Vikaspuri-Wazirabad flyovers will save Rs 280-cr fuel a year
New Delhi, August 6
The elevated road project of the Public Works Department (PWD) from Vikaspuri to Wazirabad along with the four proposed flyovers will save fuel worth Rs 280 crore per year, according to a study conducted by the department.

RTI Act 2005: Activists oppose govt’s move
New Delhi, August 6
Supported by rallies across the country, as social activists and civil society groups heightened their protests against the Central Cabinet's proposed move of exempting six political parties from the ambit of Right to Information Act, 2005, barring the CPI no other political party among them turned for a dialogue over the issue during a "Jan Manch" in the capital today.

RTI activists shout slogans during a protest near Parliament against the changes in the RTI Act, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Govt may open onion stalls
New Delhi, August 6
The Delhi Government today said that it will open stalls to make onions available at reasonable prices if it remained soaring. Development Minister Rajkumar Chauhan said that there has been lesser arrival during first six days of August in comparison to the last year. The arrival during 2012 was 4,513.5 tonnes whereas it has been 3,884.5 tonnes during the period this year. It comes to be 14 per cent (629 tonnes) less than the last year.

Modern School lifts Jauhar soccer trophy
New Delhi, August 6
Modern School, Barakhmba Road, lifted the 16th S.N. Jauhar "Faquir" Memorial Inter-School Football tournament on the Mother's International School ground, defeating Modern School, Vasant Vihar, by 1-0 today.

Man dies as bike skids off on Canal Road
New Delhi, August 6
A 24-year-old man died when his motorcycle skidded off the road in the Geeta Colony area, east Delhi, on Tuesday. The deceased identified as Mohit Bisht was a resident of Kailash Nagar. He was driving on Canal Road in Geeta Colony when his motorcycle skidded off the road.

Vikaspuri-Wazirabad flyovers will save Rs 280-cr fuel a year
Himani Chandel
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
The elevated road project of the Public Works Department (PWD) from Vikaspuri to Wazirabad along with the four proposed flyovers will save fuel worth Rs 280 crore per year, according to a study conducted by the department. The projects that will be completed by 2015 will reduce the travel time on the 23-km stretch to 30 minutes from the existing one hour and 15 minutes, said PWD Minister Rajkumar Chauhan. The study has estimated the usage of infrastructure by around 1.8 lakh vehicles per day.

Expressing confidence, Chauhan said that the total cost of the project will be recovered in initial three years of its commencement. "The contract has been awarded with strict rules which will impose penalty of Rs 70 lakh per day, if completion is hit by delay," he said.

The PWD has started four projects from Vikaspuri to Wazirabad to make outer ring road signal free for the commuters, the construction work, on which, has already begun. As per the study, which was ordered by the department to calculate the actual benefit of the project, has suggested that each driver will save one and a half hour per day while driving two and fro on the road, thereby saving 23 days in a year.

According to vehicular movement in 2007, there were 6,180 vehicles running on the road per hour which has increased by 4%. In 2015, it is estimated to reach 1.80 lakh vehicles per day. With the reduced travelling time after the opening of these projects in 2015, these 1.80 lakhs vehicles will save 58,000 liters of petrol and diesel. "Given that per litre of petrol is for Rs 60 approximately then around Rs 280 crore of fuel will be saved with the construction of elevated road," said the minister.

This will also lead to decrease in air pollution as 80 tonne less carbon dioxide will be omitted.

RTI Act 2005: Activists oppose govt’s move
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
Supported by rallies across the country, as social activists and civil society groups heightened their protests against the Central Cabinet's proposed move of exempting six political parties from the ambit of Right to Information Act, 2005, barring the CPI no other political party among them turned for a dialogue over the issue during a "Jan Manch" in the capital today.

While the CPI clarified that it is apparently ready for "financial probity" but is opposed to the Central Information Commission's order of declaring them as public authorities, small parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party, the Loksatta and the Loktantra Bachhao Morcha extended support to the save RTI campaign.

