Amid border tension, Chinese dig tunnel for Delhi Metro line

NEW DELHI: Amid the brouhaha in India over the border incursions by their troops, Chinese engineers were last week calmly tunneling in the heart of the national capital for the heritage line of the Delhi Metro network, signifying the growing commercial linkages between the two neighbours.

Engineers of the Shanghai Urban Construction Group (SUCG) lowered a massive 300-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) into a crater that was once a park in the shadows of the city's main mosque - the 17th century Jama Masjid in old Delhi.

A station will be built here as part of the Delhi Metro's 9.37 km Central Secretariat- Kashmiri Gate corridor, also called the heritage line because of its proximity to many monuments.

"Tunneling this section is quite a difficult and sensitive job because of so many historic monuments here. The task is complicated by the rocky and sandy nature of the soil in this section," Lu Yuanqiang, chairman, SUCG Infrastructure India, told IANS on location.

SUCG has formed a joint venture (JV) with Indian conglomerate L&T that has been awarded different projects by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). With another Indian company, it has already constructed the New Delhi Elevated Subway (viaduct) for the second phase of DMRC's project.

Lu said his company had the expertise required to stabilise the soil in rocky areas where tunneling disturbs stability and increases the risk of subsidence.

On the Mandi House-ITO section of the line, where soil conditions were much better, 500 metres (of the 750-metre long section) of tunnel had been constructed, he said.

The JV's 2009 tunnel section for the Delhi Metro Airport Express - again requiring specialised expertise - was completed well before schedule, Lu said.

The heritage line is located nine metres below the existing ramp for the Dwarka-Noida/Vaishali line and runs for 80 metres along the corridor.

"The work has to be meticulous as it's coming up under an operational corridor," Shen Chenming, the project director, told IANS. Shen, who has been in Delhi for nearly five years, leads the workforce that is largely Chinese.

Lu pointed out the difficulties that could arise from externalities in what is otherwise a fruitful collaboration between Indian and Chinese businesses.

"Specifically we face visa problems, delays and uncertainties if the relationship runs into complications for political reasons," he said.

From the business perspective, he had special praise for India, where, he said, public opinion ensures that it is "fair" for those wanting to do business.

"India is a very important market for us. The Indian market is open, fair and just, while active public opinion ensures this, at least from our experience in the construction sector," Lu said.

The SUCG-L&T JV also has the contract for constructing the tunnel and stations for the Delhi Metro's Vasant Vihar-Hauz Khas section.

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Amid border tensions, Chinese dig tunnel for Delhi Metro line

NEW DELHI: Amid the brouhaha in India over the border incursions by their troops, Chinese engineers were last week calmly tunneling in the heart of the national capital for the heritage line of the Delhi Metro network, signifying the growing commercial linkages between the two neighbours.

Engineers of the Shanghai Urban Construction Group (SUCG) lowered a massive 300-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) into a crater that was once a park in the shadows of the city's main mosque - the 17th century Jama Masjid in old Delhi.

A station will be built here as part of the Delhi Metro's 9.37 km Central Secretariat- Kashmiri Gate corridor, also called the heritage line because of its proximity to many monuments.

"Tunneling this section is quite a difficult and sensitive job because of so many historic monuments here. The task is complicated by the rocky and sandy nature of the soil in this section," Lu Yuanqiang, chairman, SUCG Infrastructure India, told IANS on location.

SUCG has formed a joint venture (JV) with Indian conglomerate L&T that has been awarded different projects by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). With another Indian company, it has already constructed the New Delhi Elevated Subway (viaduct) for the second phase of DMRC's project.

Lu said his company had the expertise required to stabilise the soil in rocky areas where tunneling disturbs stability and increases the risk of subsidence.

On the Mandi House-ITO section of the line, where soil conditions were much better, 500 metres (of the 750-metre long section) of tunnel had been constructed, he said.

The JV's 2009 tunnel section for the Delhi Metro Airport Express - again requiring specialised expertise - was completed well before schedule, Lu said.

The heritage line is located nine metres below the existing ramp for the Dwarka-Noida/Vaishali line and runs for 80 metres along the corridor.

"The work has to be meticulous as it's coming up under an operational corridor," Shen Chenming, the project director, told IANS. Shen, who has been in Delhi for nearly five years, leads the workforce that is largely Chinese.

Lu pointed out the difficulties that could arise from externalities in what is otherwise a fruitful collaboration between Indian and Chinese businesses.

"Specifically we face visa problems, delays and uncertainties if the relationship runs into complications for political reasons," he said.

From the business perspective, he had special praise for India, where, he said, public opinion ensures that it is "fair" for those wanting to do business.

"India is a very important market for us. The Indian market is open, fair and just, while active public opinion ensures this, at least from our experience in the construction sector," Lu said.

The SUCG-L&T JV also has the contract for constructing the tunnel and stations for the Delhi Metro's Vasant Vihar-Hauz Khas section.

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Aarushi-Hemraj murder case: Supreme Court agrees to hear Talwars' plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea of dentist couple Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, accused of killing their teenaged daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, for calling 14 witnesses to record their statements in the trial court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir posted for Friday hearing on the petition.

The Talwar couple have approached the apex court challenging the order of the special CBI court rejecting their plea for calling 14 other witnesses, including ADG (Law and Order) and the then CBI joint director Arun Kumar, to record their statements.

The trial court had dismissed their petition on May 6 and ordered recording of statements of Rajesh and Nupur, who are the main accused. The statement of CBI investigating officer AGL Kaul, the last prosecution witness, has already been recorded.

CBI has alleged in court that 14-year-old Aarushi's murder five years back was carried out by her parents and that no outsider was present.

In his deposition before the special court, Kaul, who headed the CBI probe, had submitted that the agency's investigation had revealed no evidence of any third person's entry into the Talwar residence.

Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in her bedroom on May 16, 2008. The initial suspicion went on Hemraj whose body was later found in the terrace at their residence in Jalvayu Vihar in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi.

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Bhartiya Kisan Union workers occupy toll plaza, demand DND be toll-free

NOIDA: Around 100 BKU members forcefully occupied Noida toll plaza of DND Flyway on Thursday and allowed vehicles to ply without paying toll for around half an hour to protest levy of toll on users of the flyway.

The protestors vacated the toll plaza after administration and DND (Delhi-Noida-Delhi) management urged them to end their demonstration and participate in discussions on the issue.

Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait told reporters at the site, "DND management has been charging the toll rates arbitrarily and has recently increased the toll rates. Cost has been recovered by the management, but still toll fee is being levied."

"It is a public road and it should be made toll free. We have given memorandum to UP chief minister to make DND toll free. We have told the DND management to show the copy of their agreement," he said.

DND management claimed as per the concession agreement with Noida Authority, toll collection period was 30 years.

It was made operational in 2001. Regarding hike in toll rates, as per state rules for such expressways, 10 per cent annual hike is permitted.

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1984 anti-Sikh riots: Life imprisonment for three, 2 escape with 3-year jail term

NEW DELHI: Three people were on awarded life imprisonment in a 29-year-old 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by a Delhi court which said the offences were grave as the victims of a particular community had been targeted and the acts of the convicts were most gruesome in nature.

District judge JR Aryan gave life term to ex-councillor Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal for murder and rioting in the case in which senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was acquitted on April 30, which CBI had reportedly said would challenge in the Delhi high court.

The court rejected CBI's plea for death sentence to Balwan, Lal and Bhagmal, saying their offence does not come under the category of rarest of rare warranting capital punishment.

"They had no special or personal animosity towards anyone or the deceased individually. The assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had blindfolded those youths and unfortunately, there was no leadership to bridle the mob frenzy unleashed with all cruelty," it said.

Two other convicts, ex-MLA Mahinder Yadav and Kishan Khokkar were awarded three-year imprisonment and the court rejected their plea to release them on probation.

Kumar was acquitted by the court which held that he deserved "benefit of doubt" since one of the victims and key witness Jagdish Kaur did not name him as an accused in her statement recorded by the Justice Ranganath Mishra panel in 1985.

The case, in which the five people were held guilty pertains to killing of five Sikhs — Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh — by the mob in Raj Nagar area in Delhi Cantonment. The victims were members of the same family.

In his ten-page order on sentence, the court said "... There cannot be two opinions that offences committed in this case were grave where victims of a particular community had been targeted for killing and destroying their properties. This court has already taken the facts into consideration that there were 341 killings in the area of police station Delhi Cantonment of this case itself."

