'Any land bill clause seen as anti-farmer will be dropped'

NEW DELHI: With the early enactment of the land acquisition bill looking uncertain, PM Narendra Modi on Friday reached out to opponents for support with the promise that his government was ready to drop any provision in the bill which was considered to be anti-farmer.

Modi also emphasized that passage of the land bill would be particularly beneficial for eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, eastern Andhra Pradesh and the northeast - an assertion interpreted as a pitch aimed at regional parties like SP, JD(U), BJD, BSP, TRS and others who can help the government overcome its number handicap in Rajya Sabha.

However, even as the PM struck a conciliatory note and argued that parties should rise above partisan considerations to take a stand, he was not apologetic about seeking to discard the law enacted under the UPA government. He maintained that the existing law was flawed and needed to be changed.

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Consultative and counselling website finishproblems.com launched in Delhi

Consultative and counselling website, finishproblems.com, was launched on February 19 in Delhi.

"It is the first interactive website where one can seek advice or get counselling by chatting or talking directly to experts in specialized fields through telephonic calls," company reps tell us. The subjects of counselling include legal and corporate, astrology, love and relationships, tours and travel, electronics and automobiles, men, women and many more.

The founder and the managing director of the company, Puneet Rai, said, "The motive of the services is to provide expert advice to the people at `10minute in the most convenient manner anywhere, anytime. Anyone can purchase the membership through his/her debit card or credit or call and order cash on delivery coupons without any shipping charges, or visit our website http:www.finishproblems.com, or call 01244318686 for more assistance."

Sunil Sethi, president of FDCI, Dr Malvika Sabharwal, well-known gynaecologist, directors of the company Anjali Rai, Vaishali Rai, the director of the company , Manish Gupta, chairman, JIMS, Dr Seema Midha, tarot card reader, Nirmal Sinha, chairman and managing director at HHEC and body builder, Dr Som Tugnet, attended the event, and appreciated the concept of the website.

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My govt's only religion is India first, PM tells House

NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism that he was soft on Hindutva hardliners, PM Narendra Modi on Friday stressed that as the head of the government, he was obligated to ensure the primacy of the Constitution and rein in those making provocative communal statement.

"This country can only be run in accordance with the Constitution. It is the expression of the ethos the country has followed for thousands of years, and reflects hopes and aspirations of the common man. India cannot be governed by disregarding its tenets. No one can take law into his hands and nobody can discriminate against anyone on grounds of faith. Those making irresponsible statements should remember that being the head of the government, it is my responsibility to determine how it functions," Modi said.

Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha, he reiterated, "I have repeatedly said my government has only one religion, India first. It treats the Constitution as its sole scripture. It worships only the cause of the welfare of all 1.25 billion citizens. "

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3 senior Cairns execs in leakgate probe

NEW DELHI: After a top Reliance Industries executive, three senior officials of energy major Cairn India, including one of its board members, are under investigation in the leakgate case involving theft of sensitive government information, sources said.

The sources named one of the three as Sudhir Mathur, the CFO of Cairn, and said another was a high ranking executive with the company's Rajasthan asset. Cops have seized the computers of these officials during raids. The action follows the interrogation of K K Naik, Cairn's arrested general manager.

Meanwhile, RIL's arrested manager Shailesh Saxena has allegedly named the company's president (corporate affairs) Shankar Adawal as the receiver of the leaked papers.

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Budget 2015: Delhi Metro gets 22 per cent hike

NEW DELHI: The allocation of funds for Delhi Metro in the Union Budget has seen a 22 per cent jump with it being alloted over Rs 4,200 crore as its network extends deeper into the National Capital Region.

A total of Rs 4,259 crore has been allocated to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, a joint venture of the Central and the state governments. It is an increase of 788 crore from the last year's Rs 3,470 crore.

DMRC officials termed the amount provided in the Budget as "adequate" for its ongoing projects including the Phase - III construction.

"As the project progresses during the year it would be possible for DMRC to approach the Government for more funds in the form of Revised Estimates and supplementaries as required from time to time," an official said.

Of the total amount, Metro got Rs 1007 crore for phase-III construction work as part of the Centre's equity with another Rs 125 crore for its expansion plans in the NCR region.

Under the subordinate debt category for Phase III that includes exemption given to it under Central taxes and land acquisition, it has been allocated Rs 530 crore.

On completion, the phase-III of the Delhi Metro will add 140 km to the existing operational network stretching over 190 km with newer operational corridors at various outer Delhi areas and also in places like Faridabad.

Around Rs 42,000 crore has been sanctioned for phase-III construction, a substantial part of which is being funded by the Japanese government.

This amount has been pegged at Rs 2,597 crore this time under the "pass through assistance" head in the Budget.

Both the Union and the state government hold 14 per cent equity in the project each.

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Girl suffers cut to face after college window falls

NEW DELHI: Three students of Vivekananda Mahila College in east Delhi were injured on Thursday afternoon after a glass window pane on the third floor came loose from the hinges and fell crashing on them. Police said a piece of broken glass sliced a student's face while her friends suffered cuts on their head and shoulders.

The incident was reported around noon when classes broke for recess. Eyewitnesses told police that BA first year students were having lunch in the school yard when the glass came crashing down. "One of them, Radhika, was hit on the head, but a piece of glass slashed 21-year-old Priya Arora's cheek," said Kanchan Kaushik, a student. Their classmate Ruhi was injured on her right shoulder.

Hearing the noise, Kanchan and the others rushed to the spot and found the three girls lying on the ground. Students claimed there was no ambulance or first aid available in the college at the time of the incident and that they had to stop a passing car to rush the injured to a private hospital. The families of the girls were informed.

Students also informed the PCR after which a team from Vivek Vihar police station reached the college. Police said preliminary investigations suggest negligence on the part of the college authorities. While Radhika and Ruhi were discharged after treatment, Priya had to undergo cosmetic surgery. Her family members, who stay in Ghaziabad, said that the right side of her face is scarred after the accident. Students claim they had informed college authorities earlier about the broken window pane but it was not replaced.

Principal Surinder Kaur, however, claims it was sabotage. "The footage of our CCTV camera shows someone was in my office on the third floor during odd hours. They may have loosened the screws by which the pane was attached." Kaur's office is in the new building of Vivekananda College handed over in 2013.

"One glass pane on the ground floor was damaged and I complained repeatedly, asking them to replace it," says Kaur. She further alleges that there are CCTV grabs of a students' union member "walking in and out" of the new building. The reason she states for such an act is dispute over participation of a group of students in the college festival, Pallavi. She says she's been threatened as a result of the dispute. However, she did not register a complaint at the local police station in this regard.

"My full sympathy is with the students who were injured. We deposited money for Priya Arora at the hospital and requested them not to charge a dime from her family. With permission from the governing body, I took one lakh from the college fund which she will be given for treatment," Kaur says.

DCP (East) Ajay Kumar said that a case of voluntarily causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety under Section 337 IPC has been registered and efforts are being made to establish culpability.

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30-year-old alleges rape by policeman

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old woman has alleged she was raped by a policeman inside her house in outer Delhi's Alipur area on Wednesday night. The accused has been identified as head constable posted with the disaster management wing of Rohini police station. He is also a relative of the woman, police said. "They are from Uttar Pradesh and visited each other's house in Narela often," said an officer.

In her complaint, the woman told police that the cop came to her house around 10pm on Wednesday on the pretext of discussing a family matter. She said that he tried to force himself on her.

The woman also told police that he had forced himself on her several times in the past and used to threaten her with dire consequences whenever she objected. The constable, however, has been absconding since Wednesday.

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Left parties protest against Land ordinance bill, traffic chokes

NEW DELHI: Traffic in parts of Lutyen's Delhi was stalled for hours due to a protest rally by the Left Parties at the Jantar Mantar on Friday morning. Traffic officials say that protesters marched towards the venue through the busy Connaught Place outer circle leading to snarls near the Parliament street which later trailed back to the Minto Road and Barakhamba road all the way upto ITO.

A traffic official said that they had deployed personnel around the Lutyen's zone to ease the traffic pressure. The parties have been requested to ask their supporters to walk on a single lane towards the protest venue so that the others can be left free for traffic movement.

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Cyclist run over by bus

NEW DELHI: A 26-year-old cyclist was crushed to death by a speeding chartered bus in northeast Delhi following which the vehicle was torched by an angry mob. Police had to use force to disperse the mob.

The incident was reported around 8pm. Bablu was heading towards his house towards his house when he was hit from behind by a speeding chartered bus. A police officer said the locals had chased and caught hold of the bus driver and thrashed him.

A team of officers from the local police station reached the spot and rescued the driver, The mob even pelted stones at police.

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In swine flu-hit city, govt doctors go on strike

NEW DELHI: At a time when the city is struggling to contain the swine flu crisis, resident doctors of at least 14 prominent central and staterun hospitals have decided to go on strike.

