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November 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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NCR SPECIAL New Delhi, November 9 Unscrupulous persons in the Capital are minting money on the pretext of imparting education, flouting legislative procedures and holding the academic careers of hundreds of students to ransom. This disclosure was made by several diligent teachers, who have repeatedly drawn attention to the deteriorating standard of education in the last few years and the mushrooming of “education shops.” These teachers have not only taken upon themselves the onerous task of informing the public but have also taken up the issue with the authorities, but so far with little success. A large number of illegal schools, which admit students at the senior secondary level after circumventing the laws, have surfaced in the Capital. The government, on its part, has expressed its helplessness in scuttling the dangerous trend. In the Burari area in north-west Delhi alone, there are over a dozen such schools which admit students to senior classes, even though they are not authorised to do so. The NCR Tribune visited three such schools in the Burari area. Though they are not senior secondary schools, they run classes for standard XI and XII regularly. The tuition fee is three-times the amount specified by the Department of Education. These schools are not only flouting examination and admission norms, they are also guilty of bungling teachers’ funds, it is alleged. “In this school, there are no provident fund benefits, and if anyone dares to point it out, he or she is dismissed without any reason. Or, if need be, charges are concocted,” a former teacher of one such school, Sushil Rana, alleged. Many of these schools do not possess the basic infrastructure. Some of them don’t even have electricity and water supply. When this correspondent visited one of the schools in the locality, electricity was being provided from a generator. It was scandalous in another school. An assurance is given that a certificate from a recognised school would be provided at no extra cost to those who take admission. The school in-charge revealed that even though they were not authorised to hold classes for senior secondary students, they had been “managing pretty well for the last few years”. She revealed that the practical examinations for the board classes were held in the school itself, but the theory examinations were held in “another school, whose name is not revealed till the last minute”. “It has become a business here. These schools admit students to classes 10, 11 and 12 and they are taught through the year. At the end of the year, they are made to fill examination forms from schools which are recognised by the Directorate of Education. Thus, the students obtain their school leaving certificates from recognised schools. These schools are paid a tidy sum to allow the enrollment of these students,” pointed out Sushil Rana. Students of a recognised school in the trans-Yamuna area told The NCR Tribune: “Each year hundreds of students from other schools come here to take examinations. We generally have around 100 students, but during examinations, the number swells to double.” The principal when contacted denied the allegation. The principal of Mount Olivet School, also in Burari, revealed that even though the school was not authorised to hold senior secondary classes, it admitted students and later sent them to “Sandhya Senior Secondary School, just 5 km away”, to take the examinations. “The selection of teachers is done on an arbitrary basis and merit or qualification is not considered a pre-requisite,” said a teacher, who was allegedly dismissed from service from one such school on a flimsy charge. . “I have even written to the Education Minister and the Lt Governor. There have been inspections at these schools, but no action has been taken so far,” the aggrieved teacher said. The government, on its part, maintained a stony silence and sought to shrug off the issue. “Since these are not government schools, we cannot do much about it,” was the terse reply of the Delhi Education Minister, Dr Narendra Nath. However, he promised that “appropriate action will be taken if the interests of students were harmed”. The Directorate of Education, the nodal agency for primary and secondary school education in the National Capital Territory, was not forthcoming on any measure that has been taken in this regard. Sources in the directorate, however, said that an investigation is under way. No details about the investigation were available. |
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Crowd watches ‘danse macabre’ on busy street New Delhi, November 9 The victim was admitted to the trauma centre of a hospital with 11 stab wounds. His condition is reportedly serious. The police said that a hunt had been launched to trace the suspects who were described as young and ordinarily dressed. The incident occurred around 9.30 pm when the victim,
Gopal, a resident of Sikar in Rajasthan, was going to ISBT to board a bus to his hometown. He had come to Dariba Kalan in Chandni Chowk to sell gold jewellery of his employer. He sold the jewellery to an agent and wanted to join his family the same night in