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Sell North Delhi Municipal Corporation articles to pay contractor: Court

NEW DELHI: A trial court has directed that the car and other articles in the office of North Delhi Municipal Corporation commissioner be attached and auctioned to realize the money which the civic agency has failed to pay to a registered government contractor.

Additional district judge Ajay Goel passed the order after Rajesh Gupta, a registered government contractor, approached the court seeking payment of nearly Rs 1.68 lakh for his work and informed it that the civic agency has not paid him despite a decree by another court in 2011.

Earlier, the court had ordered attachment of bank accounts of an executive engineer of the agency but the warrant was received back with a "strange report" that only Rs 57 is outstanding in the account.

"Government agency is openly disobeying the dictate of the decree and it is to be executed simultaneously against commissioner, North corporation to the tune of Rs 1,68,109 along with interest. The attachment of bank account has also yielded no result. Accordingly, the car as well as the articles in the office of commissioner, North corporation, Chandni Chowk/Minto Road be attached...," Goel said.

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Brace for hotter days next week

NEW DELHI: If the past few days have been hot, get ready for hotter days. The Met department has predicted heat wave conditions for Delhi and neighbouring areas from the middle of May. With the western disturbance that has so far compounded the heat of the past few days by increasing humidity levels set to move eastwards, dry conditions will prevail from now on which will lead to a gradual rise in temperatures.

A slight respite is on the cards around May 11 when another western disturbance might give rise to some thundery activity in parts of Delhi and neighbouring areas.

Tuesday's maximum temperature went up to 40.8 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal while the minimum was 25.3 degrees Celsius. Palam was the hottest in the NCR with a maximum temperature of 42 degrees, followed by Faridabad with 41.7 degrees Celsius and Gurgaon with 41.6 degrees Celsius.

"The maximum temperature at Delhi's Safdarjung observatory during the first week of May rapidly increased from 36.5 degrees Celsius on May 2 to 42 degrees Celsius on May 4. It has since then remained remained in the range of 41-42 degrees Celsius. Heat wave conditions have not occurred so far over Delhi but are likely to develop around the middle of May," said Dr OP Singh, deputy director general of meteorology, Delhi Regional Meteorological Centre.

Officials said that the latest model output and its analysis have indicated that the maximum temperatures over Delhi will be in the range of 41 to 42 degrees Celsius between May 8 and 10th, come down slightly to 39-40 degrees Celsius during May 11 and 13 rise again to 41-43 degrees Celsius during May 14 to 16. "This will be the situation at Safdarjung but certain areas including Palam may see the temperature rise up to 44 degrees Celsius on May 16," said Singh.

Under the impact of the present western disturbance, rain and thundershowers are expected in many areas in Jammu & Kashmir till Wednesday.

Rain and thundershowers are also expected in one or two areas in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab during the same period.

Another western disturbance is expected to affect the western Himalayan region between May 11 and 13 might cause some thundery development in Delhi on May 11 but will cause light to moderate rainfall in the hills including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Thunderstorm and dust storms may also occur at one or two places over Punjab and Haryana during the weekend.

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Going to Nizamuddin station a long obstacle course

NEW DELHI: Why the access to a railway station, as important as Nizamuddin — which hosts 131 important trains — should be such an obstacle course is a question that officials need to answer. The station can be accessed from two ends: Mathura Road for passengers from south and central Delhi and Sarai Kale Khan for those from east and north Delhi. And the roads that lead up to these entrances are a traffic nightmare.

Once you have turned left from Mathura Road, the absence of proper signages can be quite annoying. And even for the seasoned traveller, the dilapidated condition of the road is unsettling. Broken central verges and gaping potholes line the road with traffic moving at a snail's pace, not only due to the condition of the road but a large number of cars parked illegally on the main carriageway. Both sides of the four-lane road have cars and commercial vehicles parked on them, forcing traffic to move in a single file. What adds to the mess are rickshaws, parcel trolleys and other non-motorized traffic that slow down other vehicles.

The location of a parcel office and private companies further affect the flow. While trucks regularly load and unload wares outside the private companies, parcels left outside the railway office take away precious road space.

A broken central verge with makeshift stone blocks is a disaster in making. Worse, vehicles randomly take U-turns on this narrow road through the broken gaps in the central verge, worsening the congestion.

Right at the entrance to the road that leads up to the station a little ahead, one runs into a congregation of buses right in the middle of the road. This bus stop, where many commuters wait, is placed right in the middle of the entry to the station . The signboard that would otherwise tell commuters that they have go around the stop and turn right to reach the station is hidden from view by colourful food stalls.

The lane ahead leads up to the car park and one takes a U turn from there to drop or pick passengers. The road is so narrow that cars stopping randomly stall traffic for long periods.

The access road from Ring Road on the Sarai Kale Khan end is in an equally bad shape though the road condition is better. However, illegally parked autorickshaws and traffic that have gone completely haywire rule out any order.

No quick relief is in sight because a senior PWD official said they had no plans to improve the access roads. So, if you are a part of the summer rush, get ready for this trauma.

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Annual confidential reports may not be enough for state services officers to get into elite IAS and IPS; Govt proposes written exam for them

NEW DELHI: Impressive annual confidential reports (ACRs) of the state civil\police services officers will not be enough for them to get inducted into the elite All India Services like IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service.

They will now have to appear in a competitive written examination which is to be conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

After deciding the change in the scheme of the selection process for appointment by promotion\selection to various cadres of All India Service, the Centre on Tuesday wrote to all states asking them to give their opinion on the proposed changes on or before May 31.

Ministry of personnel, however, appears determined to allow the UPSC to conduct the competition examination for this purpose from this year onward as its 'note' to chief secretaries of states says that if the states fail to give their comments, ""it will be presumed that they don't have any comment to offer in this regard and further necessary action will be taken accordingly"".

The proposed competitive examination will be open for those state civil\police services officers who complete minimum eight years in their respective services.

The examination will test the aptitude test, general awareness and state\service specific knowledge of officers before preparing a merit list for their promotion and induction into elite central services.

The examination, carrying 1000 marks, will have weight-age of 25% in terms of their service records.

At present, induction of state civil\police service officers into the IAS\IPS\IFoS is made on the basis of review of their ACRs by the departmental promotion committee.

"Government may in future also go for the same method of promotions within the central services," said an official.

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Aam Aadmi Party demands law minister, attorney general be sacked

NEW DELHI: Slamming the government for using the CBI as an instrument "to protect itself and pressurize leaders of other parties for their political end", AamAadmi Party on Wednesday said that the Supreme Court's remarks underlined the need for an independent Lokpal and the administrative independence of the CBI.

The position of the law minister and the attorney general has become untenable in view of their repeated false statement and attempts to interfere with investigation. Unfortunately, they are being protected by Prime Minister. This is particularly ominous because of the central role of the PM in the coal allocation as well as in delaying the law for auctioning the coal blocks. "It appears that efforts at all levels are being and is being made to shield the Prime Minister and that is why he has been reluctant to seek the resignation of those who are interfering with the investigation to protect him,'' a statement by AAP said.

During July 2012, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai had fasted at Jantar Mantar exposing the coal scam. Aam Aadmi Party demanded that the law minister and Attorney General be sacked and said that even the PM had lost his moral authority to continue in office.

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Delhi University owes over Rs 66 crore to municipal bodies

NEW DELHI: Delhi University owes Rs 66.48 crore while Indian Agricultural Research Institute owes Rs 40.70 crore as property tax to municipal bodies in the capital, government said on Tuesday.

This was stated by minister of state for home affairs Mullapally Ramachandran in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

Delhi University and IARI are among a list of 15 hotels and institutions which are yet to clear their property tax dues.

However, except one case of Shaheed Raj Guru College in Vasundhrara Enclave which owes Rs 56 lakh, all other cases are sub judice.

According to the list as on April one this year, private discom NDPL owes Rs 20.27 crore, Tirupati Building and Offices Dwarka Rs 11.37 crore, Radison Hotel Paschim Vihar Rs 10.62 crore, Postal Department Rs 10 crore and City Park Peetampura Rs 5.80 crore.

The others in the list are Crown Plaza Rohini Rs 5.33 crore, Asian Hotel Ltd ( Hyatt Regency) Rs 5.05 crore, Crown Plaza Okhla Rs 2.97 crore, Lodhi Hotel Rs 2.57 crore, Hotel Premier Inn Shalimar Bagh Rs 2.10 crore, Hotel Oberoi Rs 1.88 core and Delhi Milk Scheme Rs 1.76 crore.

