TOP STORIES

BUILDING CORRUPTION
CBI raids premises of DDA top brass
New Delhi, March 27
Offices and residences of several top officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), including its Vice-Chairman Subhash Sharma, were raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today.

No VAT from April 1: Sheila Dikshit
New Delhi, March 27
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said value added tax (VAT) would not be implemented on April 1. “We are not going to implement VAT from April 1.

No VAT, no gain: Loss of Rs 40,000 cr
New Delhi, March 27
The non-implementation of value added tax (VAT) is resulting in an annual revenue loss of Rs 40,000 crore from traders and transporters in the National Capital Region alone, according to a survey.

VAT may harm plastic manufacturers of Haryana
Faridabad, March 27
The Faridabad Plastics Association (FPA), an organisation of plastic product manufacturers here, have opposed the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) in its present form.

Transport Nagar for whom? Trucks are all over
Panipat, March 27
Owners of transport companies operating in Panipat town appear to be more powerful than the district administration as well as the Haryana Government. Otherwise, what would one surmise when the transport company offices have not shifted to Transport Nagar developed almost 17 years ago?

Big landlords like Northern Rly must adopt water harvesting

New Delhi, March 27 If the Ministry of Defence and the Northern Railway, occupiers of the largest segment of the National Capital Region of Delhi, adopt water harvesting wholeheartedly, there is a faint hope that the water table will stop falling some decades hence. Today, they are high on extraction and extremely low on conservation of this fast-depleting natural resource. The recharged swan lake on the Ridge. — Photo by Cecil Victor

CRIME SPIRAL
Modi Nagar doc kidnapped by masked men
Ghaziabad, March 27
A doctor, Atul Sethi, was kidnapped from Modi Nagar by five masked men who came in a Maruti car this morning. SSP Chander Prakash rushed to the spot on hearing the news. The police immediately started combing operations to nab the criminals.

DAY OF MISHAPS
Two MTNL men fall into sewer, killed
New Delhi, March 27
Two MTNL employees were killed and another employee was injured after they fell into a sewer while digging a pit near a water tank in Shahdara in North-East district this afternoon.

COMMUNITY

Well-known Odissi danseuse Sharon Lowen performing on the last day of Jayadeva Utsav-2003 in the Capital. — Tribune Photo

CM for rural development to check migration
Sonepat, March 27
The Haryana Government has launched a number of schemes to accelerate the development activities both in the urban and the rural areas of the state. Stating this, the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, referred to his `sarkar aap ke dwar’ programme and claimed here today that under the first phase of the programme, as many as 12,687 development works had been completed at a cost of around Rs 920 crores. 

SPECIAL FOCUS ON ROHTAK
SP workers to gherao police chief over rape
Rohtak, March 27
Dissatisfied with the role of the police in the Kharkara rape incident, the activists of Samajwadi Party would gherao the Rohtak SSP, Mr Alok Rai on April 1. Announcing this here today, Ms Kanta Alaria, state president of the party, alleged that the role of SHO and DSP of Meham town had been “shameful” in the whole episode.

Jat Mahasabha lashes out at Chautala
New Delhi, March 27
The Jat Mahasabha has alleged that Mr O. P. Chautala “is the biggest enemy of Jats, as he is yet to announce reservation in jobs for them in Haryana”. In a statement issued here, the mahasabha pointed out that Mr Chautala has failed to keep his promise of providing jobs through a reservation quota to the Jat community.

Lok Janshakti Party activists at the ‘Bharat Bachao rally’ at the Ramlila Ground in the Capital on Thursday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Mini bus owners flay stopping of STA permits
New Delhi, March 27
The All Delhi Mini Bus Owners Association has criticised the Government of NCT of Delhi’s decision of stopping new State Transport Authority (STA) permits for mini buses and cancelling some of the existing contract carrier permits.

Now, railway tickets at your doorstep
New Delhi, March 27
Railway tickets can now be delivered right upto your doorsteps. The ALF Group has announced its association with the Indian Railways whereby the consumers can have the tickets delivered home.

Prohibitory orders around MDU exam centres
Sonepat, March 27
The District Magistrate of Sonepat, Mr Balwan Singh, has promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC banning the assembly of five or more persons and carrying of firearms within the area of 200 metres around the examination centres set up by Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) for the conduct of the undergraduate annual examinations in the district.

NCR BRIEFS
Minor raped by 50-year-old
Sonepat, March 27
A nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped by one Raj Kumar (50) at Kakana village, about 45 km from here, on Wednesday evening. According to reports, the girl was going to a field when she was waylaid and picked up by the culprit. She was taken to a nearby room where he raped her. Later, the girl reached the house and told the whole story to her parents.

