Live telecast of Delhi assembly proceedings

NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Delhi legislative assembly has put in place a mechanism to provide live telecast of House proceedings on its website in response to an order by the Central Information Commission (CIC). The live webcast is available at http://webcast.nic.in/delhiassembly/.

This move for greater transparency in the functioning of legislators comes at a time when political parties are unanimously supporting amendments to the RTI Act to exclude themselves from its purview.

The CIC's order was in response to a complaint filed by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri of Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens' group which uses the RTI Act to demand transparency and accountability in the functioning of elected representatives.

Delhi will be the third state in the country, after Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, to provide live webcast of its assembly proceedings.

The live telecast of proceedings will enable citizens to monitor what their political representatives are doing on their behalf in the legislature - whether they are attending assembly, raising appropriate questions and making relevant laws. CIC in August 2012 had ordered the Delhi assembly to proactively provide information about House proceedings in compliance with Section 4 of the RTI Act.

The CIC in its order directed the assembly secretariat to develop a "hyperlink on their website in order to provide live telecast of the proceedings". It also asked for information related to proceedings of the Delhi assembly, legislations introduced and passed by the assembly, text of legislations and information on the committees of the assembly to be made available on the official website of the assembly.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jaipur-Gurgoan highway: Haphazard flyovers

The Jaipur-Gurgoan highway... 240kms, 8 hours... trucks in all lanes... squeeze past at your own risk and you are trained for circus for free. Flyovers under construction every third km. Flyovers under construction in Kothputli and Behror are a good joke! And Haryana takes the cake—jams and Jams. NHAI is charging around Re 1/km, about Rs 240 as toll. And this is going for last so many years and the highway is getting worse. And now with rain and potholes, it's a nightmare. —SHEKHAR GARG

Iappreciate your newspaper for taking up citizens' cause. I'd like to bring few other facts to your notice. Firstly, nobody has pointed out the way these flyovers are chosen to be made on NH-8. In Neemrana, there was one big flyover but another smaller one was made without any requirement— this one is creating a major hurdle. Similarly on the Rewari bypass, there is a major intersection where NH-8 is connecting to Rohtak Road. But there is no flyover, resulting in chaos. It's a sheer wastage of public money where flyovers are made indiscriminately without assessing their requirement. Secondly, despite your massive campaign, NHAI has increased rates of toll on this road from September 1. The rule book says concessionaire can claim toll only after road is fully made. —SANJAY KAUSHIK

Ihad a chance to drive through the Pink City expressway twice in the last month. My enthusiasm hit a low as I crossed the Gurgaon toll. The most disappointing thing was that there were six-seven diversions due to construction work going on for overbridges and on an average 15-30 minutes were being lost at each diversion. Second noticeable headache was the number of long trailers running on the road in all three lanes at different speeds, sometimes taking sharp turns without any indicator. I wondered if heavy vehicles should have separate roads. NHAI should ensure separate lane for heavy vehicles. Till such improvements are done, levying of tolls should stop. —BIKRAM SINGH

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Light rain in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Delhiites woke up to a pleasant Friday morning, with overcast skies and some parts of capital witnessing light, sporadic rain.

The minimum temperature settled at 24.3 degrees Celsius, two notches below average for this time of the season. The Met office has forecast more rain later in the day.

"The skies will remain cloudy with the possibility of light rain and thundershowers later in the day," said an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature will hover around 35 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, the national capital received 18.8 mm of rain since Thursday 8:30 pm to Friday 8:30 am.

Humidity at 8.30 am on Monday stood at 96%.

Since the arrival of the monsoon, the city has recorded 781.4 mm of rainfall.

Thursday's maximum temperature settled a notch above average at 35.1 degrees Celsius, while the minimum settled a notch below average at 25.6 degrees Celsius.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi gang rape: Defence lawyer collapses in midst of arguments

NEW DELHI: Proceedings in the December 16 gang rape trial before a fast track court here were interrupted on Friday when the lawyer for two of the accused in the case collapsed in the courtroom.

Advocate A P Singh, appearing for accused Vinay Kumar and Akshay Singh, swooned in the middle of defence arguments.

The doctors from the dispensary within the court complex were then called.

By the time the doctors arrived, which took more than half-an-hour, the court staff and Singh's associates managed to stabilise his condition to some extent.

Singh, who was by then a bit in control of himself, could be seen telling his associates about the first aid he needed.

After the doctors examined him, he was taken in a wheelchair to an ambulance which ferried him to his doctor in northwest Delhi.

Earlier, during the proceedings, additional sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna also noticed Singh's discomfiture and advised the lawyer to be seated while advancing his arguments.

However, Singh refused to be seated and continued with his arguments between which he would stop to take glucose to maintain his sugar level.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nandita Narain elected DUTA president

NEW DELHI: Left-affiliated Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) candidate NanditaNarain won the presidential elections of the Delhi University Teachers' Association.

Narain, who has been a vocal critic of the implementation of the semester system and the four-year undergraduate programme, won the elections getting 2,705 votes.

The mathematics professor of St Stephens defeated her closest competitor Ashwini Sarkar of Deshbandhu College, an AAD-INTECH candidate, by over 700 votes.

Sarkar polled 1,909 votes. "This mandate has justified the teachers' movement against the nefarious policies of Delhi University vice chancellor. Teachers in large numbers have voted against the four-year programme, which was implemented without any consultation," former DUTA secretary S D Siddiqui said.

Two other candidates in fray - Pramod C Sharma of Kirori Mal College and Shiba C Panda of Satyawati College - received 818 and 561 votes respectively.

Fifteen other executive council members were also elected from various teachers' groups for which 22 candidates were in fray.

The council will now choose the vice president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer from among its members with nine votes required to win each post.

DTF, which has clinched the top post won four seats in the council, while Indian National Teachers Congress ( INTEC) and Academics for Action and Development won five and three seats respectively.

The voting process, which saw the participation of a large number of teachers, took place from 10 am to 5 pm yesterday and counting of votes went past midnight.

Of the total 6,474 votes recorded, 471 were invalid.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

​After ceiling fall, road not clear for 93-year-old school

NEW DELHI: The fate of 375 children hangs in balance as the North Delhi Municipal Corporation plans to close down a 93-year-old school in Chandni Chowk after a portion of the ceiling collapsed on Wednesday.

The All Boys' Commercial School building — established in 1920 by the Shri Ram Education Trust — has been in bad shape for ages now. The erstwhile MCD took over the management in 2005, and staff salaries and maintenance became its responsibility. But neither was the building repaired, nor did the staff get their salaries. This forced the school to move Delhi high court, which ordered the corporation on March 12, 2008 to repair the building. But this order was never carried out, allege school authorities.

Teachers and parents have blamed the civic body for the collapse. "After the heavy rains, the walls developed fissures that led to the collapse. We had, in the past, written to the officials several times highlighting the dilapidated condition of the building. It's not that the structure is unsafe, but it needs repairs," said school principal Nutan Gupta.

The corporation, though, was planning to declare it unsafe and seal it off. A team inspected the building and told the principal that the school will have to wind up. But after protests by teachers and parents, the corporation agreed to repair the building, but with some conditions. "Since the school functions from a rented property, we can't carry out the repairs directly. If they want to continue, then they will have to vacate eight of the 13 rooms," said a senior city zone official, who also inspected the building on Friday.

Parents are worried. "We have no complaints with the school and teachers. But the building has to be repaired, which the corporation officials aren't doing. Where will the students go if it's declared dangerous and shut? They haven't provided any alternative, and we don't want this school to be merged with any other nearby corporation school. Most of the students don't use transportation as it's in the midst of the Walled City. If they shift them somewhere, many parents will not be able to afford the fees and will have to take them out," said Mohammed Fuqran whose son is in Class V.

Parents have decided to contribute funds for the repair if the corporation doesn't do its job. "All the 375 families will contribute if work doesn't start within a week. We are paying the corporation and it is our child's right to get education," said Noor Jahan, another parent.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

​Minors batter man to death in east Delhi

NEW DELHI: Even as the law related to juvenile criminals is being debated, another ghastly crime committed by minors has come to light from the Mayur Vihar area of east Delhi.

On Thursday evening, three boys allegedly beat a youth to death near Star City mall at the instance of an older friend and then disfigured the victim's face to delay identification by police.

Quick groundwork helped police crack the case within 24 hours but they were shocked to find that it was planned and executed by three minors. Police say the victim, 22-year-old Ravi, was close to a girl in his neighbourhood but her brother Deepak, 19, was opposed to their relationship. The three lived in Trilokpuri, east Delhi.

Deepak allegedly roped in three of his friends, all minors, to get rid of Ravi. Around 6.30pm on Thursday, all four visited Ravi and invited him over for a party. Sources said the boys took Ravi to the mall and waited for him to get drunk. On the way back, they pinned him down and beat him to death with stones on a lonely stretch near Hilton Hotel and Mayur Vihar fire station. Before fleeing they disfigured Ravi's face.

However, a police team led by SHO Vivekanand Jha was able to identify the victim as his name was tattooed on his arm. "We immediately looked up our record of missing people and traced Ravi's family, who then helped us locate the friends with whom he had left the house. During questioning, the accused confessed to the murder. We hope to get more evidence against them from the postmortem report,'' said an officer.

Just a week ago, three teens had murdered another for refusing to pay them 'protection' money during their school tiffin break. The case was reported from the Pandav Nagar area adjoining Mayur Vihar. Last month also the east district police had caught several minors for the brutal murder of a youth from Laxmi Nagar who was in a relationship with the sister of an accused.

Latest data of the National Crime Records Bureau shows 100 juveniles were caught in the city last year for murder and another 63 for rape. Although the capital fares much better than states like Maharashtra and Bihar in this regard, psychologists say the time has come to ensure that minors don't stray to the wrong side of the law.

Besides the juveniles held in the city for committing rape and murder, 74 were caught for attempts to murder and six for committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Of the 18 held for kidnapping and abduction, 10 had targeted girls. Another 13 juveniles were held for dacoity.

