News Analysis India

Tag: Gurugram

  • Woman raped, stabbed by two men in Gurugram; one held

    By PTI

    GURUGRAM: A 24-year-old woman was allegedly raped and stabbed by two men in the DLF Phase 3 area here, police said on Tuesday, adding one of the accused was arrested.

    The incident took place on Monday night at Nathupur in DLF Phase 3, police said.

    The condition of victim, who is admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, is critical, they said.

    The victim’s husband, an autorickshaw driver, filed a complaint at DLF Phase 3 police station.

    “On Monday, I got a desperate call from my wife. She told me she had been stabbed. I asked her about location but she could not tell me a specific area. Then she asked me to reach home. When I reached home, she told me she was raped by two and one of them stabbed her,” said the complaint.

    The victim is not fit for giving statement, police said, adding that on the basis of her husband’s complaint, an FIR was registered against two persons under IPC sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), 324 (grievously hurt), and 34 (common intention) on Tuesday.

    Police said they have nabbed one of the accused, Anil Thakur, a native of Bihar, and the probe is underway.

    “We have arrested one of the accused and are interrogating him,” Gurugram Police Commissioner Kala Ramachandran told PTI.

  • 2nd FIR lodged in sequential fall of flat roofs in Gurugram high rise

    By PTI

    GURUGRAM: The Gurugram police on Sunday lodged a second FIR in the incident involving the partial collapse of a high-rise building here, booking all managing directors of the realty firm Chintel India and its group and associate companies, besides several others, an official said.

    The incident involving the sequential collapse of flat roofs from the sixth to ground floor in the 18-storied tower of the Chintel Paradiso Housing Complex in sector 109 of Gurugram on Thursday had led to the killing of two women living in two lower floor flats died and critical injuries to a man.

    The accused who were named in the FIR included firm’s MD Ashok Solomon besides Ajay Sahni, Kunwar Khaliqe Ahmad, Arvind Kumar Gupta and Asish Jaiswal, all heading various group and associate companies of the firm, the official said.

    The firms’ whose MDs were booked included Chintels India ltd, Chintel Export Pvt Ltd, Intels India Pvt Ltd, Rajkiran Pvt Ltd and Bhayana Builders, besides various architects, structural engineers and contractors involved in designing and building the high-rise, the official added.

    The second FIR was lodged on the complaint of Gurugram district’s Town and Country Planner R S Bath, who made his recommendation to rope in more people as accused in the case following a preliminary enquiry conducted by him.

    “The mishap proved that the work of the structural engineer, proof consultant and the contractor was not creditworthy and rather fraudulent. As per various rules and building bylaws, the licensee structure engineer and contractor are solely responsible for this unfortunate incident. There has been a violation of various provisions,” Bath’s complaint to the police, recommending the registration of a second FIR, read.

    The FIR was registered at the Bajghera police station under IPC sections for cheating (420 & 417), forgery (465), forgery for cheating (467), using forged document (471) and criminal conspiracy (120 B) besides section 10 of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 fro various building bylaws violation.

    Gurugram Commissioner of Police K K Rao said the FIR was registered as per the recommendation of the relevant authority and police would conduct a thorough probe into the matter.

    The building residents, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the registration of the second FIR and demanded inclusion of the IPC section 302 for murder against the Chintel group executives and government officials, involved in giving clearances and occupation certificates for the project.

    In a meeting held on Sunday, representatives of 50 group housing societies demanded structural audits of all societies in New Gurgaon by IIT Delhi.

    Out of the two women who died in the Thursday mishap, the body of the second woman, Sunita Shrivastava, was retrieved by rescuers from under the debris on Saturday night, more than 60 hours after the incident.

    Sunita Shrivastava’s husband A K Shrivastava, an IRS officer and managing director of Central Warehousing Corporation, suffered critical injuries and could be rescued from under the debris on Friday following 16 hours of efforts. The body of the first woman Rekha Bhardwaj was retrieved shortly after the incident.

  • Debris tumbles down amid rescue efforts in partially collapsed Gurugram building; residents panic

    By PTI

    GURUGRAM: Panic gripped residents of the partially collapsed apartment building in Gurugram on Saturday as debris came tumbling down amid efforts to retrieve the body of a woman stuck under it for over 40 hours now.

    It soon gave way to anger as the residents locked the gates of the society and staged protests, demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident.

    Rescuers are carefully navigating their way through the rubble to avoid damaging key supporting pillars of the 18-floor apartment block, officials said, as anxious family members and residents of Chintels Paradiso in Gurugram’s sector 109 counted the hours since Thursday evening when the dining room floor of a sixth-floor apartment came down, killing two women.

