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| Wednesday,
May 8, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Angry slum dwellers burn jhuggis after demolitions Panchkula, May 7 Though the slum dwellers alleged that it was the HUDA employees, along with the police, who had set the fire to their jhuggis by throwing a match stick on one of the demolished jhuggis, the authorities claimed otherwise. The slum dwellers damaged a fire tender, a police vehicle and a JCB(earth mover). Two persons, including a cop, were injured in an attack by these residents. The HUDA authorities maintained that the slum dwellers first took out their belongings from the jhuggis and then one of their leaders set the jhuggis on fire around 3: 45 pm today. As the wind was blowing with a high velocity, the fire spread quickly and soon the entire piece of land was under fire. This leader — Bhure Lal, is himself a HUDA employee. He has now been placed under suspension for anti- government activities. It may be noted that as part of its anti-encroachment drive, the Enforcement Wing of HUDA led by Estate Officer, Ms Geeta Bharti, had demolished the jhuggis here last evening. Accompanied by heavy police force, they had removed 70 jhuggis here. It was around 8 pm last night that the drive was finally completed and the staff left, after issuing a warning to the slum dwellers to vacate the place by today evening. The Estate Officer had today sent her staff, along with a hired earth mover ( JCB ) and a few cops led by SHO, Sector 19, Mr Babu Ram, in order to get the levelling of the reclaimed land done. The SDM, Mr M.S. Yadav, who had rushed to the spot, said that one of leaders of slum dwellers, Mr Bhure Lal, on seeing that the HUDA staff were about to begin levelling the land, himself lit a match and threw it on a demolished jhuggi. Simultaneously, a woman set another jhuggi on fire, added SHO Babu Ram. Since the thatched roofs of these demolished structures were lying scattered, the fire spread rapidly. The police immediately called up the Fire Station, even as the slum dwellers began swelling in number and the situation took angry overtones. A fire tender was rushed here around 4 pm, but the angry residents refused to let the firemen do their work. They began pelting stones at the fire tender, the JCB and the police vehicles. One of the cops, Gurinder, and the driver of JCB were also injured. However, the residents, when contacted by TNS, said that the fire was caused when a member of HUDA team, Mr Chet Ram, threw a match stick on a thatched roof. They said that they had not been given any time to remove their belongings by HUDA. They also said that at the time of the incident, most of them, including Mr Bhure Lal, were away to village Abheypur , in order to find new rooms for these displaced jhuggi dwellers. |
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An error of judgement Chandigarh, May 7 Barely out of shock, Vinod Kumar recalls only that he turned left from Transport Chowk while returning from Panchkula and, then, crossed the traffic lights on the road dividing Sector 28 and the Industrial Area. Thereafter, his memory goes blank and he asks those around whether he met with an accident or not. He says that he was neither overspeeding nor driving under the influence of alcohol. Vinod’s two childrem, 11-year-old Nidhi and 6-year-old Vineet have received serious injuries. They have been admitted to the PGI. His mother-in-law, Tankam Menon, died on the spot and his wife, Shiels, succumbed to her injuries in the PGI early today. The accident occurred on the dividing road of Sectors 28 and 29, when a truck coming from Tribune Chowk rammed into the car when it was taking a turn. The impact forced the car over the pavement and the truck driver absconded. Police sources say that, probably, an error of judgement led to the accident. It says that many accidents occur in that area because drivers tend to overspeed on this stretch. |
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Palsora resident killed in
clash Chandigarh, May 7 According to the police, a clash occurred between two groups on Sunday afternoon. The next day during a religious function, the brother of one of those involved accosted a member of the other faction, which resulted in another clash. Later that evening, several persons went to Harvinder's house armed with kirpans, gandasas and sticks with the intention to seek revenge. Harvinder and his supporters saw them approaching and started pelting stones at them from rooftops, following which they ran away. Sanjay, who was also among them, however, hid under a staircase. When Harvinder and his supporters came down cheering their victory, Sanjay attacked Harwinder and hit him on the head with a kirpan. He was rushed to the PGI where doctors declared him brought dead. |
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Red Cross Day gift for physically
