Want to do maximum good for people in 48 hours: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the trust vote on January 2, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday he wants to do maximum good for the people in the next 48 hours whether the government stays or not.

"Not sure of Congress and BJP. We are not bothered whether the government survives or not. We are running the government assuming that we have just 48 hours with us. We want to do the maximum good to the people, if we can in this time," he told reporters.

In a lighter vein, he said he can recoup his health in a couple of days but he won't get these crucial 48 hours.

He announced that his party MLA M S Dhir will be the AAP candidate for the post of Speaker in the Delhi Assembly.

Kejriwal said that he was not aware why the BJP has declined to accept the pro-tem Speaker's post which generally goes to the senior most member of the house.

Queried about that, he shot back, "I don't know why the BJP declined. I think you should ask them."

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After water, AAP govt moves to reduce power bills in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will on Tuesday decide on an audit of power companies, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

"The cabinet will meet and discuss audit of power companies. Delhi government has examined the case, and we feel CAG can audit all three (power) companies," Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

"I am going to meet the CAG... All three companies have to be given opportunity of being heard. They can say why the shall not be audited," he said.

Kejriwal added that the Delhi cabinet will meet at 5 pm.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in its election manifesto, promised to reduce electricity bills by half.

The AAP government on Monday announced 20 kilo litres of free water per month (approx 667 litres per day) for households having metered water connection, moving in on the first promise the party made to the Delhi electorate.

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Delhi govt may go for CAG audit of private power companies

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government may be all set to order an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General into the finances of the capital's three private power distribution companies, an issue on which the ruling AAP had led street protests in the past.

Defying doctor's advice, an unwell chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met CAG Shashi Kant Sharma to discuss the issue before going into a cabinet meeting.

Kejriwal said the Delhi government is of the view that audit of these companies can be done. But under the provisions of law the three companies were being given the opportunity of being heard on the government audit of their finances.

"They are being given time till tomorrow morning by which they will have to give their representations. The cabinet will meet in the evening," he told reporters before leaving for his meeting with the CAG.

At the cabinet meeting today, the issue of revising the power tariff may be discussed.

He said in today's cabinet meeting, they would discuss issues relating to unauthorised colonies.

After the meeting with the CAG, Kejriwal said the official auditor is ready for the job.

The cabinet meeting tomorrow will go through the representations to be made by the power companies and "we will take a decision."

"Then there will be an order by the Lt Governor," he said denying that a decision has been taken and only formalities are being completed.

He said the CAG told him it all dependent on how much work is involved and how fast the companies would provide documents.

Asked how confident he was about exposing the alleged irregularities of the power companies, he said the audit will bring them out.

The BJP and AAP have been demanding CAG audit of finances of the discoms, alleging huge irregularities by them. However, all the three companies BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd have been opposing it.

In July the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had also said that there should be a thorough scrutiny of finances of all three companies by the CAG.

The BJP has been seeking CAG audit into finances of discoms referring to a DERC proposal in May 2010 to cut the tariff by around 25 per cent citing their healthy financial position. The Delhi Government had restrained the regulator from going ahead with the tariff order.

Although DERC was strongly arguing for a cut in tariff, the three-member regulator, following retirement and subsequent appointment of two new members later in 2010, had taken a sympathetic approach to the demands of the discoms and effected a series of tariff hikes.

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After water, Kejriwal gives cheaper power to Delhiites

NEW DELHI: With Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal fulfilling his party's promise of providing free supply of 700 litres of water every day for Delhi households, the Delhi government on Tuesday cut power tariff by half, benefiting an estimated 28 lakh households.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the new rates would be applicable to those consuming up to 400 units of power a month.
"They will get 50 per cent subsidy," he said, adding that this would benefit some 28 lakh of the 34 lakh households in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal said the CAG has agreed to audit the private power companies.

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Kejriwal cuts power tariff, millions to benefit

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday fulfilled his second major election promise and cut power tariff by half to benefit an estimated 28 lakh households.

Kejriwal, who took oath on Saturday, also suggested an audit into the power companies in the capital, giving them time until Wednesday morning to file their objections if any.

The CM said that those consuming up to 400 units — 0 to 200 units and 201 to 400 units — of electricity a month would get 50 per cent subsidy.

The new power rates will go into effect from January 1 (Wednesday).

This would benefit some 28 of the 34 lakh households in Delhi, he added after a cabinet meeting, describing the intended beneficiaries as the poor and the middle class.

Tuesday's decision came a day after he announced that 667 litres of water would be provided free to all households in the capital who have metered connections.

Kejriwal, whose AAP made providing water and drastically cutting power rates its main election promise, also met Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) Shashi Kant Sharma to seek an audit of the power companies.

Kejriwal told the media that his government would wait for the responses from the companies before taking a final decision on audit.

"By tomorrow evening we will decide whether to go for audit or not," he said.

He estimated that the revision in electricity tariff would cost the government Rs 200 crore but Rs 140 crore of this would be borne by the power companies against their outstandings.

Kejriwal seeks CAG audit of Delhi discoms

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked the state's electricity distribution companies to state their objections to their likely audit by the nation's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

"We have given notice to power companies for audit. Power companies have been asked to send their reply on why there shouldn't be an audit, by tomorrow (Wednesday)," the CM told reporters here after meeting CAG Shashi Kant Sharma to discuss the issue ahead of a meeting of the Delhi cabinet.

"Delhi government is of the view that audit of these companies can be done. But under the provisions of law, the three companies were being given the opportunity of being heard on the government audit of their finances," Kejriwal told reporters ahead of the meeting.

"They are being given time till tomorrow morning by which they will have to give their representations," he added.

The three discoms in question — Reliance companies BSES, BSES Rajdhani (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna (BYPL) — have had their accounts described earlier by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as being "fudged and unreliable" and thus untrustworthy regarding their revenues situation.

AAP had also earlier demanded that tariffs should only be increased after the companies' audit by the nation's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

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Kejriwal to prove majority on Thursday

NEW DELHI: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who took over as Delhi chief minister Saturday, would prove his government's majority in the assembly January 2, an official statement said.

In the Kejriwal government's first cabinet meeting, it was decided that the first session of the new legislative assembly will be convened from January1.

"The first session of the fifth legislative assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi will be summoned from Jan 1 to Jan 7, 2014. The MLAs would be administered oath on the first day of the session. The government would move the vote of confidence on Jan 2. Election for speaker and deputy speaker will be held Jan 3," an official statement said.

Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung will address the House Jan 6. The house would then discuss the motion of thanks on his address, an official said.

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CM Arvind Kejriwal seeks 10 days to resolve problems of people in Delhi

GHAZIABAD: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought ten days time to formulate a system to address grievances and problems of the people in Delhi.

He said that he would accept the applications of the people visiting him only after a system is in place.

"I don't want to give you false assurances. I will take the application when we put a system in place to resolve the problems," he said.

He assured the visitors, who gathered in large numbers at his residence, that he needed the support of the people to establish such a system and without their backing, he would not be able resolve issues.

"We have just assumed power. It will take us sometime, seven to ten days to put a system in place to resolve your problems," he said, addressing a gathering which included DTC employees and people from the Valmiki community.

Contractual employees of DTC and muncipal corporations had come to put forward their demand to end the contract system in these bodies. They also wanted that those working for several years should be made permanent.

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Power tariff reduction in Delhi only possible with subsidies: Experts

NEW DELHI: One of the biggest challenges for the newly-appointed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is reducing electricity tariffs by 50 per cent which can be done only if it doles out subsidies, say experts.

Aam Aadmi Party led by Kejriwal, in its manifesto, had promised to slash power tariff in the city-state by 50 per cent.

"It is unlikely that the utilities can bring down the electricity tariffs by 50 per cent without government providing them with cash subsidy," Debashish Mishra, senior director, Deloitte India said.

However, he added that there may be scope for further loss reduction in distribution, demand side management measures and cost optimisation in O&M (Operation & Maintenance).

"In the short run, it will be a viable idea to identify a category of customers where such subsidies can be targeted and their tariffs reduced to the extent promised by AAP (Aam Aadmi Party)," said Sambitosh Mohapatra, executive director, PwC.

He said that broadly the tariff is determined by four factors - existing operational efficiencies, capital and cost structures, power purchase agreements, and regulatory (assured and authorised) assets in the sector.

"In the longer run i.e. over next 5 years, if annual tariff increases is contained at the existing levels by managing the four outlined factors, then effective reduction can be stated to be around 50 per cent," Mohapatra added.

Electricity tariffs were revised in the Capital in July this year. Delhiites pay a minimum of Rs 3.90 per unit tariff.

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Delhi shivers at 4.5 degrees Celsius as mercury dips to lowest so far

NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded its lowest minimum temperature so far this winter as the mercury dipped to 4.5 degrees Celsius on a clear but chilly day with icy winds blowing across the city.

The maximum in the national capital was recorded at 19.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal, while the minimum was three notches below normal, the MeT department said.

Humidity in air fluctuated between 92 and 46 per cent.

The forecast is for mainly clear skies with, however, partial clouds and light rain or thundershowers likely at some places.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 20 and 5 degrees, respectively.

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Rakhi Birla - the youngest minister in Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet

NEW DELHI: At an age when most youngsters struggle to find their feet, 26-year-old Rakhi Birla is not just the youngest minister in Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet, but also its only woman face.

Birla had emerged as a giant killer after thumping four-time MLA and PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan in the Sheila Dikshit government in Mangolpuri by around 10,500 votes.

Before joining AAP, Birla had worked with a private news channel. She had also been working in collaboration with social organisations for the cause of the Valmiki community.

Birla hails from the Valmiki community and her father was associated with the Congress for a long time but quit the party in 2011 during the Janlokpal movement.

She was born in Delhi to Sheila and Bhupendra Singh Bidhlan and is the youngest of their four daughters.

