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| Wednesday,
December 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Sheila blames shootout on security lapse New Delhi, December 18 During the course of the obituary references in memory of security personnel killed in the terrorist attack, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit attributed the storming of Parliament to a “security failure.” The Chief Minister said a tragedy would have unfolded had not the car carrying the terrorists rammed into the Vice President’s motorcade and alerted the watch and ward staff on duty. The incident, she said, could not be averted despite the Prime Minister and the Home Minister expressing apprehensions of such an attack. The Government of NCT of Delhi, she said, would extend an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the security personnel killed and a compensation varying from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh to the security personnel injured in the incident. Responding to the Chief Minister, Leader the Opposition, Jagdish Mukhi said no security lapse had occurred as the vigilant security personnel had managed to thwart the designs of the terrorists. Describing the storming of Parliament as the worst kind of terrorism, he said if terrorism was to be uprooted the option of hot pursuit should be kept open. The House condemned the attack on Parliament, describing it as an assault on the Indian democratic system and the State. Members of the House appreciated the timely action taken by the security personnel. They called the December 13 carnage an attack on every Indian’s heart. |
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IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, December 18 Data logging systems for monitoring signalling gears had been provided at 22 stations in Delhi, he said and added that the expenditure incurred on providing improved essential amenities by the Railways in the last three years stood at Rs 350 crore. He also informed that there was no proposal to introduce daily Rajdhani or Shatabadi Expresses to each state capital from Delhi. However, the Northern Railways had agreed to upgrade and modernise Nizamuddin Railway Station, New Delhi Railway Station, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Panipat and Bagpat stations, he said. The Archeological Survey of India had incurred Rs 5,09,71,140 crore on security arrangements for certain monuments during 2000-01 and Rs 5.99 crore had been allocated for 2001-02, the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mr Jagmohan, informed the House. A committee was formed in 1997 to strengthen the safety systems at the monuments. The committee finalised recommendations for strengthening and streamlining the in-house security arrangements for the protected monuments and identified certain monuments where private security should be deployed. Replying to a question Mr Jagmohan said that in the Capital alone, there were 2,425 cases of cruelty against animals reported and of these, offenders in three cases had undergone jail terms. He also informed that a plan to resettle the squatters around Humanyun’s Tomb had been drawn up in consultation with the authorities concerned. The plan was expected to be executed shortly. The number of below poverty line (BPL) households, as identified by the state government in the Capital, was 4.11 lakh, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr Ashok Pradhan told the House. The Minister said that the identification of the BPL families by the state and UTs was most critical for the effective implementation of the Targeted Population Distribution System (TPDS). Guidelines on TPDS issued in 1997 lay emphasis on including the really poor and vulnerable sections of the society. The identification of BPL families had to be reviewed at regular intervals to take into account the mobility of the households across the poverty line and migration of population. The Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, revealed that Rs 572.60 lakh was incurred on organising the recent India International Trade Fair held at Pragati Maidan. Almost 2.5 million visitors attended the fair and the estimated earning by way of license fee was approximately Rs 16.92 crore. The fair attracted 1,50,000 business visitors including trade delegations from 40 countries. About 81 per cent of the 6,500 participants expressed their intention to participate in the next trade fair, which indicated that their participation this year was adequately satisfying, informed Mr Rudy. In a written reply, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr V. Sreenivasa Prasad, said that the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies had been requested to take measures for the winding up of Super Bazaar under the provisions of Multi State Cooperative Society Act, 1984. |
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No leave for Delhi cops on
Id New Delhi, December 18 The security personnel were not even allowed to visit their native places to celebrate
