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| Tuesday,
September 10, 2002,
Chandigarh, India
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Rape case row: 2 SHOs shifted Chandigarh, September 9 Some other officials, whose names had also surfaced in the controversy, have been left "untouched". Though senior officials of the Chandigarh police maintain that the transfers were a "routine" matter, sources in the department say that there was much more behind the move. The officials did not rule out the possibility of the case having a "bearing" on the transfers. A list of telephone calls made between the suspects and police officials was in the custody of the investigating officials. However, a senior official said the list of telephone calls was not enough to prove the role of the officials. According to information available, the SHO of Mani Majra police station, Inspector Prem Singh Malik, and that of the Sector 34 police station, Inspector M.R. Kadian, have been transferred to the Police Lines. In their place, Inspector Mastan Singh has been posted as SHO of Mani Majra police station and Inspector Dhan Raj has been posted as SHO of the Sector 34 police station. Sources said initially the names of at least five Inspectors in the North and South Divisions, who had completed two years of stay, were in the panel of officials to be transferred. However, only two transfers have been affected for reasons best known to the authorities. In the rape case the names of three Inspectors, a Sub-Inspector and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Haryana had surfaced. It was said that certain officials of the Chandigarh police knew about the differences between the suspect-turn-victim, Mr M.K. Jain, and a bureaucrat of Haryana over a financial matter and had information about the plot. Even as transfer of two SHOs were today ordered by the Inspector-General of Police, the case of alleged rape of the Shimla girl is yet to reach its logical conclusion. The impending arrest of the main suspect, Ram Lal, to prove the police theory of frame-up appears to have come to hit the bottom of the rock, at least for the present. After recording the statement of the girl before a magistrate, the police is still conducting raids to arrest Ram Lal. The DNA report on matching the traces of semen found on the clothes of the girl with that of eyewitness-turn-suspect Surinder Sharma was also awaited. Sources said the police after getting the DNA report and arresting Ram Lal, would make the girl an approver. |
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Liquor vends along roads: is Admn drunk? Chandigarh, September 9 These sheds, located along all main roads, have become points of chaos and dens of drunkards. This leads to brawls and ugly scenes on roads. Persons of the neighbourhood just cannot go out for a walk on these routes. In the past few years, the Administration, under a flawed policy, has allowed liquor vends to be opened in temporary structures. Due to low rents, it is cheaper to run a liquor shop from a tin shed. Land of the Municipal Corporation or the Administration is taken on rent, and the payment is nowhere near the markets rates. An increasing number of contractors, now, want to run vends from tin sheds, without bothering to have fire safety or legal electricity connections. These vends are the cause of traffic bottlenecks, as the contractors want to be as near to roads as possible. There is one such vend in Phase II of the Industrial Area, to which, there is no approach road. In front of it, the land has been dug up to widen the road, but the vend contractor has filled it up to allow vehicles to be parked there. The road can wait. Mr R.C. Tyagi, a man who lives in Sector 46-D, says that liquor vends in tin sheds exist on two corners of the sector. The water with which utensils are washed in these vends is dumped in the open along with the filth generated there. Dumped cardboard liquor cases are collected by ragpickers, but no one picks up things like plastic packs of chips and chicken waste. About two years ago in Sector 28, protests by a petrol-filling-station dealer had led to nothing, as the Administration had, then, allowed a liquor vend to be opened in a tin
shed that almost touched the wall of the petrol station. Along the road dividing Sectors 36 and 37, such a vend was allowed to be opened near a Sector 37 temple. Protests yielded nothing. The excise policy says that any person running a liquor vend will have to make his own arrangements for procuring suitable premises to carry on the business in localities for where the clearance has been given. A temporary shed can be built in cases of exigency, but, going by the latest figures, the exigency seems to be occurring far too often. A week ago, such a vend had been in business in Sector 35 for the past five years. The contractor was allowed to build a tin shed opposite the Sector 34 road, leading to protests from shopkeepers, who said it gave the commercial area an ugly look. The Administration should ensure that vend owners do business from regular shops.