Sikar. The victim hired a cycle rickshaw from Dariba Kalan to ISBT. As soon as the cycle rickshaw reached near the GPO, the criminals who were on a two-wheeler stopped him and tried to snatch his bag in which he had kept the money. He grappled with the assailants offering stiff resistance for about 30 minutes before he swooned because of loss of blood. The police said that while he was fighting with the criminals, hundreds of people gathered there and kept watching the scene but no one came to his aid. The suspects sped away on their two-wheeler. Had someone from the crowd alerted the police control room or one of the vans which are normally stationed around the Red Fort, the suspects could have been caught, the police said. A case of robbery had been registered and investigations were continuing. The possibility of the suspects having prior knowledge of the victim carrying a large amount of money could not be ruled out. The statement of the agent through whom he had sold the gold jewellery had been recorded. |
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Child victims of lust mount by the day New Delhi, November 9 A resident of the Trilokpuri area, she was lured by Sonu, a neighbour, on the pretext of buying her sweets. After subjecting her to repeated sexual assaults, a profusely bleeding Seema was abandoned before a rickshaw puller, who escorted her to a nearby hospital for medical aid. Hers is not an isolated case. An increasing number of pre-teen children in the Capital are falling prey to the brutality of perverts. A glaring number of such incidents are being reported from the slums and JJ colonies, where people live in sub-human conditions. Lack of privacy and dearth of living space only add to the woes of the victims, who are often physically assaulted in their own places of abode. It is alarming that 85 per cent of the accused were known to the family of the victims; the assailant was an uncle, a cousin, a neighbour, a friend or an acquaintance. Pratidhi, a non-government organisation (NGO), which specially works for the rehabilitation of child rape victims and runs a special project called Umeed, discovered that in an appalling number of cases, the rate of conviction was very low. In 2000, the conviction was as low as 22 per cent; this year too the conviction rate has shown a perceptible decline. According to social workers and parents of children, there are numerous reasons for the low conviction rate. Priya, a mother of a rape victim, recounted how her child was forced by 17 intimidating lawyers to narrate gory details of her case time and again. According to social workers, sometimes the questions put to the victims are extremely graphic, very demanding and taxing. Often the victim’s account is at variance with the FIR version. The NGOs working for such victims have sought improved scientific testing for more convictions, as in almost 95 per cent of the cases the evidence is not handled properly and reports of forensic laboratories are
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A NOVEL EXPERIMENT IN TIHAR JAIL New Delhi, November 9 In a novel experiment aimed at gainful rehabilitation of prisoners, the Tihar Jail has enlisted the services of women undertrials and convicts to produce audiocassettes for the benefit of visually challenged school children. Three volunteers have signed up for the task that entails a few hours of recording every week. Interestingly, unlike other ventures where they are assured of remuneration, these women have volunteered to lend their voice for a social cause. Conceived by the enterprising superintendent of women’s cell and implemented in association with a non-governmental organisation, the project – perhaps the first of its kind in the country – helps provide visually challenged students with tutorials in the form of audio cassettes containing course material in various subjects. The students, all enrolled with the government-run Blind School in Amar Colony, are in the age bracket of 15 years or more and studying in classes X or higher. Among the beneficiaries are a bunch of 19 visually challenged students. All of them have been given a Walkman each which they use for playing the audiocassettes in school. Recalling the turn of events leading up to fruition of idea, Jail Superintendent Sunita Sabharwal says things began falling into place after representatives of the NGO, Ritinjali, expressed similar sentiments of wanting to make a small contribution for the benefit of the visually challenged students. “Within days of our meeting we had started to put things together, albeit on a small note,” she told this correspondent. Matching the jail superintendent’s drive was the eagerness of the NGO’s representatives to lend a helping hand, whose organisation Ritinjali means just that. Say Neera and Deepika : “We began little more than a month ago by providing audio equipment to the jail officials. Initially the work was being handled by a welfare officer who later began involving the women prisoners.” They have ensured that besides audiocassettes the students are also given a Walkman each for unhindered learning. Asha (name changed) is among the three odd volunteers who are assisting in preparing the audio tutorials. She has studied up to college level while others who are familiar with Sanskrit have been assigned the task of lending their voice for tutorials in Sanskrit lessons. The medium of communication is Hindi although cassettes comprising English lessons are also being supplied to the needy students. Similar tutorials in civics and history are also being produced by them. Many of the convicts and undertrials have children of adolescent age and attribute their participation in the project to “motherly instinct”. Ask them why they have volunteered for the project and pat comes the reply : “If our education can be of help to others, especially blind students, why not ?” |
