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| Saturday, August 12, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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ST filing procedure simplified CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — In a move aimed at simplification of sales tax filing procedure and to reduce paper work, the Sales Tax Department of the Chandigarh Administration has issued fresh instructions for 'C' forms which must accompany all transactions between two traders. At the moment 'C' forms are valued at denomination of Rs 5,000 and even if a trader buys items of Rs 1,000 he has to use the same form. The upper limit is of Rs 20,000. And a fresh form is required for each transaction. And on the other hand, if the transactions exceed Rs 20,000 then multiple forms are needed to be attached thus needlessly adding to the paper work. Under the fresh instructions the same form can be used for multiple transactions till the trader exhausts the denomination limit of the `C' form. The same `C' form will be used for transaction between a set of two traders. While for transactions that are of say between one local trader and several other traders then the old system will prevail as each set of traders will require to submit separate `C' forms. A
'C' form is required by local traders to procure goods from outside. With Chandigarh having very few manufacturing units almost goods are procured from outside the state. More than 22,000 traders in the city stand to gain from the move as all of them invariably complain of having to use and file `C' forms even for very small trading. Now the Chandigarh Administration has allowed `C' forms
up to a limit of Rs 50,000. At a later stage colour coding will be introduced for `C' forms of various denominations, said the Deputy Commissioner cum Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, while stating that the old forms would continue till new one are printed. Now denominations will be mentioned on the forms till the next set is printed with colour coding, he added. The move is aimed at reducing paper work of the Sales Tax Department that is already very overworked and understaffed. Besides this, sources said Punjab had already removed the limit of `C' forms thus allowing unlimited amount of transactions. All the traders need to do is to fill up one form at the end of the financial year. In the past the department officials have mentioned at various forums that no more than six Sales Tax Inspectors are posted in Chandigarh and no fresh posts are being sanctioned by the Government of India. This is the first step at reducing the increased workload of the staff, say officials. |
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SAS Nagar to be on IT map: Badal SAS NAGAR, Aug 11 — The Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today said the state government was determined to bring SAS Nagar on the Information Technology (IT) map of the world. Sincere efforts were being made to make the town a centre of excellence for IT and health-care system, he added. He was here to lay the foundation stone of the building complex of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation in Phase 9. Addressing a gathering after the ceremony, Mr Badal disclosed that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, was being requested to inaugurate the Ranjit Sagar Dam project, completed with an additional grant of Rs 400 crore from the Centre. He said to make the state self-sufficient in power, two more units of Lehra Mohabat Power Plant had been commissioned and another 600 MW Thermal Plant was being set up at Goindwal Sahib. Blaming the previous Congress regimes for the poverty, illiteracy and unemployment in the country, he said the former rulers had exploited the poor for their vested interests. "The one-party rule for long has given rise to a number of problems, which are casting their shadow on the democratic set-up of the nation." He claimed that the SAD-BJP combine had worked for the uplift of the scheduled castes and poor sections of society. He said the Punjab Scheduled Castes Corporation was set up in 1970. Mr Jagjeet Singh, Managing Director of the corporation, said the building would cost Rs 2 crore and would be completed in one year. He said the corporation had helped 4.58 lakh scheduled caste families of the state with a loan component of Rs 438 crore for starting different business activities. Mr Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Minister for Social Welfare, said the state government had implemented various schemes for the uplift of scheduled castes and had started construction of dharamshalas. During the current financial year, Rs 58 crore would be spent as loans for about Rs 27,000 scheduled caste families through the corporation, he added. Capt Ajit Singh Ranreta, Chairman of the corporation, also spoke on the occasion. No mobiles, pagers THE cops frisking people at the venue refused to allow journalists to carry their pagers and mobile phones, while senior police officials and politicians were seen flaunting their mobiles. After the journalists refused to cover the function over the issue, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ropar, and officials of the Public Relations Department intervened and allowed the journalists to carry their pagers. |
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Jacob unhappy with
ISBT upkeep
Chief Engineer R.K. Jain was asked by he Administrator to coordinate with the Municipal Corporation authorities to get all the clogged sewerage manholes of the bus stand cleaned within a fortnight. Later, the Administrator went to the polyclinic in Sector 22 to see its working. He also interacted with patients and found that most of them were waiting for more than an hour for their turn to come. Here also the General observed that the maintenance of sanitation of the polyclinic was not up to the mark and needed improvement. The Medical Superintendent, Dr K. K. Garg, informed him that the polyclinic was in the process of being expanded to meet the additional rush. He also visited the rehri market in Sector 22 to see the problem of encroachments by roadside vendors. He also visited the AIDS Control Society and a market near the Kiran cinema. His visit had been planned to these areas at an one hour's notice.  |
