Order to close banquet halls in residential areas

     New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to close down all banquet halls operating in residential areas of Delhi. A two-judge division bench of the court, comprising Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma, ruled that the running of banquet halls posed a perennial nuisance for residents and also caused traffic congestion in the city. The HIgh Court clarified that the February 16 Supreme Court orders to the MCD on the sealing of all commercial establishments operating in residential areas would apply to banquet halls as well. It gave the ruling while dealing with a public interest litigation on commercial farmhouses functioning in the city. The court observed that it was not the farmhouses alone that were causing hardships to residents, but also the illegal banquet halls in residential areas.

   Earlier, the court had said that no farmhouses would be allowed to organise functions or social gatherings if the approach road was less than 60 feet wide. The Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice B N Srikrishna and Justice R V Raveendran had on February 16 directed the MCD to give 10 days notice to commercial establishment owners operating in residential areas of the capital and to provide advertisement in the newspapers regarding it. It said that if the misuse continued, the property should be sealed within 30 days and the supply of electricity and water should be stopped. The Supreme Court had further said that the plan to set up a monitoring committee to control the process of removing the misuse of residential premises would be considered later. The apex court also asked the MCD to present a status report by the 15th of every month to show their obedience towards the court orders. The court directed the MCD to begin with 229 roads in the city having major violations including Defence Colony, Green Park, Greater Kailash, West Patel Nagar and Lajpat Nagar. The court has decided to leave small shops out for the time being. Thirty-four out of the 134 MCD wards have been marked as the worst affected areas infected with illegal commercialisation. It includes Nizammuddin, South Extension, Kalkaji, Jungpura, Malviya Nagar, Rajender Nagar, Huaz Khas, Naraina, Model Town, Laxmi Nagar, Patparganj, Naveen Shahdara, Alipur, Nangloi Wazirpur, Karampura, Tilak Nagar, Kingsway Camp and Amar Colony. The MCD has in the last one month, taken action against many illegal properties following the direction of the High Court. In all, according to the MCD, there are 3.2 million illegal constructions in the capital and it is expected that a Central panel would appointed to assess which constructions can be regularised.

Muslims protest in Delhi against offending cartoon  (Go To Top)
by Gyanendra Kumar Keshri

     New Delhi: Over 15,000 Muslims of East Delhi staged a protest in East Delhi against the recent publication of offending cartoons against Prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper. Shouting slogans Islam ke dusman hosh me ao and Denmark, Europe murdabad and waving posters, thousands of protesters staged march through the streets asking the Indian government to snap ties with Denmark, France and US and expel their respective envoys. "We express deepest sorrow and anguish on such a mischievous and evil conspiracy against our holy religion," said M Maulana Zafruddin Ahmad, President Madrasa Babul-uloom. He said that the publication of that cartoon was a conspiracy hatched by the US and Europe who were trying to project Islam as terrorist and fundamentalist faith. "We want to tell the world that we are not going to take any insult to our Prophet. The way Denmark, France and other European newspapers have come out against the Prophet is wrong, and we demand that the Indian Government should pressurise the Denmark Government to apologise against the act," he said. "The feelings of Muslims have been terribly hurt. Every Muslim respects Prophet Mohammad more than its family or anything and we are ready to sacrifice even our life for the respect of Prophet Mohammad," said Chaudhary Matin Ahmad, MLA Jafarabad. He said that Muslims felt offended by the cartoons, which were first published in Denmark in September but since reprinted in many countries. Later, the protesters handed over memorandum to the Ambassador of Denmark demanding stern action against the guilty. "We demand Denmark Government to take stern action by giving exemplary punishment to the guilty and shun such move forever to avoid bitterness in relation and openly apologise and condemn such hateful acts," the memorandum said. Meanwhile, Akhil Bhartiya Muslim Suraksha Parishad and madarasa teachers have said they would lay seize to Parliament for four days between February 19-23 to put pressure on it and the Government to snap its ties with Denmark, France and the US.

