3-way dead heat in Delhi assembly race, poll says

NEW DELHI: The Delhi assembly elections could end in a dead heat between the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, making government formation almost impossible, an opinion poll by a TV channel indicated.

The poll suggests a spectacular debut by AAP with there being hardly any difference between the two national parties and the fledgling AAP, whether in terms of seats or vote shares.

The poll projected a range of 22-28 seats for the BJP in the 70-member assembly, and both Congress and AAP in an identical range of 19-25 seats. In terms of vote share, it predicted 29% for the BJP, 28% for AAP 28% and 27% for Congress.

Given that AAP has repeatedly asserted that there is no question of it joining hands with either BJP or Congress to form government, if this scenario comes true, no party can form the government, since 'others' are predicted to win at best 4 seats. This would mean another poll in Delhi, possibly with the Lok Sabha election.

With successive polls projecting increasing seats and votes for the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, and more than a month left for polling, the poll will worry both BJP and Congress and make AAP supporters believe that the momentum is in their favour.

The poll, conducted by CSDS for CNN-IBN, also suggested that AAP is particularly strong among younger voters. Among those aged 18 to 22, who would be first time voters, the party is projected to garner a 35% vote share compared to 26% for BJP and 20% for Congress.

In the 23-25 age bracket, AAP's vote share is estimated to be 38%, BJP's at 22% and Congress at 23%. The 26-35 age group is almost evenly split among the three major contenders, while older respondents showed a greater preference for the two national parties, with the BJP slightly ahead in all of them.

In the CM's stakes, Kejriwal led with 25%, followed by Sheila Dikshit with 16%, Vijay Goel with 10% and Harshvardhan with just 2%. However, the survey was carried out between October 16 and 24, when it was not yet clear who would be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate and Goel appeared to be the one leading that race.

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Cong believes it has edge in tight Delhi contest

NEW DELHI: Congress believes it holds the edge in Delhi but it's a close battle that has massively shrunk the room for gaffes.

The assessment in Congress is that Delhi, which is normally considered to be safe in a faceoff with BJP, has run too close for comfort. Internal surveys have kept Congress ahead of BJP by half a dozen seats in both the best and worst scenarios.

The situation is seen as a battle which should go the Congress way but in which the party cannot afford to make any faux pas lest the BJP inches closer.

The safety-first option may force the party to repeat its sitting MLAs since disgruntled aspirants or legislators are notorious for contesting as rebel candidates.

A senior leader summed up the electoral battle thus, "We are ahead but we cannot take any chances. Any miscalculation or false step can put us in trouble."

Congress is banking heavily on Delhi to bail it out in the end-year elections that include Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The party believes its prospects are good in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh while it is less than optimistic in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

This has given an exaggerated importance to Delhi way beyond its size or political clout. The state was the saving grace in the winter of 2003 when Congress was routed in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan while victory in the capital boosted the scoreline in December 2008 which demoralized the BJP for the parliamentary polls that followed. No wonder, the party leadership is keeping a close watch on how the story unfolds here.

Insiders said Congress would have take care of rebels and get its candidates right in key constituencies to ensure that it can retain the advantage it enjoys over BJP.

Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi have emerged as twin factors who can make or mar equations while special watch is on the dalit and Muslim constituencies. The party is fairly confident dalits and Muslims would stick to the Congress banner while Kejriwal would dent the middle-classes seething over inflation and corruption.

While Aam Aadmi Party appears to be helping by tapping voters who otherwise would drift to BJP, it is felt Modi can sway middle-class voters towards BJP, thus neutralizing the effect of Kejriwal's outfit.

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Southern frontier cries for water, drainage, hospitals

NEW DELHI: It marks the Capital's southern limit. The name is rooted in the majestic ruins of Tughlakabad Fort. Behind this historical facade lies the conservative, caste-dominated world of a constituency that battles water shortage every day and is regulated by the culture of the dominant community—Gujjars—who call the shots at election time.

Migrant workers, mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, livein theconstituency'sslums and JJ clusters, and constitute more than 60% of the electorate. Water supply,sewerage and health facilities are the main poll issues here. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won this seat for the first time in 2003, managed to retain it in 2008 but could find the going tough this time.

Bahujan SamajP arty (BSP), which lost the seat by a margin of about 10%in the 2008 assembly elections, is working hard to strengthen its base among the Jatav community and its other traditional vote banks who are present in sizable numbers here.

Ramesh Bidhuri,the sitting MLA from BJP, is hopeful of winning again. He cites development work, including the construction of community centres and a Rs 25.4-crore project to lay sewer lines across Prahladpur, Vishwakarma Colony,Lal Kuan and P rem Nagar among his achievements.

"My first priority will be to get a 550-bed hospital in the area so that people do not have to rush to AIIMS or Safdarjung for treatment," he says.

Bidhuri says 30 Delhi Jal Board (DJB)water tankers and 222 bore wells supply water in the village area. "Pipelines from the Sonia Vihar treatment plant are being laid and we are waiting for the government to get water from Haryana."

But the residents aren't satisfied. "In election after election, we have been told by politicians that the water supply will improve if they come to power. There is no significant change. In summer, we have to buy water to meet our daily need," says Gulab Singh, a factory worker living in Harkesh Nagar.

The opposition leaders allege that the mafia controls the water supply through tankers and uses it as a political tool to maintain its clout.

The roads inside the JJclusters are in a bad shape. "In the rainy season, the sewer overflows into the narrow streets. While some development work has been carried out in the last few years, a lot needs to be done to make the slum clusters livable," says Malti Devi, who lives in Vishwakarma Colony.

For health facilities, the locals say, they have to depend on private clinics run by quacks or rush to AIIMS and Safdarjung in emergencies. Tughlakabad Village, which has more than two lakh residents, has only one 10-bed hospital and maternity centre.

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Corporation messes up aam admi’s green job

There is a high court direction to revive water bodies in Delhi. There is another high court direction that says no untreated sewage should be allowed to enter a water body. There is also a contempt notice against the vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority and the chief secretary of the Delhi government for encroachments on a water body in Kishangarh. Despite all this, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has constructed a drain leading to a DDA park and a channel diverting the untreated sewage, or waste water, of Kishangarh into this water body which has now turned green and its smelly overflowing water has converted part of the park into a mosquito breeding swamp.

Amit Agarwal, a resident of Vasant Kunj who has been working along with DDA to revive the water body, said the drain was constructed recently and has made a mess of all conservation work taken up in the park so far. "The new drain looks perfect in every way but opens up at the park's gate. It was obviously meant to empty the sewage into the water body since there is no other outlet. The drain is also not incomplete but just stops abruptly at the park. The gradient is such that the flow of water is towards the water body. We had underground channels that would carry the colonies' storm water run off into the water body but these channels have been broken into and now carry untreated sewage. The water passes under the groundwater recharge pits poisoning everything on its way," he said.

A DDA staff member on site said the sewage had made a mess in the park because of which DDA had channelized it into the water body. "The water body is full of fish that are replaced at regular intervals . The management of the park and water body have been outsourced and DDA helps in it. We are also using this water to irrigate the park," he said.

A south corporation official said that the water was meant to be used for horticulture . "The plan was to treat this water, which is not sewage but waste water from homes, to rain water harvesting pits in the park, treat it and use it for horticulture. We have plans of extending it into the park but have not received per mission from DDA," he said. The agency had no answer for why this permission had not been obtained before the drain was made. It also could not explain how it was planning to treat absolutely filthy water through ground water recharge pits and where it was planning to use this steady flow of water.

The water body is now a uniform green with more than half of it covered by algae and solid waste. The continuous flow of sewage into the water body, which was walled a few years ago, has led to outfall into the park. The water body is already half its original size due to several encroachments on one end.

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Fatima Bhutto's book launch in Delhi

Literary Do: This was a good opportunity for Delhi's literary enthusiasts to get a copy signed by an author who usually gets a fair degree of attention this side of the border. Fatima Bhutto recently launched her book, 'The Shadow of the Crescent Moon', in Delhi.

To celebrate the occasion, restaurateur AD Singh hosted a do at The Dirty Martini at Olive Qutub, Mehrauli. Dressed in a smart blue sari, Fatima obliged guests who approached her to get their copy signed. "Earlier, there were some serials from Pakistan which were telecast in India as well. But now, Pakistan means just music and singers (here), which is not enough," Fatima said.

Phoren praise: Radidja Nemar, a French national who was on an India tour, also attended the session. "I've h e a rd about her. This is going to be my first book from this author. It was lovely speaking to her, especially on the unspoken violence that a majority of women go through," said Nemar.

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AAP releases list of probables for Kasturba Nagar constituency

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday announced the names of five probables for Kasturba Nagar assembly constituency which include an IIM graduate, a chartered accountant and a former Congress activist.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party released the list of probables which include Kailash Chandra Jain, a Chartered Accountant and social activist.

Jain, a resident of East of Kailash, had been organizing medical camps in the area and motivating people to donate eyes, an AAP statement said.

Party has shortlisted Nipun Vij, an IIM Kolkata graduate, as its another probable.

Vij, a resident of South Extension Part I, had been associated with social work.

Apart from Vij and Jain, former Congress activist Ravi Bajaj has also made to the list of probables. He had participated in Janlokpal agitation after formally resigning from Congress, the statement said.

Also in the list is the founding president of Saket Court Bar Association Madan Lal and Manju Dutt, who associated with women issues in her localities, especially in providing medical services to expecting mothers, it said.

AAP had on Monday finalized its candidates for the Adarsh Nagar and Moti Nagar assembly seats, taking up to 65 the number of its contenders for the upcoming December 4 polls.

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Parliamentarians, civil society, children come together to commit to eliminating hunger in India

NEW DELHI: A unique event in Delhi on Monday supported by the United Nations in India brought together a diverse group of Parliamentarians, representatives from diplomatic missions, the private sector, civil society and children to re-affirm their commitment to ending hunger and malnutrition in India.