"The resident doctors of hospitals including Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak will be on strike on Friday to press for demands such as better security, availability of life saving drugs and policy for regularizing ad-hoc employees," Dr Balvinder Singh, president of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association of Delhi told TOI.

The association has threatened to launch an indefinite strike from Monday if the government fails to respond positively to the demands. Singh said the stir was forced on the doctors as the government had not acted on their plea. Sources said the agitation would cripple the city's health system. A senior central government official said the doctors had been requested not to go on a strike as their demands would be addressed.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said he had held a meeting with the resident doctors. "I have assured them that all demands will be met. Also, we will write to Delhi Police and the LG for enhancing security in hospitals," he said.

However, the doctors' association said the government had given them no action plan on the issue. "We had submitted a list of 17 key issues that needed to be addressed urgently on February 12 itself. On Thursday, we gave a notice to go on strike after which a se nior health ministry held a meeting. But he failed to give any concrete action plan on how to address them," Dr Balvinder Singh said.

Resident doctors of Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB), the biggest hospital in east Delhi, have been on strike for the past three days to demand better security . "On Sunday , the relatives of a patient had manhandled a resident doctor, triggering protests and finally a strike," said Dr Amar Shekhar, the vice-president GTB Resident Doctors' Association (RDA).

The doctors claim incidents of manhandling and molestation of doctors are common. "There is always a scarcity of life-saving drugs and surgical consumables.When we tell this to the patient's family , they attack us. Also, only one attendant should be allowed per patient to prevent chaos," said a resident doctor at Lady Hard inge Medical College (LHMC). She said one their colleagues was molested by attendants recently.

At Hindu Rao hospital, doctors claimed they had not got salaries for the last month. At Safdarjung hospital, he added, there are only 86 hostel rooms for over 1,000 resident doctors.

TOI spoke to the medical superintendent of hospitals, who said the strike would hit health services. "There is a huge rush of patients due to swine flu and consultants cannot handle all cases.The government will have to step in since the demands are for all hospitals and not any one in particular," said one of them.

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Errant driver mows down constable

NEW DELHI: A 42-year-old Delhi Police constable was mowed down by a speeding car near northeast Delhi's Welcome Metro station on Tuesday.

The deceased constable was identified as Om Prakash. The accident was reported at 10pm.

The constable was on his bike when a car hit him from behind and fled from the spot, police said. A passerby called and informed the police.

The constable was first taken to GTB hospital and then to Swami Dayanand Hospital in Dilshad Garden where he was declared brought dead.

Police has received a Delhi vehicle number after investigation and an FIR under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) registered.

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In crisis, women can reach cops on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI: Nearly two months after the launch of Himmat, a women's safety mobile application, the operations department of Delhi Police launched the app's WhatsApp and Hike groups on Wednesday. The facility is available at 8800001091.

Unlike the mobile app, which is available only on Android phones, this number can be accessed by all Android and non-Android phone users. "All details received on WhatsApp and Hike groups will be saved for one week so that we can track the accused or the vehicle," additional commissioner of police, operations, Ranvir Singh said.

The users can send their complaints along with pictures of the vehicles they board. They can send a message mentioning their name, boarding and destination points and the vehicle's number to alert police. They can also message the vehicle's registration number.

"The WhatsApp number will reach out to more women in the city instilling a feeling of self-confidence in them," Delhi Police commissioner B S Bassi said. The app was launched on January 1.

Bassi assured that the app will soon be available for iPhone and Windows users.

"The number has been integrated with the PA-100 system which will send an alert to the control room and the nearest PCR van will be rushed to the spot," O P Mishra, DCP, operations and communications, said.

Bassi also reiterated his proposal of starting compulsory self-defence classes for girl students from Class III onwards. "It will help overcome the capacity gap between girls and boys. By the time a girl reaches Class X, she will be able to handle any situation of distress," he said. This year, 15,000 girls have been given self-defence training and the target is to train one lakh girls. Bassi requested the women not using smartphones to save 100 and 1091 on their speed-dialing list so that immediate calls can be made to police control room.

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Wife held for man’s murder

NEW DELHI: Fed up of his extramarital affairs, a woman got her friends to strangle her husband and then came up with a plan to dispose of the body. They dressed the body in a burqa, put it in a car and drove to Ghaziabad. But on the way, they were stopped by police who grew suspicious after seeing the man's beard sticking out of the burqa. A check showed up the body and the woman and her friends were arrested.

The incident was reported from Jagatpuri police station in east Delhi. Dilshad used to own an iron grill shop and stayed with his wife Rabiya and two children. The couple used to have regular fights. On Tuesday, Rabiya sedated Dilshad with sleeping pills mixed in his morning drink. She then called in two of her friends, Maujuddin and Noor Mohammad, who strangled him.

They put the body in the front passenger seat of Maujuddin's car. While driving towards Maujpur in UP, they were stopped at a police check post. They immediately informed their counterparts in Delhi. A case was registered at Jagatpuri police station. A team reached Dilshad's house and Rabiya was arrested. She has confessed the crime.

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Bizman killed, help a suspect

NEW DELHI: A 55-year-old businessman was strangled in his office in north-west Delhi's Maurya Enclave area on Wednesday afternoon.

The room was found ransacked by unknown assailants who fled with his mobile phone and other valuables. Police suspect the role of a household help who has been missing since the incident.

The man, Mukesh Grover, worked as a commission agent, supplying pepper at Khari Baoli market.

The body was found lying on a chair with a cloth tied around Grover's neck. His office was located on the third floor of an apartment at the AU block in Maurya Enclave. The door of his office was found locked from outside.

Grover's family said that he had stayed back on Tuesday night at his office to finish some work, along with the household help. When his son Suneesh called him the next morning to find out whether he was coming back home, he found that his phone was switched off. Worried, Suneesh reached the office around 12.30pm and broke open the door, discovering the body.

Suneesh said that Grover had abrasions on his face. There were also signs of scuffle in the room. "The assailants broke open the locker and fled with cash to the tune of lakhs," Suneesh said.

Police said that the assailant had turned up the television's volume to drown the sound of the scuffle.

The body was sent to Ambedkar hospital for a postmortem and handed over to his family later at night. "We have registered a case of murder and robbery and investigations are on to identify and nab the criminals," said N Gnana Sambandhan, DCP northwest.

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Are people getting passports on fake addresses: HC asks Centre, Delhi

NEW DELHI: Concerned that Indian passports are being issued to citizens and foreigners on incorrect addresses, the Delhi high court on Wednesday sought an explanation from the Centre and the state government s on the issue.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw issued notices to the ministries of external affairs (MEA) and home affairs (MHA). It also asked the Delhi government and city police to reply to the allegations by April 29.

"It is a very serious issue that people who are not residing at a given address have been issued passports in their name. The government needs to explain this very serious allegation," the bench said.

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Woman drags dad, brother to court for domestic violence

NEW DELHI: Till now, women, either married or in live-in relationships, initiated proceedings against husbands or partners under Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. But in a rare instance, a married woman lawyer has dragged her parents and brother to court under DV Act.

The advocate rang up her parents on July 23 last year and said that she was being assaulted by her husband. Her father and brother rushed to her matrimonial home. The woman lodged a complaint with the police and came to live with her parents in their New Ranjit Nagar flat in West Patel Nagar area of New Delhi.

On November 20 last year, she filed a complaint under DV Act against her parents and brother in a Patiala House court alleging that she was physically assaulted, mentally tortured and forced to vacate her parent's house.

She alleged that during her stay in her parent's house from July 24 till November 6, when she was forced to vacate, she was initially pressurized to go back to her matrimonial home. When she refused, she was physically and verbally assaulted, not given food and asked to pay money every month for her stay.

Metropolitan magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria on January 8 held the complaint to be maintainable against the father and brother and summoned them to appear before the court on February 24.

Her father and brother rushed to the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the January 8 summoning order on the ground that the complaint under DV Act was not maintainable against them.

Appearing before Justice Manmohan Singh, their counsel Uday Gupta argued that the parental home of the complainant could not be termed "a shared household" under the DV Act as it applied to the place where her husband lived.

Citing a case law, Gupta further told the court that the Supreme Court had interpreted Section 17(1) of the Act to say that "the wife is only entitled to claim a right to residence in a shared household, and a shared household would only mean the house belonging to or taken on rent by the husband, or the house which belongs to the joint family of which the husband is a member".

After hearing arguments, Justice Singh entertained the petition by the complainant's father and brother, issued notice to her and stayed proceedings before the Patiala House court till March 26.

The father made an impassioned plea before the HC. "Parents keep taking care of the child even after the children become independent. Imagine the plight of the parents when the child they have brought up together, and for whom they have together spent sleepless nights, drags them to court for selfish objectives," he said.

