Will a clean chit for Ashok Kumar restore his life?

On September 8, Gurgaon Police arrested Ashok Kumar, the school bus conductor, for the gruesome murder of 8-year-old Pradyuman Thakur of Ryan International School, Bhondsi.  

Tortured and humiliated, Ashok claims to have been forced to confess under duress.   

Later, the CBI charged a Class XI Commerce student of the same school with the murder. Ashok, however, was not given a clean chit.

Gurgaon civil court recently granted him bail on a bond of Rs 50,000. His lawyer, Mohit Verma, has moved court to clear his name. He will appear before a district judge today.

But will it be any comfort for a man snatched from a humble life? Will he be able to restore his life, provide for his family again? But he must, as he is the only breadwinner.

His face has been etched in public memory for a crime he says he was not party to. Will anybody trust him around children again? Not likely.

Speaking to City Spidey, head of a transport company, Naveen Mehlawat, said, "If tomorrow he approaches my company for work, I will certainly be hesitant to keep him. He may not be the prime accused any more, but doubts will always linger. Any face associated with that incident will not be treated kindly.”

Another transport supervisor of a reputed school said on condition of anonymity, "The children have seen his face. This case has received a lot of media attention. It will be difficult to create the trust factor in people, in parents.”

Damage to reputation is irreparable, said another transport supervisor, Ved Pal. "Even if I keep him, parents will feel extremely insecure. It's sad, but I need to think about my business.”

Is the damage inflicted by Gurgaon Police on a family of six, with only one earner, not criminal enough to call for a compensation? 

A case of red tape, with a twist!

This is a case of red tape — but with a twist. Concerned Dwarkites got together glue red-tape reflectors on about 20 electric poles in Sector 7. This was done to improve visibility of the poles, and some of them stand right in the middle of the road.

Anil Parashar from Sri Agrasen Apartments; SK Sharma from Air Force Naval Apartments; PK Chopra of Shivalik Apartments; Col Rai Singh of Siddharth Kunj Apartments; Dr Neelam Kumari from Kamal Vihar and several others carried out the initiative yesterday.    

The idea was the brainchild of AK Parashar, former human rights official. He promptly floated the idea on the WhatsApp group, Mission Clean and Safe Dwarka, and most members responded positively.

He recounts, “We were just fed up with the authorities and their callous attitude, so we decided strike on our own. We put reflector red tapes over electric poles that stood in the middle of roads. We plan to do the same for the whole of Dwarka. Our next stop is Sector 11, as we have been getting requests from residents there.”

In fact, people have now been sharing location of poles situated in the middle of the road on the WhatsApp group — and there are plenty in Dwarka.

Nidhi Gupta, a member of the group, has identified such poles in her own Sector 10. “I have identified three such poles in the middle of the road. So we are working as a team under the guidance of Anil Parashar.”

In Dwarka, there are many electric poles in the middle of the service lanes, and some have been removed by the authorities after laying the cable work underground. But many still remain. 

Ryan murder case: Accused's fingerprints to be taken on record

In the latest development in the Ryan International murder case, the CBI moved an application for the juvenile accused’s fingerprints in court. A copy of it was today handed over to the accused’s lawyer.

However, on the other hand, the lawyer of the accused, Sandeep Aneja, also moved an application for his original date of birth and the Class X marksheet to be taken on record. 

"The court has issued a notice to the CBI about this as well," said Aneja.

Both the applications are to be taken on record and heard on December 6.

Another application alleging that the juvenile was questioned by the CBI at non-permissible hours was also submitted.

In the meantime, the juvenile had earlier this week asked for his books to study, which are being arranged for him. 

The juvenile was arrested by the CBI for the murder of Pradyuman Thakur, a Class II student of the Ryan International School, Bhondsi.

Cambridge parents meet DM over hiked fees

The Cambridge School Parents’ Association (CSPA) met GB Nagar DM over the issue the school holding back report cards of around 100 children from various classes due to non-payment of hiked fees.

According to K Arunachalam, CSPA general secretary, the school management issued a notice to parents to pay hiked annual charges totalling Rs 10,000 within a week. This, he added, was illegal since a circular released by joint director of education, Meerut, stated that schools could not hike fees unless approved by the UP government.

Parents also alleged that the quarterly fee was hiked from to Rs 35,000 from Rs 20,000 for this academic year. This 75 percent hike, they felt, was totally uncalled for, and was done without taking the parents into confidence

The school management did not have the approval of the UP government to hike fees, said Arunachalam. “If the government had approved the hike, then show us the copy of the letter. The DM advised us to meet the joint director of education, Meerut, Divyakant Shukla. So, we are planning to meet him soon,” he added.

The joint director told City Spidey that the matter of fee hike is being heard in Allahabad High Court, and that schools cannot raise fees unless the court has passed an order to that effect. “Action will be initiated against the school if it is found that it had been holding back the report card due to non-payment of hiked fees,” he added.

When City Spidey contacted AK Bakshi, principal (in-charge) of Cambridge School, he refused to comment, saying he was in a meeting.

Will 50,000 homebuyers get their flats by the end of the year?