Birla's last name which reminds you of one of India's business families, got actually stuck with her after her school teacher made a mistake while preparing her Class X certificate and wrote Birla instead of Bidhlan, which is her actual surname.

Birla had declared assets worth Rs 51,150 in her election affidavit. Her family has been related to social work since the last four generations, from her great-grandfather and then grandfather who was part of India's freedom struggle.

Coming from a modest background, Birla always dreamt big. After graduating from Delhi University's Shivaji College, she did her masters in mass communication and joined a local television channel as a reporter. During her stint as journalist, Birla covered the Janlokpal movement and came in contact of India Against Corruption and Arvind Kejriwal.

When AAP was formed, Birla joined AAP and fought elections from her home turf, where she registered one of the biggest upset of these elections by thumping Chauhan who was considered invincible from the reserved constituency.

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Manish Sisodia - from journalist to Arvind Kejriwal's man Friday

NEW DELHI: Manish Sisodia, the man Friday of Arvind Kejriwal, came to prominence during Anna Hazare's movement for Jan Lokpal Bill in 2011.

The 41-year-old is also part of AAP's central working committee and it came as no surprise that he was selected in Kejriwal's Cabinet. He has been given charge of Education, PWD, Urban Development, Local Bodies and Land and Building departments.

The journalist-turned-activist-turned-politician defeated BJP's Nakul Bhardwaj by over 11,000 votes from Patparganj constituency in East Delhi.

Sisodia had worked as a journalist with Zee News and All India Radio for a long time. He later quit journalism to participate in the agitation for Right To Information.

He was one of the founding members of the Janlokpal agitation and part of the team which chalked out its first draft. When Anna Hazare was arrested and sent to jail during the agitation, he too was sent to prison.

Sisodia also sat on fast for 10 days demanding setting up of an SIT to probe cases against corrupt Union ministers. Sisodia had declared assets worth Rs 41,83,942 in his election affidavit. He has a diploma in journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan.

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'Aam Admi' Arvind Kejriwal takes oath as Delhi CM, vows change in governance

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal, whose AAP has rewritten the grammar of politics in Delhi and may possibly do so elsewhere, on Saturday took oath as Delhi chief minister promising a corruption-free government and new style of governance without arrogance of power.

45-year-old Kejriwal, a former revenue service official, who broke from Anna Hazare's campaign for Lokpal and scored a stunning debut in electoral politics winning 28 of the 70 seats, took the oath of office and secrecy at a public ceremony in the historic Ramlila Maidan, the fast venue of the anti-graft campaigners more than two years ago.

Along with Kejriwal, six others - Manish Sisodia, Girish Soni, Rakhi Birla, Satyendra Jain, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Somnath Bharti - took oath as ministers administered by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.

Sporting his trademark Gandhi cap proclaiming that "I am an aam admi', Kejriwal wore a blue pullover over bush shirt and trousers discarding the traditional 'kurta-pyjama' of politicians.

Hazare and his associate Kiran Bedi, who were invited to the function, kept away from it as did several political leaders including outgoing chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

BJP leader Harsh Vardhan, who would be the leader of the opposition in the new Assembly, was the lone prominent politician to be present. Kejriwal even praised him as an honest person. Shoiab Iqbal, JD(U) MLA, was also present.

In a short speech after the formalities were over, Kejriwal said the Aam Admi Party has come with a promise to provide governance different from the one given by corrupt parties.

Asserting that it is a very historic day, Kejriwal said, "The oath we are taking today is not of Arvind Kejriwal and the other ministers but people of Delhi have taken the oath.

"The whole fight is not to make Arvind Kejriwal a chief minister but it is for a change of governance in Delhi".

The new chief minister said the huge responsibility thrust upon him has instilled a sense of fear in him. "I don't claim to have a magic wand or remedies for all the ills but if the 1.5 crore people of Delhi join him there is no reason why all the problems can't be solved," he said.

Asking his ministers to adopt service as a motto, Kejriwal cautioned them against getting arrogant with power.

"We should not get arrogant. Don't get arrogant ever. Work for the people with service as the goal. We have not come here to become ministers. We were born to remove the arrogance of big parties. We should be wary that no other party has to take birth to dismantle us," he said.

Making anti-corruption his main plank, the new chief minister asked people not to turn away officials asking bribes but to help in catching them red-handed by laying a trap.

Conscious of the minority status of his government, he appealed to all the parties including the BJP and Congress to support his government in all its right steps. However, he made it clear that he was not bothered about the confidence vote the government has to face by January 3, saying he is ready to face the people if it is defeated.

"We will get back to power with a thumping majority," he said to a thunderous applause from the huge crowd that had gathered from the capital and the surrounding areas in the National Capital Region.
Talking about his mentor Anna Hazare, Kejriwal said, "Anna used to say that politics is dirty. Two-and-a-half years back, Annaji held a 13-day fast to remove corruption and to get the Janlokpal bill passed.

"In these last two years, we did every possible thing. We fasted, agitated but nothing happened. Gradually it became clear that without changing country's politics we cannot get rid of corruption," he said.

"I used to suggest Anna that if we want to clean the system, then we will have to get down in this 'dirty politics'," he said

"Two years ago we could not think of such a revolution that we could remove corrupt parties. But its nature's miracle. It is only a beginning," he said.

Riding on AAP's success in Delhi, he said, "In the next five years if we take the right steps I think India can become a golden bird".

Flaunting his 'aam admi' (common man) credentials, Kejriwal, who lives in a modest flat in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, took a metro train to Delhi to reach Barakhamba station, a distance of 20 kms from where he drove in his Maruti car to Ramlila Maidan.

Straight from the oath ceremony, Kejriwal went to Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, a short distance away and paid homage.

Born in Siwani in Haryana, Kejriwal becomes the second youngest chief minister of Delhi. Chaudhry Brahm Prakash was the youngest chief minsiter at 34 when he took over in 1952.

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Satyendra Kumar Jain: Architect-turned-minister

NEW DELHI: Satyendra Kumar Jain, an architect by profession, quit his job with Central Public Works Department (CPWD) due to prevailing corruption in the Department and turned to politics.

An MLA from Shakur Basti, 49-year-old Jain defeated BJP's Shyam Lal Garg by a margin of 7,062 votes.

Jain, among six MLAs, has been chosen to be part of the cabinet headed by Arvind Kejriwal who has been sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

He has been allocated the Health and Industries Department in the Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

Jain had actively participated in the Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal movement where he came in touch with Arvind Kejriwal.

Jain, a well known social worker, helped Chitrakoot based social organisation Drishti, working for visually impaired girls, with construction of the orgaisation's building.

He is also associated with social organisation Sparsh, which works for mentally challenged children. He also organises mass marriages for poor girls.

A native of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, Jain, who lives in Saraswati Vihar in a joint family, starts his day at 6.30 AM meeting people and listening to their problems.

Making a stunning debut in the 70-member Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) riding on a strong "anti-incumbency" wave routed Congress's 15-year-rule where its leader Kejriwal trounced three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by a margin of more than 25,000 votes.

The other cabinet ministers who took oath along with Kejriwal are Manish Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Somnath Bharti.

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Kejriwal denies AAP-Congress deal

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday refuted BJP leader Nitin Gadkari's charges that the AAP and Congress had a secret deal vis-a-vis the BJP.

"It is very unfortunate that a senior leader is making such unfounded allegations," Kejriwal told the media. "There is no truth in (what he has said)."

Gadkari, who was in charge of the BJP election campaign in Delhi, alleged earlier in the day that the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress had struck a deal to prevent a BJP government in Delhi.

This deal, he added, was also aimed at derailing the appeal of Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

This information, he said, had been conveyed by a person who knew about a supposed meeting held at a five-star hotel between representatives of the AAP and the Congress.

Kejriwal on Saturday took oath as the Delhi chief minister at the head of a minority government propped up by the Congress.

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Kejriwal, AAP MLAs to take metro train to swearing-in venue

GHAZIABAD: Seeking to send out a message of austerity, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal will tomorrow be taking the metro to Ramlila Maidan to take oath as the Delhi chief minister.

"I will take the metro to reach Ramlila Maidan for the oath-taking ceremony," Kejriwal said in Kaushambi today following a 'Janta Darbar'.

Not just the chief minister designate, all AAP MLAs would be taking the metro to the venue, sources said.

Asked about the Janta Darbar, Kejriwal said that, "it shows that the system, from top to bottom, has collapsed and needs to be amended. That is why the people are coming to the Chief Minister with their problems."

"It is a sad situation, peoples' expectations are very high and their problems have to be solved. We will need to work hard," he said.

He, however, insisted that 90 per cent of the problems were of a local nature and could be solved through regular neighbourhood meets or 'mohallah sabhas'.

The "people will then approach the CM with solutions to other problems and not come with their problems," he averred.

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Over Rs 26 crore was seized from political workers before Delhi polls

NEW DELHI: Expenditure limit for contesting assembly elections in Delhi was fixed at Rs 16 lakh for each candidate. However, the flying squads of Election Commission (EC) and income tax department seized over Rs 26 crore unaccounted cash from political activists in the recently concluded polls in Delhi.

The seizures were made till December 2, two days before the polling date, and was much more than the Rs 18 crore that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spent on all its 70 candidates. The AAP wiped out the ruling Congress by bagging 28 seats.

If the seized Rs 26.68 crore was distributed as per EC's expenditure cap, it would have been enough to fund more than 166 candidates, more than enough for both the BJP and the AAP to fund all their candidates. The two parties together won 60 seats in the 70-member assembly.

Since 2011, more than Rs 189 crore in unaccounted cash has been seized from poll-bound states. The highest being from Tamil Nadu during its 2011 assembly elections with seizure of about Rs 37 crore, followed by UP where Rs 36 crore was seized and Andhra Pradesh with Rs 31 crore seizure during the 2012 elections in the two states. In 2013, besides Delhi, Rs 17 crore was seized from Karnataka.