challenged Chandigarh, May 7 The society will collaborate with the State Resource Centre, Government Medical College and Hospital, the Social Welfare Department and the Health Department and take the support of various voluntary organisations and individuals to organise these camps. For three months, there will be a camp every Sunday at a predetermined place. Though such camps cater to general medical needs of local population, focus will be on the needs of physically challenged. Slum dwellers will be examined for orthopaedic, visual, hearing, speech and mental disabilities. Those with orthopaedic disabilities will get monetary help for surgery and treatment, if required. In a press note issued here today, the society said the names of those who would visit the camps would be entered in a register and referred to specialists. There will be at least two experts each of the GMCH and the Health Department at every camp. The experts will be from the fields of orthopaedics, ophthalmology, the ENT, psychiatry, general medicine, gynaecology and paediatrics. Medicines would be prescribed and given on the spot to patients. Specialists would give each patient a card of the State Resource Centre, on which, details of the nature of the physical disability and the treatment would be mentioned. The details of the card-holder would be in a separate register and further treatment would continue in the State Resource Centre of the GMCH. Disability certificates will be issued to patients to make them eligible for receiving benefits like disability pension and free travelling in city. In cases of permanent disability, the certificates will be issued at the camps itself. The cases where testing cannot be done at the camps would be referred to the State Resource Centre. Follow-up action would be taken by community-based rehabilitation workers (CBRWs) appointed by the Social Welfare Department. At each camp, refreshments will be given to visitors. The first camp tomorrow will be in Lions Dispensary at Karsan village, where Dr (Brig) Kataria and his team will examine visitors. |
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Good response to auction of commercial
sites Panchkula, May 7 The auction of these commercial sites — booth sites, shop-cum offices (SCOs), double storey shops and showrooms in Sectors 7, 8 and 11, and Sectors 4 and 5 of Mansa Devi Complex yielded Rs 13. 28 crore. Though the booth sites and SCOs in most of the Sectors 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12-A, 14, 17 and 21 failed to get any response, it was the sites in Mansa Devi Complex Sector 5 that fetched one of the best prices. As many 10 booth sites with basement out of the total of 11 sites put for today’s auction were sold off. This was the first time that these commercial sites were put for auction. As a result the reserve price had been fixed a mere Rs 3. 32 lakh each. The highest bids received for each of these sites were between Rs 12 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The booth sites and SCOs in Sector 8 also received good response with the booths fetching almost Rs 2 lakh more than the reserve price, while the latter fetching almost Rs 1 crore each. A lone booth site in Sector 7 market , which is the main commercial centre in the township, fetched Rs 23. 80 lakh, Rs 8 lakh more than the reserve price. The sites in Sector 11, and Sector 4 of Mansa Devi Complex also fetched a reasonably good price, with a marginal increase over the reserve price. None of the 19 commercial sites at the city’s proposed commercial centre in Sector 5 failed to attract the bidders. Slum colonies near Sector 17 also failed to catch the attention of bidders for the sites offered in Sector 17. |
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Lawyers collect signatures
Chandigarh, May 7 They further sought that the order of Mr Justice K.S Garewal, whereby public information in the Sidhu case will no longer flow, be set aside in the larger public interest, keeping in view its spirit which violates the fundamental right to information. A group of advocates practising in the district court today claimed that they would also move a writ petition against the order passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, prohibiting the state of Punjab, the investigating agency and other respondents from disclosing details of the statements and confessions of the accused, besides the contents of the case diaries. Mentioning that many persons involved in the scandal had revealed in their statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code that the judges had also been involved in the scam, the lawyers said the Judges had betrayed public faith. And morality demanded that they should either resign or should be removed from their posts through timely intervention of the Chief Justice of India and the President of the country. |
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PU project to clean Siachen Chandigarh, May 7 A Rs 18 lakh project has been undertaken by the University Energy Research Centre to work out the problem of non-decomposition of organic waste at the glacier. The area now houses garbage of the past several years. Prof