"Recovery of outstanding property tax is an ongoing process and necessary coercive measures like attachment of rent and attachment of bank account are resorted to," the Minister said.

To another question, Ramachandran said, embassies of foreign countries have been exempted from property tax.

"The External Affairs Ministry has advised that the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations 1961 and the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities 1947 forbid levy of taxes in any form on diplomatic missions.

"Accordingly, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Municipal Corporations provide relaxation of property tax to various embassies situated in New Delhi....(thus) the question of (incurring) loss does not arise," he said.

The monitoring of the tigers that is currently on at the Periyar tiger reserve is being done with the use of cameras.

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Aarushi case: Talwars' statement to be recorded today

GHAZIABAD: The special CBI court hearing the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case will record statements of the dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on Tuesday.

Special CBI judge Shyam Lal rejected the defence counsel's plea, which demanded that 13 other witnesses including ADG (law and order) and the then CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar also be called to record statements.

The court rejected the defence plea and ordered to record the statements of the Talwar couple, who are the main accused.

Statement of CBI investigating officer AGL Kaul, the last prosecution witness, has already been recorded.

The CBI had told the court that teenager Aarushi Talwar's murder five years back was carried out by her parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar and no outsider was present.

In his deposition before the Additional Judge, Kaul, who headed the CBI probe, had told the court that their investigations revealed no evidence of any third person's entry in the house.

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Delhi court orders attachment of NDMC commissioner's office property

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has directed that the car and other articles in the office of the commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation be attached and auctioned to realise the money which the civic agency has failed to pay to a registered government contractor.

Additional District Judge Ajay Goel passed the order after Rajesh Gupta, a registered government contractor, approached the court seeking payment of nearly Rs 1.68 lakh for his work and informed it that the civic agency has not paid him despite a decree by another court in 2011.

Earlier, the court had ordered attachment of bank accounts of an executive engineer of the agency but the warrant was received back with a "strange report" that only Rs 57 is outstanding in the account.

"Government agency is openly disobeying the dictate of the decree and it is to be executed simultaneously against commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation to the tune of Rs 1,68,109 along with interest. The attachment of bank account has also yielded no result.

"Accordingly, the car as well as the articles in the office of Commissioner, NDMC, Chandni Chowk/Minto Road be attached and thereafter, amount be realised by selling them in auction," Goel said. Gupta told the court that he was awarded the work of construction of 20 seats 'Jan Suvidha' complex in an area in northwest Delhi pursuant to tenders floated by then Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

He said for the work, only cement and steel was to be provided by the civic agency while he would ensure all other material as well as labourers.

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CBI to appeal against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in 1984 riots case

NEW DELHI: CBI will challenge before Delhi high court the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case by a city court as it has found "strong grounds" which could form basis of its petition.

CBI sources said here on Tuesday that the agency is likely to wait till the court pronounces its verdict on the quantum of sentence for those found guilty in the case.

District and sessions judge J R Aryan had on April 30 acquitted Kumar in the 29-year-old case in which he was accused of murder and of instigating a riotous mob that killed five Sikhs in Delhi's cantonment area.

Five others — Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal — were convicted for their involvement in the riots that had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi who was refused a Congress ticket for 2009 Lok Sabha elections, still face trial in another 1984 rioting case. In a third case, the Delhi Police have filed a closure report, saying there was no evidence against Kumar to implicate him.

CBI sources said the agency's legal department has studied the judgement and highlighted several strong grounds on the basis of which it is likely to approach the Delhi high court challenging the acquittal of Kumar. His acquittal has led to protests by Sikh outfits in the national capital and in parts of Punjab.

They said CBI would approach the law ministry seeking its approval for initiation of the process of appeal in the high court to challenge the verdict.

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NCPRI slams government for half-hearted attempt at transparency

NEW DELHI: The National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) on Tuesday has slammed the government for its half-hearted attempt at transparency. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) had recently issued guidelines for proactive disclosure asking departments to volunteer information related to public-private partnerships, transfer and appointments.

The NCPRI including Anjali Bhardwaj, Nikhil Dey and Venkatesh Nayak said that the government had only accepted a diluted set of recommendations'' of its own task-force. Among the recommendations that were excluded were the requirement for public consultation before clearing legislation, proactively disclosing sensitive'' positions to ensure that officers who were of doubtful integrity were not posted there and ensuring dissemination of information was done through public notices, smses and not just internet.

For instance, the task force has suggested that as an anti-corruption measure all public authorities should declare all posts identified by them as 'sensitive' in nature where there is a considerable amount of public dealing and where officers are required to apply their discretion while making decisions. An officer whose name figures on the 'agreed list' or 'list of officers of doubtful integrity' is not eligible to hold sensitive posts in a public authority but unless the information is made public there is no check on this.

NCPRI urged the DoPT to accept this suggestion and include sensitive posts as an item of proactive disclosure by all public authorities.

It also sought for disclosure of information through notice boards, wall paintings, SMS service through mobile telephony, call centres and toll free helplines and block-level information centres.

NCPRI alos expressed deep concern that the Task Force had developed a simple set of guidelines for conducting public consultations prior to the formulation of policies, laws, rules and regulations that affect the general public but this had been ignored.

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Newspaper brought out by working, street kids set to complete 10 years

NEW DELHI: Little Naushad still remembers the day well. The day he ran down the narrow lanes of his jhuggi clutching a crumpled newspaper and shouting: "Mera naam chhapa hai humare akhbar mein (My name has been published in our newspaper)." 9-year-old Naushad is among the 10,000-odd contributors of a unique newspaper - Balaknama - written and brought out by children from the streets or those working in factories.

Many of them are ragpickers or help their parents in jobs like selling vegetables or working in households. Not all of them know how to read or write, yet they revel in being a part of the newspaper, possibly the first of its kind in the country, that will complete 10 years in July this year.

"We started with a group of 35 street and working children in 2003. Now, there are more than 10,000 of us across India," recalls Subhash of the Delhi-based NGO Chetna that has brought the kids together and facilitates the publishing of the quarterly newspaper. Each kid pays Rs 5 per month - that goes into a corpus that helps in providing them basic education as well as in bringing out the newspaper.

"The monthly contribution fee ensures that each child feels a sense of involvement. Even those children who are still learning to read and write insist that the stories in the paper are read out to them by others," says Subhash, himself a street kid who used to sell magazines at traffic intersections and fought his way out of destitution to complete his graduation in social work.

The issues that find space in the paper are decided by the children themselves. Occasionally, there are poems contributed by them; sometimes there are profiles celebrating their achievements. But more often than not, the paper features discussions on issues like child marriage, police brutality on children and abuse faced by them on the streets.

"All the discussions are done by the children. We felt it was important that they were exposed to the issues that affect them, and know what is right or wrong, as living on the streets or working in factories can easily distort their minds," says Subhash, even as some of the kids he has mentored nod in agreement.

One of them is 19-year-old Shanno, who is the principal writer for the newspaper. She used to work in a dye factory since she was 12. Now, almost four years after being involved with the NGO's Badhte Kadam project, that facilitates education for street kids besides associating them with the newspaper, Shanno has given her Class XII exams through open schooling and become a prolific writer.

She pens the newspaper's popular "Tota-maina" column - a kind of views and counter-views section. "I have written about the pros and cons of the government's decision to ban child labour this time," she says shyly pointing at the latest issue. Another star writer is 19-year-old Vijay, who used to work in a wood-carving unit in Delhi's Kirti Nagar.

Now, like Shanno, he, too, has appeared for the Class XII exams and is bursting with ideas at the exposure that education and newspaper writing has provided him. Recently, at an ideation event organized by Microsoft India, he pitched a proposal to make their newspaper a monthly affair as well as a plan to start a local news channel that would be run by street children.

Even though it was shortlisted, the proposal didn't make the final cut that could have given the children a funding and mentoring opportunity. This hasn't deterred the kids, though.

"We'll make it happen some day for sure," says Vijay, his eyes shining brightly, the aspirations of thousands of children reflecting in them.

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Passport Pangs : Service or torture?

