£1.5M DELHI Dancers Extravagance

COUNCIL bosses have been criticised for spending £1.5million on flying dancers to India.

Local authorities have revealed plans to send 400 people to perform a traditional dance at the Commonwealth Games flag handover ceremony in Delhi, at a cost of more than £3,500 a head.

Officials claim that the eight-minute performance in front of a stadium audience of 65,000 and one billion television viewers, will give vital publicity to Scotland.

But authorities such as Edinburgh City Council face savage cuts of up to £90million.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “This is an inappropriate way to spend taxpayers’ money when things are so bad back home.”

Each of Scotland’s 32 councils has been asked to underwrite the cost of sending up to nine dancers in October.

Tory finance spokesman Derek Brownlee said Scotland should be represented at the event, but warned: “Councils spending money and cutting back elsewhere will have questions to answer about their priorities.”

Sacred pundits out to ruin Commonwealth Games

BJP LEADER V K Malhotra recently created a ruckus in Delhi Assembly over the plans to serve beef to athletes and officials during the ensuing Commonwealth Games. He strongly objected to a statement by Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta to this effect. Congress Chief Minister Dixit obfuscated the issue raised by her rival. Dixit said, “The MCD is supposed to give permission to the caterer and the Organizing Committee will select the caterer.” At this, Malhotra thundered, “How could the Chief Minister shy away from enforcement of the legislation passed unanimously by the Assembly?” He pointed out that legislation was passed in 1994 under which storage and sale of beef is prohibited in the national capital.

It is interesting to note that Mehta, Dixit and Malhotra all happen to be high-bred pundits, committed more to the welfare of the ‘sacred’ animal than to downtrodden human beings! In fact, rulers of country who replaced the British colonial bosses to govern ‘modern and democratic’ Republic, irrespective of the political affiliation, share the same prejudice against beef. They are blind to the fact that ridiculous laws on cow slaughter must be scrapped if India wants to join the league of nations hosting prestigious events.

Interestingly, the drama in the Delhi Assembly comes close on the heels of reintroduction of the controversial Karnataka Cow Slaughter Prevention Bill 2010 by the Karnataka government in the assembly. The move to add sting to Animal Sacrifice Prevention Bill 1964 makes transportation and slaughter of cows (cows, calves, he and she buffalo and bull) a cognizable offence and stipulates stringent punishment to offenders.

The move had been dropped only a week earlier in the face of vehement protest from the public – particularly Christians and Muslims. Some students in Bangalore University cooked beef on the campus to register their protest against the proposed legislation. Home minister VS Acharya of the BJP government gave no reasons for the flip flop. Congress legislators stealthily abetted the BJP government by letting it pass the resolution by voice vote.
These laws exist in most States to implement bone-brained provisions in the anti-people constitution. The so called founding fathers of the statute hailed from self-appointed high-caste pundits of the medieval society. It reflects their social customs and rabid fads and decrees that some 5 billion people in the world who eat beef to be cannibals!

The statute authorizes the State to rob individuals of the 'democratic nation' of their personal liberty in choice of food/drink. Nine other states have completely banned cow slaughter. The attitude of these governments motivates hooligans to stop in National Highways even refrigerated trucks that carry meat for export. Opening the consignment in the guise of checking by the authorities whether it is beef or meat would render it unfit for export. The truckers shell out huge ransoms to ruffians to avoid the loss.

Moreover, the worthies are being cruel to the poor cow that they worship. It is worth noting that according to official estimates, 30,000 abattoirs operate illegally in the country against 3600 licensed ones. Actual figure would be much more and they fatten the purse of unscrupulous authorities supposed to implement the ban. Due to their existence, transportation of cows for slaughter cannot just be wished away. If transportation itself is supposed to break the law, necessitating bribes to minions of the State, no wonder the transporter cuts corners that inflict cruelty to the cargo.

