New Delhi, August 11
With less than four months left for assembly elections, BJP national president Rajnath Singh at a rally - Bijli Andolan - today begun the election campaign appealed to electorates to throw the Congress out of power in Delhi that had increased the power tariff by 72 per cent in two years, making the life of middle and the poor class people a hell.

Singh expressed surprise that 50 per cent population had no basic amenities in the national Capital. Majority of the people reside in unauthorized and rehabilitated colonies and slum areas. Though the Congress has been in power in Delhi for the past 15 years, yet no development work has been done in these areas.

Addressing the rally organized by the Delhi BJP at Ramlila Ground, he said that if the BJP was voted to power in the assembly elections to be held in November, basic facilities would be developed in all the unauthorized colonies and slum areas. The "Bijli Andolan" rally should be known as "Sankalp" rally. People should leave Ramlila Ground with an idea to throw the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government out of power in Delhi and voting the BJP to power.

Coming on power tariff, the BJP president said that in Mumbai there are a anumber of discoms that have created competitive environment, resulting in rate of power supply under control and the better efficiency. But in Delhi, only two power companies - BSES and NDPL - are there. There is no check and balance over these companies. They increase power tariff on their own will. The government has no intention to prevent them from hiking the tariff. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) works as it is directed by the government.

The BJP-ruled states like Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Goa have better power supply on cheap rates, he said.

President of the state unit of the party Vijay Goel said that the BJP had formula to reduce the power tariff by 30 per cent provided it was voted to power. Once it comes to power it will bring more power companies. In two years the Congress had increased power tariff by 72 per cent. Once the assembly election is over, the Congress has the plan to hike tariff up to 300 per cent.

The government has constituted the DERC. But it is for the name sake.

He also assured to get the discoms accounts audited by the CAG after coming to power, so that people could know how much profit the private power supply companies were earning. There will be transparency in power purchase and long-term agreement with the power companies.

He also assured to open laboratory in each district in Delhi to test the defective power meters.

Others who spoke on the occasion were former state party presidents Harshvardhan, Vijendra Gupta, Prof O.P. Kohli, Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra, actress and BJP leader Kiran Kher and former Mayor Arti Mehra.

In Mumbai there are a number of discoms that have created competitive environment, resulting in rate of power under control. But in Delhi, only two power companies - BSES and NDPL - are there. There is no check and balance over these companies. They increase power tariff on their own will
— Rajnath Singh, BJP national president

New Delhi, August 11
It is a bouquet of good news for elderly in the national Capital as while the Delhi Government is mulling for setting-up of more recreational centres for elderly during the current fiscal, here is a new subsidised healthcare initiative by the Delhi Senior Citizens' Welfare Association (DSCWA) that has worked out a noble arrangement with a private hospital Sukhmani in south Delhi and is in process of dialogue with several other corporate hospitals for similar tie ups.

The pilot model comes more so at a time when getting healthcare claims from various insurance firms is an arduous process for senior citizens and barely existent for those above 80 years. Under this, the hospital has agreed to offer 20 per cent discount in health services, including in-patient and out-patient along with free pick and drop facility for medical treatment.

In exchange, the elderly forum will give an ambulance towards the purpose while on a similar understanding Dr Lal Path Labs and Mahajan Imaging Centre will offer discounted services to nearly 1,000 members registered with the NGO.

Further, there are specialist doctors, such as ortho surgeon Dr Rohtash Grover, who have come forward for providing free consultation to them. "We have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Sukhmani Hospital and we are contemplating to look for such cross-subsidy with other local hospitals. Soon, we will handover the ambulance and the services should begin at Safdarjung Enclave. If this works, we will replicate it to other parts of the city," said patron in chief of DSCWA K.K. Kapila.

Adding that the senior citizens' forum is also encouraging corporate firms to contribute for the recreational needs of the elderly, Kapila said, recreational facilities would come as a great help, especially given the fact that nowadays in majority of families the couples are working. "This will keep the elderly persons integrate in their respective families and the old persons would not be looked upon as a problem. Apart from indoor games and a reading room, skype service has also been provided for the members to remain connected with their dear ones in India and abroad," added Kapila.

Currently, the city has around 83 such recreation centres run by civil society organisations and they, along with the Senior Citizens Council, under the social welfare department of city government run these centres.

Calling for increased participation, he said that for these centres the city government offers the first one-time grant of Rs 70,000 and then Rs 20,000 every month to NGOs or societies for operational expenses, including providing facilities for relaxation, avenues for their leisure time.

This has been a hope for nearly 1.92 million elderly of Delhi (the estimate is reached on the basis of 10 per cent of Delhi's total population in 2013).

The above figure is on the understanding that the Government of India has projected that by 2015, the country would be home to around 116 million elderly on the basis of the 2001 census when the country's total elderly population stood at 70 million.

New Delhi, August 11
Finance Secretary in the Delhi Government Shakti Sinha, who had served as joint secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has sought voluntary retirement from services due to "serious differences" on a number of policy issues in the power and finance sectors.

Sources close to Sinha, a 1979-batch IAS officer of AGMTU cadre who is also holding charge of Power Secretary, said he has decided to quit government services because of the "work environment".

