Are you being stalked? Call Delhi Police's new helpline

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Delhi Police today launched an anti-stalking helpline for women to help them against the menace.

After the success of its anti-obscene calls cell, an initiative against obscene calls, the Delhi Police has taken this decision to help women in Delhi from such anti-social elements.

Various forms of media including newspaper and radio today carry the police advertisements regarding the helpline passing on the message ''Do not bear this silently!'' to the womenfolk.

The advertisements adds, ''Our anti-obscene calls cell has redressed 14301 complaints so far. We intend helping you against stalkers too.''

Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal announced it here yesterday and said, ''We intend to start an anti-stalking helpline from May 15, which we had set up last month. We hope that the helpline would go a long way in helping women against stalkers.''

Women can call the helpline by dialling 1096. They may also call the number 27894455, send their complaint through fax on 27292523 or send an SMS to 9911135446. They may also send an email regarding their complaint to acp-sit-dl@nic.in .

Petrol pumps strike in Delhi affects life

New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) Agitated over the government's inaction on the hike in VAT rates of diesel, petrol pump owners in the national capital today observed a complete shut down hitting normal life in Delhi.

Morning commuters bore the major brunt as the petrol pumps remained closed since last midnight.

However, 12 petrol pumps all over the city, belonging to Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum are open but vehicle owners have to wait for hours in long queues.

The closure protest has been called by Federation of All India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT).

FAIPT General Secretary Ajay Bansal told UNI that the government has failed to pay heed to the plight of petrol traders, who witnessed a loss of a staggering 48 per cent in diesel sales during April, 2010, in comparison to the same month in 2009.
Loss of Rs 350 crore was incurred during the period.

The VAT on diesel was raised from 12.5 per cent to 20 per cent. As a result, the difference between the rate of diesel in Delhi and in Haryana stood at Rs 4. ''Our demand is that the Delhi government should bring the diesel rate on the level of that in Haryana,'' Mr Bansal said.

All petroleum facilities will remain shut whether they were selling petrol, diesel or CNG, he added.

Mayapuri scrap mkt still unsafe; 6 more 'hotspots' found

New Delhi, May 14 (UNI) Contrary to the claims made by the country's superior nuclear regulatory agencies that Mayapuri scrap market was radiation free now, six more harmful spots have been found in the area today.

In a survey conducted by the Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental protection and conservation organisation, radiation experts have found six more ''hotspots'' which consist of particles of Cobalt-60, the harmful radioactive material, exposure to which took life of one and affected many others.

''A survey was conducted by our team today in the area around the shop where the radioactive source was first found. During the research done within the radius of 200 m, six spots have been found where the radiation level is much higher than an ambient dose rate,'' Karuna Raina, Greenpeace Nuclear campaigner, told
mediapersons here.

She said out of the six spots, two were most vulnerable where the radioactivity was almost 5000 times more than what a person can tolerate.

''According to regulations, a person can take in 0.1 micro Seivit per hour of radiation. However at these places it has been found up to 512 micro Seivit,'' Ms Raina explained.

She alleged that the stakeholders including Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and others had shown negligence in their working to decontaminate the area.

The ''hotspots'' have been marked by using either a tape or white cement by the research team. The initial reports have been submitted to the area SHO and AERB officials.

''We have requested them to decontaminate the area and take proper action at the earliest,'' Ms Raina said and added that the organisation would take up further task to survey more areas in the zone and the city only after receiving a positive response from the authorities concerned.

One of the radiation experts, Jan Vande Putte, who hails from Belgium, noted that the risk to be incurred at the spots will not be quick leading to any sudden diseases but ''it can lead to more harmful ones like Cancer in the long run.''

Moreover, if the spots will not be decontaminated now, then the affect of radiation will increase leading to more dangerous outcomes.

''It is a task of only few hours to clean and decontaminate these areas. It is basically the soil in these areas which consists of minute particles of harmful radioactive material,'' Mr Putte said.

He further explained that today's research was conducted using proper equipment namely Identifinder, Digital Gamma Spectrometer, RadAlert100 digital Geiger counter and Personal radiation Dosimeters.

