STATE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015

Uber, Ola return plans hit roadblock

Delhi Govt. finds loopholes in new applications
Jatin Anand
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Govern-

ment Transport Department

has thrown a spanner in the
plans of two prominent cab
service providers who had recently attempted to resume
business and side-step a nationwide ban on web-based
taxi companies.
Both US-based cab aggregator Uber and Delhi-based Ola
have been asked to respond to
deciency memos by the Department after several loopholes were found in fresh
applications led by them to
resume services through frontal companies.
The companies were oated
by each for the purpose of registration under the modied
Radio Taxi Scheme of 2006,
sources told The Hindu.
Both companies failed to
provide details pertaining to
their registered offices, information about the vehicles
owned or aggregated by them

behalf, which the Department

had sternly viewed as an attempt to make the ban imposed on them by the Central
Government redundant.
The Centre had imposed an
operational ban on San Francisco-based Uber and other
app-based taxi services in the
country after the rape of a 25year-old MNC executive
aboard one of its cabs in December last year. Only six companies registered as Radio Taxi
and details of a feedback proc- vendors had been spared with
ess aimed at the evaluation of the Department declaring all
their services by customers, a other service providers illegal.
source pointed out.
On December 29, the TransOn January 23, Uber had an- port Department had declared
nounced that it was back in major modications to the Rabusiness through a newly-cre- dio Taxi Scheme of 2006 to alated company, Resourcexpert low radio taxis to operate
India Private Limited. Ola cabs subject to conditions stipulathad followed suit and applied ed under the Motor Vehicles
for registration in the name of and the Information TechnolAPRA Cabs India Pvt. Ltd.
ogy Act. These had aimed at
In their applications, both stricter background checks on
Uber and Ola had admitted drivers, added safety procethat the newly-registered com- dures and harsher penalties on
panies would operate on their the operators of such services.

DNA samples match in

Uber rape case: expert
Nirnimesh Kumar
NEW DELHI: A forensic expert on
Tuesday told a Delhi court
that the DNA of the samples
lifted from the Uber cab in
which a woman was raped last
December matched with the
DNA of the victim as well as
the accused.
Blood stains and hair had
been lifted from the cab for a
forensic examination. Recording his evidence before Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri
Baweja conducting trial of the
case, forensic expert B.K. Mahapatra said that the DNA of
the samples lifted from the
cab matched with that of the
victim and the accused.
Dr. Mahapatra further deposed that he had inspected
the cab inwhich the woman
was sexually assaulted and
lifted the samples from it for

Fingerprint expert
has already conrmed
that samples from
the cab matched with
the victims
forensic test.
A ngerprints expert has already deposed that the ngerprints and palm prints of the
victim matched with the ones
lifted from the taxi.
The victim has already
identied accused Shiv Kumar
Yadav as the one whohad
raped her. She had also denied
the suggestion by counsel for
the accused that it was a consensual sex.
The accused had allegedly
sexually assaulted the victim
at a secluded place after locking the cab while driving her
home.

Delhi not even

Asia-class in
cleanliness: HC

Two rubber trees axed

despite forest officers order
Akanksha Jain

NEW DELHI: Castigating munici-

pal bodies here for not clearing

garbage, the Delhi High Court
on Wednesday observed that
the Capital was not even an
Asia-class city in terms of
cleanliness.
How will we make Delhi a
world-class city? It is not even
an Asia-class city. Despite all
the norms and a number of safai
karamcharis available, we nd
that garbage is strewn on virtually all roads of Delhi and
drains are not being cleaned
properly, a Bench of Justice
B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev
Sachdeva said.
For this purpose, the petitioner (an NGO) has suggested
implementation of an order issued by the then Commissioner
of Municipal Corporation of
Delhi on February 13, 2001 We
direct it be adopted forthwith
and appropriate circular be issued by each MCD within a fortnight so that sanitation work
is monitored effectively and
there are noticeable results on
Delhi streets, it directed. PTI

NEW DELHI: At a time when activists and courts are acting

tough against illegal axing
and choking of trees in the
city and elsewhere, two fullgrown rubber trees were cut
down in North-West Delhi
and many are in the process
of being brought down.
The trees were cut even as
the forest department had revoked the permission granted
earlier.
While the forest department had earlier granted permission to cut the two trees in
a cooperative Group Housing
Society named Bhagirathi
apartments in Sector 9, Rohini, environment activist Sanjiv Kumar who resides in the
same society raised his voice
against it.
Mr. Kumar informed the
tree officer about the subject
matter being subjudice. He
says cases are on in Rohini
Court against the Cooperative Group Housing Society
for felling trees without any

Trees are being cut in

Delhi for no good
reason. We must look
into the attitude of the
people
Sanjiv Kumar
Environment activist
reason.
Later, on January 19, the
permission for felling of the
two trees was revoked by the
Deputy Conservator of Forests. However, the residents
went ahead with their felling.
It is surprising that the job
was done in the presence of
police personnel. This is
happening in entire Delhi.
Trees are being cut for no
good reason. We must look at
the attitude of the people.
They feel a tree which has
been there for years is a hindrance and then one ne day,
it is removed, said Mr.
Kumar.