Analyses of figures from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra also shows that juveniles' involvement in crime has jumped. While 183 juveniles were held in Maharashtra in 2012 for being involved in murders, 197 were held in Madhya Pradesh.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

​Boys involved in 2 other murders

NEW DELHI: Minors in conflict with law were involved in two separate cases of murder in west and outer Delhi.

In the first incident, a 13-year-old boy was strangulated and then dumped in a canal in Ranhaula, west Delhi. A case of murder was registered after the postmortem report indicated that the teenager, identified as Devendra, was strangulated.

The residents of Vikas Nagar, Chand Vihar and Hastashal staged a protest in the area on Saturday, saying the cops were not taking the murder seriously. By evening, police sources confirmed that some minors from the area were under the scanner. "We cannot detain a minor for questioning as per the law. We have asked the people to be patient,'' said an investigating officer. Additional CP (west) V Renganathan said that Devendra had left his house around noon and had since been untraceable. "Locals spotted his body and informed us. There were external injuries on the body,'' said Renganathan.

In another case, a man was was found murdered at Narela in outer Delhi. Four minors, along with a major identified as Vishu, killed Pradip Khatri (25) on Saturday morning. The accused had asked Khatri to come to the field. There, they had an argument and the accused attacked Khatri with knives. While police managed to apprehend two minors for the attack, two others are still at large. Police said that Khatri had mocked a friend's sister recently and the accused wanted revenge. A case of murder has been registered.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

​The party’s gone global

International clubs for the uber wealthy are setting up shop in India. A night of exclusive revelry can cost anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 4 lakh

Bottles of bubbly cool in ice buckets. Women in thigh-skimming dresses swap pleasantries as they tap their toes to the latest chart toppers. Suddenly, the music picks up and the foreign hostesses start gyrating to the beats. Soon, everyone's grooving too, some on the sofas, which are specially made for dancing. The party has begun. Welcome to India's first club for the super elite, Pangaea.

The Singapore-based club is one among a handful of international clubbing brands hoping to give India's after-hours scene a global flavour. Buddha Bar, the popular Paris lounge, finally called on Delhi last year as B-bar (in deference to India being the birthplace of Buddhism). Hugh Hefner's brainchild Playboy Club is expected to open soon in Mumbai and the bunny ears will be spotted in Delhi sometime early next year.

With 122 billionaires in India, according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2013, the prospect of attracting clients who don't think twice about plonking a few lakhs on a night's entertainment is a major attraction. Most of them are looking at an average spend of Rs 5,000-10,000 per reveller per night.

American entrepreneur Michael Ault launched Pangaea in Singapore in 2011 and the safari-themed club soon became the favourite haunt of the city's millionaires as well as international celebrities like Kobe Bryant, Madonna and Kate Moss.

He is confident of the same success here. "My biggest and most loyal customers are mostly wealthy Indians from Delhi or Mumbai. And they begged me to do something in India. Pangaea is special, like beluga caviar. It's not for everyone," says Ault.

B-bar, with its circular bar, oriental screens and gold chandeliers, has been buzzing with patrons since its launch. "Across the globe, Indians are one of the highest spenders in top-end restaurants and nightclubs. Indians are also a major clientele for Buddha Bar worldwide and they were keen for a the club to come to India," says Kunal Lalani, one of the directors of the Indian venture.

One of the factors feeding this super club boom is the popularity of dance music. Most of the world's top DJs and agencies have realised India's potential, and every week there is one big name in a metro. Pangaea announced its arrival on the scene with American producer and DJ Kaskade, who played at the club on Friday night.

The first one to test Indian waters way back in 2007 was the London-based mecca of music, Ministry of Sound. The club that spawned a label and compilations popular with ravers all over the world set up shop in Delhi's Vasant Kunj. Its Louvre-inspired design and emphasis on international acts gave India's swingers their first taste of the international party scene. With entry priced at Rs 2,500 for a couple, it was the place where one could see all of India's best and some of the world's popular DJs spin. The club shut down after complaints from neighbouring RWAs about the noise levels.

Gaurav Bakaya, who's now the F&B director at Playboy India, was at the helm of operations at MoS Delhi. "It was India's first superclub," he says. (Anything spread over more than 15,000 sq feet can be described as a superclub.) "The average spend per customer is among the highest in Delhi and that makes it very attractive for clubs."

Though there is no lack of wealthy patrons, it is a bad idea for club entrepreneurs to depend entirely on them. So even though tables at Ault's establishment cost upwards of Rs 75,000 — the VIP table for 10 costs Rs 4,00,000 — you can walk into his club for Rs 1,500 per head. After all, it's the 15-25 year-old spenders who keep such establishments afloat. "It's not just for the uber wealthy, it's for uber fun," says Ault.

22.10 | 3 komentar | Read More

​Stop taking this toll

Behror Midway Restaurant And Its Shopping Arcade Are No Longer A Bustling Halt For Travellers Even As Many Other Shops Down Shutters

BEHROR: As you drive into the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation's hotel in Behror, you find the entrance virtually deserted. A couple of cars are parked there, and a lone Volvo carrying passengers is waiting. It's 6pm, time for most commuters travelling on the Delhi-Jaipur highway to stop for a cup of tea and snacks. At the RTDC restaurant though the tables are empty. "There was a time when buses had to park outside the hotel compound as the parking area would get filled. Now, we are lucky if we get more than 200 people in a day," says Rajbir Singh, a member of the staff.

Once the main attraction of Behror town for travellers, the RTDC's midway facility has become a casualty of the four-year long and haphazard construction work that has destroyed the Delhi-Jaipur highway. Located on one side of the carriageway (Jaipur-Delhi), the hotel now misses out on the traffic going from Delhi to Jaipur and barely manages to get some customers going in the other direction.

"The flyover is located right in front of the hotel, making it impossible for vehicles to come to this side of the road. There's an underpass but that doesn't connect with our hotel. The only way to reach us is to take a diversion that is located 2km away," points out Atul Sethi, a shop owner who operates from the RTDC premises. But what has done the maximum damage to RTDC's fortunes is the deplorable state of the road along the highway. "Most people don't want to stop as the roads are so bad... everyone wants to rush through the traffic and leave the trucks behind," rues Sethi.

With 22 rooms, the hotel was the ideal stopover before the highway reconstruction started, remembers Singh. "We used to do roaring business as all RTDC buses as well as private Volvos, besides the cars, stopped here. Now, we are left with only 10-15 per cent of that business," says the head accountant. From a daily earning of Rs 2 lakh-2.5 lakh, it is down to a few thousands, complain RTDC staff.

Meanwhile, the shopping arcade at the RTDC midway - which used to be popular with tourists - is on the verge of closing down. "I have a lease on this shop till December after which I am leaving. There are few visitors and I'm not able to earn enough to pay the rent even," adds Sethi. Other shop owners along the arcade nod as they recount similar tales. The lease rent of the arcade shops gives a glimpse of how popular this hotel used to be: the Rajasthan government had earlier fixed rents from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, depending on the size of the shops. But with profits plummeting, the authorities claim the new rates will have to be reduced to 20 per cent of the original to keep it going. Other hotels along the highway have got similarly scarred. Rakesh

Yadav, manager at Highway King located in Shahpura, says, "Our business has gone down by 30-40 per cent. The poor road conditions, particularly during the rainy season, has prompted many travellers to switch to train or even flights," says Yadav. The flip side, says Yadav, is that a number of small-time dhabas have come up along the highway. "But the big hotels have all taken a hit. Everyone is just hoping that the construction gets over fast," he adds.

The virtually stalled road project has also ended job opportunities for the locals. Atul Kumar Singh, manager of a Reebok outlet near Shahpura, said initially they had six employees to run the showroom but now there were only four. "The company is contemplating shutting down this outlet if the profit margin does not go up," said Singh. He remembers that earlier business was booming. "Many friends from my village got jobs at the shops that had opened up along the highway when business was good. Now all these shops are shutting down," he added.

The damage to the highway has also dented the business of the buses running along the stretch. More than two dozen buses leave Bikaner House in Delhi daily for Jaipur. The bus operators say there are times when they have to leave with only 10-12 passengers. "It's distressing to drive on these roads. Apart from getting stuck in traffic, we face problems like frequent damage to the suspension and other critical parts," said one of the operators, who did not wish to be identified.

Property prices though are not affected, this stretch being a part of the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. "The property rates in Shahpura have doubled. In the Neemrana industrial corridor, flats are being sold for as high as Rs 1.4 crore to Rs 2.5 crore. Buyers and investors have a long-term view," said one of the builders.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Survey helps Election Commission delete 13.58 lakh Delhi voters’ names

NEW DELHI: The government said on Friday that names of 13.58 lakh voters in Delhi have been deleted from voters list by the Election Commission (EC) after a survey.

Law minister Kapil Sibal, replying to a supplementary during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, said the EC deleted the names after conducting a house-to-house survey to identify voters who have either shifted, expired or whose names replicated (appeared more than once in the electoral role).

On the basis of the survey, 15.58 lakh voters were found to have either shifted, expired or replicated, he said, adding of these 13.58 lakh names have been struck off the voters' list after giving notice and an opportunity to them to represent against deletion.

"Out of the total electors numbering 1558,229 who were issued notices for deletion, the names of 1,99,989 electors were not deleted, that is, they were retained as they appeared before the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)," he said. Sibal said government has no role in the exercise which is conducted by Election Commission. Names which are to be deleted are also given to political parties, he said.

Asked if government would coordinate with the EC to ensure genuine voters are not deleted, he said, "It will be entirely inappropriate for government to start coordinating with Election Commission on who is to be deleted, who is not... it will be interfering with functioning of a constitutional authority."