The three-minister committee formed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier this year to solve builder-buyer issues is scheduled to meet builders in Delhi on December 4. The committee, comprising of state industries minister Satish Mahana, urban housing minister Suresh Khanna and state minister Suresh Rana, was formed on August 22.

Manmohan Mishra, finance controller of Noida Authority, confirmed the date of the meeting.

The panel, after holding a few meetings in Noida and Greater Noida, is now moving to Delhi. However, homebuyers say these meetings have not translated to much.

Rashesh Purohit, founder member of the NCR Homebuyers Association, told City Spidey that they had high expectations this time. “The government should draft a proper policy and roadmap for buyers so they get the flats they have invested in,” he said.

On September 12, CM Yogi directed the officials of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Authority to deliver 50,000 flats to buyers before December 31 this year, giving them some hope. However, with only a month to go before the deadline, buyers can’t help but be a little sceptical.

According to officials in all of the three authorities in Gautam Budh Nagar, they are preparing the list of flats to be delivered to homebuyers by the end of the year. A complete review and status of the projects will be provided by the officials to the three-minister panel on December 4.

According to an official of GNIDA, about 25,000 homebuyers will get their flats before the year ends. An official of Noida Authority said they had already given occupancy and completion certificates to builders of about 8,000 flats, and planned to do so for 10,000 more in the coming days.

Dwarka, Sector 12: Dark then, dark now!

For a planned sub-city, Dwarka fares quite badly on several fronts, especially lighting. The area behind societies such as Gangotri Apartments, Sri Hari Apartments, Sahyadri Apartments, Shubham Apartments and Shivam Apartments in Sector 12 hardly has any provisions for light.

Some of the back lanes have been without light for more than five years, complained residents. The subject has been discussed at various forums, but nothing has been done by the authorities to ameliorate the situation.

President of Sri Hari Apartments, Sector 12, NC Mishra, said, “Just behind our society there is a streetlight pole that stands without any bulb. So the stretch is completely in dark at night. Also, there’s no light in the adjacent park and the stretch towards Sahyadri Apartments. It gets pretty risky after sundown.”

Pankaj, a resident of Abhiyan Apartments of the same sector, slammed the corporation for its slack approach. He said, “The area behind Pocket 1, near Gangotri Apartments in Sector 12, and behind Sector 12A (plotted area) is completely in dark at night. This has been the scene since 2012.The maintenance of these areas has not been given to BSES or any other contractor till date. Hence the poles are missing fittings. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) had taken Rs 34 lakh in March 2014 from the DDA, but has not undertaken pole replacement or repair works in the sector. The DDA is now asking for a refund, but the SDMC, of course, is not willing to return the money.”

Residents also feel police patrolling in the area must be increased till proper lighting is made available. Many have had to face incidents of snatching in the absence of light.

SK Singh, a resident of Gangotri Apartments, said, “The whole area behind our society has been in dark for years. We have been facing security issues. Open drinking and other illegal activities are happening in the area quite blatantly. The issue was raised in police-public meetings and also in meetings with the authorities, but nothing has happened so far.”

According to the residents, several complaints regarding defunct streetlights have been made to the BSES, but there has been no response.

Vice-president of BSES, SK Dagar, said he would look into the matter as soon as possible.

New dustbins for Dwarka Sec 7 societies

Dwarka Sector 7 will soon see new garbage bins in its societies. Only last week, the mayor of SDMC Kamaljeet Sehrawat had met representatives of various societies and heard this specific demand from them.

About 10 societies have already received new bins and the mayor is even taking into account various suggestions from residents.

AK Parashar, a resident of Sri Agrasen Apartments, Sector 7, who has been actively campaigning for the need for dustbins, said, “We have received two big dustbins for our society. We are grateful to the mayor and hope to get her attention in other matters as well.”

Parashar informed City Spidey that the mayor has assured residents that she will be visiting areas where dustbins are being installed to ensure everything is being done properly. “She will also visit parks and other spots. We will be requesting her to allot dustbins depending on the number of flats in each society.”

Residents and people from managing committees of various societies said that in an earlier distribution drive, old dustbins had been given out instead of new. So these needed to be replaced. Anurag Bahl, a resident of Shruti Apartments, Sector 7, said, “The corporation workers should monitor the distribution. They should not be distributing old dustbins.”

President of Shruti Apartments, TL Sohal, said he was happy to have two big dustbins for his residential society. “There are 58 flats in our society. Two dustbins are sufficient, and I am happy that the corporation has heeded our demand so promptly. We also want some benches and swings for the society parks.”

Incidentally today, the Mayor had visited the sector to review the ongoing work (upgrading civic amenities) of the corporation in the residential areas. Sehrawat who was accompanied by officials and staff members of the sanitation department of SDMC  met the RWAs and managements of various societies and did a reece of the area to understand the existing issues and devise permanent solutions for the same. She was apprised about the encroachments, state of garbage disposal and deplorable condition of parks and service lanes in the area.

Speaking to City Spidey, PP Wangchuk, Secretary of Media Apartments, Sector 7 said, “The Mayor’s visit has indeed been encouraging for the residents. Encroachment and sanitation were two major issues that we highlighted. We took the authorities to the area around the mall at Ramphal Chowk for them to understand the severity of encroachment.”