2 passports, same number

Dear TOI,

My wife and I were issued passports with the same number-G 7216729- by the Lucknow passport office. We realized this when we booked a trip to Thailand last year. I went to the PSK in Ghaziabad seeking rectification, but the guard outside the office didn't let us enter. He asked us to apply online and book an appointment . We did accordingly. We got an appointment for January 12. The APO there told us that the Lucknow office needs to issue a correction letter . I requested them to see my details in the computer. They reluctantly agreed. The system showed my passport number as G7216727. I asked them to change my passport there, but they said they need the letter from Lucknow. I wrote to Lucknow twice, but they never bothered to reply. Then I requested a friend, who was visiting that city, to meet the passport officer there. On May 3, he met the passport officer, but the Lucknow office refused to issue a correction letter. They said I will have to visit the office in person and give my fingerprints. My friend suggested that since all of that could be done at the Ghaziabad PSK, and since now all PSKs are connected online. But the officials refused. I would like to ask the ministry of external affairs why I am being harassed this way. It's not my fault that they made an error and issued two passports with the same number. I am very much sure that even if I visit them, they will come up with some excuse to harass me further. This is unfair. Please help.

Ajoy Kumar Keshri

I had applied for a fresh passport in January 2013. After much struggle with the online appointment, I finally got an appointment on January 10 for January 17 at the Bhikaji Cama Place PSK. Police verification happened by the end of the month, but the policeman took Rs 500 from me as "fuel charge" . I have been continuously tracking my application status (file no. DL01W0014024013), and since mid-February , my application status reads "Police verification report for your passport application is under review at Regional Passport Office . Subject to granting, passport will be dispatched after police verification report is found clear. You would receive an SMS/email once the passport is dispatched" . I don't understand where the process went wrong. I just helplessly login every day, hoping for the status to change, but in vain. I have provided all my application details to you. TOI, I desperately seek your help.

Deepak Joshi

On December 12, 2012, my husband, child and I submitted our passport application forms at the PSK in Ghaziabad. Both my husband (file no. GZ1060708546412) and I (file no. GZ1060708407612) are government officers , so we submitted our identity certificates as prescribed in the form. Police verification was done on December 25 and January 13. We received our child's passport in the first week of February this year; but even after five months, our passports haven't come. Upon enquiry, we found that the RPO was reviewing the police verification report. That status hasn't changed for the last three months. We don't know why they are delaying it. I am myself an ex-employee of ministry of external affairs.

Smita Patnaik Sutar

Senior citizens harassed

My wife and I applied for a passport on May 24 last year. Our file numbers were GZ10Z00800511 and GZ10Z00800513. We waited for police verification, but it happened only in July. We were told that the report would be sent to the passport office. After a while, the website showed 'passports will be dispatched soon' as status. But no passport came. After four months, when we checked with the passport office in December, we were told that due to some problem with our house address, the passports were on hold and that forms may need to be resubmitted. We filled the forms again in January. Police verification happened in February for the second time. Again, nothing happened. Then in April, the passport helpline told us that police verification report hadn't reached from the Noida police station. We checked with the verification officer, who told us that the report had been sent long ago. We are senior citizens and yet we are being harassed like this.

S R Suri and Vimla Suri

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CBSE schools to offer skill development courses from class IX

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to introduce skill development in schools from class IX onwards.

With its recent changes in curriculum, the Board has asked affiliated schools to start skill development vocational courses. This will prepare students to handle challenges of the job market with ease.

CBSE has shortlisted some institutes which offer special training programmes for skill development. In order to take this initiative to a maximum number of students, CBSE has asked schools to tie up with these institutes.

The list, drawn up by CBSE, includes 35 skill knowledge providers in 11 areas, including retail, information technology, security, automobile, banking and insurance, hospitality and tourism, mass media and media production, health and beauty, music production, design, and medical diagnostics.

CBSE chairman, Vineet Joshi said: "This course is essential for students to excel and emerge successful in real life situations of work. This course will give them basic information of a working environment as they graduate from school. Skilled manpower and right exposure will help students to attain the best positions in various organisations."

The objective of introducing such a subject is to create a positive impact for the inclusive growth of students.

Students studying in CBSE-affiliated schools will be given a choice to opt for these competency-based skill courses along with the general academic subjects in order to enhance their skills in their chosen field.

Skill development courses will not only ensure employment of students post school but will also help them in pursuing higher studies in their favourite field due to the academic teaching given to them during this span.

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Man shot dead by brother in Meerut

MEERUT: A man was allegedly shot dead by his brother over some monetary dispute here, police said today.

The incident happened yesterday night in Dandupur village here, they said.

Babu (25) had a fight with his brother Kalu over sharing of wheat after which the latter shot him dead, they added.

After the incident, the accused fled the scene. No case case has been registered yet, police said.

The body has been sent for post mortem, they said, adding that a search for the accused is on.

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New underground parking facility at AIIMS operational

NEW DELHI: Nine months after it was constructed, the new underground parking facility with a capacity to park over 400 cars become operational at AIIMS on Monday.

The three-level underground parking, foundation stone of which was laid down in October 2011 and constructed in August 2012, was inaugurated on Monday by Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Constructed with the stipulated project cost of Rs 53.57 crore, the parking has a total covered area of 21742 square meters and capacity to park 434 four wheelers.

Inaugurating the parking lot, Azad said construction work on the project was started in November 2011 and was completed in August 2012, around three months ahead of its schedule time.

"However, the facility could not be put into use pending clearance from various government agencies. We have immediately made it operational after getting required clearances", Azad said, adding clearance for such projects should be but on fast rack.

The AIIMS administration said, "Final statutory approval by New Delhi Municipal Corporation was granted on May 5 this year."

The multi-level parking would help decongestion of the AIIMS premises where, according to the recent traffic survey, approximately 14000 vehicle including 5000 cars enters everyday.

"As of now, AIIMS has parking capacity of less than 1000 cars, nearly 2/3rd of which is used to park vehicles of AIIMS faculty and staff members. The facility would help decongestion of the campus", the minister said, adding AIIMS would need facilities to park over 10,000 vehicles in coming years as large number of new units will come up in the institute under its ongoing expansion plan.

Stating that provisions in the existing Master Plan have already been exploited to develop new centers in the AIIMS, Azad emphasised on the need to rapidly develop new Master Plan for the institute.

He informed the audience that the new plan has already been cleared by the NDMC and would be sent to Delhi Urban Art Commission for further clearance.

Asked about the six AIIMS-like institutes, Azad said MBBS courses have already been commenced in the institutes and first phase of the treatment facilities would be operational by August.

"Super-speciality facilities would start functioning by December this year", he said.

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Heat, histrionics & good old Raja Harishchandra

May is upon us. The heat has been turned on. Throats take turns at being dry and sore. School timings are into summer mode. The best railway seats to cooler climes have already been booked. The transformers at the Premchand Rangshala have gone kaput, and they're spending horrendous amounts of diesel to keep the gensets working. Even so, if you're in the mood for watching some adult theatre this Sunday evening, Prayas is putting on Sadat Hasan Manto's 'Thanda Gosht'.

Mao Zedong would have said if he scooted around Patna this week, 'a hundred flowers appear to be well on their way to blooming'. Whether it is a celebration of authentic flavours of the orient at a restaurant in Bakerganj, or an evening of EDM - that's Electronic Dance Music — at one of the two discos in Patna, or a passing glimpse of a 'dom katch' performance on the lawns of Gandhi Maidan, you can be sure that cultural activity isn't slowing down for the summer.

The auditorium of the Bihar Sangeet Natak Academy at Saidpur has posters for upcoming plays. In Kalidas Rangalaya opposite Gandhi Maidan, the stage at Bihar Art Theatre is booked solid. However, as one exceptionally pessimistic theatre artist pouted, "Take a closer look and you will see all is not well. Audiences are not there."

Friday afternoon saw a hundred years of Indian cinema being 'celebrated' by the Cine Society and Bihar Art Theatre. A venerable R N Dash, president of the Cine Society, traced the history of cinema. Jai Mangal Deo, the vice-president, insisted that viewing the 20 minutes of 'Raja Harischandra' — India's first silent feature - was a 'golden opportunity for all cinema lovers'.

In the meanwhile, a young journalist, a product of one of Patna's privately-run media institutions, moaned softly, "What a boring assignment. I tell you sir, I only wanted to study media because of the glamour, and now I have to endure this. Look at the hall, three fourths empty. No glamour, no celebrity. These senior citizens are talking more about themselves and their memories. And we're looking at a documentary with bad resolution played from somebody's laptop. Hai, hai. "

The chocolate boy left after enduring the 'torture' for about 60 minutes, with a press release in his hand. So much for new-age journalism.

"On Facebook, they invited us to watch India's first feature film, and they took almost four hours to screen twenty minutes of it," a professional cinematographer remarked softly. "How can you engage with young people if you don't structure things well. The Cine Society has done a tremendous thing, very culturally significant, but unfortunately, your celebration only glorified the past and ignored the exciting technology of the present."