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Civic poll: papers
of 76 rejected SAS NAGAR, Aug 11 — It was hectic day at the office of the Electroral Registration Officer (ERO) as the process of scrutinising the nomination papers of the candidates for the forthcoming elections to the SAS Nagar Municipal Council ended late this evening. The ERO, Mr Jaipal Singh, informed that 154 nomination papers had been accepted and the remaining 76 nomination papers had been rejected on different grounds. A total of 220 nomination papers had be filed. All nominations papers of Wards no. 1, 14, 16 and 20, which are reserved for reserved category candidates have been rejected on the basis of the reserved category certificates produced by the applicants. A total of 220 nomination papers, including some double papers, had been filed for the 27 Wards of the civic body. The Wards reserved for women candidates are 1 (SC), 4,7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25. The Wards no.14 , 17 and 20 are reserved for male the Scheduled Caste, male backward caste and general Scheduled Caste candidates, respectively. The remaining wards are reserved for general category candidates. Meanwhile, when the process of
scrutinising the nomination papers was in progress the candidates along with their supporters waited outside the office of the ERO for their turn. The candidates were called by the ERO on the basis
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Ranjit
Bajaj granted bail CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — Ranjit Bajaj, son of senior IAS officers of Punjab, was today granted bail in a kidnapping and criminal intimidation case by Mr Justice N.C. Khichi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was directed to be released on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 20,000 along with two sureties of the like amount. Pronouncing the orders on his bail plea, Justice Khichi also directed Bajaj to surrender his passport before the Chief Judicial Magistrate here. The accused was directed against tampering with the evidence or leaving the country without the court's prior permission. He was booked by the Chandigarh police on May 17 under Section 392, 364, 323 and 506 of the IPC. |
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Custodial death: 3 cops suspended CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — Two Sub-Inspectors and one constable have been suspended for their alleged negligence which resulted in the death of a person in police custody. UT IGP B.S. Bassi issued the orders following a preliminary inquiry here this evening. Those suspended are SIs Dharam Singh and Ashwani Kumar and constable Naresh Kumar. According to police sources, personnel of the Sector 39 police station had arrested Amanjeet, a resident of Sector 32, for creating nuisance near the Sector 39/40 roundabout under the influence of liquor. Intriguingly, he was taken to the Sector 16 General Hospital for a medical check up at about midnight. The incident happened when the police party on a truck driven by constable Charanjit Singh was bringing back the accused to the police station. Naresh and Aman were sitting in the back of the truck and when the vehicle neared the Sector 23/24 dividing road, Amanjeet, allegedly grappled with the deceased and in the ensuing melee reportedly fell out of the truck and hit the road. He sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. He is survived by his wife who is a staff nurse at the Sector 32 GMCH. As per the directions of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in such cases, a magistrate held inquest proceedings while a board of doctors carried out the post-mortem late this evening. Further investigations are underway. |
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SPEAKING OUT CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — The government should adopt a proactive policy and pay back the terrorists in the same coin. There has to be an end to barbaric and senseless killings of innocent civilians. The practice of following an impulsive policy on such a crucial matter of national concern should be discouraged by the government. These are some of the views of a cross section of city residents, who while being deeply hurt by the recent massacres in the valley, were unanimous in condemning the dastardly acts and wanted the issue settled once and for all. Some asked what prevented us from fomenting trouble in Pakistan so that the country in question could have a taste of the same medicine. Lt-Gen B.S. Randhawa (retd) said we should learn from the way peace talks with the Nagas in the North East were negotiated, leading to the signing of the Shillong accord. “In the present context, I think the elected government somehow failed to make most of the opportunity and was not fully involved in the talks. The outcome of the failed talks are for everyone to see and things are going to get worse, “ he opined. More forces should be committed to the valley to contain the spurt in militant activities. He suggested an improved intelligence network besides a proactive policy by the government. The idea is to strike first rather than be on the defensive. Besides, an area of 20 km along the border should be declared as a disturbed zone for engaging the militants and prevent infiltration, he opined. Brigadier Gurinderjit Singh agreed that we are at the receiving end presently and the situation in the valley is going to get worse. And such situations call for extreme measures. Firstly, we have to overhaul our intelligence network. There had to be a certain amount of information about the hideouts of