Govt stuck in red tape as mafia usurps land

NEW DELHI: Taking advantage of slackness on the part of the government agencies, land sharks have encroached upon nearly 1.5 acres of government land near Gadhwal Colony in Mehrauli. People have been complaining about it; but instead of taking immediate action to reclaim the land, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Police are caught in red tape.

While the Delhi government has decided to construct a community centre on this land, the mafia has constructed a boundary wall and started plotting of the land. Almost a year after Mehrauli Van Bachao Samiti—a group of locals who are fighting against encroachment—filed a complaint in this regard, the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) took action to remove encroachment in March 2012. "The civic agency demolished the boundary wall, but didn't clear the area. Within weeks, the builder constructed the boundary wall. He has started plotting of the land," said Ajay Singh, president of Mehrauli Van Bachao Samiti.

The land in question is part of the 37 acres of land that was transferred from DDA to the erstwhile MCD in 1987. DDA officials claim that Gadhwal Colony, an unauthorized colony, came up after the land was transferred to MCD. "We have told South corporation to take action, but they have done nothing," said a DDA official.

Following complaints from Mehrauli Van Bachao Samiti, the South corporation held a meeting with DDA officials in July this to start the paper work to transfer this land back to DDA so that a community centre can be constructed here.

"This is government land. As South corporation can't develop this land, I have directed DDA to take over the land. I have also directed the area SHO to ensure that there is no encroachment," said Yoganand Shastri, Delhi Assembly speaker and MLA from Mehrauli. He had held a meeting on October 17 to discuss the issue. Sources say that a meeting in this regard was also held in the Union urban development ministry in September.

Residents of Gadhwal Colony say there is no civic facility like parking, school and community centre available in the area. The nearest community centre is in Chhattarpur. "We have been deprived of the basic civic facilities. This piece of land can be used for community service. But the government is not interested in saving its own land. We have been following this matter for the past one-and-a-half years. Though they agree that it is government land, both agencies are struck in bureaucratic process. Once construction work starts on this land, it will be difficult to take action," said Surender Singh, vice-president of Mehrauli Van Bachao Samiti.

As the land was transferred to the erstwhile MCD, it is South corporation's responsibility to remove the encroachment. Sources say that DDA wants South corporation to remove encroachment before handing over the land, but South corporation has not been able to do it.

"We had a joint inspection with DDA on September 26 and it was decided that DDA and South corporation will take joint action; but it will be done after the festive season, as we need police protection," said Mukesh Yadav, director press and information, South corporation.

Despite repeated requests to get information regarding the issue, DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar could not get it.

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460 places on terror watchlist

NEW DELHI: Worried about the terrorist threat during the festive season and the possible presence of Indian Mujahideen operatives in the capital, Delhi Police has made a list of vital places that may be attacked.

The list includes 460 places, including the residences of VVIPs and dignitaries like the PM and the President, iconic buildings like India Gate, some important markets like Paharganj, Sarojini Nagar and Connaught Place, most Metro stations, government buildings, embassies and the headquarters of Delhi Police and Central Bureau of Investigation. Religious places like Akshardham, Chhattarpur Mandir and Jama Masjid, and some schools, are also on the watch list.

The list will make the task of local police easier as these 460 places may be secured on priority and thoroughly checked. The special cell will coordinate the work while police stations will be responsible for securing the important places in their area. "The significance of this list is that police stations will have an idea about checking these installations first whenever there is a high alert. Most of them will be checked by dog squads and bomb squads," said a senior officer of Delhi Police.

Terror groups Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba have threatened to blow up important places around Diwali. Following bomb blasts in the past, Indian Mujahideen had sent emails to the media giving details of places where attacks were still to be carried out. "Indian Mujahideen is the biggest threat to Delhi. We don't want to take any risk," said the officer.

In addition to listing the vulnerable places, Delhi Police is also keeping a watch on the sale of chemicals in the markets of Delhi since Indian Mujahideen uses ammonium nitrate for making bombs.

Recently, the special cell had arrested four men — Asad Khan, Imran Khan, Feroz and Irfan Mustafa — who were allegedly involved in the August 1 Pune serial bomb attacks, for planning major strikes in the capital around Diwali. They were carrying 5 kg of explosives. One of their associates, LeT operative Raju Bhai, is still on the loose.

26/11 conspirator Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal had also disclosed recently that Pakistan based commanders of Lashkar and IM had prepared some modules to carry out attacks in Delhi and other parts of the country.

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35 new cases of dengue in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Thirty-five fresh cases of dengue were reported in the capital on Sunday, taking the total number of cases to 652 this season. Two people have succumbed to dengue ever since the disease began spreading in the city early this month.

According to municipal officials, except Sadar Paharganj and city zones, all other 10 zones reported fresh cases on Friday with Shahdara (south) areas topping the list with seven cases. "South Corporation reported the maximum cases at 246 this season while 223 cases were detected from the North Corporation areas. So far, 155 cases have been reported from East Corporation," the official said.