On the issue of voters with valid voter IDs not finding their name in the voters' list on election day, he said the EC will be informed of the sentiments of the House.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

IIM Kashipur begins 2-day course on Islamic banking and finance

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur on Saturday launched a two-day management development programme on Islamic Banking and Finance.

The programme is the first of such executive course to offer Islamic banking and finance.

"I am sure the choice of the present programme on Islamic Banking and Finance (IBF) is a very relevant exercise to build professional capacity among the interested participants in this area," said Ninong Ering, minister of state for minority affairs, while inaugurating the programme.

The two-day course is for senior bureaucrats, officials of financial institutions, lawyers, academicians and bankers.

Under the Islamic banking norms, depositors do not get interest on deposits, nor can the banks charge interest to its borrowers. Banks can invest the money, but keep off taboo areas like liquor, tobacco and gambling or speculation.

The global IBF industry is presently centred in the Gulf region and Malaysia and is experiencing double digit growth rates as it expands to new growth areas in Africa, Europe, South Asia and South East Asia.

The Islamic banking system is currently present in 75 countries with a total size of about USD 2 trillion.

"India is one of the countries expected to lead the next growth phase ... and also given that a lot of Sharia compliant investments are looking to be invested in Indian companies and infrastructure projects," said Professor Baharul Islam, chairperson (Planning & Development) and programme director.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tunda undergoes pacemaker implant surgery at AIIMS

NEW DELHI: Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Abdul Karim Tunda, who is admitted at AIIMS here, underwent a surgery on Sunday to implant a pacemaker in his heart.

70-year-old Tunda, who was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday night after he complained of severe chest pain and shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday afternoon, was detected with complete heart block, hospital sources said.

His condition was stated to be stable after the surgery.

"Tunda was taken to the cath lab at around 2.45pm on Saturday from the cardiac care unit following which the doctors implanted a pacemaker in his heart," they said.

He underwent the procedure in the supervision of cardio consultants Dr Nitish Naik and Dr Gautam Sharma.

A pacemaker is a small device implanted in the patient to control heartbeat.

Complete heart block occurs when the electrical signal can't pass normally from the atria, the heart's upper chambers, to the ventricles or lower chambers.

A heavy contingent of armed police guards were deployed outside the ward where Tunda is being treated.

Earlier during the day, a magistrate visited Tunda in hospital and remanded him in judicial custody till September 7.

Tunda, who was arrested from the India-Nepal border last Friday, is a close assistant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and one of 20 terrorists India had asked the Pakistan government to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He is suspected to be involved in 40 bombings in the country and is the first in the list to be arrested.

According to Delhi Police, he is wanted for his role in 1993 Mumbai serial train blasts, Delhi bomb blasts of 1997-98 and serial bombings in the state of UP and also at Panipat, Sonepat, Ludhiana and Hyderabad.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man killed in Delhi factory fire

NEW DELHI: An unidentified man, believed to be a labourer, was charred to death when a a plastic factory caught fire here early on Saturday, a fire official said.

The fire began from the first floor of a multistory building, housing the plastic factory, at Narela area in north Delhi around 6 am. It also spread to the other two floors.

"Twenty five fire tenders reached the spot and took around three hours to douse off the fire completely. A charred body of a man found on the first floor," said a Delhi Fire Service official.

Police said the reason seemed to be the short circuit and the body might be of a labourer working in the factory.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teenager stabbed to death by four friends

NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death here by his four friends over a trivial issue, police said Saturday.

Ravi, who was reported missing, was Friday found murdered near a mall in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi, police said.

According to a police officer, Ravi was missing from his house after he went out to meet his friends Thursday.

When Ravi's parents approached police the next day with a complaint that their son was missing, the investigators showed them a body which they had recovered. Ravi's family identified the body, police said.

Ravi was Thursday called by friends for consuming liquor but an argument broke out between them over a trivial issue and he was stabbed to death with a broken bottle of beer, police said.

The victim's friends disfigured his face with a heavy stone so that the body could not be identified, police official said.

"We nabbed all the four accused, who live in the same area, Friday night," said a police officer.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nirbhaya gang rape: ‘Accused were out to rape and loot’

NEW DELHI: Beginning the final arguments in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, the prosecution on Thursday told a fast-track court that the accused were on the road in pursuance of a plan and targeted the victims, including the girl, in their "quest for sexual satisfaction and loot".

"She (the girl) has clearly given the details of the incident in the bus (in her three dying declarations)...The brutality was grotesque to say the least," special public prosecutor Dayan Krishnan said in his final arguments in the case before additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna.

"The modus operandi was a quest for sexual satisfaction and to loot the victims. They first enticed one Ramadhar and robbed him and threw him on road and also tried to run the bus over him. Similarly, they all lured the girl and the boy into the bus, making them believe that the vehicle is a public carriage and later assaulted them...," Krishnan said, while narrating the gruesome manner in which a 23-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped in a moving bus by the six accused, who had also assaulted her male friend and dumped them on road side on December 16, last year. Terming the case different from other criminal cases, Krishnan said the grievous injuries inflicted on the victim themselves explain the "brutality" and extreme torture.

"They (the victim and her friend) have talked about their abduction. She clearly talks of rape. She clearly talks about being thrown out of a moving bus and that the accused tried to crush them under the wheels. The prosecution case is much more corroborated with the statements of the prosecution witness (PW) No 1 (girl's friend) and the dying declaration of the victim," Krishnan said.

"The factum of injuries clearly shows accused presence in the bus, which is also supported by the DNA report," Krishnan said, adding that accused had unnatural sex with the girl.

The final arguments on behalf of the prosecution remained inconclusive and will continue on Friday.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nirbhaya case: SC allows Juvenile Justice Board to resume proceedings against minor

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Juvenile Justice Board to resume proceedings against the juvenile accused in the Nirbhaya gang rape-cum-murder case, setting the stage for the first sentencing in the gruesome crime.

Passing the order, a bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justices Ranjana Desai and Ranjan Gogoi agreed to examine in detail the larger issue of whether the age of juvenility should be lowered from the present 18 years in heinous crimes? The order came on a petition by Subramanian Swamy who had sought interpretation of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 to try minors accused of committing heino8us crimes by ordinary courts. Swamy's locus standi to intervene in a criminal case was questioned by additional solicitor general Sidharth Luthra and the juvenile's counsel A J Bhambani, both arguing that the law frowns upon intervention by a third party in a criminal proceeding.

Justice Gogoi, writing the judgment for the bench, upheld Swamy's locus standi to seek an answer to the broader question, which would affect not only the juvenile in the Nirbhaya case but all such cases in future. "All that the petitioners seek is an authoritative pronouncement of the true purport and effect of the different provisions of the JJ Act so as to take a juvenile out of the purview of the said Act in case he had committed an offence, which, according to the petitioners, on a true interpretation of Section 2(p) of the Act, is required to be identified and distinguished to justify a separate course of action, namely, trial in a regular court of law as a specific offence under the Penal Code and in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure," the bench said.

"We are, therefore, of the view that it would be appropriate for us to hold that the special leave petition does not suffer from the vice of absence of locus on the part of the petitioners so as to render the same not maintainable in law. We, therefore, will proceed to hear the special leave petition on merits and attempt to provide an answer to the several questions raised by the petitioners before us," it said.

On learning that pendency of the petition had resulted in stalling of proceedings before the JJ Board against the juvenile accused in the Nirbhaya case, the bench said, "We make it clear that it is now open for the board to proceed further in the matter and render such orders, in accordance with law, as may be considered just, adequate and proper."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

One more detained for Vivek Vihar murders

NEW DELHI: A day after four people were arrested for killing businessman Bajrang Lal Bokaria and his three workers in Vivek Vihar, the crime branch has detained a fifth person for his alleged involvement. The fifth accused is maternal uncle of Mona Duggal, the prime accused. "We suspect that he was helping Mona in the operations. We are trying to ascertain if this was voluntary in nature," said an investigating officer. By Thursday evening, majority of the looted jewellery had been recovered, police said.

A police team tracked the route taken by the three accused — Mona's brother Hardeep, her another maternal uncle Rajeev (25) and Hardeep's friend Sanjay — while fleeing after the murders. "The accused went to Kullu and Manali in Himachal via Pathankot in Punjab... While they spent a part of the loot to sponsor their stay, the accused had left the stolen jewellery in Delhi," said Singh.

Bokaria, said sources, didn't suspect Mona's repeated visits to his house because it was he who had fixed her marriage with his nephew Ajay. "Mona's estranged husband was over 37 years old and his business was not doing well. When Ajay could not marry within his community, Bokaria took the initiative for an inter-caste marriage. Mona said Bokaria never told her about Ajay's real age andthis led to differences between them. She visited Bokaria at least twice after November 2012 in this regard," said a source. Also, when the four accused visited Bokaria's house for a recce on Saturday, Mona used his servant's cellphone to call up Bokaria's wife at Sujangarh in Rajasthan. "Mona asked her when Bokaria would be back to send a message to the family and the servants that the intention behind her visit was to save her marriage," said an officer.

All accused were sent to three days' police remand on Thursday even as Mona refused to undergo the test identification parade.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asaram Bapu supporters want FIR quashed, attack media person

NEW DELHI: Supporters of Asaram Bapu on Friday protested outside a police station, where a girl had lodged a complaint alleging sexual assault by the spiritual leader, and demanded quashing of the FIR and assaulted a media person.

Around 500 supporters gathered outside the Kamla Market police station in central Delhi and demanded quashing of the FIR.

The supporters gathered at the police station around 10 am and raised slogans against the police and media, accusing them of trying to dent the image of the spiritual leader.

Later, they marched towards Jantar Mantar.

Asaram Bapu's supporters attacked the media person of a Hindi news channel and a complaint has been filed against them.

"The unit member of the Hindi news channel was attacked near the Parliament Street police station and three of the supporters have been detained," said police.

According to the complaint, the sexual assault took place Aug 15 at an ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, where the girl had gone for medical treatment.

