Street vendors clash with police in Okhla
New Delhi, February 26
Alleging harassment by the local police and municipal authorities, street vendors of Harkesh Nagar located in South Delhi's Okhla phase I today protested outside the area's police station, demanding the release of their fellow vendors who were detained following an altercation between them and the local policemen.

Cong grassroots workers to choose LS candidates
New Delhi, February 26
The 'primaries' project, a brainchild of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to allow grassroots workers to choose candidates for general elections, has begun in Delhi.

Fashion designing student raped by uncle
New Delhi, February 26
A 19-year-old fashion designing student was allegedly raped by her 50-year-old uncle at Delhi's Gymkhana Club on Valentine's Day, police said today.

Uttam Khobragade (L), father of US diplomat Devyani Khobragade, with activists of SC/ST Karamchari Sangh, during a protest against the US government at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Check commercial use of ground water, DCs told
New Delhi, February 26
The Delhi government today directed the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to take strict action against complaints of extraction of ground water for commercial purpose, even as it asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to readvertise applications for registration of water tankers in the city.

LG urged to allow 'single window’ for building plan
New Delhi, February 26
Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel has urged the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to allow the BJP-ruled municipal corporations to create a 'single window system', under which any resident, desirous of building on his land could do so by submitting the plan prepared and verified by an architect. Goel said he had written to the LG in this regard. "I discussed the issue with all the three Mayors and Standing Committee Chairpersons of the Municipal Corporations. They agreed that we should have a simpler system on granting permission for construction on the plots up to 100 metres," Goel wrote in his letter. TNS

Six child labourers rescued
New Delhi, February 26
Two men and a woman have been arrested for allegedly bringing six minor boys from Bihar and Rajasthan and engaging them in labour, police said today. The children were rescued yesterday by the police with the help of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Punjabi Bagh and an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan. The persons who have been arrested are identified as Omprakash (43), Kamlesh (27) and Taro Devi (65). TNS

Street vendors clash with police in Okhla
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26
Alleging harassment by the local police and municipal authorities, street vendors of Harkesh Nagar located in South Delhi's Okhla phase I today protested outside the area's police station, demanding the release of their fellow vendors who were detained following an altercation between them and the local policemen.

While the mob remained unmoved until night, the area police said that the locals attacked the cops on duty and a few of them were injured also. "They resorted to rioting and stone-pelting and we have held five-six of them. Cases under IPC section 146 (rioting) and 319 (causing hurt) have been registered," said the police.

During the day, the local police told around 400 street vendors of Harkesh Nagar, to vacate the space for construction of public toilets following which there was an altercation between the police and the vendors with a few among them resorting to stone-pelting.

"The police came and told us to remove our street shops from Harkesh Nagar. We were not given any time and when we opposed, our men were beaten up and taken to police station," a vendor Mukul Kumar said at the site of protest.

While lamenting the police and municipal agency's action, a CA student Raju, whose father sells vegetables on the footpath in the area, said, "I returned from office in the afternoon knowing about this. Today we got to know that a toilet is being planned here. Such apathy would ruin the livelihood of nearly 400 street vendors."

"Our men made a mistake by throwing stones and the police have locked them in police station. We have come to protest against the police's insensitivity and they should be released now," he added.

According to the locals and activists of National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), the plan of building toilet is only a 'ploy' for removing the poor vendors from the area.

In this context, thousands of street vendors under the banner of NASVI would march to 10 Janpath, residence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow, demanding an end to the action by the police and municipal agencies.

Cong grassroots workers to choose LS candidates
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26
The 'primaries' project, a brainchild of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to allow grassroots workers to choose candidates for general elections, has begun in Delhi.

Out of the two constituencies selected in Delhi for the implementation of 'primaries', the process for filing nomination for the New Delhi seat will begin tomorrow. The seat is represented by Congress leader JP Aggarwal.

The filing of nomination for the Northeast constituency, represented by senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, will be done on March 4, followed by a convention to be held on March 11 where the nominees will present their point of view and their political agenda to the voters. At the end of the convention, voters will vote to choose their winner who will be nominated as candidate for the Lok Sabha polls.

The convention for the New Delhi constituency will take place on March 6 and the candidates can file their nomination from February 27. A voters' list has been compiled comprising the office-bearers of various units of Congress.

The eligibility criterion for the candidates has been kept quite general except the fact that the person should be a member of at least a district committee of the party. "The candidate should have been a party worker or he should be of prominent social stature," said Rajpal Bhist, local in-charge for the Northeast constituency.

The names of the winners will be sent to Central Election Committee (CEC) for final announcement.

The Congress party has started implementing the 'primaries' to select candidates for the Lok Sabha polls based on the announcements by Rahul Gandhi. It will be used to select candidates in 16 Lok Sabha constituencies with Guwahati and Kolkata already completed the process.

"The previous process of determining the party candidates did not ensure the involvement of local office-bearers. The candidate was chosen by the CEC and Pradesh Congress Committee," said Bhist.

Fashion designing student raped by uncle
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26
A 19-year-old fashion designing student was allegedly raped by her 50-year-old uncle at Delhi's Gymkhana Club on Valentine's Day, police said today.

The victim studies fashion designing at a reputed private institute in Delhi. The accused is a businessman who deals in garments in Lucknow. They belong to Lucknow, but the girl is staying in Delhi for her education.

The Delhi police became aware of the incident on February 19, when the girl reached the Chanakyapuri police station and complained that her uncle had allegedly raped her.

She explained that her uncle had reached Delhi for some personal work and called her on February 14.

"The incident took place at Gymkhana Club where her uncle had called her on February 14. He raped her inside a room there. He also warned her against revealing the incident to anyone," said a police officer, who is privy to the investigation.

The girl then approached the police on February 19. A case under the Indian Penal Code sections 376 (sexual assault) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered against the girl's uncle at the Chanakyapuri police station in Delhi.

The police are searching for the accused. He lives at Aliganj in Lucknow and is absconding.

Check commercial use of ground water, DCs told
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26
The Delhi government today directed the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to take strict action against complaints of extraction of ground water for commercial purpose, even as it asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to readvertise applications for registration of water tankers in the city.

This decision was taken after a meeting of the ground water regulation and management committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Environment, Delhi government, Sanjiv Kumar.

"There are about 2,000 water tankers in the city. However, only 188 applications for the registration of 327 tankers have been received by the DJB so far. Out of which only 16 applications have been registered," the board informed the committee.

The committee asked the board to extend the date for submitting the application for registering tankers up to March 31 and give an advertisement in newspapers in this regard.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of the Central Ground Water Authority, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, DJB and Department of Environment.