While India is home to 18% of the worlds' population, 25% of its people go hungry. The global ""Zero Hunger"" campaign launched by the UN Secretary-General, Ban ki Moon provides the country an opportunity to examine approaches to reducing the instance of hunger and malnutrition in the country. At a sit-down tea in the capital city, children from the ""Nine is Mine"" campaign, an advocacy movement led by children, along with experts drew attention to the five pillars of the global campaign which aims to ensure - 100% access to food, zero stunting of children, sustainable food systems, 100% increase in smallholder productivity and zero loss of food.

Speaking at the event, Peter Kenmore, United Nations resident coordinator and representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation in India said: "India's efforts at reducing hunger including through the National Food Security Act should be applauded." Through the innovative use of food, cartoons and performances, children from the Nine is Mine campaign expressed their vision for a hunger-free India.

Talking about the link between malnutrition and hygiene in India, David Mcloughlin, deputy representative, UNICEF India said: "Almost half of all child deaths in India are due to malnutrition. Poor sanitation and hygiene worsen the situation making children more susceptible to disease resulting in stunting. Simple solutions like ensuring proper nutrition of the mother and new-born in the first 1,000 days and washing hands with soap after defecation, before preparing and eating are important steps towards creating a world with zero stunted children under two years."

Linking the concept of a holistic, nutritious meal with India's tri-coloured national flag, Deepak, Ankur, Suraj and Pooja, children of Nine is Mine demanded for the right for the 'white' that represents rice, wheat and corn, the orange that represents lentils, curries, milk and protein, the green that represents vegetables and fruits, and the blue that represents safe drinking water.India has more stunted children than anywhere in the world. The country's small-holder farmers, those owning less than two hectares of farmland, comprise 78% of the country's farmers, but own only 33% of the total cultivated land. Further, nearly 30% of the country's fruits and vegetables perish due to lack of cold-storage facilities.

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BJP playing safe with poll tickets

NEW DELHI: The BJP, which lost in 2008 polls due to wrong selection of candidates, is being cautious with distribution of tickets. While the first list of candidate is expected by Friday, sources say for some seats, the party may delay finalizing candidates due to reasons like caste combinations and negotiations with Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal. It is also waiting for the Congress to declare candidates.

In the first list, BJP is expected to clear 30-odd names of which around 20 would be party's sitting MLAs.

Party sources say the second list would largely focus on declaring candidates on seats having sizeable population of Muslim and backward caste voters. "Party will consider caste combination before assigning a candidate. For instance, although Ballimaran has a large Muslim population, the party may consider giving ticket to a non-Muslim OBC candidate to cash in on consolidated Hindu votes, said a party leader. Similarly, in other Muslim-dominated areas like Okhla and Matia Mahal, the party is considering options.

Another set of seats that are unlikely to find place in the first list are those in demand by SAD-Badal. The party has threatened to contest on 16 seats on its own if the BJP does not give it four seats in west Delhi. Two of the seats —Tilak Nagar and Hari Nagar —in demand by Akalis have BJP's sittilng MLAs O P Babbar and Harsharan Singh Balli. Sources say another meeting between the leaders of both the parties this week is expected to give clarity on the issue.

Also, seats where party lost by a slim margin in 2008 due to weak selection of candidates and its policy of not giving tickets to councillors may be left out in the first list. For instance, on Timarpur seat, the party had sidelined sitting councillor and former mayor Rajni Abbi and opted for a less active candidate who lost by a 3% difference of vote share.

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Man jailed for 10 years for harassing wife, abetting her suicide

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sentenced a man to 10 years in jail for abetting suicide of his 19-year-old wife, who ended her life within a year of marriage after being fed up of physical torture meted out by him.

Holding that judiciary should have "zero tolerance" for such incidents, additional sessions judge Kamini Lau said 28-year-old convict Vikas Mehta does not deserve any mercy as he himself was the perpetrator of the physical violence upon his wife right from the beginning of their marriage.

Mehta was earlier booked for the offence of dowry death but the court converted it into abetment to suicide and also held him guilty for harassing his wife Neha. It also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on Mehta.

The court, however, acquitted Mehta's parents and sister of the charges of harassment and dowry death.

"These instances of young women choosing to end their lives soon after their marriage on account of harassment and torture are alarming and are increasing and if we want the society to be ridden of this growing evil, it is imperative that whenever a drastic crime of this nature is detected and the offence brought home to the accused, the courts should exercise zero tolerance for it and deal with the offender ruthlessly and impose deterrent punishment," the judge said.

The court noted that Mehta was involved in 18 criminal cases out of which he has been convicted in four cases.

It also made it clear that the sentence awarded to Mehta in this case should run consecutively to the punishment imposed on him.

According to the police, Mehta and Neha had married in November 2009 and he and his family started harassing her and after 13 days, the couple shifted to a rented house.

On November 15, 2010, the victim committed suicide and was found dead in her house and a case was registered against Mehta and his family, they said.

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We are not getting Metro coaches from China: DMRC

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Tuesday denied reports of receiving 21 metro coaches from a Chinese manufacturer.

"We would like to clarify that the DMRC has neither placed any order nor received any Metro coach from the Chinese train manufacturer, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, as claimed by the reports published in some media," said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, a subsidiary of major Chinese train manufacturer CSR Corporation, had claimed it supplied 21 cars to Delhi's metro rail system.

Earlier, the Chinese state media had reported that the company recieved its second order from India as it had exported 15 metro cars to the Delhi Metro in 2010.

The locomotive company had claimed the trains would be more energy-efficient and an industry model in India which is hit by power shortages.

CSR is the world's largest manufacturer of electric locomotives and is China's leading bullet-train maker.

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Pollution levels to be monitored on Diwali

NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has issued an order to its regional office in Gautam Budh Nagar for special monitoring of air and noise pollution levels resulting from fire crackers on Diwali. Officials in Noida said special monitoring centres would be set up on Diwali to monitor pollution levels round the clock.

Though these directives have been issued by the pollution control board on the basis of a Supreme Court order of 2005, unrestrained noise and air pollution continues in Noida on Diwali in the absence of any punitive measures. The apex court order makes it mandatory for firecracker manufacturers to publish the

noise levels of crackers and safety advisories on boxes.

Officials said while the maximum noise limit for a cracker is 125 decibels, it is 105 decibels for a series of crackers. "Anybody found in gross violation of these limits will be punished. But monitoring is done more for ensuring prevention rather than punitive action," said Atulesh Yadav, regional head, UPPCB-Noida.

Officials added that in the absence of state-of-the-art noise monitoring devices, it is difficult to pinpoint the sources of sound. In this scenario, focus is laid on prohibiting sale of crackers manufactured in violation of guidelines.

Even as preparations are afoot for setting up firecracker shops in the city, the UPPCB regional office said that special surveillance squads are being formed to keep a check on sale of crackers that do not meet the norms. Anyone found selling such crackers will be booked, said officials. The UPPCB has also claimed that it will undertake an awareness drive to control usage of crackers so that pollution levels are kept under limits.

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Delhi Metro gets Chinese-made rail cars

BEIJING: A Chinese train manufacturing firm today said it has sold 21 rail compartments to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, a subsidiary of major Chinese train manufacturer CSR Corporation, has supplied 21 cars to Delhi's metro rail system, the company said.

The sale marked the company's second order from India as it had exported 15 metro cars to the Delhi Metro in 2010, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The locomotive company said the trains would be more energy-efficient and be an industry model in India, which is affected by power shortages.

CSR is the world's largest manufacturer of electric locomotives and is China's leading bullet-train maker.

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Cop's killer gunned down near 5-star hotel

NEW DELHI: One of Delhi's most wanted criminals, notorious for commanding businessmen to greet him with a "Rs 15 lakh ka namaskar", was gunned down in an encounter by the police near The Grand Hotel in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area on Thursday night.

Also a cop-killer, Surender Malik alias Neetu Dabodia had been booked in over 50 cases of extortion, robbery, abduction and murder and carried a reward of Rs 7 lakh. He had also been booked under MCOCA.

Two of his close aides, Alok Gupta and Deepak, were also killed on Thursday. Two cops involved in the operation had a narrow escape after bullets fired by the criminals hit their bulletproof jackets, senior police sources said.

Malik, 29, had unleashed a reign of terror among businessmen. Whenever he killed a trader for not giving protection money, it was a signal for other businessmen to meet him and gift him with a minimum of Rs 15 lakh as 'protection tax'. Hence the expression '15 lakh ka namaskar'.

The lawbreaker had escaped police custody in Dwarka in April last year. The special cell of Delhi police was in hot pursuit of Malik after he had shot a head constable, Ram Kishan, fatally during a picket checking in November last year. "The police was hot on his heels for the past one year," said special commissioner of police (special cell) S N Shrivastava. He had narrowly escaped the police dragnet after being shot in his hand in Punjab this February.

The allegations levelled by Malik's mother about his son being trapped and killed will be looked into, said an officer. The family of head constable Ram Kishan expressed their satisfaction on hearing the news. "We have got justice today," his son told TOI on Friday evening.

The police was tipped off that Malik would come to a petrol pump in the area to finalise an abduction plan. Late evening the special cell sleuths laid a trap on the C5 link road after learning about his movement around the hotel in the area.

DCP Sanjeev Yadav led a special team, comprising ACP Manishi Chandra and inspectors Hriday Bhushan, Lalit Mohan Negi and Ramesh Lamba. Around 10.30pm, the cops spotted a white colour i-20 (DL 4C AQ 3716) and signalled it to stop. When the car slowed down, the team approached it to verify the identity of its occupants. But the car suddenly sped away even as the cops were fired at. The cops chased the car in a Scorpio and blocked its way 200 metres ahead of the hotel.

"The i-20 car, however, slammed into the Scorpio. The armed occupants came out firing. The team took cover and retaliated. After a brief exchange of fire, the trio was found lying on the road," said DCP Sanjeev Yadav.