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Manmohan backs bankers on foreign
capital Chandigarh, September 9 Dr Manmohan Singh, who is also the Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha, said this while supporting Indian bankers’ need to raise $15 billion of foreign capital for the financial institutions to comply with the capital adequacy norms prescribed by the internationally accepted Basal Report. The former Finance Minister was speaking as chairman of the Haksar series of seminars and discussions on ‘’The future of Indian Financial Sector’’ organised by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID). Dr Manmohan Singh said while there is a consensus amongst the political parties to maintain the public sector (social responsibilities) character of the financial sector, the question of ownership was still not resolved. He said while the present government wanted only 33 per cent stakes in the recapitalised banks, the Congress wanted it to be 51 per cent to have a direct control on the ownership. He admitted that the goals of softer interest rates, competitiveness and efficiency were yet to be realised by banks despite a gradual opening up of the sector along with economic reforms and he found the floundering growth rate as a factor of failure. He clarified that the foreign banks were not able to meet the social or financial obligations gradually imposed by India and a few had even closed shop. The former Finance Minister’s response came in the wake of the reactions evoked amongst participants on the former Chairman and Chief Managing Director of Union Bank of India, Mr A. T. Pannir Selvam’s, paper seeking Indian banking system scouring for foreign capital to meet the total capital adequacy norm of $15 billion from the present $5 billion. Mr Selvam said there was no option but to go for foreign investment in the sector to get this money as the local market could not provide it. The former top banker said that as per the new norms the Non Performing Assets (NPAs) of banks could be as high as 120,000 crore as against the record of Rs 60,000. Dr Manmohan Singh said of the Rs 10,000 crore profit of the Reserve Bank of India, that had now been used to reduce the budget deficit, a certain part should be given for strengthening the banking sector. In another seminar on ‘’Global Finance and Development’’ finance expert Ms Sunanda Sen said that while monitoring the capital was required, economy could also not do without foreign capital. She said that the pressures of capital from abroad were unimaginable and that the finance had grown faster than trade. Ms Sen, however, sought to prove that the growth in the financial market did not necessarily lead to an increase in the economic activity as a large part of it had generally been short term. She said that there had been a negative flow of capital since 1993 to India. Going into history, Ms Sen gave examples of Argentina and Brazil where the capital trade lobby had destabilised governments. Former Navy Chief Admiral, Vishnu Bhagwat; former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Gopi Arora, former Economic Advisor to Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, Mr S.K. Goyal; CRRID Director, Mr Rashpal Malhotra, several bureaucrats and academicians participated in the discussions today. |
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Gujral-Manpreet wedding void: court Chandigarh, September 9 The District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, admitted Mr Gujral’s plea that Ms Manpreet was married to Mr Vishal Aggarwal at the time of marriage with him. The Home Secretary had married Ms Manpreet two years ago. While on honeymoon to the USA, Mr Gujral came to know that she was married to Mr Vishal Aggarwal and had not divorced him. He had returned to Chandigarh and filed an FIR in Ludhiana on September 8, 2000. At that time, he had just joined as Home Secretary, UT. Subsequently, he had moved court, seeking annulment of marriage under Section 11 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. During these two years, Ms Manpreet did not make a personal appearance before the court to depose. In September, 2000, the case made headlines with allegations and clarifications flying from both sides. |
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Sector 11 up in arms against transmission
tower Chandigarh, September 9 A couple of days back, officials of the BSNL and the contractor started construction work on the spot which was abandoned following protests by shopkeepers and residents. Besides the fear that radiations emitting from the tower would be harmful to people, shopkeepers allege that stairs installed by the contractor for setting up the tower could be used by mischievous persons, as it provides an easy access to the roof of shops. Residents also alleged that roofs of the neighbouring houses and shops had started leaking due to the construction work. It is learnt that a delegation of shopkeepers and residents welfare associations met the SHO of the Sector 11 police station who assured them that no construction activity would be allowed till the court’s order. When contacted, Mr Sanjay Aggarwal, DGM (Planning) said, “There is already a transmission tower in the area. Then how is it that health of the residents of the area was not being affected.” He said that work on the tower would continue. |
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Ghaggar bridge bears monsoon
fury Panchkula, September 9 It is probably for the first time that cement concrete blocks (CC Blocks), retaining walls and wire -crating on spurs and studs at various places , have not been damaged during the monsoon. Though delayed monsoon has resulted in lesser water flowing down the river, better quality of work on these river protection structures has prevented the structures from being washed away. It may be noted that the national highway branch had carried on these work for the first time last year. An amount of Rs 53 lakh had been sanctioned for these works, especially around Old Ghaggar bridge, Doon river , near Amravati Enclave , where there is massive damage each year. By increasing thickness of retaining walls and CC blocks, they have succeeded in saving these structures. The Superintending Engineer, National Highways, today visited various sites along National Highway -73 and National Highway- 72 to assess the structures after two heavy showers from August 12- 14 and from September 7 -8. Sources in National Highways informed Chandigarh Tribune that the Ministry Of Surface Transport (MOST) had sanctioned a sum of Rs 24. 6 lakh for carrying out earth digging work, creating cement concrete blocks (CC Blocks) and wire crates around the pillars of Old Ghaggar bridge to prevent scouring (erosion). It is learnt that CC Blocks were laid at those spots where scouring was reportedly two to three feet deep. Officials in National Highway inform that each year, the cost of this protection repair work around the pillars was an astronomical Rs 40 lakh. This year, they assure, that the CC blocks are being built of the highest quality and at the lowest price. The local officials have been directed to prepare a fresh estimate for a water and scouring resistant road carpetting on the bridge, as in roudabouts in Chandigarh to increase its life span. |