It is time to mount an effective struggle to undo the laws imposing senseless directions on individual liberty. Nobody would object if the pundits from revering the cow or pig or whatever and abstaining from eating even milk products. But, when they enact laws to ban consumption of beef, meat, pork, fish or eggs, they will only invite rejection by people and ridicule from the world.
Apart from the poor animals, victims of the ludicrous law are the poor farmer who is prevented from disposing off unproductive cattle and obtaining a fair price. Most of them are condemned as Sudras and are made to pay to stoke the well-to-do pundits' moral fancy.

A detailed look at the constitutional provision shows on cow slaughter would reveal another area in which a microscopic minority succeeded in its conspiracy to suppress the masses. The ban on cow slaughter is a conspiracy to keep the communal cauldron boiling. It infringes on religious rituals that call for slaughter of bulls on specific occasions. More importantly, it is of note that most of the leather processing units of India are operated by minorities and the law is a handle to harass them with charges of violating its provisions. Persistent harassment has ruined the economic prosperity of the industry.

'Don't urinate in public': Delhi tries to clean up its act

India has compiled a list of do's and don'ts for its citizens at this year's Commonwealth Games to help showcase New Delhi's charms.

"We want to tell them don't urinate in public, don't spit, keep your houses and shops clean, keep public transport safe and such things," Delhi tourism chief Rina Ray told the Hindustan Times Friday.

"This will tell every Delhiite that instead of being on the sidelines as a spectator, he or she can contribute to a better games."

New Delhi is preparing to host more than 100,000 foreign visitors during the October 3-14 event and the Indian capital hopes to use to games to show itself off as a truly global city.

"We don't want to start (the campaign) too early lest it fizzles out," Ray said.

The tips on good manners will be spread to through billboards, pamphlets, websites and audiovisual means in the coming months, Hindustan Times reported.

"We want to change Delhi's public culture, their behavior toward each other and to guests...so that they are courteous," Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said at the Delhi Tourism Conclave Thursday, the paper reported.

"We want tourists to go back with the impression that Delhi is a sophisticated city."

Now, bike ambulances for Games

The Delhi Government has come up with a novel solution to deal with problems shifting injured sportmen and patients to hospitals during the Commonwealth Games. It has decided to depute motorbike-borne paramedics across the Games venues, apart from Advanced Life Support ambulances. The bike, said Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia, will be a convenient mode of transportation in areas where bigger vehicles cannot go.

"Initially, we are ordering for 10 motorbikes 'of best quality', which will be used for carrying injured sportsmen and patients during the Games," said Walia. She said that bike will be driven by trained paramedics and all necessary medical-aid will be available in it. There are some venues and areas nearby where ambulances cannot go and two-wheelers will be a convenient option for speedy services, she added.

The Government will also issue short-notice tenders for the purchase of 22 Advanced Life Support ambulances and 10 other ambulances. The move comes following cancellation of the contract between Delhi Government and the Fortis Healthcare and Emergency Services Ltd (FHESL) under which 150 ambulances were to be provided to the health department before the Commonwealth Games. Sources said the prototype shown to the expert committee recently was again not up to mark with problems in its air-conditioning and suspension system. This despite the fact that the private agency was issued a showcause notice last month for delay in supply of ambulances and technical glitches therein, so the cancellation.

"Members of the expert committee were unanimous in their view that the given ambulances could not be used to carry high-risk patients,'' said Walia. She added that legal proceedings have been initiated for the cancellation of the contract. The city government-run Centralised Accidents and Trauma Services (CATS) has not more than 35 ambulances in working condition even as most city hospitals lack in ambulance facility. Accident victims often succumb to injuries due to delay in transportation and on-spot medical aid.Most of the city hospitals including AIIMS Trauma Center do not have more than five ambulances. PCR vans, Maruti vans and other Jeeps having no medical faciltity or trained persons often serve the purpose.