Sources in the EC and I-T department said the cash seizure was on the lower side in this election as the flying squads could not seize cash carried by businessmen even when they had credible information that they were meant to be distributed for electioneering.

The seizures reveal illicit cash distribution for electioneering was highest in Delhi. More than Rs 58 crore of unaccounted cash was seized from political activists in the five states that went to polls recently. Party workers who were apprehended with cash failed to explain the source of this money.

"In fact, we have seized large sums from businessmen across these states, but due to a guideline from the Supreme Court we had to hand over these cases to the income tax department for further investigation," said a senior official associated with expenditure monitoring in elections.

Rajasthan ranked second after Delhi in terms of highest cash seized. Rs 13 crore was seized in Rajasthan during elections, followed by Chhattisgarh where Rs 10 crore was seized and Madhya Pradesh Rs 8.68 crore. In Manipur only Rs 18 lakh was intercepted and seized from political workers.

The security was tightened at the airport just before the notification of polls with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security issuing fresh guidelines to even put VIPs and their baggage through mandatory security checks as applicable to common man to screen for huge cash movements during polls.

Unaccounted cash seized in poll-bound states

(In Rs crore)

Delhi ----------------26.68

Rajasthan -------- 13.44

Chhattisgarh -----10

MP------------------8.72

Mizoram ----------0.18

Note: The total amount seized as on December 2

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Kejriwal questions CNG price hike, says auto fares may be reviewed

GHAZIABAD: Questioning the timing of the steep hike in CNG prices, Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that he will examine whether the increase can be rolled back after taking charge as Delhi's chief minister. "What was the need to increase CNG prices when a new government is to take over in Delhi? It raises suspicions about their intention. I will look at the files once I take over tomorrow and see if the hike can be rolled back," Kejriwal said here.

The AAP leader will be sworn in as Delhi chief minister tomorrow.

Autorickshaw drivers in the city have threatened a strike demanding revision of fares in the wake of the hike in prices of CNG that fuels public transport on Delhi roads. A significant section of auto drivers had extended support to AAP in the election.

Kejriwal requested them not to go on strike and promised to examine the issue. "They (auto drivers) have been associated with us for a long time ... When I take charge tomorrow, I will hold consultations with them and try to find out a solution. We cannot rule out the possibility of a hike in auto fares in Delhi, if necessary," Kejriwal told reporters.

Price of CNG or compressed natural gas was hiked by 4.50 per kg on Thursday. It was the second price hike of CNG in last three months. CNG will now cost Rs 50.10/kg in Delhi and Rs 56.70/kg in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) has said. The hike came into effect from midnight last night.

Delhi Government has a five per cent stake in IGL and can at best subsidize the hike which it cannot rollback on its own.

The IGL, on Friday said the rate increase was forced by court orders that had led to cut in allocation of cheaper domestic natural gas.

Meanwhile, commenting on a sting operation carried out by a news channel purportedly showing that government files were being torn, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said it was the chief secretary's responsibility to take care of files. "This also shows there is large-scale corruption in these departments and officials who are seeking transfer are understood to have been involved in it," he said.

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Youth slits wrist at Kejriwal's janata darbar

GHAZIABAD: A 25-year-old youth slit his wrist at Delhi chief minister designate Arvind Kejriwal's 'janata darbar' on Friday in what he called an act of support for Aam Aadmi Party.

Zamil Ahmed, a resident of Deoli, had come to participate at the meet here. While the proceedings of the darbar were on, Ahmed suddenly slit his wrist with a blade.

"Subhash Chandra Bose had said 'tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhein azadi dunga' (Give me blood, I will give you freedom). Sir, I am with you and would do anything for you," Ahmed told Kejriwal after he had slit his wrist.

Seeing what the youth had done, Kejriwal immediately asked AAP supporters to take him to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Ahmed's condition is said to be out of danger.

Ahmed had come to the darbar to complain against the 'jhuggi' system in Delhi and requested Kejriwal to do something in this regard.

Friday was the third consecutive day of Kejriwal's darbar where many people have been coming with complaints related to water and electricity.

People attending the darbar were asked to write down their complaints and suggestions on a blank page. Problems shared by the people ranged from inflated electricity bills to unemployment.

A Delhi University professor, Dr Sapna Jain, alleged that degrees were being sold in the Mathematics department of Delhi University.

"I have written to the VC in this regard, but he is not taking action," Jain told Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, speaking on the issue of low wages paid to contractual labourers, Kejriwal said, "People who work on contract basis often complain of low wages. I will finish the practice."

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Arvind Kejriwal questions CNG rate hike, says will try to roll it back

GHAZIABAD: Questioning the timing of the steep hike in CNG prices, Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that he will examine whether the increase can be rolled back after taking charge as Delhi's chief minister. "What was the need to increase CNG prices when a new government is to take over in Delhi? It raises suspicions about their intention. I will look at the files once I take over tomorrow and see if the hike can be rolled back," Kejriwal said here.

The AAP leader will be sworn in as Delhi chief minister tomorrow.

Autorickshaw drivers in the city have threatened a strike demanding revision of fares in the wake of the hike in prices of CNG that fuels public transport on Delhi roads. A significant section of auto drivers had extended support to AAP in the election.

Kejriwal requested them not to go on strike and promised to examine the issue. "They (auto drivers) have been associated with us for a long time ... When I take charge tomorrow, I will hold consultations with them and try to find out a solution. We cannot rule out the possibility of a hike in auto fares in Delhi, if necessary," Kejriwal told reporters.

Price of CNG or compressed natural gas was hiked by 4.50 per kg on Thursday. It was the second price hike of CNG in last three months. CNG will now cost Rs 50.10/kg in Delhi and Rs 56.70/kg in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) has said. The hike came into effect from midnight last night.

Delhi Government has a five per cent stake in IGL and can at best subsidize the hike which it cannot rollback on its own.

The IGL, on Friday said the rate increase was forced by court orders that had led to cut in allocation of cheaper domestic natural gas.

Meanwhile, commenting on a sting operation carried out by a news channel purportedly showing that government files were being torn, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said it was the chief secretary's responsibility to take care of files. "This also shows there is large-scale corruption in these departments and officials who are seeking transfer are understood to have been involved in it," he said.

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Arvind Kejriwal appeals to honest officers to approach him

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who will take oath as Delhi's chief minister December 28, appealed to all honest officers on Thursday to approach him via SMS, emails and letters.

"We would give such officers good position in our government, and take their help to make strategies," Kejriwal told reporters after addressing a Janata Darbar at AAP's office in Kaushambi, in neighbouring Ghaziabad.

Adding that he would solve their problems at the earliest, Kejriwal said: "I also appeal to those honest officers (to contact me) who have been suspended, and their pension, medical and other dues have not been cleared so far."

On sending an invitation to social activist Anna Hazare for the oath-taking ceremony Saturday, Kejriwal said he would personally talk to him over the phone and invite him.

He said he would announce his cabinet's portfolios within the next two days.

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CNG price hiked by Rs 4.50/kg in Delhi; second increase in three months

NEW DELHI: The price of CNG or compressed natural gas in the national capital was on Thursday hiked by a steep Rs 4.50 per kg, the second increase in rates in three months.

Also, the price of cooking gas piped to kitchens has been increased by Rs 5.15 per kg with effect from Friday midnight.

CNG will cost Rs 50.10 per kg in Delhi and Rs 56.70 per kg in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad from midnight tonight, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) said.

The price of piped natural gas (PNG) to the households in Delhi is being revised from Rs 27.50 per standard cubic metre to Rs 29.50 per scm up to consumption of 30 scm in two months.

Beyond consumption of 30 scm in two months, the applicable rate in Delhi would be Rs 52 per scm.

Due to differential tax structure in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the applicable price of domestic PNG to households in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad would be Rs 31 per scm up to consumption of 30 scm in two months, which has been increased from existing Rs 29 per scm.

Beyond consumption of 30 scm in two months, the rate applicable in these cities would be Rs 54 per scm.

CNG price was last revised in September when it was hiked by a hefty Rs 3.70 per kg.

Price of compressed natural gas (CNG) sold to automobiles in the national capital then increased from Rs 41.90 to Rs 45.60 per kg.

Also at that time, the price of piped cooking gas, called PNG, for households has been hiked from Rs 24.50 per scm to Rs 27.50 per scm.

IGL, the sole retailer of CNG and PNG in Delhi, said the increase was primarily due to increase in input cost as a result of reallocation of domestically produced gas quantities by the government for all city gas distribution companies across the country.

"There has been a reduction in allocation of APM gas to us, which is forcing us to source more quantity of market priced imported R-LNG, whose prices are currently on an upswing. This has affected our overall input cost by over 13 per cent," an IGL statement said.

In addition, there has also been an increase in the operating expenses including increase in minimum wages announced by the government with effect from October 2013," the statement added.

Government reallocated domestic gas allocations to all city gas distribution companies across the country as a fallout of a recent court order. All the earlier gas allocations had been cancelled and the revised allocations now also include PMT gas, which is priced higher than APM gas.

"In terms of volume, there has been nearly 5 per cent decrease in the overall quantity of domestic gas allocated to IGL for Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad.

"The reduction in allocation as well as increase in demand is forcing IGL to source much higher priced imported R-LNG. The prices of R-LNG have been on the rise recently and therefore, new R-LNG quantities are available in the market at much higher prices than the existing ones," the company said.

IGL, however, said the increase would not have a major impact on the per km running cost of vehicles. For autos, the increase would be 13 paise per km, for taxi it would be 22 paisa per km and in case of buses, the increase would be Rs 1.30 per km, which translates to just over two paisa per passenger-kilometre.

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Arvind Kejriwal appeals honest officers to approach him

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who will take oath as Delhi's chief minister December 28, appealed to all honest officers on Thursday to approach him via SMS, emails and letters.

"We would give such officers good position in our government, and take their help to make strategies," Kejriwal told reporters after addressing a Janata Darbar at AAP's office in Kaushambi, in neighbouring Ghaziabad.