The girl, a native of Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, visited Asaram Bapu along with her family. Police said Asaram Bapu took the girl to a separate room on the pretext of treating her illness and sexually assaulted her.

A spokesman for the spiritual leader, who enjoys a wide following across the country and abroad, said the girl's complaint was an attempt to malign Asaram Bapu.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tunda admitted to AIIMS after chest pain

NEW DELHI: Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Abdul Karim Tunda was on Friday admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for special cardiac care.

The 70-year-old LeT ideologue, who was arrested on Indo-Nepal border last Friday, was last night admitted to Safdurjung hospital after he complained of chest pain, police said.

However, keeping in view the specialised care and security concerns, Tunda was shifted to AIIMS this afternoon and admitted to Intensive Cardiac Care Unit.

A heavy contingent of armed police guard has been placed outside the ICCU unit of the AIIMS where Tunda, who has been giving details about spread of terror group Lashker-e-Taiba in India, is being treated.

Doctors attending Tunda refused to divulge any details about his health condition.

Tunda, who is in Police remand till tomorrow, was attacked by a group of Hindu activists outside court in Patiala House complex where he was being produced before a Magistrate.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Day after downpour, sunny morning in Delhi

NEW DELHI: It was a sunny morning in the national capital Wednesday, a day after a torrential downpour saw tens of thousands of commuters stranded and many areas flooded. The Met office has forecast light rains in some parts of the city.

"The sky will remain partly cloudy with light rains in some parts of the city later in the day," an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to the Met office, the capital received 95.2 millimetres of rain from 8.30 a.m. Tuesday to 8.30 a.m. Wednesday.

The minimum temperature Wednesday settled a notch below average at 24.8 degrees Celsius while humidity remained high at 95 percent at 8.30 a.m.

"The maximum temperature is likely to hover around the 34 degrees Celsius mark," the IMD official said.

Since the arrival of the monsoon, the capital has received 745.2 mm of rainfall, 61 percent above average.

Tuesday's maximum temperature was recorded at 33.5 degrees Celsius, average for this time of year, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 23.7 degrees Celsius, a notch below average.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asaram Bapu booked in Delhi for sexual assault on minor

DELHI: Delhi Police have booked self-styled godman AsaramBabu on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.

A zero FIR under section 376 was lodged at Kamala Market police station in central Delhi. on Tuesday evening.

The case pertains to the rape of a girl at a hostel in Jodhpur. "We registered the complaint, but the girl said the incident occurred in Rajasthan, so the case will be forwarded to Rajasthan," a police officer told IANS.

The case is being supervised by Joint CP Tejendra Luthra and inspector Pramod Joshi is investigating the matter. DCP Alok Kumar may question the godman, sources say.

The girl's father is a transporter in Shahjahanpur in UP. Jodhpur and Shahjahanpur police had earlier refused to lodge an FIR after which the victim came to Delhi and made her complaint.

The cops are approaching the case cautiously so as not to risk hurting the religious sentiments of a community.

Asaram Bapu, who has a large following, was earlier in the news after Gujarat Police filed a case of attempted murder against him and two others. He was also accused of illegal land-grabbing in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

(Inputs from IANS)

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sexual assault case registered against Asaram Bapu in Delhi

DELHI: Delhi Police have booked self-styled godman AsaramBabu on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.

A zero FIR under section 376 was lodged at Kamala Market police station in central Delhi. on Tuesday evening.

The case pertains to the rape of a girl at a hostel in Jodhpur. "We registered the complaint, but the girl said the incident occurred in Rajasthan, so the case will be forwarded to Rajasthan," a police officer told IANS.

The case is being supervised by Joint CP Tejendra Luthra and inspector Pramod Joshi is investigating the matter. DCP Alok Kumar may question the godman, sources say.

The girl's father is a transporter in Shahjahanpur in UP. Jodhpur and Shahjahanpur police had earlier refused to lodge an FIR after which the victim came to Delhi and made her complaint.

The cops are approaching the case cautiously so as not to risk hurting the religious sentiments of a community.

Asaram Bapu, who has a large following, was earlier in the news after Gujarat Police filed a case of attempted murder against him and two others. He was also accused of illegal land-grabbing in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

(Inputs from IANS)

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Narendra Dabholkar murder: CPI demands judicial probe into rationalist's killing

NEW DELHI: CPI on Wednesday sought a judicial inquiry into the killing of noted rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune, alleging the crime must have been committed by right-wingers and obscurantists.

"He must have been killed by people belonging to right wing, by those who stand by obscurantism, medieval chauvinism. His murder is a great disaster."

"I urge upon you to initiate a judicial inquiry into the event of his murder and punish the culprits who had been associated with it. It may not have been done by a single person," CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Terming the murder as "a crime against humanity", he said 69-year-old Dabholkar was fighting superstition and black magic and had opposed godmen, temple trusts and even the state government on several issues.

"He was vilified. Even his press conferences were disrupted. He was physically attacked. He was under threat to his life, but he never cared to take a police escort. He targeted the government and miracle cures and regressive religious practices," Dasgupta said, adding that his movement was gaining ground.

"In a country where godmen and tantriks are lionised not only by the public but also by media and politicians, rationalists like him having a scientific bent of mind always face heavy odds," he observed.

In a statement, CPI Central Secretariat condemned the murder of Dabholkar, who had given up medical profession for social work and had founded the 'Andha Shraddha Nirmoolan Samithi' that fought exploitation in the name of faith.

Noting that Dabholkar had dedicated his life to popularise scientific temper among the people, CPI said "rightist forces" had attacked and threatened him several times as "communalism and superstition are twin sisters".

Seeking urgent steps to bring the culprits to book, the party extended support to the demand raised for long by Dabholkar and his followers for a legislation against superstition and black magic and for developing scientific temper among the people.

CPI(M) has also condemned the killing of Dabholkar, describing him as a staunch anti-communal intellectual who led a growing movement against superstition.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sex workers seek decriminalisation of work

NEW DELHI: Sex workers across India have joined hands to launch a national campaign that calls for decriminalisation of sex work besides social recognition and legal rights to help eliminate violence and exploitation from their lives.

Sex workers representatives from 13 states affiliated to All Indian Network of Sex Workers (AINSW) are in the city for a two-day national consultative meet on "Protection of Dignity and Rights of Sex Workers" that kicked off on Wednesday.

"We realise that the community will have to do a lot of work to ensure that the rights guaranteed by Articles 14-21 of the Constitution become a reality for every sex worker in the country," said Smarajit Jana, adviser of AINSW.

Jana said at the conclusion of their programme they will forward a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Participants kickstarted their event by tying rakhis to dignitaries like Barun Mukherjee, a Rajya Sabha MP, Basudev Acharia, a Lok Sabha MP and Avijit Mukherjee, MP and son of President Mukherjee.

"As a new lawmaker I have come to know now that implementation of law in India is a problem and another major problem is the interpretation of law," Avijit Mukherjee said.

"There is no doubt that anybody who gives a service is a worker and every worker has the right to demand for their rights. But unfortunately in our society sex is a taboo. Laws has to be enacted for sex workers and whatever is needed for me to do as a law maker I will help you," he said.

Bharati Dey, president of AINSW, said, "We have come to the capital with the hope that political leaders from different affiliations will seriously reflect on our concerns. We are hoping to meet President Pranab Mukherjee next month with our demands."

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

LG asks corporation to speed up passing of Jamia master plan

NEW DELHI: For the last 13 years, the Jamila Milia Islamia University has been struggling to get its master plan approved by Delhi Development Authority (DDA). But on Monday, Delhi's newly-appointed lieutenant governor and former vice-chancellor of the university Najeeb Jung directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to expedite the process. The university area was denotified by DDA and handed over to the corporation last month.

On Monday, Jung met South corporation officials, including commissioner Manish Gupta, and university officials regarding the master plan. Sources say the plan is likely to be approved in three-four months.

As the Jamia VC, Jung had made several efforts to get the plan approved so that the university could start new projects. The delay in getting approval from DDA, officials admit, has hampered the development work at the campus.

University officials say, the original plan was submitted to DDA in 2000 and over the last 13 years, the agency has twice asked the university to incorporate some changes and submit the revised plan. The last plan was submitted in 2010. Officials say, since then they have not heard from DDA. Meanwhile, there was a change in policy and DDA denotified the university campus which is spread over an area of more than 300 acres.

The civic agency has received all the files pertaining to the Jamia University master plan. After studying the plan, the agency is likely to hold a meeting with the university officials to clear anomalies, if any. University officials say the civic agency will inspect the campus next week. "We are happy that the plan is reaching the final stage of approval. LG Najeeb Jung has been very supportive," said S M Sajid, officiating VC of Jamia Milia Islamia University.

According to the university officials, it is a comprehensive plan which has proposals for changes in existing structure and future projects.

The university has not been able to implement its expansion plans, which include proposal to construct 4-5 faculty buildings and 3-4 hostel complexes, as it was stuck with DDA.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

More rainy days ahead this month in Delhi

NEW DELHI: If you were waiting for good weather to plan an outing, now is the time. Met department officials have said that rain is here to stay and light to moderate showers are expected at regular intervals across Delhi till at least the end of August.

The monsoon has been exceptionally good to Delhi this year. The city is just a good day's rain away from realizing its rain quota for the entire season. At 637mm till Monday morning, the monsoon rainfall is only 9mm short of its June to September normal of 645.7mm. The normal from June to August 19 is 441.3mm.

As with June and July, August too has already recorded more than the month's total quota of rain. Since August 6, Delhi has witnessed some amount of rain each day with the exception of August 12. The next two days recorded only trace rain. The maximum amount of rain this month was recorded over two days, between August 17 and 18. This period saw 97mm rainfall. August till Monday morning had recorded 177 mm rain.

"The situation will be more or less similar till the end of the month. There is regular development of low pressure systems over northwest Bay of Bengal that are travelling across India. This monsoon is unique since we haven't had any break this season so far. Northwest India, including Delhi, will see only light to moderate rain as it is due to oscillation of the monsoon rough from south to north," said Dr OP Singh, deputy director general (meteorology), Delhi regional meteorological centre.

