New Delhi, September 2
In a review meeting held today, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, who is administrative head of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), gave two weeks' time to the DDA to finalise a restructuring plan in order to bring transparency, efficiency and accountability in the organization.

The LG directed the DDA to submit the plan to him so that he can review it further. The direction to restructure the DDA came after severe criticism from different quarters against the authority for alleged corruption, red tape and delay in implementation of various important projects.

He also asked the agency to computerise all its works and services by September next year. The computerisation project will commence in November this year.

The restructuring plan has already been prepared and will be fine-tuned in the next two weeks, DDA officials told the LG.

The meeting also examined a report by the National Productivity Council (NPC) which was tasked to suggest measures for improving the DDA functioning.

The NPC suggested merging of certain departments with the overlapping areas of work and creation of new positions such as those involving land development and management of housing schemes. It also suggested an effective file management system as well as data mining facility for speedy retrieval of information.

The DDA officials said a GIS-based project will be set up for real-time monitoring of engineering works, maintenance of parks, etc. in the city.

Besides, the NPC suggested preparing a database of existing properties through the creation of 'Know Your Property' and re-skilling the existing manpower, equipping it with the latest technology, etc.

In the restructuring plan, Vikas Minar and Vikas Sadan are to be turned into model offices with the latest office equipment, workstations, etc.

New Delhi, September 2
In its first project being carved out from the 'Nirbhaya' fund, the Delhi government is all set to launch Nirbhaya Forensic Science Laboratory at Yashwant Place, Chanakyapuri.

Dedicated to the December 16 gangrape victim, the laboratory will help expedite the disposal of pending criminal cases.

The laboratory will be given the name of victim as requested by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. The ministry will fund the establishment of the laboratory and provide overall expenses for one year, including the rent, salaries, scientific equipment, etc.

"We have sent a proposal for monetary assistance required to establish the forensic laboratory which includes one year rent of the premises at the rate of Rs 24 lakh per month, the wages of the staff and procurement of the equipment," said a senior official of Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

This will be the second forensic laboratory in the city. The setup at Chanakyapuri will be built on temporary basis till the upcoming permanent structure at Rohini is completed. "Nirbhaya forensic laboratory will be based in Rohini, the building of which is under construction and will take at least three years. Till then, it will be operated from Chanakyapuri," the official said, adding that it will start working in three-four months.

The Delhi government currently has only one forensic laboratory in Rohini whereas three more are on the way, one each in Rohini, Sheikh Sarai and Saryupur which will greatly ease the burden on existing Forensic Science Laboratory.

The process is already underway and the Delhi FSL has directed the recruitment of staff through the Union Public Service Commission and the Delhi State Service Selection Board.

The FSL has also signed an MoU with Truth Lab, which is established by a retired director of FSL, Hyderabad, to address the issue of pendency of cases related to documents division.

According to the agreement, the document division cases like matching of signature, verifying forged documents, sale deeds will be done by Truth Lab. The agency will take up 50 such cases every month on the remuneration of Rs 5,000 per case.

"There has been great level of pendency in documents division due to which this MoU has been signed. This will help in ease the work load," the official said.

The MoU has been signed on certain conditions like the scientific experts of Truth Lab have to be retired from the government department, there vigilance clearance will be forwarded to the FSL director and the approval of scientists to be deputed for a particular case will be given by the government.

New Delhi, September 2
Metro Services of Dwarka Sector-21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali were affected today for about an hour when a portion of Over Head Electricity (OHE) wire broke down between the Janakpuri West and Uttam Nagar East stations of the line going towards Dwarka.

The train services were mainly affected from 8.24 am to 9.47 am between Jankapuri West and Dwarka section of UP line.

However, the services from the Janakpuri West to Noida City Centre/Vaishali Metro stations were provided by running trains on a short loop on this section. To carry the passengers from Janakpuri West to Dwarka side, single line operation was also undertaken between Janakpuri West and Dwarka section.

DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh has asked Metro officials to conduct an audit into the different types of electrical related failures on Line-3, so that the pattern of the failures could be studied and analyzed with the intention of finding technical methods to minimize the occurrence of such incidents as far as possible.