Adding that he would solve their problems at the earliest, Kejriwal said: "I also appeal to those honest officers (to contact me) who have been suspended, and their pension, medical and other dues have not been cleared so far."

On sending an invitation to social activist Anna Hazare for the oath-taking ceremony Saturday, Kejriwal said he would personally talk to him over the phone and invite him.

He said he would announce his cabinet's portfolios within the next two days.

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Kejriwal turns down Ghaziabad SSP's request for security cover

GHAZIABAD: AAP convener and Delhi chief minister designate Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday turned down Ghaziabad SSP's request for taking security cover.

On Thursday morning, Kejriwal told Uttar Pradesh Police officials, deployed by SSP Dharmendra Singh outside his house, that he does not need any security and they should go back.

"We came here to provide security to Arvind Kejriwal, but he asked us to leave and said he doesn't need any security cover," said a constable, who was deployed by the Ghaziabad SSP outside Kejriwal's residence.

The Ghaziabad SSP had deployed five UP police personnel outside Kejriwal's house for his protection.

"After Kejriwal turned down our request, SSP has now asked us to come back and we are going back to police line," the constable added.

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Home ministry to inspect accounts of AAP on foreign funding

NEW DELHI: Home ministry will soon inspect the books of accounts of Aam Aadmi Party in connection with alleged illegal foreign funding to it.

The move comes after the AAP sent replies to queries from the home ministry regarding violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act while receiving funds from abroad.

"We need further interaction with AAP as we need some clarification on their replies. We will inspect their books of accounts," a senior official said.

The home ministry probe into the foreign fundings to AAP came following a directive of Delhi high court in response to a public interest litigation.

The AAP, which is all set to form government in Delhi, said it was ready for any kind of probe and insisted that it had taken donations only from Indians, residing in the country or abroad. "If we are found guilty of any wrongdoing, we will accept double the punishment," AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said.

AAP had said it has collected about Rs 19 crore till November 8 as donations from 63,000 people including a host of NRIs.

It has claimed to have received donations ranging from Rs 10 to several lakhs, from rickshawpullers to traders and industrialists to fight the polls and bring a "graft-free" administration.

Former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit had questioned the source of funding of AAP, whose main election plank was to check corruption.

AAP had a stunning debut in the recent Delhi assembly election, winning 28 out of 70 seats.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will be sworn in as chief minister of Delhi on Saturday after Congress with eight MLAs extended outside support to the nascent party.

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Will pass Jan Lokpal Bill in 15 days: Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said his party would pass its Jan Lokpal Bill within 15 days of forming the government in Delhi.

Speaking at his Kaushambi residence in Ghaziabad town, Uttar Pradesh, Kejriwal said there were so many hurdles in the process, but AAP would tackle all issues and pass the bill.

As per the constitution of India, the Delhi assembly can make laws on any issue except the state list that may infringe any norm of the constitution.

"But the Congress is saying that in 2002, the transaction of business rules were amended and it read that the state government would have to take the permission of the central government on any law made by the state government," Kejriwal said.

"This is wrong, this used to happen under the British rule. Then, all administrative decisions related to India had to be sent to London for approval. We are an independent country now, and the government formed is by the people," he added.

Kejriwal will take oath as the chief minister of Delhi December 28 at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

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AAP's 'dissenting' MLA plays down possibility of rift

NEW DELHI: Aam Admi Party, on Wednesday, claimed to have resolved the dissent by one of its MLA after he was denied a berth in the Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet.

Senior party leaders Sanjay Singh and Kumar Vishwas went to the residence of Laxmi Nagar MLA Vinod Kumar Binny late on Tuesday night and held parlays to pacify him.

"There is no rift between me and the party. There is nothing that I was angry about after being denied a post in the ministry," Binny told PTI.

After a long meeting with Binny, Singh and Vishwas had come out and said, "There was no dissent and it was all created by the media."

"It was our regular meeting and we have been meeting on various occasions," they said.

Kejriwal had finalized his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others on Tuesday. He had sent a list of six ministers to lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, which included the names of Sisodia, a former journalist who won from Patparganj constituency, Rakhi Birla, the giant killer who defeated PWD minister Rajkumar Chouhan, Somnath Bharti (defeated women and child development minister Kiran Walia) Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain.

Playing down reports of a rift in the party, Binny said his meeting with Singh and Vishwas was a "routine" one.

"I am not angry with the party. Sanjay and Kumar came to meet me and they spent some time discussing routine issues," he said.

Denying that he was miffed over not getting a ministerial berth, Binny said, "There is no demand and I do not want any post. I will work wherever and whatever responsibility is given to me."

He said, "Kejriwal is the chief minister and it is his prerogative to choose his council of ministers."

Asked if he was offered the post of parliamentary secretary as a deal, Binny said, "There is no deal."

Questioned whether his Congress background worked against him, Binny said it is "unfortunate" if this works against somebody becomes almost everybody has come from either the Congress or BJP as AAP is a new party.

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Presidential nod to AAP govt, floor test by January 3

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee has cleared the decks for the formation of a minority AAP government with Congress backing in Delhi and chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal may be asked to prove majority by January 3, official sources said Wednesday.

According to the sources, the home ministry has received a formal communication from the president on government formation and this has been forwarded to Delhi's lieutenant governor (LG) Najeeb Jung.

"It means the LG can now decide when and where to hold the swearing-in ceremony," a ministry official told IANS.

According to a statement from the Delhi secretariat: "The President has directed that Kejriwal may be asked to prove his majority on the floor of the house within seven days from the date on which he takes oath of office."

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said Kejriwal would take oath as Delhi's chief minister on Saturday at Ramlila Maidan.

"We have requested the lieutenant governor that we want to take oath December 28 (Saturday), and he has agreed," AAP's Kumar Vishwas told reporters.

Besides Kejriwal, the president has approved the list of six AAP ministers — Manish Sisodia, Somnath Bharti, Satyendra Kumar Jain, Rakhi Birla, Girish Soni and Saurabh Bhardwaj — to be sworn in, said a statement.

The AAP has 28 seats in the 70-member house. The Congress, which is extending outside support to the government, has eight legislators. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 31 seats in the December 4 assembly polls.

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Congress warns AAP against political witch hunting

NEW DELHI: Amid indications from AAP that it may pursue alleged instances of corruption during Sheila Dikshit's 15-year tenure in Delhi, Congress on Wednesday said it will not keep mum if the government which is to be led by Arvind Kejriwal resorts to any political witch hunting.

"We will definitely raise our voices if any party tries to settle its political vendetta and does something," Delhi Congress chief, Arvinder Singh Lovely, told reporters here.

Referring to AAP's stand against corruption, Singh said it was the duty of every chief minister to fight corruption.

"It is the duty of the chief minister and everybody concerned to fight corruption. When they take oath, they also take an oath to fight corruption. It does not necessarily have to be mentioned in election manifestos," he said.

Meanwhile, reiterating that there was no change in the Congress stand of backing AAP in government formation, Singh said the party will only extend its support to the new dispensation in the legislative assembly.

"Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed and former Delhi Congress chief JP Agarwal had written to lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on December 13 stating that Congress was extending outside support ... We are sticking to that," Singh said, adding that a meeting of the Congress legislative party is to be held to discuss their strategy in the assembly.

On the question of AAP writing to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to elicit the party's stand on the 18 points raised by it, Singh said that it has been clarified that most of those issues were related to executive decisions which any party in power was free to adopt.

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CISF officer restores Rs 90k lost in Delhi metro

NEW DELHI: A bag containing Rs 90,000 cash was restored by a CISF officer to a commuter who forgot it at the Delhi metro station recently.

The incident had happened on December 23 at Chandni Chowk metro station when a Delhi resident forgot to pick his bag containing the amount from the X-ray baagage machine after he put it in the machine for scanning.

Assistant sub-inspector Laxman Das, deployed at Delhi metro security, detected the bag lying unattended and after proper security checks handed it over to the station manager.

"The passenger, who lost the bag, has been identified as Sachin Agarwal and when he came back, the bag was returned to him after verification," a senior CISF officer said.

The identity of the passenger was also verified by CCTV footage, the officer said.

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Unease in sections of Congress over support to AAP to form govt

NEW DELHI: Reflecting the unease in sections of Congress over its support to AAP to form government in Delhi, senior party leader Janardan Dwivedi on Tuesday said there was an opinion in the party that the decision to support AAP was perhaps not correct and it should have instead raised people's issues as an opposition.

Dwivedi's remarks came on a day when Congress workers are protesting the party's decision to support Arvind Kejriwal's bid to form government. Ever since AAP decided to form government Congress leaders have been repeatedly emphasising that their support to AAP is not unconditional.

Talking to reporters about the conflicting opinions in Congress over the issue, Dwivedi said, "There is also an opinion that perhaps the decision to support AAP in this manner was not correct. Some people feel this."

"Their argument is that Delhi voters have not given their support to Congress to the extent that the party could win only eight seats and it has not even got the post of leader of the opposition. Perhaps, it would have been appropriate that we would have left it to others to form government whoever wanted it."

In this condition, he said, we would have played the role of opposition and continued to raise the issues of people like a responsible opposition.

Maintaining that the Congress government in Delhi in last 15 years changed the face of the city, Dwivedi said, "Despite this voters did not accept us ... It was not our duty ... whether somebody forms the government or not."

The Congress general secretary, whose voice matters in the party, at the same time said, "Since now a proposal (to support AAP) has already been made, we have to carry on with that as well. Perhaps we will have to find out a middle path."

He parried a question whether Congress could withdraw support to AAP later, saying Congress does not follow an extremist approach.

Scores of Congress supporters had held a demonstration outside the DPCC office in protest against the party's decision to extend outside support to AAP as it looks to form the government in Delhi.

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AAP’s 18 terms for accepting support

NEW DELHI: The AAP had laid down 18 guidelines before the Congress before accepting any kind of support from them.

