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| Friday, February 4, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Rs 368
crore for expansion, land acquisition CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has earmarked Rs 368 crore in its budget for the year 2000-2001 for acquisition of land for Wariana Urban Estate at Jalandhar and for future expansion of SAS Nagar. The budget proposals approved by the Finance and Accounts Committee of the PUDA will be tabled in its authority meeting scheduled for March 2. Giving details of the budget proposals, the Chief Administrator of the PUDA, Mr K.B.S. Sidhu, said under the social housing schemes, it had allocated Rs 24.80 crore as compared to Rs 19.67 crore in the current financial year. For further development of its urban estates at Kapurthala, Jalandhar and SAS Nagar, the PUDA has earmarked Rs 83.34 crore. Another Rs 37.91 crore had been earmarked for development works under the Optimum Utilisation of Vacant Land (OUVGL) scheme. He said the projected capital receipts for the year were expected to increase to Rs 513.55 crore from the current year’s estimates of Rs 254.99 crore. Similarly, the revenue receipts were expected to increase from the current year’s amount of Rs 44.88 crore to Rs 73.52 crore in the year 2000-2001. On the expenditure side, the capital (development) was expected to increase from current year’s 256.35 crore to Rs 542.67 crore. However, as PUDA has proposed to cut its revenue expenditure from Rs 48.60 crore in the current year to Rs 47. 83 crore in the next financial year. Other provisions in the budget include Rs 3.98 crore for Government Housing Rental Scheme, Rs 3.10 crore for construction of sports complex at SAS Nagar, Rs 2.78 crore for the pending works of the District Administrative Complex at Jalandhar, Rs 1.02 crore for the Malout Urban Estate and Rs 55 lakh for the Dasmesh Academy of Martial Arts at Anandpur Sahib. He said of the total
budget proposals only Rs 321 crore would be borrowed from
HUDCO and other financial institutions to carry out
development (capital) works to the tune of Rs 542.67
crore. The remaining works were proposed to be funded
from internal sources. |
UT awardee
teachers yet to get money CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — Three UT State Awards for Schoolteachers which are given each year to teachers who fulfil the criteria laid by the District Education Officer (DEO), UT, have been duly announced for the year 1999. But till date, not only are these three awardees waiting for their award money but even the seven awardees for the year 1998 are yet to receive the same. The UT State Award for teachers includes a silver medal, Rs 1,500 on the spot and Rs 5,000 later or an extension of one year in service. As per the Education Department, though these awards are given every year on Teacher's Day that falls on September 5, the delay for these two years has been caused for want of an appropriate date to distribute them. "Last year, the delay had been caused over the strikes in schools because of the Pinky suicide case and this year, the elections fell on the same date", informed Mr D. S. Saroya, Director Public Instructions (DPI), Schools. He also added that initially, the Administration had proposed to give these awards on January 26 this year, but some teachers insisted that a separate function be organised for presenting these awards. "These teachers would be distributed these awards sometime in March at a function exclusively for this purpose," said Mr Saroya. Meanwhile, some teachers insist that a delay has been caused without reason and that the award money simply needs to be distributed. "The respective schools could be given the awards, which further could be handed over to the teachers concerned," said one of the awardees. In fact, all UT State Awardees for 1998 had been asked in writing by the DEO, UT, to attend the Teacher's Day function on September 5, 1998, at the Tagore Theatre to receive their awards. The conditions for recommendations for the award include a "spotless service" as a class-room teacher for 10 years and in case of heads of school, the teaching experience is required to be a minimum of 15 years. The UT State Awardees for 1998 include Mr Gulzar Singh, Principal, GMSSS-22; Mrs Rajinder Kaur, Lecturer, Social Science, GGSSS-20; Mr Sanjeev Arora, Fine Arts Master, GSSS-20; Mr Lakhbir Singh, Punjabi teacher, GSSS-15' Mrs Raksha Kalia, Nursery Teacher, GMSSS-22; Mrs Ravinder Kaur, Science Teacher, GHS-40; and Mrs Nirmal Kumari, JBT, GMMS-39. Five commendations were also awarded that year. For 1999, the awardees
are Mr Satnam Singh Dhindsa, GMSSS-33; Mrs Harjit Kaur,
Punjabi lecturer, GMSSS-33; Mrs Palwant Kaur, JBT,