PM holds talks with JKLF chief Yaseen Malik (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Taking forward its dialogue process with the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held talks with Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chief Yaseen Malik at his official residence 7, Race Course Road. KJLA General Secretary Ghulam Rasool Dar also attended the talks, which understood to have discussed several issues relating to Kashmir. Malik is the second leader after Peoples Conference's Sajjad Lone to hold talks with the Prime Minister. The Centre had also held talks with the moderate wing of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in September last year. The Prime Minister had earlier said that he was ready to hold fresh talks with the separatist alliances, to push for a peaceful resolution to the 15-year-old militancy in the state. Analysts say the new proposal for talks with other separatist leaders is aimed at widening the domain of talks. The Prime Minister has also convened a round table conference on February 24 in New Delhi, which is likely to attended by both separatist groups and mainstream political parties of the State. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had earlier said that it would hold talks with a cross-section of political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir. JKLF declared a ceasefire with India in 1994 and has been fighting politically for complete independence of Kashmir, both from India and Pakistan. Analysts say such meetings between Singh and separatist organisations are positive and both sides have a long way to go before a solution to the decades-old problem could be found. Kashmir is at the heart of decades of enmity between India and Pakistan, both of which administer a part of the region but claim it in full. Although ties have warmed since the neighbours launched a new bid to make peace two years ago, they are nowhere near finding a solution to the Kashmir dispute. The negotiations with Kashmiri politicians are aimed at reaching out to Kashmiris and addressing problems of people torn by years of violence.

Three arrested for Kolkata blast  (Go To Top)
by Soma Mitra

     Kolkata: Kolkata police have arrested three persons in connection with Friday morning's bomb blast outside the West Bengal Chief Minsiter Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's residence at Palm Avenue. Additional Commissioner of Police Gautam Chakraborty said that three persons were immediately arrested by the security men posted in front of the Chief Minister's residence . He also informed that those three men came by a motorcycle which was also seized by the police . Chakraborty clarified that it was not at all related to Chief Minister's security but resulted from personal feud of local goons who blasted a crude bomb targeting another group. Indranil De, a local resident, said that three men came riding a bike. When they were chased by local people they threw a bomb and tried to flee from a grill gate leaving their bikes behind when the security men in front of the Chief Minister's residence arrested them. "These petty criminals may have been hired goons.One of them was on a bike, he crashed out here.Two of them were running behind with a huge mob chasing and they kept lobbing bombs at the mob.The one in front came here and discovered a dead end.All of them abandoned their bikes and went to the other side through this small gate out here. Once there, he lobbed a bomb from there.He was talking on his cell phone very desperately,"said De.

    Another local resident, Nirmal Sharaf , who has been living in the same area for the last twelve years, said that they never came across such an incident .The Chief Minister , Buddhadeb Bhattachrarya stays in a government quarter at Palm Avenue which is located in a crime infested zone. According to police top brass in charge of Chief Minister's security, it is impossible to arrange Z-category security in such a crowded area specially near a government quarter where common people also stay . Despite repeated requests from the party and police officers in charge of his security to shift to a high security zone, the Chief Minister has held back the proposal till date . "The security called up at the turning, in the front and all were caught at the turning," said Sharaf. "One thing is apparent that they had a grudge against Bappa Ghosh.What was the actual motive, the actual reason behind this is to be found out.These boys have been caught and are being interrogated.They have given some leads, which we are examining, further.But one is very clear that they have some grudge against Bappa Ghosh who was the target of today's incident," said Gautam Chakraborty, ACP. Increasing Maoist activity in West Bengal is another reason for concern as the Maoist groups have threatened several times that the Chief Minister is one of the prime candidates on their hit list . Few months back detonators were recovered from a Purulia bound road where Chief Minister's convoy was to pass. That time a Maoist Group took the responsibility of planting the detonator on the way of Chief Minister's convoy . Maoist activists also admitted that they wanted to kill the Chief Minister.

Mulayam refuses to expel minister Mehboob Ali  (Go To Top)

     Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today refused to expel his Cabinet Minister Mehboob Ali and two others who were caught on camera as drug trafficker by a private news channel--CNN-IBN-- in a sting operation. Yadav, however, announced to set up an inquiry committee of the house under assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to probe the charges against the three. Yadav said in the Assembly that the committee should listen to both the parties--the accused persons--Backward Class Welfare Minister Mehboob Ali, Bahujan Samaj Party MLA and BJP MLAs Anil Kumar Maurya and Somaru Ram--and the news channel which conducted the sting operation. The Chief Minister said that it would be against the principles of natural justice to punish the accused members without giving them a chance to put across their version. "It should be ascertained whether the members had invited the correspondents or they had approached them on their own," he said, adding that if the accused members were found guilty, they should be punished, saying he was against corruption and favoured stern punishment for those indulging in such practices. Meanwhile, the BSP, whose MLA was exposed in the sting operation demanded a law against journalists doing such operations. Even the Chief Minister said that the "media does not enjoy unfettered rights to say whatever it wants just for cheap popularity," adding that both taking bribes and giving bribes amount to crime. "What is the objective behind the sting operation? The media should also not cross its limits. It cannot say whatever it likes", Yadav said and termed the matter as "very serious", saying it amounted to attack on politicians and it would have serious ramifications.

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