Yadav immediately called the police control room at 10.48pm. A PCR van rushed to the spot and the badly injured criminals were brought to AIIMS Trauma Centre where they were declared brought dead. Sixteen cartridges were recovered from Malik's pockets in the hospital.

On hearing the news, top police officers rushed to the spot. The entire C5 link road stretch was cordoned off. The consequent diversion triggered traffic chaos on the stretch. Forensic teams were called in and a magistrate was also informed. The shootout also blocked the entry to the hotel but an arrangement was made to ferry the guests and staff after verification.

The cops have not yet disclosed the number of bullets fired in the shootout. Gupta, who comes from Kannauj in UP, had five cases of extortion and abduction against him. The third person was identified on Friday morning as Deepak. Police said he had brorrowed the i-20 car from his friend, Mohan.

Police said an SAF carbine, with a magazine and seven cartridges, has been recovered from the car apart from a revolver, two pistols and 48 cartridges. A medical board will be formed by the government with LG's directions to conduct the postmortems and furnish its reports.

Apart from a magisterial inquiry, the south district police has also begun an inquiry into the shootout and will proceed with recording the statements of the team members. A case of attacking public servants and obstructing them in performing their duty has been registered at Vasant Kunj police station under sections 186 and 353 of Indian Penal Code.

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Child rights meeting held in New Delhi

PUNE: The Second High Level Meeting (HLM) on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific was held recently in New Delhi. The meeting brought together delegates from 33 countries of the region to discuss and share the progress, experience, problems and challenges in the survival, protection, development and participation of the nearly 1.2 billion children in the region. The 'New Delhi Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and Pacific' has been adopted.

Speaking on the occasion Krishna Tirath, minister of state (independent charge), ministry of women and child development said that such high level meetings provide an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment towards child rights and recognizing that child rights are fundamental to all cultures and societies and are crucial to children's growth and upbringing. It is also a reaffirmation of our belief that child survival, development, protection and participation are vital for the growth of the country.

Though the meeting focused on three crucial themes of adolescence, early childhood care and development and urban settings, the delegates said that they recognise that the rights of children are interrelated and interdependent and each one of them is equally important and fundamental to the well-being and dignity of the child.

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Onion prices will fall in the next 2-3 days, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit says

NEW DELHI: Concerned over possible impact of rocketing onion prices on Congress' electoral fortune, chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said her government has taken a string of measures to contain the rates and the effect will be visible in the next couple of days.

Dikshit, who had come to power defeating the then BJP government in 1998 riding on high onion prices, said the government will start selling onions at Rs 55 a kg across the city from Monday by deploying 125 mobile vans and people will be able to buy upto 100 kgs.

The Election Commission on Friday had given its nod to Delhi government's request to distribute onions at cheaper rates.

"Onion prices will see a fall in the next 2-3 days. We have taken a number of measures to provide relief to the people from high onion prices," Dikshit said addressing a press conference along with her cabinet colleagues Harun Yusuf, Raj Kumar Chouhan and Arvinder Singh.

Dikshit said arrival of onion in the city from various onion-producing states has improved following her meeting with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, food minister K V Thomas on Thursday.

"We are doing everything possible to contain the rise in onion prices. Ours is a sensitive government and that is why we are concerned about hike in rates," Dikshit said.

Asked whether export of onion should be banned, Dikshit said if such a step helps easing the price situation, then Centre should consider it.

"I think food ministry is thinking of banning export of onions. I cannot say with certainty, but I guess it should be banned, if it helps stabilise the market," she said.

Onion is selling between Rs 80 to 100 per kg in most of the retail markets in the city.

On overall increase in prices of vegetable and fruits, Dikshit said the rates usually go up this time of the season and claimed that the prices will come down soon.

"We are moving from summer to winter vegetables. So there will be some alterations in prices of vegetables," she said.

Asked whether she was worried about possible impact of high onion prices in the election outcome, she rejected comparison between high onion prices in 1998 and now.

The BJP in 1998 assembly had lost power and its defeat is attributed to high onion prices.

Food and supplies minister Harun Yusuf said 1600 tonnes of onion arrived in Delhi on Saturday from various onion producing states.Harun Yusuf said 1600 tonnes of onion arrived in Delhi today from various onion producing states. MORE MPB RT

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Fire in Delhi's AGCR building

NEW DELHI: A fire broke out in the Accountant General of Central Revenue (AGCR) building near ITO in central Delhi here on Friday.

The fire was reported on the fifth floor of the building and 10 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, fire officials said.

No casualty has been reported in the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

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Stop identifying food scheme beneficiaries: Election Commission

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has asked the Delhi government to stall the process for identifying beneficiaries under food security scheme till December 5 when the poll process in capital will be over. The EC directive came in reply to a request from Delhi government to continue with the identification of beneficiaries as the scheme has already been launched in Delhi.

The poll body has said that identifying beneficiaries would be a violation of the model code of conduct, which is in force in Delhi. The capital goes to polls on December 4 to elect its 70-member assembly.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit had claimed that her government will provide benefits under the scheme to 73.5 lakh people. Under the scheme, two-third population of the country will have the right to get 5 kg foodgrains every month at highly subsidised rates. While per kg price of rice will be Rs 3, wheat and coarse cereals will be given at Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg respectively. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had rolled out the ambitious and "game changer" scheme in three states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand on August 20. Delhi aims to include 32 lakh people belonging to 5.10 lakh families in the scheme in the first phase covering all BPL families, above poverty line card holders and jhuggi ration card holders besides beneficiaries under Antodaya Anna Yojna ( AAY).

The city government has also decided to include homeless people, daily wage-earners, rag-pickers, people living in resettlement colonies and slum clusters in the first phase of implementation of the scheme.

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Congress remains on strong wicket in Gandhi Nagar

NEW DELHI: The Gandhi Nagar assembly constituency is said to have the largest cloth wholesale market in Asia. Its constituents are largely traders, and there has been extensive development in the area over the past few years because the MLA,Arvinder Singh,has held important portfolios in the Delhi government.

Singh, who has a house in Gandhi Nagar, has used his influence to put the constituency, like its neighbours Laxmi Nagar and Krishna Nagar, on the monorail map and also the Metro phase-III alignment. A Metro station is being planned in Azad Nagar as well. Residentssayelectricity supply and the drainage system have also improved.

However, new construction has outpaced the growth of infrastructure in the constituency. Different voter groups cite various kinds of problems. Residents of unauthorized regularizedcoloniesface a lack of civic amenities while the middle class is bothered by a lack of transport options and parking space. Deepak Sobti, a shopkeeper in theMLA's neighbourhood, said, "If you walk through the road next to Singh'sown house, youwillsee how congested it is. During monsoon,water overflowseven here. Imagine, how bad it is in theother areas".Although new bus stops and routes have been introduced, residents say public transport remains a problem. "We have to wait long for buses. More bus routes need to be started urgently," said Pravesh, a resident.

Gandhi Nagar is seen as a "safe" bet in Congress circles because of Arvinder Singh's "accessible" image. Singh won against BJP's Kamal Jain with a margin of 32,000 votes in the 2008 elections. The constituency is quite complex as it includes parts of Seelampur and Welcome, which are predominantly Muslim areas. Except Azad Nagar, which is with the BJP, all the other municipal wards in Gandhi Nagar are with the Congress. In fact, the constituency is seen as Singh's stronghold.In 1993,the seat was with the BJP but in subsequent elections it has voted Congress. Singh contested for the first time in 1998 and won,becoming the youngest MLA at the age of 28. Later, he became Delhi's youngest minister at 33.

While the BJP is yet to decide on a candidate for Gandhi Nagar, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced Anil Kumar Vajpeyi, a former Congress youth leader, as its candidate.

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Delhi assembly polls: NCP's first list, manifesto after Diwali

NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party has said it will release the first list of candidates, along with its manifesto for Delhi assembly polls after Diwali festival.

"The manifesto as well as the first list of candidates will now be released shortly after Diwali. We were earlier planning to release manifesto before Diwali, but some more time is required to prepare it," Delhi NCP chief Kanwar Pratap Singh said at a press conference on Friday.

The party said it will field candidates on all 70 seats.

"We will field candidates on all 70 constituencies, and for every seat we have 3-4 applications," Singh said.

He said party president Sharad Pawar and general secretary Tariq Anwar want tickets to be given to only those who carry clean image and are acceptable to every section of people.

"We had limited participation during last polls in Delhi, where we contested on not more than 15 seats, but this time, we have decided to contest like a national party, Singh said.

He claimed that the party has been getting immense support from businessmen as well as intelligentsia in their election campaign, contrary to the "belief of political parties that they (the parties) have monopoly over them."

"Lion's Club president Vipin Kumar Goyal and Bhagwati Prasad Nishad, general secretary of Delhi unit of Amar Singh's party Rashtriya Lok Manch, have joined our party, among others," he said, adding that Goyal has been appointed as Delhi NCP vice president.

When asked what steps are being taken to stop candidates from changing sides after winning on NCP tickets, Singh said this problem is not limited to his party only.

Slamming the Sheila Dikshit's government over rising onion prices, Singh alleged that the government was "in collusion with the hoarders."

"Transportation cost of bringing onion from Maharashtra is not more than Rs 20-25 and in that way, the price should not be more than Rs 60-70 (per kg) in Delhi, but definitely not Rs 100," he said.

"The Delhi government was in the know that prices will probably go up. Even Sharad Pawar had informed the government. But no steps were taken by the Congress-led UPA to increase import or stop export," said Singh.

When asked about BJP's promise of 30 per cent reduction in power tariffs, Singh said NCP, if voted to power, will constitute a judicial commission and the difference is tariff will be fixed.

"We will not offer Diwali sale where 'buy one and get one free' is the slogan," said Singh.