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Woman drags father and brother to court under DV Act

NEW DELHI: Till now, women, either married or in live-in relationships, initiated proceedings against husbands or partners under Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. But in a rare instance, a married woman lawyer has dragged her parents and brother to court under DV Act.

The advocate rang up her parents on July 23 last year and said that she was being assaulted by her husband. Her father and brother rushed to her matrimonial home. The woman lodged a complaint with the police and came to live with her parents in their New Ranjit Nagar flat in West Patel Nagar area of New Delhi.

On November 20 last year, she filed a complaint under DV Act against her parents and brother in a Patiala House court alleging that she was physically assaulted, mentally tortured and forced to vacate her parent's house.

She alleged that during her stay in her parent's house from July 24 till November 6, when she was forced to vacate, she was initially pressurized to go back to her matrimonial home. When she refused, she was physically and verbally assaulted, not given food and asked to pay money every month for her stay.

Metropolitan magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria on January 8 held the complaint to be maintainable against the father and brother and summoned them to appear before the court on February 24.

Her father and brother rushed to the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the January 8 summoning order on the ground that the complaint under DV Act was not maintainable against them.

Appearing before Justice Manmohan Singh, their counsel Uday Gupta argued that the parental home of the complainant could not be termed "a shared household" under the DV Act as it applied to the place where her husband lived.

Citing a case law, Gupta further told the court that the Supreme Court had interpreted Section 17(1) of the Act to say that "the wife is only entitled to claim a right to residence in a shared household, and a shared household would only mean the house belonging to or taken on rent by the husband, or the house which belongs to the joint family of which the husband is a member".

After hearing arguments, Justice Singh entertained the petition by the complainant's father and brother, issued notice to her and stayed proceedings before the Patiala House court till March 26.

The father made an impassioned plea before the HC. "Parents keep taking care of the child even after the children become independent. Imagine the plight of the parents when the child they have brought up together, and for whom they have together spent sleepless nights, drags them to court for selfish objectives," he said.

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Chargesheet prepared in child’s kidnap, murder case

NEW DELHI: Police have prepared a chargesheet against the two accused who had kidnapped and murdered the 13-year-old son of a jeweller in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar area on November 20.

Police said the duo has been booked for abduction, murder, criminal conspiracy and forgery. The 70-page chargesheet has been presented before a magistrate. Pratap Singh Sisodia has been named as the main conspirator while his friend, Siddharth Sharma, is the co-conspirator. Siddharth's flat in Geeta Nagar was used to hold the child captive. Pratap has already admitted that he knew Utkarsh's father.

During investigation, a team led by inspector K G Tyagi interrogated 30 people. The owner of the medical store from where the accused purchased Alprax strips to sedate the child has also been arrested. Sisodia's girlfriend—the prime witness in the case—was also questioned. She was present in the flat when the child was strangled.

The statements of the witnesses were matched with that of the accused to corroborate the sequence of events. Footages from at least three CCTVs was taken in as evidence, said a senior police officer.

However, police said the accused had refused to go for a voice identification test which would match their voice samples with those recorded by cops while trying to trace the callers. It was also found that the accused had used five identity cards which had been forged by Sharma.

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AAP govt announces 50% cut in power tariff; 20,000 litres of free water

NEW DELHI: Acting on its poll promises, AAP government on Wednesday announced a reduction in power tariff.

"Families using power till 400 units per month will get it on half the price," deputy CM Delhi Manish Sisodia announced in a press conference.

"Those families using more than 400 units per month will have to pay the entire bill," Manish Sisodia added.

This will be effective from the March 1, Manish Sisodia said.

The reduction in power tariff will benefit 90% families in Delhi, Sisodia said.

The government had allocated Rs 70 crore for this subsidy for a month. From April 1, the budget allocation for this scheme will be Rs 1,427 crore per annum.

Manish Sisodia also said that the Delhi government will provide 20,000 litres of free water per month to every household.

READ ALSO: Costs rise for AAP's 50% free power pledge in Delhi

Why do parties promise free power, Modi asks

In its manifesto, AAP had promised to cut power tariff by 50 per cent immediately after coming to power and said the rates will be revised based on the findings of the CAG audit.

Earlier in the day, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met Comptroller and Auditor General Shashi Kant Sharma and discussed the status of scrutiny of finances of the private power distribution companies by the auditor which was ordered by the AAP government during its first stint.

Sources said Kejriwal conveyed to Sharma his government's view on the CAG audit of the finances of the discoms and its plans to review the electricity tariff after the findings of the audit.

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Delhi Police launches women safety app "Himmat" on Whatsapp and Hike

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has launched Whatsapp and Hike groups for its application — "Himmat." Whatsapp group is available on the number 8800001091.

Delhi Police is working towards launching the app on Apple store and making it available to non-smartphone users as well.

More than 30,000 women have downloaded the app which let's women send SOS signals to alert Delhi Police control room.

However, only 2 genuine SOS has been generated till now. A woman complained of domestic violence in Delhi and a teenaged girl from Karnal raised SOS.

8 SOS messages from foreign countries.

Delhi Police acted swiftly in both cases. The teenaged girl was complaining about harassment in the hands of a local youth. Delhi Police contacted SP Karnal and asked to take action.

Women can click a pic of the taxi/auto they're boarding and send it to this group so that the cops have a record and she feels secure.

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Midday meal workers paid just Rs 1000 since 2009 despite high food inflation

NEW DELHI: The minimum food bill for a family of four has gone up by about Rs 2000 or by 70% between 2009 and 2015. The official minimum wages in Delhi for semi-skilled workers has more than doubled from Rs 4100 to Rs 9,438. However, the remuneration for almost 26 lakh midday meal workers, mostly women, who run the largest school lunch programme in the world, remains stuck at Rs 1,000 per month for just 10 months. These "grossly underpaid" workers are expected to make a success of the midday meal scheme meant to improve learning outcomes and school attendance by addressing hunger in the classroom.

The ministry of human resources development (MHRD) had announced in April 2013 that the honorarium would be increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 2,000 per month. But the union cabinet deferred the decision in July last year. "The promised hike has not been implemented even as the allocation for the remuneration of the midday meal workers in the budget has shrunk from 31% in 2009-10 to just 18% in 2014-15 even though the allocation itself went up from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 13,215," said A R Sindhu, convenor of the All India Coordination Committee of Midday Meal Workers.

"To make things worse, there is delay in release of funds allocated for remuneration, and often, the whole amount is not released. For instance, in 2013 in the first quarter only 13% of the actual remuneration was paid up. Just 36% in the second quarter and only 61% in the third quarter," said Sindhu. In many states wages are not paid for six to nine months.

While some states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala top up the Rs 1000 allocated by the Centre, paying as much as Rs 5,500 and Rs 4,500 respectively, other states like Haryana and Bengal barely add Rs 500 to the central allocation.

Hundreds of midday meal workers demonstrated at Janatar Mantar on Tuesday demanding that the government implement the 45^th Indian Labour Conference recommendations that the Mid Day Meal Workers be recognized as workers, paid minimum wages and social security including pension. The committee of midday meal workers gave a written representation to the HRD Ministry Smriti Irani reminding her that she had failed to implement the assurances she had given the workers when she met their delegation in July 2014.

In August 2014 midday meal workers from across the country had protested in the Capital seeking justice. In their letter to Irani they pointed out that their living and working condition had only worsened since then in the era of price rise. The workers demanded medical facilities and proper infrastructure including kitchen sheds, storage place and safe drinking water along with cooking gas for preparing the food. They also opposed privatisation of the scheme and inclusion of packaged food from corporates like Pepsi and Britannia in school meals instead of hot cooked meals.

Wages that do not reflect the food inflation

Minimum monthly food bill for family of 4			2009 (Rs)	2015 (Rs)
Rice (15kg)			330	450
Aatta (15 kg)			225	330
Daal (7 kg)			322	721
Oil (3 kg)			222	330
Sugar (3 kg)			75	102
Onion (10 kg)			170	330
Potato (10 kg)			60	140
Tomato (10kg)			200	300
Salt (1/2 kg)			3	7
Milk (30 kg)			630	1140
Gas			279	417
Water			280	420
Total			2,796	4,687(69% increase)
Minimum wages in Delhi (semi skilled)			4,100	9,438
Remuneration for midday meal workers			1000	1000

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Traffic jams in Delhi due to Anna's agitation

NEW DELHI: Traffic jams have been reported from parts of central Delhi on Tuesday morning after thousands of supporters of activist Anna Hazare marched towards Jantar Mantar from the Badarpur border.

Congestion have been reported from Connaught Place, Mandi House, Minto Road, ITO, Ring Road, Mathura Road and parts of Vikas Marg as well.

Police officials expect more than 10,000 people to march towards Anna's protest venue at Jantar Mantar. Traffic officials say that the protesters are being guided to follow a single lane.

"We have deployed additional personnel along the route being taken by the supporters. Diversions are being made wherever possible," said a traffic officer.