    While Ekta Bhardwaj died on Thursday, Sunita Shrivastava’s body has been stuck under the debris for over 40 hours – and counting.

    “Damage to any of the pillars could lead to the tower collapsing. Therefore, work of cutting and removing debris is being done carefully,” a senior official said.

    Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are carrying out the rescue work.

    Sunita Srivastava’s husband A K Shrivastava, an IRS officer and managing director with the Central Warehousing Corporation, suffered critical injuries and could be rescued from the debris only after 16 hours of efforts by the NDRF team on Friday.

    The police have lodged an FIR at Bajghera police station against the managing director of realty firm Chintels India on charges of causing death due to negligence, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Saharan said.

    The Gurugram district administration also instituted a probe into the collapse of roofs of the drawing rooms of flats one below another.

    With tempers running high, Gurugram MP and Union Minister Rao Inderjeet Singh, who was scheduled to go to Chintel Paradiso on Saturday, cancelled his visit.

    A spokesperson of the minister said they were advised by administration officials against the visit.

    “We were about to reach when we got calls from officials that the matter was being politicised and my visit to the society was not safe, and so, I aborted the visit,” Singh said in a statement.

    The protesting residents said when they heard the crash of the debris tumbling down, they thought another floor had collapsed.

    “We, the residents, want strict action and justice which is possible only when an independent agency like the CBI investigates the case. It is shocking that the police, in its FIR, is dealing with it as just an accident while it was a murder in waiting,” said Rakesh Kumar, one of the residents.

    District Town Planner R S Bhatt visited the spot and promised action against any erring officials.

    He said a plan is under way to ensure that no such incident occurs in the future.

    Congress leader Ajay Yadav met with the residents and promised his support to their cause.

    Chintels India Managing Director Prashant Solomon had said in a tweet, “This is an extremely unfortunate incident and we have taken it very seriously as the safety of our residents is our utmost concern. Upon preliminary investigations, we have come to know that the mishap occurred during renovation work by a contractor being carried out by a resident in his apartment.”

    According to him, the company had conducted a structural audit last year in the wake of complaints regarding the project.

    “We will be initiating a second structural audit at the earliest. In case any defects are found in the structure, we will duly compensate affected buyers or accommodate affected residents in alternate arrangements while necessary repair work is completed,” Solomon said.

    He also said the company is fully cooperating with the authorities and ensuring all support.

    Meanwhile, 34 families of the affected tower are lodging with society mates, friends and relatives as the flats become non-liveable.

  • One dead, 2 trapped in Gurugram apartment roof collapse; rescue operation underway

    By ANI

    GURUGRAM: Out of the three people, who were trapped after a portion of the roof of an apartment in Gurugram’s Sector 109 collapsed, one woman has died, informed Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram.

    Speaking to media persons, he said that of the remaining two people, who are trapped, one has not been spotted yet and another will be recused shortly.

    #WATCH | Haryana: Visuals from Chintels Paradiso housing complex in Gurugram’s Sector 109 where a portion of the roof of an apartment has collapsed.Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/WI22vLwOy6
    — ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2022
    “Total three trapped of which one woman from 1st floor dead. We’ve recovered her body. Of the remaining two- woman on the second floor is still not spotted. The man on the same floor is half trapped. He’s conscious, we will rescue him in half an hour,” Yadav told media persons.

    Prima facie, the Deputy Commissioner said, the construction work on the sixth floor could have led to the incident.

    “No one else feared trapped, only these three. Prima facie construction work on the sixth floor could have led to the collapse of only dining areas (in flats) from 6-1 floors. Other rooms intact from 6-1 floor. The enquiry will be ordered tomorrow. Action will be taken in case of lapses,” he said.

    A portion of the roof of the sixth floor of D tower of Chintels Paradiso housing complex in Gurugram’s Sector 109 collapsed on Thursday.

    Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are present on the spot and rescue operations are underway.

    Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that he is personally monitoring the situation.

    “Administrative officials, along with SDRF and NDRF teams are busy in the rescue & relief work after the unfortunate collapse of the apartment roof at the Paradiso Housing Complex in Gurugram. I am personally monitoring the situation and I pray for everyone’s safety,” said Khattar in a tweet.

    According to Kaushal Kumar, a resident in the building, the incident took place around 6 pm in the D Tower of the apartment and six floors of the building had collapsed.

    “The drawing room area from the sixth to the first floor collapsed. Some area is still gradually falling off,” he said.

    Further, he informed that four families lived in the tower, and only two of the six flats were vacant.

  • Offering ‘namaz’ in open spaces will not be tolerated: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: With several Hindu outfits objecting to Friday prayers being offered in open spaces in Gurgaon, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the practice of offering ‘namaz’ in the open “will not be tolerated”.

