Puram, is all set to declare its first list of candidates selected under the general category on Jan 18. However, the school has decided to hold the draw for the students applying under the EWS quota on Jan 25. The list will be out on Jan 27.

Vasant Valley School will hold the admission under EWS category on March 16, after admissions for the general category is over. On March 16, the draw as well as the list of EWS candidates selected will be finalised.

Tagore International School will release the list of candidates selected in the general category on January 28 while the list of selected candidates in the EWS category will be displayed on February 10.

New Delhi, January 16
A great escape artist and one of the most wanted car thief in Delhi, who is allegedly involved in about 300 cases of vehicle theft, was finally apprehended by the Delhi police near the Ghazipur Mandi flyover this morning.

He has escaped police custody in three separate instances.

The infamous carjacker, 36-year-old Manoj Bakarwala used a particular modus operandi to evade the police dragnet.

Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Arun Kampani, said, "He would change his hideouts and accomplices to evade apprehension by the police." This style of working ensured that even if some of his associates were nabbed by the police, they would be clueless about his whereabouts.

"Bakarwala is an expert at driving cars and prefers to commit crime late at night or early in the morning. He would hold drivers at gun-point and then steal the vehicles. He targeted places close to wide roads without traffic signals, so that after committing the crime he could easily escape," added the DCP.

Bakarwala has been involved in criminal activities for the past 14 years and is known for the cleverness of his strategy.

Yesterday, the police learnt that Bakarwala and his associates would arrive at south Delhi to commit a "heinous" crime.

At 5 am today, the police intercepted a Volks Wagon Vento car at national highway 24 near the Ghazipur Mandi flyover. There they apprehended Bakarwala. They recovered the stolen car and confiscated his US-made pistol with two magazines and eight cartridges. The car is wanted in a case registered at the Saket police station.

The police thereafter registered a case under the Arms Act against Bakarwala.

During his interrogation, he revealed the whereabouts of his accomplices whom he had to meet and give the stolen car. The police arrested his accomplices from the Anand Vihar ISBT about 12 noon today.

They are identified as Rajkumar, alias Raju (19), a resident of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and Jaidev Singh (20), who belongs to Mathura, UP.

He began his criminal career in 1998, when he joined hands with a notorious vehicle thief, Makhan.

In 2004, he had escaped the custody in a criminal case. He used to sell the stolen cars in Delhi, Bihar, Chandigarh, Punjab and Uttrakhand.

On May 8, 2009, Bakarwala was spotted by the Delhi police at Sector 22, Rohini. He opened fire at them and managed to flee. During the crossfire, he was injured in his hand. He was subsequently arrested on July 2009.

He again escaped from the custody while he was being taken to the Bhondsi Jail in Gurgaon from a Saket court in 2011.

On October 16, he and his associate Vinod while travelling in a car were intercepted at ITO by a team of the crime branch of the Delhi police. A shootout ensued between the police and the criminals. Bakarwala, however, escaped.

New Delhi, January 16
The weather in the national Capital today remained cloudy leading to light showers in the central, eastern and southern parts of the city in the evening. While going back from offices, people were caught by the drizzle which left them shivering from cold.

The total rainfall recorded at 8.30 in the morning after the heavy downpour last night was 4.2 mm.

The heavy snowfall in northern regions has led to the blowing of cold waves, making it difficult for the people to beat the chill. Children who went to schools after the winter vacation were the worst victims of chilly winds.

"It has become really difficult to send children to school at 7 in the morning. The weather is too cold for small children," said a mother, Talha Malik.

The maximum temperature today was recorded at 20.3 degree Celsius which was just normal for this time of the season, while the minimum was recorded at 10.3 degree Celsius, which is three notches below normal, said the officials of IMD department.

The department officials said that the rainy conditions are likely to prevail tomorrow as well. They have predicted partly cloudy sky with the possibility of thundershower.

"There will be fog in the morning with generally cloudy sky which is likely to become clear towards the evening and night," said the official.

The maximum temperature will be around 19 degree Celsius. However, the minimum is expected to hover around 10 degrees, predicted the officials.

"Due to a rise in humidity levels, shallow to moderate fog is expected to form over Delhi and the neighbouring areas in the next couple of days," said the official.

There were no major cancellations of flights due to fog at the Delhi airport. However, more than 40 trains were cancelled.

