TOP STORIES

Budget pins hopes on privatisation
New Delhi, April 4
The Delhi Government Budget, which envisages higher allocation for the social sectors, seems to be relying heavily on the success of the privatisation plans of the Sheila Dikshit government. 

Congress fields nominees, Jaishree set to be mayor

New Delhi, April 4 Congress candidates Ms. Jaishree Pawar, Mr. Panna Lal Khairwal and Mr. Ram Babu Sharma today filed their nominations for the posts of Mayor, deputy mayor and chairman of the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, respectively, after the party high command cleared their names earlier this morning.

Panna Lal Khairwal and Jaishree Pawar, whose election as the deputy mayor and the mayor is a foregone conclusion. —Tribune Photo

Schooling is a cottage industry in Faridabad
Faridabad, April 4
While the recession has hit most industrial units here, there is one area which has grown by leaps and bounds untouched by the market slump. This area is school education, which has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming a veritable industry.

Cable operators dragged to court
Faridabad, April 4
A Faridabad-based social activist has filed a civil suit against the local cable operators. This is perhaps the first time that a civil suit has been filed against cable operators in which the district authorities have been made a respondent.

High Court bails out Rewari employees
Rewari, April 4
Mr Justice V K Bali of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the Rewari civil court’s orders, thus paving the way for the release of the salary for March 2002 of several thousand employees of Rewari district. 

When cops are shy of policing
Mahendragarh, April 4
The police inability to arrest the culprits who set a house on fire in a village after a dispute over a piece of land in Mundain village, about 30 km from here, on Wednesday, has caused wide resentment in the area. 

22-yr-old thrown to her death
New Delhi, April 4
22-year-old unidentified girl was reportedly thrown from the terrace of Rajasthali Apartments by somebody in Saraswati Vihar area in North-West district late Wednesday night.

COMMUNITY

Sectoral reforms to be extended to sanitation, transport
New Delhi, April 4
The Delhi Government Budget proposal has pinned all hopes on the successful privatisation of the energy sector as it would reduce the government expenditure in the sector to 15 per cent in the 10th plan outlay compared to 26 per cent spent in 9th plan.

Move to close down MITC draws flak
Rohtak, April 4
The Communist Party (Marxist) has criticised the contemplated closure of government departments and privatisation move of certain public utility services and thus threatening the jobs of thousands of employees.

Bid to purchase tractors puts BMC in a spot 
Jhajjar, April 4
The Municipal Council of Bahadurgarh has been caught on its wrong foot once again, thanks to its strange ways of functioning. The case of purchase and return of two tractors has completely exposed the decision makers of the council, who have reportedly given all rules and regulations the go by.

Row over bid to force lecturer to vacate house 
Jhajjar, April 4
The district administration and the teaching community of the local Polytechnic College came on a collision course today on the issue of allotment of a house to the secretary of the District Red Cross Society (DRC) here.

Haryana BJP calls for judicial probe into Loharu riots
Rohtak, April 4
The Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded a judicial probe into the recent communal riots at Loharu and the immediate release of innocent people who are held in this regard.

Delhi Shiv Sena unit dissolved
New Delhi, April 4
Stung by the miserable performance in the recent elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Shiv Sena dissolved the working committee of its Delhi unit today.

Women bear the brunt of monkey menace 
Rohtak, April 4
The housewives and women residents of Sector 14 here are among the most harassed persons in the city these days. They do not know how to mitigate their sufferings. At home, the women have to face the monkey menace and when they step out, they suffer at the hands of chain-snatchers and swindlers.

Janpath Hotel to be razed
New Delhi, April 4
The Union Tourism Minister, Mr Jagmohan, said a major tourism and cultural complex, housing all departments of the Culture and Tourism Ministry with all basic infrastructures would come up at the site of the present Hotel Janpath in central Delhi.

NCR BRIEFS
Molestation charge against SSP
Rohtak, April 4
The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C. B. Sheoran on Thursday fixed May 7 as the next date of hearing in a molestation case registered against the SSP, Mr A. S. Ahlawat. Ms Bimla Kadian, a resident of Dubaldhan Majra village had alleged in her complaint that the SSP had tried to outrage her modesty when she went to his office in connection with a job.