S.K.Sharma, the director of the centre, said that freezing temperatures at the glacier slows down the decomposition of waste. This also included human excreta. The process disturbs the entire ecological balance of the area and has a long-time impact on the land which is used as a resting ground by troops. Temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees are recorded at this place which slows down the bacterial activity to a great extent. This adds to the decomposition problem. The university is working on a two step technique for production of methane at a low temperature. The methane can be used by soldiers for generating heat and other energy consuming exercises. Special strains of ‘cold-loving’ bacteria are being tried. The university has designed a two stage process for generation of methane. The Defence Research and Development Organisation is already tied up in the process in the pilot project facility at Siachen glacier. Officials have also made regular visits to PU to study utilisation of the technique in solid waste management at the glacier. The process designed by PU allows heating of the bio-gas raw material with solar energy to speed up the reaction. There are certain areas in this direction which need to be worked in more details. Professor Sharma there were two ways of looking at the problem of decomposition. The short-term process was to heat the normal waste at room temperature to allow decomposition of material. The problem in this process was that in case normal fuel was used, it would be an expensive proposition. Instead a process to use the waste heat from the ‘bukharis,’ which the soldiers use for self-heating, could be used effectively. However, the university was working out further details on a long-term project on the problem. There was waste which could be treated with micro-flora even at low temperatures. The university was actively engaged in identification of such strains of bacteria. There are certain positive results. This would be useful in production of gases which could be automatically used for energy generation sources. Professor Sharma is being aided by Mr Des Raj
Kashyap, a researcher and Dr
K. S. Dadhich, of the Department of Microbiology. The technique could also be used in other hilly areas of the country, it was pointed out. |
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New policy prohibits trading in blood Chandigarh, May 7 The policy which has been framed by the National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, on the recommendations, among others, of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and
Immunohaematology, envisages that the practice of replacement donors shall also be gradually phased out in a time-bound programme to achieve a 100 per cent voluntary non-remunerated blood donation programme. A well organised blood transfusion service (BTS) is a vital component of any health care delivery system. An integrated strategy for blood safety is required for elimination of transfusion transmitted infections and for provision of safe and adequate blood transfusion services to the people. The main component of an integrated strategy include collection of blood only from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors, screening for all transfusion transmitted infections and reduction of unnecessary transfusion. The blood transfusion service in the country is highly decentralised and lacks many vital resources like manpower, adequate infrastructure and financial
base. The main issue, which plagues the blood banking system in the country, is fragmented management. The standards vary from state to state, city to city and centre to centre in the same city. In spite of hospital based system, many large hospitals and nursing homes do not have their own blood banks and this has led to proliferation of stand-alone private blood banks. The blood component production/availability and utilisation is extremely
limited. There is shortage of trained healthcare professionals in the field of transfusion medicine. Thus, a need for modification and change in the blood transfusion service has necessitated formulation of a national blood policy and development of a national blood programme which will also ensure implementation of the directives of the Supreme Court of India. The policy aims at ensuring easily accessible and adequate supply of safe and quality blood and blood components collected/procured from a voluntary non-remunerated regular blood donors in well equipped premises, which is free from transfusion transmitted infections, and is stored and transported under optimum conditions. Transfusion under supervision of trained personnel for all who need it irrespective of their economic or social status through comprehensive, efficient and a total quality management approach will be ensured under the policy. The main objectives of the policy are
:— 1. To reiterate firmly the government’s commitment to provide safe and adequate quantity of blood, blood components and blood products; 2. To make available adequate resources to develop and reorganise the blood transfusion services in the entire country; 3. To make latest technology available for operating the blood transfusion services and ensure its functioning in an updated manner; 4. To launch extensive awareness programme for donor information, education, motivation, recruitment and retention in order to ensure adequate availability of safe blood; 5. To encourage appropriate clinical use of blood and blood products; 6. To strengthen the manpower through human resource development; 7. To encourage research and development in the field of transfusion medicine and related technology; and 8. To take adequate regulatory and legislative steps for monitoring and evaluation of blood transfusion services and to take steps to eliminate profiteering in blood banks. A national blood transfusion programme shall be developed to ensure establishment of a non-profit integrated national and state blood transfusion services in the country.