Following are those 18 terms which have made AAP a unique entity in Delhi's political puzzle.

1) Ending VIP culture, special security, special funds, and Lutyens' bungalows for ministers

2) Passage of Jan Lokpal bill in Delhi assembly, implying consent for probing scams under Cong and BJP watch

3) Swaraj: People to decide on issues related to their mohallas, colonies and bylanes

4) Full statehood for Delhi, with control over DDA and Delhi Police

5) Audit of discom accounts for setting fair power tariff

6) Independent agency to test calibration of power meters; excess billed amount to be refunded to consumers

7) Crackdown on water mafia, reorganization of Delhi Jal Board, and 700-litre free water supply to every home

8) Regularization of all unauthorized colonies within one year

9) No demolition of slums until their residents are given pucca homes on easy terms

10) No contractual employment of blue- and whitecollar workers in the government sector

11) Simplification of VAT, rates, and better infrastructure for industry

12) No FDI in retail in Delhi

13) Special protection force for women; new courts and more judges to decide cases of crime against women in 3-6 months

14) No acquisition of village land without gram sabha permission; increase in lal dora land

15) 500 new government schools; end system of donation in private schools

16) Opening new government hospitals

17) New courts and more judges to solve all other cases within six months to one year

18) Build pressure on Centre for solutions to city's problems

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All you want to know about Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal, the firebrand activist who has successfully upset the uneasy balance of power in Delhi's political scene, is all set to become the national capital's chief minister.

Here's looking at what makes the AAP chief 'Kejriwall'

Kejriwal the man

Born: August 16, 1968 in Hisar, Haryana

Father: Gobind Ram Kejriwal, electrical engineer from Mesra's Birla Institute of Technology

Mother: Gita Devi. He also has a younger brother and sister

Marriage: Kejriwal married Sunita, IRS officer, his batchmate from civil services training days in Mussoorie. The two joined the IRS together

Personal life: Kejriwal is a vegetarian and keen practitioner of Vipassana for many years

1985: Joined IIT, Kharagpur, for degree in mechanical engineering

1989: Joined Tata Steel, posted at Jamshedpur. Took leave to study for civil services entrance

1992: Quit job. Spent time in Kolkata, at the Ramakrishna Mission in north-east India

1995: Joined Indian Revenue Service after clearing civils entrance in first shot. In between, met Mother Teresa, worked with her

1999-2000: Took a two-year sabbatical on condition that upon resuming his work he wouldn't resign for at least three years. He initiated movement Parivartan. Focused on assisting citizens in navigating income tax, electricity and food ration matters

2003: Rejoined IRS, worked for 18 months. Continued social work, activism

2006: Won Ramon Magsaysay Award for helping enact RTI Act. Resigned from IRS. Donated Magsaysay award money as corpus to found NGO Public Cause Research Foundation

2011: Zoomed into public glare, political ire and national stage with Anna Hazare's fast to pass the Jan Lokpal bill

2012: Launched Aam Aadmi Party

Dec 2013: Defeated three-term CM Sheila Dixit in Delhi assembly election by 25,864 votes

The systems man

Kejriwal has in the past spoken well of the Delhi Metro. Unlike the Indian Railways, he says, the capital's metro service isn't a sea of confusion and chaos. And that's because the service has correct systems in place. He owns a car but has been known to take the metro frequently to work.

Perfection fetish

Colleagues close to the AAP leader say he's fastidious and would cross out documents, mark them in red, make repeated alterations just to ensure it is to his liking — perfect and just the way he'd like it to be. He is never tired of revising and revising the lokpal draft, for instance, making margin jottings during his innumerable meetings with senior colleagues, typing, chopping, changing paragraphs, sentences and words.

Mr cool

He's known to be a demanding man to work with, more respected than feared. Colleagues say they've hardly seen him lose temper. He doesn't take people to task but when miffed, instead takes on the task himself. When annoyed, colleagues say he goes quiet and retreats into his offi ce, shutting the door behind him.

Only the best

Kejriwal finished school in 1985 and decided he would go to IIT. His dad Gobind Kejriwal advised him to apply to other engineering colleges as well but Kejriwal said he wouldn't even consider joining such an option. He had set his mind on going to the best engineering college in the country and wouldn't settle for anything less.

'Papa mein hai dum'

In an interview to a newsmagazine, Kejriwal's 12-yr-old son Pulkit proudly said his dad was enough for all the opponents. Because "papa mein hai dum". Daughter Harshita (17) is equally proud, their teachers and seniors are AAP followers. Kejriwal's believes the way his son's life has played out shows he has "god's blessings". Thus, "No one can harm my son."

Rock of support Sunita

His wife Sunita, also an IRS officer, is the family's backbone. Kejriwal's mother Geeta Devi recalled to reporters the day her son called up to say he had found the girl he wanted to marry. And how they went on to have "an arranged marriage" . Down-to-earth Sunita said she treats her husband's job, as any other. She told a magazine last year, "I just want him and the kids to remain least affected by all this."

A man possessed

Kejriwal's energy levels are unbelievably high, and party colleagues say he sleeps barely four hours a day. The night before Anna Hazare's Ramlila Maidan fast, he and other senior leaders spent the night at Kiran Bedi's house. Colleagues say Kejriwal coughed through the night. The next morning, he nibbled at a plain toast, drank a cup of milk and was off to the venue in a flash.

Averse to ceremony

In the revenue service, Kejriwal was Spartan, no-nonsense and absolutely upright. He refused to have a peon, cleaned his own desk, emptied his dustbin and studiously avoided office get-togethers. Those who saw him then recall how he'd be seen at a tea stall near his office or else in his office room, withdrawn, doing his work. A man who is apparently averse to ceremony, he does not celebrate his birthday and those of his children.

First day lessons

On the first day of his job in 1995 in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Kejriwal recalls what a senior official told him: the 27-year-old was advised how to make money at the start of one's career and then "pretend to be an honest officer for the rest of his life". A shocked Kejriwal said it impacted the shape his career took, from a small bureaucrat to activist to politician.

Magsaysay man

Kejriwal was at an RTI event in 2006 the day he got to know he had been awarded the year's Magsaysay Award. He had spoken nonstop, engaging students and activists to file RTI applications when his phone rang. He took the call and later informed a colleague he had received the prestigious award. Moments later, he was back at what he was doing, normal as ever.

Surprise treats

Kejriwal is known to perk up the mood of his officewallahs with impromptu treats of patties or ice cream for the entire staff. He takes time out to chat with people and doesn't let phone calls break the conversation.

Blunt talker

Delhi's CM-in-waiting has been provocative and outspoken in front of TV cameras, unbelievably blunt at times. Senior colleagues such as Prashant Bhushan have been seen straining and trying their best to rein him in. The Kejriwal of the early days and the man now are somewhat different, he appears a lot more restrained and mellowed.

Movie buff

Though he has "hardly got any time" with his family the last year, Kejriwal said in an interview he liked to take his kids to watch films. He is a fan of Aamir Khan and admires his work and enjoys comedies as well.

A regular student

His IIT batchmates say his foray into activism and politics was a bolt out of the blue for them. In his college days, Kejriwal never professed an interest in either going out with friends to play cards or for a round of drinks. Friends remember him as being more interested in theatre than academics.

Friends network

His close friends from college days helped him raise loans to reimburse the government when he took his voluntary retirement from the civil service after he had taken two years' paid study leave. In fact, it's his friends reportedly who pitched in with Rs 25,000 every month for a living so he could continue his fight against corruption. Kejriwal said the remaining expenses were borne by wife Sunita, an additional commissioner in the income-tax department.

Steel worker

Once out of IIT Kharagpur, Kejriwal joined Tata Steel in Jamshedpur, and apparently liked the job. He admired the hard work and sincerity the workers displayed. He served the company for three years and returned to Delhi because he wanted to take the civil services exam. His dream was to join the police service, but he qualified for Indian Revenue Service.

Universe's power

On breaking his two-week fast in April 2013, Kejriwal talked of what gave him the strength. "I'm diabetic. When I started my fast doctors said I wouldn't live beyond two days but I survived and fasted for 15. If you walk on the path of truth all the powers in the universe help you".

Compiled from interviews and profiles published in various media

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AAP releases video justifying Congress support

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released a video justifying its decision to take outside support from the Congress to form a government in Delhi.

Posted on Twitter, the video starts with a question: "Should we form the government?" The party says it put the query before 26 lakh people in Delhi.

"Majority of people told us to form the government and prove that we can deliver. They told us to run the government for as long as we could. We bow to the people's decision," Aam Aadmi Party founder-leader Arvind Kejriwal said in the video, which is of about two minutes' duration.

"Yes, we are forming a minority government with outside support," says the video.

It then goes on to explain how a minority government works and assures people that no ministry will be given to the Congress and neither will the party be a part of the government.

It reiterates that action against corrupt Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress ministers will be taken and that the AAP will implement all the 18 promises.

"We don't think of Congress or the BJP. We think only of the common man. Our focus is on solving people's problems," says the video as it ends with the words "everyday democracy."

The video was posted on video sharing site YouTube Dec 22 and has so far got over 10,000 views.

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Delhi govt: Arvind Kejriwal 'finalizes' his team of ministers

GHAZIABAD: Arvind Kejriwal is understood to have finalized his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others to be inducted into his ministry that will be sworn in later this week.

Besides Sisodia, a former journalist who won from Patparganj constituency, the cabinet will include Rakhi Birla, the giant killer who defeated PWD minister Rajkumar Chouhan, Somnath Bharti (defeated Women and child development minister Kiran Walia) Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain, said Bharadwaj after a meeting with Kejriwal.

However, party sources said there could be changes before the team is finalized.

Kejriwal may be sworn in as chief minister at an oath-taking ceremony in Ramlila Maidan once President Pranab Mukherjee clears the lieutenant governor's proposal in this regard.