GSSS-38. |
Mayor asks
for separate ward panels CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — Even as the Mayor, Ms Shanta Abhilashi, today urged the UT Administrator to constitute separate ward committees , the meetings of the committees already constituted by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) have been few. A case in point are the meetings of the advisory committees constituted to monitor the functioning of the nine community centres in the city by a former Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, in October,1998, for a period of one year. The committees failed to meet after a few months and even after the expiry of their tenure no new committees were constituted. It may be recalled that the committees having the area councillor ,the councillors living in the area, the concerned B&R and Public Health Xens and the SHO as official members were constituted mainly to monitor and supervise the functioning of the community centres and suggest ways and means to improve their functioning. And with a view to involving the public in the decision-making process three non-official members were also attached to the committees. But what to talk of meetings of the committees, even the official members failed to hold meetings after a few months. In fact the only forum where the functioning of community centres was discussed and grants released for their maintenance was the Art, Culture and Sports Committee.And with this committee also to be reconstituted, it seems unlikely that the plight of the community centres would attract the attention of the civic body in near future. Sources said the committees for the community centres would only be formed when the other committees of the corporation, which transacted major business of the corporation, were in place. The corporation now will have to constitute more committees as more community centres had been added since 1998, the sources added. It may be mentioned here
that three community centres in Sectors 20,29 and 40 are
under the occupation of the Kashmiri migrants. Ms
Abhilashi today also raised this issue with the
Administrator and asked the Chandigarh Administration to
provide alternative sites to the migrants so that the
centres could be used for providing basic amenities to
the residents. Mayor’s appeal to Jacob CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — The Mayor, Ms Shanta Abhilashi, has urged the Chandigarh Administration to adopt and enforce a uniform anti-encroachment policy in all sectors of the city. Raising this demand at a meeting with the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (Retd), here today, Ms Abhilashi offered full cooperation to the administration to curb the mushrooming of the encroachments. Demanding the constitution of separate ward committees for each ward, the Mayor urged the Administrator to get vacated various community centres occupied by the Kashmiri migrants. The administration should make proper arrangements for the migrants and hand over the community centres to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) so that they could be used for providing civic amenities to the residents. She also discussed a proposal for the beautification and maintenance of the three entry points near Panchkula, SAS Nagar and Zirakpur for the improvement of the city’s ambience and boosting its tourism potential. The civic body should
have the prerogative of handling the advertisements at
public places for generating more revenue, she said,
adding that illegal putting up of the posters at public
places gave the city a bad look. MCC panel approval CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) yesterday approved the powers and functions of the ward committees. It was recommended that the committee should meet once in two months or earlier as desired by the chairperson. The issue of the committees, to be constituted by the Chandigarh Administration, has been hanging fire for a long time. Through another
resolution, the meeting passed the draft bylaws for the
sale of poultry and fish products and meat. |
Unexpected
