New Delhi, July 27
The Chairman of New Delhi Municipal Council, Jalaj Shrivastava, today called for a concerted campaign against dengue after the civic agency detected dengue larva in many key buildings, including hospitals, here.

Shrivastav said dengue needed to be stamped out. He was speaking before flagging off a rally by some 120 NDMC schoolchildren to create awareness about dengue and chikunguniya.

He expressed surprise that during recent checks by the NDMC staff, the larva of dengue was detected in the buildings of 'most important institutions, including hospitals'.

The NDMC is the smallest of civic agencies in Delhi and covers the heart of the Capital. According to officials, 16 dengue cases have been reported in Delhi and nearby region.

"We have not only to fight the menace of dengue but have to eradicate it completely," he said.

He exhorted the children to spread the message across on checking this fast-spreading menace and expressed happiness that NDMC schoolchildren have taken initiative in this regard.

The students pass through the lanes and connecting roads having the residential flats and chant anti-dengue slogans. The rally which went on for more than one hour terminated at International Inculcation Centre, Mandir Marg.

Shrivastava said that a series of such rallies will be organized in due course by schoolchildren in different colonies covering the entire NDMC area. Publicity material, including pamphlets carrying appeal, was distributed for sensitization of the general public.

"Malaria Unit of NDMC is taking health awareness activities like writing of letters to resident welfare associations, advertising through newspapers, interaction session of principal and nodal officers and students, announcement for public and school rallies etc.," Shrivastav added.

New Delhi, July 27
As civil services aspirants continue to protest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today demanded that the Central government should immediately convene an-all party meeting to break the deadlock on the examination.

The party said the government should make a resolution to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to postpone the preliminary exams and invite the fasting students for talks.

The party asserted that a public announcement should be made that the online admit cards in circulation for the prelim exams have been put on hold and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) be removed from the prelim exam till an acceptable solution is found and the original format of optional paper be brought back till then.

"The government should build a consensus through a unanimous resolution of an all-party meeting to tell the UPSC that the country is agitated the way the ongoing crisis is being handled. Any delay in resolving it will only allow the situation to take a turn for the worse," the party stated.

It called for an immediate probe on how Google translation was allowed to be used in the CSAT till now and on whose direction the UPSC introduced the new format.

The UPSC too is harming its own 'credibility' by not responding to the situation and its 'silence' will only erode its autonomy, the AAP pointed out.

"The BJP's Central government by dragging its feet on the issue is allowing the situation to take an alarming turn and if the issue is not resolved immediately, there is an apprehension of the students' agitation spreading to other parts of the country. So far the Modi government has failed to show the urgency required to deal with such a situation and address the students concerns," the party said.

According to the party, the UPSC must come clean on why the CSAT was arbitrarily introduced in the preliminary examination for the civil services and did the then Congress-led UPA government pressurise the UPSC into doing so in 2011.

In addition to the above-mentioned demands, the party reiterated that the BJP government should also immediately order a probe into the police brutalities on the protesting students last week.

Meanwhile, scores of students continued their protest while an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's delegation, accompanied by representatives of the protesting students met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and PMO secretary Dr Jitendra Singh.

Earlier, the ABVP had held a dharna at Jantar Mantar.

New Delhi, July 27
A large number of autorickshaws in Delhi will go off roads tomorrow against the alleged highhandedness of traffic police and transport department.

"We have decided to go on a one-day strike on Monday as we are constantly being harassed by the traffic police. We are not allowed to take passengers from railway stations and Metro stations unless we pay a fixed amount to them," Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh general secretary Rajendra Soni said.

"Traffic cops sit in civil dress in our auto and ask for bribe. When we refuse, they seize our vehicles or impose heavy fines on drivers. We have also taken up the matter with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Joint CP (traffic) Anil Shukla, but nobody has paid heed to our demand. Auto drivers now don't have any option but to go on strike," Singh said.

The autorickshaw union members said that the Central government should immediately take steps to stop 'corruption' in traffic police.

There are around 80,000 autorickshaws plying in the national Capital. Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh claimed that they have a control over the maximum number of autorickshaws in the city.

According to Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, around 1,000 drivers recently had surrendered their vehicles, which completed their 15 years of permitted age for the replacement, but the transport department is not issuing certificates to drivers to purchase new autos.

"We are very upset with the transport department, which is not allowing drivers to have new vehicles despite the fact that they have surrendered their old vehicles," Rajendra added.

New Delhi, July 27
The Delhi Excise Department has collected record revenue of Rs 306.75 crores during the financial year 2013-14, said Excise & Luxury Tax Commissioner J.B. Singh. The luxury tax branch of Excise department has achieved this growth of 4.5 per cent as compared to the last financial year.

Giving the details, Singh said that the department is providing better services to the registered entities after implementing Excise Supply Chain Information Management System (ESCIMS) for on-line payment of tax and filing of on-line returns of luxury tax wherein registered dealers are depositing the tax by way of various methods like on-line payment through net banking.

He said that luxury tax registration in respect of hotels had already been included in e-SLA (Electronic Service Level Agreement). Now the tax registration in respect of gym and health club, spa and banquet hall is being provided to the citizens to facilitate/ensure the timely delivery of services.

"The department is going to implement ESCIMS in full-fledged manner in the luxury tax to send the assessment notice and initiate assessment by the assessing authority through on-line. Vigorous enforcement drives have been undertaken by the department to check the registered entities where revenue collection was found short as compared to the preceding year and where entities have carried on the business without being registered under Luxury Tax Act," he said.

New Delhi, July 27
For developing efficiency and systematic approach of the officials of the government, the Delhi Directorate of Union Territory of Civil Services (UTCS) has introduced short-term courses.

The Directorate of UTCS has also organized 298 training programs which is a record among all the top training institutes of the country. These training programs were attended by 7,411 participants in the year 2013-14 on various subjects.

The Director (UTCS) K. Mahesh informed that the important courses which are conducted by the UTCS include timebound public service delivery, self-defence for women, basic life support and first aid, ethics and values in public governance, functions of tehsildars, protecting the environment--Clean Delhi Green Delhi.

He said that apart from organizing the above courses, the Directorate has also taken up sponsored trainer development programs. "These are national level programs in which officers of Central and various state governments participate. Some of the courses conducted were on national training policy, direct training skills, facilitation skills, training need analysis and systematic approach to training," Mahesh said.

The Directorate has also initiated special lecture series from the eminent personalities of the country for the Delhi Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services and IAS officers which include topics like media management.

New Delhi, July 27
A 57-year-old man died this morning in a clash with four neighbours over a parking issue, the police said. Rajender Bhatia got into a fight with his neighbours--Dharmender, 50, Kartik, 28, Ashok, 57, and his son Mohit, 28--around 11.30 a.m. near his house in Patel Nagar area in central Delhi.

The police said that Bhatia suddenly fell to the ground during the scuffle.

"Bhatia was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar.

"We are yet to confirm the reason behind Bhatia's death as he was only slapped and forcibly pushed by his neighbours," Kumar said.

According to the official, Bhatia might have suffered cardiac arrest that led to his death because there were no visible injuries on his body.

But, the official added, it will be too early to say anything as the postmortem report is still awaited.

"All the accused have been booked under section 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Indian Penal code and they will be arrested soon," said the official.