CRIME

Woman’s murder solved
New Delhi, March 27
With the arrest of Gayatri Dutt alias Babbal, the North West district police today claimed to have worked out the murder of Suman Devi, a resident of Azadpur village. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to have shot dead Suman Devi. 

BUSINESS

Rs 600-crore District Credit Plan launched in Faridabad 
Faridabad, March 27
The District Credit Plan for the year 2003-04, worth about 600 crore, was launched at a function here yesterday. According to Mr A. Gopal, the lead District Manager of Syndicate bank, which has prepared the plan, there was a proposal to disburse credit outlay of 600 crore to about 44,200 people in the district.

EDUCATION

VC’s efforts to nurse MDU back to health bear fruit
Rohtak, March 27
When Maj-Gen (Retd)Bhim Singh Suhag joined Maharshi Dayanand University as its Vice-Chancellor on June 2000, the university was passing through a “multifaceted crisis”.

HVP forms executive committee at MDU
Rohtak, March 27
With an aim to incorporate active participation of students in the regional politics, the Haryana Vikas Party today constituted 51-member executive committee of the Haryana Vikas Chhatra Sangh of Maharshi Dayanand University and 31-member executive committee of Zila (Rohtak) Vikas Chhatra Sangh.

CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
A painting exhibition in tune with Mother Nature

An exhibition of paintings titled ‘In Tune With Mother Earth, Not Cain’ by artist Arshad Ameen, that was held at the Lalit Kala Academy, ended this week. He expressed nature in its diverse forms at their very best. For instance, one of his works titled ‘The Roaring Clouds’ truly justify the title given to it. He has not only used the usual colours associated with nature and greenery, but has added a whole new range of hues and shades to the entire theme. He has certain realism in his works and all appears very calmly and gently done. An artwork of Arshad Ameen.

Nature in full bloom

Painting a perfect  relationship

THE ACHIEVERS ‘Divine inspiration makes him sing’ New Delhi, March 27 Despite no formal training in music, Swami Budhiraja has carved a niche for himself in the field of devotional music. The singer, who is also a lyricist and a composer to boot, attributes his success to the Goddess Durga who, he claims, inspired him to sing.

HEALTH

PUBLIC PLACES
A miasma of ill-health surrounds government hospitals
Sonepat, March 27
Representatives of various political parties, social and voluntary organisations as well as trade unions today expressed grave concern over the inefficient and unsatisfactory working of the Civil Surgeon’s Office and urged the state government to order a vigilance probe.

SPORTS

Top teams for Davinder Cricket
New Delhi, March 27
Top club teams will participate in the 12th All-India Davinder Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament for the Tara Devi Mathur Trophy, to be held from March 29 to April 6. Davinder Singh was a promising cricketer of Delhi who died in the 1984 riots.

Zaw Moe accepts challenge, leads in Indian Open
New Delhi, March 27
Indian ace Jyoti Randhawa carded a six-under 66, to trail by three as Asia’s top golfers shot low opening rounds on the opening day of the $300,000 Royal Challenge Indian Open Golf, which began at the Delhi Golf Course on Thursday.

Himanshu, Ekta Bhambri get top billing
New Delhi, March 27
Himanshu P Kala of Central Bank of India and Ekta Bhambri of Delhi University have been given top billing in the men’s singles and women’s singles respectively in Delhi on the basis of the best performance in 60 per cent of the total tournaments conducted in Delhi last year, as per the ranking list released by Delhi Table Tennis Association organising secretary Hukam Singh.

Rakesh Kumar shines
New Delhi, March 27
A fine all-round performance by Rakesh Kumar, who hit 45 runs with five fours, and then grabbed four wickets for 19 runs, enabled Nirula’s to beat Taj Hotel by five runs with three balls to spare and enter the final of the Inter-Hotel Cricket Tournament at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi.

Surender, Brijesh star  for G G Dutt
New Delhi, March 27
A strokeful half century by Surender Dayma and deadly bowling by Brijesh Roy, who claimed 3 for 14, helped Goswami Ganesh Dutt Club defeat Century Club by five wickets in an A-I Division match of the DDCA League at the Kotla I ground on Wednesday. Century Club made 146 all out in 40 overs.

GAIL sail into final
New Delhi, March 27
Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) beat B L Kashyap and Sons by one run in the first semi-final of the 10th Teri Cup Cricket Tournament at the Teri Oval ground.

Railway cycling championship begins

TAX ROW
Nagar nigam may freeze BSNL bank accounts
Ghaziabad, March 27
The Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam has adopted a very aggressive posture with regard to non-payment of service tax by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. Municipal Commissioner R. B. Maurya has warned that he will have to order freezing of BSNL bank accounts in case it fails to deposit service tax on time.