Officials said that till August 31, monsoon will be in excess of normal by at least 10% over the country and northwest India particularly. "September's contribution is not very high. Even if the rainfall during this month is below normal, we will end up with an overall figure of 105-110%. ," said Singh. Till Monday morning, the all India rainfall was 14% above normal.

The intermittent showers also kept the temperature at a comfortable level. The maximum was 32.6 degree Celsius, one degree below normal while the minimum was 26.3 degree Celsius.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Metro services disrupted

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro services were again hit on Tuesday, the second time in the last five days on the Dwarka Sec 21 to Noida City Centre Blue line due to "technical" problems.

"Due to technical problem between Karol Bagh and R K Ashram stations, train services are being run in 3 loops on Line 3," a DMRC official said.

Trains between Karol Bagh to Dwarka-21 and Barakhamba to Noida/Vaishali are being run on short loop while trains between Karol Bagh and Barakhamba stations are run on single line since 12:40pm.

"It is not known by when the problem will be sorted, he said, adding hundreds of passengers were delayed due to the problem.

On August 16, trains on the Blue line-Dwarka sec 21 to Noida city centre/Vaishali were disrupted due to over head electrification problems.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gift mobile phone to sister on Rakshabandhan, Delhi high court tells brother

NEW DELHI: The judiciary has time and again come to the rescue of girls facing threats from family members to sacrifice education midway to get married.

This time, however, in an unprecedented move while protecting one such college girl, the Delhi high court has directed her brother to gift her a mobile phone this Rakshabandhan for use in case of any emergency in the future.

Justice Hima Kohli gave the order while hearing a case filed by a second year Delhi University student seeking protection from her parents and brother who were extending all kinds of threats apart from physically assaulting her.

During the course of the hearing, however, under the court's intervention, the family came to terms with the contentions of the 22-year-old girl and assured that they would not compel her to enter into any matrimonial alliance unless it is acceptable to her.

The family also assured the court that they would support her desire to become self-reliant by taking up a job after completing her graduation.

The court, however, acting on apprehension raised by the girl directed the SHO of Govind Puri to provide the number of beat staff and the police station to the girl in case her family fails to comply with their assurance.

As it was informed that the girl had broken her mobile phone during an altercation with her brother, the court directed the brother to gift a new one to her this Rakshabandhan.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sonia showers praise on Sheila Dikshit govt

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday showered praise on chief minister Sheila Dikshit, saying Delhi government under her leadership has changed the face of the city and ensured "unparallelled development" in the last 15 years.

"The way the Congress government in Delhi under the leadership of chief minister Sheila Dikshit changed the face of Delhi in the last 15 years is in front of you. You yourself can feel the difference between the Delhi of today and what it was 15 years back," Gandhi said.

The Congress chief the Delhi government has ensured a better quality of life by improving basic amenities and initiating "pro-people" policies.

She was speaking after launching the ambitious food security programme coinciding the 69th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"The Congress government of Delhi has always understood the difficulties of the common man and accordingly has been taking measures to address them. We can say that the development that has taken place in Delhi is unparallelled," Gandhi said.

Launching the ambitious food security programme, she hailed it as an "unparallelled" scheme in the world.

The scheme was rolled out in three Congress-ruled states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand even as the consideration of the Bill was scuttled in Parliament by the opposition, which cornered the government on the issue of missing files related to the coal block allocation.

"I am happy that today Delhi government is starting to implement the historical programme. Under the scheme the beneficiaries will get food grains from September 1. I am confident that Delhi government will succeed in implementing the scheme," she said.

Gandhi also handed over food security cards and five kg grain packets to 12 women beneficiaries.

She also mentioned the Delhi Metro and said it has become life-line of the national capital.

"The Delhi government has ensured a better quality of life by improving basic amenities...Particularly the metro has become a lifeline of Delhi. It has earned accolades of all. Such initiatives of Sheila Dikshit have been praised by all," said Gandhi.

"I praise Sheila Dikshit and her ministers for pro-people initiatives. The struggle for progress of people should always continue. Public service should be our religion and aim and there should be no let up in it. This would be the real tribute to Rajiv Gandhi," she said.

Delhi government will provide benefits under the scheme to 73.5 lakh people in the city out of the total population of 1.68 crore.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stop infighting: CM to Congress

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday asked Congress leaders to end their "infighting" and unite if they wanted to see party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the country's prime minister.

Terming Rahul as inspiration for the future, Dikshit said "we have to forget our infighting and unite if we want to see him as our PM".

Dikshit, while addressing 'Mahila Sammelan' organized by Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress, accused her opponents of misleading the people to garner votes for the upcoming assembly polls.

"Our political opponents, despite seeing the development work carried out by our government are criticizing us. They are trying to mislead people as the elections are round the corner," the chief minister said.

Dikshit said Delhi was the first state to provide 50% reservation for women in municipal corporations. The CM also announced that on August 20, Delhi would become the first state in the country where the Food Security Bill would be implemented.

"On late PM Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, UPA's Food Security Programme will be launched.

"UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi would hand over the cards to people and by December, 74 lakh people would get food items at a subsidized rate," she said, asking the women get their Aadhar cards prepared as all benefits would be linked to it.Law minister Kapil Sibal asked the women to send their daughters to schools and ensure their participation in the nation's progress.

Women and child development minister Krishna Tirath stressed on women empowerment and also expressed concerns over the skewed sex ratio in the country.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police chief stresses on ‘democratic behaviour’

NEW DELHI: In a democracy, people should respect the boundaries of law and they should not go beyond the norms of democratic behaviour, newly-appointed Delhi Police commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi said on Saturday.

"People will get the opportunity to articulate their anger. But remember, we are a democratic polity. In a dem-ocratic polity, we have to respect the boundaries created by law otherwise any expression of anger can be too anarchic," said Bassi at a youth conference held at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in Delhi University.

Bassi said the moment people cross the norms of democratic behaviour, the results will be "disastrous".

Bassi, an alumnus of SRCC's 1975 batch, was felicitated at the conference for the laurels he has achieved during his career.

"My journey in SRCC was sweet and eventful. I still remember my teachers. Whatever I learnt from them, has helped me in my life," he said adding that he never took interest in participate in debates during his time in college.

"I must tell all of you that everybody who gets admission in Shri Ram college has some basic intellect and basic requisite qualification which can take you anywhere," he said.

The day-long youth conference had debates and discussions where Kiran Bedi, Sonia Singh, Prabhu Chawla and several other eminent personalities were present.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

70,000 beds increased in govt-run health institutions, claims Azad

NEW DELHI: Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has claimed that substantial progress has been achieved in health sector over the last eight years, since National Rural Health Mission was launched.

Azad, in his address at the Healthcare Skill Summit 2013 held in the national capital recently, said nearly 70,000 beds have been increased in government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services across the country and 1.6 lakh human resources such as Specialists, Doctors, Nurses, ANMs and Para-medics have been added. "Over 8 lakh 60 thousand Community Health Workers called ASHAs have been appointed in villages to facilitate interface between the communities and health system," he said.

The health minister said a series of initiatives have been taken by their ministry to overcome the acute shortage of human resources in health sector since May, 2009 including the increase in number of MBBS seats from 33,567 to 51,979 and the number of PG seats from 13,838 to 23,931. "Total 97 new medical colleges including six new AIIMS, have been established within the same period raising the number of Medical Colleges from 290 to 387," he said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Priest shot dead inside temple premises

GHAZIABAD: A 45-year-old priest of a local temple was shot dead by two unidentified persons in Loni area, police said on Sunday.

Chetan Das, a native of Rajasthan, was killed inside the Prachin Sidh Baba Mandir premise last night, they said.

"Two youths who came on a bike entered the temple last night and opened fire at him and fled," SP Jagdish Sharma said, adding that the priest received four bullets on his head and three bullets in his chest.

As per preliminary investigation it was found that Das also dealt in property business and that some property dispute could be the reason behind the murder, Sharma said.

Das was rushed to GTB Hospital in Delhi where he was declared dead on arrival.

A case has been registered against unknown persons, the SP said, adding further investigations are on to nab the miscreants.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

For Rakshabandhan, Delhi Metro to run extra trips

NEW DELHI: In view of high ridership observed on the eve of Rakshabandhan and the day itself for the past few years, the Delhi Metro has decided to run around 300 extra train trips each on August 19 and 20.

Additional security personnel will also be deployed to cater to the rush of commuters expected on these two days, a DMRC spokesperson said.

"Trains will be run at peak-hour frequency from 8am to 8.30pm on August 19 and 20 and trains which are normally withdrawn from lines during off peak hours (i.e, 11:30am to 04:30pm will be kept in service to perform around 300 extra trips, making a total of about 2,900 trips on that day," the spokesperson said.

DMRC will also also deploy additional security guards and Customer Facilitation Agents (CFA) at major Metro stations to help and guide commuters on these two days.

The prominent stations to have extra CFA deployment are Dilshad Garden, Shahdara, Welcome, Seelampur, Shastri Park, Pitampura, Rohini East, Rohini West, Rithala, Jahangir Puri, Adarsh Nagar, GTB Nagar, Yamuna Bank, Uttam Nagar East, Nawada, Noida City Centre, Botanical Garden, Noida Sec-18, MG Road, HUDA City Centre, Sarita Vihar, Lajpat Nagr, Badarpur, Peeragarhi, Nangloi and Mundka.

"In addition, extra personnel will be deployed to handle the increased load on the ticketing system and the Metro ticketing staff in 75 stations will do 123 additional shifts," the official said.

The Delhi Metro normally witnesses greater rush of commuters on the eve of Raksha Bandhan Day. In 2012, over 22 lakh passengers travelled on a day before Rakhi by Metro whereas close to 20 lakh travelled on the day of Rakhi.