"We are still getting 10-15 confirmed cases of dengue every day. In rare cases, the disease takes a fatal form when the platelet counts are severely low and there is internal bleeding," said a senior doctor at Sir Ganga Ram hospital. Doctors at Rockland, Max and Apollo hospitals also said they were getting many cases of dengue.

Virender Kasana, the Congress councilor from Chittaranjan Park, said that keeping in view the festival season, special measures were being taken to check mosquito breeding in pandals and Ramlila grounds.

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Man let off on probation in rash driving case

NEW DELHI: A man, sentenced to two months in jail for injuring a person while rash driving, has been let off on probation by a Delhi court.

Additional sessions judge R K Gauba said south Delhi resident Dalip Kumar shall stand relased after furnishing a bond of Rs 10,000, while reversing a magistrate's order which had awarded him two months prison term for injuring scooter rider Nitin Chadha.

The judge also directed Kumar to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 to the victim and complainant Chadha.

According to the prosecution, Kumar on March 26, 2008, hit Chadha's scooter with his motorcycle at a red light near the Munirka subway here. It had further alleged that because of the collision, the latter sustained grievous injuries.

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Could Diwali come as a glimmer of hope for these kids?

NEW DELHI: Here's a chance to bring some cheer to several children battling cancer in hospitals across the national capital. This Diwali, an NGO has decided to organise activities for such children.

"Umeedon Ki Diwali" by Uday Foundation will cover around 1,500 children suffering from cancer in ten Delhi government and private hospitals, Nov 7-12.

The celebration includes dinners in renowned hotels in Delhi, gift distribution, magic shows, story-telling sessions and many more fun activities.

"There are a number of children who spend Diwali in hospital, and many of them may have little to look forward to. This Diwali, we want people to celebrate the festival of light by touching the lives of little children in hospital in a meaningful way," said Rahul Verma of Uday Foundation.

Last year too, the NGO had made children with cancer and heart ailments the focus of their Diwali celebrations. Events were organised at B.R. Ambedkar Hospital in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Escorts Heart Institute.

"We have tied up with an online crowd-funding network, Wishberry. The network has a record of finding funds for social projects, and was recently involved in the celebrations of the International Day of the Girl Child. It raised money for acid attack victim Sonali Mukherjee, and helped Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor raise funds for a cancer charity on her birthday," he said.

Appealing to people to join the effort to bring some cheer to children battling disease this Diwali, Verma said: "Sometimes, all it takes is a little love and care. So when you are busy exchanging gifts with near and dear ones, spare a thought for these kids too."

"Diwali is a great time to consider those not quite privileged enough to be able to celebrate. There are ways in which we could all help to provide food, clothing and toys to children to enable them experience the joy of Diwali," Verma said.

Uday Foundation provides support services to children afflicted with congenital defects, critical disorders, syndromes, and diseases that affect not only general health but also impair growth and education.

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Two vehicle thieves arrested in outer Delhi

NEW DELHI: Two alleged vehicle thieves, including a post graduate, were arrested in Outer Delhi with police today claiming that they have recovered four stolen cars from them.

The arrested have been identified as Naveen (36) and Ram Awadh (39), both residents of UP's Noida, B S Jaiswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said. Police recovered cars stolen from UP's Noida, Hapur and Dadri.

"They were apprehended from Rithala-Bawana road on a tip off," Jaiswal said.

Naveen has done his MA and later BEd while Awadh has studied upto Class XII.

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Two arrested for raping minors

NEW DELHI: Four men have been arrested for involvement in three separate cases of rape. In the first case, reported from Madhu Vihar a few days ago, a 16-year-old girl had alleged that a local resident named Nirale Miya had picked her up and gang-raped her with two of his friends. She had also alleged that the accused made an obscene video of her and started blackmailing her, said a cop. Nirale was arrested on Friday but the two others are at large.

In the second case, a travelling agent was arrested by southeast district police for allegedly sedating and raping a 13-year-old girl several times in the Okhla area. The victim was reportedly a friend of the accused's wife, police said.

The accused, Mehandi Hassan, a resident of Tehkhand in Okhla phase-II, allegedly gave the girl water laced with sedatives. Police said the victim had come to meet the accused's wife when she was raped in March. "He then warned her not to report the crime and raped her several times later," said a cop.

Two youths — Vikash and Umesh — were also held after a 21-year-old woman alleged the two, along with three accomplices, had abducted her from her house on October 3 and gang-raped her in the Farsh Bazaar area. The three others accused in the case are absconding. In all three incidents, medical examination had confirmed rape.

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Agencies spar over pruning of tress

NEW DELHI: The municipal corporations and the city's forest department have locked horns over tree pruning, putting at risk the pruning action plan which the corporations are to implement across the capital.

Senior corporation officials said that under the plan, they would undertake light pruning of trees and shrubs, especially those blocking streetlights or signboards. "We are not required to take permission from the forest department for light pruning that entails trimming and cutting of very small branches. This work has traditionally been undertaken by the civic agencies without need for any clearance. We have already identified areas where light pruning needs to be done and have put up dates for the specific areas up on the website for each zone," said an official.