guest from the woods CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — For a female sambhar that was probably chased into the city from its natural environs in Shivalik forest this morning, its short sojourn here turned out to be painful. Scared out of the office of a Punjab Government undertaking on Madhya Marg in Sector 26 before it had opened, this "guest" from the woods ventured into sectors 27 and 28 before it was immobilised in an accident with a bus at the intersection of sectors 27, 28, 29 and 30. Tranquilised before medical aid, it was then taken to the Nepli forest for convalescing. From here it is likely to be discharged into its natural habitat as soon as it is on its own. This was the second incident in two days. A male ventured into Mani Majra yesterday. It was injured before the police and officials from the Department of Wildlife came to its rescue. It was later freed in the forest. "Weak male sambhars face hostility from stronger rivals while selecting female partners during the mating season in winter. The weak are driven out. This is why we get more male sambhars straying into the city during winter," says Mr H.S. Sohal, Chief Wildlife Warden. Four to five cases are reported every winter on an average but this time the number has been more as five cases have been reported with winter still not over," he says. This female sambhar was probably chased by dogs into the city. The other reason could be that it might have lost its way in search of food, especially wheat crop, and got into the city. It first went to the Sector 26 Madhya Marg office of the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation, from where the Department of Wildlife was alerted. Before the workers could reach the corporation's office, this animal ran across Madhya Marg to Sector 27 and then to Sector 28. But finding itself lost in a jungle of buildings of cement and concrete, it tried to run back to its natural habitat. At the intersection of sectors 27, 28, 29 and 30, it skimmed over a rickshaw but before it could land and regain balance, a bus coming from the side of the Inter-State Bus Terminus hit it. It lay on the road with blood oozing out of its nostrils and injuries on the head and the neck. Soon the Wildlife squad arrived with a tranquiliser. An injection was given after other members of the squad covered it with a net of plastic ropes. The medicine gradually made it sleep. When a special team of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals arrived with medicines, it was almost unconscious. The wounds were dressed
and tied, making it uncomfortable. Soon afterwards, it
was loaded into the trailer of a jeep of the Wildlife
Department and taken to Nepli forest, where it was kept
for observation. "It regained consciousness in the
evening," said Mr Sohal, hoping that the sambhar
would be in the woods by tomorrow. |
Striking HUDA staff ready
for compromise PANCHKULA, Feb 3 — The strike of employees of the Haryana Urban Development Authority completed 38 days here today. The protesters are adamant that the chain fast will continue till their demands are met, though they have ensured that work in the office will not suffer. The regional chairman of the Joint Action Committee comprising eight organisations, Mr R. K. Nagar, says, "We are willing to compromise with the Administration, but nothing has been offered to us. It must at least make a beginning by accepting some demands or inviting us for a talk.'' The main demands of the protesting employees as presented to the Deputy Commissioner include regularising the services of daily wage and ad hoc workers, those on contracts and those with breaks in service, implementation of pension on the government pattern, bonus to employees in tune with the production, representation to the HUDA employees' union, commissioner and minister of HUDA in the authority meetings, creation of posts wherever these are required and repatriating deputationists to their parent departments, among others. "We will wait and watch till February 10. However, if nobody approaches us, we will resort to a fast and may completely abstain from work,'' Mr Nagar informed. Those on fast today said that the employees were sore over the fact that the officials had carried out an inspection during their lunch hour on January 31 and deducted one-day's salary of those absent from duty. "During the lunch hour, we organise a procession and raise slogans to make ourselves heard. All these people were participating in the protest march when this was done. This is very unjust,'' Mr Nagar complained. However, at a press conference held earlier, the Chief Administrator, Mr N. C. Wadhwa, said that the regularisation of services of employees had been carried out till the year 1996 in accordance with the circular of the state government. "We have furthered the demand pertaining to bonus to the department concerned and the file seeking suggestions is ready. We have even moved a file seeking pension on the government pattern for them. However, we were told to prepare the pension draft and get it approved. We are also increasing their pension,'' he informed. The employees are also
demanding 5 per cent reservation in allotment of plots by
HUDA which, Mr Wadhwa claims has been rejected by the
government. "We are trying to put in another
application for the same from our side,'' he explained.