Throughout the day Kejriwal held discussions at his residence here with party leaders including Sisodia.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal is understood to have decided to pick up senior IAS officer, Rajendra Kumar as chief minister's principal secretary.

Like Kejriwal, 47-year-old Kumar, at present higher education secretary, is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur.

Kumar met Kejriwal at his residence here. Chief secretary DM Spolia also met Kejriwal. They were described as courtesy calls. Birla, Bharti, Jain and Soni met Kejriwal.

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Anoushka Shankar enthralls Delhiites

There was much nodding to the beats and keeping time with the musicians when Anoushka Shankar performed in Delhi recently. The performance was a part of her Traces Of Youtour, and had already been in the news for a song dedicated to the victim of the December 16 gang-rape. "I heard about it in the US, and like many others, I felt a deep sense of anger and frustration," she said, and added, "Since I was in the studio, I ended up writing a song to express my feelings." That and the other widely varied pieces had the audience on their feet when the concert ended.

One of the special members of the ensemble that accompanied Anoushka was Manu Delago, on western percussion. Apart from the drums, Manu played a strangely melodious instrument called the hang. The hang, he told us, was developed after much scientific research, in Switzerland, in 2000. "It's somewhere between a tabla and a harp," said Manu of its sound. The hang is made up of two steel basins joined at the rim, creating a 'UFO shape' - striking the top produces a multitude of unexpected notes, and not the metallic clang one would expect.

Manu and Anoushka met in London, and started jamming together. When asked if he's ever tried his hand at an Indian percussion instrument, he said he'd tried the tabla, but hadn't practiced it with any seriousness.

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BJP cries foul as AAP set to form govt with 'conditional' Congress support

NEW DELH: BJP leader and party's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that by taking support of Congress to form government in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has proved that they were hungry for power.

"The AAP fought the election on the anti-corruption plank and now they have taken support from a party that has been completely rejected by the people of Delhi. This proves that AAP is hungry for power ... This is a 'betrayal' of the wishes of the people of Delhi." Harsh Vardhan said.

In the recently concluded Delhi assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 31 seats with ally Shiromani Akali Dal getting one seat, short of the the halfway mark in the 70-member house.

The Congress which got 8 seats offered support to AAP to form a government.

The BJP decided not to stake claim to form the government leaving the field open for Arvind Kejriwal-lead AAP to "respect the mandate of the voters in Delhi".

AAP told the lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung that it needed 10 days to decide on whether it would form the government. AAP then held a "referendum" to ask people whether it should form a minority government with Congress support.

Harsh Vardhan criticized AAP for seeking the opinion of the people whether to form a government or not. He said that the opinion of a "few hundred" cannot supersede the mandate of millions of people.

"Around 70 per cent of the people of Delhi had given their mandate and chosen their representative and now you go out on streets and ask some hundreds of people to give a mandate that is an insult to the real dimension of democracy," the BJP leader said.

Noo unconditional support to AAP: Cong

Meanwhile, outgoing Congress chief minister Sheila Dikshit, whose 15-year-old reign ended in the assembly polls with a complete rout made it clear on Monday that her party's support to AAP in the hung assembly was "not unconditional".

She welcomed AAP's decision to form the government and hoped the new party will be able to fulfil the promises made to people.

Speaking to reporters, Dikshit said, "We had said that we will give them outside support. The support is not unconditional. I congratulate them for deciding to form government and hope that they will be able to fulfil the promises they made to people of Delhi."

Dikshit said Congress will continue its support to AAP as long it delivers but expressed doubts whether the party will be able to fulfil all its promises like cutting power tariff by 50 per cent and providing 700 litres of free water daily to each household.

"We will support them as long they deliver. We already knew that it is not possible to fulfil the kind of promises they made," Dikshit said.

"We are extending outside support. It is not unconditional. We are supporting them only for the policies they are talking about. If they can provide relief to the people of Delhi, it is well and good," she added.

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No unconditional support to AAP: Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Sheila Dikshit, whose 15-year-old reign was ended by Aam Admi Party in the assembly polls, today made it clear that Congress support to it was "not unconditional".

Welcoming AAP's decision to form the government, she hoped the new party will be able to fulfil the promises made to people.

"We had said that we will give them outside support. The support is not unconditional. I congratulate them for deciding to form government and hope that they will be able to fulfil the promises they made to people of Delhi," Dikshit told reporters.

Earlier, AAP decided to form government in the city by taking outside support from the Congress. The party took the decision to form the government at a meeting of political affairs committee after analysing the results of the public referendum it had carried out in the last few days on the issue.

Dikshit said Congress will continue its support to AAP as long it delivers but expressed doubts whether the party will be able to fulfil all its promises like cutting power tariff by 50% and providing 700 litres of free water daily to each household.

"We will support them as long they deliver. We already knew that it is not possible to fulfil the kind of promises they made," the three-time chief minister said.

"We are extending outside support. It is not unconditional. We are supporting them only for the policies they are talking about. If they can provide relief to the people of Delhi, it is well and good," she said.

The Congress was trounced by the AAP in the December 4 polls as it managed to win only eight seats in the 70-member assembly.

Dikshit was critical of AAP leaders as she accused them of using "uncivilized" language against the Congress even after it announced support to the new party.

"Their language is not good. It is uncivilized. We can criticize each other but the language should be civil," she said.

Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi Shakeel Ahmed said the party was with AAP.

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Kejriwal stakes claim to form govt; LG sends proposal to President

NEW DELHI: Ending the fortnight-long deadlock, the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday staked claim to form the government in the national capital with outside support from the Congress which it had trounced in the December 4 assembly polls.

After the political affairs committee (PAC) met this morning and decided to go with the results of the 'referendum' which overwhelmingly favoured the party taking the reins of power, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal met lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung and handed over him a letter staking claim to form government.

45-year-old Kejriwal, who was the party's face in the elections, will be the new chief minister who will be sworn-in at a public event in the Ramlila Maidan, the venue of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement for a Janlokpal Bill.

He said he would table a confidence motion in the assembly and "let's see what happens". This will be the capital's first minority government.

The date and timing of the swearing-in ceremony would be decided once President Pranab Mukherjee gives his decision, Jung told Kejriwal when he met him.

The lieutenant governor told Kejriwal that he would send the proposal of government making to the President for his decision.

After the two-hour-long meeting of the PAC at AAP office in Kausambi nearby Ghaziabad district, Kejriwal said AAP has decided to give a letter to the lieutenant governor expressing its readiness to form the government.

"We were called by the lieutenant governor to discuss government formation on December 14. We had sought time to take a decision as ours is a party of common people and we want to their views.

"We got responses from the citizens through website, phone calls, SMS and by holding public meetings and most of them favoured government formation by AAP. We are now going to give the letter to LG saying that AAP is ready to form the government," Kejriwal told reporters at AAP's office in Kausambi here.

He said the party held 280 public meetings across Delhi and in 257 such gatherings people favoured formation of government by the party while the rest opined that they it should not take powers.

There has been deadlock over government formation in Delhi for nearly two weeks after the announcement of the results on December 8. AAP has 28 seats while Congress with 8 has agreed to give outside support. BJP is the single largest party with 31 seats in its kitty.

A civil servant-turned-politician, Kejriwal had himself participated in scores of meetings in the last one week to know people's views on government formation.

The debutant party was under pressure to form government after BJP refused to do so and Congress wrote to Delhi lieutenant governor about giving unconditional support to AAP to form the government.

Earlier, both Congress and BJP had attacked AAP for refusing to form the government, saying it was shying away from the responsibilities knowing that it cannot fulfil the promises like cutting the power tariff by 50% and providing 700 litres of free water daily to each household in the city.

After the results of the polls were out, AAP had ruled out taking support of any political party to form the government, saying it will play the role of a "constructive opposition".

Asserting that there was no confusion over the chief ministerial candidate, Sisodia said Kejriwal has been party's choice for the top post.

"There were rumours about who will be the chief minister. AAP had said earlier that the party would contest election with Arvind Kejriwal as CM candidate. Then in our manifesto also we have reiterated this. After the election results were out, he was elected as the leader of the legislative party. So Arvind Kejriwal will be the chief minister," Sisodia said.

To criticism about holding public meetings on the issue, Kejriwal said unlike other parties, AAP wants participation of public on important issues and to bring real democracy.

AAP, which made an electrifying debut in the polls, was formally launched on November 26, 2012.

It came into existence following differences between Kejriwal and Hazare regarding whether or not to politicize the popular India Against Corruption (IAC) movement that had been demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill since 2011.

Hazare preferred that the movement should remain apolitical while Kejriwal felt the failure of the agitation route necessitated a direct political involvement.

The AAP has led several protests since its formation. Among these was a campaign against an alleged nexus between government and private corporations relating to price rise for electricity and water in Delhi. Another saw the party demanding justice for victims of sexual harassment and rape, including the introduction of a stronger anti-rape law.

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Not sure how long AAP-led govt in Delhi will last: Bhushan

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has decided to form the government in Delhi with outside support from Congress, is not sure about the longevity of the ministry as its leaders feel that going by the "track record" of the century-old party, it is to be seen how long it will last.

Making it clear that AAP won't accept any of Congress' conditions and implement its own agenda and fulfil promises, AAP leader Prashant Bhushan on Monday said, "If Congress and BJP join hands to pull down our government, it's their wish."

He said that AAP, with 28 seats in the 70-member assembly, has decided to form the government after taking the views of the people, who overwhelmingly voted in favour of government formation with outside support from eight-member Congress.

"Given the past track record of the Congress party, I don't expect that our government will survive for long... one month, four months or six months, it is to be seen," Bhushan said.

"Even though it will be a minority government, we are prepared not to accept any condition by Congress or BJP. We will be faithfully implementing our agenda and our manifesto promises... We are not forming the government given the fact that it may for a certain period of time," he said.