The forest department, however, clearly disputed this claim. "The law states that for any work of cutting or pruning, whether heavy or light, a person needs permission from the forest department. No distinction has been made between heavy and light pruning in the law so the civic agencies, if these are carrying out any such work without informing us, are in violation of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994. Their action plan cannot supersede law that makes it invalid," said A K Shukla, chief conservator of forests.

Sources said the civic agencies had always undertaken light pruning without the forest department's permission, a fact the forest department has been aware of but due to a severe staff shortage has neither been able to carry out inspection or take action against offenders.

With winter approaching and Delhiites feeling the sudden need for sunlight, the city has gone on an overdrive to 'prune' trees. At Sarvodaya Enclave, the residents welfare association issued a circular recently, asking people to park their cars indoor as the horticulture department of the corporations would be pruning all 700-plus trees in the colony. Their circular reads that it would take "10-15 working days to complete the task" though civic agency officials said only light pruning is to take place and not of all trees. The forest department denies having received any request for work in the colony.

"Trees have not been pruned for the past 20 years and are posing a lot of problem. A lot of streetlights are completely hidden. We have no intention of harming trees but trees need to be pruned. Winter is approaching and several residents, including elderly people, need sunlight. It is not fair to deprive them of sunlight only to protect trees," said Ashok Butani, the RWA president.

In the nearby CR Park, several trees have been "pruned" to completely remove their green cover. "Pruning is a technical work and has to be supervised by someone who understands trees. It is not as simple as just cutting off a few branches. Need for sunlight is not a valid reason for pruning. Only if the trees are posing a danger to life or property or might damage public property can they be pruned. We will have to look into these cases and request residents to keep a watch on unauthorized pruning and inform the forest department if they see something," said a forest department official.

"The civic agencies have been dragging their feet on the issue of de-tiling around trees which should be done as per a high court order but pruning seems to be big on their agenda," he added.

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Dengue cases cross 600 mark, hospitals told to take steps

NEW DELHI: With 32 fresh dengue cases reported on Saturday, the total number of patients infected with the vector-borne disease has gone up to 617 this season. Experts say the actual number of cases may be higher as the civic agencies' data is based only on the reports provided by 41 government-run hospitals and 13 private hospitals.

"Most other private hospitals and nursing homes do not report to the municipal corporations. Some confirmed cases are excluded from the list because the agencies do not accept a rapid kit test — conducted by a number of hospitals — for the confirmation of positive cases," said Dr Harish Gupta, president, Delhi Medical Association. He said that most hospitals are facing a crisis as far as availability of beds is concerned.

At present, almost 20-30 dengue patients are admitted at each private hospital. Even government hospitals are getting many patients with dengue-like symptoms daily. "It's not surprising to come across so many cases in October, but once winter sets in, chances are that the numbers will go down," said a senior doctor at Apollo Hospital.

In view of the increasing number of cases, all hospitals have been asked to make extra arrangements for beds and blood banks have been asked to deploy more staff to ensure there is no shortage of platelets, said health minister A K Walia. The minister recently reviewed the availability of platelets at 53 blood banks and found the quantity of platelets to be adequate. "There should be no shortage of platelets at any stage. No dengue patient must die for want of blood," he said.

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Arrangements for Durga idols immersion made: Delhi govt to high court

NEW DELHI: Delhi government has assured the Delhi high court that arrangements have been made for idol immersion in Yamuna during Durga puja after it was alleged that civic authorities have failed to comply with a 2009 undertaking on building enclosures and were passing the buck.

Filing an affidavit before Justice Rajiv Shakdher, the Delhi government told the court that "a meeting was held on October 12 at the level of Secretary (Environment) regarding construction of designated enclosures for immersion of idols in the river Yamuna."

The affidavit said the irrigation and flood control department has made enclosures at Ram Ghat, Kudesai Ghat, Geeta Ghat and Kalindi Kunj for the immersion of idols and proper signages have been put up indicating "Danger, deep water ahead, entry prohibited" in Hindi and English.

DDA would make arrangements of lighting and provide other infrastructures, while the trifurcated MCDs would provide civic amenities including toilets for general public, besides cleaning up the river banks after idol immersion, as per the affidavit.

The Delhi Police would take care of traffic management and maintain law and order situation at the sites during the idol immersion, the affidavit also said.

After the government assured the court to comply with the court's earlier directions, Justice Shakdher has sought compliance report from the authorities.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by Tapas, an NGO through its convener Vinod Jain, alleging that the authorities have failed to construct permanent enclosures on Yamuna bank for immersion of idols and other items during festivals in compliance with its 2006 order and also MCD's undertaking to the court in 2009 to build 13 special enclosures.

In 2006, the court had directed the MCD to make special permanent enclosures on a PIL seeking direction to maintain the river Yamuna clean and pollution free.

In 2009, the agency had given an undertaking to the court to complete the project by 2011 but the agency failed to comply with it.

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