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Government official, wife found dead in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A government official and his wife were found dead at their home here on Friday evening, police said.

The bodies of K Vijay Kumar, 57, and his wife Sita were recovered from two separate rooms of their Kaka Nagar house. Police said it appeared they had committed suicide.

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​Minors in jails: HC raps govt for laxity

NEW DELHI: Despite 178 underage prisoners being found in the 10 adult jails here, the Delhi government has failed to constitute Visitor Boards that allow periodical screening of juvenile offenders.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday pulled up the government for its failure to implement its earlier direction on establishing Visitor Boards in jails and gave it four weeks to do so. It was hearing a PIL on juveniles being incarcerated in various jails in Delhi, in violation of the Juvenile Justice Act.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Manmohan rejected the government's justification that it is awaiting inputs from the National Human Rights Commission on this issue. "Why do you need to take advice from someone else? Our orders are clear," HC observed.

In August this year HC had directed the state government to ensure Visitor Boards are constituted within six weeks. It had acted on a letter petition sent to it by advocate Anant Asthana, highlighting the Delhi Prison Rules of 1988, which require the establishment of Visitor Boards in each jail.

In his plea, the advocate complained that many children are languishing in jails. His apprehensions proved to be true when the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DLSA) informed HC that, so far, 178 people lodged in jails in Delhi are juveniles and have now been referred to Juvenile Justice Boards.

"Constitution of Visitor Boards will ensure that problems in jails are noticed by an independent body and are addressed. They will go a long way in ensuring better treatment of prisoners," the petitioner argued.

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LGBTQ students to tell their story at DU meet

NEW DELHI: "If you don't talk about it," observes Manish Jain (19), second-year economics student, activist and gay, "No one will." It has taken a lot of guts but six members of the LGBTQ community, all students of Delhi University, will publicly discuss their experience of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer on a campus that's not exactly known for its liberal outlook, in a panel discussion. Organized by student-run Gender Studies Group, "Sexual Minorities in DU" will find voice at the Faculty of Social Science on October 25 (Friday).

"We wanted current students because there's very little talk on the topic. All discourse in gender forums is centred on women, not even lesbians," says Jain, who was forbidden from raising the topic at his college's forum. Open discussion on sexual minorities is new to campuses in general; in a first, Students' Federation of India picked a gay candidate for the Jawaharlal Nehru University's student union this year. The same month, three positions in the DU student union were bagged by members of a group which believes homosexuality is a foreign import.

Jain, who has not come out to his parents, was reluctant at first. "There are no places where you can meet," he says. That leaves dating sites and cruising—both risky. He intends to cover all these issues. He has found his panellists through the group, a page on a social networking site or "friends of friends". But the idea for such a programme came from Ashley Tellis, the first openly gay professor in DU.

Nishtha Tewari (20), a third-year English honours student, felt "more comfortable" after announcing her bisexuality to her parents on Wednesday. "My mother said it's my life. My father laughed a lot," she says adding, because it seemed too easy, "I'm not sure they got what I was saying."

"I know of people who've faced violence," says Jain, "A friend staying in a rented accommodation close to North Campus once had to run out and raise the alarm. The landlord found out and gave him a really tough time," he recounts. "There's also a divide between those who 'act straight' and those who 'act gay' or 'effeminate'," he explains.

Vikramaditya Sahai, a PhD student in the Department of Political Science, prefers a "simple oppositional position" to the "far more complex form" taken by homophobia. Women who think it's "cool" to have a gay friend won't talk about their own sexuality at home; there's "inherent homophobia" even among those who work on gender issues. "There's no narrative of queer experience of the university," he says, other than "perfunctory references". "The university is imagined as a utopia where everyone mingles; people assume there's space for discussion," he explains, "But in DU, space for disagreement has shrunk."

(One name has been changed to conceal identity)

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​Cops get mosquito repellants

NEW DELHI: Policemen patrolling the streets of Delhi are being provided with mosquito-repellant creams and coils to keep diseases like malaria and dengue at bay. Sources say that with the spurt in the number of dengue cases this year, the police department has ordered over 3,000 tubes of mosquito repellant cream and coils for its personnel. Over 3000 Delhi Police personnel have been deployed on the streets of Delhi. Constables deployed at pickets in remote parts of the city are at maximum risk. "There are lots of mosquitoes, especially at night in areas like Govindpuri, Sangam Vihar, Khanjawala, and Bawana," an officer said.

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Common problems ail BJP CM candidate’s turf

NEW DELHI: A mix of the business and salaried classes, Krishna Nagar is a constituency with the familiar east Delhi issues of water, electricity and congestion. Growth of business has added to the constituency's woes as commercial outlets have sprung up without a corresponding increase or betterment in the civic infrastructure.

The constituency representative , Dr Harsh Vardhan of the BJP, is a four-time sitting MLA and hopes to win a fifth time this December. As with the rest of east Delhi, though, there are ample chances of a change this time as there is strong dissatisfaction with the sitting MLA. Most residents complain that despite being at the helm for two decades, Dr Harsh Vardhan hasn't been able to address some of the biggest civic issues in the area—namely , inadequate parking and drainage.

While the BJP leader himself claims that a multi-storey parking project is his biggest achievement in this term, residents say the project is yet to take off. "Roads have little space for movement, leave alone parking . Every day, fights break out between residents over parking space," says Jitender Singh, a resident. The lack of basic facilities such as water and electricity is another electoral issue , say residents.

Frequent waterlogging during rains, blocked drains, thefts and lack of adequate amenities for the regularized colonies are some of the other issues that will become electoral points, say local leaders. "Although there is a strong sense of dissatisfaction among voters about the sitting MLA, the perception is that there isn't any option that can be tried," said Radhika Chawla, a resident of Geetika Colony. She cited the redevelopment work that has been done in the colony on a drain, as well as the easy accessibility of the MLA. Muslims make up a large part of this assembly constituency's population , especially in areas like Khureji and Rashid Market where the BJP has been trying to win support with development.

Interestingly, of the four MCD wards that are in this constituency , only two are with the BJP – Krishna Nagar and Anarkali . The former is a seat reserved for women. The other municipal wards are Geeta Colony and Ghondli, which are with an independent candidate, Bansi Lal, and the Congress, respectively. Lal's name has been doing the rounds as a prospective candidate for the Congress from this assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party is yet to decide on a candidate for the seat.

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Fifth edition of Royal Fables’ annual exhibition kickstarts in Delhi

Members of India's erstwhile royal families were in attendance at this decidedly shahi do. As part of the fifth edition of Royal Fables' annual exhibition, held from October 18 to 20 in Delhi, an art exhibition curated by Sunaina Anand was put up on Day 2, with Paresh Maity as the guest of honour.

Royal Fables presents creations of designers, artistes, and craftpersons who find patronage in the leading royal families. It showcases the facts and fables of their arts and crafts, the royals' indulgent lifestyle, their textiles and their jewellery. Said Anshu Khanna, founder, Royal Fables, "Royal Fables today has become an annual festival that some of our most celebrated royals await and participate in with full gusto. It is their platform and my attempt to salute the creative outpourings of the scions of the erstwhile princely families, who, in the hustle-bustle of life, have not forgotten their vital role as craft patrons." Sameer Mutreja, director, Scapes, and Tarun Kapoor, MD, Audi Noida and Delhi West, along with Anshu, hosted the opening gala.

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Delhi high court asks Centre to look into accounts of Aam Aadmi Party

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Centre to look into "afresh" the accounts of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to find out the source of money received by it after its inception.

A bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and V K Rao asked the counsel for the Centre to inform it by December 10 after going through the accounts of AAP.

"You go through the accounts again after the AAP was formed. In case you find anything in violation of FCRA, take action or you inform the court about the status," the bench said.

The bench was hearing a PIL of petitioner advocate M L Sharma seeking lodging of a criminal case against AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and some of its members for allegedly receiving foreign funds in violation of law.

The bench's order came after the Centre's standing counsel Richa Kapoor filed a report in which it has said that an evaluation of the accounts of civil society of Team Anna was done in 2012 and a report was filed before another bench of this court in January this year in a similar PIL filed by the petitioner earlier.

While taking the Centre's report on record, the bench asked the counsel to go through the details of funds given by the donors to AAP since its inception on November 26, 2012.

The court had on October 11 asked the Centre to place on record the inquiry report prepared by it earlier on a similar complaint against the civil society by October 23.

The Centre had earlier submitted before the court that the issue raised by the petitioner in his PIL has already been investigated and a report was prepared on the issues earlier by the government.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, one of the respondents in the case, had earlier contended that the petition was malafide and in the earlier report also the government had not found anything against the civil society.

Sharma, in his plea, has cited some names including that of Kejriwal and sought that "a direction be issued to register a criminal case against the respondents (AAP members) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and to conduct day-to-day trial proceedings within supervision of the court in the interest of justice."

The plea says the Act prohibits any fundings from foreign countries for a political party.

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UP asked to prove Okhla sanctuary notification

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to show the order by which Okhla bird sanctuary has been notified as a sanctuary under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, as claimed by the state and environment ministry.

A bench headed by Justice P Jyothimani asked the state government to provide the information after 49 builders, whose projects near the sanctuary were halted by the tribunal on September 18, claimed that the area has not been notified as protected. The builders contented that since the sanctuary has no notified zone nor is it itself notified as protected, so, any project coming up within 10 km of it will not have to seek clearance of the National Board of Wildlife.

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Woman tries to kill self after tiff over Karva Chauth

After being scolded by her husband for not fasting on Karva Chauth, a 39-year-old woman tried to kill herself by drinking acid in Kalyanpuri , east Delhi.

The family members of the woman, however, alleged that her husband had forced her to commit suicide. The incident happened around 11.30am on Monday.

The woman lives with her husband, Vijay, and their four children in a one-bedroom flat.