Bhushan also said that AAP was forming the ministry to show the people of the country that there are different ways of running a government than what is being practised by the Congress and BJP.

"That, it is possible to run the government on the basis of the people's opinion and their views. It is possible in this country to run a government by doing away with the VIP culture. It is possible to run a government for the purpose for changing the political system, make it more responsive to the people and that's the message we want to give," he said.

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Aam Aadmi Party indicates it's ready for power in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems set to form a government in Delhi, with party leader Arvind Kejriwal saying on Sunday that "a major announcement" will be made on Monday.

As the party's campaign to elicit a "yes" or "no" from people in the capital on government formation entered its final phase, the AAP said that most voters favoured an AAP government.

It also said that AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is tipped to be the chief minister, will address the media at 11am Monday and then proceed to meet Delhi's lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung.

"Majority of the feedback we have received is 'yes'," spokeswoman Ashwathi Muralidharan told IANS.

The party has got responses from over 6.5 lakh people through SMS, interactive voice response (IVR), Facebook and the AAP web site, she said.

Separately, AAP held public meetings in some 270 municipal wards of Delhi, covering the entire city, where too most people said they were for an AAP government, party leaders said.

Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service official, indicated earlier Sunday that his year-old party was preparing to take power with Congress backing despite a split election verdict.

"We will deliver whatever assurances we made in our manifesto. It (manifesto) was prepared after wide consultations, and a lot of thought went into it," he said.

"Moreover, the people of Delhi are expecting much more from us, and we will perform."

Later in the evening, Kejriwal told a public meeting in Sarojini Nagar in south Delhi that his party will keep "returning to the people" on major issues — even after forming a government.

"This is democracy, this is real democracy," he said, denying criticism that the AAP's decision to seek a referendum on whether or not it should take power was "nautanki" (drama).

But AAP leaders made it clear that there would be no alliance with the Congress, which has only eight seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly but which agreed to prop up a government of AAP (28 seats).

The BJP, which finished as the largest group with 31 seats, decided not to form a government after falling short of the half-way mark by five.

The BJP's "no" forced the LG to invite the AAP to try form a government. Kejriwal then said he was in a moral dilemma on whether or not to take power with Congress help, and decided to seek people's views.

The AAP's "yes" or "no" campaign was announced December 17. The campaign ends on Sunday midnight.

The AAP initially said it would be happy to sit in the opposition but was forced to reconsider following accusations that it had developed cold feet over fulfilling many of the promises it made in its manifesto.

These included providing 700 liters of free water to residents and a 50 percent cut in power tariff.

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AAP to make announcement on government formation in Delhi on Monday

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party said on Sunday that the final announcement on whether it will form a government in Delhi will be made Monday after the party gets the opinion of Delhiites.

"Lot of public meetings are going on today (Sunday), including four in my own constituency (New Delhi). We will make the declaration tomorrow (Monday) morning only after we get the opinion of the people," AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal told reporters here.

"This is for the first time that such a thing is happening in India. Earlier, the common man's role was limited to just voting but we are going out to them and making them feel empowered," he added. "We are the talk of the town. This is true democracy."

The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP), the single largest party with 31 seats in the 70-member house, has declined to form a government. The AAP netted 28 seats and was invited by the Delhi LG to form the ministry, but has sought time to reply.

The Congress party was routed in the Delhi elections, winning only eight seats. It offered outside support to the AAP.

Kejriwal rebuffed allegations that AAP was hesitant to form government as it was not sure whether it would be able to fulfil the promises made in its election manifesto.

"We will deliver whatever we assured in our manifesto. It (the manifesto) was prepared after wide consultations and a lot of thought went into it."

"Moreover, the people of Delhi are expecting much more from us and we will perform," he said.

Kejriwal said that if the party did form the government in Delhi, the promised date of Dec 29 to pass the Lokpal bill in Delhi will have to be postponed by a week.

"A lot of time has been lost in the process to form government. If we do form government, the date to pass the bill will have to be shifted by around a week. But we will definitely pass it," said Kejriwal.

Before the Delhi assembly elections, Kejriwal had claimed that his party, if voted to power, would pass the Jan Lokpal Bill at Ramlila Maidan, the venue of some strong rallies and fasts in support of the anti-graft legislation, here Dec 29.

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Delhi youth gets 20 years' jail for raping child

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sentenced a youth to 20 years in prison for raping a seven-year-old child, saying that the society expects the perpetrator of this crime to be dealt with sternly.

Additional sessions judge Virender Bhat also slapped a fine of Rs 45,000 on Anil Kumar, 19, observing that the convict's crime is intensely grave and serious in nature as the child did not even know the names of human sex organs, and would not have realised or understood while being raped.

"The society looks upon the crime with utmost indignation and abhorrence and expects the perpetrator of this crime to be dealt with sternly," said the judge in an order whose details were released late Saturday.

Terming rape the most hated crime, he said: "Not only does it affect the physique and psychology of the victim, but has an impact upon the society as a whole."

Justice Bhat, while turning down the convict's plea for leniency, said the court cannot ignore the impact of the crime and society's expectations while dealing with such criminals.

Kumar sought leniency saying he has no past criminal antecedents, and has to look after his ailing mother.

"The age of the convict or his family background do not impress me and do not persuade me to take any lenient view in favour of the convict," the judge said.

The court said that it is difficult to imagine the intense mental trauma and torture the victim must have suffered, and added that people found guilty of raping minor girls do not deserve any leniency or mercy.

Police lodged a complaint against Kumar in April 2012 under various charges dealing with kidnapping, and raping a minor.

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We will perform, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal says

NEW DELHI: "We will perform," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, in the first clear indication that his party was ready to form a government in Delhi despite a hung verdict.

Addressing the media, Kejriwal said it was wrong to say that his party was shy of taking power despite being invited by the LG after it won 28 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly.

"We will deliver whatever assurances we made in our manifesto. It (the manifesto) was prepared after wide consultations and a lot of thought went into it," Kejriwal said.

"Moreover, the people of Delhi are expecting much more from us, and we will perform," he added.

The AAP is engaged in getting a 'yes' or 'no' from people in the capital on whether or not it should form a government with the legislative support of the Congress, a party it fought against in the elections.

Kejriwal said the party was holding public meetings across the city.

"We will make the declaration tomorrow (Monday) morning only after we get the opinion of the people," he said.

"This is the first time such a thing is happening in India.

"Earlier, the common man's role was limited to just voting. But we are going back to them and making them feel empowered," he added. "We are the talk of the town. This is true democracy."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the single largest party in the house with 31 seats, declined to form a government.

The Congress was routed and won only eight seats. It has offered outside support to the AAP.

Kejriwal said if the party did form a government in Delhi, the promised date of Dec 29 to pass the Lokpal Bill in Delhi would have to be postponed by a week.

"A lot of time has been lost... If we form government, the date to pass the bill will have to be shifted by around a week. But we will definitely pass it."

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'Builder' held for duping people of crores

NEW DELHI: Passing himself as a builder and a financial advisor, a 60-year-old man, who used his persuasive skills to cheat hundreds of people to the tune of Rs 200 crore, has been arrested here, police said on Sunday.

Vijay Dixit, wanted in around 30 cases of cheating, was arrested from a farmhouse in Mahipalpur area of south Delhi Saturday.

"Dixit used his age and influencing skills to cheat the investors," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Praveer Ranjan.

Dixit used to project himself as a builder, developer, and financial advisor having membership of Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), he said.

"He conned the investors by promising high returns on their investments in real estate projects," said Ranjan.

"In one such matter, Dixit took money from a large number of people in the name of residential plots' pre-launch in Haryana's Sonepat town by floating a project named SBL City, despite neither having the land nor permission for the project," Ranjan said.

"After collecting money, he vanished leaving the investors in lurch," he added.

Similarly, Dixit cheated Manjula Pathak Kripendorf of more than Rs.90 lakh promising to develop her property situated in the posh Defence Colony area of south Delhi.

"In yet another case of misappropriation, he floated a company in the name of Senior Power Projects Limited and promised high returns to people by inviting investments in commodity trading at MCX.

"After receiving investments of Rs.1.70 crore (approximately) he ran away duping more than 100 investors," the officer said.

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DTC organizes health camps

NEW DELHI: Delhi Transport Corporation is organizing a health check-up camp for its employees from December 20 to January 3.

The camps will be held in 14 depots at Indraprastha, Wazirpur, Noida, Keshopur, Rohini, Hasanpur, Shadipur, Hari Nagar, Seemapuri, Millennium Depot and BBM Complex.

"The camps are being organized with the help of Metro Hospital & Heart Institute and Dr BL Kapoor Memorial Hospital," said a DTC spokesman.

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Extortion ring: 2 cops, kingpin held

NEW DELHI: The mastermind of a gang that used to blackmail people by posing as cops after laying a honey trap using sex workers has been arrested along with two constables. The other members were arrested in August, but the mastermind, Jitender, was on the run.

Police said the gang used to lure a victim and take him to a room where a a girl posed as a pimp and kept a watch on him. Once the victim rose to the bait, the other members barged into the room and pretended to be from the crime branch. They started to 'arrest' the victim, who would beg them to let him free. They would then demand hefty sums to stop any proceedings against him. In the last incident, they demanded Rs 6 lakh from the victim and a deal was struck for Rs 3 lakh.

Jitender is from Mathura. After his marriage, he shifted to Mangolpuri. He then came in contact with one of his accomplishes, Neeraj, who was a local criminal and committed petty thefts in the area.

In 2011, he opened a meat shop in Mangolpuri and met Manoj, who was a police constable posted there. Jitender was known to Pawan, a constable posted in crime branch. Acting as a police informer, he started laying honey traps.

"We are interrogating him to find out the details of the other victims whom they had lured and extorted earlier," said Ravindra Yadav, additional CP, crime.