Nod for another Connaught Place subway

Work on Chelmsford Road project begins; in all construction on five subways underway in the prime market

Three other subway plans rejected in view of traffic complications

These would be taken up in a phased manner only after the Commonwealth Games

Of the four subways in Connaught Place whose construction by the New Delhi Municipal Council as part of the redevelopment project had been temporarily put on the backburner following Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna's directions, the subway at Chelmsford Road was given the go-ahead by the Delhi Traffic Police this past week.

The plan for the remaining subways to come up at Minto Road, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg and opposite Halidrams in Outer Circle has been rejected by the traffic police for now given the anticipated traffic complications in Connaught Place. These would now be taken up in a phased manner only after the Commonwealth Games, according to the traffic police.

But given that the civic body is at present already undertaking construction of four subways in Connaught Place and each phase of subway construction takes nearly 240 days, completing all of them before the Commonwealth Games in October as planned seems unlikely.

The NDMC had begun construction work of eight subways in December last year as part of its ambitious project for re-development of Connaught Place but the ensuing traffic jams and congestion causing inconvenience to both commuters and local traders had prompted the Lieutenant-Governor's intervention in the matter.

As per his guidelines, the NDMC, the New Delhi Traders' Association and the traffic police had been directed to organise joint meetings and spot inspections to work out an amicable solution while ensuring minimal traffic disturbance.

Following their consultations with the Lieutenant-Governor, it was decided to put construction of four of the eight new subways on hold while allowing construction to continue on the rest four where digging work had already begun. The latter comprised two subways each at Barakhamba Road and Panchkuian Road connecting the Outer Circle with the Inner Circle.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaddha said: “Given the existing traffic and space constraints in Connaught Place, clearing one more subway was the maximum we could do. We had carried out trials at both Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg and Chelmsford Road but encountered traffic management problems at the former due to space constraints and increased traffic pile up at Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Therefore permission was granted by us for subway construction at Chelmsford Road only.”

An NDMC official said: “We have received the letter from the traffic police giving us permission to go ahead with the construction of subway at Chelmsford Road. So now in all we have five subways under construction and would try our best to complete them before the Games.”

Meanwhile traders in Connaught Place have expressed their reservations about the civic body taking on additional work given the tight deadline. NDTA president Atul Bharghav said: “The NDMC is already constructing four subways which are far from any stage of completion but on top of that they have now taken on work for one more subway. Instead they should have made it a priority to complete what they have in hand first before taking on more work. With manpower shortage and a tight deadline the pace of work is bound to suffer so additional construction work should have been avoided.”

MCD’s new loos to have coffee houses

Even as a large population of Delhi is denied access to the most basic kind of toilet, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to build fancy coffee house-cum-toilet complexes in major markets ahead of the Commonwealth Games. This, says the MCD, will change the public perception of public toilets.

Said an MCD official, "A person will be able to sit inside one of these toilets and have an ice-cream."

The complexes will have coffee shops, flower shops, fast-food joints and offices. The civic agency claims it has already been approached by various companies which have shown interest in the projects. The complexes will be `green' toilets and will adhere to `7-star' standards.

Said the MCD official: "We are going to float tenders for the project by next week. A lot of importance has been laid on design and maintenance of the toilet blocks and companies will have to create a prototype of the toilet complex before we finally award the work to one of them. Work on the project is likely to start by May and all the complexes will come up before the Games.'' The company which is awarded the contract will pay MCD a one-time fee of Rs 10 crore and Rs 20 lakh per month.

The civic agency has already identified the spots where the 250 toilet complexes will be built. The market areas which have been shortlisted include Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar Market, Gulmohar Park, M-Block market, GK-I, PVR Saket, Ambavata Complex, Mehrauli, Green Park Market, Chirag Delhi, Subzi Mandi, Kotla Mubarakpur, Nehru Enclave, Andrews Ganj, Paschim Vihar, Janakpuri, Taj Enclave Road, Paharganj, R K Puram, South Extension part-I, Ganesh Naga, and Delhi University where six toilet complexes will be built.

