6-year-old among 4 killed in accidents

NEW DELHI: Four people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven injured in separate road accidents in the capital in last 24 hours.

In the first incident, a 50-year-old auto driver was killed after a speeding Alto, driven by a youth in an inebriated condition, crashed into his auto on Vikas Marg. Police said the deceased has been identified as Surender Mahto. The incident took place around 11pm near Lakshmi nagar traffic signal.

The victim was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Three youths who were in the car sustained injuries. Medical tests confirmed they were under the influence of alcohol. A case of causing death and rash driving was registered.

In the second incident, a 60-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the road in Moti Bagh area of south Delhi.

In the third accident, one person was killed while four others injured after their Santro car rammed into a truck in Alipur area of outer Delhi.

In another incident, a sixyear-old girl died after being run over by an RTV in Dabri area of southwest Delhi on Thursday. The deceased, identified as, Gulfasa, was on her way home from the market with her mother, police said.

The RTV driver, Anil, has been arrested and charged with causing death due to negligence and rash driving.

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Digging to start at Mandi House

NEW DELHI: Work on the extension of the Central Secretariat Metro line to Kashmere Gate seems to be getting back on track. On Thursday, the Delhi Metro lowered the tunnel boring machine at the Mandi House construction site, a fillip for the corridor which has seen work slowed down due to the controversy over the Akbarabadi mosque.

"This tunnel boring machine will be assembled beneath the ground before beginning the tunneling towards the upcoming ITO station on the 9.37km long Central Secretariat - Kashmere Gate corridor. The length will be 700m," said the DMRC spokesperson.

The tunnel will open in front of the proposed ITO station, said officials. Work on the heritage line, as the extension is popularly called, has been delayed. Construction of some of stations like Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and Kashmere Gate is yet to start. The Akbarabadi mosque controversy prevented DMRC from carrying out preliminary work at the site, said officials. Sources said DMRC was hoping the land would be returned to it for construction once the controversy had been settled. "It's a long process, and internally, timelines have already been altered," added the source.

Meanwhile, construction in the Kashmere Gate station is also pending the approval from NMA. Sources said that the expansion of the existing metro station here would be taken up once the entire heritage line gets approval.

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North Corporationn to announce holiday on Chhath

NEW DELHI: After East and South Corporation, the North Corporation is also planning to declare holiday on November 19 on the occasion of Chhath Puja."Keeping in mind the sentiments and population of the Poorvanchalis in the city we are planning to declare holiday on Chhath Puja," said Mhender Nagpal, leader of the House, North Corporation.

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East corporation to set up integrated office complex in wards

NEW DELHI: The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to set up integrated ward level office complex in each of its 64 municipal wards. A representative of every department will be available in the office complex.

"The new offices would have two advantages. While on one hand the ground level staff would now have a place to assemble and report to work, residents in the colonies would also benefit from it as they would not have to visit the zonal offices even for menial jobs," said SS Yadav, Commissioner, East Delhi Municipal Corporation.

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Power 'feeder' for city highrises soon

NEW DELHI/ GURGAON: Haryana will soon launch two key reforms in power distribution in urban areas. The state-owned electricity discoms are to kick off "reliable feeders" for electricity supply to condominiums, other residential and commercial zones in urban areas, particularly in Gurgaon and Faridabad. The second plan is "bulk supply" of power to RWAs at the entry point of residential areas and in this case the residents' bodies would be responsible for internal distribution and bill collection.

While the first proposal is being mooted by the two state-owned discoms, the second one has been proposed by the state electricity regulator. Sources said that the discoms would soon submit their views on this proposal. "Since power distribution infrastructures are already laid inside condominiums and the residents' bodies maintain them, it won't be a bad idea to supply them power from a feeder at the entry points. The billing would be at the bulk supply level and the associations responsible for bill collection cannot charge more than the tariff fixed by the power regulator," a senior Haryana government official said.