    He also said that the district administration’s prior decision to reserve some spots for holding prayers in open spaces has been withdrawn and the state government will now work out an amicable solution to the issue.

    “The practice of offering namaz here (Gurgaon) in open spaces will not be tolerated… But we all will sit to find an amicable solution. Everyone should get the facility (to offer prayers), but nobody should infringe on others’ rights. It will not be allowed,” the chief minister told reporters in Gurgaon, responding to a question on the objections raised by several right-wing outfits to offering ‘namaz’ in open spaces in the NCR city.

    On withdrawing the district administration’s decision to earmark some places for holding prayers in open spaces, he said, “We have told the police and the Deputy Commissioner that this issue has to be resolved…If somebody offers namaz, holds paaths at one’s place we have no objection to that. Religious places are built for this very purpose that people go there and offer prayers.”

    ALSO READ| Haryana police detain 20 protesters in Gurugram for trying to disrupt namaz

    “Such programmes should not be held in open spaces. Confrontation should be avoided by offering namaz in open spaces. We will also not allow confrontation (to build between two sides),” he said.

    Over the past some months, members of some Hindu outfits have been gathering at sites where the Muslim community offers ‘namaz’ in open space, and raising “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.

    Three years ago, the district administration had designated 37 sites in Gurgaon city for Muslims to offer Friday namaz after which there were protests by some Hindu groups. A few months ago, one group started protests against the prayers offered in the open after which there have been protests on Fridays for the past several weeks.

  • Builder liable to pay assured return to allotee: Haryana real estate body

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  The Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), Gurugram, on Wednesday stated that the promoters or builders were liable to pay the assured return as agreed upon between the parties as per the builder-buyer agreement.

    While deciding 26 cases, the HRERA passed a landmark judgment regarding the payment of assured returns as promised by the promoters or builders to the allottees at the time of agreement for the sale of a real estate unit.

    The bench of the authority headed by K K Khandelwal, the HRERA Chairman, came down heavily on the errant promoters and held that the developers or builders were liable to pay the assured return as agreed upon between the parties as per the builder-buyer agreement.

    While pronouncing the judgment, the authority, relying on the view taken by the Bombay High Court on Neelkamal Realtors Suburbans case, held that Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 has no provision for re-writing of contractual obligations between the parties, therefore the developers or builders cannot be allowed to take a plea that there was no contractual obligation to pay the amount of assured returns to the allottees after coming into effect of the RERA Act, 2016 or that a new agreement is being executed with regard to that fact.

    The bench held that when there is an obligation of the promoter against an allottee to pay the amount of assured returns, then he cannot wriggle out from that situation merely by taking a plea of the enforcement of RERA Act, 2016 or any other law for that matter.

    In its judgment, the authority made it clear that in disputes pertaining to assured return schemes, the money was taken by the promoters as deposit in advance against allotment of immovable property and the possesswion was to be offered to the allottee within a certain period as mutually agreed between them as per the builder-buyer agreement.

    By taking sale consideration by way of advance, the builder promised a certain amount by way of assured returns for a certain period, therefore on the failure on part of the builder to fulfil his commitment, the allottee has a right to approach the authority for the redressal of his grievance by way of filing a complaint. A large number of cases are being filed before the HRERA, Gurugram wherein the aggrieved allottees allege that the promoter had lured them to invest in its real estate project.  

  • Bird flu: Probe launched into death of Gurugram boy, close contacts under surveillance

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that an epidemiological investigation has been launched into the death of a 11-year-old boy, the first confirmed fatality due to bird flu in India and said that his close contacts have been put under surveillance.  

    The child from Gurugram, Haryana, had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in June and developed symptoms of fever, cough and breathing difficulty, soon after an induction therapy for cancer. He was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi on July 2 and passed away ten days later due to multiple organ dysfunction.  

    Apart from AML, the boy was presented with febrile neutropenia (fever with low neutrophils) with pneumonia and shock, which progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome. The health ministry, in a statement said that upon testing it was found that the child had both Influenza A and Influenza B but was negative for SARS COV-2 and other respiratory viruses.

    As the subtyping for Influenza A remained inconclusive with available reagents for H1N1 and H3N2 at AIIMS, the samples collected from the child were sent to the National Institute of Virology under the ICMR on July 13.

    ALSO READ| Human-to-human transmission of bird flu rare, no need to panic: AIIMS chief

    At NIV, both the samples were tested for Influenza A and Influenza B along with Influenza A seasonal (H1N1, H1N1 pdm09 and H3N2), non-seasonal avian subtypes (H5, H7, H9 and H10) by real time PCR. The result showed that the sample is positive for A/H5- a type of bird flu- and type B Victoria lineage. The whole genome sequencing and virus isolation is in process.