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Prisoners packed like sardines Gurgaon, November 9 The jail, which has a sanctioned capacity of 120 prisoners, is forced to adjust around 750 inmates, both men and women. The constraints are such that even a hospital had to be converted into a barrack to accommodate the prisoners. Now, the hospital runs from a small shed-type room. A workshed, constructed for industrial training of inmates, was also changed into a barrack to house the convicts. Quarrels among inmates for space is a routine matter. Men’s barracks are also in the same boat. A barrack with a sanctioned capacity of 20 inmates has around 120 prisoners jostling with each other. |
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Thriving racket in rickshaws Gurgaon, November 9 These well-placed persons own hundreds of unauthorised rickshaws, which the pullers ply on payment of a commission or daily wages. Often, the owner had the permit/licence to own only a dozen rickshaws, but was in fact possessing hundreds of them. Some persons were owning more than 500 unauthorised rickshaws. As a rule, all the rickshaws should have a permit issued by the municipality and the procurement of licences entails formalities. Moreover, there is a limit to the number of rickshaws one person could own. The racket has resulted in a proliferation of rickshaws on the city roads. |
SPEAKING OUT We hear and read a lot about greening of Delhi. But the drive to green the national capital has not yielded the desired results. A few pockets of South Delhi particularly have more greenery, but most parts of Delhi still lack an adequate green cover. For example, long stretches of both Inner and Outer Ring Roads, GT Road, etc. are without the required number of trees. The road dividers too are bereft of shrubs. Insides of the residential areas like Janak
Puri, Rohini, Saraswati vihar, Vikaspuri, Paschim Vihar, Moti Nagar, Pitam
Pura, Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Adarsh Nagar, Azad Pur, Model Town, Kingsway Camp, Mukherjee Nagar, Nirankari Colony, and others are without sufficient trees. Large areas in and around schools, colleges, community centres, and other private and public buildings too are without sufficient trees. The condition of public parks is even worse. In some areas, like Rohini sites have been earmarked for developing parks, but at present, they are in a state of utter neglect. Elsewhere, the existing parks are not being maintained properly. There is an immense potential and a dire need to grow more big trees like
Neem, Peepal, Jamun, etc. all over Delhi. They are required to make Delhi greener and cooler in summer. We also need big trees to fight the ever-growing pollution in the national capital. Neem and
Peepal, in particular, hold big promise for fight against environmental pollution. Massive tree plantation is the need of the hour. According to the WHO, the safe noise limit is fixed at 45dB. But today Delhi's noise level stands at an alarmingly dangerous level of 90dB. Recently, an expert like
R.K. Sapra said, in an article that "a noise level of 75dB can cause health problems such as lack of concentration, loss of sleep, headache, irritation, hypertension and fatigue”. He suggested trees as missiles in fight against pollution, including noise pollution. Trees like
Peepal, Jamun, Kikkar, Amaltas, Gulmohar, etc. should be given
preference. R.K. Sapra also said that "trees absorb not only gaseous and poisonous metals but also absorb sound. For optimum results, trees and shrubs should be planted close to the noise sources. They should be planted as close together as possible to form a continuous, dense barrier." Thus, Delhi's need for more trees become all the more crucial. Residential welfare and market associations, public school management and students, NGOs, etc. can easily be motivated and involved in greening Delhi. But the trees should actually grow on ground, and not simply in the records of the
DDA/MCD/PWD, etc. Tish Kumar Malhotra, Rohini, Delhi Faulty
drainage Minargate, the main entrance to Palwal city, greets the visitors with a splash of slush which often accumulates on the entry of the road due to faulty drainage system. The drains constructed to carry water for discharging it into
nallah, often get chocked due to their having been covered with concrete slabs. As a result, water comes out on the surface making a pool on the entry point. The stagnated water causes inconvenience to everybody. A small stretch of drain-constructed underground with a little turn also obstructs the smooth flow of water and helps withholding it on the road till it is cleaned temporarily. The Palwal Municipal Council authorities appear to have long slept over the issue. The solution is possible if the slabs put on drains are removed and underground drains are reconstructed to make water flow like stream. Our right to life is meaningful if we enjoy sound health free from diseases and
pollution. Trilok Chand Gupta, Palwal EMU travails Well Mr Railway Minister, I want to tell you a few things through this letter. They are regarding the maintenance of timings of local trains. I am a daily commuter of local train in and around Delhi: The EMU is supposed to leave Shakur Basti Railway Station at 8.27 a.m.; (train no HDSH2). However, for the last few years, this train arrives at the station between 8.40–8.50 a.m., then it start around 9'O clock. Besides, there is no window-panes or lights. You increased train fare from October 2001 on safety ground. But what kind of safety you are providing to the passengers when there is no light or glasses on the windows in the approaching wintry weather. I have given just one example. This is happining in most local trains, particularly in EMUs like HSNH-1