Inthe case of "reliable feeder" scheme, chairman and managing director of two state-owned discoms, Devender Singh, said that the average unit cost would be higher by, say, around Rs 7 or Rs 8 per unit. "But there would be at least 95% reliability so far as power supply is concerned. This high cost would be much less than the cost of electricity generated from gensets or even with inverter back-up," he claimed.

At present, some of the condominiums in Gurgaon and Faridabad charge as high as Rs 14 per unit for back-up power supply. Failure on the part of discoms to ensure assured supply would invite penalty. "We have already got requests from residents' welfare associations located on Sohna Road and in South City. Those going for open access scheme would also opt for this," a senior DHBVN official said. Open access scheme means a bulk consumer can purchase power directly from any part of the country and can use the distribution network by paying a certain fee.

Singh said the discoms would take this proposal to the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) and would invite suggestions and objections from consumers.

He added that after the proposal of handing over power distribution to a private franchisee at the city level failed to take off, now the discoms have prepared a plan to try "feeder level franchisee" where two models would be tried. In the first case, the private players or cooperative societies can take up the entire responsibility of distribution and revenue collection of a particular feeder for a certain years. The second model would only be handing over the responsibility of revenue collection from consumers. "In both the cases, our aim is to reduce losses," Singh said.

At present, while each unit of electricity costs about Rs 7 to the discoms, the average revenue per unit is Rs 4.5.

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JNU’s backward students plan ‘Mahishasur Day’

NEW DELHI: The victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasur may truly capture the spirit of Vijay Dashmi, but a group of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University believes in a different story. It is planning to observe the 'martyrdom' day of the demon. Despite being served a notice by the university last year and opposed by a right-wing students' body, All India Backward Students' Forum (AIBSF) is planning to observe Mahishasur Day on October 29. Posters are already up.

According to Hindu mythology, demon king Mahishasur was slain by Durga. Students belonging to the forum, however, say that Mahishasur was the ancestor of the tribal, dalit and backward communities in the country and was killed by Aryans with the help of the goddess. They want to launch a campaign against Dussehra, claiming that it amounts to celebrating their ancestors' death.

"We have put up 30 big posters across the campus highlighting that asurs (demons) are still a tribe in Jharkhand. The posters also carry an interview with former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren, who says that he is proud to be an asur," said AIBSF president Jitendra Yadav. But, according to the Forum members, the posters in front of the library and at KC Market Complex were torn for which they blame Hindutva politics. "We will raise the issue before the administration," says Yadav. "This is a free-thinking campus and JNU should not tolerate such intolerance." It was, however, the JNU administration which had served a notice on Yadav last year as other student groups had claimed that he had hurt their religious sentiments.

ABVP's Rashmini Koparkar denies that they had a hand in tearing the posters but adds that they will approach the administration if their religious sentiments are hurt. "If you don't believe in God, that doesn't mean you will hurt others' belief."

Authors, journalists and activists are likely to be a part of the event at JNU on October 29. "Students from Lucknow University and Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Bihar, will join us. Observing the day is a part of the battle for cultural liberty of the Bahujans of India and an expression of their respect for their ancestors," says Yadav. About the date, he adds: "Asurs had mourned King Mahishasur's death on a full moon night and so we have decided to observe his martyrdom day on Sharad Purnima across the country."

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Timely medical aid critical for hit-and-run victims

Over 50 per cent of pedestrian deaths in Delhi this year have been found to be hit-and-run cases.

NEW DELHI: Over 50 per cent of pedestrian deaths in Delhi this year have been found to be hit-and-run cases. Till October 15, three hundred and thirteen pedestrians had died in such cases out of a total of 619 pedestrians deaths. Doctors say that many of these victims could have survived had they been rushed to hospital immediately, but people chose to let a person die, afraid of getting into a legal wrangle.

Cops and hospital authorities, however, insist that those helping accident victims are not harassed.