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Congress dares MCofficials to come
clean Chandigarh, May 7 They met the MC Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, and gave him a memorandum in this regard. They told him that municipal officials should either name the councillors they accused or be punished, failing which, the Congress would seek this information in the House. The Congress took a serious note of the allegations and resolved to probe each detail to have accountability in development work. The MC Commissioner had called the Chief Engineer, Mr V.K. Bharadwaj, and the Superintending Engineers, Mr I.S. Sokhey and Mr Swarn Singh, to the meeting that lasted an hour. The councillors demanded that the corporation should find out who was defaming the party or issue a denial of the reported complaints against the Congress councillors. Each official at the meeting denied that there had been any meeting to take up complaints against the Congress councillors. The Executive Engineers, Mr S.K. Chadha and Mr Mukesh Anand could not attend the meeting because they were out of station. The Congress councillors seemed unrelenting and said they would not even mind calling reporters to tomorrow’s officials-councillors meeting. The Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi, later, called a separate meeting to discuss the issue, where it was decided that all officials up to the rank of the Executive Engineers would be called to find out if any of them had made any complaint. Certain Congress councillors said officials had approached them, saying that they had not said anything against them. The councillors even proposed to hold tomorrow’s meeting in full view of public. |
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READERS WRITE In pursuance of its policy of making Chandigarh a City of Gardens, the Chandigarh Administration converted last year a badly affected slum area of Sector 44 into a beautiful park. The Garden of Annuals (as it was named) was nothing short of a boon for the residents of this area. It not only secured for them a long sought after riddance from a great eyesore but also met their highly felt need for reasonably good place for a walk. Today, it is heartening to see a large number of people, men and women (the latter perhaps outnumber the former), young and old, rich and poor, throng this garden both in the morning and evening. Equally noteworthy is that the people of the nearby village, Burail, too have acquired the habit of stirring out of their dark and dingy houses and enjoy the refreshing air of the garden. After dusk, it is they who assume the ‘command’ of the garden. Apparently, having realised in advance the vital role that this garden would play in the life of the people of this area, our imaginative and highly conscientious parliamentarian, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, sanctioned a few lakhs of rupees out of the MP’s Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for the expansion of this garden. The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation undertook the project with great earnestness, giving us the hope that the work would be accomplished very soon. However, to our great surprise, the old gusto has of late, flagged off. We fail to make out the reason. Is it because the residents of this ward have elected a corroborator who does not fit into the political framework of the powers that be? We appeal to Mr Bansal to impress upon the Municipal Corporation the desirability of completing this work at an early date. S.
Bhatnagar,
Chandigarh Bus commuters’ woes The Chandigarh Administration has provided a number of bus routes, connecting Chandigarh with the neighbouring township of Panchkula. But none of them caters to the needs of those persons who commute between the southern sectors of the city and the interior of the township. For, all buses drop them on the main Panchkula-Shimla highway, with the result that in order to reach their destination they have to look for another bus or arrange a rickshaw or three-wheeler. Of course, one route, namely 30/B, does meet the needs of such commuters but only half way. For, its starting point is ISBT, Sector 17. Those who live at far off places must first manage somehow to reach that point and then catch the bus. The Chandigarh Administration would do a great service to regular commuters if either this route is extended to the New Bus Stand, Sector 43, or a new bus route is sanctioned which may suitably cater to the needs of the southern sectors. P.C. Gupta,
Chandigarh Stray animals The roads of Mohali show the carelessness of the authorities. The main road starting from Mohali Barrier (Phase I) leading to Government Hospital (Phase VI) has become accident-prone. Stray animals like cows and dogs from nearby villages come on the road and create havoc for vehicles, particularly the two-wheelers. At night, due to poor visibility, black cows and dogs cannot be seen and thus become victims of accidents. The waste eatables of Sabzi Mandi (that runs every Wednesday and Saturday) in Mohali (Phase VI) attract stray animals. The authorities concerned should take appropriate measures to check this menace in the interest of public safety. Bhupinder Singh,
Mohali Low-budget hotels Several months ago, the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, had announced that a low-budget hotel for tourists would be set up in Chandigarh near the ISBT Terminus in Sector 17. However, the project has not seen the light of the day due to reasons best known to the authorities. Chandigarh is visited by many tourists of low income and middle income groups. In the absence of low-budget hotels, they find it difficult to stay in costly hotels. In many cases, the tourists of these groups are forced to cancel their trips because of this reason. Worse, there is no camping site for tourists. Some years back, one building was earmarked near the Sukhna Lake for the purpose. But then this was under the occupation of the Central Reserve Police Force. Even though the latter has vacated the premises a few months ago, no decision has been taken to make use of the premises for tourists. I appeal to Lieut-General Jacob to bestow personal attention and pursue the project to its logical conclusion and help low-budget tourists. Narinder Singh,
