M A I N   N E W S

Centre told about Jain’s police remand
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 11 — The Chandigarh Administration has sent a formal report to the Union Home Ministry about extension in police remand of its Home Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain, in a corruption case suggesting action under the All-India Civil Service Rules.

It may be recalled here that the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Chandigarh, Mr Sant Parkash, had remanded Mr N.K. Jain in police custody until May 15. He had surrendered a day earlier at the Sector 30 office of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

A case under the Anti Corruption Act was registered against Mr NK Jain on April 6 after which the CBI conducted a raid at his official residence on April 7 but found the house locked. The house was subsequently searched on April 10 after Mr Jain returned to the city.

3 held in Sirhind blast case
From Our Correspondent

FATEHGARH SAHIB, May 11 — With the arrest of three members of the Khalistan-Zindabad Commando Force, the district police claimed to have solved the bomb blast case on March 3 in a Jhang Travel bus from Jammu to Delhi near Sirhind town in which nine persons lost their lives and several others were injured.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Paramraj Singh Umranangal, SSP, said the bomb was planted by terrorists. He said Ranjit Singh, a resident of Simbal Camp, Jammu is the leader of the outfit.

He said that with the co-operation of the Jammu police, the three members who planted the bomb were arrested. They were identified as Devinder Singh, Tejinder Singh and Kamaldeep Singh, all from Jammu.

House wrecked in landslide
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 11 — Twenty-five residents of a private building in the heart of the town had a miraculous escape when a major portion of it collapsed around mid-night today following a landslide. The landslide was triggered by haphazard cutting of the hill below it for construction of a hotel.

About 15 rooms of the building were left hanging in the air while 10 rooms on the ground fell in.

The owners of the ill-fated building said the builder of the hotel had ignored their warnings and gone ahead with levelling of the hill for construction of a hotel. A 35-foot high rock which anchored the soil was also cut causing sinking of the area.

The adjoining buildings have also developed cracks and residents of the area are in panic. They accused the authorities of having turned a blind eye to haphazard cutting of the hill which had been going on for the past about two years just near the office of the Deputy Commissioner.

The police has registered a case, but no arrest has been made so far.

The authorities seem intent on a cover up with no one ready to accept responsibility for allowing cutting of the hill on Cart Road in the heart of the town.

Enquiries at the spot indicated that the mishap occurred as the retaining wall constructed by the builder collapsed as it could not bear the weight of the houses above it.

Mr R.L. Tandon, a retired senior accounts officer who is one of the owners of the house, said that all occupants of the building moved out after big cracks started appearing at about 11 p.m. yesterday. Within a short time the building was hanging the air with its foundations cut away by the resultant landslide.

The area below the house was littered with furniture and other household articles which were crushed in the collapse. The owners, which include the families of five brothers and a tenant, carried what belongings they could salvage to safer places.

The Superintendent of Police, Mr A.N. Sharma, visited the spot this morning.

The Additional District Magistrate, Mr H.N. Kashyap and SDM, Mr Amitabh Awasthi, said that only yesterday they had submitted a report to their higher authorities suggesting that digging of the hill be immediately stopped as the surrounding buildings were being endangered by the ‘haphazard’ work.

Mr Kashyap said the district administration had taken objection to the issuing of a no-objection certificate for the construction by the concerned officials and various officers who visited the site last week had taken note of landslides in the area.

The landslide has created a threat to other buildings in the area from the Mall right up to Cart Road. A school was hit by rubble in a landslide in the area last year.

Mr Tandon demanded that a high-level enquiry be held into the construction of the hotel and granting of unusually quick permission for cuttings the hill by various departments to the person who bought the land in 1997. He said that for about 25 years he himself had been trying to secure permission for constructing a building in the plot where the landslide occurred, and finally disposed of it to the present owner after failing to get it. But the new owner a permit to virtually level the hill for constructing a hotel.

He said that two smaller landslides occurred on the left of the building a few months ago, but the builder did not take these seriously.

Residents of the area alleged that the influential builder had encroached upon some adjoining land as well but the authorities failed to take action against him.