Traffic to be diverted
today for Beating Retreat

ALL SET: Full dress rehearsal of the Beating Retreat

ceremony in progress at Rajpath in New Delhi on
Wednesday. PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: Traffic arrangements and diversions will be
in place for the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay
Chowk here and for the illumination of Rashtrapati Bhavan and other government
buildings located in the vicinity on Thursday, the traffic
police said.
Between 4 p.m. and 9-30
p.m., the police said, Vijay
Chowk will remain closed for
traffic. Vehicles will also not
be allowed on Ra Marg between Sunehri Masjid and
Krishi Bhawan roundabouts,
Raisina Road from Krishi
Bhawan roundabout towards
Vijay Chowk, beyond Dalhousie Road, Krishna Menon
Marg and Sunehri Masjid
roundabouts towards Vijay
Chowk.
Rajpath will also be closed
for traffic between Vijay
Chowk and C Hexagon
which would be open only for
pedestrians. The police said
parking will be available for
those coming to view the illumination behind the water

channels between Ra Marg

and C Hexagon and advised
spectators to either avoid the
said routes or act on instructions from the traffic police
personnel.
Traffic restrictions will also be imposed on buses
bound for Central Secretariat
and Connaught Place coming
from Shantipath. Buses
bound for Central Secretariat
will terminate and return via
Kali Bari Marg while Connaught Place-bound buses
will take Mandir Marg.
Buses coming from South
Delhi on Tughlaq Road and
bound for Connaught Place
or Central Secretariat will be
diverted from Aurobindo
Chowk to Safdarjung Road
while those coming to Mandi
House and Ferozshah Road
will proceed to Connaught
Place via Barakhamba Road
and terminate at Shivaji
Stadium.
Motorists are advised to
avoid these routes and pay
heed to instructions from police personnel to avoid inconvenience, said a traffic
police officer.

Shaurya Chakra
Two crushed
under coal at IP for ITBP
power station
Inspector
Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Two women were

buried to death under a heap
of coal at IP Power Station
here when they sneaked inside allegedly to steal coal on
Wednesday afternoon.
According to the police,
they had been receiving
complaints about residents
of nearby JJ clusters getting
illegal entry to steal coal
from the power station. On
Wednesday, three women
went to the power station
around 3 p.m. They had done
some digging there and were
collecting coal from a heap,
when the heap collapsed
over them.
Neelima, Manisha and
Vijaya got buried under coal.
When they called out for
help, the security guards the
power station rushed to
their rescue. They managed
to pull them out, but it was
too late for Neelima and
Manisha, said a police officer.
A call was also made to the
police and they were rushed
to LNJP Hospital. Neelima
and Manisha were declared
brought dead, while Vijaya
was discharged after rstaid. Initial medical examination has revealed that they
died due to suffocation after
getting buried under coal.
The women lived with
their families in Anna Nagar
JJ Cluster near IP Estate.

NEW DELHI: Inspector Manjeet

Singh of the Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP)
has
been
conferred
Shaurya
Chakra on
Republic
Day
this
year for exceptional
show of bravery in countering
a dayeen attack at the Consulate General of India in Afghanistan last May.
In the early hours of
May23last,a group of armeddayeens launched an
attackat theConsulate General of India, Herat (Afghanistan),
with
rocket-propelledgrenades
followed byaheavy burst re
from automatic weapons.
Inspector Manjeet Singh,
commander ofthe ITBPsecurity arrangementat theIndian
Consulate,
quicklyescorted the Consulate General and civilian staff
to the strongroom and ensured their safety,said an ofcial, adding that under his
command, ITBP commandos
killed one of the terrorists.
FourITBPcommandos
Vedpal Malik, Rakesh Kumar,Praveen Kumar and Jadeja Rajender Singh have
been awarded thePresidents
Police Medal for Gallantry.

CM
YK

ND-ND