Residents of the area also apprised the Mayor about the deplorable condition of parks. They requested her to draft a policy through which these parks can be adopted by specific societies. “Then these parks will be properly maintained. Also people will be encouraged to participate in their upkeep,” says a resident.

Unitech Fresco, Gurgaon: This time, it's Tower 16

The problem of lifts persists at Fresco in Sector 50, Gurgaon. This time, it’s Tower 16. Both the lifts of this tower have not been operational for some time now.

Incidents of people getting stuck in lifts have only become too common in this condominium.  

On August 9, three children were stuck in the Tower 4 lift for nearly 30 minutes. There have been other minor episodes as well.

Residents claim that the lifts are not maintained, as the builder has not deposited dues of Rs 40 lakh to Otis, the lift agency.

And since the annual maintenance contract (AMC) with Otis has expired, the company is not willing to carry out maintenance work until their dues are paid.

A harassed resident, Yogesh Mathur, complained, “The builder gets the charges from us on time, but does not pay Otis, and hence our lifts remain unrepaired.”

Desperate for help, the RWA even lodged a complaint with the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

“The senior citizens and heart patients in our condominium stand at perpetual medical risk, owing to malfunctioning lifts. This time, both the lifts in Tower 16 have stopped working,” said a resident.

Speaking to City Spidey, Nilesh Tandon, RWA president, said, “We wrote to the SDM, after all our complaints to the builder went unheard. We are looking forward to some action now.” 

Torture over, but what lies ahead for Ashok Kumar?

He didn’t feel like eating on November 21, the night before his release. Somehow, the thought of food made him nauseous — the pain of all that had tragically transpired was welling up inside him.

The police torture, which went on for hours till he fell unconscious, has been indelibly etched in his mind.

On November 22, the paperwork for Ashok Kumar’s release was being prepared. He was to be let out on a bond of Rs 50,000 after a harrowing 74 days in jail.  

The jail superintendent got special food prepared for him. Kumar recalls emotionally, "They made rajma aloo for me as a special gesture. The superintendent also had halwa made for me — it was auspicious, he felt." 

Stepping out of jail, he hugged his father and wept inconsolably. But he knew he had to remain strong for his mother, who was not strong enough to shoulder his burden.

He returned home and sat through a prolonged interaction with the media. All this while, his wife, Mamta, kept a low profile, serving biscuits and tea to reporters who had descended on the house. But her eyes gave away her joy.

For dinner, his favourite food was served, prepared carefully by Mamta — hara saag and bajre ki roti. His sons — Rohan, 9, and Keshav, 6 —  have not been off his lap ever since he came home. The older son said affectionately, “My father has come back home, and now I will eat food with him from his plate."

Ashok woke up the next morning not feeling well, complaining of chest pain and low blood pressure. He had been running a temperature over the past two days.

"I wanted to go to our kul devta [clan god], Hanumanji.  But I don’t think I can go at this point — I need to get better first,” he said.

Though the family has reunited, Ashok’s nightmare is far from over — he’s without a job now, and finding one will prove difficult.

Only time will tell how the rest of his life will unfold.

Ahinsa Khand: Got a thing to spare? Green Team is here

What better way to beat the chill slowly settling in than sharing warmth — especially with those who don’t have much on them. So enterprising residents from over 10 high-rises in Ahinsa Khand, under the banner Green Team, have been organising donation camps in societies to collect just about anything — old shoes, worn-out caps, clothes.

Notices were put up in societies to deliver the items to the collection area of the society, from where the bags would later be delivered at the main collection point at Rishabh Platinum Society.

The drive has been on since the second week of November.

A member sorts out the collected stuff

However, the collection process has been halted for the time, said Priyanka Gupta of Ashiana Upvan. The reason? “A lot of donated packages have been collected, but the items have to be segregated. It’s a tedious process, and we still have to distribute a lot of the collected items.”

Agreeing, Jayati Jain of Rishabh Platinum said, “Residents usually deliver things in one bag, with everything. These items need to be segregated, and that’s a tedious and time-taking process. We have opened all the packages and separated the items according age groups, such as 0-3years, 4-12 years. Items for children have been distributed in local government-run schools, while other things are being given out to construction workers in the nearby areas,” elaborated Jain.

Anil Kukreja from Ashiana Green brings in the donations

Gupta, a school teacher, also teaches at a school for under-privileged children in Princess Park Society. She keeps a part of the collection for her school at Princess Park. “I select and keep items such as caps, shoes for the children. Winter is already here, and they need shoes. It gives me a lot of happiness to see their faces light up the moment they get the items,” she added.

The members are also thankful to the AOAs of the area, who helped in managing the donations.

“We will very soon initiate the second phase of the drive, when we’ll collect blankets and other similar items to distribute in the winter,” Jain confimed.

Will this second panel by Delhi Govt help to curb arbitrary school fee hikes?

The Delhi Government shall soon set up an independent panel under the Directorate of Education (DoE) to take care of complaints regarding fee hike and other issues that affect school children and their parents. This decision has been taken on the order of the Delhi High Court.