"While there has been a 20 per cent decline in the number of pedestrians dying in road accidents this year over last year, a large number have died because the car owner chose to run away without attempting to help the victim. Even in cases of other fatal accidents, a sizeable portion - over 37 per cent - comprises hit-and-run cases," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

About 152 bikers have lost their lives in hit-and-run cases out of 514 people dying this way. As a result, there is a delay in trauma care, which marks the difference between life and death.

"Many of these hit-and-run episodes are at night when there are fewer eyewitnesses and people feel they are free to not take responsibility for their actions," added Garg.

"We have received several accident cases in which there has been considerable delay in hospital admission that has proved fatal. These patients have not arrived within the so-called golden hour when they could have survived. Victims in at least 15 per cent accident cases would survive if there was no such delay," said Dr M C Misra, chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Hospital officials say people who rush accident victims to hospitals are not asked to divulge their details. "We merely ask where the victim was found so that it is easier to identify the patient. People are free to leave after they hand over the victim," said Dr Misra.

Cops, too, insist they don't harass such people. "We advise people to take care of road accident victims and they are not harassed," said additional DCP (crime) and Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat.

Times view

Much has been done in terms of changes in rules and procedure to encourage good Samaritans to help accident victims. Unlike in the past, a person taking such a victim to a hospital no longer needs to reveal his or her name and other details. If the fear of getting entangled in needless court cases or bureaucratic hassles at hospitals still remains a dominant theme, it can only be because of lack of awareness about these changes. The police must take note of this fact and launch a sustained campaign to inform citizens about them. Considering that the benefits will be in the form of lives saved, the effort would be well worth it.

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Aya Nagar pond buried under garbage, muck

NEW DELHI: The sight is far from pleasing. Household waste and sewage water have amalgamated into a huge pile of garbage on a two-acre plot. This isn't the description of a landfill site. It's a pond in Aya Nagar that has turned into a dumping ground, owing to continuous neglect on the part of civic authorities. At a time when the capital is witnessing a surge in the number of dengue cases, the area is serving as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

"It's not really a pond. It's a dumping site. Even sewage water is making its way into it. Three cows died here last week after being trapped in the swamp. We have repeatedly complained to civic authorities but no action has been taken. When we approached South Delhi Municipal Corporation but the agency refused to take responsibility for the mess. Officials said DDA is responsible for the pond's maintenance," said Ved Pal, president, Aya Nagar RWA.

This isn't the only pond in the city dying a slow death. Water bodies across the city are fast disappearing and municipal corporations haven't taken any steps to maintain them despite a high court on the issue. "It is not the corporations' job to maintain water bodies. Either the Delhi government's flood and irrigation department or DDA looks after them," said Mukesh Yadav, director, press and information, South corporation. Interestingly, the erstwhile MCD had earmarked Rs 50 lakh for the upkeep of water bodies in last year's budget.

HC had instructed DDA to take action against private parties which had connected sewer lines to the pond. But, DDA and the corporations have been passing the buck as far as the maintenance of water bodies is concerned. DDA says that all areas which contain water bodies have been transferred to the corporations. "Only lakes fall under DDA's ambit. Smaller water bodies have been given to the corporations," said DDA spokesperson, Neemo Dhar.

Recently, health department officials of one of the corporations found mosquito larvae breeding at a Najafgarh pond. "Many areas lack a proper drainage system. Since sewage enters water bodies they turn into breeding grounds for the insects," said a source.

Times view

The MCD has for a few years now been very meticulous in sending out squads to check for mosquito breeding in private homes. Perhaps it should focus more on ensuring that public spaces are kept free of the menace. Water-logged public spaces and open drains are too common a sight to excite any comment from the capital's residents, but they do provide fertile breeding grounds for all kinds of health hazards. A civic authority that insists on individual citizens maintaining cleanliness in their homes and neighbourhoods carries little credibility if it itself has such a poor record of sanitation.

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Youth jailed for seven years for shooting at rickshawpuller

NEW DELHI: A youth has been sentenced to seven years in jail by a Delhi court for trying to kill a rickshawpuller by opening fire at him for demanding fare.