Policemen stand guard at the Karbala mosque on Monday.

New Delhi, January 16
After violence erupted between Shia followers and policemen at the Ali Mardan shrine in Jor Bagh during a religious procession yesterday, local residents today blocked traffic in South Delhi and demanded that the western gate situated near the locality, B K Dutt Colony, must be closed. The management of the shrine warns of countrywide agitations if the gate is not opened for worshippers.

Last evening, a fight started between a group of policemen and the worshippers at the western gate. The police was preventing them from entering the shrine via the gate. However, the worshippers forced their entry into the shrine, according to sources.

Today, the residents of BK Dutt Colony blocked Safdarjung Road that created a gridlock in the area. However, the agitation was stopped about 5 pm and the traffic movement restored.

Shia leaders held a press conference to list their demands. They claim that the Delhi government is responsible for the situation as it did not address it on time.

“The police action against the worshippers was planned prior to the incident. If the western gate is not opened within the next 15 days, we would conduct countrywide agitations. It could also become a political movement,” said Shia cleric, Kalb-e-Jawad, who is a member of Anjuman-e-Haideri, the organization which manages the shrine.

The cleric had arrived in Delhi from Lucknow to address a press conference after the police action yesterday. The organization plans to hold another procession at the shrine on January 31.

Anjuman-e-Haideri claimed that the High Court passed an order regarding the controversy over the land on January 12 this year. The organization further claimed that the court dismissed all the petitions filed by the residents of BK Dutt Colony. The organization demanded that the police should not register cases against any Shia processionists.

“We expect the orders of the court to be respected. And we should be allowed to use the gate that is located within the premises of the shrine,” said Abbas, the secretary of the Shrine Waqf Board.

New Delhi, January 16
The cabinet today gave its nod for extending financial assistance to the students belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, OBC and minorities in primary classes and decided to enhance the rates of monthly assistance to the students from class 6th to 12th.

It has also given its approval to increase the number of JJ dwellers for allotment of flats under Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojna.

The financial assistance for purchase of stationery to the students studying in primary section will be Rs 100 for ten months from the current financial year. The assistance of Rs 45 to the students in classes 6th to 8th is being enhanced to Rs 100 per month and in respect of classes from 9th to 12th, it is being enhanced from Rs 75 to Rs 200.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stated that her government has been trying to enhance the number of eligible JJ dwellers for the allotment of flats under the Rajiv Ratna Awas Yojna.

In order to provide impetus to the implementation of the scheme for relocation or rehabilitation of slum dwellers, the cut-off date was changed from 2002 to 2007.

It was also decided to authorize the department of SC, ST, Minorities to release the beneficiary contribution in respect of eligible SC allottees, so that they might become the owner of a flat in a developed colony.

The Chief Minister added that the cabinet has decided that all the JJ dwellers would be given offer of allotment of flat on leasehold basis for 15 years.

This decision has been taken by the cabinet in the interest of giving ownership rights to the slum dwellers and put an end to the existing practice of resale, hence, depriving the real beneficiaries of their rights.

With concerted efforts of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), a number of JJ clusters have been prioritised for rehabilitation of slum dwellers. Around 1,300 JJ dwellers have been found to be eligible and the process of identification is in full swing.

New Delhi, January 16
The Delhi cabinet has decided to set up a university exclusively for women, Women's Technical University. It has also approved certain amendments to the guidelines for allotment of flats constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme for slum dwellers in Delhi.

While briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stated that a premier institution of Delhi, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology under Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha (GGSIP) University, has attained a level of maturity and made rich contributions to the growth of quality technological education and research among women during the last 12 years.

It has also contributed significantly towards better career opportunities to the girls in Delhi, as 85 per cent of the seats in the college are reserved for Delhi girls.

The Chief Minister said that in order to focus on the participation of women engineers in nation-building, it is necessary to establish institutions and universities exclusively for women.

The cabinet has given its approval to the draft of Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University Bill- 2012 which will be introduced in the Legislative Assembly.

Dikshit stated that Delhi would become the first state to have an exclusive technological university for women. To make this university functional, the existing Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology will be upgraded. The upgrade will provide the opportunity for growth of women in technical education and the growth of industries in the NCR and the country at large.