''If the research team from the regulatory agencies would have used these instruments then they would have also found the spots,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the organisation also asserted that the amount of compensation promised to the affected people in the Mayapuri scrap incident was much less.

''The amount should have been much higher as far as the problem is concerned,'' they said.

Scholars debate on Commonwealth Games ''national pride''

New Delhi, May 13 (UNI) Delhi may be slowly approaching the goal of becoming a ''world class city'' ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2010, but has the process actually benefited the Indian society at large, argued scholars here today.

Questions have been raised on the various dimensions of the Games, especially the level of expenditure on a one-time sporting event and actual delivery of benefits to the masses.

''In the process of making the Games a successful event, multiple violations of human rights, constitutional rights, especially of marginalised sections, should not have been done,'' former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A P Shah said.

Referring to homelessness and deportation as a result of building infrastructure for the 12-day international event, Justice Shah said, ''People have become insensitive towards demolitions. It is expected that the people who are residing in slums and JJ clusters will just vanish if their shelters are demolished.''

Rehabilitation and proper housing was important, he added.

Categorically speaking about begging in Delhi, Justice Shah said, ''To abolish begging, there are two goals -- nobody should beg and nobody should have to beg. It seems the city government has forgotten the second more significant aim.''

He quipped, ''The decision to deport beggars to their respective states is weird as Delhi is a city of migrants where almost 70 per cent of the population is from outside the city.''

Justice Shah was speaking while launching a report titled, ''The 2010 Commonwealth Games: Whose Wealth? Whose Commons?'' here.

The account, prepared by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), put forth many findings questioning the rationale for spending crores on the event, and outlined key general recommendations suggested to be done pre and post-event.

The launch was followed by a panel discussion chaired by former United Nations Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari, Professor of Economics in Jawaharlal Nehru University Amitabh Kundu, Director of Hazards Centre Dunu Roy and members of HLRN.

Mr Kothari stressed that the entire process of the Games was in contravention of India's Constitutional obligations and the excessive costs involved are hard to justify in a country with high levels of poverty, hunger, inequality, homelessness and malnutrition.

2 held for carrying live bullets at Finance Ministry

New Delhi, May 13 (UNI) Police have arrested two people for allegedly carrying ammunition in the high-security North Block area.

The duo, identified as Mukesh Kumar and Moti Lal, were arrested by security officials in the North Block containing the Home and Finance Ministries with two live cartridges, police said.

A police official said the accused, hailing from Rajasthan, were trying to enter the office of Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena to invite him for a wedding.

''They were caught at Gate number two of the North Block at around 1430 hrs carrying two nine mm bullets in bag held by Kumar,'' the official said.

On interrogation, both the men could not produce a licence. They told the police that they had visited Mr Meena earlier in the day also but could not meet him.
''They were unable to explain the reason for carrying bullets also,'' the official noted.

Further investigation in the matter was on.

Petrol dealers threaten to observe every Monday as off day

New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) Resorting to protest against hike in VAT on diesel, petrol dealers in the city have called for a one-day strike on May 14 and have decided to observe every Monday as an off-day to cut cost.

''We will be observing a protest closure on May 14 on all petrol pumps while every Monday, starting May 24, will be observed as off day. We are doing this as we have been pushed to a very tight corner and have no other option,'' Ajay Bansal, President, Delhi NCR Petrol Dealers Association, said today.

The association had decided to go on a similar strike on May 9 also but on the assurance given by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, it was postponed.

The dealers claimed that despite a massive drop in sales figures of April 2010, no positive response has come from the city government.

They said they have lost substantial business to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh ever since the Delhi government hiked the VAT rate on diesel. While diesel in Haryana is cheaper by Rs 3.50 per litre, it costs 70 paise less in UP.

''Due to this price differential, a huge revenue loss to the tune of Rs 350 crore per annum will be incurred,'' Mr Bansal claimed.

