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| Friday,
July 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Commercial property conversion at new rates Chandigarh, July 18 Charges will be taken for the covered area on ground floors. Need-based partitions made for single users (like an office, a bank or a department store) of the ground-floor space will attract no such charge. In such cases, it will be ensured that the plan is open-floor and single-unit. A commercial building will have to be subdivided into apartments as per the procedure and charges specified in the Chandigarh Apartment Rules of 2001. The order says that the upper floors of the SCOs (including the SCFs converted to the SCOs), meant to be used as offices, will be allowed to be used as shopping arcades (display and sale of goods), restaurants (sale and serving of prepared food and beverages, besides banquet facility) and lodging houses at certain charges. The condition is that such use will have to be approved in the building rules, bylaws and zoning plan. Permission for conversion will have to be obtained separately, wherever necessary. The conversion of a covered area proposed to be converted on a floor (including stairway, landing etc) will be at a charge. If the entire floor is not to be converted, the charge will be proportionate to the area of the stairway and landing etc. In case of the SCFs, the
charges Owners of commercial property are required to pay 20 per cent of these charges at the time of applying to the Estate Officer. The balance is to be paid within 30 days of obtaining the permission or in four annual instalments at a 10 per cent interest compounded annually. In case of delayed payments, a compound interest shall be charged on dues at a rate of 18 per cent per annum. If the occupant is not the owner, procedures related to conversion of trade will be evoked. In another order that superseded its May 15 order, the Administration allowed the conversion of trade at commercial sites at a charge (conversion-of-trade fee). If a site or building has been allotted for a specific trade included in the general-trade category, conversion to the new general-trade category may be allowed at the payment of the conversion-of-trade fee. The conversion of trade from any semi-industrial trade included in the new general-trade category may be allowed at a fee, but manufacturing at such places will not be allowed. If the occupant is not the owner, he or she can still apply for conversion of trade. The Estate Officer, in this case, will issue a notice to the landlord concerned to tell whether he or she permits conversion of trade or not; or else, the application will have to come with a consent letter (affidavit) of the landlord. All such applications will have to come with certified copies of lease deeds, rent notes or agreements showing that the intended use of the premises is with the consent of the landlord concerned. All corridors, passages and stairways will be considered covered space on respective floors.
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Mystery
shrouds contractor’s death
Chandigarh, July 18 The lower portion of legs of the victim had serious injuries from which blood was oozing out. Though police believes it to be a case of death due to accidental fall from a height of 33.5 feet, circumstantial evidence raises several questions about the cause of death. Strangely, there was no external injury mark on the body which a person should normally bear after falling from a height of 33.5 feet. The victim was staying alone at flat no 104 of the colony as a caretaker for the past one-and-a-half years and specialised in plaster of paris (POP) work. A half-consumed fish curry and three chapatis were found in his room and his shirt and trousers were found hanging from a window pane. His sleepers were also lying in the room. As a routine he used to sleep on the terrace of the flat.According to the police, the victim after consuming liquor climbed up stairs from the second floor flat to reach the terrace. As usual he slept on a mat on the terrace and while he got up to answer the call of nature he, in an inebriated state, crossed two walls of around 2.5 feet tall and accidentally overstepped the terrace —landing on the ground floor. It could, however, not be confirmed whether any empty bottle of liquor was found on the spot or not. The body was lying in a normal sleeping position with face and chest upwards. As the theory of the victim falling accidentally has been discounted, there were signs of the body having been dragged on to a wall of the terrace, apparently before it was thrown from the height. The victim had, apparently, vomitted on the terrace. Enquiries in the area revealed that the body was noticed at around 8 am by a labourer in the colony. The treasurer of the residential colony said last night he had organised a dinner to celebrate the house-warming but did not notice anything unusual. The brother of the victim, Dushiant , who lives in the nearby Puspak colony, said the victim used to live alone due to drinking habit. Police official said inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC had been initiated and the cause of death would be known after the postmortem report. No team from the Central Forensic Centre was called to probe the
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Sunburnt
PGI sinks money in geysers Chandigarh, July 18 In summers, the added pressure on power-supply is because of air-conditioners and, in winters, it is because of geysers. “While several other government institutes have installed solar-powered water-heating systems to save power and cut bills, the one installed in the PGI in 1989 remains out of order,” said one of the PGI officials. The electricity-supply bills of the PGI in the year 2000-2001 amounted to about Rs 5.5 crore. In the past six months, the amount has crossed the Rs 6 crore mark. The system remains non-functional for the past 12 years, though many companies are willing to repair it. However, the companies don’t want to take the responsibility of maintaining it. The system has been rendered redundant. The Superintending Engineer (Hospital), Mr G.S. Rosha, said the system had been installed at a cost of Rs 14 lakh, shared by the PGI and Panjab University. “It has not been operational, but in the absence of ways to keep it running, getting it repaired will not be practical. Since the initial experiment was unsuccessful, no similar unit was installed in the other PGI buildings,” he said. While the piped hot water in the PGI operation theatres comes from boilers, the wards receive it through geysers. The PGI has, reportedly, bought about 200 geysers... to add to the already heavy power-supply bills. “Instead of buying geysers, the PGI should have got the system repaired. Even if it remains functional for a short time, it will cut the PGI power-supply bills,” said an official on condition of anonymity. The PGI officials support this opinion and say that a maintenance-contract should have been finalised at the time of the installation of the system.