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Delhi House opens 1st innings with power play

NEW DELHI: The first day of the sixth legislative assembly began without any fireworks unlike in 2013, but there was drama. There was a subtle show of strength by Aam Aadmi Party—that has a more than overwhelming presence in the House— and BJP responded by playing the victim card.

AAP tried to project itself as a more gracious ruling party than BJP—which refused to grant leader of opposition (LoP) status to Congress in the Lok Sabha. The party said it will consider granting LoP status to BJP if the latter asked for it. But the oath-taking session led to a face-off between the two parties.

BJP's Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta accused AAP of being "autocratic" and "undemocratic" and said the majority party curtailed the rights of the three-member opposition. Newly elected speaker Ram Niwas Goel rubbished the charge and accused Gupta of politicizing the issue. He made it clear that AAP has no problem talking to BJP on the issue. Gupta, however, tried some political grandstanding and declared that the BJP MLAs were not after any post and that they will work for the people of Delhi.

While setting out his vision for the House, Goel expressed the hope that the opposition would use the space to raise issues linked to public good. Seeking a healthy relationship with BJP, Goel also said that the onus of good Centre-state relations lay on Gupta's shoulders.

The seating arrangement in the House clearly reflected the new power equation. The first three seats on the benches facing Arvind Kejriwal, who's also the leader of the House, were reserved for the BJP members and all benches behind and adjacent to them for two clear rows were left empty; everywhere else there were AAP MLAs.

While both chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia walked over to the opposition benches to shake hands with BJP's Vijender Gupta, OP Sharma and Jagdish Pradhan, the body language reflected the power play. Later, Gupta said in a media conference that he felt all along that the ruling party was trying to belittle BJP MLAs with smiles and remarks.

After Goel was elected speaker, he asked both Kejriwal and Gupta to speak. Kejriwal, following protocol, congratulated the speaker, but Gupta attacked AAP for its alleged gag order on the media at the secretariat. The speaker cut him short midway and said it was not the occasion to discuss all that and that there will be more opportunities in the days to come when he could raise all such issues. Gupta pleaded with Goel to let him continue but the speaker stood firm. At this, an upset Gupta kept standing till the session ended for the day. In between, though, deputy speaker Bandana Kumari was also elected.

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Light rains expected in some parts of Delhi

NEW DELHI: Partly cloudy sky condition prevailed on Tuesday morning in the national capital with light rains or thundershowers predicted in some parts of the city from evening onwards.

"With cloudy condition, the day temperature has risen. The minimum temperature recorded so far is 15.2 degrees Celsius," a MeT official said.

The maximum temperature forecast for Tuesday was 28 degrees Celsius but now it stands at 29 degrees Celsius. The humidity level registered so far is 63 per cent, the official said.

"Later in the evening, very light rain or thundershowers could occur in some parts of the Capital," he added.

The weatherman yesterday had forecast very light rain or thundershowers from tonight onwards but given the cloudy weather, the MeT said, the rain is now expected from evening onwards.

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Union home ministry scales down the security of three former home ministers

NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry has scaled down the security of three former home ministers - P Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Buta Singh - from 'Z-plus' to 'Z' category. At a VIP security review held on Friday, the government also ordered the downgrading of protective cover to 1984 anti-Sikh riots-tainted Congressmen Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.

While Shinde was home minister before UPA government was voted out in 2014, Chidambaram was his immediate predecessor. Buta Singh was home minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government between 1986 and 1989. His more recent assignments included as the governor of Bihar from 2004 to 2006 and then as chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Castes until 2010.

While Shinde and Chidambaram were accorded ""Z-plus"" security by virtue of their position as the Union home minister, Buta's Z-plus cover was based on his threat perception arising out of his stance against Sikh militancy in Punjab. Incidentally, though Chidambaram had Z-plus protection on paper, he was rarely seen moving with his assigned security detail, including pilot and escort vehicles. Unlike him, however, Shinde retained every bit of the Z-plus paraphernalia, even trading his ambassador car with a fleet of Tata Safaris.

Buta Singh enjoyed Z-plus security, the highest cover given to a VIP other than the Prime Minister, for almost three decades. In fact, he was protected by 'Black Cat' commandos of the National Security Guard, an anti-terror crack force.

In another important decision, the Union home ministry has decided to downgrade the security cover of two Congress leaders accused in the anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. As a newly-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) relooks at the 1984 riots FIRs filed in Delhi for reinvestigation, followed by filing of chargesheets where evidence is found available, the cases involving the two Congress leaders may also be come up for review.

Yet, given that both Kumar and Tytler may be prone to ""backlash"" attacks if left unprotected, the Union home ministry has decided against any knee-jerk review and only downgraded their cover from Z-plus to Z.

Among the other persons whose security was withdrawn completely are Saradha scam-tainted Congress leader Matang Sing and former Army chief J J Singh. Singh was governor of Arunachal Pradesh between 2008 and 2013.

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Court holds two men guilty of being members of terror outfit

NEW DELHI: Two Manipuri residents have been convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by a Delhi court for being members of a banned terror outfit.

The court, however, freed them of the charges of indulging in illicit drug trafficking to raise money for the outfit due to lack of evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh held the Manipur natives-- Napoleon Thockchom and Nangthanbam Anand-- guilty of the offence under section 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which entails a maximum punishment of life term.

"Both the accused persons pleaded guilty to the offence under section 20 of UAPA and said in their statements recorded under CrPC that they were members of the banned terrorist organisation Kanglaipak Communist Party (KCP). Hence, both the accused persons are convicted," the judge said.

The court is yet to pronounce the quantum of sentence to both the convicts.

While acquitting them of the charges of raising money for the outfit by illegal drug trafficking, the court rejected their disclosure statements and said there was no evidence to prove the same.

"The disclosure statements of both the accused persons regarding indulging in trade of illegal drugs to raise money for financing activities of the banned organisation is inadmissible in evidence as there is no discovery of any such fact deposed to have been discovered in consequence of the statements of the accused...

"Thus neither of the accused can be held guilty of the offence punishable under Section 18 (conspiring or knowingly facilitating commission of a terrorist act) of the UAPA," it said.

The court also noted that both the convicts, along with four other accused, had been discharged of the offences under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by another judge.

As per the police, it got a tip-off in March 2011 about large quantities of Ephedrine, a controlled substance, being illegally exported from Delhi to Myanmar and China via Manipur for manufacturing narcotics by Manipur-based traders and proceeds of the same were being sent to banned terrorist organisations based in the state to finance their activities.

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Trafficked woman saved from East Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old woman, who was trafficked from West Bengal and forced into prostitution was rescued from southeast Delhi's Greater Kailash on Sunday. Two men and one woman were arrested from the area.

The woman told police that she was brought to the city in 2013, by a man named Narain Chudali, from her village in north Dinajpur district by promising her a job in Delhi. She also said that Narain too had raped her several times.

Once she had reached the city, Narain sold her to a woman named Sarita Thapa and her husband Krishna. She was kept at a house in Zamrudpur where she was forced into prostitution. She was held at the house for the past nine-months.

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Trafficked woman saved from south-east Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old woman, who was trafficked from West Bengal and forced into prostitution was rescued from southeast Delhi's Greater Kailash on Sunday. Two men and one woman were arrested from the area.

The woman told police that she was brought to the city in 2013, by a man named Narain Chudali, from her village in north Dinajpur district by promising her a job in Delhi. She also said that Narain too had raped her several times.

Once she had reached the city, Narain sold her to a woman named Sarita Thapa and her husband Krishna. She was kept at a house in Zamrudpur where she was forced into prostitution. She was held at the house for the past nine-months.

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Delhi court holds two men guilty of being members of terror outfit

NEW DELHI: Two Manipuri residents have been convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by a Delhi court for being members of a banned terror outfit.

The court, however, freed them of the charges of indulging in illicit drug trafficking to raise money for the outfit due to lack of evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh held the Manipur natives-- Napoleon Thockchom and Nangthanbam Anand-- guilty of the offence under section 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which entails a maximum punishment of life term.

"Both the accused persons pleaded guilty to the offence under section 20 of UAPA and said in their statements recorded under CrPC that they were members of the banned terrorist organisation Kanglaipak Communist Party (KCP). Hence, both the accused persons are convicted," the judge said.

The court is yet to pronounce the quantum of sentence to both the convicts.

While acquitting them of the charges of raising money for the outfit by illegal drug trafficking, the court rejected their disclosure statements and said there was no evidence to prove the same.

"The disclosure statements of both the accused persons regarding indulging in trade of illegal drugs to raise money for financing activities of the banned organisation is inadmissible in evidence as there is no discovery of any such fact deposed to have been discovered in consequence of the statements of the accused...

"Thus neither of the accused can be held guilty of the offence punishable under Section 18 (conspiring or knowingly facilitating commission of a terrorist act) of the UAPA," it said.

