Crooks clone Ghaziabad resident’s debit card, shop for Rs 1L

NEW DELHI: Three unique incidents of bank fraud have come to light in the recent past, including one in which a person had his debit card with him but still received messages indicating transactions being made by someone else.

In another case, a man was given conflicting directions when he went to deposit cash at his bank branch in Safdarjung Enclave. While one person told him to go Bhikaji Cama Place, another person claimed he could get the money deposited there by simply filling in a few forms. He, however, fled after taking the cash.

In a third instance, a person who had applied for a home loan was duped by some people who took his signatures using a magic pen and siphoned off money from his account. They had visited his house on the pretext of collecting 'cancelled cheques' and documents.

In all the incidents, police have registered a case and started the probe. In the first case, filed by Ghaziabad resident Ravinder Kumar Pathak, money was illegally withdrawn from his savings account at his Mandir Marg bank last week. Cops said somebody had cloned his debit card and shopped for goods worth Rs 1 lakh. All this while, he kept receiving messages about the transactions.

In the second incident, one Mayank, who stays in Arjun Nagar, had gone to deposit a VAT amount of Rs 2 lakh in a bank in Safdarjung Enclave area. He was told by a bank employee, Sanjeev Kumar, to visit either the Sarojini Nagar or Bhikaji Cama Place branch for depositing the amount. "While leaving Mayank was told by a person that it is possible to submit the money; he took his ID proof along with the cash and made like he was going to the counter. He, however, slipped out with the money," said a cop.

In another case, one Naushad of Welcome area in northeast Delhi agreed to a home loan offer, whereupon two people visited him and asked for the documents along with two blank cheques with 'cancelled' written on them. Naushad later found that Rs 4.8 lakh had been withdrawn from his account. Cops suspect that the accused had used a magic pen while taking his signatures.

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Open drains to make way for eco corridors

NEW DELHI: Think of the drain behind your house, the eyesore of the colony which is usually lined with garbage, stray cattle and dogs, and stinks so much that one would not venture near it. Now imagine a tree- lined canal, an open public space that has people walking and cycling along the gently gushing water. The idea may sound ambitious but the Delhi government has plans to convert several of the city's larger drains into eco-corridors: areas that will be used extensively as non-motorized stretches and connect colonies to the BRT corridor, Metro stations and bus stops.

The non-motorized transportation (NMT) eco-corridor project will be incorporated into DDA's master plan and has been prepared by UTTIPEC. The project has two components — developing areas along drains as recreational public spaces and developing a road network that includes special corridors for cycling and walking. "We have to shift focus from traffic planning to mobility planning. However, the development of recreational areas is entirely dependent on the cleaning of the drains. The project has been around for ages but if it has to work the government needs to take a holistic view of it and carry out all works together," said an official.

The project aims to tackle open drains and bring down traffic congestion, which is the prime reason for Delhi's rising pollution problems. "Among the proposals we have already mulled are connecting Nizamuddin Railway Station and ISBT to Jungpura Metro Station. The existing open drain behind Nizamuddin that passes by Jungpura is an ideal location to develop NMT. The other stretch is from Sheikh Sarai to Moolchand Metro station. This will also provide connectivity from the Saket malls to GK-I. The project along the Barapullah drain is the most extensive and will provide an interface with existing modes of public transport," said UTTIPEC director Ashok Bhattacharjee. "We have a cycle sharing system along the BRT corridor but one reason it failed was the insufficient number of stations to park. Development of sufficient infrastructure is a priority. A sizeable number of cycle parking points, convenient hiring systems, accessible locations and dedicated paths even along the main roads need to be put in place. The cycle tracks need to become transit routes, between colonies, within colonies and between colonies and public transport points," said a source.

The environment department, too, has been promoting the project. "By encouraging walking and cycling, we will be able to tackle congestion, bring down pollution , create open public spaces and deal with the problem of untreated sewage," said an environment department official.

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Covering drains is a worse move: Ashok Bhattacharjee

NEW DELHI: DDA has been on a drain covering spree, but UTTIPEC says space utilization has been the worst. Instead , developing it aesthetically , treating the sewage and creating cycling and walking paths along the drains would be a much better approach.

"Covering drains opens up some space and covers up an eyesore, but a better utilization would actually happen if the sewage was treated. Once the drain is covered up, the civic agencies are likely to forget about the problem. Also, sewage undergoes natural treatment through sunlight and aeration in an open drain. Once it is covered, the chances of it raising a stink actually go up," said UTTIPEC director Ashok Bhattacharjee .