Id with their family members. They have been asked to remain in the Capital, so that they can be summoned at any time. This is the first instance in Delhi Police of leave being cancelled following a terrorist attack, say police personnel. Heaping abuses on terrorists, an Assistant Sub Inspector posted in the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police said: “This is first time in my life that I could not celebrate
Id, the festival of happiness, with my children. They live in my village in Muzaffarnagar.” A constable posted in Special Cell, which investigates terrorist strikes, said that when he asked for leave to visit his native place on
Id, he was told that serving the nation was more important . ``I welcomed this and remained on duty. I read
namaz-e-Id (Id prayer) in the idgah near Quresh Nagar in North Delhi.” Expressing grief, a lady Inspector said: “Cancelling leave is not a solution to terrorist attacks in the Capital. The personnel should have commitment to policing and intelligence sleuths should provide exact information about the movement of militants. Generally ladies do not go to idgah for prayer, but due to cancellation of leave I could not go to my old parents house. I do not how they celebrated the festival.” |
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Restricted holiday on Martyrdom Day New Delhi, December 18 The Sikh community took umbrage at the National Capital Territory Government’s move to cancel the holiday. The NCT Government had reportedly written a letter to the Lt-Governor, Mr Vijai Kapoor, recently seeking cancellation of the holiday. The martyrdom day has been observed a holiday since 1995 when the then Chief Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana , in deference to the popular demand of the community, declared it a restricted holiday in the Capital. The state government’s move had evoked sharp reaction as there are few holidays based on the religious occasions of the Sikh community. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and other organisations of the community have written to the state government to reconsider the decision. According to sources, the committee had considered to give a call to all the members of the community to stay away from work on the martyrdom day as a mark of protest against the decision. The ninth Sikh guru sacrificed his life to protect Hindus. Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in Chandi Chowk on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Motorists advised: The Delhi Sikh Gurdawara Management Committee will take out a procession tomorrow on the occasion of martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur from Parade Ground in Red Fort. The procession will culminate in Gurdawara Rakab Ganj Sahib after passing through different localities. A large number of schoolchildren , kirtan jatha parties, horses and elephants will take part in the procession. The motorists are advised to avoid the route of the procession. It will start at 10 am from Parade Ground, and will pass through Esplanade Road, Gurdawar Sis Ganj Sahib, Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak, Chawari Bazar, Hauz Qazi, Ajmeri Gate, Pul Pahar Ganj, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Chowk Multani Dhanda, Chuna Mandi, Main Bazar Pahar Ganj, Basant Road, Panchkuian Road, Baba Kharag Singh Marg and Pandit Pant Marg, police said. |
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Spate of thefts
in Faridabad Faridabad, December 18 In a daring daylight theft today, about three youths came in a car and decamped with a colour television and about Rs 2,500 in cash from house No-11 in Telecom Colony in NH-II area. The owner of the house, Mr Anand Kumar Tiwary, who is an employee in Central Telegraph Office (CTO) at Nehru Ground here, said that there was no one in the house at that time. He said that the culprits came in a car. They even inquired about their neighbour, when his wife was locking the door of the house to deposit an electricity bill. A group of burglars broke into a factory premises a couple of days ago and stole goods worth Rs 3 lakh. In two other incidents, thieves stole valuables and cash worth Rs 60,000 from two shops in Sector-7 in Ballabgarh recently. The theft of a car and two motorcycles has also been reported in the last few days. The SSP, Mr Ranbir Sharma, has appealed to the residents to co-operate with the police and help them check the crime rate. He said that the identity of domestic help and the movement of suspected elements should be reported to the nearest police station. The police has been able to solve several cases with the help of alert residents, he said. |