The court also noted that both the convicts, along with four other accused, had been discharged of the offences under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by another judge.

As per the police, it got a tip-off in March 2011 about large quantities of Ephedrine, a controlled substance, being illegally exported from Delhi to Myanmar and China via Manipur for manufacturing narcotics by Manipur-based traders and proceeds of the same were being sent to banned terrorist organisations based in the state to finance their activities.

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UD ministry allots bungalow to Delhi deputy CM

NEW DELHI: Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu has approved transfer of the bungalow at AB-17, Mathura Road to Delhi government.

The minister has agreed to the request of Delhi government in this regard received on Monday. The Delhi government has sought transfer of this bungalow (Type-VII) on exchange basis for the purpose of residential accommodation of Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

This bungalow is lying vacant further to its vacation recently by former union minister P Balaram Naik.

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CM orders probe into Burari clash

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident of violence at Burari on Friday night. The district magistrate (North) has been directed to investigate the circumstances and causes leading to the incident and fix responsibility of those involved.

The government has made it clear that no one—whether it is the government officials, agencies or elected representatives—will be spared if they are found to have acted against the law.

According to a statement issued by the CM office, the police did not register a case against those involved in allegedly molesting two kids of Burari. "Aggrieved by the police inaction, a large number of local people approached the MLAs of Burari and Model Town, Sanjeev Jha and Akhilesh Tripathi. Both the MLAs, along with the local people went to the police station, Burari, to get an FIR registered for ensuring timely action against the alleged criminals," the statement said. It further said that a police official allegedly pointed a rifle towards an MLA and some local people pelted stones on the police personnel.

"Delhi government treats safety of children as an important issues and is committed to put an end to such shameful incidents. It has been decided to institute a magisterial inquiry under the district magistrate (North Delhi) to inquire about the circumstances and causes that led to this incident and to fix responsibility of government officials, agencies and elected representatives, any of whom may have acted against the law (sic)," the statement said.

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New industry norms raise concern

NEW DELHI: The AAP government's move to do away with approvals from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the civic body as a pre-requisite for setting up small or medium industries has become a cause of alarm among environmentalists. They fear this may further worsen the quality of air and water in the city.

Industries minister Satyendar Jain described this pre-requisite to be a "bureaucratic red tape" which is why the department is doing away with it. But once the owner receives an acknowledgement under the MSMED, 2006 Act to set up the industry, it will be monitored by DPCC to detect possible violations of pollution norms.

According to existing norms, people who want to set up such industries are required to get DPCC's "consent to operate" and a licence from a municipal corporation. Industry experts said the government's decision would encourage more people to set up small industries.

There are about one lakh small and medium industries in Delhi. Of these, nearly 70,000 are in the "green", which are considered the least polluting while 30,000 are in the "orange" category that are moderately polluting in terms of their waste discharge and emissions.

DPCC has listed 166 types of industries under the "green" category and another 68 types under "orange" category. The "green" industries include agarbatti manufacturing, assembling lifts, carpet weaving, block making for prints, jute products and many others. Those manufacturing electrical and electronic goods, stainless steel utensils, soaps etc come under the "orange" category. "I think the department is only trying to cut paper work for small industries. It should not be misunderstood," said an official from the environment department.

Ecologists, meanwhile, said while it's alright to relax norms for the "green" industries, the new government should be stringent about certain "orange" category industries such as electroplating and steel pickling. "These are polluting industries and they need to be monitored closely. Whatever paper work they are trying to reduce, they should do it for non-polluting industries," said C R Babu, ecologist and professor emeritus of Delhi University.

Small industry bodies are happy that non-polluting industries may not have to go through a tedious process of getting permissions. "I think now the pollution control board will stop harassing those who want to set up non-polluting industries. I think environment is a very important issue, particularly in Delhi and the monitoring should be more stringent," said Gyan Prakash from the World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises.

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Scribe alleges rape by live-in partner

NEW DELHI: A 34-year-old journalist has alleged that she was raped by her live-in partner on the pretext of marriage in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area. The police have registered a case against the 38-year-old man, who is absconding.

According to the woman, they were living together for the past six years. The man is a resident of Vasant Kunj. In her statement to the police, she claimed that the man raped her several times over the past six years. He allegedly refused to marry her after learning that she was pregnant. He even tried to abort her pregnancy, said a police source.

According to police officers, the woman met the accused after she got divorced seven years ago.

After receiving her complaint, police sent the woman for a medical examination. Her statement was recorded at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station. An FIR was registered under sections 376 (punishment for rape), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent) and 328 (causing hurt by means of poison).

Police said the accused had been at large for the past few days. They are conducting raids at various places to nab the accused.

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Air pollution on his mind, Delhi CM asks babus for offbeat ideas

NEW DELHI: In his first review meeting with the environment and forests department, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal dismissed all other issues, choosing to discuss only the rising levels of air pollution in the city.

Even before bureaucrats could run him through presentations on various issues, the CM asked if the department could offer any immediate solutions to tackle the problem of air pollution.

Kejriwal asked bureaucrats to skip presentations on other issues and move directly to air pollution. He asked for "offbeat" solutions that could be implemented.

Environment department officials answered that they are awaiting a report by IIT Kanpur due in September, on the sources of air pollution in Delhi. Kejriwal was unsatisfied with their response. Some officials were taken aback. "We don't know if there can be any offbeat solutions to air pollution", one of them said.

In 2014, World Health Organization's urban air quality index showed Delhi with the highest PM 2.5 (fine, respirable particles). High PM2.5 pollution is linked to cardiac and respiratory conditions.

On Saturday, a joint study by universities of Chicago, Yale and Harvard found that half of India's population may be losing up to three years' lifespan because of bad air.

Meanwhile, Centre has also asked for a meeting with the department on tackling air pollution next week.

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AAP MLAs clash with cops over kidnapping

NEW DELHI: In the first confrontation with the police after the AAP government took over in the capital, two party MLAs and scores of local people allegedly clashed with the cops at Burari police station on Friday night. According to the police, nine people, including seven policemen, were injured. The police have registered an FIR against the MLAs and their supporters. Six people have been arrested. The Delhi government has ordered a magisterial inquiry.

The clash was triggered when a family from nearby Pradhan Enclave area went to the police station to get an FIR registered against two bike-borne men who, they alleged, had accused two of their kids of having stolen money and taken them along. The parents said they made a PCR call and the children returned soon after. The family, however, went ahead and lodged a complaint.

The police and MLAs have different versions of the incident. While the MLAs say the cops had initially refused to register an FIR which led to tempers flaring up, a senior police officer told TOI: "A PCR call of two children being abducted from Burari area was received around 5.30pm on Friday. The children were recovered within a few minutes and the accused were apprehended. A copy of the FIR was given to the parents."

READ ALSO: FIR filed against AAP MLA in Burari for creating ruckus

The MLAs say the police misbehaved and ordered a sudden lathicharge. One of the protesters had informed Sanjeev Jha, AAP MLA from Burari, about the incident and he arrived at the police station. Jha has alleged in his complaint that a constable pointed his rifle at him. Soon, he was joined by Akhilesh Tripathi, AAP MLA from Model Town, and his supporters.

While TOI, despite many attempts, could not contact Jha, Tripathi blamed the police for the incident and alleged it was a conspiracy by some political parties to malign AAP. "Instead of registering a case, the police officials at the gate misbehaved with Jha. One of the police personnel pointed his gun at Jha and pushed him. We wanted an FIR to be registered against the policeman and were told that the DCP was on his way to the police station and an FIR would be registered after he approved it," said Tripathi. "While we were waiting inside, the police suddenly lathicharged our supporters and attacked us. Both Sanjeev and I got injured in the incident.''

The police, however, claim that the family of the boys and AAP supporters wanted to beat up the two accused and were demanding their custody. When this request was turned down, they began protesting outside the police station.

The clash, according to the police, broke out after Jha wanted to take his car inside the police station, which did not have any sticker, and got agitated when he was not allowed. His supporters began to pelt stones at the police which then retaliated. According to the police, five vehicles were damaged. Jha's version could not be obtained.

The police have registered an FIR under IPC sections relating to rioting, unlawful assembly, obstructing public servant, assaulting a public servant, causing hurt and criminal intimidation and under the law on prevention of damage to public property.

Meanwhile, the BJP was quick to attack AAP and its MLAs for their "anarchic" attitude. Condemning the incident, BJP president Satish Upadhyay said: "The incident is a result of false ego of AAP MLAs due to which AAP workers and some innocent passersby were injured. The behavior of the MLAs is anarchic. The police should take appropriate action after investigating the incident."

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Nod for mapping good news for illegal colonies

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has started the process for fixing boundaries of unauthorized colonies to give shape to the promise of regularization. Resuming the work from where the first AAP government left off in February 2014, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has decided to begin the process of regularization with a ground mapping survey which could last a year. Sisodia apprised LG Najeeb Jung of his plan on Friday.