    Following the results, the National Centre for Disease Control which runs the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, has activated its Haryana state unit to initiate an epidemiological investigation into the case and the matter was also reported to the animal husbandry department.

    The government said that based on the available information, the team of doctors and nurses treating the patient are being monitored since July 16 for development of any influenza-like illness but no one has reported symptoms till date. “Contact tracing was undertaken and family members, close contacts and health care workers are under close surveillance,” said the ministry adding that none of the close contacts have any symptoms.

    Contact tracing, an active search for any symptomatic case has been carried out in the hospital and area where the case resided. The Centre also said that there are no symptomatic individuals in the area at present.

    Also, said the government, animal husbandry department has not found any suspected cases of bird flu in the area and has enhanced surveillance in a 10 km zone as a precautionary measure. “Further, epidemiological investigation by NCDC, involving animal husbandry department and State government surveillance unit, is underway and appropriate public health measures have been instituted,” said the ministry.

  • Gurugram: Ambulance operators call off strike

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH:  Private ambulance operators in Gurugram called off their two-day-old strike on Thursday as the Haryana government increased their rates. However, the operators are still demanding more and threatened to go on strike again.

    As per the orders issued by the Gurugram administration, ambulances can charge Rs 500 per km up to 3 km and Rs 25 per km after that. Similarly, Rs 750 will be charged for a distance of 3 km to 7 km. Beyond that the fare will be Rs 25 per km. For more than 7 km, Rs 1,000 would be charged and after this Rs 25 per km will be charged.

    Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram Dr Yash Garg said strict action will be taken against those who charge more than the fixed rates. The Private Ambulance Welfare Association, which runs some 250 ambulances in the city, is asking for a rate of Rs 3,500 up to 15 km and Rs 16 per km after that for a small ambulance. For big ambulances, they are demanding Rs 5,000 for a distance of 15 km and Rs 35 per km after that and for ACLS Rs 5,500 up to 15 km and Rs 50 per extra km.

    “We have called off the strike. But we continue to demand that the charges should be increased. If the authorities do not increase the rates, it will be difficult to operate,” said Vipin Kumar of the association.

  • About half of Haryana cases in Gurugram, Faridabad

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Gurugram and Faridabad account for more than 48% of total active cases in Haryana and are in a critical category for having a positivity rate of over 6%. The two districts in the NCR region border Delhi. Besides these two, the other six districts in the critical category are Panipat, Sonepat, Rewari, Karnal, Amabala and Panchkula.

    Sources said as per the analysis of data by the state health department, around 15% of total cases need oxygen, about 20% hospitalisation and 3% ventilator support. All ICU beds are occupied in the state. Medical infrastructure in Gurugram is under severe pressure and won’t be able to cope with a significant addition of patients.

    Besides, there is shortage of paramedical staff in private hospitals and doctors are overworked, said sources. On April 1, there were 108 cases in Faridabad. On April 8 the figure went up to 378 and on April 15, there were 810 cases, which rose to 1,342 and 1,545 on April 26. As many as 1,330 cases were reported on April 27.

    Total number of Covid patients across the state was 67,348 between April 19-25 and 40,090 between April 12-18. Active cases were 79,466 on April 26 with 6.07% positivity rate. Number of cases reported on April 27 was 11,931. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: “In the difficult situation, we don’t have to play with data. Our focus should be on recovery providing relief. Those who have died will not return by creating a furore. We will do everything to save lives. The question is whether we are able to set the system right. From our side, we are setting the systems in place.”

  • Wrong side driving may invite permanent license termination in Gurugram

    By ANI
    GURUGRAM: Gurugram Police has decided to take stern action against those found driving on the wrong side of the road, including permanent termination of the driving license, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Preet Pal Singh on Wednesday.

    “Commissioner of Police has decided that strict legal action will be taken against anyone who drives on the wrong side of a road in Gurugram. Traffic staff has also been directed to challan such drivers along with suspending their license. If the mistake is repeated, it will invite permanent termination of the license and it will not be issued to the person ever again,” said Singh while speaking to ANI.

    While giving the data of road accidents in Gurugram, he said that “Based on Motor Vehicles Act; we challaned 49,671 people in 2019 for driving on the wrong side while the number stood at 39,765 in the year 2020.”

    The police have decided that if any accident happens due to wrong side driving, then the accused will be charged under Section 304 (2) of Indian Penal Code and will be given a minimum of 10 years punishment.

    “The roads are monitored with CCTV cameras. I request everyone to follow safety rules otherwise strict action will be taken. This is to ensure that people do not put their and others lives at risk. Many people lose their lives due to negligence,” Singh added.