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PGI cardiac wing misses a beat Chandigarh, July 18 As one of the oldest departments in the country, it occupied a prominent place till the 80s. However, in the last few years, there has been a steady decline with no upgradation of equipment and with steady outgo of senior faculty members. The department has not had a regular Professor, since Dr P S Bidwai retired in 1995. In the last three years, at least three faculty members have resigned and one is on ex-India leave. Sources in the department say the working conditions are anything but conducive. The first to quit (some time in 2000) was Dr J S Verma, the then Acting Head, who had put in 18 years of regular service. Then two more left, Dr Puneet Varma and Dr Sunip Banerjee, while, Dr Mandeep Bhargava, proceeded on leave and left India. At present there are two cardiac units, one headed by Dr Anil Grover and the other by Dr H K Bali, both Additional Professors. Against the sanctioned strength of 10, the Cardiology department has only a four-member faculty. Besides the two Additional Professors, there is one regular and one ad hoc Assistant Professor. Besides, caring for outdoor and indoor patients, performing operations they attend to academic and research work. All this is steadily effecting the quality of cardiac care, said insiders. Under the rules, direct recruitment to the PGI is made either at entry point (Assistant Professor) or at the Professor level. From Assistant Professor onwards, Assessment Promotion Scheme (APS) is applicable to internal candidates. Several posts of Professor in various departments, including two in cardiology, are vacant. All these have been repeatedly advertised and repeated interviews have been fixed only to be postponed at the last minute. It is widely believed that this was done under ‘’pressure’’ from the Additional Professors, who were awaiting promulgation of new APS. After much delay and drift, interviews for the two posts of Professor in Cardiology were, however, finally held on June 19, 2002. But what happened afterwards was a drama involving a “favourite candidate”. As a result the selection committee decided not to appoint any candidate for the post of Professor of Cardiology. A committee member confirmed to TNS that the matter will now be placed before PGI’s Governing Body. |
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Tension
between 2 schools continues; police denies Chandigarh, July 18 Both Principals kept up with their accusations and levelled charges against each other even as no solution to the problem could be worked out. Complying with the directions from the Education Department, both schools have declared a two-day holiday in the school. Principal Sumati Kanwar of the senior secondary school claimed she was virtually under “house arrest” till about 2 p.m. with teachers of the model school not letting her venture out. “My husband, an Army man, is in Srinagar and there is nobody to look after my safety. To top it, one of my children was not allowed to go to school while the other managed to go despite being manhandled,” she claims. The other Principal, Ms Urmil Sharma, said her teachers were not party to any agitation at the school premises. “It was a holiday and my students and staff had been informed. However, those who could not be contacted came to school but were not allowed entry. My staff did tell me that the teachers of the senior secondary school were allowed to go in while they were left outside the gates,” she alleged. Meanwhile, the UT Education Department has been given a memorandum explaining the sequence of yesterday’s events. However, the department is not contemplating any action as of now. Police sources denied that there was a build-up of tension at the school though the police was deployed as a precautionary measure after yesterday’s flare-up between the two schools. The police refuted claims of any agitation or anybody being denied entry to the school. |
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CJ’s order overlooked in Bhatnagar case? Chandigarh, July 18 While the Punjab Government had claimed that it did consult the Chief Justice through the Advocate-General, Mr Habhagwan Singh, it had been maintaining silence on the written note the former had sent through the latter. After a telephonic conversation with the Advocate-General, the Chief Justice had reportedly sent a written note to him, making it clear that “a view would be taken” in case the transfer of Mr Bhatnagar hampered investigations which had reached a “crucial stage”. The note was dated June 27, the day the entire top brass of the Intelligence Wing was given marching orders. The message implied was clear that the infrastructure and expertise available with Mr Bhatnagar should not be disturbed, but the government did not think it that way. Mr Bhatnagar was not only shifted out of the Intelligence Wing, which had the requisite inputs in the case, but his subordinate experts, too, were moved to other wings, incapacitating the inquiry officer. Investigations revealed that the appointment of a two-member team at the instance of the Chief Justice was keeping in view constitutional propriety. That was why the letter to request