In the run-up to the Delhi elections, the Centre had eased norms to make all unauthorized colonies that came up till June 2014 eligible for regularization. As a result, the old list of 1,639 unauthorized colonies is now expected to become longer. A notification has already been issued to this effect by the Union urban development ministry.

On Thursday, the urban development department had made a presentation before chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet on the status of colonies awaiting regularization. Sisodia on Friday said, "The Centre's decision to regularize colonies was just a direction on paper as it cannot become a reality till the ground realities are compatible with the guidelines. Hence, boundary fixation is critical for the municipal corporations to make layout plans and Delhi Development Authority to change land use. The mapping exercise will fix the exact boundaries to make way for layouts and land use changes".

"The revenue department has been asked to carry out the mapping. The district magistrates will be put in charge and in case of a staff crunch we have asked the department to hire the services of people who have the requisite knowledge, like retired tehsildars and kanungos," the deputy CM said. Among other things, Sisodia briefly put forth his plan on regularization of colonies in his first meeting with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Firday.

It is learned that the setup for carrying out the survey is already in place as the urban development department had about two months ago empanelled survey agencies who have the expertise in carrying out such ground-level surveys. The exercise will be carried out with technical assistance from state-run GeoSpatial Delhi Limited. The survey will help establish the exact land status.

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3 more deaths take Delhi swine flu toll to 9

NEW DELHI: Three more swine flu deaths were reported in Delhi on Friday, taking the toll due to the viral infection this season to nine. One of the patients was a pregnant woman.

Senior officials in the health department said two of the deaths took place on Thursday at BLK super-specialty and Action Balaji hospitals respectively. The pregnant woman, a 23-year-old resident of Krishna Nagar in east Delhi, was admitted to LNJP Hospital on February 5 and died of the disease on February 12 but could not be reported until Friday.

"With 143 people testing positive on Friday, the number of swine flu cases have gone up to 2,060 and there have been nine deaths so far," said Dr S K Sharma, director of health services.

Sharma said the incidence was likely to go down with increase in temperature. "The two patients who succumbed to the disease at BLK and Balaji Action hospitals had associated co-morbid conditions. While one of them suffered from blood cancer, the other had heart disease," he said, adding that the toll in Delhi was among the lowest in the country.

According to data from the Union health ministry, 743 people have died of the disease this season while 11,955 cases have been reported across the country so far.

TOI had reported on Thursday how healthcare workers, who are at maximum risk of contracting the disease from infected patients, were not being given preventive vaccination in state-run hospitals since there is no procurement policy on the same. The director of health services confirmed on Friday that vaccines would be procured and all doctors and nurses would be vaccinated soon.

In the private sector, many doctors said they recently got themselves vaccinated to avoid catching infection from the patients. "All high-risk patients such as health workers, the elderly, those suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart diseases and those immune-compromised should take the preventive vaccine annually before the onset of winter to reduce morbidity and mortality risk," said a senior doctor.

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1984 Sikh riots: Plea seeking transfer of case rejected

NEW DELHI: A trial court on Friday rejected pleas of three accused facing trial in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The plea sought transfer of their case from the Karkardooma district court to Rohini on grounds of jurisdiction.

Brahmanand Gupta, Peeriya and Ved Prakash are facing trial on charges of rioting, and the murder of one Surjit Singh, a resident of Sultanpuri area of west Delhi. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar is also an accused in the case.

District judge Rakesh Siddhartha dismissed the plea saying a detailed order would follow.

The defence counsel had contended that the case be transferred to Rohini since the incident allegedly occurred in Sultanpuri area which does not fall under the jurisdiction of Karkardooma district court.

The CBI prosecutor had, however, opposed the plea saying that according to provisions of CrPC, only HC is authorized to transfer a case from one district to another.

He had submitted that a similar riots case, also involving Sajjan Kumar and others, was earlier decided by the same court and the accused had not raised the transfer issue then, thus showing "malafide intention and malice" on their part.

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Class IX student attacks principal

NEW DELHI: A ninth-grader, whose name had been struck off from the rolls of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Tughlaqabad, allegedly attacked the principal and the vice-principal on Friday.

The principal, Pramod Kumar, has a couple of stitches behind one of his ears and alleges the boy, around 17 years old, has attacked other teachers before. Kumar had been looking at the staff register when the boy started hitting him and the vice-principal. "He broke the computers, the television and overturned the chairs, and tables in the room," says Kumar. "He was expelled last November. There had been a number of complaints. He'd smoke inside the classroom and was frequently violent with teachers."

District-level members of Government School Teachers' Association say they had complained to the directorate earlier.

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Four held for alleged gang rape of Nigerian woman in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Four people have been reportedly held in connection with the alleged gang rape of a Nigerian woman in a moving car in New Delhi.

As per reports, the 35-year-old woman was found unconscious by toll plaza workers at the DND toll plaza near Mayur Vihar late Friday night, who also took her for a medical check up.

The accused men reportedly picked up the woman, who is in India on a tourist visa, from outside a mall in south Delhi.

The police have reportedly also confiscated the vehicle in which the crime allegedly took place.

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Teen dead, cops suspect honour killing

NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances in northwest Delhi's Netaji Subhash place area on Thursday morning. Although police have not ruled out involvement of an outsider, they are also probing the honour killing angle. Sources said that during the autopsy, doctors found that the girl was pregnant. Her father and brothers are being questioned.

The girl's family, however, claimed that they were unaware of her pregnancy. Police said that the family suspects a local youth to be involved in the incident. They claimed that she befriended the boy a few years back but was warned to stay away from him. The body was found lying face down at the base of a staircase of her brother's house. The main door leading out of the house was also open. Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl was hit on the face and then strangled.

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Police cell for churches in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has come out with a dedicated cell headed by a nodal officer to address issues related to churches and educational institutions run by the Christian community in the city. Police commissioner B S Bassi has also directed district officials to ensure that a dedicated team is set up to monitor the security of the religious institutions at their level.

In an order issued by the top cop, additional deputy commissioner (recruitment) Joy Tirkey has been made nodal officer to look after the operations of the cell. He has also been asked to hold regular meetings with members of the community and address their concerns.

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Cloudy sky, light rain likely today

NEW DELHI: After a comparatively warm and humid day, some parts of the city saw light rain in the late evening on Thursday. A few areas also reported a hailstorm.

The maximum temperature on Thursday was 29.3 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, while the minimum was 17 degrees, six degrees above normal, ending in the rain.

Delhi has been witnessing maximum temperatures that are 3-4 degrees Celsius above normal and minimum temperatures that are 3-5 degrees above normal for the last few days. The forecast for Friday is partly cloudy sky and very light rain or thundershowers.

During the past three days, the weather in northwest India had been affected by active western disturbances, according to the meteorological department. The western Himalayan region, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal, have since been experiencing moderate rain and snowfall.

The rainfall over the northwestern plains till now was insignificant, other than in parts of Punjab. Warm and moist easterly wind blowing over northwest and central India had seen temperatures over these regions rise by 1-5 degrees above normal which led to the rainfall in Delhi, said Met officials.

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DDA planning 2,500 affordable service apartments for elderly

NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Authority is working on a first-of-its-kind senior citizens' housing scheme, senior officials have said. Officials claim it will be for the first time in India that affordable apartment units, where citizens aged 60 years and above will be able to spend their lives comfortably post-retirement, will come up on such a large scale—at least in the public sector.

Placed a couple of months ago, the proposal was cleared in an Authority board meeting on Monday.

The idea behind the project is to provide a space for the elderly, from all social and economic backgrounds, where they can spend their time together at nominal costs. DDA has identified four sites where housing complexes for senior citizens will be developed.

"Five firms are in talks with us. We have asked each firm to give us designs which provide easy, barrier-free accessibility within the complexes. These firms will develop the complexes," said DDA vice-chairperson Balvinder Kumar.

The idea of a space exclusively for elderly is one DDA has been considering for some time. "Such places are in very limited supply. There are a few in south India and Metro pockets. However, either their rental is too high if built by private developers, or the waiting list is too long. We want this complex to have all amenities, and simultaneously make it affordable," Kumar said.

These apartment units may attract not just pensioners, but richer candidates as well. "Apart from loneliness, senior citizens in the capital are also worried about security. There are many cases of crime against this vulnerable section. Here, they will experience not just a sense of belonging but also security. The complexes will be guarded 24X7," said a senior official.

In addition to providing them easy accessibility, apartment complexes for elderly will be equipped with a gymnasium, library, jogging tracks, medical room and nursing units. Rooms will be provided to candidates for lifetime. Upon the allottee's death, it will be granted to the next person in the waiting list that will be updated annually. DDA will monitor the quality of the flats, food and medical services.