Let's face it. The Cine Society has valiantly kept the flame of cinema appreciation alive. It was the only entity in the country to mark 50 years of Bhojpuri cinema. It regularly holds film appreciation workshops for college students. But these fresh-faced media students, who avidly attend these government- sponsored workshops, were conspicuous by their total absence. Something's not right.

Indranil Chattopadhay, from one of Patna's FM stations, is a cinema buff. Over a cup of coffee, he had said, "The heat, the day, and the time are problematic. You will have to ensure that your media students go to the programme, because it will be an educational experience. But that's not really possible because it's examination time, or rather that will be the excuse to stay away."

One was particularly disappointed to see the apathy of the media students, and in particular the absence of any participation from the much-hyped Bachelor of Mass Communication department of a particular college. The students from this college attend media workshops and other free courses in droves and flaunt their certificates, all very important for the college's NAAC status. Had the Cine Society announced a participation certificate for the show, these pretty young things would have attended it in droves. Otherwise, John Abraham promoting Wadala next door is an infinitely better attraction.

Krishna Deo Kalpit from the local Doordarshan channel, may have had a point when he said that cinema as he knew it, no longer existed. And, in this age of airbrush and CGI, of scams and scandal, poor old Raja Harischandra hasn't the chance of a snowflake in May on the Dak Bungalow Chauraha.

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Rapists are largely known to victims: Police data

NEW DELHI: Friends, lovers or neighbours of women often turn sexual predators and the majority of rapists in the capital were known to victims, according to Delhi Police data. Police also maintains that the city is safe for women, including foreigners, and cites global data in support of its claim.

The capital has seen an unprecedented increase in rape cases in the first four months of 2013 at 463. The corresponding period last year witnessed 179 rapes in comparison.

Ninety-seven percent of the rape accused were known to the victims and 40 percent of them were either lovers or friends, police data made available to IANS in response to a query has revealed.

"Of 463 cases of rapes, 178 were committed by friends or lovers of the victim, while in 115 cases neighbours were involved," said Dharmendra Kumar, special commissioner of Police.

Even after the Dec 16, 2012 brutal gang rape in Delhi, which led to massive street protests, there seems to be no stopping of the dastardly crimes against women. In fact, it has seen a surge.

Delhi Police claims the spike in rape cases is due to increased awareness among people which has led to rise in registering rape cases since the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape.

"The spurt can be attributed to increased awareness amongst the general public and the special measures taken by Delhi Police because of which women are now feeling encouraged to come forth and lodge complaint," Dharmendra Kumar said.

The police, who had to face public wrath in the wake of increased sexual crimes against women, dismiss the claim of women activists of Delhi being a "rape capital".

Delhi Police maintain the capital is extremely safe for women, especially foreign women travellers.

"Delhi is an extremely safe place for foreign women. A comparison with some major cities of the world reveals that incidents of rape per 100,000 population in Delhi were 4.15 compared to 52.8 in London, 10.6 in New York, 32.6 in Washington, 33 in Brisbane and 73 in Cape Town," a police statement said.

"Hundreds of thousands of women go out every night in Delhi to work, shop, for recreation and the like. They return home safely. Delhi, contrary to all the media hype, is as safe, if not more, for women as any other city in the world," Dharmendra Kumar said.

However, the travel and trade industry has seen a sudden dip in women foreign travellers coming to India, especially New Delhi, due to the rape tag.

The senior police officer said to ensure the security and safety of women and to pre-empt any incidents like the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape, 255 routes taken by women returning home late at night from entertainment hubs and commercial areas have beeen mapped out.

"Police presence has been increased along these routes by redeployment of assets including PCR Vans, motorcycle patrols and pickets. Civic agencies have been given lists of dark stretches along these routes to improve the lighting conditions," Dharmendra Kumar pointed out.

Besides, strict instructions have been issued to all police stations to immediately register a case on a complaint lodged by a woman, without making even a preliminary enquiry, which has seen a rise in the number of rape cases registered, he added.

On Dec 16 last year, a 23-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped by six people on a moving bus. She died a few days later of grievous injuries. The incident sparked a furore across the country.

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Sikhs march towards PM's house, detained

NEW DELHI: Several angry Sikhs on Sunday broke barricades as they tried to march towards the official residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protest the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

The police restrained the irate crowd near Parliament Street police station.

The Sikh groups have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since Friday, demanding justice for the riot victims and stringent punishment for Sajjan Kumar.

The crowd, raising slogans against the government, started marching towards 7, Race Course Road, the Prime Minister's Residence, as police erected barricades to stop them.

Several protestors who tried to break through the barricades or climb over them were detained by the police.

The Sikh groups are angry at the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar by a city court Tuesday in a case related to the killing of five people in the Delhi Cantonment area during violence against Sikhs following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.

The court convicted five others in the case.

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Verdict on Nirbhaya case expected by May end, Delhi Police commissioner says

NEW DELHI: With the trial in the Delhi gang rape case "almost 90 percent complete", the court verdict is expected to come by the end of May, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said.

In an interview to a news channel, Neeraj Kumar said: "The trial of December 16 (2012) case is almost 90 per cent complete and judgment is expected by the end of May."

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old woman was brutally raped and tortured by a gang of six people on a moving bus. She died a few days later of grievous injuries.

The male friend of the victim, who too was attacked and severely injured, in an interview had criticised the police for their "inaction" in the case.

The police commissioner dismissed allegations that policemen had offered a bribe of Rs 2,000 to the parents of a five-year-old-girl in east Delhi, another rape victim in the city, in April to hush up the matter.

"A report was promptly registered by the women help desk after which a case was lodged. I admit the follow-up action was not up to the mark for which we suspended the SHO (station house officer) and IO (investigative officer) in the case," he said.

There was no question of hushing up the case as NGOs were informed about the incident and media was also present there, he added.

Speaking of capital punishment for rapists, Neeraj Kumar said: "Many criminals have been hanged for murders and terrorism but has this brought an end to such crimes? The law punishes criminals but if we start assuming that this will stop crimes, this will not be correct."

The commissioner again said that his stepping down would not serve any purpose.

"I am not among those who run away. I am the leader of the force and till the time the government has trust in me, I shall continue to lead," he said.

According to Neeraj Kumar, in the wake of the recent crimes against women, the police have taken a slew of measures to make women feel safe in the capital.

"One such step is setting up of women help desks at police stations which are functional round the clock where females can register their complaints," he said.

"There is a 158 percent increase in rape case registration, 600 percent in molestation cases and 700 percent in eve-teasing cases. These are not indicative of a rise in crimes but it shows women are now confident about going to police stations where a woman officer hears them and registers their complaints."

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No relief from searing heat for Delhi

NEW DELHI: Delhiites got no respite from harsh summer sun for another day on Sunday with mercury remaining at above 40 degree Celsius and hot winds blowing across the city.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 41.6 degree Celsius, three degrees above normal and a meagre decline from season's highest of 42 degrees yesterday.

The minimum temperature rose sharply to 24.3 degree Celsius, one degree below normal, from yesterday's 19.8 degrees.

Humidity levels oscillated between 21 and 61 per cent. The weatherman has predicted partly cloudy sky which is expected to clear later on. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are expected to remain at 41 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.

In May last year, the mercury had touched a high of 45 degree Celsius on the last day of the month. The record for the month of May was 47.2 degree Celsius recorded on 29th day of the month in 1944.

Weather Office had predicted that the city will witness a dry spell and significant increase in maximum temperature during the first week of May.

"Due to frequent passage of Western Disturbances close to Delhi NCR the day temperatures have been near normal so far in the current summer season. This scenario has changed," a senior MeT official said.

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Kerala engineer tops UPSC, Delhi girl third

NEW DELHI: Women have once again claimed two of the top three positions in the civil service examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission ( UPSC). Even in the 2012 round, the candidate to grab top position is a woman. Haritha V Kumar, an engineer from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has topped and, Stuti Charan, who has a PG Diploma in Personnel and Marketing Management from a Delhi institute, has come third.

Kumar, 27, is a BTech in Electronics and Communication from the University of Kerala. "But my choice of subjects for the exam was economics and literature of Malayalam language," she says. Though a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, she has been staying in Delhi since December and training at the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) in Faridabad. She got the required rank for jobs in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on her fourth attempt. "I will be in Faridabad till August but after that, I'll be in Mussoorie for training," she says.