District judge (DJ) JR Aryan also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on northeast Delhi resident Furkan after holding him guilty of attempting to murder 33-year-old Ashok, who died later during the trial of the case.

"Victim (Ashok) in the present case was a rickshawpuller and firearm bullet injury was caused to him by accused (Furkan) when victim demanded rickshaw fare for having carried accused and other two boys in his rickshaw.

"The offence is grave and circumstances in which it has been committed also suggest a depraved brain committed to criminal activity," the court said.

Ashok was shot at his head and was rushed to a hospital from where he was discharged a few days later after his condition turned stable. He was taken to his native place in Uttar Pradesh where he died later during the trial.

The court, however, absolved the accused of the murder charges for want of the evidence that the victim died of the gunshot injury.

"As regards charge under section 302 of the IPC, we do not have any evidence if gunshot suffered by the victim (Ashok) was an ultimate cause for his death as came to be referred from medical reports ... None of the medical reports suggest that condition of the victim had became vulnerable," the judge said.

According to the prosecution, Furkan, along with his two associates, had shot at Ashok in January 2009 after the victim had demanded fare from them for carrying them on his rickshaw.

The court, in its judgement, relied upon the statement of a prosecution witness, who was also an eye-witness to the incident and had told teh court that Furkan along with his two accomplices had shot Ashok in his head and had fled the spot.

The police told the court that one of Furkan's associates, who was a juvenile, was apprehended on the basis of a tip off and during the interrogation he said that he along with Furkan and one of his friends had committed the crime.

Furkan was apprehended by the police in February 2009 in some other criminal case and in the test identification parade (TIP), the eye witness of the incident identified him as the assailant who had shot at Ashok.

During the trial, Furkan denied the allegations against him and said he was picked up by the police from his house and was falsely implicated in the case.

The court, however, after going through the evidence and statement of the prosecution witnesses, convicted him for the offence punishable under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC.

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Youth gets life imprisonment for raping mother

NEW DELHI: A youth has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping his mother with the judge saying that he tried to destroy the distinction between a man and an animal with his "heinous" act.

Convict Nand Kishore earlier faced the trial for murdering his father but after he was acquitted of the charges and came out of the jail, he raped his mother early this year, the court noted while sentencing him.

It said the convict does not deserve any mercy and any leniency shown to him would be misplaced as the Supreme Court too has held that any leniency in matters of sexual offences is not only undesirable but also against the public interest.

"Abominable offence committed by the accused (Kishore) is the gravest immoral act and accused deserves no leniency as he had tried to obliterate the line between a man and an animal," additional sessions judge (ASJ) Vijay Kumar Dahiya said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict and said the amount, if recovered, should be given to the victim as compensation.

According to the prosecution, Kishore had entered his mother's house in an inebriated state on May 3 this year and when she asked her to go away, he said he would also live there and teach her a lesson.

He then raped her and also threatened to kill her if she raised an alarm, the prosecution said adding that later the woman locked Kishore in her house and called the police.

The woman told the court that Kishore, her younger son, had earlier been sent to jail for allegedly murdering her husband and when he was released from the jail, she had not allowed him to stay in her house.

She also said Kishore was addicted to alcohol and drugs and his wife had also left him due to harassment done by him.

Kishore had sought leniency on the ground that he was young and has two children to look after and was also the sole bread earner for his family.

The prosecutor, however, had sought maximum punishment for him saying he had raped his own mother and if he is given a lesser sentence, it will lead to deterioration of moral values in the society.

While sentencing Kishore, the court said the offence committed by him is "too heinous" and he does not deserve any leniency.

"The offence committed by the convict is more serious in nature and he, in total disregard to moral and social values, went on ruining her life by committing immoral act of the highest order.

"It is evident that the convict treated the victim (his mother) only as an object to fulfil his sexual desire," the court said.

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