UTTIPEC's Non-Motorized Transportation Eco Corridor plan says, "Concrete slab effectively stops groundwater recharge and the slab cover over the nullah shall aggravate the 'heat island' effect ." Water has a natural cooling effect on its surroundings : an advantage that will be lost during Delhi's searing summer.

The project also says desilting the drains once they are covered would become an expensive and cumbersome task. Such cleaning, it says, will "require super suction machines" since cranes etc would no longer be able to access the sewage. "The sewage shall be deprived of sunlight and oxygen, creating septic conditions, increase the river's pollution load," it adds.

Officials suggest the sewage should be treated and the channel reused as a parkway. "Instead of making everything into a concrete jungle, the area could be developed as a green belt and a linking route for NMT users from one public transport point to another ," said a source.

The Defence Colony drain, on which work is still on, has left residents quite unhappy. "Since work on covering the drain has started, sewage has started backflowing in our bathrooms. The stench has also increased," said AP Singh, a resident.

Implications of covering drains

Environmentally bad decision as the problem gets 'out of sight out of mind' and situation worsens The concrete slab effectively stops groundwater recharge The slab cover over the nullah shall aggravate the 'heat island' effect The siltation in the drain shall become difficult and more expensive to manage and would require specialized super suction machines The sewage being carried by the drain shall be deprived of sunlight and oxygen, creating septic conditions and effectively increase the pollution load on the river

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Minor girl murdered, body dumped in bin

NEW DELHI: An 11-year-old girl, missing from her house, was found dead and stuffed in a dustbin near her house here, police said on Sunday. A sexual assault before the killing has not been ruled out.

The body of the girl, who had come to Delhi from Bihar a month and a half ago, was found in south Delhi's Pul Prahladpur neighbourhood around 10 pm on Saturday. There was an injury mark on her head.

"The victim, who had been living with her brother, was missing from her house since Saturday evening," said a police officer.

"Her brother discovered the body in the dustbin and informed police. There was an injury mark on her head and her clothes were found torn," he said.

"It seems that she was raped before her murder. But, it will be too early to say anything before the post-mortem report," said the officer.

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Man jailed for 30 years for sodomising, murdering grandson

NEW DELHI: A man has been sentenced to 30 years in jail by a Delhi court for strangulating his minor grandson after sodomising him.

The court awarded rigorous life imprisonment to convict Raju for murdering the 10-year-old child, while making it clear that he would not be considered for any remission till he serves 20 years of jail term.

It also sentenced the convict to 10 years in jail for committing the offence of sodomy, stipulating that both the sentences would be served one after the other.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh on Raju and said, if recovered, Rs one lakh should be given to the victim's family as compensation.

The court, while sentencing the convict, said the case cannot be put on the same pedestal as other ordinary murder case and it falls in the category of rarest of rare case with alternative options of punishment.

"The offence has been committed by a person who is a maternal grandfather in relation to the child. This is nothing short of betrayal of trust, the child must have reposed in the convict...

"This category of perpetrators of crime, if not removed from the circulation in society, would destroy it," Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau said.

According to prosecution, the incident took place in May last year when the victim's father had gone to market to buy household necessities leaving the child in the custody of the accused who was residing in their house at Azadpur in North West Delhi for some days as guest.

Raju had taken the boy to a park where he sodomised him and after strangulating the child, threw his body in bushes.

When the child's father Acchey Lal returned, he did not find the boy at home and the minor's body was found in bushes at a nearby park the next day.

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High court for widening ambit of probation

NEW DELHI: The benefit of release on probation after being convicted in a criminal case cannot be restricted to only "sick or old or infirm" persons and others may also avail the relief, the Delhi high court has clarified.

Due regard has to be given to the age, character, antecedents of the offender as well as the circumstances in which the offence was committed before the benefit of probation can be granted to the convict, Justice Manmohan said in a recent order.

"Benefit of Section 360 CrPC (which deals with order to release on probation of good conduct or after admonition) is to be given only after accused has been found guilty of having committed a crime.

"Section 360 CrPC requires that due regard has to be given to the age, character, antecedents of the offender and circumstances in which the offence was committed before benefit of probation can be granted to the convict. However, the convict does not necessarily have to be sick or old or infirm to avail the benefit," the HC added.