"He had serious differences on a number of major policy decisions and probably that was the trigger for his decision to apply for the voluntary retirement," the sources said.

When asked, 56-year-old Sinha, who had worked with the UN mission in Afghanistan and with the World Bank, said he wanted to work outside the government and termed his tenure in the Delhi Government "challenging".

"I wanted to work outside the government and that is why I applied for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme. I will focus my energy on issues such as economic policy and governance," he said.

The sources said Sinha, who was overlooked for post of Chief Secretary in December last year, wanted the government to take a "tough approach" in dealing with private power distribution companies and had opposed the subsidy to the new set of power consumers citing possible strain on finances of the government.

Immediately after power tariff was hiked by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission on July 26, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, with an eye on assembly polls in November, had announced subsidy for the consumers whose consumption does not go beyond 400 units. Earlier, the government was giving subsidy to those consumers whose monthly consumption did not go beyond 200 units.

New Delhi, August 11
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has asked the Delhi Government for a Rs 25-crore budget to install surveillance cameras in all its schools, a top SDMC official said.

"After becoming the first municipal corporation to have installed CCTV cameras in our mid-day meal kitchens, we are now planning to put them in all our schools," said chairman of the SDMC Education Committee Satish Upadhyay.

Upadhyay said the corporation has written to the state government but is "yet to hear from them".

"There are 588 schools altogether and if we factor in those running in shifts, the number is 432 in total. We are looking for a minimum of eight to 10 cameras per building," he added.

Drawing attention to cases of security breach in certain schools raised by some ward councillors in their monthly meet earlier, Upadhyay said, "Girl schools will be given priority as we want the most vulnerable to be secured on the school premises".

Fending off the Opposition's remarks that "instead of focusing on basic needs, the ruling party is wasting money on CCTV cameras", the chairman defended his stand on the issue.

"Education is still our priority. This we have asked, apart from our regular budget. One sees on television how lives are becoming vulnerable to external attacks and that is why CCTV cameras have been installed at market places too. It is the need of the hour," he said.

"The project is still in trial phase but we are hopeful that it will be very successful," he said.

New Delhi, August 11
The Delhi Transport Minister, Ramakant Goswami, today announced that the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will soon be plying 1,725 new buses exclusively for rural commuters. He said that in areas like Bindapur and Mohan Gardens, west Delhi, the government has sanctioned feasibility studies for a monorail project.

He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new ultra-modern DTC bus terminal at Bindapur.

The DTC Bus Terminal at Bindapur will be spread over 1,750 sq m and is being constructed by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 1.5 crore and the timeline for construction is six months. This new bus terminal is expected to ease the commuting woes of the local population to a great degree.

Speaking on the occasion, Goswami said that of the 1,725 new buses, 30 per cent will be luxury buses. He said that 35 per cent of the cost of these buses has been borne by the Central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Rural Mission Scheme.

Approximately, 45 lakh commuters in the capital make use of the international standard bus services offered by the DTC. On a daily basis, DTC buses travel over approximately 10 lakh km.

Goswami said that the Bindapur Bus Terminal will have a computerized pass section for the convenience of commuters, in addition to the already existing 33 computerised pass sections in Delhi. "The Bindapur Bus Terminal will connect local residents not only to the rest of Delhi, but will also ply buses for Noida and Gurgaon. The DTC operated 220 buses on inter-state routes," he said.

New Delhi, August 11
In view of the preliminary report received from the CBI regarding irregularities in building department in civil lines zone, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) suspended five engineers and two beldars with immediate effect with pending criminal proceedings and disciplinary proceedings against them.

Suspended engineers include Rajesh Wadhwa, superintendent engineer (Civil), A.K. Singh, executive engineer (Civil) and MK Gupta, assistant engineer (Civil) from Rohini Zone. From building department, Civil Lines Zone, R.K. Sethi, assistant engineer and Kapil Dev, junior engineer and beldars Satish Kumar and Naresh Kumar were also suspended.

Commissioner of the NDMC directed all the Deputy Commissioners and engineers to ensure that no irregularity is carried out in functioning specially in sensitive departments like building department. "If anybody found indulging in such activities, would be dealt sternly," he said.

New Delhi, August 11
The Delhi Police has recovered a minor girl from Central Delhi who has been missing for the past three years from Prasad Nagar.

The police had registered a case of kidnapping in 2010 on the basis of a complaint submitted by girl's father. The police tried to recover the girl but it could not get concrete clue, said Ravindra Yadav, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch).

Finally, the police had decided to get big posters pasted at entry and exit gates of prominent religious places, bus stands, railway stations, metro stations, cinema halls, etc.

Yadav said that the girl saw her photograph on a poster outside a temple in Delhi and scared. She contacted her mother. The mother informed the police about whereabouts of her daughter. A team of crime branch reached the place and recovered the girl, he said.

During interrogation, the girl said that she has got married and has a child. She has stated before the court that she was not kidnapped by anyone and solemnized marriage with a farmer on her own will after running away from her house because her father had not allowed her to play a kabaddi match.