New Delhi Delhi Police on Saturday arrested three officials of a private company for allegedly duping investors, officials said.

A case in this regard has been registered under sections of 409, 420 and 120 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in EOW (economic offence wing) police station.

The investigators have found the company officials allegedly diverted a fund of Rs 191 crore deposited by the investors. Besides, they were also accused of failing to complete the project within the given period of time.

The accused have been identified as Surpreet Singh, Vijay Bahadur and Nirmal Singh. All of them hold the position of director in M/s Hacienda Project Pvt Ltd.

The company had booked apartments in a residential group housing project named Lotus 300 which comprises of 6 towers, at Sector 107 in Noida.

“The company had lured home buyers for an attractive offer to book residential flats. It also promised to complete the project in 39 months from the date of allotment letter in 2010. As the location of the project is ideal, a total of 328 home buyers invested in the project,” said an EOW official.

During investigation, it was found the company had extracted Rs 636 crore from investors and Rs 191 crore was diverted to its subsidiary company for another project.

“The company has started the construction of the project in 2010 with stipulated completion time of 39 months. The project is yet to be completed and delayed by more than four years,” the official said.

(IANS)

GuwahatiAt least three persons were injured after a blast on a moving passenger train at Assam’s Harisinga station on Saturday, officials said.

A senior railway official said the low intensity blast occured about 6.50 p.m. in the general second class coach of Kamakhya-Dekargaon Intercity Express near Harisinga, about 50 km from Rangiya. The blast ocurred between Harisinga-Tangla stations of Rangiya division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

Following the blast, a portion of the coach got affected, the official said, adding the traffic on the route was not affected as two more lines are available at station.

The official said the injured included a woman and a child. He said due to the blast, one passenger sustained head injury, while two others received minor injuries.

The injured passengers were shifted to Harisingha Hospital where they were provided first-aid and then discharged.

The official said as of now no casualties have been reported. “The train is currently detained at Harisinga station,” said an NFR official.

The official said that senior railway officials have rushed to the blast site.

(IANS)

Buenos Aires Terming the India-US-Japan partnership as “Jai” (literal: victory), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the partnership between the three nations would go a long way in ensuring world peace and prosperity.

“If I put it differently, Japan, America and India is Jai. In Hindi, ‘Jai’ means success,” Modi said after the first-ever trilateral meet with US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here.

“In a way, Jai (the trilateral meet) is a message of success and we are making a new beginning. Our arrangement I believe, will play a big role in promoting world peace and prosperity,” Modi said.

Modi said it was a “good occasion” as the three nations dedicated to democratic values met to discuss how to promote peace, prosperity and stability in the world.

“I am glad both US and Japan are our strategic partners. Both the leaders (Turmp and Abe) have been my good friends. It is a good opportunity to work together.

Briefing the media about the meeting Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that it was a “very warm meeting” and Trump and Abe complimented Prime Minister Modi for the “reforms and development that he has done”.

“The three leaders exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific. They all agreed that free, open, inclusive and rules-based order is essential for the regional peace and prosperity. The Prime Minister offered some ideas on how we should take forward on the concept of Indo-Pacific and how the three countries can work together to promote this concept,” Gokhale said.

He said that Modi felt it was necessary that the three countries reach out to all the stakeholders to explain the benefits of Indo-Pacific strategy and their advantages to these countries.

“The leaders also agreed to the central role of Asean and they also agreed to work on maritime and connectivity issues and to synergise efforts in this regard,” Gokhale said.

He said that the three leaders felt that such meetings were useful and they should continue on the margins of subsequent G-20 meetings.

“Overall, there was a very positive atmosphere and the outcome of this first trilateral has been very encouraging. Prime Minister Modi and the other two leaders were pleased with this outcome,” Gokhale added.

Earlier, making an intervention at the first session of the G-20 meet on global economy, future of work and women’s empowerment, Modi highlighted some of the flagship programmes of his government undertaken to modernise economy and promote inclusive growth, such as Jan Dhan Yojana, MUDRA Yojana and Start-up India.

(IANS)

Mumbai Superstar Aamir Khan is saddened knowing about the devastation Cyclone Gaja wrought on Tamil Nadu and has urged his fans and followers to contribute generously to alleviate their suffering.

“I’m very saddened to hear of the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja in Tamil Nadu. Let us all come together to help our brothers and sisters there who are suffering. Let us try and contribute in any way that we can,” the Bollywood actor tweeted on Friday.

Tamil superstar-politician Kamal Haasan, who has visited the cyclone-ravaged areas of the state, thanked him for the gesture.

“Thank you so much Aamir Khanji. In many ways people like you make us feel it is truly ‘One Country’,” Kamal wrote back.

Cyclonic storm Gaja crossed Tamil Nadu coast on November 16 leaving over 50 people and thousands of livestock dead and damaging properties, standing crops, coconut groves, banana plantations and power distribution infrastructure in several districts.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought the central’s assistance of Rs 15,000 crore for 12 districts hit by the cyclone.

(IANS)

Srinagar Minimum temperatures dropped further across the Kashmir Valley on Saturday with Leh in Ladakh region recording minus 9 degrees Celsius, the Met said.

Kargil came a close second at minus 8.5. Minimum temperatures dropped due to a clear night sky, an India meteorological department official said.

Srinagar city recorded minus 1.4, Pahalgam minus 5 and Gulmarg minus 3.3.