Always a good student, Kumar says she's been dreaming of a job in the civil services since her childhood. "This is the result of a combination of my ambition and sense of duty toward the community," she explains. She has put Kerala as her first preference for posting. Her family is based in Thiruvananthapuram. Her father runs a business and mother is a home-maker. Her two younger brothers are both engineers.

Kumar is also a trained carnatic classical singer and was trained in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. "I had learned classical dance as a child but I have performed in the academy," she says with an embarrassed laugh.

Charan, who had collected a BSc degree from Jodhpur University before studying marketing got in on her third attempt. Second ranker V Sriram has done MBBS from Kerala University and cracked the exam on his second try. In the 2011 round, the top two positions had gone to women.

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Delhi govt to hike fund for lawyers' welfare: Sheila Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Delhi government would soon increase its share in the corpus fund of Bar Council of Delhi so that various welfare schemes for lawyers can be initiated, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Saturday.

"We had contriburted Rs 1 crore to the corpus fund. I am sure that the time has come to take a review and increase the amount," Dikshit said speaking at a seminar on welfare of lawyers organised by the Bar Council of Delhi.

The seminar was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Dikshit described the lawyers as "agents of peace and order" in the society and said Delhi government would do its best to help them.

She said the city government has set up parking facility in all court complexes for lawyers including a multi-level automatic car parking at the Delhi high court complex for which the government had contributed more than Rs 200 crore.

"The government is in favour of an appropriate medical insurance sceme for the lawyers," she said asking the Bar Council to bring a proposal before her in this regard.

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Delhi sweats it out at season's highest of 42°C

NEW DELHI: Delhiites on Saturday sweated it out with mercury touching the season's highest of 42 degree Celsius and hot winds blowing through the day.

This was the second time this summer that the day temperature crossed 40 degree Celsius, the previous one being on April 16 when it touched 40.2 degrees. Last year, mercury crossed 40 degree Celsius on May 8.

Today's maximum was three degree Celsius above normal and a sharp rise from Friday's 38.3 degrees, which was one degree below normal for this time of the year.

The city has been witnessing day temperature at around 38 degree Celsius for the past one week.

"It was hotter than usual. The previous days were tolerable compared to today. The hot winds made life miserable," Nishant Arora, a shopper at Janpath Market, said.

Today's minimum was however five degree Celsius below normal at at 19.8 degrees as against Friday's 20.3 degrees.

Humidity levels were recorded between 18 and 73 per cent. The weathermen have predicted main clear sky in the city on Sunday and the mercury is likely to oscillate between 21 and 41 degree Celsius.

Last year in May, the mercury had touched 45 degree Celsius on the last day of the month. The record for the month of May was 47.2 degree Celsius recorded on 29th day of the month in 1944.

Weather office had predicted that the city will witness a dry spell and significant increase in maximum temperature for a week till May 6.

"Due to frequent passage of western disturbances close to Delhi NCR, the day temperatures have been near normal so far in the current summer season. This scenario has changed," a senior MeT official said.

"Despite the dry spell and increase in maximum temperature, the summer condition over Delhi will not be very severe as the maximum temperature during the first week of May will be only 1-2 degree Celsius above the normal," he said.

The effect of the dry spell and hot north-westerly winds will be moderated by occasional cloudy condition during the day time during coming week, resulting in maximum temperature just above normal, he said.

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Mangalorean activists protest against ADB in Delhi

MANGALORE: Even when the city is geared up for election, 10 activists from Mangalore are protesting in Delhi near the venue of the 46th Annual Board of Governors' Meeting (AGM) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Greater Noida.

They will be protesting shouting the slogan 'ADB Quit India, Quit Asia' along with nearly 300 activists from various parts of the nation and abroad till May 5, the last day of the AGM. Mangalorean activist Vidya Dinker, who leads Mangalore team, told TOI that the issue is important as far as Mangaloreans are concerned as candidates from BJP and Congress in Mangalore City South constituency take pride in ADB project.

"We, peoples' movements, mass organisations, struggle groups, trade unions, community organisations and many others from India and the Asia-Pacific region, call for a protest against the 46th AGM of ADB. The AGM will make decisions on key development issues for the Asia-Pacific region that will affect all of us now and in the future. India, which is touted as 'the emerging power in the region' and in the ADB, is hosting the AGM for the third time to showcase and endorse a 'development through empowerment' model put forth by the ADB. In fact, over the years, the Indian ruling class has been working hand in glove with the ADB in a mutually beneficial complicity at the expense of hundreds of millions of poor, marginalised and other toiling sections of the society," she said adding that delegates from Bangladesh, Indonesia, France and other countries too are taking part in the protest.

"The ADB claims to combat poverty in the region. But its poverty reduction strategy is merely a masquerade for prescribing a doomed model of rapid economic growth powered by the privatisation, commodification and financialisation of natural resources and basic needs like water, power, education, etc. Under the guise of good governance, the ADB supports profit-mongering, un-accountable and non-transparent private sectors. Under the pretext of addressing environmental and climate crises and alleviating poverty, the ADB continues to displace and alienate large numbers of people from their lands, homes, water sources and forests, and violates their rights to livelihood, ctizenship and participation in decision making," she alleged.

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Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal to perform at music fest

NEW DELHI: Well-known singers Shubha Mudgal and Jasbir Jassi and popular Indi-pop bands like Euphoria and Astitva will perform at the 'Raag Rang Festival' in the capital from May 6 to 12.

The seven-day festival, to be held at the Central Park in Connaught Place, is free and open to all.

The multi-lingual music festival also boasts of performances in Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Sindhi. Other artists at the festival include Kajal Chandermani, Uma Lalla and Bhojpuri singers Guddu Rangila, Ranjana Jha and others.

While Euphoria will perform on the sixth day of the festival, Indian Idol 4 contestant Mohit Lalwani will be the highlight of the last day. In between, Santosh Nair will render a contemporary dance performance followed by the multi-genre band Astitva. Also on the slate is a qawwali performance by Atique Husain Hyderabadi.

"Raag Rang is an initiative to bring together different genres of Indian music under one banner and showcase the fact that they might be different in forms, but are common to our composite culture," says Nila Mohanan, additional secretary, department of art, culture and languages, government of Delhi that organises the festival in collaboration with Sahitya Kala Parishad and the Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Sindhi academies.

According to Mohanan, music is one of the expressions that defines the vibrancy and culture of India. "And there's no dearth of such expression in any corner of our country," says Mohanan.

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Nirbhaya friend not tutored: Magistrate

NEW DELHI: The judicial magistrate, who recorded the statement of Nirbhaya's friend and witness to the December 16 gang-rape , deposed before a fast-track court on Thursday.

The accused claimed that the friend of the 23-year-old victim was a "tutored witness" and has recorded his statement before the magistrate under the "influence of Delhi Police". However, the magistrate said, "I did not feel that he is a tutored witness."

The four accused present alleged the victim's friend was compelled by police to give a statement against the six men arrested after the incident.

"I had recorded the statement of the complainant verbatim. I had not asked any question during the recording of the statement. I did not feel that he is a tutored witness. I recorded his statement after being satisfied about the voluntariness of the complainant," said the magistrate.

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Protests against acquittal of Sajjan Kumar

NEW DELHI: Protests erupted in the capital for the fourth day today against the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in anti-Sikh riots case, with one of the victims starting indefinite fast and a group blocking a busy road triggering huge traffic snarl.

Families of the 1984 riot victims blocked the busy Mathura Road near Nizamuddin in south Delhi from morning, triggering a huge pile up on the street which connects to the heart of the capital.

At another protest, victim Nirpreet Kaur began her indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar demanding that Kumar be punished.

She was joined by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas who said they will sit on a day-long fast in solidarity with her cause.

Kaur said they had expected that they would get justice but the verdict given by the court had "shaken" their faith in the system.

She demanded that a Special Investigation Team be constituted which would investigate the case independently.

Kaur also demanded an appeal be filed in a higher court against the acquittal of Kumar and that the case be heard and decided in three months time.

The national capital has been witnessing protests since Tuesday evening after the verdict acquitting Kumar was pronounced in a Karkardooma court where a shoe was flung at the judge.

Outraged Sikhs have also been protesting outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi's residence for the past two days.

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CISF women seek gender neutral jobs

NEW DELHI: Women in the Central industrial Security Force (CISF) rooted for gender neutral jobs instead of assigning them lighter duty.