(Shakurbasti to Shakurbasti, NH-6 Nizamuddin to Nizamuddin, KNS-1 Khurja to
Shakurbasti). On behalf of the daily passengers, I would like to request you to please travel once with us in the train without informing your bureaucrats. You will understand then. Incidentally my phone no is 7019407, in case you decide to intimate
me. Anoop Ghosh, New Delhi. Do you have a grouse against the apathetic attitude of the authorities? Are you fed up with the dilly-dallying tactics of officialdom and the stranglehold of red tapism? If so please write to us. We have a full half page every week reserved just for you. The letters should be clearly marked |
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NTPC to set benchmark in power generation: Prabhu Noida, November 9 Though the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had done exceedingly well over the years, it had an onerous task on its hands as its mission is to take the “lights” to every hamlet in the country, Mr Prabhu said. There was a need to convert the NTPC into an integrated power company to generate as well as reach power to people in the interior and remote parts of the country, the minister added. Mr Prabhu advised the new recruits to “concentrate on something different so that you are remembered long after you have left the scene”. “Think of new technologies, develop new methods and techniques in your work. Excel in your work and enjoy what you do,” he told the new recruits. Since the NTPC was the biggest organisation in the power sector in the world, all the future benchmarks would be established here only. “Improve on the work, experiment with new technologies,” he said. The NTPC aimed at doubling its capacity to 40,000 megawatts by 2012, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the corporation, Mr C. P. Jain, said on the occasion. The corporation would then realise the country's dream. The NTPC had produced 90,000 megawatts of electricity in the past 25 years, he said and added that the organisation must produce 7,000 megawatts more power in the next two-and-a-half years to fulfill the country’s needs. Last year, it contributed 59 per cent to the nation’s need of 75 billion units of power. Augmenting power generation, distribution and cost reduction were our thrust areas, Mr Jain added. Meanwhile, Mr Prabhu asked the management of the corporation to have a different criterion for those who excelled, those who did exceptionally well and those who were innovative. “Reorganise their talent and their contribution by awards and incentives, Mr Prabhu advised. To this, Mr Jain said that the NTPC recognised the importance of human factor in its training since its inception and had instituted a system of inducting executive trainees in annual batches. The company has so far inducted 24 batches of executive trainees and more than 3,800 trainees have joined the executive cadre of the NTPC under the scheme. This year, 234 executive trainees have been selected out of more than 25,000 aspirants who had appeared for the all-India written test. This was the 25th batch of executive trainees when the NTPC was celebrating its silver jubilee this year, Mr Jain said. Of the 25,000 applicants, 700 were called for interviews and 234 were finally selected. |
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Wanted: A war hero memorial at Noida Noida, November 9 The servicemen and ex-servicemen who have made this town their home brought with them a reservoir of valour and wisdom; many among them being veterans of war and recipients of coveted national decorations. Keeping up the family tradition of their forefathers, several members of the younger generation, too, have lately added glory and laurels to the nation’s defence with their sweat, blood and martyrdom. The recent action in Kargil virtually placed Noida, particularly, Arun Vihar on the ‘Roll-of-Honour map’ of India. The citizens of Noida, on the initiative of Arun Vihar community, have formed a registered charitable society named Shaheed Smarak Sanstha with a view to raising a suitable memorial for their immortal heroes. As a charitable organisation, it will also undertake welfare work, render assistance to widows/dependants of the war heroes and similar such work. Retired Lt-General Gorakh Nath, executive director of the Martyrs Memorial Society said that the objectives of the society are to raise a Shaheed Smarak in Arun Vihar, Noida to pay homage to the war heroes of Noida and organise ceremonies at the Smarak on national days and on similar other occasions like the Army, Navy and Air Force days with due dignity. The society hopes to ensure the proper upkeep of the Smarak complex. The memorial will also instil a sense of national pride amongst the youth and help develop in them healthy respect for the Armed Forces. It also aims to motive and guide the youth to join the Armed Forces. The society Will also help raise funds for fulfilment of its various aims and objectives. General Nath said that the Sanstha offers educational institutions, industrial houses and all governmental and non-governmental organisations two categories of membership namely institutional and donor. The fee for institutional membership is Rs 10,000/ and the donor membership will cost Rs 1 lakh or more. On admittance as a ‘Member’ after the approval of the Governing Council of the society, the head of the institution or a representative functionary of the institution, nominated by him shall become a voting member of the general body of the society. Additionally, in the case of “Donor Membership,” the head of the institution will also be an honourable member of the ‘Guardians Council’ of the society, the executive director added. |