At present, the Delhi Metro ridership has already increased substantially as the Metro carried over 25 lakh passengers for the first time ever on August 8.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Defamation case: Court releases Kejriwal on undertaking to appear

NEW DELHI: Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday gave an undertaking in a Delhi court that he will appear before it whenever required in a defamation case filed by chief minister Sheila Dikshit's political secretary for his alleged remarks against her during power tariff hike protests.

Chief metropolitan magistrate Sanjay Bansal passed the order releasing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener on the undertaking given by him after he refused to seek bail.

Advocate Somnath Bharti, appearing for Kejriwal, said he stuck to his stand that he will not seek bail and furnish any personal or surety bond. He said they have also adopted the same procedure in other cases lodged against him and other party members.

The counsel said Kejriwal has given a written undertaking to the court that he would abide by its orders and would appear as and when required.

The court fixed October 5 for hearing arguments on the issue of locus standi of complainant Pawan Khera, political secretary of Dikshit, in filing the case.

The AAP convener is accused of defaming Dikshit by making "baseless" allegations against her last year in several protests on power tariff hike.

The court had earlier released Kejriwal till today on an undertaking that he would appear on every date of hearing after he refused to seek bail and furnish any personal or surety bond.

Kejriwal had opposed the complaint on the grounds that it has been filed by Khera and not by Dikshit herself.

Kejriwal had admitted the allegations levelled against him but said if Dikshit was defamed then she should have filed the defamation case herself.

Khera had filed the defamation case saying Kejriwal had used "false and filthy" language against Dikshit in a television show.

"Due to politically motivated and malafide reasons, mischievous and absolutely false and baseless allegations have been intentionally made in a filthy and foul language, through convoluted information, to gain scandalising impact, at a platform where the same could not be rebutted, as Sheila Dikshit or the office of the chief minister of Delhi was not represented.

"This shows that the intention was to paint a patently incorrect picture in the eyes of the viewers, general public, thereby, causing irreparable harm to the reputation and standing of all including complainant," the complaint alleged.

It said in October 2012, Kejriwal had organised several protests against "power tariff hike in the capital and had accused the government of stalling Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission's move to cut power tariff by 23 per cent in 2010".

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rao Tula Ram flyover project stuck as Delhi Urban Art Commission bats for ‘residents’

NEW DELHI: In a disturbing development, PWD's Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover project seems to have got stuck with Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC), which has received a representation from "some residents" who don't want it to "impinge" on their houses. DUAC chief Raj Rewal confirmed to TOI that they had received a representation and will "relook at the project with the perspective that it does not impinge on houses nearby".

Delhi government had decided earlier this year to construct an additional three-lane flyover parallel to the existing flyover. Along with it, an underpass will also be built on Benito Juarez Marg for traffic to cross over to Ring Road.

Though the names of the signatories to the letter are not known, it is common knowledge that an influential group of Palam Marg residents who wished to hold on to their service lane were behind the botched-up half-flyover that Delhi government had earlier constructed, causing a huge bottleneck on way to the airport. TOI had carried out a campaign against this which had forced Delhi government to look for solutions in order to rectify the error. Why DUAC would now want to reopen the issue that has been settled by the government with the project being cleared by the LG and UTTIPEC (United Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Centre) is not clear. DUAC's mandate is to take a view on urban aesthetics.

The Commission has now asked PWD to come back within a fortnight with clarifications to ensure that the flyover does not affect residential houses nearby. The next meeting is scheduled to be held after that. "The project has to be cleared by us. There are pros and cons to every project and the flyover issue will be re-looked at with the perspective that it does not impinge on houses nearby,'' Rewal told TOI. The Commission wants to look at the traffic circulation plan and also ensure pedestrian-friendly measures, which are the UTTIPEC's domain.

"Safeguarding pedestrian movement is a priority and we want to see how that will handled. Traffic consultants have also been invited for the next meeting with PWD. This is a very large project and we want things to go smoothly, but at the same time it should operate in a manner so as to not affect pedestrians or houses nearby,'' said Rewal. DUAC will also look at the design of the proposed skywalk.

PWD minister Raj Kumar Chauhan is livid. Speaking to TOI, he slammed DUAC for raising obstacles in the way of a project that has taken months to resolve and has been cleared by all authorities. "The project is necessary. If you go the site, you will see that one carriageway is being used for traffic both ways and this is not only chaotic but dangereous as well. So, a solution is urgently required. The project has been cleared by the LG and UTTIPEC and DUAC should consider it accordingly. The fact is that everyone, especially the local residents, have their own vested interests and if DUAC listens to them, it won't be right," said Chauhan.

He said DUAC needs to understand that vehicular traffic in Delhi is growing rapidly and the city has to adjust accordingly. "They cannot stall on every issue. The residents who are against the project will also face problems like increased pollution levels and they should understand that the flyover is in their interest too. We will see what happens at the next meeting, and if the issue remains unresolved, we will go to the Union urban development minister, Kamal Nath.''

PWD officials also questioned the clarifications sought by DUAC. "DUAC wants to take a re-look at the traffic plan and has called an independent traffic consultant for the meeting. This is normally UTTIPEC's job,'' pointed out a senior official.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prime Minister steps in to clear Mylan's $1.6 billion deal

The author has posted comments on this articleTNN | Aug 17, 2013, 06.16AM IST

NEW DELHI: PM Manmohan Singh on Friday paved the way for clearing pending foreign investment proposals, including Mylan's deal to acquire Strides Acrolab for $1.6 billion (around Rs 10,000 crore), and overruled the stiff opposition put up by the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).

"There are some concerns particularly in regard to oncology injectibles, some of the vaccines where we feel that critical needs must be met at all costs... The present proposals before the FIPB, or as approved by it, will go through under the existing policy. And if there are safeguards required, that will be discussed," commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma said after a meeting convened by the Prime Minister.

FIPB's clearance to 12 proposals, involving investments of around Rs 350 crore had been put on hold as DIPP insisted that the FDI policy be reviewed. On the department's insistence, the government had for the first time reduced the flexibility offered to investors in the pharma sector and mandated that all transactions in existing Indian drug companies should be vetted by FIPB, if the acquisition involved transfer of over 49% stake. The change took place after promoters of Indian companies such as Ranbaxy and Piramal Healthcare sold their shares to global pharmaceutical companies. DIPP has argued that such deals would impact availability of affordable drugs in the country.

The PM's intervention comes at a time when the government is pushing to attract overseas flows to finance the widening current account deficit. Although transactions in the pipeline have been cleared, Sharma said the policy would undergo a change. The commerce and industry ministry would soon start a consultation process to address "dangers inherent" in the current model of FDI in brownfield pharma units. Sharma said the government will discuss safeguards to ensure "affordable, life-saving medicines are available to the people".

As part of the proposed changes, the health ministry would be asked to suggest whether any specific critical vertical in the sector should be retained only with the Indian companies in case of M&As. A main concern raised in the meeting was how to prevent multinationals from changing product mix from generics to branded generics or patented ones after acquiring Indian companies, which could impact the cheapest price generic for the Indian population.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rain continues in Delhi

NEW DELHI: It was a rainy morning in the national capital Saturday with the minimum temperature settling three notches below average at 23.5 degrees Celsius. The Met office has forecast more rain during the day.

"The skies will remain cloudy and parts of the city will get more rain," said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 29 degrees Celsius. The city received 52.8 mm of rain since Friday.

Rain on Saturday morning caused commuters to get stranded in several parts of the city as major roads were flooded on account of poor drainage.

Pedestrians and people riding motorcycles and scooters were seen taking shelter under Metro overbridges and other places, creating traffic bottlenecks.

Friday's maximum temperature was 30.5 degree Celsius, three notches below normal while the minimum was 24.5 degree Celsius, two notches below normal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two get life term for kidnap, murder of 5-yr-old boy

NEW DELHI: A special CBI court in Patiala has convicted two persons for kidnap and murder of a five-year-old boy and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

The court convicted Ranjan Kumar Singh and Sonu Kumar Singh for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and murder of the child and sentenced them to life term. It also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on them, a CBI spokesperson said.

"CBI had registered a case on August 30, 2011...on the order dated July 26, 2011 of the HC of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh...The complainant, a resident of district Mohali (Punjab), had alleged his son Master Aryan, aged about five years, went missing from near his house on July 23, 2009, after which ransom calls were received," CBI said in a statement.

It said CBI used recorded conversation held between kidnapper and victim's father to trace the kidnappers.

During investigation it came to light that Ravi was very familiar to Aryan and used to play with him. Sonu was a close associate of Ravi. The duo, both residents of Sitamarhi (Bihar), during interrogation had admitted to have kidnapped and killed the child, the statement said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman attempts suicide near Parliament House

NEW DELHI: Miffed over not getting a job on compassionate grounds after her father's death, a 25-year-old woman hailing from Jharkhand attempted suicide on Thursday near the Parliament House, police said.

According to police, Sukumari (25) consumed pesticide around 2pm near a fountain at Vijay Chowk close to the Parliament House complex.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital where her condition is said to be out of danger, police said.

The woman consumed some pesticide as she was miffed over not getting a job in Central Coalfields Limited in Jharkhand after the death of her father who was employed with the company, said a police official.

According to the woman, her father died in 1989 and she was supposed to get a job on compassionate grounds.

She has claimed to have ran from pillar to post in attempts to get a job, but was not given one, he said.

The woman had arrived in the national capital yesterday and wanted to commit suicide near the Parliament House so that her plight would come into notice, police said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Roads flooded, traffic hit as heavy rain lashes Delhi

NEW DELHI: The national capital witnessed heavy rain on Friday morning, with the minimum temperature settling a notch below average for this time of year at 24.5 degrees Celsius. The Met department has forecast rain till Saturday morning.

Rain started at 8am, causing peak-hour commuters to get stranded in parts of the city as major roads were flooded on account of poor drainage.