Jammu city recorded 9.6, Katra 9, Batote 5.9, Bannihal 7.9 and Bhaderwah 2.3 degrees Celsius.

(IANS)

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) A misty Saturday morning in the national capital that notched 10.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature, experienced ‘very poor’ quality air, said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

“There will be clear sky in the day ahead,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said, adding that the maximum temperature was likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius.

The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was high at 75 per cent while visibility was 2,000 metres.

Friday’s minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded at 10.7 and 26.4 degrees Celsius, both one notch above the season’s average.

Srinagar Two militants were killed and three soldiers injured in a gunfight on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Badgam district, police said.

Security forces had started a cordon and search operation in Kuthpora village after receiving specific information about militant presence.

As the search party was closing on the hiding militants they fired triggering an encounter. The identity of the slain militants were yet to be ascertained, a police officer said.

Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in Badgam and Pulwama districts.

(IANS)

New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed to the people of Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram to participate in large numbers as polling got underway in both states.

“I urge all voters in the state to take part in democracy’s biggest festival with full enthusiasm and to vote in huge numbers,” Modi tweeted to Madhya Pradesh voters.

“I request my sisters and brothers of Mizoram, particularly the dynamic youth of the state, to turnout in large numbers and vote,” he said.

Polling for the 230 seat Madhya Pradesh Assembly and 40-member Mizoram Assembly was underway amid tight security and would continue till 5 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Except for 10 years — 1998-2003 and 2003-2008 — the Congress has been in power in Mizoram since it became a full-fledged state in 1987.

Votes will be counted on December 11 along with three other poll-bound states — Rajasthan, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

(IANS)

Srinagar Cloud cover warms up Kashmir
Minimum temperatures across the Kashmir Valley, except for the Gulmarg ski resort, rose above the freezing point on Wednesday due to an overnight cloud cover, the Met said.

Srinagar city recorded 2.2 as the minimum temperature while it was 1.4 in Pahalgam and minus 0.8 in Gulmarg, a MET department official said.

Weather in Jammu and Kashmir was expected to remain dry and cloudy during the next 24 hours till Thursday.

Jammu city recorded 13.2 degrees Celsius, Katra 12.2, Batote 7.8, Bannihal 5.5 and Bhaderwah 4.6 as their minimum temperatures.

[IANS]

The going was great for Mohd Aziz in the 1980s. The great Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar were no more. And the only competition that Aziz, affectionately know as Munna, had was Shabbir Kumar.

Shabbir sang off-key. I openly supported Aziz’s voice in my music columns that I did during those days. Got slammed for it. But I didn’t care if I was being trolled at a time when trolling had not been invented.

Mohd Aziz had a vast range. He could sing at a staggering pitch. It was a pleasure to hear him hold his own in his duets with the indomitable Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Lataji and Aziz sang a number of duets in the 1980s and early 1990s including the timeless ‘Patjhad sawan basant bahaar'(film Sindoor) and ‘Bali umar ne mara haal yun kiya'(Awaargi).

Says Lataji, “I recall him as a very kindhearted softspoken man with a good mastery over the seven notes. Woh sur achcha lagate the (he pitched his voice well)”.

Composing maestros Laxmikant-Pyarelal were very fond of Mohd Aziz’s voice. “We sang the duets ‘Patjhad sawan basant bahaar’ and ‘Naam sare bhool jaaane lage’ for Laxmi-Pyare. These were melodious numbers at a time when melody was on the wane. I enjoyed singing with him.”

Alka Yagnik who sang one of her best songs ‘Tu na ja mere badshah'(Khuda Gawah) with Aziz remembers him fondly. “Like me,he was also from Kolkata, so I kind of knew him from my childhood days. Munna (Mohd Aziz) was always very cheerful, sweet-spoken and an endearing person. And he had a powerful voice. He was one of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s favourite singers. I sang many songs with him.”

I remind Alka of Aziz’s meteoric rise and swift fall, and Alka shrugs, “Well… What do I say to that now…so many prolific singers vanished… but he still used to do concerts … had quite a repertoire of popular songs to his credit.”

The very talented music composer Rajesh Roshan who gave Aziz some of his career’s best songs including ‘Ek andhera laakh sitare’ in ‘Aakhir Kyon’, ‘Main se na meena se na saqi se’ in ‘Khudgarz’ says, “What a beautiful singer! But above that, he was a great human being who always met you with open arms.

Composer Anu Malik who used Aziz as Amitabh Bachchan’s voice in Manmohan Desai’s ‘Mard’ is shocked at the singer’s demise.

“I gave him his earliest break in ‘Mard’. A very soft-spoken, tremendously hardworking singer and always ready to learn improvise and give his best. May his soul rest in everlasting peace and may God give his family immense strength to bear with this irreparable loss.”

“A shining musical light of the 80s & early 90s has dimmed But shall never ever switch off. He will live in the hearts and minds of music lovers forever,” he said.

Mohd Aziz’s most popular songs:

1.One 2 Ka 4 My name in Lakhan: ‘Ram Lakhan’

2.Main se ne meena se na saqi se: ‘Khudgarz’

3.Tu na je mere badshah: ‘Khuda Gawah’

4.Duniya mein kitna gham hai: ‘Avtaar’

5.Ungli mein angoothi angoothi mein nagina: ‘Ram Avtar’

[IANS]