In April 2010, Delhi sold 64,363 kilolitres diesel and VAT collected on this sale amounted to Rs 40.17 crore. In April 2009, Delhi had sold 105,903 kilolitres diesel and VAT collected was Rs 35.6 crore.

Efforts on to strengthen India, Swaziland ties: LS Speaker

New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) As part of India's efforts to strengthen South-South Cooperation, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has assured continued support to Swaziland government in its development efforts.

''Though we are located in different continents, memories of what India and Swaziland have gone through in terms of struggles and hardships of the people bring the two countries closer and create areas of understanding for each other,'' the Speaker said here recently in conversation with the South African nation's Prime
Minister Barnabas Sibusio Dlamini.

The Speaker has visited the country to attend the Executive Committee Meetings of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) called on the Prime Minister of Swaziland on May 10 in Mbabane.

This is her first visit to the landlocked country.

Expressing pleasure over the same, Dr Dlamini said at a time when Swaziland was trying to find an identity in the global scenario, India had extended unstinted support to the country.

He appreciated the fact that trade and commercial ties were being strengthened between the two countries. ''India has offered line of credit (LOC) of 10 million dollar to Swaziland towards establishing a Science and Technology Park in Swaziland. I hope that it would be finalised soon,'' Dr Dlamini said.

During her visit, the Speaker also met the Indian families in Swaziland, mostly from Daman and Diu, who were engaged in business or serving as professors at institutions of higher learning in Mbabane.

BJP leader demands criminal inquiry against Delhi CM

New Delhi, May 11 (UNI) BJP leader Vijender Gupta today demanded that a criminal case be registered against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for alleged misuse of public funds during a year before the Assembly Elections.

The demand comes a day before Lokayukta, Justice Manmohan Sarin, hears arguments in the concerned case tomorrow.

An inquiry was ordered in October last year into allegations of the BJP leader that she spent public money for ''personal image-building'' ahead of 2008-09
Assembly Elections.

Mr Gupta informed mediapersons that in an answer to RTI filed against Information and Publicity Department, ''it has been discovered that almost Rs 30 crore were
blatantly spent on advertisements in the year leading up to Legislative Assembly Elections.''

He referred to a reply given by present Director of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Ms Alka Diwan, regarding details of the expenditure done by the Delhi Government to set up hoardings during the period 2005-2006 and 2008-2009.

''According to the statement given by her, no hoardings were put up by the city government during 2005-2006. Only four were put up between the years 2006-2007. However, during the election year 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, around 2100 hoardings were erected,'' Mr Gupta said.

The former Standing Committee Chairman added that as per Ms Diwan's statement, ''no funds were spent on hoardings in 2005-2006. On the other hand, in the election
year 2008, Rs 11 crore were spent on hoardings as against Rs 61,475 in year 2006-2007.''

With these allegations, he demanded that a criminal case be registered against Ms Dikshit, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for alleged misuse of public funds, during a year before the Assembly Elections.

The BJP leader also showed an article published in a Hindi daily and written by the then Director of Information and Publicity Department Uday Sahay in which he had
explained the Ministry's plan to set up the advertisements.

Mr Gupta stated that as per Mr Sahay's article, ''required evidence has been gathered causing ascertainment of the fact that public funds have been abused and misused by the Chief Minister to lure voters as well as to fuel her political aspirations.''

VHP welcomes Kasab's death sentence, demands immediate execution

New Delhi, May 6 (UNI) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today welcomed the verdict of death punishment given to lone captured Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab and demanded that he should be hanged to death immediately.

''Kasab should not be given any further opportunity to appeal or mercy and must be hanged immediately. Otherwise Kasab's bosses in Pakistan may even manipulate the vote bank politics in India and even try to hold the country at ransom once again,'' VHP Secretary General Pravin Togadia said.

He noted since Pakistan's hand in terrorist attacks in India has been fully exposed, ''Indian Government should immediately cut all diplomatic and business ties with Pakistan.''

Dr Togadia further pointed out that the court has also pronounced Pakistani Hafeez Sayeed, Lakhvi and other 18 Pakistani terrorists guilty. ''Therefore, the government should do everything possible to bring them here and get them hanged.''

