The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Briefly

Valentine's Day celebrated

NEW DELHI FEB. 14. ASHRAY (Association for Social Health and Rehabilitative Action by Youths), a group of young professionals, celebrated the Saint Valentine's Day with a difference by sharing its love with the neglected and working children of Shyam Nagar resettlement colony. The local MLA, O.P. Babbar, who was the chief guest, distributed woollen clothes among children. He also inaugurated a community development project in Basti Vikas Kendra, being supported by ASHRAY and CRY.

Sheila's assurance

NEW DELHI FEB. 14. The Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, today reiterated her Government's commitment to the cause of common consumers and citizens of the Capital. Addressing people in the Hauz Khas Assembly constituency in South Delhi after laying the foundation stone of rehabilitation work of sewer line through trench-less technology from Gautam Nagar culvert to Chaudhary Dilip Singh Marg.

Ms. Dikshit assured the residents of South Delhi that her Government would leave no stone unturned to improve the sewerage and water infrastructure in the region. "The Government has no shortage of funds as far as laying of new sewer lines was concerned, and once the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant gets commissioned, these two problems will be solved."

Regarding CAS (Conditional Access System) for satellite television, Ms. Dikshit said her Government had been fully conscious about the rights of consumers while dealing with the issue. Similarly, the new Unit Area System of property tax had also been taken up with the best interest of the people in mind, she asserted.

The sewer line will be rehabilitated by trenchless technology without doing any excavation in order to avoid any inconvenience to the public. The new technology is one of the most modern sewer rehabilitation mechanism and is being adopted for the first time in India. Under this scheme, 600 mm diameter sewer line will be laid in a length of 1200 meters within one year at an estimated cost of Rs.3.33 crores.

Delhi police debate

NEW DELHI FEB. 14. The Delhi Assembly Speaker, Ajay Maken, said he dreamt of a dedicated police force whose motive should only be to serve the people with love and compassion. The force should be a terror for criminals and a helping hand to law-abiding citizens, said Mr. Maken while participating in a debate organised by Delhi Police to mark its Foundation Day on Friday.

"The force should be totally apolitical equipped with all modern gadgets to curb crime. Police should also lend a helping hand towards people who are oppressed and deal with an iron hand with those elements who have no respect for law," he added.

Annual Sports Day

NEW DELHI FEB. 14. The Pathways World School celebrated its first Annual Sports Day here on Friday. Former cricketer, Maninder Singh, inaugurated the sports meet. "We should encourage our students to explore their talents. I am sure that the Annual Sports Day will surely take their spirits to a new high," said the school Principal, Lalage Prabhu.

`Lawyers should join politics'

NEW DELHI FEB. 14 . Several prominent intellectuals today called on lawyers to increase participation in politics to rid it of its current sorry state of affairs.

Recalling the yeoman's role played by lawyer fraternity in the freedom struggle, the gathering under the auspices of the Indian Bar Association asked more and more lawyers to join politics to cleanse it of corruption and criminalisation.

Speaking at the discussion ``Lawyers and politics'', senior advocate R. K. Jain said lawyers were one community that could reach out to the general populace and asked them to join hands with all those forces which wanted to do good to society, and not just make money.

Former MP Meira Kumar said if people with intellectual strength and commitment to justice do not come into politics, that will leave a vacuum which would be filled by unscrupulous elements. She repeated the call to lawyers to join politics.

However, former Supreme Court Judge Justice Kuldip Singh asked advocates to exercise caution and introspect before taking the plunge. Justice Singh, popularly called Green Judge for his environment-friendly decisions, said politics had become dirty like never before and asked laywers to be cautious of its negative influences. He also asked the fraternity to do an introspection saying a large number of them have forgotten that they were in a profession and not a business.

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