New Delhi, June 22
"Loadshedding takes place due to local faults in lines, not due to insufficient number of power transmission lines," said Delhi Power Secretary Arun Goel.

"We have sufficient power and adequate number of power transmission lines. Sometimes local fault takes places in one line that is why power is diverted to other lines. As the demand for power is increasing, it is not possible to fulfil it by one transmission line. Major problem arose after the dust storm when four transmission poles were damaged. They have been repaired. The situation has become normal now," said Goel.

However, sources in the power department said that insufficient transmission lines are the main cause of loadshedding. The lines of 220 KV and 400 KV are quite old resulting in their tripping. In such a situation, loadshedding is reported during peak hours.

Construction under the transmission lines also causes tripping. The transmission lines of 220 KV and 400 KV are managed by the Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) that has issued notices to 10,000 property owners who have done construction under the lines.

According to the sources, the DTL has not been empowered to take action against these property owners as the land is owned by the Delhi Development Authority. The DTL just issues the notice. The buildings can be demolished provided the government has a political will.

The sources said that the government faced difficulty in laying down new lines due to lack of space. Unauthorised colonies have come up in open areas where laying new lines is not possible. The DTL faces litigation many times when it starts installing sub-power stations. Recently it happened in Khajoori Khas in Northeast Delhi where the DTL had installed a sub-power station that had to be connected with the power grid at Dadri. However, it has not yet been done due to lack of open area.

Delhi's own power generation is between 1000 MW and 1450 MW that is generated by Rajghat, Badarpur, Bawana, Rithala and Okhla stations. Delhi has 50 per cent share in the NTPC power station at Jhajhar, but it avoids purchasing power from there as it proves costly.

It manages 3000 MW power from the central sector-NTPC, NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and NAPCL and the remaining power is managed by bilateral exchanges, the sources said.

New Delhi, June 22
Three persons have been arrested for allegedly attempting to leak the question paper of a competitive examination for the recruitment of graduate-level trainees, which was to be held today by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested Somnath Gupta, Tarun and Ashutosh. According to the Crime Branch, Gupta is the vice-principal of Holy International Senior Secondary School in Uttam Nagar, where the question papers for the examination were kept. "A set of the original question papers and the photocopy of the set have been seized from the accused," said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

On Saturday, the Crime Branch was tipped off that Tarun with the help of vice-principal would allegedly leak the question paper. The examination was held today at several centres in Delhi.

The Crime Branch received information that the accused would arrive near Holy International Senior Secondary School and they would be having the question papers. A raid was conducted at 11.50 pm near the school and three persons were found sitting in an ECO sports car. "The informer identified the car. We surrounded the car and its occupants were apprehended," said Yadav.

"A photocopy of two sets (eight question papers, four of each set) of engineering and HR stream of the competitive examination was seized from Tarun. Gupta was found having the original question paper in his hands. He was trying to re-seal the question booklets with the help of an adhesive. A sum of Rs 50,000 was seized from Ashutosh, who was sitting at the rear seat of the car and had come to purchase the question paper as per the deal," explained Yadav.

According to the officer, last year when the examination was conducted, question papers were delivered to the centres in the morning. Due to certain technical problems at some centres, the question papers could not reach in time and it led to chaos. This year to avoid delay in the commencement of the examination, the organizers decided to deliver the papers in advance to the respective centres.

Holy International Senior Secondary School is one of the centres for the examination. Gupta was allegedly approached by Tarun who is running an institute, "Gyan Jyoti Institute" in Mahavir Enclave in Palam for JBT, BEd admissions.

"Tarun was approached by Ashutosh for arranging the question paper for one of his acquaintances. A deal was fixed for Rs 50,000 in advance for arranging the question paper. Gupta removed the tape from the cupboard where the question papers were stored in the school. He then took each set of the question papers of engineering and HR discipline and photocopied them. The accused then sat in Tarun's car of and when the deal was being finalized, they were apprehended and their attempt to leak the papers was thwarted," said Yadav.

New Delhi, June 22
Protesting against the steep hike in the passenger and freight fares by the Railways, unabated power and water crises, and also the increase in power tariff, the Congress today held massive demonstrations at Pandav Nagar Chowk, Chattarpur Mandir Chowk and Kanjhawala Road, Budh Vihar, which led to heavy traffic jams on the main roads.

The agitated Congress workers burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The demonstrators were addressed by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Arvinder Singh, MLA, ex-MP Sajjan Kumar, former Union Minister Krishna Tirath and former Delhi minister Ramakant Goswami.

The police and the demonstrators clashed several times. Addressing the demonstrators, Arvinder Singh and Sajjan Kumar said Narendra Modi, after forming the government at the Centre, has begun issuing his autocratic orders. Modi's harsh decisions will prove disastrous for the people of the country. The rail fare hike will have a direct impact on poor people in Delhi.

They said the hike in freight tariff will push up the prices of coal, and as a result, the power tariff will also go high. Power and water crises were being deliberately created in the unauthorized colonies.

Other Congress leaders like Tirath and Ramakant also voiced their opinions.

New Delhi, June 22
A 30-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife and two-year-old daughter at North Delhi's Adarsh Nagar locality on Saturday night and threw his wife's body from the second floor of the house. The man then informed the police about the murders as he held his daughter's body.

A view of the building where the couple lived with their daughter (file photo-inset) at Adarsh Nagar in North Delhi on Sunday. Tribune photo

The man has been arrested and identified as Ajit. The deceased are identified as Shalini (28) and their daughter, Vanshika.

Ajit told the police that his wife would pick a quarrel over trifles that provoked him to commit the murders. Shalini's parents, however, alleged that Ajit would torture his wife over dowry and because she had given birth to a daughter.

The couple's neighbours claimed that the couple would often fight. At times, Ajit would allegedly beat and starve Shalini. Neighbours also said that the relationship between the couple had soured following Vanshika's birth in 2012.

The couple again fought on Saturday night and neighbours could hear Shalini screaming for help. "Ajit always stopped us from intervening in the fights. Even this time we did not intervene," said a neighbour, who didn't want to be quoted.

Neighbours said that at about 11.15 pm, they allegedly saw Ajit holding Shalini's body upside down from the balcony of the second floor, where they lived.

"I asked him what he was doing. And he just released her body, which fell on an ice cream cart, before hitting the ground," said a neighbour.

Neighbours said they then saw Ajit walking down the flight of stairs, holding his daughter's body. He had informed the police who reached the site of the incident and arrested him. A sub-divisional magistrate inquiry has been initiated into the case.

Ajit lived with his parents and an elder brother who is married.

New Delhi, June 22
The Sikh community should open an international centre to inform the world of its heritage. It was decided at a function--Global Sikh Religion 2050--organised today by the Kesh Sambhal Society, an NGO headed by S.J.S. Pal, a retired Income Tax Commissioner.

Speaking on the occasion, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh (GK) said that disseminating information about the community and religion is an important step. Though the DSGMC is committed to this task, steps should be taken under command of the Shri Akal Takhat Sahib.

Sarabjit Singh, who represented Sukrit NGO on the occasion, said, "As the Sikhs are in minority, they should excel in education and other fields. No power can stop the community from flourishing."

Harsimran Singh of Anandpur Sahib, who has written a book on Global Sikh Religion-2050 in 2006, suggested that the community should make a document of the book and publicise it .