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| Monday, January 10, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Bag stolen
from Shatabdi CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — When newly married Monica and her husband, Asish, got into the Chandigarh-bound Shatabdi Express at New Delhi Railway Station this morning, little did they realise that the man sitting next to them and carrying a cellular telephone was a "thief". Five minutes later, the man with the cellular phone had disappeared. He allegedly took with him a small handbag belonging to Monica which she had tucked beneath her seat in Coach No 4 of the train. The bag contained jewellery and cash worth more than Rs 4 lakh. "It was my entire saving of the past four years of work abroad," she said. The drama lasted less than five minutes. Monica and Asish got into the train at about 7.20 a.m., 20 minutes before its time of departure. They quickly settled in their seats — Nos. 26 and27 — in Coach Number 4 after putting their bags on overhead carriers. Monica, however, tucked her handbag under her seat as it contained valuables, including jewellery, cash and some documents. A middle-aged man with a cellular phone in his hand, first sat with them and then moved across the aisle before finally shifting to a seat behind them. Five minutes later, around 7.25 a.m., when Monica wanted to make sure that her handbag was safe, it had disappeared. The man with the cellular phone, too, had disappeared. Shocked, Monica raised the alarm before breaking down. Asish rushed out to look for the man. Other passengers, too, shocked and dismayed at the developments also came out of the coach to look for the man with the cellular phone. Seven to eight policemen of the Haryana Government Railway Police who move in the train, wielding Sten guns, too, came out of the train. Confronted by agitated passengers, they maintained that they had no jurisdiction to take any action on an incident that takes place on the platform or a train which has not left the platform. Instead, they advised Monica, her husband and other agitated passengers to contact the police post at the railway station. Monica rushed to the "May I help you" counter where she was advised to contact the Delhi police post outside the railway station and get an FIR registered. The passengers maintained that not even a single policeman of the Delhi Police or Delhi Government Railway Police or the Government Railway Protection Force was available on Platform No 1 from where the Shatabdi Express departs. While a sobbing Monica ran from pillar to post without being helped by anyone, she decided to cancel her journey. She and her husband unloaded their baggage and decided to head for the police post to lodge an FIR. "It was a shocking incident, especially in the wake of the recent bomb blast at Old Delhi railway station. If this is the level of security and vigilance on Platform No. 1, considered a 'VIP' platform, the situation at other platforms can well be imagined," remarked a senior civil servant who travelled by the same train to Chandigarh this morning. Another issue raised by this incident is about the usefulness of Sten gun wielding policemen of the Haryana Government Police who remain on board the train. In fact, before the train leaves the platform, they check the baggage and put stickers on them after establishing the identity of the owners. Had the policemen on
board reacted and moved quickly, the culprit may have
been nabbed, remarked another passenger. Further, the
passengers also criticised the complete absence of local
police from the railway station and any help available
for passengers in distress. |
Road
carpet did not last even one week PANCHKULA, Jan 9 — The newly carpeted parking in the market of Sector 16, opened to the public on January 1, is already showing signs of cracking up and the stone underneath is visible at some places. The President of the Beopar Sangh, Sector 16, Mr Jaithmal Vaid, said that the association had managed to get the project through after over a decade of appeals and visits to the office of the Haryana Urban Development Authority. "However, a week into the happiness and we are dismayed at the kind of work that has been done. On the first day itself, the carpeting started to peel off and little craters developed in the area which were immediately filled up. To our dismay, these have again come off,'' he informs. The SDO in charge of laying the road said that the thickness of the carpeting was much more than the approved thickness. However, it was coming off at some places since the level of the area was uneven and the thickness could not be maintained at some places. He also admitted that the mixture laid out in the parking was overburnt and not fit for use. Further, he added that the contractor who had been given the job of laying the parking did not have a computerised hot mix plant to determine the right mixture and this contributed to the peeling off. The contractor said that everything had been done according to specifications laid down by the department, but was done in a hurry since the pressure from the shopkeepers in the area on the department to carpet the road was beginning to mount. Hence, it was done in
spite of unsuitable weather conditions and the result is
for all to see. However, he contended that the filling up
of patches where the mixture had come out would be
undertaken shortly. |
15-year wait for