The court's remarks came while dismissing a revision petition filed by Surjeet Kaur and her son against a trial court judgment where the court had released an old woman on probation.

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Dengue on the rise in Delhi, 39 fresh cases

NEW DELHI: There is no end to the dengue outbreak in the city. With 39 new cases reported on Friday, total number of such cases has reached 835, up from last year's 641. Two patients confirmed positive for the mosquito-borne viral infection have died so far. The outbreak witnessed over last two months has also led to a verbal duel between the state health department and the municipal corporations with the former accusing the latter of adopting lackadaisical approach in the beginning.

"The household checking, anti-larval operations and fogging activities which are needed to check mosquito-breeding have to be planned strategically and must be carried out well in advance. The corporations have clearly failed in this, which is why we have dengue outbreak situation every year," said state health minister A K Walia. He said that mosquito-breeding checks, prevention and notification of diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya was the responsibility of the corporations.

"Multiplicity of authority is a big problem here. The health department can issue directions, suggest measures but the implementation is the civic body's responsibility," said a senior official, directorate of health services.

The municipal corporations, on the other hand, claim they were doing their best to check mosquito breeding. "In North Delhi, mosquito breeding checks have been carried out in 1.23 crore houses and 22,310 of them were issued legal notices, besides initiating prosecution action against 2,828 houses," said Yogender Chandolia, chairman standing committee, North Delhi Municipal Corporation. He added that in the last 14 days, about 11 lakh houses were checked for mosquito breeding and two lakh houses were covered for focal spray and fogging. Officials of the other municipal zones too claim to have taken similar steps.

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CM Sheila Dikshit inaugurates new under ground reservoir at Chattarpur

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated a 3.2 million gallon capacity Under Ground Reservoir (UGR) at Chattarpur on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion. At present, water in the command areas of Chattarpur UGR is supplied by Delhi Jal Board through tubewells and tanker services. The area has 325 tubewells which are used to meet meet the water demand of this area.

The new UGR and Booster Pumping Station, Inlet and peripheral mains lines of 36 kilometers have been constructed at a cost of about Rs 70 crore and will provide filtered water supply through pipe lines to about 4 lakh people.

In the initial phase, water from Chattarpur UGR will be supplied in the command areas on alternate days in order to maintain sustainability in the system. Two of the three peripheral water mains are being commissioned at present. The third one will be commissioned by March 2013.

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Bio-remediation to treat Palam drain

NEW DELHI: The Palam drain, which contributed to the city's most polluted channel, the Najafgarh drain, is set to get a facelift. Conservation body INTACH will help Delhi Development Authority implement a cleaning programme that will use four bio-remediation techniques to improve water quality in the drain.

These include use of bacteria, sedimentation, fish and water plants. Bacteria treatment has already started and has reduced biochemical oxygen demand, an indicator of pollution, from over 100 mg/lt to less than 30 mg/lt. In 2007, DDA covered a 2.3 km stretch of the drain and converted it into a road.

That only aggravated the problem of odor as aeration was not possible. The over 6-km long drain originates in Delhi Cantt and is fed by untreated waste from several unauthorized settlements in and around Dwarka before it joins the Najafgarh drain. The principal advisor of environmental projects in the natural heritage division of INTACH, Manu Bhatnagar, said that bacteria dosing was started 3-km upstream of the drain at three points on June 13. Within a week, residents said that foul odor emanating from the drain had reduced drastically. "We have selected natural bacteria that breed in waste waste. The best strains have been selected and are being introduced in large numbers into the drain.

These are anaerobic and work by breaking down compounds. Once the drain emerges from the covered zone, the hyacinth section will begin. This helps in removal of heavy metal traces from the sewage. A sedimentation tank also needs to be created at this point as part of the treatment process," said Bhatnagar. Once the sewage has cleared these processes, it will be exposed to large quantities of daphnia. These are small , between 0.2 and 5 mm in length and help by eating microscopic plants and organisms. Eventually, they will become part of the foodchain as they will become food for bigger organisms. The daphnia will be cultivated along the banks of the drain.

The last section of the process will include the fish zone in which carps will be released into the water. A restraint net will be put up at the point where the Palam drain empties into the Najafgarh drain to prevent the fish from entering the bigger channel.

"Civil work will start by October 1. Once the process is fully implemented, it will take barely a few months for the water quality to improve drastically. The capital cost for the project is around Rs 12 crore while operation and maintenance will be around Rs 3 crore per year. The project will be implemented by DDA while INTACH will monitor and advise on the project," said sources.

