New Delhi, July 11
The construction work of an underground Metro line under Delhi Metro's Phase-III project in Janakpuri is giving nightmares to the residents of the area.

The house-owners of the Narang Colony and DDA flats in Janakpuri have complained of high intensity vibrations in their buildings during the course of construction work of Metro line in the area. The residents are afraid of probable un-repairable damages to their buildings due to the ongoing construction work. The Resident Welfare Association of the area will present a memorandum in this regard to the Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tomorrow.

There are many old structures in the area and many buildings are occupied since 1970. "We tried to contact the engineers and other technical persons at site but we did not get any satisfactory answer," said owner of one such houses MC Bhardwaj.

As per the specifications, the track for the Metro rail is being dug at 60 ft below the ground level, however, the residents have claimed that the effective depth of their buildings already goes down between 45 and 52 ft below the foundation, since most of the buildings have got basements, which means they are already 15 ft below the ground level.

"Most of the buildings which are around 43 years old have outlived their useful life.

A panicky situation has arisen among the residents due to the vibrations.

According to the surveying teams appointed by the DMRC in the area, in cases of damages or cracks in the buildings due to ongoing construction, the same is repaired by the Delhi Metro. But, the residents are not ready to buy the argument.

"As a layman this is not understandable that how an old repaired structure shall have adequate same strength as before for future," Bhardwaj said.

"As this construction work of the Metro is proceeding towards C-Block and other parts of Janakpuri, the same panicky situation has arisen there also. We would request the DMRC to take preventive measures in this regard since it is the beginning only," said Minto Sahni, another resident of the area.

The residents have also expressed concerns about the borewells in the private buildings. "It is not known what will happen to those borewells during this course of construction. As per today's cost, each borewell costs around Rs 50,000 and the people are dependent on these borewells due to increasing scarcity of potable water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board," said Sahni.

New Delhi, July 11
A delegation of the BJP today met Union Minister for Power Jyotiraditya Scindia in connection with ever-increasing power tariff in Delhi.

The delegation was led by the president of the Delhi BJP unit Vijay Goel. Apart from him, president of an NGO, Chetna, Anil Sood and RWA representative Rajiv Kakria also met the minister.

Goel informed the minister that the power tariffs in Delhi had gone up by almost 60 per cent in the past three years and is further likely to go up in the near future.

He said that despite provision of encouraging competition, ensuring transparency and protection of consumer interest in the Delhi Power Act, on ground nothing happened and the monopolistic situation had been created. He also stated that the Delhi Government and the DERC were not acting in accordance with the provisions of the Central Electricity Act, 2003. The consumer should be in a position to buy power from any of the discoms of its choice that would bring down the prices.

Sood and Kakria informed the minister that in the Act there is no mechanism to fix responsibility of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Central Regulatory Electricity Commission and also of the discoms in case they violate the specific provision in the National Tariff Policy, 2005, National Electricity Policy, 2005 and the Central Electricity Act, 2005. Even a consumer has no effective grievance redressal mechanism because the jurisdiction of the Consumer Forum has been ousted.

Responding to the delegation that the power distribution is a state subject, the minister said that all these issues should be put on paper and be submitted to him as he is contemplating changes in the Central Electricity Act, 2003, that may include specific provision of encouraging competition like in mobile communication sector.

The representatives also stated that power tariff can be reduced by 30 per cent, if existing mechanism is used in a proper way.

Scindia assured them that he would take up the matter in the meeting of the Group of Ministers for supply of power.

New Delhi, July 11
Voluntary health groups and workers' unions from the national Capital and several other states are lending a helping hand to offer medical assistance to surviving victims in disaster-hit Uttarakhand.

From Delhi the second medical team, comprising volunteers, nurses, paramedical staff and doctors equipped with medicines and diagnostic facilities, left today and is now on its way to Banswara, a remote area of the flood-affected northern state.

As a part of the joint campaign, initiated by the Kalawati Hospital Workers Union in co-ordination with National Public Health Alliance and Medical Service Centre, nursing and paramedical staff were enrolled and medicines collected worth Rs 4-5 lakh that were dispatched with the second team itself.

Nursing unions and workers' associations of Lady Hardinge Medical College, Central Government Health Scheme, Asha Kiran Home, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services and Safdarjung Hospital are also involved in mobilising all type of support for this noble cause.

"We have collected medicines from our staff as well as those who are willing from outside. Earlier, for the first team sent on July 5 in a span of eight days we collected Rs 1 lakh, medicines of worth Rs 50,000 in the form of physician samples and remaining were unconsumed from health employees. We also purchased medicines and arranged medical equipment to run four medical and field camps at Rudraprayag and Banswara," said VS Dahiya, president of the Kalawati Hospital Workers Union.