The CISF has more than 5,000 women personnel which constitute 4.6% of the force that guards vital installations, including airports, ports, nuclear and space stations.

At a two-day gender sensitization workshop of the CISF recently, a woman officer said, "Segregation on the basis of gender should be avoided during the training itself."

Women officers also suggested a change in uniform in sync with the requirement of the assigned duty. For instance, saris are issued to women as part of their uniform kit. "A CISF woman clad in a sari finds it difficult to check vehicles. It is important to think about change in the uniform keeping in mind the operational requirement," said a CISF officer.

Another officer rued the skewed perception in the force about women. "If a male boss is strict, he gets praise for being authoritative. On the contrary, a strict woman boss earns criticism," said a woman officer of the CISF.

Officers suggested confidence building measures for men and women of the CISF to build trust. The workshop was inaugurated by Shabana Azmi on Monday.

At the concluding session, National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said, "There is a need to improve the mindset of the people so that girls and women are respected and treated without gender discrimination. We have to go on a long way in this regard."

CISF director-general Rajiv said the workshop was organized because CISF personnel have a wide interface with women.

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Abducted woman injured in a bid to escape her tormentor

GHAZIABAD: Panic triggered in Indirapuram area on Thursday night when a woman was allegedly abducted and fell off from a moving white colour Honda City car in a bid to escape from her tormentor, the police said that initial reports stated that there were four miscreants later in the night the senior cops confirmed that the abductor was the vicitm's husband, who was detained by Noida police, when he entered in the Noida while evading police arrest.

"The incident took place on Thursday night at 11 pm when the victim was roaming around Jaipuriya mall, meanwhile the victim's husband Amit Kasana pulled her inside his Honda City car. The victim raised alarm and resisted to get out of the car. Locals roaming in the area started chasing the car and some local policemen also started chasing. The victim fell off the car near a petrol pump in the area while accused fled from the scene towards Noida," said Ghaziabad senior superintendent of police Nitin Tiwari.

"The victim, who sustained severe injuries was rushed to a nearby private hospital while the police alerted the neighbouring police and the accused detained by sector 58 police station staff in Noida. The accused has owned up his crime. We are lodging an FIR," Tiwari said initially there were reports that the woman was abducted by four persons and then pushed from the moving car. "The victim lives in Vaishali area and prima facie it is a matter of domestic violence," the official said.

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Sajjan Kumar's acquittal: Protest continues for 4th day in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Anger and outrage over Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in an 1984 anti-Sikh riots case poured into Delhi streets for fourth day on Friday, with one of the riot victims starting an indefinite fast while scores of people blocked a busy road triggering huge traffic snarl.

While riot victim Nirpreet Kaur began an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar, riot-affected families blocked the busy Mathura Road near Nizamuddin in south Delhi this morning. The blockade led to a huge traffic pile up on the road which connects south Delhi to the heart of the capital.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas along with their supporters also joined Kaur's protest while local BJP leader Vijender Gupta had to leave the venue after some people objected to his presence.

The AAP leaders sat on a one-day fast to express solidarity with the protesters.

On the Mathura Road, a large number of protesters squatted and shouted slogans against the UPA government and Congress, blocking traffic on the road.

Commuters were put to hardship due to the protest for which police had deployed a large number of personnel to maintain calm. Rapid Action Force was also deployed in large numbers.

At the fast venue, Kaur said the riot-affected families had expected that they would get justice but the verdict given by the court had "shaken" their faith in the system.

She demanded that a Special Investigation Team be constituted which would investigate the case independently.

Kaur also demanded an appeal be filed in a higher court against the acquittal of Kumar, and that the case be heard and decided in three months time.

"I lost my father during the riots. In 1984, more than 10,000 Sikhs were murdered. Our judiciary failed to do justice even after 29 years," Kaur claimed.

Another victim, who was 14-year-old when the riots happened, shared his experiences. "We took shelter in a Hindu family's house. I still remember how we had to shave off our heads so that nobody can recognise that we are Sikhs," Jamshed Singh said.

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Soft skills now important part of police training

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of rising crime against women in the city, a new course on gender sensitization has found favour with the training branch of Delhi Police. "We had some components of gender sensitive training earlier," said special CP (training) SN Shrivastava . "But now the focus is much sharper. We have separate gender sensitization courses for new recruits as well as for seasoned cops in their refresher courses."

So much so, an officer of the rank of special secretary chaired a meeting between 31 NGOs and the police training branch on Tuesday to come up with ways to improve policing for women in the city. "We want inputs on how we can further improve our syllabus and suggestions on gender sensitive policing," said joint commissioner of police (training) Robin Hibu.

Now, police are being taught how to interact with complainants, show compassion to victims and treat everyone with courtesy. Some short courses cover rape investigation, human trafficking , court instructions on treatment of complainants , etc.

Besides courses for new recruits, refresher courses for older cops were started a couple of months ago. "While we started refresher courses last year, they were only properly begun this year with some degree of regularity. These are three-week-long and include a range of courses," added Shrivastava.

An especially important course started recently is 'barricade training' . In just two months, 4,893 cops have been trained to be efficient at barricade checkpoints. While 10 cops each from the 11 police districts attend these classes during the week, one ACP and four SHOs of every district are required to attend the course on Saturdays.

To improve training facilities, now each trainer is also assessed through feedback from trainees and other modes of assessment. Those rated lowest are immediately replaced, said police officials. "We are also trying to build a secure environment or training and are getting specialized instructors from all parts of the country," said Hibu. The training classes also have computer presentations to maintain a standard of teaching. Meanwhile, with the urgent requirement of more police personnel in Delhi, around Rs 258 crore has been sanctioned to allow 3,000 more trainees to be accommodated in the training setup. While it will take a couple of years to build the infrastructure, it will be a relief to several trainees who are currently forced to sleep in tents instead of proper buildings, added officials.

Several welfare measures have also come as a big relief to trainees. While the PTC finally got its own exclusive water supply recently, a CGHS centre is soon expected to come up at the police training college. At present, the nearest hospital is in Janakpuri.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Soft skills now important part of training

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of rising crime against women in the city, a new course on gender sensitization has found favour with the training branch of Delhi Police. "We had some components of gender sensitive training earlier," said special CP (training) SN Shrivastava . "But now the focus is much sharper. We have separate gender sensitization courses for new recruits as well as for seasoned cops in their refresher courses."

So much so, an officer of the rank of special secretary chaired a meeting between 31 NGOs and the police training branch on Tuesday to come up with ways to improve policing for women in the city. "We want inputs on how we can further improve our syllabus and suggestions on gender sensitive policing," said joint commissioner of police (training) Robin Hibu.

Now, police are being taught how to interact with complainants, show compassion to victims and treat everyone with courtesy. Some short courses cover rape investigation, human trafficking , court instructions on treatment of complainants , etc.

Besides courses for new recruits, refresher courses for older cops were started a couple of months ago. "While we started refresher courses last year, they were only properly begun this year with some degree of regularity. These are three-week-long and include a range of courses," added Shrivastava.

An especially important course started recently is 'barricade training' . In just two months, 4,893 cops have been trained to be efficient at barricade checkpoints. While 10 cops each from the 11 police districts attend these classes during the week, one ACP and four SHOs of every district are required to attend the course on Saturdays.

To improve training facilities, now each trainer is also assessed through feedback from trainees and other modes of assessment. Those rated lowest are immediately replaced, said police officials. "We are also trying to build a secure environment or training and are getting specialized instructors from all parts of the country," said Hibu. The training classes also have computer presentations to maintain a standard of teaching. Meanwhile, with the urgent requirement of more police personnel in Delhi, around Rs 258 crore has been sanctioned to allow 3,000 more trainees to be accommodated in the training setup. While it will take a couple of years to build the infrastructure, it will be a relief to several trainees who are currently forced to sleep in tents instead of proper buildings, added officials.

Several welfare measures have also come as a big relief to trainees. While the PTC finally got its own exclusive water supply recently, a CGHS centre is soon expected to come up at the police training college. At present, the nearest hospital is in Janakpuri.

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Sikh group offers $1 million for Sajjan Kumar's conviction

NEW YORK, A US based Sikh rights group has announced a million-dollar reward for those individuals whose testimony and evidence may result in the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar.

The reward will be given to those individuals who will come forward with tips, evidence and testimony leading to the reversal of a Delhi court's judgement acquitting Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announced.

SFJ said it would engage top advocates to prosecute the appeal against the acquittal of Kumar before Delhi High Court.