The toilets will have special facilities for women, senior citizens, and the physically disabled. Said an MCD official, "The idea is to give the responsibility of running the toilet complexes to a company with an established brand image. That way, the company will ensure cleanliness of the toilet blocks, so that it can make money from the venture while ensuring its reputation is not affected. People will only walk in to have coffee here if there is no foul odour. For revenue generation, we will also allow advertising on the blocks."

The developers will maintain the toilet blocks for 30 years.

The MCD promises the toilet complexes will be state-of-the-art and will be as good as those found in a reputed hotel. The cost of constructing one toilet block will be Rs 1 crore. The toilets will not have doors but will have transparent shutters. Various vending machines to dispense whatever might be needed and an odour meter to keep a check on foul smells. Added an MCD official: "The design and choice of material will ensure minimum consumption of electricity and water, and solar panels will be installed. There are existing toilets blocks in some markets while new ones will be built in others in varied sizes large, medium, small depending on space availability. Dhalaos will be broken down to make way for these complexes. People will be charged Rs 2 to use the toilet while regular users will have the option of buying a toilet card.''

‘Babbar Khalsa eyeing to disrupt CWG’

Two Babbar Khalsa militants, believed to be hiding somewhere in Punjab or Delhi, have huge amount of arms and explosives with them and are planning to cause disruption in the country ahead of the Commonwealth Games, sources have told Zee News.

This was revealed during the interrogation of three alleged Babbar Khalsa International terrorists arrested by the Mohali Police recently for planning to trigger bomb blast in the national capital and Himachal Pradesh.

The trio was to receive arms and ammunitions from the said two persons who are on the run, sources said.

While Purushotam Singh alias Bunty, Daljit Singh and Talvinder Singh were arrested by Mohali police on Friday night, two others, including Harinder Singh who is wanted in the 2007 blast at a theatre in Ludhiana, managed to escape.

A reward of Rs 5 lakh has been announced by the police on information leading to the arrest of Harinder, who had returned to India last month after fleeing to Pakistan after following Ludhiana blast.

Sources said Harinder had shifted his base to Greece from where he had come to India to carry out the blast in New Delhi, and Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh.

Police also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on Nirmal Singh who too managed to escape.

Police seized a pistol, some ammunition and cash totalling to about Rs 1 lakh from the three arrested.

While Talvinder is a resident of Delhi, Purushotama and Daljit are from Punjab.

A case under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act besides Bomb and Explosives Act has been registered against the three at Zirakpur police station.

Sources said the Babbar Khalsa International module were receiving instructions from top BKI terrorists Paramjit Singh and Purushotam Goldy based abroad. They were also being helped by Pakistan-based Wadhwa Singh and Parminder Singh, sources said.

Sports enthusiasts paint '200 days-to-Go' canvas for Commonwealth Games

Hundreds of sports lovers and art enthusiasts on Sunday painted a 200-feet long canvas to mark the milestone event '200 days-to-Go' for the Commonwealth Games here.

The event was organized at India Gate to mark to 200 days countdown for the upcoming Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi today expressed confidence of organizing the best ever games.

"I don't want any more time. 200 days is enough and we want to get into... with absolutely the best Commonwealth Games ever," Kalmadi said.

The national capital is all set to host the Commonwealth Games in October this year.

New Delhi is preparing to host more than 100,000 foreign visitors during the Oct. 3-14 event and the Indian capital hopes to use to games to show itself off as a truly global city.

Former Australian prime minister's granddaughter makes Delhi Commonwealth Games team

Samantha Marshall, the granddaughter of former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser, has qualified to swim for her country at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October.

The 17-year-old, whose grandfather was the leader of Australia's government from 1975 to 1983, finished second behind Olympic champion Leisel Jones in the 100 metres breaststroke at the national trials.