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'I will give doctors congenial environment, freedom in research'

It's been over a week since Dr M C Misra took over as director of AIIMS but the welcome notes and bouquets have not stopped coming. He offers sweets to all, including us, as we arrive for an interview

Dr Misra, better known as chief of the institute's trauma centre which he headed till recently , speaks to Durgesh Nandan Jha about his journey from Mainpuri district in UP, where he was born, and Kanpur University, from where he did his MBBS, to becoming the head of India's premier medical institute and how he plans to make the institute more patient-friendly , boost research and stop exodus of doctors.

Q. Tell us about your journey from Mainpuri to Delhi.

I was born on February 1, 1952, in Kuraoli tehsil of Mainpuri district in UP. My father taught English in a school in Tundla, from where I completed my primary and secondary education. I had taken biology in 10+2, so medical was an automatic choice but I did not even know about AIIMS then. I joined MLB College in Jhansi for MBBS in 1970 and later did my PG from Allahabad Medical College. It was in 1980 that I first came to AIIMS for senior residency, and since then, I have been working here.

Q. So, you have spent 33 years at AIIMS . How much has changed since then, in terms of quality and quantity of work?

There is an immense change in both aspects. The workload has multiplied several times, which has also had an impact on the research work. AIIMS, today, receives 10,000 patients daily in the OPD and there are at least 2500 patients admitted here at any given time. Because the health infrastructure in different states continues to be poor, those who cannot afford private hospitals come to AIIMS for even routine surgeries.

Q. How do you plan to control this patient rush and reduce the waiting time for surgeries?

I have already started a weekly meeting on key infrastructure projects, including development of the maternity and child block, geriatric ward and a separate unit for OPD and diagnostic services. It will segregate the OPD crowd and add 500 beds to the indoor capacity, thus easing the burden. In future, we also plan to have screening of patients as per the severity of the disease for urgent attention.

Q. Are you in favour of increasing the cost for services, particularly for private ward patients? There was a proposal to double the room rent and diet charges last year.

There will be no increase in cost of services for general patients. They already pay for consumables and equipments used for various procedures, for example stents for angioplasty. As far as increasing the capacity of private wards and cost of services for them is concerned , we will take a considered view on that soon.

Q. In the past five years, more than a dozen AIIMS doctors, including heads of departments, have quit to join private hospitals. How do you plan to stem this exodus?

People leave not just because of money but for the lack of a working environment. My effort will be to provide them a congenial environment , freedom to choose their research area and give financial support for the same. Also, I am going to ask the government to increase the retirement age for professors from existing 65 years to 70.

Q. AIIMS has maximum publications to its credit among all medical universities in the country. But there are few path-breaking surgeries or innovation to impact public health as envisaged by the Constitution-makers while starting the institute in 1950s.

I plan to collaborate with engineering institutes like IIT-Delhi for developing low-cost healthcare devices . A 'Stanford India Bio-design' project is already on in the institute in which three top universities of the world - Stanford, IIT and AIIMS - are collaborating to develop lowcost stents. Similarly, experts from Michigan University are visiting for collaboration on cancer research and genomics next month.

Q. AIIMS has been the hotbed of reservation politics since 1992. Even now, there are controversies over suppression of students and teachers belonging to the reserved community. There have been some suicides too in the recent past. How do you plan to tackle that?

As I said earlier, my aim will be to take every one along. Discrimination or oppression of any group or individual on the basis of caste or community will not be tolerated at all. Many students come from a rural background and they have difficulty in adjusting to the cut-throat competition here. For them, we plan to have extra tutorials and counselling services in place.

I plan to collaborate with engineering institutes like IIT-Delhi for developing low-cost healthcare devices . A 'Stanford India Bio-design' project is already on in the institute in which three top universities of the world - Stanford, IIT and AIIMS - are collaborating to develop lowcost stents. Similarly, experts from Michigan University are visiting for collaboration on cancer research and genomics next month.

Q. AIIMS has been the hotbed of reservation politics since 1992. Even now, there are controversies over suppression of students and teachers belonging to the reserved community. There have been some suicides too in the recent past. How do you plan to tackle that?

As I said earlier, my aim will be to take every one along. Discrimination or oppression of any group or individual on the basis of caste or community will not be tolerated at all. Many students come from a rural background and they have difficulty in adjusting to the cut-throat competition here. For them, we plan to have extra tutorials and counselling services in place.

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Harsh Vardhan is BJP's Manmohan Singh: AAP

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi party on Wednesday launched a frontal attack on BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi Harsh Vardhan accusing him of keeping mum over alleged corruption in civic bodies ruled by his party.

"Isn't Dr Harsh Vardhan in Delhi BJP's Manmohan Singh?" AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

Equating Harsh Vardhan with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Kejriwal said Congress made Singh its face at the Centre but he failed to check corruption in the party and the government. Similarly, BJP has now made Harsh Vardhan its face in Delhi

"A corrupt Congress had made Manmohan Singh its face at Centre. Manmohan failed to check corruption within Congress and his own Government. A corrupt BJP has now made Harsh Vardhan its face in Delhi. What did Harsh Vardhan do all these years to check BJP's corruption in MCD?" Kejriwal said in his tweets.

Ending uncertainty, the BJP Parliamentary Board today named Harsh Vardhan as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate for the December 4 Delhi assembly elections despite opposition by city unit chief Vijay Goel who had staked claim for the post.

Party president Rajnath Singh made the announcement at press conference and said the decision was unanimous and that Goel also consented to it.

Taking a dig at BJP's decision to project Harsh Vardhan as the party's CM candidate instead of Goel, Kejriwal said "and does BJP now concede that Vijay Goel is corrupt?".

AAP Spokesperson Manish Sisodia said that Harsh Vardhan had showered praise on Delhi chief minister three years ago and now he is contesting against her.

"In 2010, Dr Harsh Vardhan had praised Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and said Delhiites were very fortunate to have her as the Chief Minister," Sisodia said, adding "why he is fighting against her now?"

This shows the reality of BJP's intention to fight against corruption, he added.

In another tweet, AAP activist Kumar Vishwas also took a dig at BJP saying, "Fight against Corruption VS Fight Against each other. Vijay hi Vijay hai ??"

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Delhi: Onion prices touch Rs 90 per kg, may hit Rs 100 soon

NEW DELHI: Onion prices soared to the year's high of Rs 90 per kg in many parts of the capital on Monday, amid indications that the staple many touch Rs 100 before coming down to more normal levels around Diwali.

Market watchers said the quantity of fresh arrivals were not as much as expected and this was likely to further raise prices over the next one week. Onions were selling between Rs 60 and Rs 80 in other parts of the country, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi.

Delhi, which gets most of its supply from Alwar (Rajasthan) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh), seems to be face a more severe crisis. Although 400 tonnes of fresh onions arrived at Alwar Mandi on Monday, sources said this was below expectations. "We have got inputs that traders have bought standing crops from farmers. So, it's the traders who are deciding when to release the supply," said a senior government official who keeps track of vegetable prices.

The wholesale rate of onion climbed by Rs 5 per kg over the weekend to settle at a high of Rs 65 per kg on Monday. Retail prices recorded a corresponding jump, moving up from Rs 80 per kg on Sunday to Rs 90 per kg the next day. Onions were retailing between Rs 70 and Rs 90 in the city. In the beginning of July, a kg of onion in Delhi could be bought for Rs 40.

"The supply from Alwar has started coming in. On Monday, 1,200-1,300 bags of onion, weighing about 90 tonnes, arrived at the Azadpur wholesale market. Usually, by this time the supply from Rajasthan is much higher," said Surendra Sawhney, proprietor, Gujarat Onions Co.

The trend of onion arrivals at major mandis in the past 20 days shows a significant drop in most of the markets except Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. At Lasalgaon, Asia's largest onion wholesale market, arrivals reduced by 1,000 quintal during this period and prices increased by Rs 1,000 per quintal.

"Prices are high because of the old stock getting finished. Old onions are selling at a high price though their quantity is less. These are bought for seeding. But these are also pushing up the modal price at some of the mandis," said Hari Prashad Sharma, deputy director (statistics) at National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF).

He said this year the production is expected to be 10-15% higher than last year and in the next fortnight prices will crash as fresh onion arrival increases significantly. "Hoarders will lose heavily," he warned.

Meanwhile, sources in the consumer affairs ministry said onion arrivals at mandis had fallen despite a good crop due to the extended festive season and heavy rain in many parts of the country. "Prices will remain high for the next 10-15 days till the time fresh crops from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reach different states," said a source.

In what could come as a relief to Delhiites in the next few weeks, arrivals at Indore have increased almost five-fold in the past 20 days. On Monday the arrival was 27,900 quintals against 6,000 quintals on September 30. However, the wholesale price remained unchanged at Rs 3,000 per quintal.

Onion prices had skyrocketed to Rs 80 per kg across the country last month, forcing the Centre to impose a minimum export price to curb shipments. Imports have also taken place from Afghanistan by the private traders.

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EC to go ahead with funding rules for parties

NEW DELHI: Despite Congress opposition, EC is likely to issue financial transparency guidelines to parties and continue with its clampdown on movement of unaccounted cash during electioneering.

On October 15, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora wrote to EC opposing a directive that makes it mandatory to issue an acknowledgement to every contributor. "It is neither practical nor possible" to issue such receipts to individuals making donations, he wrote.

Vora also objected to the crackdown on cash movement during elections. He said it was not possible for Congress "to ensure that party workers don't carry funds in cash, exceeding a specified amount."

The EC had sought views of parties on 10 guidelines it proposed to bring transparency in political funding and set a September 30 deadline for responses. When barely three parties responded, it extended the deadline by a fortnight. By October 15, only two of the six national parties — Congress and CPI — and four of 49 regional parties, AIADMK, Trinamool, Zoram Nationalist Party (Mizoram ) and Sikkim Democratic Front — responded. Barring Congress, the others were in agreement with EC's proposal.

