New Delhi, November 23
The crime branch of the Delhi police has arrested an admission consultant for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of providing them admission to MBBS and engineering courses in top universities in India and abroad.

The police said that he used to charge Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh from the students on the pretext of sending them to New Zealand and Malaysia. He has been involved in around 13 cases and duped students of around Rs 3 crore.

The accused has been identified as Piyush Bharat Saini who hails from Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He was arrested from his residence in Paschim Vihar, Outer Delhi, on Thursday, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) S.B.S. Tyagi.

The police said that Piyush specifically targeted students of Punjab and other remote areas and got the advertisements published in leading newspapers for admissions to MBBS, MD, MS, MDS strictly under NRI and management quota.

Prem Singh Sekhon, a retired professor of Panjab University and resident of Fatehgarh, had filed a complaint at the crime branch of the Delhi police on November 11 that Piyush Bharat Saini, who is running an Admission Guidance Agency 
for medical and engineering courses at Old Rajender Nagar in New Delhi, has duped Rs 15 lakh from him for getting his grandson's admission to MBBS in a reputed college.

During investigation, the police found that Piyush has been involved in around 13 such cases in south Delhi and duped people of around Rs 3 crore.

He came to Delhi in 1993 and after completing graduation, he started cheating students of different states outside Delhi, assuring them of admissions to diploma and engineering courses in Delhi.

During the investigation, the police learnt that he has been cheating people since 1994. Earlier, he used to run an agency in the South Extension area and was also arrested for cheating a student.

After his release from the jail, he started his racket from central Delhi, said the police.

New Delhi, November 23
Paying of water bills will now be just a click away as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) today inaugurated the portal. To avail the facility of online payment, consumers will have to log on to the DJB portal using the new 'K' number recorded in the bill. On validation of the details, the portal will display the consumers' particulars and the bill amount. Consumers can choose to pay from different options, including credit card, debit card or net banking. The online facility of payment also offers a choice of visa and master card.

Through the net banking, 51 leading public and private sector banks have been empanelled for payment. "After making the payment, the consumer is intimated of the success or failure of the transaction and an electronic acknowledgement displayed," said a senior DJB official.

The consumers can also view their past bills, payment history, past acknowledgment receipts and grievance redressal status under their login ID. The DJB has partnered with the NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) to provide this facility.

The board has installed e-kiosks at various DJB zonal offices and collection centres for collection of bills through cash and cheque. "The e-kiosk facility is available from 8 am to 8 pm on all the weekdays. During the period of operation, an assistant will be available to help physically challenged persons, senior citizens and minors," said the official.

Inaugurating the facility, Chief Minister and Chairperson Sheila Dikshit said, "This is a major step taken by the DJB to provide better services."

New Delhi, November 23
ASN Senior Secondary School is going to start its second annual ASN Yamuna Wealth Games and Cultural Fest from November 25 on its campus in Mayur Vihar.

The six-day festival revolves around the theme of preservation of the Yamuna and other social cause, 'Save Girl Child'.

On the day of the opening ceremony on Sunday, 8,000 students from nearly 100 schools are likely to take part in a parade.

The closing ceremony will have Dr Kiran Walia, Delhi Minister of Education, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development and Languages as the Chief Guest. 

New Delhi, November 23
Teachers and students of Delhi University (DU) today welcomed the Delhi High Court's order asking the university to reconsider the requests of 31 students of various undergraduate courses for permission to avail themselves of a "special chance" to clear their exams in which they had failed to get pass marks.

Responding to a petition filed by the law faculty students, the high court has restored the privilege of the DU's academic council, as per law, to decide upon the issue of 'special chance' to be given to students who have not been able to complete their degrees in the stipulated time for extraordinary reasons," elaborated a statement from the Delhi University Teachers Association today.

"This privilege, also mentioned in the statutes, ordinances and regulations of the university, had been summarily withdrawn by the DU administration through a notice which had been issued by the registrar last month. The notice had dashed the hopes of those students who had already applied for a 'special chance' in order to sit for the examinations and complete their degrees. The university enrolls many students who come from financially weak and unstable families and are forced to temporarily discontinue their studies in situations of emergency and hardship. The high court's order, issued yesterday, has brought relief for the students who will now be able to sit for their examinations while the academic council will get the opportunity to decide, as per the existing ordinance, each case on the basis of individual merit," said a senior executive member of the Delhi University Teachers Association.

Representatives of the Delhi University Students Union had also met the Vice-Chancellor to look into the matter a couple of weeks ago. They demanded to reconsider the cases of those students who have already applied for a "special Chance" this year. However, no positive outcome was reached at; following which the law faculty students filed a petition in the court.

Students' counsel Rajeev Saxena said that the court directed the university to consider the applications of 31 students and allow them to avail themselves of the special chance to clear their exams if their grievances were found to be genuine.