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‘Social work is a passion, not a profession’ From selling second hand cars, Jitendra Singh `Shunty’ has come a long way. Right now, he is the man behind East Delhi’s biggest social service organisation, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, which is into free cremation services, ambulance services, blood donations and several other charitable services for the underprivileged sections of the society. He talks to Nalini Ranjan on the history, objectives and activities of the organisation. Excerpts: Q: How did this organisation come into existence? A: I come from a very poor family. But by the grace of God and a lot of hard work, my business of selling second hand cars began to do well. But I have had a passion for social work. Does a business in second hand cars have anything to do with the after life? It was in 1995. I had gone to Nigam Bodh Ghat to attend a friend’s cremation, and saw a man picking up half-burnt pieces of wood. My friends and I thought he was stealing them and felt uncomfortable. When we caught him, he started crying and told us that his wife and he had come to Delhi for their son’s treatment and that the son had died. The couple had no money, not even for the cremation of his son. I was shattered to learn of such poverty. Then we all pooled in some money and handed the same to the man. The very next day, I thought of doing something that fulfilled the need of the society. We mobilised a small group of people and soon started free services such as cremation, ambulance, blood donation etc. Since the work was youth oriented and revolutionary in nature, we named our group the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal. We started with free cremation services initially. Later on, we adopted a cremation place. It was Nigam Bodh Ghat. In those days, people used to poke fun of the members of our organisation. The free ambulance service was started in 1996. In 1997, we inducted a special hearse to transport bodies. Now we have five ambulances in which two are specially for carrying corpses. Q: What are the other activities of the organisation? A. Apart from these services, we give assistance to handicapped people who needed help from time to time. As many as 62 crutches, 29 tricycles and 39 sewing machines have been distributed so far. We have managed a number of marriages of poor and handicapped girls with the help of another social service organisation, Lady Help. We also run a free charitable dispensary at Uttam Nagar. We have improved the cremation ground in Seemapuri where corpses of children dumped there used to be eaten by dogs. This was a very serious state of affairs. We got it improved. Besides, our members have played major roles in cleaning the Yamuna, Van Mahotsavs and other important drives carried out by the government and other agencies. Q: What is your source of income? A: We have more than 500 members including big names like Kapil Dev, Mahendra Kapoor, Major Kumar, Joginder Singh, Shiv Khera, Nafeesa Ali etc. We are solely dependent on membership fees collected from these people. Q: You are the recipient of Red and White Bravery Award 2000. How do you feel after getting such a rare distinction in your life? A: For me, social service is a passion, not a profession. It is a field that demands conviction and sacrifice. We feel good after taking this award. But award is not my ultimate goal. If you do good, it pays dividend for years. We have got hundreds of awards and citations so far in this field and it gives me boost me to continue the work. |
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Traffic thrown into disarray New Delhi, November 9 Traffic was completely disrupted from Sarai Kale Khan in South district to Yamuna Bazar in North district. Commuters had to wait for hours to reach their destinations. “Shahid Bhagat Singh Park is not the right place for organising such rallies. They should be held somewhere in the outskirts of the Capital”, commuters packed in Blue Line and DTC buses protested. The traffic was diverted from the ITO crossing to Ring Road after 11 am, as there was a rush of people who came from different parts of the country to participate in the rally held by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. There was no arrangement of police personnel to prevent the movement of people on the roads leading to the venue, resulting in a massive traffic jam on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. The entire area around the Old Delhi railway station, Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj and Delhi Gate was jammed with the unmoving traffic. |