The EC may now meet this weekend to take a call on the guidelines. The guidelines, EC sources said, will be effective during the LS polls and, possibly, even the assembly elections.

Contributions worth almost Rs 5,000 crore were received by six large parties — Congress, BJP, NCP, CPM, CPI and BSP — between 2004-05 and 2011-12. Of this, over Rs 3,600 crore or more than 75% came from unknown donors, Association for Democratic Reforms said. Congress alone accounted for Rs 1,951 crore - or over 80 % collected from undisclosed sources.

Expense limit likely to stay

The EC is unlikely to review the poll expenditure limit for candidates, for LS and assembly polls. Congress and BJP have proposed that the ceiling be revised in view of inflation. Several experts agree that given the inflationary pressure the limit should be raised else parties will resort to unfair means. The Left feels that raising the ceiling will disadvantage smaller parties. The existing limits range between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh for LS seats and Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for assembly seats. EC officials justify the ceiling saying in recent state polls - Bengal, Kerala and Assam - candidates had claimed they spent less than the limit.

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Congress questions credibility of poll surveys

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday questioned the credibility of election surveys that have flooded the public domain ahead of year-end assembly polls, saying their varied results have created doubts about their methodology.

AICC spokesman Sandeep Dikshit said, "Surveys are a fairly exact science. There could be marginal differences in the findings of the various surveys but not the kind of mismatch being noticed."

He added, "The credibility of these surveys as such is an issue."

The attack comes in the backdrop of surveys that have given varied findings in the poll-bound states but are unanimous in stating that Congress is on the slide and BJP is on the upswing.

"I am not in favour of any ban... I am raising a question. Highly independent survey companies, supposedly having integrity and reputation, are getting different results through survey of the same sample sets," Dikshit said, adding that such a big margin of difference between surveys was not possible.

Dikshit questioned the methodology, saying that large sample surveys of the same population should not show different results. "Is serious work not being done or are real results not being put out. It is a matter of concern. It does influence public opinion," he said.

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BJP set to name Vardhan as poll face, efforts on to mollify Goel

NEW DELHI: BJP looks set to reject Vijay Goel's claim to be the party's CM candidate for Delhi and is trying to cajole him into accepting Harsh Vardhan as the mascot for the coming polls.

Although the formal decision on the vexed leadership issue is expected to be taken by the party's parliamentary board later this week, sources in the party confirmed that Goel has failed to secure the endorsement of central leaders. They also said that the delay in formally projecting Vardhan was only because the party was fearful of the prospect of outbreak of dissidence at a time when it hopes to unseat the Sheila Dikshit government by exploiting "incumbency".

Sources said they realize Goel, who fancied himself as the CM candidate virtually since he was nominated party chief, is going to take a "no" really hard and, therefore, efforts are being made to bring him around. Sources said BJP chief Rajnath Singh has assigned the responsibility of persuading Goel to party general secretary Ram Lal.

The caution seemed justified on Monday when Goel's decision to address a press conference at Constitution Club sparked speculation. Although he, in response to queries, denied that he was a CM aspirant saying it was up to the party's parliamentary board to take the decision, the leadership remains wary of his possible response in case he is denied the opportunity to be the face of the party's campaign.

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Cyclists in Delhi bullied, stalked by death

NEW DELHI: Cycling in Delhi is difficult not just because of poor infrastructure but also because of lack of enforcement in creating space for cyclists and hogging of road space by larger motorized vehicles. This has left the cyclists with just alleys and parks. The cycling community in the capital is very agitated by the accident involving environmentalist Sunita Narain when she was on a cycle near the AIIMS flyover on Sunday. Almost every cyclist, they claim, had had similar experiences and encountered near-death situations.

Narain's condition was reported to be stable on Monday.

Saurabh Ahuja cycles only around India Gate and Lodi Road, early in the morning. He had been hit by a car while pedaling at Netaji Subhash Place near the flyover. "I was taken to a hospital by a passerby but that experience shook me. I don't want to die cycling. There are no cycle tracks near my place in North Delhi," says Ahuja, a businessman, who used to ride with cycling groups earlier.

Preet Chatwal, who works in the hospitality industry, was hit by an Innova a few months ago when he was going from Gurgaon to Faridabad. "I couldn't cycle for a month. I think the government has been wasting a lot of money on making disconnected cycle tracks. In reality, our space is encroached upon by other vehicles and the government doesn't do anything about it," he says. Constant honking to push the cyclist to the edge and bullying by other vehicles is a regular feature.

People who don't have a choice are more confident. Giriraj Lal, a driver, says he has learnt to ride very carefully. "Every cyclist has to be careful. There is less space because there are lots of vehicles," he says. Jack Leenars, who runs a bicycle tour initiative in Delhi, feels that most colony roads are safe. "Size matters on Delhi's roads. Infrastructure apart, I feel mentality is the key here. The fact that a car hit Sunita Narain and fled is so shameful and selfish," he says.

"One of the biggest hurdles to cycling in Delhi is not the aggressive traffic or even the poor road conditions, as one can get accustomed to these with practice," says Marcus Santiago, an illustrator and comic book artist. "The biggest single problem is lack of safe parking. I would not be allowed to park my bicycle in parking lots, unlike a biker, even if I offered to pay. I cannot afford to lose my cycle as it costs Rs 35,000. I had taken a bank loan to buy it and I know the cops would be of no help if someone stole it."

Swati Dasgupta, who teaches in Delhi University, has stopped cycling on the main roads. She cycles from Gulmohar Park to Hauz Khas or Siri Fort often on small errands but wishes her cycle had a rear-view mirror. "I keep turning back as too many big vehicles seem to be behind me. It's very unsafe to ride on the main road."

Nalin Sinha, coordinator of Delhi Cycling Club, can't forget a neardeath experience when he was hit by a dumper near India Gate. "It almost killed me. Cars and bigger vehicles don't respect the cyclist's right to the road. Interestingly, Delhi has more than 100 km of cycling tracks according to official data but no enforcement," says Nalin, whose group has 1300 members in Delhi and rest of NCR. Shreya Gadepalli of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy is not surprised. "Delhi unfortunately has gone in the wrong direction. The city seems to be almost addicted to personal motor vehicles," she says. Shreya attributes this trend to the policy in Delhi of having many flyovers and signal-free corridors. "Speed wins in Delhi. It's very unfortunate that one of the strongest proponents of non-motorized transport had to be the victim in an accident like this."

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Akalis to contest 12 seats independently

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal on Saturday indicated that it would contest 12 seats independently in the Delhi assembly elections. This, however, came as a big upset for its ally, the BJP, and also exposed the rift between the two parties over seat sharing.

According to the decision, Akali Dal would now contest 12 seats where BJP is also fielding its candidates. The decision was taken after a two-day meeting of Delhi members of SAD-Badal which was chaired by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

When TOI asked the Delhi president of SAD-Badal, Manjit G K, about the development, he conceded that there had been a disagreement on seat sharing in the past few days. "We have started work on these 12 seats. Akali Dal, as a senior partner, gives their quota seats to BJP in Punjab. The BJP should also show the same magnanimity and grace. We have had a historical alliance with the BJP. We have been together in victory and defeat and our alliance would continue," he said.

The 12 seats, on which SAD is fielding its candidates are Greater Kailash, Moti Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Hari Nagar, Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Kalkaji, Parparganj, Shadara, Shakur Basti and Vishvas Nagar.

The decision assumes significance as recently the party had routed Congress-backed Paramjit Sarna's faction in the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) polls in January, sweeping 37 out of 46 seats.

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Airport line mess: It was all-round failure

NEW DELHI: A "systemic failure" led to the closure of Delhi Airport Metro Line for over six months, according to the detailed findings of a two-member committee - constituted by the Union urban development ministry - that investigated the case. While the committee has largely held the civil contractor, infrastructure company IJMIJMII , responsible for the poor quality of work that led to failure of this premier line, it has come down heavily on other entities, including Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), for failing to play an "adequate" role and fulfill their "responsibility" .

"The cause of closure of this line from physical consideration can, certainty to a large extent, be safely said to be failure of the grout used above and below the bearings , combined with inadequate control on er on fieche as of ay at ed he xan e- it ld ld rk during construction, inspection at time of giving completion certificate or at the time of clearing the contractor from defect liability could also have prevented this failure."

DMRC too believes that DAMEPL, Reliance Infra's SPV, failed to fulfill its responsibility of carrying out routine and preventive maintenance of civil structures as per its contractual obligations. It claimed that early detection of the bearing failure could have avoided suspension of the service by fixing the problems. However, a DAMEPL official said they did not get detailed approved designs and drawings of structures from DMRC for carrying out inspection despite repeated official requests. "We were no way involved during the construction phase," he added.

On DMRC's failure to manage the project and constitute a team at a higher level for overall management and "course correction issues" , a source said the organization could have taken corrective action if the defects had been brought to its notice. "The system of appointing general consultants for supervision of the project as 'engineer' is being followed for the Chennai , Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai metro projects. This practice is common across the world and the responsibility of quality, safety and entire project management rests with the general consultant . Therefore, there was no need for DMRC to constitute a team at a higher level," said the source.

DMRC says ALC failed to bring the issue of quality of bearings to its notice. "Since we had appointed a team of experienced international project management consultants , it was not possible for DMRC to duplicate the supervising team," said a source.

The committee has, however, observed that DMRC had fixed the minimum requirements which led to the selection of ALC but did not consider expertise in viaduct design checking as a significant criteria. Similarly, the selection of Systra as detailed design consultant (DDC) was on the basis of nomination rather than any formal selection process.

The report says that Systra and IJMIJMII failed to ensure a foolproof, correct and well thought-out design with a clear method statement and methodology for implementation besides also failing to exert rigid control on the process and outcome of execution of the pier cap as well as design elements above it and below the track structure.