Last week, a group of parents angered by the arbitrary fee hikes by some private schools operating on government land, had sought the intervention of the court. Delhi Breaking News

According to a Delhi Government official, this panel will be named the ‘Fee Anomaly Committee’. “Fee hikes by private schools are happening far too frequently and arbitrarily these days. Parents of school children are understandably upset. This panel shall be an interface between the parents and schools managements. It will also be in charge of submitting a detailed report to the DoE,” Nagender Sharma, spokesperson of Delhi Government informed City Spidey.

Recently, around 100 parents had protested against the fee hike of Ahlcon Public School in Mayur Vihar. “We have even sent a written complaint to Manish Sisodia, education minister of Delhi. However, no action has been taken,” said Ritu Jauhar a parent.  

Interestingly, sources within the government have told City Spidey that a similar committee already exists from 2012. However, it is almost defunct now. “A similar committee was formed by former Delhi chief minister, Sheila Dikshit. About 20 officials including senior officials were deployed there. However, it long ceased to be an active body and many officials have now been shifted to other departments,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Why is Delhi Government not enforcing the Solid Waste Management Policy?

About two months ago, the Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCDs) along with environmental experts had framed a draft of bye laws on Solid Waste Management (SWM). However, it has not been implemented.  

Last week, when the Delhi High Court had hauled the state government for not complying with its earlier order, the government stated that the Lieutenant Governor’s approval on the draft was pending. However, the court had directed the AAP government to implement SWM bye laws within two weeks.

Interestingly, this fact has been contradicted by a section of state government officials who have told City Spidey on condition of anonymity that the draft had already been approved in September. However, the official refused to give any further details on this matter.

The draft was jointly framed by local authorities and court-appointed environmental experts. The environmental experts’ have proposed user fee for municipal services.

P K Khandelwal, chief engineer (EDMC) informed City Spidey that when the proposal for user fee was accepted by the HC, MCDs were immediately asked to fix the amount. “NDMC and Delhi Cantonment had unanimously fixed charges on municipal services and handed it over to the court appointed committee. The power to implement such bye laws lies on the Delhi Government.”

If the draft bye laws are implemented, the buildings in residential areas commanding floor area up to  50 square meters shall be charged Rs 50 per month by way of  municipal user fee.  Buildings having floor area above 50 square metres to 200 square metres shall be charged Rs 100 and the buildings above 200 square metres shall be levied Rs 200 (as user fee). User charges shall also be imposed on street vendors ranging between Rs 50 to Rs 100 per month.

On the other hand, commercial establishments, shops, eating places (Dhaba/sweet shop/coffee house etc) each would have to pay Rs 500 per month as user charges. A sum of Rs 2000 has been fixed for guest houses, dharamshalas, hostels, restaurants with sitting capacity up 50 persons. Restaurants with sitting capacity above 50 persons shall be charged Rs 3000.   

Hotels (unstarred) would pay Rs 2000 while hotels up to three stars and above would pay Rs 3000 and Rs 5000 respectively. Each commercial and government office would pay Rs 2000.

Kahndelwal said, “These charges shall be uniform across the city including regularised residential colonies.”

The bye-laws would also enforce segregation of waste at sources such in the households, and housing societies.

Thanks to the callousness of DDA, dust and pollution are engulfing Dwarka!

The surge of construction activity in Dwarka is translating to a civic menace. Waste materials from construction and demolition activity are being dumped in vacant lands across the sub city. Even green areas and metro corridors have become dumping grounds for trucks and tractors that transport raw materials for ongoing construction projects.

Ironically, the administration is feigning ignorance of these dumping activities despite the fact that an official ban on dumping has already been levied.  Needless to say these concrete and semi-concrete waste dumps are unleashing dust particles and adding to pollution levels. The vegetation cover of the adjoining areas is also getting damaged. . Dwarka Breaking News

Malba (construction waste) deposits can be clearly seen in Sector 8 under the metro line, in Sector 22 along the Master Plan Road, in the vacant lands of Sector 19 and 20 and in the vacant lands in front of the metro stations of Sector 9, 10, 11 and 12.  Some waste dumps are visible near schools like Sam International School in Sector 12 and Bal Bharti School. The vacant land behind Maxfort School in Sector 7 has become a regular dumping spot for construction trucks.

President of Dwarka Forum and a resident of Sector 22, Rejimon CK has been raising his voice against this rampant and illegal practice in the sub city.  He has even written to the DDA and other concerned authorities. Speaking to City Spideyhe said, “Construction and Demolition Waste Rules 2016 cautions against the dumping of malba in vacant spots. However even the authorities have no provisions for properly disposing their own waste. Waste malba adds to dust pollution and creates environmental and health hazards.”

Rejimon CK shared this video with City Spidey that clearly depicts the seriousness  of the subject.  

Prateek Wisteria, Noida, faces music for throwing out newborn puppies

Last week, two bitches jointly gave birth to 12 puppies on the premises of Prateek Wisteria in Sector 77 of Noida. The puppies were mercilessly thrown out — separated from their mothers even before they could be a month old.