Further, he said, the promotion of employees were being
considered and 47 of these were almost final. "It is
more a fight for supremacy among the various
organisations wanting to take credit for acceptance of
the demands,'' he added. |
Residents
want causeway repaired PAPPRI (SAS NAGAR), Feb 3 — Residents of more than half a dozen villages are demanding repair of the damaged causeway on the Kambala-Manauli road. The causeway, about 4 km from Phase XI, SAS Nagar collapsed last week. Residents of Manauli, Chilla, Pappri and other adjoining villages complained of great hardships in reaching Chandigarh and other parts of Ropar district in the absence of any other alternate route. The villagers have to take a longer route of more than 15 km via Zirakpur. They criticised the Punjab PWD (B& R) Department in delaying the repair work. Meanwhile, when
contacted none of the officials were available for
comments. |
Club takes
up welfare projects CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — A youth club has taken up various public welfare projects in Hussainpur village. The village, near SAS Nagar, was adopted by the Club with a strength of about 24 volunteers. The club with the
assistance of its members remains busy in filling
depressions and low-lying areas, which are major health
hazards. In one such cleanliness drive, more than 40
loaded trollies were used to fill pits in and around the
village. |
Accused declared
proclaimed offender CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — Nearly seven months after a city resident was injured in the Sector 34 blast, the UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr A. K. Bishnoi, has declared accused Rattandeep Singh a proclaimed offender. Pronouncing the orders, the Judicial Magistrate observed: "This court is satisfied that the accused has been duly served through proclamation as required under Section 82, CrPC. However, since the accused has not come present, he is hereby declared a proclaimed offender. Information to this regard be sent to the SHO concerned." The Judicial Magistrate also observed: "A perusal of the file would reveal that accused Rattandeep Singh was ordered to be summoned through written proclamation as per Section 82 of CrPC. Accused Rattandeep Singh was duly served through proclamation on November 22, 1999 for January 6. However, he did not appear on that date. The statement of the serving constable was recorded on that date..." The Judicial Magistrate also fixed February 16 for reply and consideration of an application moved by accused Sher Singh seeking transfer to Central Jail at Chandigarh or at Ambala from Tihar Jail. In the application, counsel for the accused stated that transfer would enable the trial of the case to proceed smoothly and without any hindrance. Earlier, the prosecution had alleged that investigations had revealed the handing over of the bomb used in the blast to accused Sher Singh and Gurbax Singh by Rattandeep Singh. The prosecution, it may be recalled, had submitted challan against Sher Singh of Jind district and Gurbax Singh of Kurukshetra district under Sections 307, 323, 427 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, besides Sections 3, 4 and 6 of the Explosives Substances Act. The two had been booked by the Chandigarh police after a resident sustained injuries following the blast in an unmanned parking near the Sector 34 Milkfed office on June 30 at about 12.35 p.m. As many as 14 vehicles had also been damaged. The impact had been so powerful that the window panes of several multi-storeyed buildings in the sector were shattered. Panic had gripped the staff of the organisations housed in the commercial centre as the people had rushed out of the buildings. A team of experts from
the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Sector 36 had
soon reached the site for collecting samples and parts of
the damaged vehicles for ascertaining the nature of the
explosive and the intensity of the blast. |
Gun, car
of suspect recovered CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — A gun and a car of one of the suspects accused in the attack on a Panchkula resident on January 28 have been recovered by the police. The .12 bore gun has been sent to the forensic laboratory to determine whether it was the same weapon that was used in the attack. Manoj Pal Laswas, a nephew of a former Haryana minister, had in his complaint to the police alleged that he was on his way to Chandigarh to visit a doctor at the Sector 16 General Hospital when he was signalled by four car borne youths to stop. Thinking that they were acquaintances, he asked his driver to stop the van. One of the assailants,
who he claimed was B. S. Mankotia, shot him while he was
getting out of the vehicle. He was shot near the Housing
Board roundabout near Mani Majra. A case under Section
307, 120 - B, was registered at the Mani Majra police
station. |
Couple