"We are getting many complaints of traffic jams due to choked drains. Traffic is slow in Nizamuddin, Greater Kailash 1, and Safdarjung in south Delhi," a traffic police official said.

Pedestrians and people riding motorcycles and scooters were seen taking shelter under Metro over-bridges and other places, creating traffic bottlenecks.

"I am stuck on the Ring Road. I don't understand why, as soon as rain starts, the roads start getting choked," Akansha Singh of south Delhi said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city received 15.6 mm of rain from 8.30am Thursday to 8.30am Friday.

Friday morning also saw spells when the rain was reduced to a drizzle.

"The sky will remain cloudy, with rain and thundershowers in some parts of the city," an IMD official said, adding that maximum and minimum temperatures will stay around 32 and 25 degrees Celsius respectively.

Humidity at 8.30am Friday stood at 97 percent.

Since the monsoon's arrival in June, Delhi has received 539.6 mm of rain, 29 percent more than average.

Thursday's maximum temperature was three notches below average for the season, at 30.7 degrees Celsius. The minimum was two notches below average, at 24.7 degrees Celsius.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Metro commuters stranded on Dwarka-Noida route due to technical glitch

NEW DELHI: Thousands of Metro commuters had a harrowing experience Friday morning after trains were delayed and many were left stranded at various stations on the Dwarka to Noida city centre route as services were disrupted due to a problem in Over-head Electrification (OHE).

"Due to OHE problem between Karol Bagh and RK Ashram station, train services are being run in three loops on Line 3. Trains are being run on short loop between Karol Bagh to Dwarka Sector 21 and Barakhamba to Noida/Vaishali and single line between Karol Bagh and Barakhamba since 11:40am," a DMRC spokesperson said.

Mitali, a commuter who works in central Delhi, said, "Trains were stopping for at least 10 to 15 minutes at the stations on the route and running very slow. I reached office an hour late."

Announcements were being made in trains that ventilation and lights are running on battery system.

It was a chaotic situation at all stations on the line as several people were stranded for more than an hour waiting for trains to arrive. Office-goers had a harrowing time with Metro services delayed and major traffic snarls on arterial roads as heavy rains lashed the national capital.

The DMRC spokesperson said Metro services resumed normal operations by 12:50pm.

OHE problems on Metro trains have become common now. In July this year, owing to electrification problem, Metro services on the blue line to Noida were disrupted for over three hours.

On June 11 this year, train going to HUDA City Centre on busy yellow line broke down in the middle of the tunnel between Central Secretariat and Udhyog Bhawan stations, giving a difficult time to over 1,791 passengers on board the train and severely affecting Metro services across the city during the morning rush hour.

Meanwhile, due to the clashes between two groups in Tilak Vihar area last night, some entry gates at various Metro stations on the blue line which were close to the area were shut.

"Due to imposition of section 144 in Tilak Nagar area by Delhi Police, two entry gates each at Subhash Nagar, Tagore Garden and Tilak Nagar and one entry gate at Janakpuri East station has been closed at 8:23am. Other gates of these stations are open so stations are working normally," the spokesperson said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tilak Vihar clashes: Jathedar of Akal Takht appeal for peace

AMRITSAR: While demanding the government to ensure safety and security of Sikh population, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh has issued an appeal to maintain peace in the volatile Tilak Vihar area of Delhi where more than a dozen people were injured following clashes between two communities on Thursday evening.

Talking to TOI on Friday Giani Gurbachan Singh said that "It is an unfortunate incident and it is duty of every government to provide safety to its citizens". He also appealed to the agitated communities to exercise restraint.

According to reports the clashes broke out after a minor argument over kite flying between children snowballed into a major controversy between two communities that followed stone pelting and arson.

Meanwhile, All India Sikh Students Federation (Peermohammad) president Karnail Singh Peermohammad has demanded an inquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of Supreme Court especially concentrating on the role of police and political leaders. The president of federation alleged that " the attackers were lead by political leaders who incited the mob to attack Sikh community and burn down their property, an FIR should be filed for against these political activists for inciting violence against Sikhs".

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tilak Vihar clashes: Jathedar of Akal Takht appeals for peace

AMRITSAR: While demanding the government to ensure safety and security of Sikh population, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh has issued an appeal to maintain peace in the volatile Tilak Vihar area of Delhi where more than a dozen people were injured following clashes between two communities on Thursday evening.

Talking to TOI on Friday Giani Gurbachan Singh said that "It is an unfortunate incident and it is duty of every government to provide safety to its citizens". He also appealed to the agitated communities to exercise restraint.

According to reports the clashes broke out after a minor argument over kite flying between children snowballed into a major controversy between two communities that followed stone pelting and arson.

Meanwhile, All India Sikh Students Federation (Peermohammad) president Karnail Singh Peermohammad has demanded an inquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of Supreme Court especially concentrating on the role of police and political leaders. The president of federation alleged that " the attackers were lead by political leaders who incited the mob to attack Sikh community and burn down their property, an FIR should be filed for against these political activists for inciting violence against Sikhs".

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iranian cries assault to get back stolen bag

NEW DELHI: An Iranian woman told the police on Monday that she had been sexually assaulted and robbed by an auto driver near Lajpat Nagar, sending the southeast district cops on a frenzied, all-night hunt for the culprit.

The recovery of the woman's bag from a mall early Tuesday morning brought the drama to a tame end. The 'victim' confessed she had cooked up the story after losing her Gucci bag which contained her passport, money and other belongings. The reason: She thought police would not act swiftly if she did not present a 'serious crime'.

The woman also feared her husband would be mad at her for losing the expensive bag and her passport. She allegedly tore her own clothes and got herself admitted to a hospital. The police received a call from the hospital on Monday night informing them of the "assault".

She alleged that the auto driver took her to a hotel in Amar Colony where he sexually assaulted her and robbed her of the bag.

She even feigned losing consciousness and appeared to be in trauma, police said. The special staff and all other police personnel were put on the job to crack the case. A team began to record the victim's statement and fetch out clues. Cops led by DCP (southeast) Karunakaran first scanned the CCTV footages of the stretch - from Lajpat Nagar market to Moolchand and Amar Colony -but could not find any such auto. Neither could a woman be spotted anywhere.

The cops then camped at Vikram hotel, mentioned by the victim as the venue of the attack. They scanned its CCTV footage but that too led them nowhere. All SHOs and beat constables were put on alert. Around midnight, Karunakaran got a call from south district DCP B S Jaiswal telling him that a bag belonging to a woman from Iran had been recovered by the Vasant Kunj police station from a bathroom in DLF Promenade mall. It contained the woman's passport, money and valuables. The details matched, leading the cops to believe they had got a first lead in the case.

When the team gave the bag back to the woman, she calmed down. By then, even the south district police suspected the accused to be hiding in their area. They were in for a surprise when they scanned the mall's CCTV footage. It showed the woman there in the evening.

Police are contemplating taking legal action

Times View

It is shocking that a woman should use the pretext of sexual assault to get the police to look for a lost handbag, even if it did contain valuable items like her passport. As in the famous parable of the boy crying wolf, every such false case does serious damage to the thousand of genuine complaints filed by women in India each year. There might be a temptation for some to use this case to suggest that a very large proportion of complaints filed are actually false, but this must be recognised as the exception not the norm. In each case the police must take the complaint seriously. If investigations reveal it to be false, there would be grounds for action against the complainant, but that can only be determined after a proper investigation.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Work on road stalls traffic near Azadpur

NEW DELHI: Work on the elevated road on Ring Road between Azadpur and Prembari Pul started a month back. But with neither any proper planning, nor a diversion, the PWD has started digging the main thoroughfare, leading to major traffic jams even on weekends.

The 1.6-km long elevated road coming up at a cost of Rs 247 crore will reduce traffic congestion on Ring Road at Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Pitampura, Wazirpur Industrial Area and Azadpur. But the way it is being executed, traffic jams have become a constant nuisance. "It takes at least three hours to cross the stretch every day. There is a way of carrying out work and the officials aren't following it. They have dug up the road bang in the middle and traffic movement is impossible. At least, an alternate route should have been worked out," said Yoginder Mann, a resident of Azadpur. "On the other side, Delhi Metro is carrying out work and the carriageways can accommodate only a single car."

The scene is no different on weekends. "On Saturday, the road was all blocked and it took us more than an hour to cross a stretch which otherwise takes less than 10 minutes to cross. PWD is carrying out work mindlessly," said Ashok Nagar, a government official.

PWD officials admitted that work had been started without much planning. "It's true that people are facing inconvenience and there is a traffic problem but it is for the benefit of people. We will allow traffic movement on the service lane as well and deploy marshalls," said PWD minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.

Officials say that with elections nearing, there was immense pressure to start the work. "We were asked to just start the project and it was inaugurated by chief minister Sheila Dikshit. No alternate route or any plan to carry out the work in phases was discussed," said an official, who didn't wish to be quoted. A foot overbridge as well as bus lanes, a cycle track and rainwater harvesting measures are also part of the project.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rani Jhansi flyover: Residents end fast after CM ‘order’

NEW DELHI: The residents of north Delhi finally ended their 80-hour hunger strike on Tuesday after the Kotwali SDM and deputy director of Bhagidari cell assured them that all their demands will be discussed with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation commissioner. The residents also claimed the chief minister had given directives in this regard. "We were assured that our demands will be heard. The officials also assured that the CM will intervene into the matter to find out the cause of the delay," said Ashok Bhasin, president, north Delhi resident welfare federation.

Bhasin with two others had gone on a hunger strike on Saturday because work on the Rani Jhansi grade separator was stalled. The project was conceived in 1998 and was supposed to be completed in 2010 before the Commonwealth Games.