After getting to know of the incident from certain residents, People for Animals (PFA) member Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj, a resident of Greater Noida, registered an FIR at Sector 49 police station against the AOA secretary of the society, the security agency and even the builder.

According to the complaint, the incident happened on November 19.

In response, Nisha Rai, the secretary, lodged an FIR against Bharadwaj and Pragati Khanna, who had accompanied Bharadwaj on the visit to the society, at the same police station under IPC Sections 289 [negligent conduct with respect to animals] and 506 [punishment for criminal intimidation].

Bharadwaj said, "When the residents informed me about the step taken by the AOA, I was shocked. So, I immediately spoke to the AOA secretary on the matter. She quite conveniently told me that she was just thinking about doing so because of the nuisance the puppies were creating. Later, a member of the society informed me that the puppies had already been thrown out.”

When Bharadwaj and Khanna visited the society area, they found that three of the 12 puppies were missing and the other nine were living on a vacant plot near the society.

"According to Supreme Court guidelines, no one can remove newborn animals from their homes, or separate them from their mother before two months," Bharadwaj explained.

The security guard at the gate, according to Bharadwaj, had admitted to the incident. She also provided video evidence of the conversation with the guard.  

NEWS FLASH: Ashok Kumar walks out of custody

Ashok Kumar, initially suspected to be the alleged murderer of Pradyuman Thakur, finally walks out of jail after a harrowing 73 days in custody. 

He has been released on bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 by Gurgaon Court.

The bail was given on the basis of "right to liberty". However, the CBI has still not given a clean chit to Kumar.

Judge Rajni Yadav had earlier pronounced that without concrete evidence against Kumar, there was no point keeping him in jail.

He had been previously denied bail by the same court.

This woman from Ghaziabad can turn garbage into gold

Ever since the landfill collapse happened at Ghazipur, people of Indirapuram have been fretting about the issue of waste disposal.

A few days ago, residents of Ahinsa Khand and Shakti Khand had taken out a rally to protest against the garbage dump cum landfill site located near the Indirapuram Sewage Treatment Plant. Residents allege that the garbage dump frequently catches fire and burns for days. Worse, it also spews dark smoke translating to health hazards. However, officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority said that the site cannot be shifted owing to an increase in the transportation cost of garbage. The officials have said that the high rises of the township are largely responsible for the garbage heaps on this site.

However, Deepti Mittal, a resident of Panchsheel Wellington, a society in Crossings Republik seems to have the answers. A social worker and a senior citizen, Mittal has been working on the subject of waste segregation and home composting for quite a while now. Infact, over the last one year, she has also been conducting workshops to educate residents.

Mittal is of the belief that managing waste at source is the only way to prevent the formation of huge landfills and burning of garbage. Wet waste, which mostly includes vegetable peels, food waste, etc has to be separated from dry waste, which mostly includes paper and plastic. Both of these once separated can be reused separately. The wet waste goes on to become compost while the paper and plastic or polythene can be recycled. “This actually leaves us with no waste at all. But if both the dry and wet waste are mixed at source, they become unusable and can only end up at a landfill site,” Mittal shares.

Here is a video; through which Mittal demonstrates the procedure for dealing with wet waste

Dwarka: Four-year-old boy named in sexual assault

In a incident that's hardly believable, a case has been registered against a four-year-old boy for sexual assault. The incident happened in a private school of Dwarka.

According to the police, an FIR has been registered on the complaint of the girl’s parents under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, or POCSO.

The incident, according to sources, happened last Friday.

It was learnt that the victim told her parents that she was touched inappropriately by her classmate and felt pain in her private parts. Her parents then consulted the family doctor, and also took her to Rockland Hospital in Dwarka, where sexual assault was confirmed.

According to deputy commissioner of police, Dwarka, Shibesh Singh, counselling is being done for both the victim and the boy, and help from Child Welfare Committee has also been sought.

The police is now investigating the matter, and looking at all possible angles.

Further details are awaited.

Dwarka is paying a price for construction

The surge of construction activity in Dwarka is translating to a civic menace. Waste materials from construction and demolition activity are being dumped in vacant lands across the sub city. Even green areas and metro corridors have become dumping grounds for trucks and tractors that transport raw materials for ongoing construction projects.

Ironically, the administration is feigning ignorance of these dumping activities despite the fact that an official ban on dumping has already been levied.  Needless to say these concrete and semi-concrete waste dumps are unleashing dust particles and adding to pollution levels. The vegetation cover of the adjoining areas is also getting damaged. .

Malba (construction waste) deposits can be clearly seen in Sector 8 under the metro line, in Sector 22 along the Master Plan Road, in the vacant lands of Sector 19 and 20 and in the vacant lands in front of the metro stations of Sector 9, 10, 11 and 12.  Some waste dumps are visible near schools like Sam International School in Sector 12 and Bal Bharti School. The vacant land behind Maxfort School in Sector 7 has become a regular dumping spot for construction trucks.