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Villagers air grievances Zirakpur, May 7 Sarpanches, panches, and officerbearers of various residents’ welfare associations appealed to the MLA to resolve the issue. They complaint that the Executive Officer of the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat had stopped approving the maps of their houses without confirming whether the plots falls within the prohibited area or not. Mr Jaspal Singh, sarpanch of Zirakpur village, complained that after PUDA, the Indian Air Force authorities had started harassing them. The residents demanded that they should be granted permission to construct houses on the Chandigarh pattern. Earlier, in a letter to the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat, the authorities of the Chandigarh Air Force Station has raised objections to the growing of trees outside the fencing up to a distance of 100 metres. The IAF authorities have also directed the civic body that there should be no construction around the airfiled area up to 900 metres from the fencing. Besides, a red light should be fixed atop water tank in Bhabhat village and there should be no dumping of carcasses and garbage in the area. The residents complained against the bad shape of roads and internal streets of the colonies located within the limits of civic body. Members of Akali Kaur Singh Colony alleged that the SAD government had hardly done anything for the area. Mr Singh asked the residents to submit a report containing all their grievances to him. Their problems would be taken up on priority basis. |
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Fire in jungle near Hallo Majra Chandigarh, May 7 Though no loss of life or major property was reported, the fire engines had to fight for an hour to douse it. An ambulance was also sent to the spot. Fire Department sources said that certain people had left the pyre when it might have been burning. |
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Protest Chandigarh They were demanding the police to register a case against those persons who had beaten up two residents of the colony. Sanjay and Nageshwar had been badly beaten up on Sunday. The residents alleged that the police had failed to register a case or apprehend the culprits who are moving around freely. TNS |
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Mohali Club pools
open on Sunday SAS Nagar, May 7 According to a press release issued by the President of the club, Mr Arvinder Singh, the pools are equipped with latest filtration equipment imported from Spain. The second phase of the club with additional facilities of international standards was likely to be completed by December 12, he added. The club would be admitting another 100 members and the membership would begin in third week of May, said Mr Singh. |
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FAKE CURRENCY CASE Chandigarh, May 7 The manhunt was launched after the accused’s name cropped up during the interrogation of Pardeep Kumar Thakur, who was brought here by the Chandigarh police from the custody of Sarsawa police. Thakur had been arrested by the Sarsawa police last month with Rs 40,000 in fake currency in his possession. Thakur reportedly told the police that he had arrived here and handed over Rs 2 lakh in fake currency to the Dadu Majra resident. The police is also on the look-out of another accused, Mustil Rana, alias
Doctor, who is out on bail. He had earlier been arrested by the Delhi police with Rs 55,000 in fake currency notes in his possession. He had also been arrested by the Chandigarh police twice in 2000, once in a fake currency racket for possessing Rs 2000 in fake currency and then later for stealing a Maruti car from Sector 45. |
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Rs 1 lakh stolen from scooter dickey Dera Bassi, May 7 According to police, the victim Mr Atul Kumar, found the dickey of his scooter (PB-11L-5168) broken open with a screwdriver, when he came back from the committee office. Mr Kumar, a trader, had withdrawn Rs 1.5 lakh from a bank about 11 am to make payments to some customers. He had put Rs 1 lakh in the scooter dickey and Rs 50,000 in his pocket. As soon as he reached his shop, he received a phone call from the committee office. He rushed there with money still in the scooter dickey. After receiving information, the DSP Dera Bassi reached the spot but no headway could be made. |
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Mechanic’s body found in Sector 21 Chandigarh, May 7 Trespass ESI peon booked A resident fo Karsan Colony had gone along with her daughter to get medicine from the dispensary. When the lady went to took for the doctor after leaving her daughter in the verandah, the accused took her into the doctor’s room where he attempted to outrage her modesty. The police has registered a case under Sections 354 and 324 of the Indian penal Code. Liquor seized The accused have been identified as Sat Pal and Prahlad, both residents of Dadu Majra Colony. Seperate cases under the Excise Act have been registered against them. Gambling Cases of theft Sector 22 resident Rajinder Singh has reported that his scooter (CHN-5408) has been stolen from his residence. The police has registered a case. Sector 27 resident Pushpinder Singh has reported that his scooter (CHS-2383) has been stolen from Sector 17. Police has registered a case. PANCHKULA Fraud charge Theft cases |
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GBA employees resort to
fast Chandigarh, May 7 It may be recalled that the conflict between the management and the union started after the general secretary was suspended and charge-sheeted and the management had also charge-sheeted a few workers on the pretext of slow-down. The union alleged that the management of the company had levied baseless allegations. “Even the negotiations by the Assistant Labour Commissioner failed and the management refused to reach any compromise,” stated a press release by the union. The fast was observed by Mr Shyam Bhandari, general secretary, Mr Gomti Yadav, joint-secretary, and executive members, Mr Parwinder Kumar, Mr Lal Chand and Mr Amitabh. The union members said that the agitation would continue till their demands were met by the management. |
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