200 days to go for CWG 2010

Kites of various colours flew in the sky Sunday as large number of people converged at the India Gate lawns to participate in a kite flying event organised to mark "200 days to go for Commonwealth Games" milestone.

The event also had a 200-foot long canvas by eminent painters and artists.

Green Games was the underlining theme for the painting and painter Satish Gujral stroked the first brush inaugurating the celebrations.

Later, about 200 kites of various shapes, sizes and colours were flown by professional kite flyers and people. The Commonwealth Games will be held in the national capital Oct 3-14.

"As we get closer to the start of the Games, our sense of anticipation and excitement as well as our confidence that we can deliver the best Games ever grows. I take this opportunity to renew our commitment to producing a successful Games," said Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

"The 200 days-to-go milestone event marks the appreciation to the spirit of the Games among the people of Delhi and the whole nation. The 200-foot canvas that is being painted by eminent cultural personalities of Delhi will be put on display at a suitable place during the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010," he said.

Gujral said: "I consider it as a great occasion for the country and I am happy and proud to be part of it".

The organising committee also distributed some 3,000 saplings to encourage people to plant trees and to nurture it.

Sheila Dikshit launches greening project in east Delhi

As part of efforts to host the first-ever Green Commonwealth Games, chief minister Sheila Dikhsit today launched a greening project in east Delhi and said efforts are being made to implement such steps at all construction sites in the capital.

Dikshit, launching the project by planting saplings on the occasion of World Forestry Day, said conservation of forest is a necessity that requires to be addressed on a priority basis.

"Instructions have been given to make a provision for greenery at a place where construction work is being taken up in the national capital," she said.

For survival of mankind, a holistic approach is required to be adopted to protect plant kingdoms and wildlife, the chief minister noted.

The government has promised that it will organise the first-ever green Commonwealth Games this October.

The green cover of the national capital has increased substantially from 22 sq kms in 1993 to 300 sq kms in 2007 and 32 forests have been successfully developed here.

On the city's preparations for the Games, Dikshit told reporters that already a huge amount of money has been pumped into the projects and efforts are on to host the mega-event and to make it "memorable".

The chief minister stressed upon the need for maintenance and survival of plants besides putting appropriate signages at ITO Chungi. She also asked people and bodies like PWD and others to play a crucial role.

State finance minister AK Walia was also present on the occasion. A large number of school children also planted saplings.

Around four thousand saplings will be planted at ITO Chungi, to be developed on the lines of green cover near the AIIMS flyover, in 36 acre in four pockets till July to facilitate their growth during the rainy season.

Delhi to fix local men's wee problem

The Delhi government is compiling a guide to help its residents spruce up on etiquette before the Commonwealth Games, news reports said at the weekend.

The do's and don'ts manual compiled by the Delhi Tourism department includes warnings not to spit or urinate in public.

Thousands of visitors are expected for the Commonwealth Games to be held October 3-14.

"We want to change Delhi's public culture; their behaviour towards each other and to guests so that they are courteous," Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said.

Men are routinely seen spitting or urinating in public in India.

And Delhi residents have often been criticised for their rudeness.

Home Minister P Chidambaram, talking about preparations for the games in September 2009, had criticised citizens for being rude, loud and discourteous and said they needed an "attitude makeover" to be able to play the part of good hosts.

The good-manners manual, called Delhi Celebrates, will help the citizens portray the city as friendly, clean and safe, Delhi Tourism chief Rina Ray said.

"We want to tell them don't urinate in public, don't spit, keep your houses and shops clean, keep public transport safe and such things," Ray said.

One reason people urinate in public is a shortage of public toilets and the local government is constructing 300 urinals in collaboration with private fast food chains, Municipal Corporation of Delhi official Amiya Chandra said.

The government was also preparing a toilet map.

"Apart from teaching Delhi-ites the Ps and Qs, we should also teach them pees and poos," Chandra said.