Lutyens’ Delhi clear-up on cards

New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has assured Delhi High Court that it would “demolish without remorse” all unauthorised constructions made in the capital’s Lutyens zone that houses the residences of several VIPs, including Union cabinet ministers.

The court on Wednesday granted two weeks’ time to the Centre to file an affidavit on the assurance while posting the matter for further hearing to April 19.

Additional solicitor-general Gopal Subramaniam told the apex court that the Centre was determined to demolish all unauthorised structures and sought two weeks’ time to furnish the requisite guidelines and demolition policy.

Only those structures constructed as per the original guidelines of the central public works department will be permitted to stay, he added.

“We are determined and we will remorselessly demolish all unauthorised structures,” Subramaniam said.

New FIR against tapping duo

New Delhi (PTI): Two accused in the Amar Singh phone-tapping case, Bhupender Singh and Vijay Dhawan, were handed over to the Delhi police special cell for a fresh round of questioning on Wednesday.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Kanwal Jeet Arora has granted two days’ remand after the special cell filed a plea in connection with a new FIR which alleged that they were also tapping two Airtel numbers at the time of their arrest.

Delhi police have not revealed the identities of the Airtel subscribers.

The police have already chargesheeted Singh, Dhawan, Anurag Singh and Kuldeep in the Amar Singh case.

Molest charge

Aligarh (PTI): A faculty member of the Aligarh Muslim University has been suspended on the charge of sexually harassing a girl student, university sources said on Wednesday.

The postgraduate student had alleged that Shareef Ahmad, a reader in the Sanskrit department, made lewd passes after calling her to his room.

Pollution stick

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Union environment and forest secretary to explain the government’s failure in implementing its 1996 judgment. The court had ordered the removal of sludge in and around eight industries in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district.

Graft terms

Nagpur (PTI): A special court has sentenced an irrigation department engineer and his brother to imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case. Bapurao Gopalrao Kanhekar had amassed Rs 15 lakh.

Goa is witnessing a considerable increase in tourist inflow in 2006 with 1.68 lakh holiday-makers from abroad already having visited it. The tourist season here will last two more months.