The reward presented an "opportunity for those who witnessed the killings to come forward with testimony and evidence to help victims in seeking justice against those Congress leaders who organized violence against Sikhs," SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said.

Since Kumar was acquitted on the basis of "benefit of doubt" because complainant Jagdish Kaur's testimony was not corroborated by any independent witness, SFJ will campaign to find additional witnesses relating to Kumar's role.

Several Sikh leaders in the US have expressed their "dismay and shock" at Kumar's acquittal.

Sajjan Kumar's acquittal on Tuesday came almost three decades after an estimated 3,000 Sikhs were killed in three days of riots in India's capital and elsewhere after the Oct 31, 1984, assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

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Sikhs protest outside Sonia Gandhi's house against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal

NEW DELHI: On the second day of protests, Sikh groups shouted slogans outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi's residence and the Congress office on Thursday, over the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Burning effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sajjan Kumar, different Sikh groups gathered outside Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence.

"Over a thousand protesters marched towards Sonia Gandhi's residence, breaking two barricades. But they were blocked by the policemen. Similar scenes were witnessed at 24 Akbar Road (the Congress office)," a senior police officer told IANS.

A traffic police officer told IANS that several roads in central Delhi had been blocked to prevent angry protesters from reaching the Congress office and the residence of Sonia Gandhi. Among the roads closed to traffic and pedestrians were Akbar Road, Motilal Nehru Marg, Krishna Menon Marg, Mansingh Road, Maulana Azad Road and Janpath.

Police barricades, however, failed to deter protesters who stood as close as they could to the places they wished to reach, shouting slogans.

On Wednesday, protesters had blocked busy roads in the national capital. Metro services were also disrupted by the protests for a few hours.

The Sikh groups are angry at the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar by a city court Tuesday in a case related to the killing of five people in the Delhi Cantonment area during violence against Sikhs following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.

The court convicted five others in the same case.

Sajjan Kumar's acquittal comes almost three decades after an estimated 3,000 Sikhs were killed in three days of riots in India's capital and elsewhere.

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Youth jailed for life for murdering man for cigarette

NEW DELHI: A youth, who had murdered a man for failing to give him a cigarette, has been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a Delhi court which said he has no value of a human being.

Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau awarded the jail term to 25-year-old Rakesh for stabbing victim Suraj with a knife leading to his death, saying he did not hesitate to take law in his hands and evidence showed that he had the habit of snatching money from poor persons.

"The convict has no value for human life. He has taken away the life of a young man aged 32 years who had come to Delhi to earn his living only because the poor boy could not satisfy his (convict's) addictive urge for a cigarette," the court said and also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 upon Rakesh.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the evening of November 27, 2010 in Sultanpuri area when Rakesh had demanded a cigarette from Suraj.

The police said Suraj had gone to the market with his uncle and cousin and on their way back to home, they started smoking 'beedi'. In the meantime, accused Rakesh who was known to them asked the victim to give him a cigarette.

The victim told him that he did not have a cigarette following which Rakesh threatened to kill him if he failed to provide him with the same.

Due to Suraj's inability to give cigarette, Rakesh took out a knife and stabbed him on his chest, it said.

Suraj's relatives, who were standing at a distance, threw a brick on the accused after which he fled from the spot and they took the injured to a hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors, the police said.

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Delhi woman cop alleges rape by senior

NEW DELHI: A 24-year-old Delhi Police woman constable, who attempted suicide on Tuesday, was allegedly raped by a senior officer after being promised marriage, police said on Wednesday.

The woman lodged a complaint against Sub-Inspector Vishesh Khokar at Khajoori Khas police station in east Delhi. Khokar is absconding.

The woman constable befriended Khokar during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Since then, she was staying with Khokar as a live-in partner in a rented accommodation.

For the past few months, Khokar started avoiding her and told her that he would not marry her.

On Tuesday afternoon, the woman was found in an unconscious state at a bus station near her house after she consumed poison. She was admitted to a hospital where her statement was recorded, a police officer said.

"A team has been formed and a hunt is on to nab Khokar," the police officer told IANS.

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Auto, taxi fares hiked in Delhi by upto 30%

NEW DELHI: Travelling in autos and taxis will cost more in the capital from Thursday (May 2) with the Delhi government deciding to hike fares by upto 30 per cent.

The revision in fares, which came after almost three years, was done in view of the hike in CNG by 40 per cent in the past 36 months. The new fares will come into effect from tomorrow.

According to the government decision taken today, a commuter taking an auto will have to pay Rs 25 instead of the existing Rs 20 for the first two kilometres.

For every subsequent kilometre, one will have to pay Rs eight in place of the existing Rs 6.5, a senior official said,.

There is no change in the waiting charges and it will remain at the existing Rs 30 per hour.

Those choosing taxis for their travel will have to pay Rs 25 for the first kilometre as against the existing Rs 20.

The charges for every subsequent kilometre will be Rs 14 for non-AC taxis and Rs 16 for AC taxis. Previously, one had to pay Rs 11 for non-AC and Rs 13 for AC ones.

The official said there had been an increase of 39.7 per cent in CNG prices in the last three years from Rs 27.5 per kg to Rs 38.35 per kg.

There had been pressure from auto and taxi operators in the city for a revision in hike.

The last revision was done in June 2010.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Auto, taxi fares hiked in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Travelling in autos and taxis will cost more in the capital from Thursday (May 2) with the Delhi government deciding to hike fares by upto 30 per cent.

The revision in fares, which came after almost three years, was done in view of the hike in CNG by 40 per cent in the past 36 months. The new fares will come into effect from tomorrow.

According to the government decision taken today, a commuter taking an auto will have to pay Rs 25 instead of the existing Rs 20 for the first two kilometres.

For every subsequent kilometre, one will have to pay Rs eight in place of the existing Rs 6.5, a senior official said,.

There is no change in the waiting charges and it will remain at the existing Rs 30 per hour.

Those choosing taxis for their travel will have to pay Rs 25 for the first kilometre as against the existing Rs 20.

The charges for every subsequent kilometre will be Rs 14 for non-AC taxis and Rs 16 for AC taxis. Previously, one had to pay Rs 11 for non-AC and Rs 13 for AC ones.

The official said there had been an increase of 39.7 per cent in CNG prices in the last three years from Rs 27.5 per kg to Rs 38.35 per kg.

There had been pressure from auto and taxi operators in the city for a revision in hike.

The last revision was done in June 2010.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Auto, taxi fares hiked by upto 30% in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Travelling in autos and taxis will cost more in the capital from Thursday (May 2) with the Delhi government deciding to hike fares by upto 30 per cent.

The revision in fares, which came after almost three years, was done in view of the hike in CNG by 40 per cent in the past 36 months. The new fares will come into effect from tomorrow.

According to the government decision taken today, a commuter taking an auto will have to pay Rs 25 instead of the existing Rs 20 for the first two kilometres.

For every subsequent kilometre, one will have to pay Rs eight in place of the existing Rs 6.5, a senior official said,.

There is no change in the waiting charges and it will remain at the existing Rs 30 per hour.

Those choosing taxis for their travel will have to pay Rs 25 for the first kilometre as against the existing Rs 20.

The charges for every subsequent kilometre will be Rs 14 for non-AC taxis and Rs 16 for AC taxis. Previously, one had to pay Rs 11 for non-AC and Rs 13 for AC ones.

The official said there had been an increase of 39.7 per cent in CNG prices in the last three years from Rs 27.5 per kg to Rs 38.35 per kg.

There had been pressure from auto and taxi operators in the city for a revision in hike.

The last revision was done in June 2010.

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Delhi gang rape: HC rejects bus owner's bail plea in cheating case

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court today dismissed the bail plea of Dinesh Yadav, owner of the bus in which the horrific December 16 gang rape incident took place, in a case of cheating and forgery for allegedly submitting false information to get transport permit.

Justice Mukta Gupta accepted the prosecution argument that the investigation in a preliminary stage and turned down Yadav's plea, saying "no interference is required into the order of trial court."

Challenging the trial court's March 12 order dismissing his bail petition, Yadav, 35, in his plea claimed he was in no way connected to the incident.

Yadav, arrested since January 2, sought bail on the grounds of parity saying co-accused Rakam Singh has already been granted bail in the case.

Police had registered a case of cheating and forgery under various sections of IPC against Yadav. They said he had submitted false information to the State Transport Department to get the registration certificate and the permit for the bus.

The 23-year-old girl was gang raped in the moving bus in south Delhi and died in a hospital in Singapore on December 29.

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