However, till date only 38% of the work is complete. The civic agency is yet to get possession of the land from Delhi government and Railways.It is also not able to construct new sections of the flyover because of four major water pipelines in the area. "Due to the prolonged delay the cost of the project has escalated from Rs 177 crore to Rs 300 crore," said Bhasin. The flyover will cover Rani Jhansi Road, Bara Hindu Rao, DCM Chowk, Azad Market and Baraf Khana Chowk to reach St Stephen's Hospital. However, with more than one agency involved, it is difficult to coordinate, said officials. "It's not just the corporation which is involved, but land acquisition needs other agencies like railways to cooperate with us," said PK Gupta, commissioner, NDMC. But regarding assurance from Dikshit, officials said they haven't been approached.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Youth flags safety issues

NEW DELHI: The final phase of the I Lead India Youth Brigade selections got underway on Tuesday with 12 candidates participating in a discussion on women's safety in Delhi. The event saw the young participants coming up with several suggestions to make women feel safe in the city.

The topic was 'How can you, as a Youth Brigade member, make Delhi safer for women?' Most of the participants agreed that the key issue was changing the mindset of the people. Some emphasized the importance of technology and infrastructural changes to improve security. "CCTVs should be installed at vulnerable spots. About 70% of Delhi's 3 lakh streetlights don't work. It's a safety concern," said Mahima Sharma, one of the candidates who took part in the discussion at Faculty of Management Studies. The others participants were Aastha Narayan, Divish Gupta, Drishti Pillai, Manan Batra, Palak Chhabra, Rashi Kakkar, Riddhi Kalsi, Sanket Kshatriya, Shashank Gandhi, Utkarsh Rastogi, and Yashika Thaper. A total of 16 candidates have been shortlisted, out of which five will make it to Delhi's Youth Brigade.

Another issue that was highlighted was the lack of safe transport for women. It was stressed that police need to be sensitized about women's safety — there should be regular background checks of the staff of public transport vehicles, and curbs on buying of dangerous chemicals like acid. It was also pointed out that Delhi is not the only city considered unsafe . "A woman is always vulnerable, be it in Delhi, Kolkata or Mumbai," said Palak Chabbra.

The judges were Jyoti Sarwal, founder of Amba Foundation, and Sanjiv Kaura, CEO, corporate social responsibility, BCCL.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Micromax promoter, 6 others sent to CBI custody till August 19

NEW DELHI: Micromax co-founder Rajesh Agarwal and six others, arrested in connection with a bribery case, were remanded in CBI custody till August 19 by a Delhi court on Wednesday after the agency said their custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the larger conspiracy.

Agarwal, co-founder of Micromax Technologies Pvt Ltd, his associate Manish Tuli, four North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) engineers Rajesh Wadhwa, MK Gupta, Satish Kumar and Naresh Kumar, and Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) junior engineer Rajesh Gupta were sent to CBI custody.

Special CBI judge Poonam Bamba, however, remanded NDMC's engineer Sanjay Kumar and private person Ashok Lamba, who were also arrested in the case, in judicial custody till August 27.

Seven accused were produced before the court from CBI custody, which was granted on August 8.

NDMC's superintendent engineer Rajesh Wadhwa and assistant engineer MK Gupta, both of whom were arrested yesterday from a hotel in Jaipur where they were allegedly hiding, were also produced before the court.

During the hearing, CBI told the court that they need sustained custodial interrogation of the accused to complete its probe as there was a possibility that some higher officials may also be involved in this entire conspiracy.

"Some persons are evading arrest and they are not joining the investigation. Some higher officials may be involved in this case. Transcripts of the telephonic conversations clearly reflects that some higher officials may also be involved. We need remand to unearth the larger conspiracy," the CBI said.

Agarwal, who has stepped down as the managing director of Micromax mobiles following his arrest, Tuli and other accused were arrested on August 7 when they were allegedly giving a bribe of Rs 30 lakh to NDMC officials for regularisation of an unauthorised property.

During the hearing, CBI also told the court that since two of the accused were arrested on Tuesday, they need to confront other accused with them and for that, custodial interrogation was necessary.

It also said some new facts have emerged during the probe and the accused are also required to be confronted with the telephonic conversations.

The defence lawyers, who appeared for the accused, opposed the CBI's plea for custodial interrogation saying the agency has not given any ground for it.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa countered the CBI's arguments saying the plea that accused were to be confronted with each other was not a valid ground to seek custody and the agency has not explained as to what they have done earlier during the custodial interrogation of the seven accused.

"CBI is trying to hide some material facts from the court. Kindly see the case diary as to what they have done during the seven days of police custody," Pahwa said.

CBI had earlier told the court that Agarwal and Tuli were arrested while allegedly giving Rs 30 lakh as bribe to NDMC engineers to regularize the unauthorized construction of a banquet hall owned by Tuli. It also alleged that DDA official was acting as a middleman.

The accused have been booked for the offences of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including public servant taking illegal gratification and misusing official position.

CBI had said that FIR was registered on a source information that Agarwal and Tuli had entered into a deal with engineers of the civic body to get clearance for construction of the banquet hall in Wazirpur area in exchange of bribe of Rs 50 lakh.

The CBI had told the court that during the probe and raids, Rs 1.1 crore had been recovered from the accused.

Agarwal had stepped down as the MD of the company which, in a statement, had clarified that Tuli has no association with the firm.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rap for school after teacher fights pay cuts

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has sought an explanation from the director, education, and a private unaided school on alleged deduction of a fixed amount from a teacher's salary for the school society.

Justice Valmiki J Mehta issued notices to the director of education and a south Delhi school on a petition filed by a teacher highlighting the malpractice prevalent in the school of taking back some amount from monthly salary resulting in exploitation of teachers. HC gave the school and the director, education, four weeks time and listed the next hearing in October.

Appearing for the teacher, advocate Ashok Agarwal submitted that the practice prevalent is that once salary is paid to employees, a certain amount out of that is taken back forcibly by bearer cheque or cash and the same is transferred to the account of the society running the school. According to the petitioner, the school took back money every month from her salary from,July 1999 to April 2012 worth close to Rs 8 lakh.

"This forcible deduction or taking back part of salary in the case of the petitioner was stopped only when the petitioner refused to pay back any money in April 2012 and lodged complaints to the authority in that regard. The petitioner is entitled to take back the said sum of Rs 7.5 lakh which has been taken back by the school from the petitioner forcibly and as a part of malpractice prevalent in the school," the laywer argued, also pointing out that she hasn't been given salary benefits as per Sixth Pay Commission.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Student slapped, can’t hear

NEW DELHI: Flouting rules against corporal punishment, a teacher in a private school slapped a 19-year-old Class XII student so hard that he partially lost his hearing just for doing his English homework in the political science period.

Police said the incident took place at a private school in West Patel Nagar in central Delhi on August 3 although a case was registered regarding the matter only on Saturday.

The victim is a native of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. In its complaint to police, the victim's family alleged that the boy has become partially deaf as a result of the thrashing.

"The victim was present inside the classroom. The first period got over and the accused teacher, identified as Kiran Pal, entered the classroom. He found the victim doing English homework. Unable to control his anger, he slapped the student twice as a result of which his ear got damaged," said a police officer. When the victim reached home, he complained of pain in his ear and was taken to a private hospital by his mother. The doctors there told her that his eardrum had got damaged . The teacher is absconding , police said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi government employees go on mass leave to press for demands

NEW DELHI: Around 1,000 Delhi government employees on Tuesday went on mass casual leave and held protests before the Secretariat over their long-standing demand of removing anomalies in their pay structure.

Representatives of Delhi Administration Subordinate Service also met chief secretary D M Spolia and submitted a memorandum demanding immediate resolution of their issues.

Spolia heard their demands and asked Secretary (Services) Kailash Chandra to put up the case file of parity of the Delhi government employees with Central Secretariat Services as per the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission within two days before the government.

He also gave an assurance that a decision would be taken soon.

"With reference to the issue of recovery being made from retiring officers, the government assured that once the notification regarding parity as per sixth pay commission was issued, the issue of recovery would automatically be resolved," a statement from the government said.

The chief secretary also directed Chandra to examine the file regarding promotion of Lower Division Clerks of 2003 batch.

Spolia said the long pending demand of restructuring of DASS Cadre for enabling more avenues for promotion would be looked into and directed Chandra to resubmit the file of re-structuring.

DASS representatives decided they would meet the chief secretary on August 19 to discuss their demands.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi on high alert ahead of Independence Day

NEW DELHI: Ahead of Independence Day and in the wake of an intelligence alert, Delhi has been put on high alert with heavy security arrangements and police barriers across the city.

"There shall be special checking of all vehicles, both private and commercial, entering the city from neighbouring states through border entry points," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla.

Besides Delhi Police personnel and commandos, security officials in plain clothes and snipers will also be deployed around the Red Fort. At least 80 companies of security forces (around 6,000 personnel) will be deployed at the Red Fort and the surrounding areas, said the official.

"A team of snipers, National Security Guard (NSG) commandos along with Delhi Police will man the fort in a multi-tier security arrangement," he added.

Delhi Police and traffic police personnel will be spread out across the city to secure important places as well as entry and exit points at "vulnerable locations". All high-rise buildings, hotels, guest houses, markets and restaurants in Paharganj, Jama Masjid and areas near the Red Fort will be under the police scanner.

Even rickshaw-pullers and vendors in the area have been asked to keep a lookout for suspicious objects and people, police said.

"Intensive checking drives have been started at the airport, railway stations, Metro stations, bus stops, markets, malls and the border areas," said the officer.

Intensive drives have also been conducted for verification of tenants, servants, occupants of guest houses, dealers of used scooters and cars, cyber cafe users and cycle sellers across the city, he said.

"We have received a letter from IB (Intelligence Bureau) about a threat from a terrorist outfit ahead of Aug 15," a police source said.

"All the neighbouring states have also been alerted and security has been beefed up at border check posts, railway stations, metro and all interstate bus terminus," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi held a meeting of senior police officers from neighbouring states on Aug 7 to discuss security-related issues.

"The objective of the meeting was to share terror related intelligence and inputs about various extremist outfits and their designs," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More