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Speaker pleads govt case on MCD issue New Delhi, November 9 The Speaker’s remark comes a day after the MCD Mayor, Mr Shanti Desai, threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike if the funds due to the corporation were not released by the state government by November 25. Mr Prem Singh said the Centre’s move had had a demoralising effect on the state government and other bodies would now go in for direct funding, bypassing the Delhi Government. A former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, Mr Prem Singh, said he and other former DPCC presidents were not being consulted by the Central leadership on the re-constitution moves. “Former state Congress presidents should be consulted by the party before the reconstitution of the DPCC, as we would provide them with useful suggestions, which would benefit the party in the long run,” Mr Prem Singh said. Asked whether the present leadership is sidelining the former DPCC chiefs, he said, “It is for the party to take advantage of our experience. In any case, we would stick with the party’s decision.” Mr Kamal Nath, who is the Congress leader in charge of Delhi, is said to be preparing the list of candidates who should be given party posts in the revamped DPCC. The incumbent, Mr Subhash Chopra, and the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, have submitted a list of candidates to be made part of the revamped DPCC. On the objections raised by certain sections of the Congress that the sitting MLAs should not be office-bearers in the revamped DPCC, Mr Prem Singh said, “MLAs are the representatives of the people. How can they be debarred from holding offices of the party?” He said the party should consult the former DPCC chiefs before working out a strategy for the MCD polls and while selecting the candidates. “The Congress now finds itself in an advantageous position compared to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the MCD polls. If we put up the right candidates, the party could wrest control of the corporation with a convincing margin,” he added. |
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Hats off to edition N.
Vittal, (Central Vigilance Commissioner),
New Delhi
Hitting articles I have come to admire The Tribune and its articles on both the Edit and OpEd Pages. They are informative and hard-hitting. I am also even more delighted with the space that you are now giving for book reviews. Kindly keep that up. It is a great service you are providing to the reading public. Congratulations again on your bold venture and may success millionfold be yours! M.V. Kamath, Mumbai
Going places Warm congratulations on the launching of NCR (National Capital Region) edition. It is a good step in the print media. The Tribune is travelling in the spiny ways with lots of success. I have been reading this newspaper since my schooling. I praise your undaunting warping in the country and international status. You believe in the secularism and this is a secular newspaper. I take this opportunity to send my greetings on this occasion. I hope it would lead us in this challenging life. It would be a milestone in the history of Indian Media, may god bless The Tribune. Amandeep Singh,
(General Secretary) Dist Youth Congress (I) , Amritsar |
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A bill for power, another for police Faridabad, November 9 The person, a former member of the panchayat at Mandhawal village, had been standing in a queue outside the DHBVN office in Badrola to pay the electricity bill recently. When the clerk at the counter did not turn up even after about an hour, he and other persons approached the sub-divisional office. While heated exchanges took place between an official and consumers over the delay, an official called the police. The police took the former panchayat to the nearest chowki for questioning. As the person told the officials that he wanted to deposit the bill on the same day to avoid a fine of Rs 26 (for delay), the victim had to allegedly shell out Rs 100 for distributing sweets in the police station as a
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Diesel bus operators cry foul on govt order New Delhi, November 9 In a memorandum submitted to the Delhi Government, the Joint Action Committee of Transporters said the government’s plan of ‘model-wise’ withdrawal of buses within the next two-and-a-half-months will paralyse the entire public transport system. “A bare perusal of the Supreme Court order makes it clear that the court had directed the phasing out of diesel buses against the supply of CNG buses and not in the manner the Transport Department has interpreted the order,” the memorandum said. It (the order) had directed the Delhi Government to commence/continue the process of phasing out of the existing diesel buses, the transporters said. The court had also asked the Delhi Government to take all possible steps towards compliance of its orders in letter and spirit and it had also directed the Union Government, particularly the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, to take measures to implement the orders, the transporters said. |
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FARIDABAD The Joint Action Committee of leading trade unions on Friday staged a dharna in protest against the regime of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The trade union leaders burnt an effigy of the WTO on the occasion. The dharna staged at Sector 12 here attracted leaders and representatives of CITU, AITUC, the Bharat Mazdoor Sangh, the Hind Mazdoor Sabha and the Bank Employees Federation. A memorandum was submitted to the President through the Deputy Commissioner. Phone exchange The Telecom Department proposes to start a new telephone exchange in Sector 29 here to ease off the burden on the existing exchanges. According to officials concerned, the construction work of the exchange building had already started and it was likely to be completed March 2002. The exchange will have the facility for 4,000