allowing of two senior police officers by name had been sent to the Governor of Punjab, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), and not sent to the Home Department, as would have been done under normal circumstances. Also important was choosing of officers belonging to the all-India service for this sensitive inquiry. Once the consent had been conveyed, the Punjab Government issued letters to both Mr Bhatnagar and Mr Chandersekhar on June 15, a Saturday. Apparently, before taking up this sensitive assignment, the ADGP (Intelligence) had called on the Chief Minister and got a pat on his back. A day later, on June 18, when the inquiry started, banker Kuldip Singh Bedi was among those summoned for questioning. Once apprehensions about deeper involvement of Mr Bedi in the case were expressed, many eyebrows were raised. A letter from the ADGP, Vigilance, to the Director-General of Police was the first salvo indirectly fired at the special inquiry team. After initial protests from Intelligence Wing officers, the letter had been temporarily held back but had been put up again to end in a complete shake-up of the Intelligence Wing. It was during this unsavoury development that the government decided to issue on July 4 a show-cause notice to Mr Bhatnagar under various sections of the Civil Service Rules, giving him seven days to explain his position. The letter was issued by the Additional Secretary, Home. Sources revealed that Mr Bhatnagar’s reply was with the Home Department. Until yesterday, neither the office of the Chief Secretary, nor that of the Advocate-General, were in the picture. “Since Home is the administrative department of all IPS officers, the file may not come to me,” said Mr Y.S. Ratra, Chief Secretary, also holding the charge of the Personnel Department, maintaining that he was “not in the picture”. The Advocate-General, too, was not aware of the latest developments in the case, as he said “Normally, the reply given by the ADGP should come to me for legal advice. But so far, it has not come to me.” |
Scavangers eligible for SC/ST perks: panel Chandigarh, July 18 The commission said the scavangers cleaning laterines in houses were eligible for benefits from the ayog, the Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Commission and other Central Government bodies. Commission members Mr Ganga Ram Teja and Mr Ram Pradad Valmiki took a serious view of the absence of the Adviser to the Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, the Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, the IG, Mr Bhim Sen Bassi, and senior officials of the Education Department. The commission also asked the officials to allow benefits being given to the persons belonging to the Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes, to those children whose fathers had certificates from other states. It directed the Municipal Corporation to ensure payment of minimum wages to employees of contractors through cheque. The members expressed their disagreement with contractorship in the sanitation. The commission members also found the number of sweepers less than the national guidelines. The commission members issued directions to education authorities to conduct a survey in each school as to how many students from the safai workers’ community were there and send it to the Social Welfare Department for extending scholarships. The officials also invited the wrath of the members for failing to decide the agenda of the meeting and asked them to send minutes of this meeting for confirmation to the Secretary Social Welfare, Mr G.K. Marwah. The members also demanded to send a report of implementation of today’s direction in three months. Members of the Commission for Safai Karamcharis visited the city to review schemes for the community. The members were of the view that the unnecessary harassment to the safai karamcharis by the police, if any, be immediately stopped. The members were of the view that the demand of Safai Karamchari Union regarding appointment of the dependents of the deceased safai karamcharis on compassionate ground should be looked into sympathetically. Besides the members, the officers present were the Municipal Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, the Secretary Social Welfare, Mr G.K. Marwah, the Joint Secretary, Home, Mr Ashok Sangwan, the Director. Social Welfare, Ms Madhavi Kataria and the Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Mr Sunil Bhatia among others. |