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Gurgaon to have an ESI hospital, finally Gurgaon, December 18 In a letter to the Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA), the corporation has said that after considering the increase in the population, it has decided to construct a 100-bed ‘model’ hospital. The corporation further stated that it would bear all the expenses for setting up the hospital as well as for managing it. The construction would begin shortly. According to reports, the corporation has already appointed a contractor for the job. The matter came up at a function of the GIA a few days back in which the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, was the chief guest. The GIA had demanded the early setting up of the hospital. The Chief Minister assured them that the state would co-ordinate with the Centre for setting up the hospital. The corporation had purchased five acres of land in Sector 9-A more than five years back for setting up the hospital. However, the Haryana Government had allegedly been hesitant to give a “no-objection certificate” to the corporation for the same. Captains of the industry here had been making representations to the government for the last few years. They have also made it a point to meet their statutory obligation by contributing towards ESI. According to the rules, the state government gets 40 per cent of the contributions made by the employers toward the ESI scheme. However, the health services provided by the corporation or the state government have been pitiable so far. In the name of services, only an ESI dispensary has been functioning here, where medicines, logistic support and other infrastructure have always been in dire straits. As a result, the employers had to spend a lot of money on emergency medical treatment of their employees in private hospitals. According to conservative figures, over one lakh industrial workers and their dependants would stand to gain from the proposed hospital. Many wonder why the state government was dragging its feet on giving approval to the corporation for setting up the hospital, even though Gurgaon has emerged as a major industrial town. According to one version, after the hospital becomes functional, the state government will have to forego its claim on the 40 per cent money that it gets from the employers as their ESI contribution. |
A basket of endless woes New Delhi, December 18 While consenting to such get-togethers, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) levies scavenging charges, but it does not bother to have the parks cleaned after the function is over, lament residents. Likewise, the MCD recovers road and repair charges from the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) when it digs up roads for laying cables. These roads remain dug up for months and no attempt is made to undertake repairs, immediately after the cables have been laid. On the subject of wedding receptions, it would not be out of place to mention that a plot near Saket Post Office was earmarked two decades back for the construction of a Baraat Ghar. The same plot has now become a car parking area for which the MCD levies charges. “Had the Baraat Ghar been built, it would have eased pressure on the parks, which are already in a terrible condition,” said Ved Kumar of the Senior Citizens Welfare Association (SCWA) of Saket. Jeetender Kumar Kochar, a member of the MCD standing committee, said no place in the world was problem free and denied that the MCD was not doing its job properly. “There are problems all over. But it would be wrong if people say that we are not doing our work properly. Of course, we are.” Kochar said even if there were problems that have not been solved, the residents should complain and action would be taken immediately. “It may have happened a couple of times that the roads have not been repaired immediately or the parks have not been cleaned. It doesn’t happen every day.” Moreover, an open land, measuring about 1300 sq yards, facing the Amity School near J-Block market, has allegedly been grabbed. According to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) map, the land is meant for public use. This part of the land has now been fenced and there is a board bearing the legend: “Private Property”. The Mother Dairy booth, right adjacent to the plot, has also been fenced in. To add to the woes of the residents, the drains are not being cleaned on a regular basis. To cite an example, the drain in H-Block, which runs from flat 12A to flat 16B, is choked with broken slabs for years and, in spite of the best efforts of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA), the MCD has not had the drain cleaned. The footpaths in the area are no longer available for use because several cigarette shops and tea stalls have encroached on them. “Once in a while half-hearted measures are taken to remove the encroachments, but the moment the squad is out of sight, the encroachers are back in place,” said M.P. Kohli, secretary of the RWA. Kohli added: “Only last year, the MCD itself dug up whatever is left of these footpaths to plant trees. Surely, the trees could have been planted by the Road side and not in the middle of the footpaths.” The litany of woes does not end here. Car garages and servant quarters are illegally utilized for commercial purposes. “For this, no one but the residents are to blame. The authorities should take some action against
commercialisation of residential colonies,” said Ved Kumar. Allegedly, many servant quarters and car garages have been sold off benami to outsiders. There are three kerosene oil depots inside H Block, Which can prove to be a major fire hazard. Since most of the kerosene users are from the nearby slums, there is a security threat, too. |