Convicted for waging war against India and killing 166 innocent people in the November 26, 2008 terrorist attack on the financial hub of the country, Kasab was today sentenced to death by a designated court in Mumbai.

Rejecting the defence plea for a lesser punishment, the designated court Judge M L Tahaliyani said the crime was one of the rarest of the rare and ordered that the Pakistani terrorist should be hanged to death.

IGNOU waives fees for sex workers, wards

New Delhi, May 5 (UNI) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has decided to waive the course fee for sex workers and their wards enrolled with them.

With this initiative, IGNOU becomes the first University in the country to take such a step towards welfare of the community.

''We aim at helping the sex workers weaning away from such activities towards self development and economic independence in order to bring them into the mainstream of social milieu,'' IGNOU Vice Chancellor V N Rajasekharan Pillai told UNI today.

He said the initiative has been initially taken in Kolkata only.''We are trying to reach to such people in the whole country soon,'' he added.

The University has established a special study centre in Sonagachi in Kolkata to provide educational opportunities to sex workers and their wards. Currently, 11 sex workers have already enrolled under the Bachelor of Preparatory Programme (BPP) at the Centre.

This programme will enable the students to gain eligibility for the degree programmes in the University.

To a question if there were any specific courses these students show interest in, Mr Pillai said, ''Programmes in Social Sciences and Humanities interest them the most.''

Earlier, the University had approved a scheme of fee waiver for the jail inmates also.

Delhi Govt discusses proposal for Delhi Police (Amendment) Bill '10

New Delhi, May 5 (UNI) The Delhi Government today held a conference to evolve a consensus on the Legislative Proposal for the Delhi Police (Amendment) Bill-2010.

The proposal has been made to implement the direction of the Supreme Court in the matter of Prakash Singh and others vs Central Government and others.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stressed on the need of the police to be a people-friendly force.

''The people must have a sense of confidence with the police,'' she said.

A spokesperson from Chief Minister's Office said there was a broad consensus in the conference on transfer of traffic matters and other non-core functions to the city government, implementation of social legislation by the police, term of police commissioner and others functioning of Screening Committee and Scrutiny Committee, Police Appellate Authority in each district and Thana Committees to be given statutory status.

''It was organised mainly to seek the views of eminent personalities in the field of civil administration, police administration, judiciary system and other groups on the proposal,'' he said.

The conference was attended by a number of Delhi Ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, Principal Secretary (Home) G S Patnaik, Secretary (Law), Home Secretary, Government of India, Retd Justice of Supreme Court Arijit Pasayat, retired bureaucrats, Head of Departments of Revenue, Transport Department, senior
officers from Civil and Police Organisations, Commissioner of Police Y S
Dadwal and representatives of RWAs.

The views and suggestions of the participants will be compiled and collated and the same will be sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for taking a view on the proposal, the spokesperson added.

Learn French through Hindi now!

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) English is no more a bar to learn a foreign language.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched its latest programme of learning French via Hindi through distance education. Developed with the support and collaboration of the Embassy of France, the programme will enable all the students who wish to learn the language but are far from the network of the Alliances Franaises.

''A French language tutor has been placed at IGNOU for an year who will assist in the course. In addition, the university has been facilitated with several French learning methods,'' an IGNOU spokesperson said here last night during the programme's launch ceremony here.

The programme was launched by the Ambassador of France, Mr Jerome Bonnafont and IGNOU Vice Chancellor V N Rajasekharan Pillai.

Further, the Government of France also decorated three Indian teachers of the French language with ''Palmes Acadmiques'' for their valuable contribution to the promotion of the language among Indian students. They were Vasanthi Gupta and Padma Natrajan, both teachers at the Alliance Franaise de Delhi and Anuradha Karkun, teacher at the Mother's International School here.

A spokesperson from the Embassy informed UNI that the order of ''Palmes Academiques'', created in 1808, was to honour distinguished personalities from across the world for their intellectual, scientific and artistic contribution towards France and the French language.