The probe panel also pointed out that having selected a precast pretension Ugirder and a precast pier cap for the first time in India for faster completion, DMRC failed to ensure top-level monitoring. Responding to this charge, a DMRC official said: "In the entire viaduct construction, there has not been any problem as far as construction of the viaduct, viz. piers, pier cap and girders, are concerned. The issue is related to the bearings' grout which is a very small but critical part. And it was the responsibility of the contractor and ALC to execute this part of the work correctly and if any issue cropped up, to bring it to the notice of DMRC for taking corrective action." DMRC argues that it's actually because of monitoring by senior management that the viaduct could be completed in time with top class quality of 'U' girders, piers, pier cap, etc. barring only the grout issue."

On the award of work to IJM-IJMII JV, the DMRC official said the committee never said that the contractor did not have the required experience. It commented only on the experience of the pre-cast pier cap. "The tender was floated with qualification criteria in order to ensure proper competition and the tender was accordingly awarded to IJM after it fulfilled all technical and qualification requirements mentioned in the tender document. Besides, DMRC also entrusted the job of detailed designing to a reputed and world renowned DDC, Systra, who had the requisite experience of designing a viaduct of the kind installed here," the official said.

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BJP concert to woo Poorvanchali voters

NEW DELHI: The BJP organized a mega Karyakarta sammelan and a cultural event where its newest member, actor-cum-singer Manoj Tiwari, performed for the Poorvanchali community, at Yamuna Sports Complex in east Delhi on Sunday evening. With an internal survey finding the Congress to be favoured by the community, the Delhi BJP made a strong bid to draw them to their side.

Senior leader Nitin Gadkari, Delhi president Vijay Goel and former health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, who attended the programme, reiterated the party's promise to declare Chhath Puja as a holiday on coming to power. Gadkari also promised more representation for Poorvanchalis in the forthcoming assembly elections.

"Poorvanchalis are surely turning to the party with Gadkariji promising to give more representation to the community, which forms a large part of city's population," said Aman Sinha, the party's spokesman in Delhi. The cultural show also saw Goel singing with Tiwari.

The Congress in another event attacked the BJP for its attempt to woo Poorvanchali voters. "The BJP should sever all political ties with the Shiv Sena and the MNS before claiming to be Pro-Poorvanchali," said Mukesh Sharma, MLA and spokesman for the Congress Legislative Party on Sunday evening.

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Nirbhaya gang-rape case: Two convicts seek Hindi translation of documents

NEW DELHI: Two of the four death row convicts in the December 16 gang-rape case on Monday moved an application before the Delhi high court seeking Hindi translation of certain documents including the trial court's conviction and sentence orders in the case.

The counsel for convicts Mukesh and Pawan told a bench of justices Reva Khetrapal and Pratibha Rani, which is hearing the trial court's reference for confirming their death sentence, that he has filed the "proforma appeal" on behalf of his two clients but they are under objection as certain documents are yet to be annexed.

Advocate M L Sharma, appearing for the two convicts, also told the court that he has moved an application seeking Hindi version of the FIR, chargesheet, evidence, September 10 judgement and September 13 sentence order.

Seeking the court to adjourn the case till the time he filed formal appeals, Sharma said as the documents are in English, he was seeking Hindi translation of these papers.

The bench said this court cannot hear the matter immediately as one of the judges is down with high fever and adjourned the matter for October 28.

Sharma had on October 9 informed the bench that he would represent Mukesh and Pawan as their counsel had withdrawn from the case.

The bench had also directed the prosecution to supply the documents pertaining to convict Mukesh to Sharma. The counsel, who was earlier representing Pawan, had also handed over the paperbook pertaining to the convict to Sharma.

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Delhi assembly polls: Never threatened to quit post, Vijay Goel says

NEW DELHI: BJP's Delhi unit president Vijay Goel on Monday said that he never threatened to resign after reports said his rival Harsh Vardhan was the front runner for the party's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi.

"I never threatened to resign as the media is reporting," Goel told media persons.

"The decision (to shortlist chief ministerial candidate) will be taken by the party's parliamentary board after holding discussions with all leaders and party workers," he added.

The Delhi unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday met senior party leaders to stake his claim to the party's chief ministerial candidature in Delhi in the December 4 assembly polls.

According to media reports, Goel threatened to resign from his post if Harsh Vardhan was projected as the chief minister.

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Will prepare poll manifestos for each of Delhi's 70 assembly seats: Aam Aadmi Party

NEW DELHI: Continuing with its unique moves to ensure peoples' participation in governance, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will by early next month come up with 71 manifestos, one each for the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi with the remaining one to cover the city as a whole.

The move by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which is contesting all 70 assembly seats in the polls scheduled for December 4, is to ensure people's participation in governance.

The common manifesto for Delhi state would include plans for making the city slum free, improving the quality of education in government schools, making health facilities accessible for all, ensuring a daily supply of 700 litres of water free of cost to each household and bringing about a reduction in power tariffs, among others.

The party said it had found in a recent survey that drinking water was a major problem in most areas of Delhi.

"Unlike other political parties, who generally put their agenda on the election manifesto instead of the people's needs and requirements, we are preparing 70 separate manifestos," a party leader said.

The manifestos would highlight the major issues plaguing a particular constituency.

"For this, our volunteers and candidates are going door to door meeting people and enquiring about specific problems in their areas which needed immediate attention," he said.

After all the information, demands and requirements included, has been gathered from a particular constituency, the process of "fine tuning" of the manifesto would begin.

"Common and major problems and the requirements of a constituency would be included in the "fine-tuned" manifesto, which would be finalised after thorough consultations with the eminent residents of the area," he said.

"If their (peoples') issues find place in the manifesto, then they would actively participate in the whole exercise (of governance)," he said.

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Delhi hospitals overflow with hidden dengue epidemic

NEW DELHI: Factory worker Muhammad Awwal is gripped by fever, sweats and the sort of agonizing aches that mean his condition is sometimes called "breakbone disease". It's an annual plague in India and a hidden epidemic, say experts.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease with no known cure or vaccination that strikes fear into the citizens of New Delhi when it arrives with the monsoon rains — just as the scorching heat of the summer is subsiding.

Hospital wards are overwhelmed and tales abound of deaths and cases while New Delhi public authorities insist that only 3,500 have fallen sick so far this year — with only five fatalities.

"I took him first to a government hospital. I was shocked to see that it was packed with dengue patients. There was not even a single bed available," said Awwal's mother, Mehrunissa, sitting in her one-room shack in east Delhi.

She is now treating him at their home, giving him multi-vitamins, paracetamol and water as he lies on the floor with two pillows and a bedsheet but no mattress.

In a sign that this year's outbreak could be as bad as record-breaking 2010, the city's largest public hospital, Hindu Rao, announced earlier this month that it had suspended all routine surgeries to make room for more dengue patients.

The Delhi government has blamed prolonged monsoons for the hike in infections, but says it has added beds at hospitals and increased resources for spraying insecticides to tackle the mosquito menace.

"It's nothing to worry about, there is no crisis," Charan Singh, additional director of Delhi health services, told AFP, dismissing allegations that the city of 17 million under-reports the problem.

"It is a lot of hype going on ... The government is in action and we report all cases according to international guidelines," he added.

The virus — first detected in the 1950s in the Philippines and Thailand — affects two million people across the globe annually, with the number of cases up 30 times in the last 50 years, according to the World Health Organisation.

Transmitted to humans by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, it causes high fever, headaches, itching and joint pains that last about a week. There are four strains, one of which can cause fatal internal bleeding.

In India, cases have increased sharply over the last five years — there have been 38,000 so far in 2013 — but doctors say these numbers only capture part of the problem.

At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS), doctors are overwhelmed by patients whose beds are squeezed together like Tetris tiles in the emergency ward with saline drips nailed to the walls.

Medics, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that they were seeing 60 new dengue patients a day — an influx they suspected was not reflected in the official figures.

"Maybe it's because they don't want to create panic or because they don't want to be blamed, but if they hide, people won't know how bad the situation is," said one doctor.

The former health chief at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said that only positive results from one of the two standard dengue tests — known as ELISA test — was registered.

"There is gross under-reporting of these cases every year. I believe the real numbers are always three times higher than those projected by the MCD," VK Monga told AFP.

Sandeep Budhiraja, internal medicines director at private Max Healthcare hospital in Delhi, blamed city authorities for failing to be prepared and said cases would only decline with the onset of winter next month.

"It's an epidemic that hits the country every year, yet there is never any preparedness by officials. It just keeps getting worse," said Budhiraja, adding that Max had opened its fever wards to accommodate dengue patients.

While dengue is painful and debilitating, death is usually rare but patients are vulnerable to other fatal viral infections during or shortly after the time of illness.

There is still no specific treatment, but last year French healthcare giant Sanofi Pasteur said it would begin tests for a dengue vaccine in India before making it available internationally by 2015.

A leading Brazilian biomedical research institute, Butantan, also said last month it was working on a new dengue vaccine that they hoped would be ready by 2018.

British firm Oxitec has also created genetically modified sterile male Aedes mosquitoes - what they call "birth control for insects" - but met with severe criticism for releasing unnatural species into the environment.

The only defence so far is preventive steps, like removing stagnant water near residential areas, spraying insecticide, applying mosquito repellent and wearing long sleeves and trousers.

Many victims in India gulp down papaya-leaf juice believing it to boost blood platelet levels, which are decimated by the virus.

"It is a largely preventive, self-limiting virus, but we still hardly invest in research for treatments," said Budhiraja from Max Healthcare.

"There are only some vaccines being tried out, but no luck yet."

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Arvind Kejriwal gears up for poll with 14-hour days

It's 9.30am. A lone man walks out of a nondescript building wearing a white Gandhi cap and clutching a yellow plastic bag. There is no fanfare, no crowd of excited supporters. He gets into a blue WagonR, and accompanied by two trusted colleagues sets off for a long, hectic day. This is Arvind Kejriwal and he heads the newest party in town.