the area commanders who participated in the talks. The belief that they had come from Pakistan at such a short notice is a bit far fetched. The reason for a dialogue was that the militant outfit wanted a breather but there seems to be no reason why we could not have nabbed those who participated in the talks once we knew that there was going to be no headway, he added. He said more forces should be committed and it was time that the proactive approach was followed by the forces. Colonel Harsharan Singh (retd) said agreeing to a dialogue was doomed from the start. Our first condition should have been that the outfit should lay down arms. What kind of negotiations can be held when there is a gun pointed towards ones head. Such attempts for peace raise false hopes of the people, he commented. “It is high time that we took the bull by the horns. Who is responsible for the large loss of men and innocent lives in the valley,” he fumed. We need suitable weaponry, attack helicopters, besides strengthening the hand of the state government to initiate ground measures to win the confidence of the people, he added. The Colonel also advocated the setting of a think tank of retired personnel who were well versed with ground realities and could advise the government on various aspects. “The country has only two options — go for an all out war to settle the issue or wage a proxy war in Pakistan. While the former would be a heavy drain on the economy of both countries, the latter was a better and viable way “, he opined. Ms Anupma Kohar, a bank employee, said the government should not allow any fanatic group or groups to decide the future of Kashmir, which is an integral part of our country. “Proper networking of the security apparatus, their interaction with intelligence agencies is the need of the hour. More powers have to be vested in the security forces, who are well versed with ground realities as compared to policy makers. The government should take a cue from the resolve of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who insisted on
visiting the holy shrine even after the massacre”. Mr Sanjiv Tewari of Panjab University said Article 370 needed to be reviewed in the present day context. Dr Mohammad Khalid, also from Panjab University, said the country needed to deal effectively with the problem of terrorism from across the border. Abhimanyu Sharma, a local student, said that India needed to do away with Article 370 and evolve a new code to suit the current times. “I have studied in a Kashmir school. I do not remember any student groups in support of Pakistan”, he said. The government has to take strict ground action to make the valley ‘silent from the noise of the gun’ but it is difficult without the involvement of the common people, opined Chetna Singh, a student. Citizens all over the nation should wake up to the need of addressing the issue immediately. |
NCP organisational poll from Sept 15 CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, today ruled out any alliance with the Congress even if the party was headed by any other person than Ms Sonia Gandhi. Stating this here, Mr TP Peethambharan, general secretary and in charge of the Punjab and Chandigarh affairs of the party, said coalition with the Congress in Maharashtra was only to keep fundamentalists parties such as the BJP and the Shiv Sena out of power. Unlike the Congress, we are committed to democratic set-up within our party, he said adding that the organisational election process would start from September 15 next. While informing that the two-day national convention of the NCP will begin on October 1, Mr Peethambharan, added that the party would start its nationwide agitation on August 16 to protest against the policies of the NDA-led government which led to increase in unemployment, closing of small industrial units and the withdrawal of subsidy on fertilisers and other essential items need by the farming community. The party workers would also make the people aware of the atrocities being committed on minorities in several parts of the country, he added. Earlier, he addressed party workers at Sector 24 Saini Bhavan. |
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Coffee House charm intact CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — The two cooperative-run Indian Coffee Houses still beckon city residents to have dishes from the South. A large number of persons have been patronising these Coffee Houses for the past many years. The Coffee House in Sector 17 was opened in 1964 by Indian Workers Cooperative Society Limited. Its manager, Mr Sultan Singh Negi, says, "This place has remained a favourite of professionals, journalists, doctors, bureaucrats, lawyers and senior officials. With increase in prices and changing tastes, there has been a decline in customers. The youth are frequenting fast food joints. This has cast its shadow on our business." There are no reserved tables here. Each of the 35 workers put in eight-hour shifts. Some regular visitors say they cannot resist coming here. Mr Balwinder Singh, an artist, says he has been coming here since 1967. This place gives him homely atmosphere and decorum has been maintained, he adds. Mr Karan Soni says he has been coming here since 1973. He adds that it is a place for meeting old friends. Mr Surjeet Singh, who leads a retired life, feels that the place is comfortable and cheap. Mr S.S. Soni, a retired superintendent, is a regular visitor since 1964. Ms Anita, a housewife, feels it is the place for healthy discussion. Mr M.L. Sharma, the manager of the other branch of Indian Coffee House in Sector 17 claims that this is the place where people feel relaxed away from home. He adds, "The beans come from Bangalore and are processed here. From the time the branch was shifted here from Sector 22 in 1971, the quality has been maintained. Customers have decreased because offices have been shifted to other places. We have heavy rush on Saturdays and Sundays." Ms Anuradha says she prefers to come here because it is clean and fast food items are also served here. Another favourite among the new generation is Sagar Ratna in Sector 17. Ms Sagarika says the meals served here are more nutritious and less oily. Ms Kewin says this is the second home for her. The Coffee House on the Punjab University campus attracts a lot of students. |