interview call CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — Ms Savidha Oberoi, a Sector 40 resident, said she had been waiting for about 15 years to receive any job-interview call through the State Employment Exchange of Haryana at Mani Majra. She said she had got herself registered at the exchange as a candidate for the general category employment in 1985 under the registration number W-5595/85, dated November 29, 1985. She had also changed her job category option from general to specific (of a typist) in 1992 under the registration number W-2158/92, dated September 14, 1992. However, even then she did not receive any interview call. She said not calling her to appear in any of the job interviews conducted by the state departments had jeopardised her future. Long wait has left her overage for an entry-level job in all institutions. She alleged that it was
widely known that only those persons who bribed the
officials at the exchange, were informed of the good job
openings. She also alleged that the inefficiency of the
exchange officials was responsible for this long delay. |
Women's
global march from March 8 CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — To awaken women regarding their rights, marches will be held throughout the world from March 8 to October 17. This was stated by Mr Suman Krishan Kant, All-India President of the Mahila Daksita Samiti (MDS), while addressing MDS activists at Lajpat Rai Bhavan in Sector 15 here today. On March 8, the Secretary-General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan, will flag off the march. On October 17, the President of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be requested to interact with the women activists, she said. There was need for a
change in the social thinking of the Indian society in
the new millennium, she said adding that the customs,
which were irrelevant today, should be discarded so that
a healthy society could be formed. |
Ravi Inder
to organise rally on Feb 5 KHARAR, Jan 9 — Mr Ravi Inder Singh, MLA, Morinda, who has been suspended from the SAD, has decided to organise a rally at Morinda on February 5 to generate public opinion about the present political situation in Punjab. This was announced by Mr Ravi Inder Singh while addressing a press conference at Kurali, about 10 km from here, yesterday. He was in Kurali in connection with a function organised by Khalsa Senior Secondary School. Mr Ravi Inder Singh is the chairman of the managing committee of the school. Mr Ravi Inder Singh said every Punjabi was worried about the economic condition and corruption in the state. He said everyone was paying taxes to the government and the government was duty bound to tell the people what was going on. He said he would invite all Akali and BJP leaders, including Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, to come to the conference to present their points of view. He added that economists, professionals and representatives of the Punjab Government would also be invited. No invitation would be sent to leaders of the Congress, he stated. Mr Ravi Inder Singh said it would be an open conference, so that people could know everything about the state of affairs and steps could be taken to solve problems faced by the people. He said there should be large-scale involvement of the people in solving various problems faced by them. He would raise all issues which he had raised at the party forum earlier, he claimed. He said sales tax
earnings in Punjab was Rs 200 crore less than in Haryana.
Answering a question about the recent Cabinet expansion
in Punjab, he said as the state was facing a financial
crisis, what was needed was not expansion but quality. |
Rally by
disabled persons SAS NAGAR, Jan 9 — As many as 100 physically handicapped persons took part in a state-level disabled awareness scooter rally, which was flagged off by Additional Director General of Police, Punjab, Mr J.P. Aswal, from Phase 3B2 here today. The rally was organised by the Punjab Physicallly Handicapped Association, in coordination with the Nevedac Prosthetic Centre, Daulatsinghwala, Zirakpur. Starting from Rose Garden here, the rally passed through various sectors of Chandigarh, before culminating at the prosthetic centre. It was received by Mr Ajit Salani, Secretary of the National Handicapped Welfare Council, Dr V.J.S.Vohra, Director of Nevedac Prosthetic Centre, and Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal, a former Mayor of Chandigarh. Before flagging off the rally, Mr Aswal urged the Government and non-government organisations to work towards the rehabilitation and upliftment of the handicapped. Mr Avtar Singh Gharuan, Organising Secretary of the Physically Handicapped Association, Punjab, said the rally had given a lot of encouragement to the handicapped. He added that on World Disabled Day, which falls on March 19, 2000, a rally by the disabled would be organised from Amritsar to Delhi. Mr Ajit Salani came down
heavily on the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh
Administration for not extending any help in organising
the rally. Talking of providing limbs to the handicapped
in the future in spite of non-receipt of grant from the
Central Government, Dr V.J.S. Vohra, said during the
current financial year, artificial limbs worth over Rs 2
lakh had been provided to needy persons. |
Footpath
workers burn DC's effigy CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — To protest against the alleged indifferent attitude of the Chandigarh Administration, members of the Footpath Workers Rozgar Bachao Samiti burnt an effigy of the Deputy Commissioner in Sector 22 here today. Addressing the workers, various criticised the alleged anti-footpath-worker policies of the administration. The speakers alleged that the enforcement staff of the administration and the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) harassed the footpath workers by confiscating their goods and imposing heavy fines. The workers resolved to
