App, SMS alerts, social media, WhatsApp: City cops on tech overdrive

NEW DELHI: While the efficacy of women's safety measures like pepper spray self-defence classes and even mobile apps in empowering women is yet to be conclusively proved either way , the Delhi Police decided to `gift' another app on the occasion of New Year to Delhi women. Called Himmat, the app will be initially available only on Google Play for Android users. It was formally launched by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi police commissioner, BS Bassi at Vigyan Bhavan.
Distributing pepper spray to girls at the function, Rajnath said, "Apart from distributing pepper sprays, the Delhi Police has also given self-defence training to over 14,000 Delhi girls, and more such camps are being organised."

ALERT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL

Talking about the application, Bassi said, "This app is free and can be downloaded either from the Delhi Police website, http:www.delhipolice.nic.in or Google Play ."

Once downloaded, the user can send an alert to the police by just shaking the phone vigorously or by pressing the power button six to seven times repeatedly or by clicking on the SOS button on phone's home screen, and the control room, the user's registered friends or relatives will receive an SMS alert. The app will also post a status on the user's Facebook and Twitter account.

The cops will also receive an automatically generat ed 30-second long audio-visual clip, which will give them an idea about the situation.Bassi said, "This can be used for further investigation and also as proof. The cops will automatically receive location updates of the user at the control room, which will make it easier for them to reach the user. Through the app, the user will also be able to view the real-time distance of the near est PCR van and police station."

GET REGISTERED TO STAY SAFE

Every new user will have to reg ister with the Delhi Police web site after downloading the app.

The registration will require the user's name, mobile number, ad dress, email address, photo-ID, blood group, date of birth and con tacts of at least two relatives or friends. After the registration, the user will get an SMS on the mo bile number given with a link and a registration key .

NO MONKEYING AROUND

It's better to avoid play ing pranks with this app. Unlike other apps where no action is tak en in case of false alerts, this app will can cel the user's registra tion if she sends more than three false SOS alerts. Users will have to register again by sending an email or calling 011-23490378.

SOON FOR iPHONE

Bassi said, "We carried out an extensive survey that revealed that vealed that most of the working women in Delhi use Android-based phone." However, Raj nath added, "In due course, this facility will be also be avail able to iPhone users and other operating systems."

TECH-SAVVY STREET VENDORS

The minister also unveiled Delhi Police's advertisement asking street vendors to report any sort of harassment by police officials or any other person on the helpline number - 1064 or the toll free number - 1800111064. Bassi added that the street vendors can also WhatsApp photos, videos or other details of people who are harassing them on 9910641064.

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Juggy D performs at A State of Music

Punjabi pop lovers in the city were in for a treat when they brought in 2015 with Juggy D, when the artiste performed at A State of Music on New Year's Eve.

Guests danced and sang along to hit Punjabi numbers belted out by the singer, including Nahin Jeena, Dance With You, Sohniye, Billo, as the clock struck 12.

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MNC official found murdered in Dwarka's Platinum Heights apartment in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A senior official with an MNC was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his flat in Platinum Heights apartment in Dwarka area of southwest Delhi early on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as 32-year-old Amit Bachchan. His mother was found locked in a room and wife, Shivani, in another room with stab wounds.

The couple got married two months ago.

The deceased was found with a TV cable wrapped around his neck.

Police got the information around 7am and rushed to the spot with crime and forensic teams.

The two women are out of danger, police said, and their statements are being recorded.

The cops said all angles are being probed including that of a murder-suicide bid.

A source in the probe team said that outsider entry was ruled out and they were trying to ascertain if Bachchan tried to kill or attack his mother and wife and then committed suicide.

His body has been sent for postmortem.

Read this story in Hindi: संदिग्ध परिस्थिति में मिली MNC ऑफिसर की लाश

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Modi to address over a dozen rallies in Delhi, focus on unauthorized colonies

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address over a dozen rallies in the capital ahead of assembly polls likely in February, sources in the party said, adding that the focus would be on the over six million residents of the city's unauthorized colonies who have now got a new lease of life.

According to these sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident that the union cabinet's decision to regularize all illegal settlement colonies that came up in Delhi till June 1, 2014, will pay rich dividends in poll-bound Delhi.

"He (Modi) is likely to hold around 12 to 14 rallies all over Delhi. We want him to address all the 14 districts," said a senior leader of the BJP, which doesn't have a chief ministerial candidate for Delhi and is instead banking on Modi's image to get it through.

The importance of winning Delhi, where the BJP has remained out of power for 15 years and is facing the heat from the AAP, can be gauged from the fact that Modi had addressed five rallies in Delhi ahead of the previous assembly elections last December.