At the camps, there are specialists of medicine, ortho, rehabilitation, etc., along with arrangements for complete haemogram, electrolytes, glucose, routine cytology and urine microscopy.

Health workers part of the teams said, much hype was created through media at the time of evacuation of stranded pilgrims and tourists but local residents who have lost everything in this disaster due to the callous attitude of the state and Central governments are still at the receiving end without any food and medical treatment.

In such a situation, the voluntary health groups urge all sections of society and particularly health professionals to come forward as volunteers and donate generously for medical relief fund for the victims of Uttarakhand disaster.

New Delhi, July 11
The Delhi Jal Board claimed that water supplied to JJ cluster Rajokari Pahadi was found potable and safe for human consumption when a sample of the water was tested in Treatment and Quality Control laboratory.

The sample was lifted following a report that a resident of Rajokari Pahadi died of consuming contaminated water on July 7. Water sample was lifted and found safe for human consumption, said Sanjan Cheema, spokesperson for the DJB.

She said that in Rajokari the DJB supplies tubewell water. At some places in the area people have cut the supply line and had taken illegal connection in which contamination could be reported. But tubewell water is safe for drinking, she said.

Just after the incident of death was reported, the DJB as a precautionary measure had pressed into service additional tankers and residents had been advised to take water from DJB tankers to meet their requirements.

Now again the DJB had started supplying tubewell water, she said.

New Delhi, July 11
A youth was arrested yesterday for allegedly duping a man of Rs 60,000 on the pretext of getting him a job in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the police said today. He was arrested from Connaught Place.

The accused has been identified as Amit Chauhan (21), who is a resident of Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested for allegedly cheating a job seeker in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, of Rs 60,000, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) S B S Tyagi.

According to the police, Ram Raj Dangi, a resident of Dhanya Khade village in Vidisha, had complained that while he was searching for a job in the DMRC, he got the name, mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses of the accused.

"He came in contact with Chauhan through the given mobile number. Chauhan assured him a job in the Delhi Metro and demanded Rs 60,000. The accused asked the complainant to come to Delhi and give Rs 25,000 as the first installment," the official said.

On January 24, 2012, Chauhan took Rs 25,000, seven passport size photographs, one full-size photograph, copies of marksheets of Classes X and XII, domicile certificate and driving license from the complainant at Palika Bazar in Connaught Place, said Tyagi.

"The accused promised to arrange the job within seven days. Thereafter, Chauhan called the complainant and demanded the remaining Rs 35,000 on January 28 in Aligarh, UP. The complainant did not have the money in cash.?So, he pledged his agriculture land and on February 10 he paid the remaining amount to the accused at Aligarh bus stand. In return, Chauhan gave Dangi an appointment letter on the letter head of DMRC and told him to join his job between March 12 and 17," Tyagi said.

Chauhan thereafter switched off his mobile phone. Dangi became suspicious and visited the Metro Bhawan in Connaught Place and learnt that the appointment letter given by Chauhan was fake. The DMRC kept the appointment letter. A case was registered at the Connaught Place police station.

New Delhi, July 11
A former municipal councillor, Razia Sultana's brother was shot dead inside his house in the Seelampur area, north-east Delhi, allegedly by five men yesterday.

The deceased has been identified as Salim (35), who stayed with his family at New Seelampur J-Block, and the brother of Razia Sultan, who was the municipal councillor of the Congress at Chauhan Bangar from 2007 to 2012.

According to the police, Salim was shot several times, including in his head. He was rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Investigators suspect that the five men had allegedly attacked him over personal enmity. But, the police is yet to make arrests in the case.

Initial the police inquiries have revealed that Salim allegedly has a criminal history. He was arrested in 2010 on the charges of killing a youth. He was released on bail in November 2012.

According to the police, the attack on Salim was the second one since he was released on bail. He was earlier attacked in New Usmanpur area in December 2012. He survived the attack in which he had sustained gunshots injuries to his legs, making it difficult for him to walk.

"The two attacks were allegedly carried out by the relatives of the youth, whom Salim was accused of killing. Three of the accused have been identified as Arif, Akbar and Sunny," said a police official. Arif is reportedly the brother of the youth who was allegedly killed by Salim. At 9 pm yesterday, Salim was with his wife, Shahida Begum, when the three accused with their associates allegedly barged into their house, carrying firearms.

"Shahida claims that Arif opened fire at Salim after an argument. The bullet hit Salim's forehead," the official added.

The accused did not attack Shahida, who managed to escape, as Salim was attacked. Residents of the area informed the police about hearing of gunshots. The police claimed to have recovered three live cartridges from the house.

Salim is survived by his wife and daughters, Tanma (9), Samiya (7) and son Ambar (3).