President of Dwarka Forum and a resident of Sector 22, Rejimon CK has been raising his voice against this rampant and illegal practice in the sub city.  He has even written to the DDA and other concerned authorities. Speaking to City Spideyhe said, “Construction and Demolition Waste Rules 2016 cautions against the dumping of malba in vacant spots. However even the authorities have no provisions for properly disposing their own waste. Waste malba adds to dust pollution and creates environmental and health hazards.”

Rejimon CK shared this video with City Spidey that clearly depicts the seriousness  of the subject.  

Ashok Kumar: 'I have suffered too, but had no hand in it'

He walks a defeated man, even though CBI found no incriminating evidence against him. After a lapse of 73 days, 42-year-old Ashok Kumar finally walked out of Bhondsi jail yesterday evening.

Kumar is uncertain of his days ahead — his former life now unrecognisable. 

His village, Ghamroj, is now a media spectacle, as media vans, well-wishers and family members congregated there for his welcome — all waiting to catch a glimpse of him.  

A special court in Gurgaon granted him bail in the murder case of 8-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, letting him out on a bond of Rs 50,000.

Mohit Verma, 26-year-old Rohtak resident who acted as the defence counsel for Ashok when Gurgaon and Sohna bar associations refused to support him, said these words about his client: “I visited the family of the accused, and was sure that something was wrong in Ashok’s arrest. He did not possess a criminal deportment. He didn’t think twice when he was asked to carry the bleeding child to the van, or when he, along with others, was asked to clean up the blood stains on the wall of the washroom. I felt quite certain that he had not committed the crime.”

In this darkness, his family has been his bulwark of support. His children, in the words of his wife, would refuse to go to school every day in the hope that their father would just turn up unexpectedly.

Staring out of the confusion and chaos, Ashok says silently, “We’ll visit Pradyuman’s father shortly. I need to look at him — tell him that I feel his loss. And I have suffered too, but had no hand in it. He’ll know I am speaking the truth.”       

City Spidey spoke to him. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Why did you confess to the crime earlier?

I was beaten and tortured by the police. They forced me to confess. Mujhe jaise bola maine kiya [I did as told]. They gave me electric shocks and threatened me with dire consequences.

What are your feelings now?

I am happy that I hace been released finally. I have had to stay away from my family and children for something I did not do. Now, I just want to get back to them — and my village. Had my lawyer, my people back home and my family not supported me through this darkness, I would not have been out.  

Were you tortured while in jail?

No. I did not face any torture in jail.

Are you planning to take any action against Gurgaon Police? 

I will decide what to do after consulting with my legal counsel.

Do you feel the school authorities are also responsible for your plight? 

Yes, the school is equally responsible. They offered no help to get me out of this mess. I was just helping the child to the van at the insistence of the teachers.

SC puts a freeze on the assets of Jaiprakash Associates Limited directors

The Supreme Court today froze the private property of all the directors of Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL).

All the 13 directors — five promoter directors and eight independent directors — of JAL were personally present at the Supreme Court today. They also disclosed their personal assets in an affidavit to the Supreme Court.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 10, and all the 13 directors are required to be present.

The three-member bench — comprising Chief Justice Deepak Mishra, Justice AM Khanvilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud — brought out the order. Now, without court order, the directors — or their family members — will not be able to sell property.

JAL also deposited a cheque for Rs 275 crore before the court today. It has been asked to submit another Rs 275 crore by December 31 this year. It has also been allowed to phase out the payment — while Rs 150 crore needs to be paid by December 13, the rest needs to be paid by the last day of the year.

The SC also asked all the directors of JAL to deposit Rs 2,000 crore as soon as possible.

Homebuyers of Jaypee Wish Town demanded a forensic audit of the accounts of JAL and Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL) before the apex court.

The central government — through the Attorney-General — is looking at the possibility of conducting a forensic audit of JAL and JIL.  The Supreme Court, thus, refrained from issuing any orders in this regard.

The SC also directed Pawan Shree Agrawal, the amicus curiae [an impartial adviser to the court] in this case, to set up a website for the homebuyers within a week from today.

The website would help maintain a detailed account of the money owed to homebuyers and also ease the refund process.

Juvenile accused in Ryan murder to remain in judicial custody till Dec 6

Gurgaon’s Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), headed by principal magistrate Davender Singh, convened the hearing for the accused 16-year-old today at Vikas Sadan. 

The accused, it has been decided, will be kept in judicial custody till December 6.

The commerce student was taken into custody by the CBI for allegedly committing the gruesome murder of Pradyuman Thakur of Ryan International School, Bhondsi.

The CBI has applied for securing his fingerprints at the court. The hearing for the same has been scheduled for November 29.

The juvenile's father had accused the CBI of stretching the interrogation his son beyond permissible time. The hearing on this allegation too will be held on the same day, said Sandeep Aneja, the accused's lawyer.

The accused boy has denied the allegations, and said that he confessed to the CBI under duress.

Meanwhile Ashok Kumar, the bus conductor who was initially suspected by Gurgaon Police to be the alleged murderer, was granted bail by Gurgaon Court yesterday after remaining in jail for 73 days.

The CBI, however, has not given a clean chit to Kumar. Their decision was supported by CCTV footage gathered as evidence.