lines. It was likely to take off the load on the main exchange here. Held for sodomy Three youths who allegedly sodomised an eight- year -old boy at Parvatiya Colony here on Thursday were arrested by the police. The faces of the accused were blackened and they were taken out in a procession in the locality before they were produced in the court. The court later remanded the accused, identified as Yusuf and Yadil ,in 14 days’ judicial custody. They had sodomised the boy on Wednesday last. |
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SONEPAT A doctor, Parmod, was taken into custody by the Murthal police on the charge of assaulting and sodomising a Nepali boy, Arjun, in a motor workshop on the GT Road, near Murthal, on the night of November 6. It is alleged that the culprit had sexually assaulted the youth and set him on fire by pouring kerosene on him. The youth, who sustained serious burns, was undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital. His condition is stated to be serious. A case under Sections 307 and 377 of the IPC has been registered against the culprit. Further investigations are in progress. Illegal sale Officials of the Sonepat Municipal Council on Friday conducted surprise raids on shops and caught six persons red-handed while selling crackers and explosives without any licence. The officials have sent the report to the Deputy Commissioner for taking further action against them. The District Magistrate, it may be recalled, had already enforced prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, banning the sale of crackers and explosives at public places except the ones notified by him in this city and elsewhere in the district. Food samples Officials of the Health Department conducted surprise raids on a number of shops in this city and Ganaur town on Thursday and seized samples of foodstuffs. According to a report, this step was taken on receipt of complaints regarding the sale of adulterated foodstuffs. The officials have sent these samples to a laboratory for check-up. Crushed to death An unidentified youth was crushed to death by a speeding truck on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road near the civil hospital here on Thursday evening. According to a report, the victim still remains unidentified. The police has registered a case against the truck driver on the charge of rash and negligent driving and causing the death of the victim. 6 hurt in clash Six persons, including three women, were injured in a clash took place between two rival groups at Lehrara village, about 3 km from here, on Friday. According to a report, the injured persons were immediately hospitalised. They are stated to be out of danger. The police is still conducting investigations into the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection. Eve-teasing was the main cause of this clash in the village. Hit by car A youth, Kamal, was seriously injured when he was hit by a Maruti car near Chintpurani mandir in Sector 14 here on Friday.He was immediately rushed to hospital where he is stated to be out of danger. The car driver, however, managed to escape. The police has registered a case against him .A hunt is on to apprehend him. Job cuts The All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union on Friday strongly opposed the retrenchment of employees in the corporation and threatened to launch an agitation if the retrenchment was not stopped immediately. In a press release, it also demanded immediate acceptance of all other demands of the union. Vigilance probe Officials of the Vigilance
Department reportedly checked various works relating to de-silting and de-weeding of the canal network in four water service divisions of the Irrigation Department in this district on Thursday. According to official sources, this followed the orders of the state government on receipt of public complaints about the misutilisation and bungling of funds and non-execution of the works by certain officials .It was alleged these officials had duped the government of lakhs of rupees by preparing false muster- rolls and other documents. Informed sources, however, revealed that the vigilance officials had detected certain irregularities in the works executed in three of the four water service divisions in this district. The inquiry ordered by the state government as well as on-the-spot checking by vigilance officials has caused panic among the corrupt officials of the department. They are said to be approaching the high-ups of the ruling party. Their endeavour is to hush up the cases of irregularities and malpractices in executing the works relating to de-silting and de-weeding of canals, distributaries and minors in this district. Meanwhile, the inquiries made by this correspondent have revealed that the vigilance officials are making on- the- spot inspection of the works relating to de-silting and de-weeding of canal networks in all districts of the state. Cash stolen A bag containing Rs 37,000 was stolen by miscreants at Ganaur town, 16 km from here, on Thursday. According to a report, Mr Shiv Kumar, a resident of Bari village, withdrew this amount from the Punjab National Bank and kept it in a bag. When he came out of the bank and was going towards his parked bicycle, two scooter-borne miscreants snatched the bag and fled. The incident has caused panic among the shopkeepers of the area. The police is still investigating into the case but no arrest has been made in this connection. |
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HUDA pulls down shops Faridabad, November9 Several khokhas (stalls) and rehris were also impounded. While the owners of the shops were upset and angry over the drive, the authorities claimed that prior notices had been issued to them.
