New Delhi, December 1
Failing to evoke any response from the administration, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) decided to end its relay hunger strike on the 53rd day today and resort to a wider action programme.

The decision was taken in the Association's General Body Meeting (GBM) where the members adopted a resolution to switch over from its current mode of agitation to mass movement against the administration.

"The decision to discontinue the ongoing strike and move towards full-fledged mass action programme and public campaign was taken in a well-attended General Body Meeting today," said DUTA president Amar Deo Sharma.

The DUTA resolved to take this campaign to students, the larger teaching community, karamcharis, parents and all the public stakeholders and concerned citizens.

The association has planned to bring out a comprehensive white paper on the various 'irregularities' that the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar have committed.

Besides, a Jansunwai in the third week of January will be held to highlight the experiences of students, teachers and karamcharis as a result of non-fulfillment of their demands.

A public seminar on "The Idea of a University" as a rebuttal to the "Academic Congress" held by the VC earlier this year will also be held. A massive march to the HRD Ministry together with the students and karamcharis will follow the seminar in the second week of February.

"If the government fails to support our demands, the DUTA will be forced to go on a five-day strike in the last week of February. While declaring its intention, the DUTA assures the students that teachers will compensate for the loss of teaching as they have done in the past," said the resolution of the GBM.

The relay hunger strike began on October 10 against several pending issues, including 4,000 teaching positions lying vacant, promotions being held up, non-implementation of 2006 UGC Reservation Guidelines, anomalies in the pay revision as well as the point-based system of promotion.

New Delhi, December 1
Aimed at promoting the capacity development of professionals in the age-group of 25-40 serving in government departments, agencies, media and NGOs, Jamia Millia Islamia's Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NMCPCR) in collaboration with Rotary Education Foundation is all set to organise a three-week training programme in conflict analysis and peace-building.

The programme scheduled from December 2 to 22 will aim at training young professionals to deal with some ongoing conflicts in the country today.

The programme will provide a general understanding of the key elements of conflict analysis and peace-building. It will seek to provide a deeper understanding of some of the protracted and deep-rooted domestic conflicts in India like the Kashmir problem, conflicts in northeast and the Naxal issues.

As part of the training programme, participants will be undertaking a field trip to Manipur from December 12 to 19.

"The purpose of the trip is to understand the different viewpoints and perspectives of the conflicts in Manipur and get a firsthand understanding of the ground realities.

The training is being attended by IAS/IPS/IFS officers from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Manipur, journalists reporting from conflict areas, and civil society activists," said the spokesperson for the university.

New Delhi, December 1
Unidentified burglars allegedly struck at the exclusive suite of Chief Justice of Karnataka Vikramajit Sen at Karnataka Bhavan in Chanakyapuri and decamped with two of his trophies and other valuables on Thursday, said a police official today.

Sen, Chief Justice of Karnataka since December 24, 2011, was not in the city when the incident took place. The door of the suite situated on the third floor was broken open, and it was found that two trophies of the Chief Justice were missing. "The trophies were kept in an unlocked cupboard," said the official.

Deputy resident commissioner of Karnataka Bhavan Dr Rajendra Singh said that despite the theft, the main door of the suite was found locked from inside. "When the maintenance staff of the Kautilya Marg building tried to open the door of the exclusive suite on Thursday morning, it was found that the door was also locked from inside," the official added.

Singh also reported that copper pipes kept in the suite for installation of air conditioner were also missing.

"It is not known whether any other items are missing. The shaft door of the suite has also been broken," Singh said in his complaint.

A case of theft has been lodged at the Chanakyapuri police station. "We suspect the role of some known persons behind the crime, as it seemed that the miscreants knew the room well. We have begun investigation along with a team of fingerprint experts," the police official added.

New Delhi, December 1
The Delhi Government today launched a massive drive to check compliance of the blanket ban on use of plastic bags across the city.

Twenty-three teams of environment department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee visited 44 shopping malls and 19 five-star hotels as part of the drive.

Officials said the teams carried out checks in 468 shops in the malls and 46 shops in hotels and found violation of the ban in 152 outlets. The violators were let off with verbal warning of not to repeat the offence.

The government last month had imposed the ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of plastic bags as per provision of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, under which violators could face imprisonment up to five years and fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or both.

Use of plastic cover or pouch to pack magazines, invitation cards and greeting cards will also be prohibited. Officials said initially government will only focus on plastic carry bags and will not target packaged food and materials.

Authorities like civic bodies, NDMC, Environment Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee were tasked to implement the ban.

Plastic carry bags for use, as specified under the BioMedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, is not covered under the ban.

The Delhi Government had last month ordered traders involved in production of plastic bags to dismantle their manufacturing facilities by the deadline.

The manufacturers had gone to the Delhi High Court challenging the notification but the court has not pronounced any order on the issue. — PTI

New Delhi, December 1
Four endangered animals-rhino, elephant, tiger and bear-become actors in an animation-cum-live action film, the Yamuna Gasps for Breath, suffocated with innumerable Durga Puja idols, and other films, depicting stark environmental challenges and ecological conflicts, are part of 'Quotes From The Earth', a two-day film festival to be organised by Toxics Link, an NGO in the Capital.

The film festival, now in its fifth edition, will be held at the India International Centre on December 6 and 7. It will witness the screening of 25 films, with a separate section on international films from various countries, including the USA, France, Australia, and Germany. With films by renowned environmental filmmakers like Bedi Brothers, Mike Pandey, Krishnendu Bose, Rita Banerji, Christopher Walker and David Fedele, the festival brings a different flavour to the city.

Director of Toxics Link and curator of the film festival Ravi Agarwal said, "This is the fifth edition and its prominence has grown each year. From 18 films in 2004, we now have 25 films in 2012. The films, this year, throw light on four categories of environmental concerns - earth, water, wildlife and sustainability. All the 25 films have been made in the past two years and hence focus on the current environmental issues."

"These films deal with contemporary issues such as man-animal conflicts, threats to lakes of Kashmir and Manipur, river contamination, impact of mining, struggles to preserve tropical forests, dams and the water crisis, farmers suicide, struggles for livelihood, our vanishing biodiversity, forest conservation, wastes, dangers of pesticide and nuclear safety," he added.

Like the prior editions, the upcoming festival will provide a discursive platform to highlight the ecological debates and challenges faced at the national and international level with a panel discussion with eminent academicians, activists, media persons and filmmakers.