"During elections given the unholy nexus between the capitalists and political parties, transparency and accountability of political parties is necessary and the RTI is an invaluable weapon to fight fraudulent and corrupt practices," said senior CPI leader D. Raja.

On this, AAP's representative Yogendra Yadav, who urged the CPI to "revert to its earlier position of welcoming the CIC's move, opposed any blanket exclusion of parties while exhorting political parties irrespective of whether they got funding from the government or not, to voluntarily function like a public authority.

Condemning the manner in which the changes meant to "dilute", the RTI Act is being pushed despite a clear "conflict of interest", as earlier also pointed out by former NAC member Harsh Mander, RTI activist Aruna Roy cautioned the Central government from going ahead, indicating that the "anti-people move which has sparked protests in different parts of the country will soon explode into a nation-wide mass protest."

In today's protest, organised by National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), saw nearly 500 activists from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat Bihar, UP, Haryana other than Delhi.

Govt may open onion stalls
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
The Delhi Government today said that it will open stalls to make onions available at reasonable prices if it remained soaring. Development Minister Rajkumar Chauhan said that there has been lesser arrival during first six days of August in comparison to the last year. The arrival during 2012 was 4,513.5 tonnes whereas it has been 3,884.5 tonnes during the period this year. It comes to be 14 per cent (629 tonnes) less than the last year.

He said that the arrival on August 4, 2012, was 1,285 tonnes whereas in 2013 only 551 tonnes has reached. There has been substantial decrease in arrival on August 5, it was 1,070 tonnes in 2012 and in 2013 just 206 tonnes. The drastic shortage in arrival during these two days has directly or indirectly affected the onion prices, said Chauhan.

This reflects that short arrival of onions due to heavy rains and disruptions in road routes has affected the prices in most of the states where consumption of onions is substantial. At Azadpur Mandi, the arrival on August 5, 2013, had been 613 tonnes and wholesale rates today ranged between Rs 10.50 and Rs 32.50 per kg.

The wholesale rate on August 1, 2012, varied from Rs 4.50 to Rs 8.75 per kg and in 2013 it varied from Rs 13.75 to Rs 27 per kg. The figure in respect of August 3 was ranging between Rs 4.75 and Rs 8.75 per kg in 2012 and between Rs 16.25 and Rs 28.75 in 2013.

"The government is keeping a close eye on the rising trend in onions prices. We have enough machinery to foil the designs of black-marketers and hoarders. We have directed the department to take an appropriate action in order to make things easy for the people," said Chauhan.

Modern School lifts Jauhar soccer trophy
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
Modern School, Barakhmba Road, lifted the 16th S.N. Jauhar "Faquir" Memorial Inter-School Football tournament on the Mother's International School ground, defeating Modern School, Vasant Vihar, by 1-0 today.

Captain Tejas Sirohi converted a penalty with a powerful drive in the 20th minute of second half.

Modern School (Barakhmba Road) was the runner-up last year. It reached the final beating DPS R.K. Puram by 4-1, Step by Step School, Noida, by 2-1 and Laxman Public School by 3-1. Eighteen schools participated in the tournament, in which under-19 category, boys displayed excellent soccer skills. Principal of Mother's International School Ghosh and Dr. P.S. Mann, director of physical education, Bhagat Singh College, and a veteran footballer himself, gave away the prizes to the winners.

Man dies as bike skids off on Canal Road
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6
A 24-year-old man died when his motorcycle skidded off the road in the Geeta Colony area, east Delhi, on Tuesday. The deceased identified as Mohit Bisht was a resident of Kailash Nagar. He was driving on Canal Road in Geeta Colony when his motorcycle skidded off the road.

According to the police, Bisht was driving the motorcycle at a high speed. He lost control over the vehicle. It skidded and hit the railing alongside the road. His head was smashed against the parapet.

Witnesses said that he was not wearing the helmet. The police did not find the helmet at the site of the incident as well.

Mohit died on the spot due to the impact of the accident. The body will be handed over to his family after the post-mortem.