The audit will be conducted by a technical expert of the electrical department of the DMRC who will go into various technical aspects associated with each electrical failure of this line.

"In order to ensure the immediate repair work of the affected OHE portion, four specialized teams comprising five-six members each rushed to the site immediately form Najafgarh Depot, Airport Line Depot, Mundka Depot and Yamuna Bank Depot. The idea was to ensure that if the nearest team gets stuck up in a jam or is unable to reach the site due to some other reasons, the other back up team is on the way to carry out the urgent repair work," said a senior DMRC official.

The Najafgarh and airport line teams (nearest to the site) reached to the site at 9.5 am and carried out the repair work. The OHE was repaired and the normalcy of train services was restored on the line at 9.47 am. All other lines were unaffected from this incident and train services were running normal.

The Managing Director went to the Operation Control Centre located at Metro Bhawan, Barakhmba Road, to oversee restoration of services on the line.

New Delhi, September 2
The Delhi government has booked many fake beneficiaries trying to claim the old age pension and is going to take strict action against such persons.

The Principal Secretary (Social Welfare), Satbir Bedi, said it has come to notice that several persons, including the ex-employees of government, quasi-government and autonomous bodies, are drawing not only pension benefits or family pensions but also availing the old age pension.

A spokesperson for the Delhi Social Welfare Department said the persons giving false information and on that basis claiming old age pension will be taken to task and will be prosecuted.

"All such persons have been notified to get their assistance cancelled and reimburse the money remitted to them. If such persons are identified during the verification exercise, appropriate penal and legal action under the IPC/CrPC and any other laws applicable will be taken against such persons," the spokesperson said.

The department implements schemes of financial assistance to senior citizens and disabled of Delhi who are destitute or without adequate financial support. This scheme is available only to those who are not already receiving government pension or any other similar financial assistance from the state/Central government or local government bodies like MCD, NDMC, etc., or any other source for this purpose, including financial assistance schemes of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development Departments or any other state department.

Bedi said the department has started accepting new application forms under old age pension scheme, persons above 60 years of age who have been residing in Delhi for a minimum five years whose annual income (along with their spouse) is not more than Rs 60,000 may avail this benefit.

New Delhi, September 2
The premium Gymkhana Club which is located right in the heart of Lutyens' New Delhi has been found negligent in complying with environment laws, said a senior official of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) today.

The official said that a notice was issued to the club in February after several discrepancies, including effluent treatment plant being non-operational, were pointed out and the club was asked to rectify.

"An impression is being emerged by the Gymkhana Club officer- bearers that the club is being unfairly targeted when last week DPCC pulled it up for flouting various environment norms," he said.

During an inspection on June 27 to verify the claims of compliance, there was not much improvement. Rather, it was found that the club was operating five borewells unauthorisedly and withdrawing groundwater in gross violation of orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and notifications of Delhi Department of Environment and Forests, the official said. 

New Delhi, September 2
Delhi University's Satyawati College (morning) today issued show-cause notices to 30 students, including prospective candidates, deciding to debar them from contesting Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections for alleged violation of Lyngdoh Committee Rules.

The 12-members students' advisory committee has videographed the involvement though the final call rests with the grievance redressal committee which would decide on the appeals against the notices in a meeting tomorrow.

"They had put up printed posters on the college walls and used stickers made of permanent markers. They can only use the Wall of Democracy for the same and those too handmade posters. Our team is keeping a vigil and we have recorded and got photographs clicked as proof. The principal of the college has advised to consider the requests from them and it is for the grievance redressal committee to decide," said Dr Tarun Garg, convener of the advisory committee.

Among those served notices included probable candidates of the top two arch-rivals student groups- BJP-leaning Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's (ABVP) and the Congress's students' wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI) .

Chanakya Parishad formed

DUSU politics has a new entrant called "Chanakya Parishad" (CP) which declared that it would field candidates who do not have money to contest the September 12 elections. The CP, the result of disillusionment with the current form of DUSU elections politics, is an initiative of nearly 30 current and former DU students who aspire to make students politically aware and encourage them to vote responsibly.