Police said that during interrogations Jitender has said that Pawan used to guide the team about the police functioning and how to evade being caught. He said he used to hire sex workers with the help of one of his accomplices named Vijay who was arrested earlier and used to make them lure his victims to his house.

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Cops oppose Tunda’s bail plea

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Friday opposed the bail plea of Lashkar-e-Taiba bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda in the Sadar Bazar blasts case, saying that he would tamper with evidence if granted bail.

Filing its reply before chief metropolitan magistrate Amit Bansal, police said Tunda should not be granted bail at this stage. The court has fixed January 3 for hearing arguments on the bail plea.

Seventy-two-year-old Tunda, who is in judicial custody in connection with various terror attack cases, had on December 17 filed a bail plea in the 1997 Sadar Bazar blasts case. The LeT bomb expert, in his plea filed through advocate MS Khan, had said he has been chargesheeted by police only on the basis of "disclosure statements" made by two accused who were arrested earlier in connection with the case.

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Dhananjay Singh in judicial custody till January 2

A trial court has sent BSP MP Dhananjay Singh to judicial custody till January 2 in connection with a rape case registered against him by a 42-year-old woman. The BSP leader was booked under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC after the woman filed a complaint at east Delhi's Pandav Nagar police station, claiming that he had raped her several times at gunpoint.

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East Corporation unearths transport scam of Rs 25cr, lens on 2 officials

NEW DELHI: A scam to the tune of Rs 25 crore has come to light at East Delhi Municipal Corporation. For the past 19 months, the corporation has been buying diesel for its trucks and loaders at the rate of Rs 63.10 per litre, which is Rs 10.04 more than the market price. Records show that about 50 litres of diesel was used by the trucks daily when many of them didn't even go for the rounds.

So far, the corporation has initiated action against two officials for their involvement in the case.

Compared to North and South Corporations, East Corporation has spent Rs 2.06 crore more on fuel purchase. "The document shows that the officials were buying the fuel directly from the company, while it was Rs 10 less in the market.

Even the hiring rate of vehicles was Rs 212 more. It is scam right under our nose and the officials are doing nothing about it," alleged Mehek Singh, standing committee member , East Corporation.

These trucks and loaders are used to collect garbage and dump it at the Ghazipur landfill site. "As per the norms, kilometer readings are written and the fuel is filled accordingly . But the documents show that all the vehicles used 50 litres of fuel every day. Moreover, only the engineer-in chief has the power to procure or hire these vehicles. But in this case, even junior and superintendent engineer have sanctioned the file, which is a violation of the corporation rules," added Singh.

Even the spare parts in these vehicles , Singh added, were of poor quality. Bills have been produced even when no spares were fixed. "The vehicles were often defective, but a total of Rs 30 crore was spent on procuring them," he said. Sources said that a heavy penalty will be imposed on the erring officials . S Kumaraswamy, the commissioner , accepted the discrepancy in the papers. "If our counterparts are buying fuel at a lower price, then there is something wrong in our functioning. Also, the area of East Corporation's jurisdiction is smaller than other two corporations so the consumption should be less," he said.

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CP now 7th costliest for office space

NEW DELHI: Connaught Place has slipped two notches to become the world's seventh costliest office destination due to slowdown in the realty market and fall in rupee's exchange rate, property consultant CBRE has said.

Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) is at the 15th position, while Nariman Point stood at 32nd. Occupancy cost of CP stood at USD 156.65 per sq ft per annum. CBRE Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey provides data on office rents and occupancy costs as of September 2013. In the previous report, CP was ranked 5th, Mumbai's BKC was at 11th and Nariman Point 26th.

Commenting on the report, CBRE south Asia chairman and managing director Anshuman Magazine said, "In India, the drop in rankings is reflective of the slower Indian real estate market
coupled with rupee depreciation recently".

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‘Party won’t follow Centre’s time frame to form govt’

BANGALORE: Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav on Thursday said his party would not give in to the time frame given by the Centre to form the government in Delhi.

"We will not give in to someone else's calendar without consulting the people," he said. His assertion came after union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the central government would give some more days to AAP for government formation in Delhi.

Yadav said AAP would consult the citizens of Delhi no matter if any party or an individual gives a time-frame
to form government. Yesterday, AAP announced that it would distribute 25 lakh copies of a letter seeking people's views on the issue of government formation.

"If the constitutional calendar says you cannot form the government, that's all right. We will not form it," he said.

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Fog cover thins in Delhi, flights unaffected

NEW DELHI: The fog was not dense in the national capital on Friday morning, giving respite to the city and allowing for smooth air operations. Some trains coming into Delhi were, however, delayed.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the visibility at 8.30am was 300 metres.

The arrival and the departure of flights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport remained unaffected.

"Operations are running smoothly and no flights have been affected today (Friday) as the visibility is better compared to the past few days," said Kapil Sabarwal, spokesperson at the IGI airport.

Trains from Delhi were not disturbed, but those coming in from other parts of north India that are witnessing dense fog got delayed.

"The fog cover has weakened today (Friday) and there are no delays or rescheduling of trains in Delhi. However, 28 trains headed to Delhi (from parts of north India) are running late because of fog," northern railway spokesperson A S Negi said.

The met office has forecast a sunny day ahead for Delhiites, though light mist will return in the evening.

"The afternoon will be clear but there will be light fog in the evening. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 22 degrees Celsius," said an IMD official.

Fridays' minimum temperature was 11.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average.

Thursday's maximum temperature was 22.4 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of year. Minimum temperature settled at 10.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

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Distance and gender can wreck formula for many

NEW DELHI: As the news sinks in, many parents are finding the new nursery admission rules not quite suiting them, primarily because of the 'neighbourhood' criterion. They're finding both the allotment of 70 points and the definition of neighbourhood - areas within 6 km of the school - problematic.

For parents staying in areas with fewer "good" private schools, the options are few, and existing institutions will also have to cater to a much larger number of applicants. Another section of parents is unhappy about the points allocated to the 'sibling' and 'alumni' categories - 20 and five, respectively.

Parents argue that in a city like Delhi, 6km is too little. "I am disappointed and worried. I stay in Naraina Vihar where I have only two options. Springdales, Kirti Nagar, is one but they are already catering to Ramesh Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Mansarovar Garden...even Rajouri Garden and Naraina Vihar. The Delhi Cantonment schools are a good 10km away," says a hassled mother. She had been counting on points for a first child but that criterion no longer exists. The 20 points allowed to siblings of kids already enrolled in the schools will not help those living beyond 6km as the neighbourhood factor is far weightier .

Most parents would have accepted a more graded system of assigning points instead of a fixed 70 points for children living within 6km. They feel in a sprawling city like Delhi, it doesn't make sense to have 6km as the limit. Also, as another parent pointed out, the guidelines which are stringent in all other respects, allow the school to decide whether the 6 km will be identified on the basis of "aerial or road distance". The choice of "road distance" will further shrink the area covered.

"I already drive 11km to drop my kid to playschool and have no problem doing it. If parents are willing to take charge of dropping and picking up their kids, the government should not interfere," says a parent.

Added to it is the 5% quota for girls that is troubling some of the parents who have a single boy child. Pankaj Mishra, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase II, says, "In my phase there is just one school. Within 6km there are just five but it's a densely populated area. My child is not eligible for admission to schools beyond this area but he won't get alumni or sibling points either. Added to it is the 5% quota for girls."

However, most parents are pleased with the abolishing of the management quota and feel it has improved their chances of getting a seat. "I stay in a neighbourhood where there are 'good' schools and I'm likely to get 70 points. My child is a girl and, therefore, eligible for the 5% quota. Although there is no guarantee, chances are definitely better this year as even the management seats are now in the open category," said Dr Arnab Dasgupta of Max Super Speciality, Saket.

Kusum Sachdeva, a Moti Nagar resident, however, is pleased with the changes. "We have several schools within the 6km radius and we are getting the 70 points. But we are also a bit wary as the schools may resist," she says.

(Names of some parents who wished to remain anonymous have been withheld)

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Gang of robbers active in Delhi, NCR busted

GHAZIABAD: Police on Friday claimed to have busted a gang of robbers active in Delhi-NCR with the arrest of eight persons from Muradnagar area here.

Five country-made pistols, three knives, a gas cutter, two LPG cylinders and two cars were recovered from them, police said.

These gang members used to loot factories, they said. Acting on a tip-off, police laid a trap in Muradnagar area and arrested all the accused late last night.

"All the accused teamed up for robbing factories situated in Delhi-NCR. We got information that some robbers were coming to Muradnagar area. Police laid a trap and arrested all accused late last night," a senior police official said.

The eight persons arrested have been identified as Aarif, Mohit, Ravi, Shiv Kumar, Chote Lal, Shiv Singh, Rakesh and Vijay Pal, all aged between 26 and 33 years. Accused have confessed to their involvement in a dozen robbery cases.

"Police are now interrogating the arrested persons about their accomplices and we hope that some more arrests would soon happen," the officer said.

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Fog envelops Delhi, delays trains

NEW DELHI: Dense fog in the national capital on Thursday morning delayed trains, an official said. Flights were, however, not disrupted.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility dropped to less than 300 meters in some parts of the city at 8.30am.

"As a result, 25 trains were delayed, two were cancelled and two rescheduled," said a Northern Railway official.

However, the arrival and the departure of flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport were not affected on Thursday, said an airport official.

"The weather is better today (Thursday). The visibility is also better than what it was in the past two days. The flights arrival and departure are unlikely to get affected today (Thursday)," said Kapil Sabarwal, spokesperson at the IGI airport.

The IMD has forecast a sunny and clear day ahead.

The minimum temperature Thursday morning was recorded at 8.9 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average, while the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 22.3 degrees Celsius.

The met office said Delhi will experience a clear sky, but fog may return late evening.

The national capital has been witnessing dense fog since Monday and as per the met office, there will be no respite for the next few days.

Wednesday's maximum temperature was recorded at 23 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature dropped to 9 degrees Celsius.

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