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World's fifth German House for Research and Innovation inaugurated in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The German government announced the inauguration of the German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi (DWIH New Delhi) on Saturday, at a function held at the German House in Chanakyapuri which will also serve as the provisional office of the consortium.

DWIH New Delhi is the fifth focal point for enhanced German academic and research cooperation, along with Sao Paolo, Brazil, Moscow, Russia, New York, USA and Tokyo, Japan.

DWIH New Delhi is one of the major pillars of the "Research and Academic Relations Initiative", jointly sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswartiges Amt - AA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung BMBF), and is aimed at creating more synergy and joint initiatives with Indian partner organisations and universities for enhancing the academic and research cooperation between the two countries.

Member of Parliament and president of ICCR, Dr Karan Singh, was the chief guest on the occasion, who inaugurated DWIH New Delhi along with Dr Emily Haber, state secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany. DWIH New Delhi's 14 member organisations whose senior representatives were in India to attend the inauguration and pledge their support to the cause included Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG), Free University Berlin, Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), German Research Foundation (DFG), Heidelberg University - Heidelberg Center South Asia, Indo - German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), Max Planck Society (MPG), RWTH Aachen - Technical University, Technical University Munchen, University of Cologne and University of Gottingen.

According to a press statement, speaking on the inauguration, professor Ing Matthias Kleiner, president, DFG, said: "Amongst all the five German Houses for Research and Innovation in the world, the New Delhi endeavour has attracted the highest number of German research organisations to be an integral part of it. Indian and German researchers have together been at the helm of the most advanced research. One such example is professor Herman Kulke who has been part of research teams that have worked on several aspects of Orissa in a DFG funded project with India partners from humanities, social sciences and other areas. In recognition of his achievements, the Indian Government has awarded him the order of the Padma Shri in 2010. There are countless such examples where India and Germany researchers are together creating wonders. In fact, Germany is the most productive collaborative research partner with India in science and technology, after the USA, and nearly 13% of all Indian publications in international collaboration have been shared with authors from Germany."

According to an analysis recently published by the DFG in cooperation with the renowned Indian researcher in bibliometrics Dr B M Gupta, the overall Indo-German scientific collaboration during 2004-2009 has grown at a remarkable annual average growth rate of 6.8%. Dr Torsten Fischer, the official coordinator of DWIH New Delhi, and also director of the German Research Foundation (DFG India Office) said: "Germany is a hotbed of cutting edge research with its almost 400 universities of which more than half are universities of applied sciences which offer students a more practice-oriented education based on scientific research. In addition, Germany has numerous non-university institutes, companies and Federal as well as State-run, or Lander, institutions. All in all, there are approximately 750 publicly-funded research institutions in Germany, besides the research and development centres run by industrial corporations. With initiatives such as the 'Internationalisation Strategy', the 'High-Tech Strategy 2020' and the 'Excellence Initiative', the Federal Government of Germany is investing more in globalising R&D now than ever before. On the other hand, India has some of the finest research talent in the world. With the inaugural of the DWIH New Delhi we are going to celebrate another milestone for the further enhancement of Indo-German research collaboration."

Meanwhile, professor Jorg Hacker, president of the German National Academy of Sciences and Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) added, "The fact that Germany has been India's long-standing partner in research cooperation is well regarded in the academic and scientific communities. Yet there is a need to create awareness among the common public on the exciting great innovations taking place in Germany. You all know about CERN's role in inventing internet and the research on God particle, but how many of you know that Germany is the largest funding contributor and a founding member of CERN? Or that your favourite audio format, MP3, was invented at a German institution?

The Max Planck Society (MPG) has produced as many as 17 Nobel Prize winners. The world's most sophisticated polar research and supply vessel, Polarstern, which has completed more than 50 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, is also from Germany. With the inauguration of DWIH, New Delhi now becomes part of the 'ivy league' of German science cooperation." The DWIH New Delhi inauguration was followed by the Indo-German Grand Science Slam at the Millennium Indraprastha Park, Sarai Kale Khan, New Delhi, where the audience got a chance to listen to scientific talks by DFG vice president, professor Frank Allgower from Institute for Systems Theory and Automatic Control, University of Stuttgart along with Padma Shri professor N K Gupta of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize winner professor Sandeep Verma of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

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