In the footage, which was played out in the courtroom, Pradyuman is seen entering the washroom, then Kumar, and finally, the accused 16-year-old.

IIT Delhi roped in to stabalise the growing slopes of Ghazipur landfill

To avoid another collapse of the mountain-like waste at Ghazipur landfill, East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has sought help from IIT Delhi.

City Spidey was the first to report this development on October 28.

PK Khandelwal, chief engineer of EDMC, told City Spidey that a team from IIT Delhi would suggest short-term stabilisation measures for the slope parallel to the canal.

EDMC will be paying Rs 18 lakh to IIT Delhi for the study.

“We have signed an agreement with IIT Delhi, and they will conduct a survey of the landfill in the next two-three weeks. They will study the slopes of this growing landfill, and suggest technical measures to prevent its collapse,” Khandelwal said.

According to the agreement, IIT-Delhi would provide technical advice on how to flatten the landfill. “We have observed that the size of landfill has changed at some places. The team would take 10-12 weeks for a detailed analysis of the site,” Khandelwal added.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said it would take at least two years to lift the entire waste at Ghazipur landfill, which would be used on an experimental basis to construct a 2-km stretch of highway.  

“Since we have only this place to dump waste, it is important to take all precautionary measures to avoid a rerun of the collapse till NHAI starts lifting waste from the site,” Khandelwal said.

NEWS FLASH: Ashok Kumar granted bail by Gurgaon Court

Ashok Kumar, the bus conductor who was initially suspected by Gurgaon Police to be the alleged murderer of Pradyuman Thakur, has been released on bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 by Gurgaon Court.

The bail was given on the basis of "right to liberty".

Judge Rajni Yadav pronounced that without concrete evidence against Kumar, there was no point keeping him in jail.

He was earlier denied bail by the same court.

His defence counsel, Mohit Verma, had earlier stressed that since the CBI did not have any evidence against his client, he could not be kept locked away.

A dead child, Rs 15 lakh in bills and a hospital that refuses to own up

On August 31, parents of 7-year-old Addya Singh made a vital mistake. They shifted their daughter, suffering from dengue, from Rockland Hospital Dwarka to the "prestigious" Fortis Memorial, Gurgaon, as they thought she needed better treatment. Little did they know they were signing a death sentence for her.    

After being declared critical, she was admitted into the paediatric ICU and put on ventilator support. For 15 days the hospital treated her, charging the parents not only for tests and medicines but even for syringes and gloves — 2,700, if a Twitter post by a family friend is to be believed.  At the end of the 15 days, the bill ratcheted up to Rs 15 lakh.

Jayant and Dipti Singh, residents of Shubham Apartments in Sector 12, Dwarka, did not complain. It was their daughter's life at stake. 

But to what end?

On September 14, their world came crashing down when Addya died. The shock left them numb.  

Dipti Singh, Addya's mother, rues the day they took her to Fortis. "Her condition deteriorated after she was admitted to Fortis. We had kept her in Rockland Hospital for two days, and shifted her only because we believed Fortis to be a better hospital. We thought it would save her life," she sobbed.  

Jayant Singh, Addya's father, is incredulous at the way Fortis treated their daughter. "They were callous and inhuman when they were treating Addya. My child died due to the hospital's negligence," he told City Spidey.

“Every day they would bill us an astronomical amount of about Rs 1 lakh. Unnecessarily expensive medicines were administered. For instance, where medicines worth Rs 500 could have been given, the doctors switched to those that cost Rs 3,000. And they never us the details of the treatment,” Jayant added.  

But that's not where it ended. 

"No doctor was available on weekends and we were denied any briefing or update about her condition," Jayant continued. "But the surprising thing is they had stopped the drip and dialysis three days prior to her death, which meant they knew she was about to die. And what did they do about it?"

"The hospital staff were so inhuman they weren't even willing to give us her death certificate or an ambulance to transport her body. Is this the way a hospital operates?" he cried.

Which brings us to a question that has been plaguing the urban population for quite some time now. How safe are our hospitals? Can they be trusted? Are doctors really here to save us or just to make money?

It's time these questions were answered.

Did Jaiprakash Associates divert Rs 10,000 crore from Jaypee Infratech?

Homebuyers claim Jaiprakash Associates diverted more than Rs 10,000 crore from its subsidiary Jaypee Infratech, in the construction of Yamuna Expressway and other real estate projects. The latter is currently under insolvency.

In an application filed with the Supreme Court by Trilegal, a legal firm representing the 2,500 buyers of Jaypee Wish Town in Sector 128, Noida, buyers have sought a forensic audit of the accounts of Jaypee Associates Limited (JAL) and Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL).

The allegations are based on a report by accountancy firm ASA Financial Services. It was found that JAL had used the land bank of JIL as security for getting loans.

According to the ASA report, JIL claims to have spent an amount of Rs 13,283 crore towards construction and development of Yamuna Expressway. This translates to Rs 80.5 crore per km after indexing inflation as per the consumer price index. However, it was found that for constructing the comparable six-lane concrete Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Rs 34.32 crore per km after indexing inflation was spent.

