New Delhi, January 10
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today shared another four-digit helpline number, 1031 in addition to 27357169, already operational, to curb corruption from the government departments.

In cases of complaints related to the electricity meters, the government will constitute an independent body to check them and if found tampered, the power companies will be told to change the meters.

While urging people to register only the corruption-related complaints, Kejriwal said that complaints regarding fast-running meters can be submitted today. The first 10,000 complaints will be examined randomly.

While addressing a press conference, he said, "We will set up an independent meter testing agency to check fast meters. If it is found that the number of the complaints is really on a higher side, we will ask the companies to change the meters."

Kejriwal also said that he has asked his Cabinet colleague Rakhi Birla to withdraw the case against the child who threw a ball at her vehicle. People of Delhi want to eradicate corruption from society and that's why they are responding tremendously towards the efforts of the government, he noted.

According to the government, within 36 hours of the launch of the helpline 27357169, a number of 23,500 calls about corruption cases have been received.

He said that 16 sting operations of bribe seekers have been done, action is expected by Monday. A case of corruption against an assistant registrar has been registered. He will be trapped by Monday. His assistant has been arrested for seeking bribe in his name.

Kejriwal has appealed to the people to use the helpline to book their calls for corruption-related complaints only and not for general complaints.

He said that information of the power cuts of the week will now be made available on website delhisldc.org.

The power companies will have to give weekly power cut information on this website.

New Delhi, January 10
The Janata Dal (United) MLA from Matia Mahal assembly constituency, Shoaib Iqbal, today claimed to have got an offer from the Aam Aadmi Party to join it. "I today visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for some personal work where Women and Child Welfare Minister Rakhi Birla in the presence of PWD Minister Manish Sisodia offered me to join the party, but I have not yet taken any decision," said Iqbal.

"I am already supporting the AAP government in the assembly and my support will continue. It is a clean party. There is no harm if anybody joins it," he said.

Iqbal, who represents the Matia Mahal assembly constituency, added "BJP is communal and we must stop Narendra Modi from becoming the Prime Minister and Congress is corrupt. The only hope is Aam Aadmi Party."

Kejriwal told reporters that "Iqbal met me for his personal work and also expressed his willingness to join the party. We are looking into it".

Party sources said AAP is sceptical about taking Iqbal into the party because of the cases against him.

Early this week, Iqbal had threatened to pull the rug over some remarks made by AAP leader Kumar Vishwas.

He later said that he had met the Chief Minister who assured him that Vishwas would not make such comments in future.

New Delhi, January 10
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Arvinder Singh Lovely today urged the Congress councillors to work hard in the interest of citizens irrespective of the fact whether the party wins or loses in elections.

Addressing the Congress councillors at Civic Centre, Lovely said the Congressmen are used to a life of struggle.

He said he understands the role of councillors in democracy and would speak to every one of them to understand the issues they face while working for the development in their wards.

Ever since the new government in Delhi has been formed, many areas have been facing long power cuts.

The Kejriwal government has made promises which are not practical to fulfil, said the DPCC president.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the discoms were disrupting supply as his government had ordered CAG audit of the power companies.

Congress Legislative Party leader Haroon Yusuf also addressed the councillors and said that they played an important role as people approach them for their basic civic amenities.

The function was attended by Leaders of the Opposition in the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi --Mukesh Goel, Farhad Suri and Varyam Kaur.

New Delhi, January 10
A Delhi Police constable was allegedly attacked with a blade when he tried to intervene in a fight between a man and his wife at Alipur today. The constable identified as Shankar is out of danger. The police have arrested Lalit who allegedly attacked Shankar.

A woman named Sunita informed the police about a fight between her and her husband Lalit about 1 am. Constable Shankar and sub-inspector Satbir reached the site of the incident.

"When Shankar intervened in the fight, Lalit attacked him with a blade. He sustained cut marks on his neck," said the officer.

New Delhi, January 10
Two autorickshaw drivers have been arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl at Bhopura Border in east Delhi on two consecutive days this week, police said today.

The arrested men have been identified by the police as Rehan (22) and Sonu (23). They were apprehended from east Delhi on Thursday night.

According to the police, the girl is a school dropout who works in a factory.

On Monday evening, she left home to reach the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in east Delhi. She stayed at the hospital throughout night.

When some persons questioned her presence there, she said that her brother was hospitalised.

At about 8 pm on Tuesday, she went to Bhopura Border where two autorickshaw drivers found her alone.

They allegedly took her to a sanitation workers' room, where one of them raped her. She returned to the hospital after some time and spent the night there.

"On Wednesday morning, she again went to Bhopura Border. The two men took her to the same room where the other one raped her. She claimed that one of the workers there had bolted the door from outside when the incident took place," said a police officer, privy to the investigation of the case.

The girl returned to the hospital after the incident and then went home on Wednesday afternoon, where she narrated the incidents to her father. Her father then made a complaint to the police on Wednesday afternoon.

"The medical tests have not shown any external injury marks, but there has been sexual assault," said the officer.

The police are trying to find out why the girl visited the location again despite the first incident. "Our duty is to register the complaint, investigate and catch the culprits," said the police officer, privy to the investigation.

New Delhi, January 10
A man rescued two stranded children aged four and two from near a Metro station and showed his presence of mind by informing the police who then traced their aunt.

On January 3, Anil Kumar Lal, an administrator with the EKAL Foundation of India, was returning home when he noticed two girls wandering on a road near the Govindpuri Metro station, according to the police. He took them to the Metro station and after consulting the traffic police, he informed the Police Control Room (PCR) about the children.

One PCR comprising head constable Pakheru Lal, constable (gunman) Sudhir and constable (driver) Sonu reached the site of the incident at 6.40 pm. They saw the girls, Kalpana (4) and Shital (2), with Anil.

"The PCR staff made inquiries about the girls' mother, but nobody had information. After inquiring further, they found their aunt," said Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) T.N. Mohan.

Both of them were handed over to their aunt Anita (20).

"The PCR staff and Anil Kumar Lal deserve appreciation and gratitude of the Delhi Police," said Mohan.

New Delhi, January 10
For Uma Shankar, who is accompanied by his wife Anita Devi from Bihar's Ara district for treatment of his stomach cancer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one of the four buses- parked close to the exit gate number one of the hospital-is his shelter till his surgery on January 20.

Unlike their last visit to the hospital, when they had to stay on the pavement near Metro station, the couple are happy with the temporary arrangement and also thankful to the Delhi Government which is in the process of putting in place similar night shelters for the homeless across the city.

There were many outstation patients like them who had shifted to these buses a few days ago after braving the Capital's biting cold.

"I have come here for the treatment of my aunt who has kidney disorder. We had to stay outside until we got this place. It is secured and convenient for us to go to the hospital during OPDs," said Ramkesh Prajapati from Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh.

The opening of these 'bus' shelters with the help of people has saved many from harsh winter, said Anuj Gupta, a tea vendor who sells tea to the people staying in these buses. Accompanying him is another 14-year-old boy Akash Kirkanai whose mother works as a daily wage earner and father takes care of his two-year-old sister for whose treatment they have come to AIIMS.

"When we came three years ago for my sister's treatment of cancer, we had to stay on pavements. Now we stay in a nearby place,” said Akash who wishes to resume his studies after returning to Gwalior.