receives burn injuries in jhuggi fire CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — A couple received burn injuries after their jhuggi in Sector 25 caught fire here this morning. While the man received 25 per cent burn injuries, his wife had more than 50 per cent injuries. They have been admitted to the PGI. According to police sources, 22- year-old Sanju said his wife, Baldev Kaur (19), was preparing breakfast when the stove burst and set the thatched roof of their hutment afire. They managed to get out but by that time had received the injuries. Fearing that the fire would spread, the neighbours too had brought out their belongings, but the fire was brought under control by the people. Further investigations are on. Body recovered: The police have recovered the body of a 50-year old man from near the Sector 25 roundabout. The man seemed to be a rickshaw puller who reportedly died due to the cold. The body has been sent for a postmortem and efforts are afoot to ascertain the identity of the deceased. Charge of abduction: Mrs Topli, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony has reported that her minor daughter has been abducted by Mota, a resident of Ludhiana. A case under Section 363/366, IPC, has been registered. Held with stolen phone: The police has arrested Rajan Sharma, a resident of Sector 44, and recovered a mobile phone stolen from Sector 47. A case under Section 279/311, IPC, has been registered. TV, water meter stolen: Mrs Rekha Mittal, a resident of Sector 11, reported that someone had stolen a colour TV, water meter and water taps from her house while her family was out of station. A case under Section 380, IPC, has been registered. Two injured: Mr Pankaj Gaba, a resident of Sector 44, reported that he and his pillion rider were hit and injured by a tractor driven by Kehar Singh of Jhampur village. The accused has been arrested while the injured were admitted to the PGI. A case under Section 279/338, IPC, has been registered. Case registered: The police have registered a case against the employees of a Sector 34 financier for allegedly forcibly taking away the car of a borrower from near the Industrial Area late in the evening after the latter was going home after getting his car serviced from a garage in the vicinity. Sources said the further investigations were on. Arrested: The police has arrested Deepak on the charge of assaulting certain students of a school in Sector 23. According to sources, the trouble started when the schoolboys went for a picnic in Shanti Kunj in Sector 16 on Saturday. There they had an argument with Deepak and they allegedly beat up Deepak. Later, Deepak along with over 10 other boys came to the school and attacked Jagat Pal, Surinder Kumar and one Negi with knives and sticks. Jagat Pal and Surinder were injured and admitted to hospital. While Deepak has been
arrested, other, including JK, Kagga, Sandeep Chauhan
have absconded. A case has been registered. |
MBE award for city
hotelier CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — Mr Ved P. Venayak, a Chandigarh-based hotelier settled in England, has been given a rare award of Member of British Empire (MBE) by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in December last year. Mr Venayak, who spends four to six weeks between January and April every year at his Sector 18 residence here, migrated to the United Kingdom in 1954 as a young man. On reaching England, he had joined a course in accountancy at famous King’s College. In 1956, after completing his education, he started drapery business. Two years later he invested in a hotel at Newcastle Upon Tyne, which is just 50 miles from the border of Scotland. In 1962 he discontinued drapery business and took to hotel business full time. At present he owns two
hotels at Newcastle upon Tyne river. His brother, too,
runs a hotel at Osborne. |
Rationalisation
of ST sought CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — A deputation of the Grain Market Association, Rice Dealers Association, Chandigarh-Panchkula Wholesale Khal and Cattlefeed Traders Association and Cattle and Poultry Feed Manufacturers Association met the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (Retd), today and submitted a memorandum in support of their demands. The memorandum demanded the rationalisation of sales tax structure in case of many items such as wheat flour, pulses, rice, karyana items and packing material.The new tax structure, introduced by the Chandigarh Administration was not in the interest of the consumers as there were disparities when compared with the neighbouring states. It demanded the abolition of the sales tax on the cattlefeed, poultry feed and “khal” as there was no sales tax on these products in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal also met General Jacob and submitted two memoranda, one containing general demands and other having a comparative chart of sales tax on 30 items in the neighbouring states. The memoranda demanded the withdrawal of surcharge and bringing of the sales tax on certain like computers, electrical appliances and pulses at par with the neighbouring states. Abolition of the CST and
clearance of the pending sales tax cases were the other
issues highlighted in the memoranda. |
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