Trees at Lodhi Garden to have QR codes to help visitors
New Delhi: From January 1, those visiting the iconic Lodhi Garden here can get information about trees there just by scanning QR codes tagged on them with their smart-phones. Spread over 90 acres, the garden has a national bonsai park, herbal garden, bamboo garden, butterfly zone, lotus and lily pond, peacock hatchery and the tallest (35.5 m) tree in Delhi called ‘Buddha Coconut’. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is in the process of installing the QR codes which when scanned by a visitor will give details of a tree, including its age, lifespan, botanical name, common name, blooming season among others. Quick Response (QR) Code is a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing web-links or other information for reading by the camera on a smart-phone. “For the first phase, 100 trees have been selected in the garden where QR codes will be installed. This will make people more interested in nature. More trees will be chosen for the purpose but since Lodhi garden is huge, a census needs to be done,” a senior NDMC official said. (PTI)
Guj govt bans school picnic buses from plying at night
Ahmedabad: In the wake of two recent bus accidents in which eight students were killed and several others injured, the Gujarat government on Wednesday banned school picnic buses from plying during night hours. The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said after the meeting. Two buses carrying school children met with accident (in separate incidents) while plying during night time in the last few days, he noted. “To avoid such mishaps in future, our government has decided to impose a ban on such buses from plying between 11 pm and 6 am with children on board,” Patel told reporters. He said the restriction was being imposed while taking into consideration the safety of children. “Now, bus operators need to stop the journey during this time period and make lodging and boarding arrangements for children,” Patel said. (PTI)
Prosecutor assaults judge outside courtroom in Nagpur
Nagpur: A sessions court judge was allegedly assaulted by an assistant prosecutor in a court premises here in Maharashtra on Wednesday, a police official said. The incident took place around noon outside a lift on the seventh floor of the district sessions court, he said. Senior civil judge K R Deshpande alleged that assistant public prosecutor D M Parate slapped him outside the courtroom, Sadar police station in-charge Sunil Bonde told reporters, quoting the judge’s complaint. The accused was apparently miffed over a decision taken by the judge in a case, he said. An investigation was on into the incident, police said, adding that no arrest was made so far. When contacted, district government pleader Nitin Telgote condemned the incident. “He (the accused) should not have done this. If he had any grievances, he should have taken it up in a proper manner…the society does not expect this from lawyers,” Telgote told PTI. (PTI)
Auto driver saves woman, baby from drowning, loses own life
New Delhi: Little did auto-rickshaw driver Pawan Shah knew that jumping into a canal in Delhi to save lives of a woman and her baby would turn fatal for him. Last Saturday, 30-year-old Pawan was heading home after dropping off a passenger when he saw a woman with a baby in her arms standing on the edge of a bridge on the Meethapur canal. In a moment, he saw the woman jumping off the bridge, police said Wednesday. Without a second thought, Pawan left his auto and jumped into the water to save the woman and the baby. He also shouted and asked for help. Three men who were passing by saw Pawan and the woman and formed a human chain. They saved the mother-son duo from drowning but when they went for rescuing Pawan, it was too late as a strong current had taken him away, Chinmoy Biswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) said. The three men — Rajveer, Jamil and Sanjeev — informed Jaitpur police station about the incident and police soon rushed to the spot and started a search for Pawan. However, even after four days, the search is underway as his body could not be found, the senior officer said. (PTI)
Three policemen reach crime scene sans weapons, suspended
New Delhi: Three policemen were suspended for their negligence after they went without their weapons to catch the robbers who allegedly ransacked a house in south Delhi’s Sainik Farms, police said on Wednesday. The duty officer of Neb Sarai police station was also among the three suspended, Devesh Srivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) said. On Saturday, four armed men allegedly barged into a farmhouse and looted cash and ornaments worth lakhs after taking the complainant’s wife and his domestic help into hostage, a senior police officer said. When the men were ransacking, one of the domestic helps somehow managed to escape and approached the Neb Sarai police station seeking help, he said. Two policemen went with the domestic help to the spot. However, after reaching the spot, they realised that they had forgotten to carry along their weapons. They left the spot assuring the complainant that they would return with more police personnel, he added. (PTI)
Soon, seaplanes to land on Tehri lake
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday gave its nod to run seaplanes on Tehri lake as part of the state’s strategy to develop the artificial reservoir as a tourist destination. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, minister Madan Kaushik said the initiative was taken under the Centre’s UDAN scheme. An MoU will be signed between the Centre, Uttarakhand government and Airports Authority of India (AAI). The state government will arrange for 2.5 acres of land around the lake for the project. The Centre will provide 80 per cent of the project cost, the minister said. In another decision, Kaushik said, the cabinet decided to sign an agreement with National University of Singapore to make Dehradun a ‘smart city’. He said the university will do a year-long study and submit the report to the state. The state will provide SGD 2,50,000 to the university for the study. (PTI)