burn the effigy of the DC every Sunday as a mark of
protest. |
Cheated of Rs 80,000 by
travel agent LALRU, Jan 9 — A local travel agent has allegedly cheated a local resident, Mr Avtar Singh, of Rs 80,000 on the pretext of sending him to Italy. The victim, in his complaints to the Chief Minister of Punjab and SSP, Patiala, has alleged that Rajesh Kumar took Rs 80,000 promising to send him to Italy and gave a receipt of the amount received. But, he was taken to
Thailand, where he stayed in a hotel for about 10 days
without any work. Then he was taken to Hong Kong and
after spending two-three days there, the Hong Kong Police
arrested him for illegal entry and he was flown back to
India. |
Shopkeeper
robbed of 13,000 CHANDIGARH, Jan 9 — Mr Hari Om, a shopkeeper of Phase II, Ram Darbar, was tonight robbed of about Rs 13,000 by four unidentified youths. According to police sources, the youths came in a Tata Sumo and snatched the cash from the shopkeeper. However, a senior police official claimed that the youths were partners of Mr Hari Om and they had some dispute on the instalments of the car they had got financed. No case has yet been registered by the police. Liquor seized: The police yesterday arrested three persons and seized huge quantity of liquor from their possession. According to the police, Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Madrasi Colony in Sector 26, was arrested from Sector 28 and 24 bottles of whisky were seized from him. He was reportedly carting the liquor in a three-wheeler (CHV-0417). In another incident, Amit Kumar, a resident of Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib, was arrested from the road separating Sectors 37 and 38 and 12 bottles of whisky and 50 pouches of the country liquor were seized from him. In yet another case, Onkar Chand of Palsora was arrested with 12 bottles of whisky. Separate cases under the Excise Act have been registered. Case registered: The police has arrested Subhash Chand, a resident of Phase II in Ram Darbar, who attempted suicide yesterday by pouring kerosene on his body reportedly due to some domestic problems. A case has been registered. PINJORE Scooterist killed: A scooterist, Mewa Singh, resident of Kiratpur, died when he was run over by a truck, (PUV 3697), after being hit by a tractor trailer. He died while he was being taken to the hospital at Kalka. The truck driver has been arrested and a case under Sections 304 A and 279 of the IPC registered. Liquor seized: The police seized 2,600 pouches of country-made liquor from Inder Singh of Shimla while he was on his way to Himachal Pradesh. He started from the Chandigarh Housing Board roundabout in a Maruti van, (CH-01-8088), with the pouches and was intercepted on the way by the Pinjore police which had set up nakas to take him. Each pouch, containing 180 ml of liquor, was bought for Rs 8. It is priced at Rs 20 in Himachal Pradesh. Inder Singh was arrested
and a case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act
registered against him. |
Plan revision irks
allottees SAS NAGAR, Jan 9 — Allottees of sites in a commercial pocket at Industrial Focal Point in Phase IX here feel cheated by the Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation (PSIEC) after it revised the layout plan of the pocket after some sites there were auctioned. Perplexed at the move of the PSIEC, the allottees, who had purchased the commercial sites — shop-cum-offices (SCOs) and booths — at high rates, said they were informed only after physical development of the commercial pocket as per the revised site plan had been started in December. They said they had bidded for the sites depending upon their locations. According to the information available, as per the original plan of the pocket, a provision for 31 SCO sites and 50 booth site of two different sizes had been made. Of these, at least 10 SCO sites and 9 booth sites had been auctioned in January 15 last year. The PSIEC had sold the sites, as it had promised to develop the pocket by March, 1999. As per the original site plan, there was adequate parking area in front of the SCOs and booths. But as per the revised plan, the sites meant for parking have been reserved for hotel sites and more SCO and booth sites. At least six more SCO sites and 37 booth sites have been carved out in the revised plan. One allottee, Mr Gurdev Singh Walia, who had purchased SCO site 31 for Rs 15 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 7 lakh, lamented that he had invested the money due to its location. He said after they raised the issue with the PSIEC, a letter, dated December 30, 1999, asked for options within 15 days as per the revised site plan. It said the site plan had been revised to beautify the layout, equip the pocket with modern amenities and incorporate provision of hotel sites. The allottees maintained
that considering the increased number of SCOs and booth
sites, the revised parking area would be inadequate to
accommodate vehicles. Mr S.S. Bhogal, President of the
Welfare Association of Industrial Focal Point, said they
had urged the PSIEC officials to raise the plinth level
of the sites to bring it to the ground level as the storm
and sewer system in the area was faulty. Agitated at the
move of the PSIEC to revise the site plan, some
allottees, who formed a Commercial Sites Owners
Association Focal Point, have served a legal notice to
the corporation, seeking implementation of the original
site plan. |
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