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Jhuggi dwellers seek compensation CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — The joint action committee of the Janata and Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, has urged the Chandigarh Administration to provide basic amenities in the colonies. In a representation to the UT Administrator, the committee alleged that certain residents, who had been living in the colonies from the very beginning, had been ignored for the rehabilitation purposes solely on the basis of non-possession of voter ID cards. In Chandigarh over 50 per cent residents have voter ID cards which had been made the sole criteria for allotment of the sites. In this way a large number of eligible residents remained deprived of benefits of the rehabilitation schemes of the administration. The memorandum demanded compensation of Rs 1,000 for the jhuggi-dwellers, whose “jhuggis” had been demolished in rain. |
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Scribe’s death mourned CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — The Chandigarh Union of Journalists has mourned the death of Pradip Kumar Bhatia, photographer of The Hindustan Times, who was killed in a bomb blast in Srinagar yesterday. It demanded that the government give adequate compensation to the bereaved family and arrange for free medical treatment of the injured persons. Members of All-India Anti-Terrorist Front showed concern over the killing, especially of a journalist who was performing his duty and was giving the actual picture of the latest situation in the state. Mr Pradeep Chhabra, President of its local unit, said the media had always worked for the unity of the nation. The Jammu and Kashmir government had failed to provide security to the civilians and the mediapersons, he added. He appealed to the public, especially to the youth, to come forward against such types of brutal killings and to fight against terrorism. Chandigarh-based journalists condemned the attack. In a meeting organised at the Press Club, they offered their condolences to the bereaved families. Mr Balbir Singh Jandu, President of the Tribune Employees Union, also condemned the attack and offered his condolences to the bereaved families. |
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Free computer training for women CHANDIGARH, Aug 11— The Chandigarh Child Welfare and Women Development Corporation of the Department of Social Welfare will impart free computer training to women under the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) scheme. According to the Director, Social Welfare, Ms Madhavi Kataria, the course is equivalent to ‘O’ level and is aimed at uplift of the widows and the women of economically weaker sections belonging to the SC and ST categories. The department has received a grant of Rs 3.02 lakh from NORAD for the course. The candidates will be given a stipend of Rs 250 per month under the scheme. There are 60 seats in the course and as per Ms Kataria, priority will be given to the poor and needy women from both rural and urban areas. The course will begin in September and the venue will be a working women’s hostel. The candidates, who are above 18 years of age and have cleared their senior secondary examinations, can apply for the course. |
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Gaiety marks Kala
Utsav celebrations CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — Spring was, today, celebrated with a novelty. It was an enterprising effort to give expression to felicity through the medium of art and its success ensured that festivals need not essentially be celebrated in a conventional manner. So, it was all creativity and bliss, today, at the Government College of Art, Sector 10, which welcomed spring with open arms. The entire arts fraternity seemed to have converged on the premises of the college to celebrate Kala Utsav which meant to depict the glory of sawan through colors. According to the Principal of the college, Mr Prem Singh, “The effort was to break the monotony and let the creative urge dominate the scene. There was festivity all around, with everyone from students to senior artists busy giving shape to their ideas.” It was also a day of interaction between the students and the seasoned artists. The students of the college, besides playing host to the function, also enthralled the gathering with dances and songs. Many senior artists recited their poetry to the gathering. Among those present on the occasion were Prof B.R. Rallan, Prof Kanwal Nain, Prof Aditya Prakash, Prof Bhim Malhotra, Prof R.C. Singla, and others. |
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Bible convention-2000 CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — A four-day Bible convention along with the assumption of St.Mary will be held at the St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church, 46-A, from August 12 to 15. Bishop Dr Gerald J. Mathias, Catholic Bishop of Chandigarh will inaugurate the convention at 7.30 p.m. tomorrow. Devotional address, intercessory prayers, confession and benediction will be the part of the programme. |
Youths snatch purse CHANDIGARH, Aug 11 — A Sector 46 resident reported that two youths allegedly snatched her purse in the same sector. According to police sources, Mrs B K Sharma, said she was walking in a lane when two unidentified scooter-borne youths snatched her purse containing Rs 800 in cash. A case under Sections 356, 379 of the IPC, has been registered. Car theft reported Scooterist injured SAS NAGAR Accused arrested Theft in factory
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