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Committees aplenty, but who cares for people’s grievances? Sonepat, December 18 Ironically, the presence of heads of the departments at these meeting, in fact, disrupts the working of government offices for a day. Many officers, including an Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department have ignored the directive of the Deputy Commissioner and refrained from attending these meeting. These district committees are supposed to attend to complaints and other matters of public interest that get bogged in bureaucratic procedures. Grievances from the public are received in the complaints cell at the office of the Deputy Commissioner. However, most of the time, complainants are rarely heard personally by the committee. Moreover, it hardly cares to ascertain whether the person making the complaint has been satisfied. Complaints are discussed at the committee meeting and are filed after the department concerned has given its clarifications. All MLAs of the district are the members of this committee but Opposition MLAs seldom attend these meetings. According to informed sources, the Chairman of the Sonepat District Public Relations and Grievances Committee and the Minister for Country and Town Planning, Mr Dhir Pal Singh, had failed to attend this meeting on several occasions. In his absence, the Deputy Commissioner used to preside over these meetings. In the absence of any penal action taken against them, many officials hardly bother to attend these meetings. Enquiries made by the NCR Tribune have revealed that at least ten complaints are received at the complaint cell of the Deputy Commissioner every month and many of them were disposed of on the same day. But others are sent to the department concerned for their redressal. Moreover, it has also come to notice that travel expenditures incurred by officers for attending such meetings have been found to be inflated beyond reasonable limits. |
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Dalits in Haryana warn of statewide stir Sonepat, December 18 These organisations have warned the government that if it failed to take action, they would be compelled to launch a statewide agitation on this issue. This demand was contained in a resolution adopted at a joint meeting of these organisations held in Sonepat on Monday. The general-Secretary of the Dalit Nayaye Andolan, Mr Raghumal Bhatt voiced this demand on Monday. The meeting alleged that false cases like dacoity and encounter with the police had been registered against the office-bearers of the Balmiki Sabha at Gohana town in this district at the behest of an officer. The police officials, it was alleged, had not only harassed but misbehaved with the women of the Balmiki Samaj which was highly objectionable. The meeting further alleged that the incidences of atrocities on the Dalits were on the rise and the state government had failed to put an end to them. The police did not even register the complaints against these officials. Top cap it, the office-bearers of the Balmiki Samaj were being harassed. The meeting demanded a high-level probe into the police excesses on the office-bearers and stern action against the accused officials. In another resolution, the meeting urged the state government to order the payment of wages to the safai workers in the civic bodies by the seventh of every month. It alleged that the safai workers were being denied payment of their salary for months together since the abolition of octroi duty which has resulted in the weakening of the financial structure of the civic bodies. Earlier, addressing the meeting, Mr Bhatt called upon the Dalits and other downtrodden to remain united and vigilant so as to safeguard their rights. He warned that their failure to be aware of their rights would lead to their exploitation by the dominant sections of society, including bureaucrats and the state government. He also threatened to launch an agitation against the state government if the Gohana police failed to withdraw the false criminal cases against the office-bearers of the Balmiki Samaj. Apart from Mr Bhatt, Mr Howa Singh Bohat, Mr Daryao Singh, Mr Charan Singh Balmiki, Mr Yogesh Kumar, Mr Anil Thakur and Mr Naresh Kumar addressed the meeting. |
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Law and order in Ghaziabad is OK: minister Ghaziabad, December 18 “We cannot end corruption in this country though it can be reduced a little. The state government has been able to mitigate the scourge to a great extent,” he said. Corruption was not confined to India alone. It was prevalent in most of the countries in the world and the government could control it only with people’s unstinting cooperation, he observed. During the 45 years of Congress rule in the country, the character and mentality of the common man had been so perverted that no department could claim to be free from corruption now. “During the Congress rule, Rs 3,50,000 crore has been spent on eight Five Year Plans but not even one-fourth of the work has