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Awareness drive by PFC Jhajjar, November 9 Mr Madan Lal, General Manager, PFC, the SDMs of Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh, the XEN, HVPN, apart from local municipal councillors, doctors, lecturers, local politicians and other senior citizens attended the function. |
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Naval Band New Delhi, November 9 The Naval Band would perform at the Delhi Cheshire Home tomorrow, at India Gate on November 11, at Pragati Maidan on November 17 and 27, and at Connaught Place on November 24.
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5 die in auto-truck collision in S Delhi New Delhi, November 9 The police said of the five killed three belonged to the same family. They have been identified as Prem Wati Kashyap (50) and her two sons Daya Ram (25) and Jagadish (20).They were reportedly residing in L-block, Sangam Vihar. The other two deceased are the auto driver, Samshuddin (20), resident of Sangam Vihar, and another passenger, Ravinder Pandey (35), resident of Ghaziabad. Immediately after the incident, the driver of the mini truck fled from the spot. The Sangam Vihar police has registered a case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving and launched a manhunt for the erring driver. Youth stabbed A 20-year-old youth was reportedly stabbed to death by two persons in Mohalla Kishanganj, Teliwara. The police said the deceased, Khurshid Alam, resident of Kishanganj, was stabbed by Mohammad Rafi and Saiyyad, both brothers and residents of the same area. Khurshid was rushed to St Stephan hospital, where he died after some time. The police said Khurshid’s family had a quarrel with Rafi’s family a couple of days before the incident, in which the two brothers were injured. To take revenge, the two brothers stabbed Khurshid and fled from the
spot. The Bara Hindu Rao police has registered a case of murder and launched a manhunt for the absconding duo.
Robbers held Cops of the Anand Vihar police station arrested three youths near CBD ground, Anand Vihar, on Thursday evening when they were fleeing the spot after robbing an auto driver of Rs 320 and his driving licence. The three accused, Pramod Kumar (22), resident of Barabanki, Rakesh Kumar (22), resident of Jaunpur, and Pradeep (20), resident of Etah, all from Uttar Pradesh, were reported to be involved in small -time crimes in Delhi, the police said. The police also seized a desi katta along with one live cartridge from Pramod Kumar, while a razor and a button-actuated knife were also seized. |
Legal Services Day celebrated Sonepat, November 9 Mr S.E. Sardana, District and Sessions Judge, highlighted various provisions of the Act.He urged the litigants to take advantage of this Act by filing their cases in the Lok Adalats. The main aim of organising the Lok Adalats, he said, was to encourage settlement of disputes through this mechanism. He claimed that the Legal Services Authorities Act had proved to be a boon for litigants locked in disputes for years. Under the Act, the judgement of a Lok Adalat is final and binding and no appeal against it can be made anywhere. Mr Sardana highlighted the role of Lok Adalats. He said that these were playing a meaningful role in the settlement of pending cases, particularly in respect of motor accident claims, land acquisition, municipal tax matters, bank disputes, violation of traffic rules, power thefts and water disputes etc. The pre-litigation stage matters could also be referred to these Lok Adalats he added. He said that at least 72 Lok Adalats had been held so far in this district. As many as 27,166 cases had been settled in them. These include 827 motor accident claims. A sum of Rs 30.37 crore was paid as compensation to the family members of the victims. Similarly, 280 cases under the Hindu Marriage Act were settled and the couples were re-united. Moreover, 7,619 civil and 3,304 criminal cases were disposed of in the Lok Adalats. As many as 8,767 cases of the Revenue Department-all mutation cases-were also settled. At least 5,587 cases relating to the violation of traffic rules were disposed of after the recovery of Rs 32.86 lakh as fine from the erring persons. Mr Sardana also disclosed that as many as 81 cases relating to various nationalised banks were also settled and a sum of Rs 36.03 lakh was recovered by the banks from the defaulters. Moreover, 601 cases of different nature were also settled. Ms Ritu Tagore, Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, said that the cases in the Lok Adalats took less time in their disposal than the ones in regular judicial courts. In the latter case trial of the cases took a long time and sometimes the very purpose of justice was defeated. Earlier, literature about the importance of Lok Adalats was distributed on this occasion.
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