DDA and the developer firms are working on three financial models. "The first mode of payment will be a lump sum amount which an applicant could pay and occupy the flat, the other is monthly installments, ideal for pensioners. The third is reverse mortgage," said an official. Reverse mortgage, for which DDA is talking to banks, would allow applicants to mortgage property and pay for the flat.

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African origin woman allegedly raped in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old African origin woman was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a moving car who later dumped her near the Chilla border in east Delhi. The incident was reported in the wee hours of Friday. Police have arrested two of the accused who were identified by the woman.

In her complaint the woman has said that three men had offered her a lift in their Hyundai accent car from her outside a farm house in Chhatarpur and drop her home at Khirki. Instead they started driving towards Noida and raped her in turns on the way. She claimed that they stopped the car after reaching a spot few metres ahead of a police post near Chilla border and dumped her there. The woman said that she managed to walk up to the guards at the border post and narrate her ordeal.

She was immediately taken to the Mayur Vihar police station where a case was registered based on her statement. She was later admitted to the LBS hospital nearby where she was treated for her injuries.

Police said that the two men identified as Sunny and Johnson were arrested from the Chilla village nearby. The car used by them has also been recovered. A search has been initiated to nab the third accused.

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City temperature to remain above normal, says Met

NEW DELHI: Delhiites can expect another week of warm days with the Met department predicting that both maximum and minimum temperatures will be 2-3 degrees above normal. Light rain and thunderstorms are also on the cards next week, likely between Monday and Wednesday.

"During the last three days, the weather of northwest India has been affected by active western disturbances. The western Himalayan region, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, have been experiencing widespread moderate rainfall and snowfall activity since then. As western disturbances remained located mostly north of the 30 degree North latitude, the rainfall activity over the northwestern plains was mostly insignificant, other than in parts of Punjab," said BP Yadav, director, India Meteorological Department.

However, he explained that while rainfall activity has been missing, the western disturbances and their induced cyclonic circulations resulted in a change in wind direction. Warm and moist easterly winds blowing over northwest and central India saw temperatures over these regions rise by 1-5 degrees above normal.

Delhi for instance has been witnessing maximum temperatures that are 3-4 degrees above normal and minimum temperatures that are 3-5 degrees normal. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was five degrees above normal at 28.9 degrees Celsius while the minimum was three degrees above normal at 14.4 degrees Celsius. The day temperature in Gurgaon and Palam touched almost 30 degrees at 29.7 degrees Celsius and 29.3 degrees Celsius respectively.

The western Himalayan region will continue to receive fairly widespread light to moderate precipitation between February 18 and 20 and widespread activity from February 23 and 25. Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh will be impacted strongly by this.

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Sarkar sitting on relief fund stash

NEW DELHI: With a fund crunch staring the Arvind Kejriwal government in the face, finding the resources for all the projects may be difficult. However, if the Delhi government's finance department is to be believed, the NCT of Delhi is sitting on a huge stockpile of donation money-in the form of the CM's relief fund. Last year, it received Rs 25.1 crore as contributions. However, the assistance released was a mere Rs 6.5 lakh

The funds under the CM's relief fund were substantial for the year before that as well. According to the finance department, the contributions for the financial year 2012-2013 was Rs 3.2 crore. The next financial year, 2013-2014, the contribution is Rs 25.1 crore. The assistance released in both financial years, however, is only Rs 6.5 lakh each, revealed an RTI reply.

The reply by the finance department however, refuses to disclose to whom the assistance has been given, citing sections under RTI Act where "personal" information "which has no relationship to any public activity" need not be revealed. It also cites section 11 (1) where the permission of the third party needs to be sought before it can be revealed by the PIO.

According to Takyar, an RTI activist, the reason why he submitted the RTI was to find out if the monies from the CM's relief fund were being utilized properly. Said Takyar, "I have also filed the first appeal with the CM Office to know particulars of the recipients. I feel transparency is required as there are many cases in which actual needy citizens are being deprived." Added the RTI activist, "A new government has been formed. Hopefully CM Arvind Kejriwal will do the needful as he is himself the pioneer of the RTI Act."

Contributions from the CM's or PM's relief fund is usually disbursed to provide "timely assistance to victims of natural calamities, disasters, and traumatic experiences, or to provide medical or financial aid to persons in distress and needy, among other purposes", according to the supreme court. The Delhi government's compensation history has been spotty. For instance, a case study of rape survivors in the city found that compensation has been irregular by the government. Earlier in April last year, a division bench of the Delhi HC had asked the state to ensure that compensation is disbursed to 221 survivors to the tune of Rs 1.07 crore. The court was upset that despite its orders, the state government had delayed in compensating the survivors.

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Meet Raghav Chadha, AAP ka cute quotient

At first glance, Raghav Chadha, with laptop bag and lunchbox in hand, looks like any 26-year-old heading to work. But the similarity ends there.

For the unaware, he is the youngest spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party and can be seen fighting debates opposite seasoned politicos on news channels daily. It is these appearances that have put him in the spotlight, and also given him a fan base of 20-something Delhi girls who're declaring their love for him on social media.

Not used to this kind of attention, he admits that he gets teased even at office, including by Arvind Kejriwal. He turned out to be quite shy to pose for our camera, but spoke at length about how AAP happened while he was in the middle of being a chartered accountant.

At his central Delhi home, DT tries to decode this representative of the capital's youngest government, from how his social circle has changed from friends to party colleagues, music being replaced by official mails and girlfriends (or the lack of them) to women's safety issues on his mind.

FROM MODERN SCHOOL BOY TO AAP SPOKESPERSON

"I went to Modern School, Barakhamba. I did one year of graduation from Sri Venkateswara College, but then shifted to correspondence as I was also doing my Chartered Accountancy, which required regular articleship. I was practicing after it and then went to the London School of Economics for a few programs, and was trying to set up my work there. The Anna aandolan was on and towards its last leg, when the decision of whether to form a party or not was being taken, I met Arvind. He wanted me to get involved with the drafting of the Delhi Lokpal Bill, back in 2012. The party was formed and then we've been in elections back to back. Now is when we're finally settling down and getting to work," Raghav tells us.

We quiz him about being the face of AAP on prime-time TV debates, and he explains, "In our party , everyone's multi-tasking. In the first half, you're in the communication strategy team. From 12pm to 3pm, you might be involved in manifesto drafting, from 3pm to 6pm you're involved in candidate selection and from 6pm to 10pm, you become a spokesperson. Why AAP works, as I've been told, is the change.You switch on the TV and you find one news anchor and five other panelists. One is a 26year-old boy representing one party, and the other four are 50, 60 or 70-plus people you've seen all these years. The aesthetic change is what resonates not just with youngsters, but the older lot too. It doesn't matter whether I talk sense or talk crap, but people can see the change, and that matters."

MY FRIENDS HAVE GIVEN UP ON ME

With such a routine, what about his personal life? He replies, "I'm a CA, but in the last few years, I've put my personal work on autopilot. The time I have for my work, for my personal life, is almost negligible with the kind of work we're doing. I still have a few friends who I hang out with, on and off. They're obviously surprised to see me doing this. I'm the only person who's joined politics after sacrificing a career. I had an offer from a multi-national corporate advisory company, running into six-seven figures, but I refused it."

Does he still get invited to birthday parties? "I do, and more to weddings, actually. Everyone seems to be getting married these days, but I'm unable to go. I sometimes feel that a few of my friends believe ki bas, yeh toh ab desh ke naam hai. Two of my closest friends --- one is in Australia and the other, in Washington DC - they're ecstatic. They see me on TV and call me. They're happy to see me contributing while both of them are away working hard, earning money. AAP enjoys a lot of support in the NRI community, and we're grateful for that."

FB FAN PAGES MAKE ME UNCOMFORTABLE

When we bring up his Facebook fan page and the 'oh so cute' comments on them, the confident politico turns into a rather uncomfortable 20-something. He clarifies, "That's not my official page. I was recently shown the two pages, Raghav Chadha and Raghav Chadha -Youth Icon. I don't know who created them. I'm just on Twitter. Somebody showed me the comments and posts, and I was clarifying ki yeh main nahi hun yaar. People ask my reaction, but ab kya boloon, there is no reaction. This has been going on on Twitter also. Honestly, I am not comfortable with the kind of attention I've been getting. The purpose I'm involved in is very different, and is irrespective of the attention. The atmosphere in office is also such that I get teased a lot. Everyone, even senior people like Arvind (Kejriwal), joke and pull my leg."

ARVIND HAS A COOL QUOTIENT

"It's not just me or that young people work at the party . The idea of AAP resonates with the young voter," adds Raghav. "The idea of clean politics, affordable politics, volunteerism; all AAP's basic ideals. Arvind has a cool quotient about him that is very natural and not forced. When the offer of the TVF spoof interview came, he did ask the younger people in office. He did it without any apprehensions ki isse mera image kharaab ho jaayega. The muffler, the cough and his clothes aren't him trying to prove a point. He's what he is. When he shared the picture of him and his wife after winning, people noticed, but for us, it's very natural because we know what a rock solid support she is. Behind every successful man, there's a woman, and Sunita bhabhi is that support system for him."