"The last time too we wanted him to hold a couple of more rallies but that did not happen due to some reasons. We think that might have been the reason that we fell slightly short of victory," a senior party leader told IANS.

The BJP won 31 seats in the Delhi assembly with the support of a lone Akali legislator but fell short of the magical figure of 36 in the 70-member house.

"But hopefully, this time round, it will be an all out attack on the opposition," the leader said.

According to the leader, the focus of the rallies will "obviously" be on the unauthorized colonies.

"They (colonies) have always been pivotal for all parties and our efforts towards their regularization will help us," said the leader, adding that the party was hoping to bag over 25 seats that fall under such colonies.

The previous Congress government had found 895 of the 1,639 illegal colonies eligible for regularizing. However, after a Dec 29, 2014, cabinet nod, all the 1,639 colonies, along with another 300 that came up after March 2002, will be regularised.

Considered a traditional vote bank of the Congress for years, the residents of these colonies switched allegiance in last year's assembly polls and played a key role in helping the AAP bag 28 seats.

The BJP has however set its eyes on the substantial chunk of voters from these colonies - the majority of whom are labourers and workers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.

"Although every resident knows about the decision but when Modi interacts with them personally, it will have a deeper impact on them and they will know whom to vote for," another BJP leader told IANS.

Modi will Jan 10 formally kick off the BJP's campaign for the Delhi assembly elections with a rally at the Ramlila Maidan that will be attended by the party's three newest chief ministers from Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, another source in the know said that the party's first list of candidates is likely to be announced January 18.

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Assembly polls in Delhi likely to be held by mid-Feb

NEW DELHI:The assembly elections in Delhi, where the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are raring for another face off, are likely to be held by the middle of February.

Authoritative sources in the Election Commission said the announcement for the one-day poll for the 70-member assembly may be made this week.

The final list of electoral rolls for the National Capital Territory of Delhi will be published tomorrow that will pave the way for holding the polls anytime thereafter.

Incidentally, this will be the last election that will be announced by Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath, who will demit office on January 15 on attaining 65 years of age.

The sources said the schedule will be so fine-tuned that the elections are hoped to be completed in the second week of February or at best the third week so that it does not come in the way of annual examinations including those conducted by the CBSE that usually start early March.

Since Delhi is the only state going to polls now, the availability of Central paramilitary forces (CPMF) will not be a problem, the sources said, adding that about 100 CMPF companies may be enough for free and fair conduct of elections. Delhi also does not have history of violence or booth capturing that may have been witnessed in states in the past.

The elections will be an opportunity for the resurgent BJP, which has been on a winning streak under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in various assembly polls since its spectacular success in the Lok Sabha polls last May, to seek a clear verdict unlike the fractured decision of 2013 polls in Delhi.

The BJP, which had then faced the polls under Modi as the chief campaigner for the party, could not get a majority in Delhi unlike the stunning success it had scored in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which also went to polls then.

The AAP made its debut in Delhi in the last polls in 2013 winning 28 sets, behind the BJP which got 31 MLAs.

It managed to form a government with the support of Congress (8 MLAs) and JD(U) (one) but chief minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned in 49 days making it a short-lived government.

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KMC ends service of former principal

NEW DELHI: The governing body (GB) of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, on Friday decided to terminate the service of its former principal Bhim Sen Singh. He had been under suspension since 2012 following charges of financial and administrative irregularities.

College sources said the governing body has submitted the order of termination to vice-chancellor, Dinesh Singh, who will take the final call.

The body had instituted an inquiry under retired SC judge Justice A K Ganguly, to look into the allegations made against Singh. The committee had given him a clean chit. But the GB did not accept the report.

Singh was charged with gross misconduct as a principal of KMC for holding an unauthorized press conference on college premises on July 31, 2012. He was also charged with wilfully and deliberately making grave defamatory scandalous and reckless allegations against the governing body chairman, VC and other officials of DU.

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Bring same party at Centre & Delhi, says Naidu

NEW DELHI: Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called upon Delhiites to vote for BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections stressing the need of a common party heading both the state and the Centre. He said that the decision to regularize unauthorized colonies could only be taken forward as the Centre and Delhi administration, which is now under lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, worked in tandem.

Delhi BJP felicitated Naidu and finance minister Arun Jaitley for the Centre's pro-poor decision of regularization illegal colonies. Addressing the residents of unauthorized colonies, Naidu said, "You will get the benefits if BJP is voted to power in Delhi as it will be easier to implement policies. If another party is elected, the Centre's benefits may not reach you. We cleared the proposal to regularize all unauthorized colonies that have come up till June 1, 2014, on an 'as is where is' basis within six months. Unlike previous governments, we included properties which have come up between 2007 and 2014."