been accomplished so far,” he said. Giving details about the development works being undertaken by the government, the Minister said that pucca roads would be constructed on all state routes by 2007 under the Prime Minister’s village development programme. Over Rs 4 crore would be spent in the district under the programme out of which Rs 2.13 crore had already been sanctioned. However, he lamented that the state had not been getting enough revenue to finance all the developmental works. Mr Kamal reviewed the working of all departments and asked officials to speed up developmental works. Various schemes like those of civil supplies and old age welfare and pensions for widows were particularly stressed by the minister. He said all works for which funds had been sanctioned should be completed within a month. |
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Delhi Govt plans workshops on VAT New Delhi, December 18 VAT will replace the existing sales tax system from April 1, 2002. The main objective of the VAT regime would be to provide a simple and transparent taxation system. There had been allegation that the luxury tax levied by the Delhi Government was against VAT. According to a communique issued by the Department of Sales Tax, the “dealer consultation” workshops have been designed to bring about an interactive and tax payer-friendly approach to enable a smooth transition from sales tax to VAT. |
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, December 18 Four
die in mishaps Four persons, including an employee of the Dakshin
Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam, have been killed in separate road
mishaps in the district since Sunday. While Mr Hari Kishan of the
electricity department was crushed to death by an unidentified vehicle
near Janoli village, two youths, identified as Ajay and Sonu of Palwal
town, died after their vehicle and a road roller collided near Tappal
village on the national highway Sunday night. CIA takes over
cases Sonepat Rally
postponed The Forest
Department Mazdoor Union and Forest Employees Sangh, Haryana, today
announced the postponement of the state-level rally scheduled to be
held on December 20 at Chandigarh. |
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Decision to delete passages hailed New Delhi, December 18 |
Fatal attraction ends in murder Noida, December 18 Nisha was alone in the house yesterday and spreading the laundry on the terrace, when Raj Kumar came up and started pressing her for marriage. As Nisha rebuffed him for the umpteen time, Raj Kumar, mad with rage, picked up a sharp-edged weapon and hit her half a dozen times, inflicting deep wounds on her neck, throat, shoulder, chest and back. He soon fled from the house. Though Nisha’s younger brother chased him for some distance, yet he managed to flee. He is still at large, according to the SP city, Mr Umesh Kumar Singh. The police have, however, detained half a dozen persons for interrogation. Hearing Nisha’s shrieks, neighbours came up to the terrace and even tried to rush her to a hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries in the house itself. Her body has been sent for autopsy. Youth shot at in Khoda by intruders: In another incident, some unidentified intruders shot at and seriously injured a youth in the head in Vandana Vihar of Khoda Colony last night at 10-30 pm. The injured Satendra was rushed to Kailash Hospital. Later, he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. His condition is said to be serious. According to police, the incident is linked to a love affair. |
Mishaps
claim three lives New Delhi, December 18 In the first incident, Mr Pratap Singh Rawat, resident of Khichripur in East district, fell down from a bus near Kondly and was injured seriously. He was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The bus driver, Vijender Kumar, has been arrested by the Kalyanpuri police on the charge of causing death due to rash and negligent driving, the police said. In the second incident, Mr Mithilesh Kumar Pandey (23) was killed and Anil Kumar (25) injured when a three-wheeler overturned near Majidia Masjid on Maa Anand Mai Marg. The injured is admitted to the AIIMS where his condition is stated to be serious. In the third incident, Mr Zile Singh (25), was hit by a tanker while going on a motorcycle near the petrol station in the Mangolpuri Industrial area last night. He was taken to Jaipur Golden Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The driver of the tanker was absconding, the police said. R s 60,000 StolenSome unidentified youths robbed Rs 60,000 from the house of Mr Ashwini Kumar Jain in A-Block in Sainik Farms. The youths, armed with knives, entered the house Mr Jain, who owns an electronic goods shop in Chirag Dilli, through the open door and escaped with the cash. The Ambedkar Nagar police have registered a case of robbery.  |
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The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Jagdish Mukhi, BJP, moved the adjournment motion, demanding the suspension of all other business to enable the House discuss an issue of utmost public importance. 