Bail rejected Suicide

Local bus service

• Traffic to be diverted today

CRIME

Jeweller robbed, beaten up
New Delhi, April 4
Four unidentified persons, armed with country made weapons and knives, robbed a jeweller Jagdish Prasad (45), resident of Brahampuri, who runs his jewellery business from his home.

Clerk flees with gurukul money
Jhajjar, April 4
A clerk-cum-teacher of a local gurukul reportedly fled after embezzling Rs 1,93,340 from the institution. The suspect, clerk Bhagawan Singh, had gone to the Maharshi Dayanand University for depositing the fees of the students.

BUSINESS

Equal facilities for all exporters demanded
New Delhi, April 4
The Delhi Exporters Association (DEA) has asked the government to give equal facilities to all exporters and alleged that the new Exim Policy offers facilities for only 3,000 status holders leaving out the 1,47,000 small and medium exporters.

EDUCATION

Schools-shops nexus makes a big hole in parents’ pocket
Sonepat, April 4
Prestigious schools in this city and elsewhere in the district are forcing students to buy books and school uniforms from selected booksellers and garment dealers. The turnover of shops selling books and uniforms is believed to be in lakhs of rupees as there are a large number of big and small schools in the city.

School offers free education to poor 
Panipat, April 4
Poor but meritorious students can now hope for a better future. In a bid to provide quality education to the students, MASD Public School has decided to provide free and concessional education up to the ten plus level.

COURTS

Rewari lawyers, judge have a law and order problem
Rewari, April 4
With the members of the Rewari District Bar Association sticking to their demand that Mr M. M. Dhonchak, Civil Judge (Senior Division), be transferred, there is no end in sight to the ongoing confrontation. The boycott of the court of the Civil Judge by the advocates entered the third day here today. 

CULTURE

ART SCAPE
Breathtaking beauty to wow wildlife votaries

As the USA warns the world that within 20 years, all jungles would vanish from the world scenario, a few lovers of wildlife have taken the warning too seriously. They are all set to capture the best of the wildlife in their camera, to show to the world that some precious animal habitation are hounded out and they are on the verge of extinction. Weddell seals, a winner exhibit.

PLAY TIME
Bhishm Sahni’s ‘Muawze’ exposes the wolf in sheep’s clothing

Communal violence does not take place of its own, it is incited. Naturally, those who pay the price for it are not the ones who incite it. The why and wherefore of the riots was shown in a tragi-comedy play, ‘Muawze’, written by a veteran writer Bhishm Sahni and presented by Datum Zoom Arts Centre Presentation at the at LTG Auditorium recently. A politician teasing a lady demanding 'muawze'.

A dancing  tribute to gurus

Not that ‘guru shishya paramapra’ has breathed its last in all realms of performing arts, it has survived through the efforts of a few concerned artistes. The efforts showed in ‘Guru Shishya Paramapra Festival’, organised by Jyantika’s Mayadur Raut School of Odissi Dance at India Habitat Centre recently. The festival staged three generations of Odissi, Kathak and Bharatnatyam artistes in their creative best.  Odissi dancer Madhumita Raut performing at the Guru Shisya Parampara Festival.

SPORTS

Chand Khanna beat Pahari Dhiraj in DDCA
New Delhi, April 4
Chand Khanna beat Pahari Dhiraj Club by six wickets in an A-I division match of the DDCA League at the University ground.

29 per cent hike in sports allocation
New Delhi, April 4
Emphasising the Delhi government’s commitment to improving the sports facilities in the Capital and provide an opportunity to the youth to develop their skills in various fields, the state finance minister, Mr Mahinder Singh Saathi today announced Rs 338.30 crore allocation for the sports sector.

Sports Corner
Hans Raj Model School in semis
New Delhi, April 4
Hans Raj Model School, Punjabi Bagh beat Bal Bharti Public School, Brij Vihar by 252 runs in a Group B quarter-final match to enter the semi-final of the Jivanjor Cricket Tournament at the Bal Bharti School ground, Pitampura.

Ravinder Bhandari slams century for Subhania
New Delhi, April 4
A rapid-fire unbeaten century by southpaw Ravinder Bhandari (100, 56b, 14x4, 3x6) was the highlight of Subhania Club’s ten-wicket victory against Gemini Club in the third Sheetal Prasad Jain Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Mohan Meakin ground. Subhania entered the quarter-final.