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Cattle menace on the rise SAS Nagar, July 18 Scenes like this are common here with the cattle menace constantly on the rise. The problem roots from people living in the villages of Mohali rearing cattle for milk and milk products. Each day, at least twice a day, these cattle are let loose with just one person tending to these and giving directions. With residential areas coming up at places where these cattle were brought to be reared, the cattle are now posing serious traffic hazards and often lose their way into the intra-phase roads, outside residences and into public parks. Apinderjit Kaur, a resident of Phase VI, has had some harrowing experience to relate as far as the cattle go. “The worst is when one is driving. The cattle come in front of the vehicle and one has to either bang into them or apply the brake suddenly, both of which can lead to substantial damage to the vehicle and the driver. Then there are times when the cattle would not simply get off the road. Since the roads inside the phase are narrow, a single cattle sitting in the middle of the road can virtually block it. And no one is doing anything about this.” The problem is not new to the authorities also. Well aware of the problem, Municipal Council officials, whose duty is to keep the township free from stray cattle, have been trying to find a solution to the problem. “The problem has a solution but it needs to be acceptable to everyone. The cattle owners never comply with the instructions that are issued to them,” says an MC official. |
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MC to acquire cattle-catcher van SAS Nagar, July 18 A product of Swaraj Mazda, the van will cost about Rs 7.30 lakh. It has a hydraulic system which helps to lower a part of the van for loading cattle. Once the loading has been done it is again lifted to its original position. Officials of the sanitation wing say that Chandigarh has got three such vans. They say the cost of the van can come down by about Rs 25,000 if the civic body purchases the chassis from Swaraj Mazda and gets the fabrication done at its own level. Mr Kulwant Singh, MC President, said the civic body employees put on duty to tackle the problem of stray cattle often used to catch stray animals, but loading them into Canters was a big problem. Employees and even the animals used to get injured while carrying out the work of loading and unloading, he said. The council would now purchase the van to make the work easier. The decision to this effect would be put up in the House for ratification in the monthly meeting scheduled to be held next week, added the president. However, as the civic body does not have a proper cattle pond, it will not be able to tackle the problem of stray animals so easily. The council had demanded land from PUDA for setting up a cattle pond. In November 2001, PUDA agreed to give two acre land in the industrial area on a cost basis to the civic body. The council was to give Rs 1 lakh as token money which had been deposited by the civic body. But in May this year, PUDA decided to give land to the council at a rate of Rs 1,758 per sq yd. The total cost of the two-acre plot came to over Rs 1.70 crore. The council had declined to buy land at such a high rate. Mr Kulwant Singh said PUDA was now once again reconsidering the case of allotting land to the council for a cattle pond. |
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No end in sight to water problem Chandigarh, July 18 This is not all. Sometimes the residents have to forgo washing clothes and bathing even in this sultry weather. Unfortunately, Sector 44 residents are not the only harassed lot. Low pressure and regulated water supply has left the residents high and dry all over the city. If you do not believe it, go to the densely populated sectors in the city where the problem is "acute". Worse affected are Sectors 20, 22, 23, 25, 27 and 15. “We leave the taps open at night as the supply commences at around 4 in the morning. By six, the entire family is on their toes, changing buckets and filling bottles, taking bath and washing clothes,” says Radhika Sharma, a Sector 42 resident. “And when the pressure falls, I fill the buckets from the tap downstairs, while my husband pulls them with a rope.” Agreeing with her, Arun, a manager with a private bank, says, “I wake up with the sun's first rays entering my room and rush for washing clothes and taking bath before the supply goes off.” The supply does resume in the afternoon in some sectors but then the working couples are not at home at that time. While the residents at the ground floor fill the empty buckets, the ones putting up on the top floor eagerly wait for the taps to be turned off. “The landlord opens the tap as soon as the supply resumes and does not close it till about 8 am. By then the pressure is so low that the water does not reach even the first floor,” complains Rajan Mishra, a local businessman residing in Sector 22. “As an aftermath, the overhead tanks remain dry and we have to carry water from downstairs even for flushing the lavatories.” The ground floor dwellers, meanwhile, narrate their own tale. According to Reeta Verma, a sales executive residing in Sector 35: “The lawns and the plants have almost dehydrated as we cannot water them in the morning and the pressure is so low in the evening that opening lawn taps hamper indoor and first floor water supply.” The problem is even worse where the residents have attached electric pumps directly with the taps for boosting the water supply. “The pressure falls as soon as the pumps are switched on”, says Anu, a college student. “It is so low that water flows only from the ground level taps.” A senior officer in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, on the other hand, claims that “the problem is not so bad”. He adds that the supply, though regulated, is regular and “is expected to further improve within the next few days”. |
