New Delhi, May 15
Ten gas agencies were prosecuted today during surprise raids conducted by different departments of the Delhi government. The inspections was conducted by teams constituting senior officers, IAS probationers, officers of Anti-Corruption Branch and Departments of Food and Supplies, Excise, Transport, Trade and Taxes, Health, Food Safety, Education and Police.

The Departments of Food and Supplies and Consumer Affairs took up drive across the city to check black-marketeering and diversion of foodgrain meant for the Public Distribution System and gas agencies indulging malpractices like supply of underweight LPG cylinders, delivery of cylinders without weighing them in front of the consumer and for using non-verified weighing scales.

Raids were conducted by the teams of IAS officers with support of the Delhi Police on the flour mills across the city, especially in Narela Industrial Area, Lawrence Road and Bawana Industrial area, and strict action were taken against the flour mills indulging in various violations and malpractices.

Three flour mills were sealed for having unaccounted stock of foodgrain. Five flour mills have been prosecuted for various violations of the Packaged Commodities Rules and the Legal Metrology Act. Further investigations are on.

Conducting wide raids on the gas agencies indulging in delivery of underweight LPG cylinders, the Weights and Measures Wing under the Food and Supplies Department checked whether the delivery vehicles were carrying weighing scales so that the gas cylinder is weighed before the consumer while delivery.

"Each such weighing scale should be certified by the Department of Weights and Measures. Ten gas agencies were prosecuted for supply of underweight cylinders and for other violations. The department is also taking up the matter with the oil marketing companies concerned to take necessary action against these agencies," said senior government official.

Inspection teams of the Health Department made surprise visits to government and private hospitals and made assessment of irregularities and service deficiencies and incidence of corruption.

Special emphasis was on treatment of economically weaker sections as per their entitlement in private hospitals and better service delivery in government hospitals. Two teams were deputed to inspect government hospitals and other two teams visited private hospitals.

Strict action has been initiated for the violations detected during the inspections. Decoy customers were sent to see proper service delivery and rational prescription in government hospitals.

New Delhi, May 15
An elaborate arrangement has been made and security has tightened at the seven centres, housing over 20,000 EVMs, to ensure peaceful counting of votes in the national Capital tomorrow.

The machines holding fate of 150 candidates were kept under high security at strong rooms in the centres across the city. Delhi registered a high voter turnout of 65.09 per cent in the LS polls.

Number of policemen outside each centre has also been increased today and personnel from the Reserve Forces of the Delhi Police will be on standby to manage the party workers outside the counting centres. The entire counting process would be videographed.

Mobile phones and other electronic gadgets have been banned at the counting premises, but election officials can use laptop or other devices to transmit results.

Each counting centre will have 10 rooms for each assembly constituency.

A two-layered security cover has been put in place at the counting centres across the city.

While a platoon of paramilitary force forms the inner circle of security inside each of the counting centres, the Delhi Police are ensuring their safety from outside.

"Postal ballots would be counted first. After a gap of 30 minutes, the EVMs would be opened. Assistant Returning officers will oversee the postal ballot counting," said Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi, Vijay Dev.

"As per the Election Commission regulations, there will be 10 micro observers deployed in each parliamentary seat and an Assistant Electoral Registration Officer will be deployed in each counting table," added Dev.

Barring the counting supervisors, micro observers and persons authorized by the Election Commission, no one else would be allowed to enter the counting centres. The media will also be barred from entering the centres.

New Delhi, May 16
Delhi University today suspended Prof GN Saibaba for his alleged links with Maoists for which he was arrested on May 9 and is currently under judicial custody in Nagpur Central Jail. "The order regarding this has been issued," said senior university officials.

Earlier during the day, CPI leader A.B. Bardhan condemned the manner in which the Maharashtra Police swooped down upon the English teacher at Ram Lal Anand College while the DU Students' Union and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had held a protest at Arts Faculty on the North Campus to demand his suspension.

Officials said that the governing body had "recommended his suspension yesterday and the Vice-Chancellor gave his approval today. The suspension comes based on the recommendation from the governing body of Ram Lal Anand college for Prof Saibaba's suspension, said DU's joint dean of students welfare and media co-ordinator Prof Malay Neerav.

"The university has accepted the recommendation," he added. This is exactly what Prof Saibaba's family and supporters had feared. His wife AS Vasantha had expressed her apprehension with the media yesterday that the university was trying to suspend him. "The university authorities have asked us to vacate the warden's quarters at Gwyer Hall on the North Campus," she said.

However, any order in this regard has not been passed yet, the joint-dean students' welfare had said.

Delhi University teachers' community, students and human rights activists from several sections have backed the family demanding an "unconditional release" of the professor.

New Delhi, May 15
A 38-year-old sales executive was allegedly robbed of Rs 29 lakh by three men at broad daylight today in Gazipu, east Delhi.

The victim has been identified as Rajesh Sinha. Sinha works as a sales executive at a company in Noida. His boss had sent him to withdraw Rs 29 lakh from a bank in Preet Vihar this morning. The police suspect the involvement of a person who was aware of the cash withdrawn from the bank and informed the robbers about it.

About 12 noon today, a motorcycle overtook Sinha's car and stopped in front of it at the Gazipur traffic light crossing. The victim alleged to the police that three unidentified men got off the motorcycle and directed him to open the door. When the victim refused to do so, the robbers broke one of the car's windows. One of them took out a knife and threatened Sinha. They snatched the bags containing cash from Sinha's cars and fled.

New Delhi, May 15
A 55-year-old diamond merchant and his associate were allegedly robbed of his diamond and gold jewellery, by two armed men at Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Central Delhi, last night.

The exact value of the jewellery has not been ascertained as yet, but the police today said that it could be between Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore.

The diamond merchant, Satish Kumar Shah, was headed to a hotel in Karol Bagh with his associate, Anand Rajpura, after meeting a businessman in Pitampura, north-west Delhi.

About 8.45 pm, the two motorcycle-borne robbers intercepted Shah's hired car near Liberty Cinema in Central Delhi. The robbers stopped their motorcycle in front of Shah's car, forcing the vehicle to stop. They took out a pistol each and asked him to hand over the bag containing the jewellery. "When the businessman refused, they broke open the car's window panes with their bare hands, snatched the bag and fled," said a police officer.

The robbed items included gold bangles, diamond rings, mangalsutras and diamond earrings. Shah informed the police.

The police have checked the footage of the CCTV cameras in and around the area, but they have found no clues. They are yet to identify the robbers.

The police suspects that a person close to Shah is behind the robbery. He carries out his business transactions between Delhi and Mumbai and regularly visits Delhi.