JAL, according to the report, might have potentially received an excess payment of approximately Rs 46 crore per km for the construction of the Yamuna Expressway. This amount adds up to approximately Rs 7,500 crore for the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway.

The report also found that JAL might have overbilled JIL by at least Rs 3,000 crore for construction and development of the latter's real estate projects. JAL also appears to have taken out an amount of approximately Rs 18,000 crore from JIL while investing only Rs 2,000 crore in it.

The application filed by homebuyers also said that JAL also transferred JIL's lands for settling its loans. The application cites 967 acres of JIL land as security for JAL loans, and a transfer of 476 acres of land — worth Rs 2,600 crore — for settling loans.

The Allahabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) declared Jaypee Infratech insolvent on August 9 on a petition filed by IDBI Bank under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. Jaypee had defaulted on a loan of Rs 526 crore to the bank.

The Supreme Court on September 11 asked JAL to deposit Rs 2,000 crore by October 27 to pay off the aggrieved homebuyers.

The builder had said to the Supreme Court that it wanted to sell off the Yamuna Expressway to raise money and had an offer in hand for Rs 2,500 crore. The apex court, however, denied permission to sell off Yamuna Expressway, while extending the time to deposit Rs 2,000 crore until November 5.

However, on the company's failure to deposit the money on time, the apex court has now directed all the directors, except institutional ones, to be personally present in the next hearing on November 22, while also asking them to disclose their personal assets.

Now rest your weary feet awhile on Dwarka's footpaths

There is good news for residents of Dwarka, as South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has started setting up benches on footpaths across the sub-city. Sector 6 is one of the first to get these benches set up.

According to Kamaljeet Sehrawat, mayor of SDMC, these benches are essentially meant for senior citizens and parents of schoolchildren who have to wait endlessly on footpaths for school buses to arrive.

In a conversation with City Spidey, Sehrawat said, “We are providing 250 benches across the sub-city. All footpaths between adjacent societies will have two benches. Two such benches have already been fixed near Guru Apartments and Vrindavan Apartments in Sector 6. People are appreciating the initiative.”

Talking about what made her undertake this initiative, she said, “I observed that when grandparents come to collect young children from the bus stops, they get tired as there is no place to sit. This is why I decided to construct two benches in Sector 6. People welcomed the initiative, and that encouraged me.”

Ravi Jaitley, a resident of Harsukh Apartments, Sector 7, and former general secretary of Senior Citizens Association, Dwarka, said, “Providing benches on footpaths is indeed a good initiative. However, the benches should have a bucket-type structure instead of a flat surface, so people cannot use them to sleep at night. I am a senior citizen and hence this move has benefited me too."

"I would also like to request the mayor to instal bio-toilets near major red-light crossings," he added. "If this is done, the drains along the main roads will not be used as urinals, which, unfortunately, is the case now.”

Gurgaon: DPSG school bus escapes electrocution near Kabir Chowk

A bus of Delhi Public School Ghaziabad (DPSG), carrying 25 schoolchildren and four school employees, narrowly escaped getting electrocuted near Kabir Chowk, Palam Vihar, early yesterday morning.  

The bus came in contact with high-tension wires while travelling from Pratap Nagar to the school. The wires were hanging low from a pole that had tilted down owing to construction work in the area. But fortunately, there was no electricity at the time, so the wires weren't live.

A team from Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) office immediately reached the site to repair the wires.

"Fortunately, there was no electricity, else it could have resulted in a tragedy," said Yashesh Yadav, a worried parent.

Sudhir Chitnis, senior administrator, DPSG, said, “After hearing the news, we changed the buses plying on the route immediately — we’ll now have low-roof buses for this particular route.”

EXCLUSIVE: CBI asked to send expert prosecutor for Ryan hearing

The additional district and sessions judge of Gurgaon special court, Rajni Yadav, told CBI officials on Monday that the Ryan case needed an expert prosecutor to represent the case.

The special prosecutor could extend the arguments on behalf of the CBI and effectively answer the queries put forth by the court, the judge added.

Yesterday, the case was a replay of the arguments heard on November 16 at the same court. 

During the hearing, the judge seemed sceptical about the CBI’s handling of things. She repeatedly asked the CBI prosecutor to not get angry and to not provide terse, to-the-point answers, since the case needed deeper investigation.

Sushil Tekriwal, lawyer of Pradyuman’s father, Barun Chandra Thakur, said, “The judge also asked why was the CBI prosecutor was getting irritated and angry at the questions being asked. These were important questions related to the sequence of events, DNA samples and matches, circumstances under which the DNA samples were collected and the person who sent the samples.”

The CBI officials, according to Tekriwal, were asked a lot of questions, and they seemed unprepared. “Next time I hope the CBI is better prepared and are thorough with their homework,” he added.

The special court, last Thursday, had adjourned the bail plea hearing for 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar, one of the prime suspects initially, until November 20.

Kumar was hurriedly arrested by Gurgaon Police for Pradyuman Thakur's murder. However, the CBI, which took over the case investigation, later apprehended a Class XI Commerce student of the same school on November 7, charging him with the murder.

The CBI had ruled out the sexual assault angle, as earlier suspected by Gurgaon Police.