"I am not here to make a career out of politics. I am here because I realized that it is only when we are in the government that we can change things," he says. What if the chief minister decides to contest from some other seat? "We are opposing misrule. I will fight her in whichever constituency she chooses to contest from," he adds.

A 14-hour day is normal for Kejriwal as he flits between public meetings, padyatras, television appearances and party work, but he says this is a slightly relaxed time for him. "Before the model code of conduct kicked in, I used to leave home at 7am and often returned only around 1am. Now that there are so many restrictions on the kind of campaigning we can carry out, my public interaction has reduced. We do not want to get on the wrong side of the Election Commission. However , even though I have more time at home, party meetings keep me occupied," he says.

As he tours through the city, Kejriwal seems at ease with the adulation people are showering upon him. At red lights people stop and point, some wave while others knock at the car's window to get his attention. Some even ask for autographs. And he doesn't disappoint. He rolls down his window, shakes hands and seeks votes for his Aam Aadmi Party. He even gives his phone number to those who ask for it. "I tell them not to call me though, since I barely have time to receive calls. However, each morning, I respond to every single message that I get," he says.

Kejriwal is not without his critics . "Aise to sab hote hein jab vote maangane aate hein (all politicians are complaisant while canvassing)," says a woman at a manifesto meeting in the Gole Market area. Kejriwal attends four such meetings on Saturday to compile a list of problems in his New Delhi constituency. Around 30 or so attend each meeting , some genuinely interested and some curious onlookers. "It is only curiosity with a new party that has pulled many people to this meeting. We have heard these promises before from other politicians ," says another .

However, there is a certain sense of despair and frustration with the current state of governance in those who engage with Kejriwal . An old woman at KG Marg upstages him for a couple of minutes as she yells her troubles over the mike. He waits, asking the rest to remain quiet and listen to the woman he now calls 'amma' . He tells her that he can't promise to set her life right but he will try. As he hurries from one meeting to another, Kejriwal lends an ear to anyone who wants to talk to him. People stop him on the road, saying they don't want to be at the forefront but would like to help with the campaign.

"I never thought that water would be a problem in this constituency ," says Kejriwal munching on a chapatti and aloo subzi roll, his only meal till he gets back home in the evening. He has water when someone reminds him and pops a sweet when his sugar levels start falling. "Other than water, ill-treatment of servants is another major concern here. Agencies like NDMC and CPWD have also largely ignored the concerns of the lower class people in this area," he says.

He discusses the performance of candidates, distribution of pamphlets and fund-raisers over the phone. In between, he gets a call from a Middle Eastern country against a constituency manager the caller does not find effective.

Four meetings, one court hearing in a defamation case for something he said against the chief minister, and one television interview later, Kejriwal returns home to four more meetings. "Today is a light day," he says. A group of traders is waiting to meet him. They are served water by his wife and half an hour later they leave. Kejriwal walks them out to the elevator and returns alone to some quiet time with a volunteer before people arrive for the next meeting.

"How can I say I am tired when he is going so strong? He barely sleeps for a few hours each night and has to start taking insulin because his sugar levels are going crazy. Hopefully, things settle down in December ," says his wife.

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Delhi more developed than Gujarat: Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Taking on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday said Delhi was more developed than the Gujarat he rules and her Congress does not promote "hatred and division".

"Delhi's development model is much better than Gujarat's. We have the highest per capita income and the quality of life and infrastructure in the capital is being praised by all, whereas a large number of people in Gujarat still lack basic amenities," Dikshit said.

Addressing a public gathering in west Delhi's Nangloi area, Dikshit, who has been Delhi chief minister since 1998, highlighted her achievements and urged the people to vote Congress back to power in the Dec 4 assembly polls.

"Delhi has around 24 institutions of higher education, including six state level universities, commissioned by Delhi government in shortest possible time."

"The percentage of female enrollment is higher in Delhi than many other states," she said.

"We provide monthly pension of up to Rs.1,500 to the city's elderly, widows, and physically challenged. Is any other state doing anything similar?" she asked.

"The Congress government cares and shares and does not propagate and promote hatred and division," she said.

Dikshit urged Delhi's people to not get carried away by the "false promises" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Admi Party (AAP), its two main election opponents.

"People should vote for Congress as we are tested, tried and trusted. Our performance has been certified by people," she said.

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19-year-old drunk car driver kills one, injures two

NEW DELHI: A man was killed and two others were seriously injured when a teenager, stated to be drunk, rammed a car into a two-wheeler, a rickshaw and a passerby in east Delhi's Anand Vihar area on Saturday night.

The accused Harjeet Nagpal (19) was arrested after a two-kilometre chase and was allegedly found to be heavily drunk, said police, adding that he does not even have a driving licence.

The mishap took place around 8.30pm. Harjeet, who was driving an 'i20' car, first rammed it into a scooty being driven by a 19-year-old girl and then hit a passerby. The car did not stop at this and went on to hit a cycle rickshaw, killing its puller.

Further, while fleeing the spot, Harjeet again rammed into a police picket there.

He was arrested after a two-kilometer chase and was found to be heavily drunk, said police.

Rickshaw puller Sadir (25) died in the accident, while two-wheeler driver Soni (19) and the passerby Shivpal (38) have suffered grievous head injuries, said police.

They injured are being treated at a nearby hospital. Harjeet lives with his family in Jwala Nagar. Strict action will be taken against Harjeet's parents who allowed him to drive the car without licence, the police said, adding that a case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered.

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AIIMS study finds 4% of Delhi kids have high BP

NEW DELHI: If your child is overweight, avoids fruits and vegetables, and prefers computer games to the real ones, be concerned. A new AIIMS study on 10,000 Delhi schoolchildren has found that 3-4% of them suffered from hypertension, the most common cause of heart-related deaths. Among these were children as young as five years old.

The study, conducted on children from low and middle income groups, found incidence of hypertension — which means having high blood pressure — increased with age and body mass index (BMI), which is a determinant of obesity.

"Almost 70% of kids with childhood hypertension are likely to grow into hypertensive adults if corrective steps such as diet control and physical activity are not undertaken," said Dr Umesh Kapil, lead author of the study, published in the latest issue of Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Given people's sedentary lifestyles, Dr Kapil said screening of children for hypertension should be make part of the school health programme.

The study was undertaken in municipal-run schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas and BP readings were noted as per recommendations of the American Heart Association.

Hypertension is the most common cause of non-communicable diseases in India — chiefly heart disease, brain stroke and kidney disease.

"It is estimated that 16% of ischaemic heart disease, 21% of peripheral vascular disease, 24% of acute myocardial infarctions and 29% of strokes are attributable to hypertension, underlining the huge impact effective hypertension prevention and control can have on reducing the rising burden of cardiovascular disease," said Dr Kapil, who heads the human nutrition unit at AIIMS.

He said cutting down on junk food, which is high in salt, and promoting physical activity can help ward-off hypertension in children.

"Prevalence of hypertension in schoolchildren belonging to the low income group, as has been shown in this study, is alarming. Awareness about risk factors for childhood obesity and correct nutrition in this income group is largely absent. Since many of these children belong to government schools, government should strengthen nutrition-related knowledge and increase physical activity in these schools," said Dr Anoop Misra from Fortis.

"High blood pressure doesn't often cause symptoms. It is important to have periodical screening for blood pressure to detect the condition, more importantly in obese children who are double at risk," said Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director of Apollo hospitals.

He said doctors are getting cases of children as young as eight years old who are obese and suffer from hypertension. "In rare cases, children may experience headaches and blurred vision due to high blood pressure. They have to be put on medication for BP control and strict lifestyle changes," he added.

Sailesh Mohan, senior research scientist and associate professor at the Public Health Foundation of India, said foods with high salt content increase thirst and lead to increased consumption of calorie-dense soft drinks, thus indirectly contributing to childhood obesity.

"Almost 80% of people do not consume the recommended quantities of fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of potassium and can reduce the impact of sodium on blood pressure," he said.

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Cricketer Murali Kartik involved in car crash in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Indian cricketer Murali Kartik and his wife, Shweta, had a narrow escape after their Volvo car collided with a Mahindra Xylo near the Polish embassy in Chanakyapuri.

The incident took place around 12:15am on Thursday when the couple was returning from a hotel in central Delhi to their home in Green Park. "Kartik was driving towards Niti Marg from the slip lane when the accident took place. The Xylo was coming from the airport and going towards Mayur Vihar," the officer said.

Kartik and Shweta, who sustained minor injuries in the accident, took the driver of the other car to a hospital in Ghaziabad. Sudeep, who was travelling in the Xylo, fractured his right hand while the driver and another occupant suffered minor injuries, police said.

No case has been registered. "Neither Kartik nor Sudeep have filed a complaint but we may register a case on our own after recording their statements," said a police officer.

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Delhi cop shoots two people

NEW DELHI: Angry over a business dispute, a Delhi Police constable fired at and injured two people in a property dealer's office, police said on Saturday. Both are under treatment at a hospital here.

Ashish, posted at Moti Nagar police station, shot at Mintu and Naveen, the two business partners, at Prashant Vihar in west Delhi late Friday, a police officer said.

"The argument started over a business dispute among the three at an office of a property dealer. Ashish opened fire at Mintu and Naveen, and fled from the scene," said the officer.

Police said both the injured, who were hit by one bullet each, were admitted to the hospital. Ashish was now on run.

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Sex racket busted in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A sex racket was busted in New Delhi and five women, including four sex workers and a pimp, were arrested, police said on Saturday.

The sex workers are between 25 and 30 years old, and were running the racket for the past several months at a house in Sector-15 in Rohini area in north Delhi, police said.

A police team conducted the raid Friday night after a tip-off and made the arrests.

"Out of the five, one sex worker belongs to Madhya Pradesh, one is from Bihar while the other two are from West Bengal. The pimp belongs to Delhi," said a police officer.

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