Taking on rivals calling the decision an election gimmick, Naidu said, "There is no politics involved. This decision has been taken for the welfare of people. Instead of welcoming it, Congress and AAP are condemning it. Congress was in power for so long, but they did nothing and took decisions only on paper. We took the decision after consulting all stakeholders."

In another significant move, the central government has exempted properties less than 100 sq metres from getting building plans sanctioned by civic agencies. He also informed people that the urban development department was working on relaxing building bylaws.

Apart from these major decisions which will benefit over 60 lakh people, the urban development ministry has also scrapped the chullah tax and approved conversion to freehold of all expired term leases of Nazrul properties.

Riding high on the Modi wave, BJP is optimistic about staging a comeback in Delhi. "In last eight months, we recorded eight wins, including Lok Sabha, in a row. Delhi will be our ninth electoral victory," said Naidu.

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Delhi will have country's first 'smart city'

NEW DELHI: Delhi will be developed into a "global city" and the country's first 'smart city' will be set up here to decongest the national capital and facilitate it with all modern amenities, Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here on Saturday.

READ ALSO: Government to set up 100 smart cities

"We want to make Delhi a truly global city, having all latest and modern amenities and facilities that any other global city like London or San Francisco has. We want to have world-class entertainment venues like Disneyland or Universal Studios here," Naidu said.

The Narendra Modi-led NDA government has planned to set up 100 'smart cities' and Naidu said that the first such city will come up in the national capital.

"Delhi is the heart of India and the first smart city would come up here. The city of Barcelona in Spain has also promised technological support to us in our effort in this direction," he said.

READ ALSO: Smart cities to be called integrated townships

"I saw the city of Barcelona, and apart from modern buildings, they have also preserved their old architecture. We also want to preserve our traditional architecture, that India is so richly endowed with, even as we embrace modernity," he added.
The minister was speaking at a function organised by DDA at its headquarters here to officially kick-start the allotment process of its 'Housing Scheme 2014'.

Naidu handed over allotment letters to the first few successful applicants.

Talking about the 'smart city' initiative further, he said the focus would be to build global educational and health institutes and entertainment facilities.

READ ALSO: Singapore offers help in Modi's smart city project

"We also want to liberalize the industrial estate policy. An industrial space may not necessarily contain factories, but showrooms also. A committee will be formed to look into this issue as well," the minister said.

DDA's vice-chairman Balvinder Kumar in a media briefing yesterday had outlined the plans for the 'smart city' in the capital.

The 'smart city' will be a complete sub-city, which would be located in an area of 20-24 hectares, zoned out of Dwarka, Rohini and Narela, and will be equipped with latest technologies and waste-management techniques.

READ ALSO: Microsoft, Surat partner on smart city project

"The smart city will have a world-class infrastructure, 24-hour power supply, complete wi-fi connectivity, and will employ green technology and latest water conservation techniques like rain-harvesting and waste management techniques, among other facilities," Kumar said.

Outlining the achievements of the government in the financial sector, Naidu said, "As per the PM's vision of ending financial untouchability, we have opened 10 crore new bank accounts in the last nine weeks under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana."

READ ALSO: Dec-end deadline for smart cities plan

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One held with six gold biscuits at IGIA

NEW DELHI: A Rajasthan resident flying in from Riyadh has been arrested for allegedly smuggling in half-a-dozen gold biscuits at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The incident happened on Friday evening when a CISF team detected suspicious movements of a passenger identified as Dindayal, a resident of Sikar district in Rajasthan.

"The passenger had come in from Riyadh and he was intercepted in the parking area of IGIA by a check team. His frisking led to the recovery of six gold biscuits weighing 100grams each," a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) spokesperson said.

He was later handed over to Customs officials for further action at their end, the spokesperson added.

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Two more cases of swine flu reported in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Two fresh cases of swine flu were reported in the national capital on Saturday, taking the figure to 5 till now this year.

"A 12-year old girl and 31-year-old woman, both residents of Delhi, have tested positive for H1N1 (swine flu) virus, according to an official from the health department.

The samples of 12-year-old were tested at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and confirmed swine-flu.

On Friday, two cases of swine flue were reported which included two women, aged 35 and 53, residents of C R Park and Chattarpur respectively.

With five cases reported this year, the total figure is 43 since last year.

Union health minister J P Nadda, who reviewed the situation on Friday, said that that there is nothing to panic.

"I am regularly monitoring this subject and from time to time talking to the Health secretary. We have also reviewed our preparedness.

"Our hospitals and doctors are ready to deal with the situation. At the same time, I would like to say that there is no need to panic," Nadda had said.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged people to get swine-flu testing done only from a govt accredited lab.

Also, IMA stated that card rapid test is not reliable and should not be used to diagnose H1N1 cases.

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