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Five of Fire Dept indicted for theft Chandigarh, July 18 The committee members, drawn from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Chandigarh Vikas Manch, were unanimous on the findings, said Mr Surinder. However, he did not reveal the names of the indicted persons, saying that it was for the House to consider the matter and recommend action against the indicted. The committee comprising Mr Surinder Singh, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Ms Kamlesh, Ms Kamla Sharma, Mr Jitender Bhatia and Mr C.K. Sawhney examined 25 witnesses in 17 long sittings. Mr Sawhney, however, did not attend any of the committee meetings. The other members visited several fire stations and suggested improvements. The committee urged the MC to demand Central grant under the disaster-management fund and identified 400 high-rise fire-prone buildings here. It also urged the Chandigarh Administration to purchase a hydraulic platform-cum-TTL and a compact firefighting vehicle to escort the VVIPs’ convoys. The huge firefighting vehicles attached to the convoys aren’t able to keep pace with these or enter narrow lanes. A demand was raised that each fire station be given Rs 10,000 for urgent maintenance of 29 fire engines and the other equipment. The committee said the MC’s charge for outstation distress services should be increased from Rs 45 to Rs 150 per visit, as fuel prices had increased. The members found the wireless system of the department ineffective and fire stations and staff quarters in shambles. |
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AOC Gopi Nath takes charge Chandigarh, July 18 Air Cdre Govindarajan had joined here in January, 2001. Before joining here, Air Cdre Gopi Nath had headed the 43rd Squadron. He was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in June, 1973, and is a transport pilot. He has held various command and staff appointments during his career in the Air Force. To mark the taking over by the new AOC, a grand ceremonial parade was held at the Air Base Parade Square this morning. The parade contingent comprised five squadrons, lodger units and all officers and airmen of the station. |
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Research
on Rashtrapati Bhavan architecture Chandigarh, July 18 Her efforts have borne fruits in the shape of a book, “Dome Over India”, authored by Mr Amannath, a renowned historian, under whose leadership a team worked for several months to unravel the architectural aspects of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vani played a key role in the project. The entire research work for the book, to be released by the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, tomorrow in Delhi, was undertaken by her. The book, which is the first document on the architecture of Rashtrapati Bhawan, presents a comprehensive study of historical aspects, layout and construction of the mansion. |
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CJ discharged from PGI Chandigarh, July 18 |
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Phones
dead for 4 days SAS Nagar, July 18 |
Attempt to snatch Rs 1 lakh Chandigarh, July 18 Theft A Mahindra Balero jeep was stolen from Sector 23 on the night intervening July 16 and 17. In another case, Baldev Dass complained that Ravinder Singh of Harmilapnagar stole his washing machine. The suspect has been arrested and the stolen item has been recovered.
Kidnapping A woman of Ram Darbar in a complaint to the police said her daughter was kidnapped by Babu Ram from Sector 40.
Cylinders recovered The police has recovered four cylinder for domestic use from Navjot Sweets of Sector 15. The domestic cylinders were being used for commercial purposes. A case has been registered on the complaint of the Food and Supplies
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Charge
against mother-in-law Chandigarh, July 18 The victim said when she came out of the bathroom, her mother-in-law poured kerosene on her and tried to set her on fire. She escaped by preventing her mother-law from lighting a match stick. |
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Massive
haul of country liquor SAS Nagar, July 18 A special team led by Sohana police station in charge Ramandeep Singh and comprising Mr Shalin Walia, ETO, Excise Staff, Ropar, and Mr Kuldeep Singh, Excise Inspector, Mohali, raided Tangori bus stand and caught a truck containing 150 crates (7500 pouches) of country liquor. The truck driver, Ali Hasan, a resident of Yamunanagar, has been arrested and a case registered against him under the Excise Act. In another incident, Mr Atul Saini, in charge police post, Zirakpur, along with his police party found five crates (250 pouches) of country liquor in a Maruti car (DAV 5847) while checking it. The car occupants, Hardeep Singh, Satish Kumar, Devinder Kumar, all residents of Yamunanagar, have been arrested and a case registered against them under the Excise Act. During interrogation, the accused informed that they would buy each pouch from Chandigarh at the rate of Rs 10 and sell it in Yamunanagar at the rate of Rs 30. This was there third attempt at smuggling liquor from the city. |
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