It is proposed to be a non-affiliating university, which will foster an environment for excellence in engineering education and ensure participation of women in engineering, science and technology.

It is expected that the new university will impart engineering education to more girls in Delhi.

Dikshit further stated that the university is envisioned to be a landmark in the history of Delhi towards the creation of academic and research environment, imparting standard technical education to the girls.

New Delhi, January 16
The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and Noida Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) on a petition filed by a group of farmers from Sadopur village in Gautambudh Nagar district challenging the acquisition of their lands by the state.

A bench of justices RM Lodha and HL Gokhale sought responses of the authorities on the special leave petition filed by the farmers through counsel MA Chinnasamy, saying the acquisition was illegal and yet the Allahabad High Court had failed to quash the acquisition.

According to the farmers, the High Court had found that at Sadopur village no third party rights have been created and the possession was taken only on February 16, 2009, though the original notification was issued on August 31, 2007, and yet, refrained from quashing the notification as the petitions were filed belatedly.

"There is no finding that any developmental activity has taken place in this village; no expenditure has been incurred. So, the notifications ought to have been quashed and the land returned to the owners. But this was not done. "The only reason for not quashing the notifications is that the writ petitions were filed in 2011. Many writ petitions were filed in 2010 and 2011, therefore this reason is not tenable," the petition said.

The high court had on October 21, 2011, refused to quash the notification though it found a number of improper actions made by the authorities in acquiring the lands.

"Each of the petitioners holds small extent of fertile land which are the sole source of their livelihood. All the petitioners built house on their land.

"The acquisition of their lands robbed them of their means of livelihood and their houses as well. They have thus the misfortune to see their houses pulled down, lands taken away and flats constructed on their lands for others to live in," the petition stated. — PTI

New Delhi, January 16
The Supreme Court today asked the authorities to carry out its order in "letter and spirit" to "preserve and protect" the lives of homeless people by providing them roofs with all necessary facilities, especially in north India which is in the grip of intense cold waves.

"The whole endeavour should be to preserve and protect the human life," a bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Dipak Misra said while asking governments of the northern states to implement its order "without loss of time".

It said not only the cold waves but the unusual snowfall in some states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab too have added to the trouble for the homeless and destitute to whom night shelters of permanent or temporary nature must be made available.

"Permanent structure will take time and winter is intense but relief has to be provided. Please ensure people's life is preserved and protected by erecting at least temporary structure as night shelters," the bench said.

The remarks were made by the bench while it was perusing the report of the inspection of the night shelters in the national capital, carried by the court-appointed commissioners and officials of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) between January 9 and 12.

The court asked the Joint Apex Advisory Committee, comprising the members of the NGOs and Delhi government officials, looking into the issues related to homeless people, to take action on the basis of the report to "ensure" that relief reaches helpless people "without any loss of time".

The bench was told by additional solicitor-general Mohan Parasaran that there are night shelters which are not fully occupied and advertisement would be made through both the electronic and print media so that homeless people can make night stay at those centres. — PTI

Ghaziabad, January 16
Police constables on duty with Nithari murder accused Surender Koli have landed in trouble, with SSP Ghaziabad Raghubir Lal complaining against them for allowing the life term convict to roam free in the court complex on Jan 11.

The SSP complained against police persons on duty with Koli to IGP Meerut range.

New Delhi, January 16
A special CBI court here today sent a central excise official and a middleman, arrested in a corruption case, to one-day CBI custody.

Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh allowed the agency custody of excise superintendent Lallan Ojha and middleman Hemant Gandhi till January 17 after it submitted that the two are required for further interrogation.

"I have seen further progress in the investigation. In my view, one-day police remand of accused Lallan Ojha as well as Hemant Gandhi is justified for confronting them about the facts revealed during investigation," the judge said.

Central excise commissioner A.K. Srivastava, Ojha and Gandhi were involved in allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 60 lakh from mobile phone importers.

The court on January 10 had sent Ojha and Gandhi to judicial custody. It had dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Srivastava on January 13. The commissioner was arrested the same day and is at present in judicial custody while admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

According to the CBI, Ojha on December 28, along with a team of central excise officials, conducted a surprise raid at the warehouse of Dilip Aggarwal and Anand Aggarwal and negotiated a deal for illegal gratification.

The CBI recovered a cheque for Rs.20 lakh and currency notes along with other evidence. — IANS