I HADN'T SEEN A FILM FOR THE LONGEST BEFORE BABY

"The last film I saw was Baby with Arvind and everyone else. I hadn't seen a movie in the longest time. Usse pehle also I think I'd gone with Sanjay Singh. With the amount of time we spend together, they're my friends, colleagues and family. I don't have any music on my phone because it's a 16 GB phone and I need that space for email. I was a cricket buff till three years ago. But since then, I've not had time for movies, sports or anything. I barely saw three overs of the India-Pak match. I was a very big cricket fan, but now I don't get to be involved with things I used to do," says Raghav.

I AM SINGLE

We finally pop the relationship status question and he admits, "I am single." He laughs and adds, "I don't have time to watch a movie, you think I'll have time for a girl? There is only one girl who understands my schedule, and that's my mother."

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Preconceived notions about 'unsafe Delhi' are false: Foreign artistes

A group of Israeli and French theatre artistes, who visited NSD recently, talk about how shocked they were by Indians' lack of civic duty, but also how welcome they felt here.

The National School of Drama became a melting pot of different cultures, as theatre groups from not only different parts of the country, but different corners of the world, enthralled theatre lovers at the 17th Bharat Rang Mahotsav. The presence of European teams also benefited the Indian artistes, who learned a lot from the former. But what did the foreign artistes know about India?

Surprisingly, a lot, including Satyajit Ray's films, Jaipur's architecture and the Swachh Bharat campaign.

In India, there's order in the chaos

Norwegian director Haukar J Gunnarsson, who has been to India 10 times now, says, "I have been to Rajasthan and I loved the costumes of the people and the architecture of the palaces. I have also attended the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland and saw their unique form of theatre. I like Indian rituals and I've been a part of some pujas too. An improvement I've noticed is the infrastructure. Delhi, particularly, has developed so much in the last decade," he says.

Jean Luc Tourne, a French set designer who was visiting India for the second time, loves the country's diversity. "No two cities in India are the same. Delhi is so different from Chandigarh," he says. "India and Israel are the same in terms of diversity, but I think, unlike Israel, there is a sense of order in India's chaos," says Idit Herman, the director of the play 'With Unarmed Forces'. Her teammate, Dirk says, "My landlady has asked me to bring her back some of the colourful Indian attire," while Anna Stellar, a Polish theatre actress, notes that people in her country are not very expressive, but Indians open up to strangers and share their experiences easily .

Ruthie Osterman, an Israeli artiste, has also been to Agartala and Varanasi. She observed that "from beggars to shop owners, everybody tries to fleece foreigners". She adds, "Israeli men stare at women, but it is never as common as it is in India." Despite all this, she admits, "The kind of welcome we got here is overwhelming. Indians are very respectful too."

'Spicy' is the variety of European life

While the artistes did find the food too spicy , that didn't stop them from trying different delicacies. Jean Luc developed fondness for two beverages — chai and lassi. Anna says she loves chana masala. And, of course, they love all the chicken dishes. "I had tasted Indian cuisine during my college days in England. I like all the chicken dishes, be it tandoori or tikka," says Haukar.

Amit Zarka, Ruthie's co-director, on the other hand, loves how colourful saris are, but hasn't taken to Indian food."Ruthie loves aloo parantha, but I can only manage rotis," he says.

Dos and Don'ts in India

Before these artistes visited the country, their friends and relatives gave them suggestions about what to look out for. Idit says that her friends had specifically warned her against eating raw vegetables and fruits or drinking unbottled water, due to hygiene is sues. "Now that we're here, we don't actually follow those rules strictly," she says. Karl Biscuit, a French theatre director, believes people from Europe have preconceived notions about Indian cities, and explains, "They (people from Europe) say Delhi is not safe, but I think Mexico or Laos are far worse."

The Bollywood connect

Karl has seen some works of Satyajit Ray and faintly remembers Lagaan, but he feels that Bhansali's Devdas is the real gem. Haukar has seen Lamhaa, which he felt wasn't like the typical Bollywood film that invariably has "dancing and singing". Zoya, who hails from Israel, was told by friends that she must not come back without watching a Bollywood movie. "We mostly watch Hollywood films back home, but we have one channel that shows Indian films, as Israel's own film industry is still in a nascent stage. Some Indian movies are real tearjerkers, as they are so sentimental. My aunt used to cry while watching them," said Dmitry , Zoya's teammate, who tragically passed away recently. Anna, who has seen five Bollywood movies, adds, "I just love the way they can dance, act, and lip-sync all in one scene."

No kissing in kamasutra land?

Haukar was appalled to see Indians' sense of civic duty and when told about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he says, "It was about time somebody did that."

When Karl learnt about the hoopla surrounding kissing in public, he questions, "Isn't India the land of the Kamasutra?" His co-director, Marcia Barcellos, has attended sessions of Indian classical dances in Chennai and she loves the spirituality of the country. However, she has her doubts about the caste system and says, "The caste system is like a blemish on the beauty of this country." Jean Luc, on the other hand, thinks that the country "has too many people on the road", but he has another complaint. "I can't understand cricket!" he rues.

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AAP 'encouraging theft' by promising freebies: Shiela Dikshit

NEW DELHI: The Aam Admi Party (AAP), which came to power for the second time in Delhi, with a record 67-seat win this time, is "encouraging theft" by promising people free water and cheap power, Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said observing that some of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's promises were simply "not achievable".

She also hastened to point out that the Delhi verdict "burst the BJP's bubble" and presaged far-reaching impact on assembly polls in Bihar and Assam later this year.

Speaking of herself as "somebody who knows administration", Dikshit, who holds the distinction of being the chief minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms (1998-2013), said "there are things that are just not possible".

In an interview to IANS, the Congress veteran asserted that chief minister Kejriwal can't dole out freebies. "You may promise freebies because you wanted the vote."

"Now that he is in power, his first priority should be to ensure power to everybody.

"When the government gives power (electricity) to somebody, then they have to pay for it. Otherwise, it will be considered theft. If you (Kejriwal) can make water a fundamental right, then good. But you are encouraging theft," said Dikshit, giving an example of how people would not use services judiciously if they were not asked to pay for them.

Dismissing any comparison between her and Kejriwal, she said: "I did what I felt was right. His (Kejriwal's) promise of 20,000 litres of water, free WiFi and cheap electricity are not achievable."

The poll verdict in Delhi that shrunk the BJP to mere three seats in a 70-member house has burst its bubble, leaving it rattled ahead of assembly elections in Bihar and Assam later this year, she added.

"Delhi results have an all-India impact. It's the political pulse of the nation because it's the capital of the country. I am sure it (BJP) is shaken now. The bubble has burst."

Describing the recent attacks on churches as "frightening and depressing", Dixit said: "I am relieved that the PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) spoke on the issue though very late after the damage had been done. The provision of the constitution is being violated... the Prime Minister has to protect it. That silence was worrying."

She said the "provocative voices- ghar wapasi or love jihad - had a licence because of the RSS-backed BJP at the Centre".

Reflecting on what did not work for the BJP in Delhi, she said the party was in "continuous campaign mode" with Swachh Bharat mission (Clean India campaign) and Make in India push of the Prime Minister.

READ ALSO: 9 key lessons for BJP, Congress

"When you (the BJP) talk so much about it, people expect results. And when the results are not felt by the target group (in this case India), then people begin to get impatient. And that's what happened in Delhi."

With the national opposition, including the Congress, gearing up to unite to mount pressure on the BJP-led government in the upcoming budget session starting on Monday, Dikshit expounded on the reason why "full" statehood for Delhi was not possible.

Carefully choosing her words, Dikshit called for a "strong political will", adding: "What Delhi needs is statehood with more power. Full statehood like that of Bihar or Madhya Pradesh is not possible."

"I have the experience and I know what language would work in making such demands. It is not possible because Delhi is the national capital and a union territory."

On being asked about the Congress's poor performance, the veteran said the chief ministerial face of the party - Ajay Maken - failed to "impress" people.

READ ALSO: Ajay Maken's style has not helped Congress, I pity him: Sheila Dikshit

"Our campaign was a very sedate one. No vociferous campaign ... without a strong leadership. It's the acceptability of the candidate and the perception of the voter. Apparently, they were not impressed with Maken. But in electoral politics, it's not just an individual, it's a whole collective effort at the grassroots level to the top. The synergy was missing among everybody in the Congress.

"The Congress lost its traditional Muslim vote bank to the AAP because even they got carried away like the others who were the recipients of the freebies Kejriwal was giving out," she said.

But she agreed that the Congress party needed serious introspection in order to revive its waning fortunes.

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