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FAUJI BEAT With a large number of defence officers having put up in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, social get-togethers of retired officers of various regiments and corps are a common feature here. This is an occasion when veterans reminisce about their heydays of soldiering. Women also don’t lag in recalling the emotional moments when, during the days of war, they lived together as one family in cantonments. One such get-together of the Jat Regiment was held over lunch at the Shivalik Officers Institute in Chandi Mandir on September 7. That a veteran of 86 years, Lt-Col Akhe Ram ( a soldier-turned-business tycoon) came all the way from Panipat to attend this regimental function shows his zeal for camaraderie. Col Akhe Ram joined the Army in 1936 and was commissioned into 3 Jat in May 1941. He commanded two famous battalions i.e. 1 Jat (LI) and 2 Jat (Mooltan), and was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) as a captain. He was invited by Queen Elizabeth to the UK for the re-enactment ceremony of the MBE in May 1996. He also met the Queen during her visit to India in October 1997, as a special invitee. It was a large gathering of old comrades-in-arms and their spouses who seemed to have enjoyed every bit of togetherness. Brig S. S. Kaler (retd) deserves all praise for organising these quarterly meets. Commandant Jat Regimental Centre, Brig Sham Lal, especially came from Bareilly to grace the occasion. A vibrant audience The first-ever seminar of the United Services Institution (USI) held outside Delhi on September 4 at the Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir, witnessed a hotly debated discussion. Thanks to the subject of the day-long seminar “Security challenges of India, both external and internal, in the regional context” and the select audience of retired and serving defence and civil services officers as well as the experienced and astute panelists. In this piece only the reaction of well informed and vibrant audience to various issues, which bordered on pungency, is being brought out a majority of speakers from the audience were of the opinion that politicians are the main cause of our undoing because they have thrown away the gains that the Army, after great sacrifices, brought to the country. Some of the instances quoted were halting the advance of the Army in J&K in 1948 when it would have occupied what is today known as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), giving away Haji Pir after the 1965 war, returning over 92,000 Pakistani PoWs in 1971, without getting anything in returns and not crossing the line of control (LoC) in Kargil in the 1999 conflict with Pakistan. Besides, the government’s lack of political will to tackle terrorism, absence of a security doctrine and shying away from appointing a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) came under severe criticism. No less critical of the politicians were the retired civil services officers for their “ham-handed” handling of political problems and encouraging fundamentalism in the country. No shelter after retirement The item “protect soldiers properties” in the column on August 27 has evoked bitter criticism against the government from Major C. S. Bachhar, who took pre-mature retirement in 1996 and has been struggling in vain to get his house in Sector 34 in Chandigarh vacated on the grounds of personal necessity since then. Why are the “faujis” fed on false hope that provisions have been made to get their properties restored to them on their retirement. No doubt, letters from the Centre to the state governments are there, but they don’t cut any ice in the courts. What is needed is a statutory provision. We sympathise with you Major Bachhar and wish you all success in your post-retirement battle. Saviour of Naushera Very few in today’s Army would know Brig Mohd Usman who earned the titles of “Hero of Naushera” and “Saviour of Naushera” by defending Naushera and defeating the Pakistani forces against heavy odds in February 1948. Had Naushera fallen to the enemy, a big chunk of Jammu region would have been cut off. For, Jhangar had already been wrested by the enemy in December 1947. But Brig Usman Commander 50 Para Brigade, after saving Naushera, was detemined to recapture Jhangar and he achieved his objective on March 18, 1948, when Jhangar once again came in our hands. After emerging larger than life as a soldier, Brig Usman was killed by an enemy shell in Jhangar on July 3, 1948, and was awarded Maha Vir Chakra (posthumously). Born in Uttar Pradesh in 1912, Brig Usman opted for the Indian Army at the time of Partition in 1947. Pritam Bhullar |
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Farmers protest against non-payment of
dues Panchkula, September 9 The freedom fighters, along with farmers from Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Ambala, under the aegis of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti , have been protesting for the past two months against alleged callous attitude of the sugar mill owners. Led by Mr Sadhu Ram Saini , freedom fighter and former MLA, they alleged that payment had not been made to them since January 2002 to March 2002, though they had supplied sugarcane to the mill. While speaking to mediapersons, Mr Saini alleged that farmers had supplied sugarcane worth approximately Rs 40 crore to the mill. The mill
authorities, however, maintain that cane worth Rs 33 crore had been bought and Rs 15. 33 crore given to the farmers. Speaking to “Chandigarh Tribune ”, Mr. Bachchan Singh of Ambala said they had started their protest against the non-payment of dues in July by blocking the state highways and a fortnight ago by gheraoing the Kandi complex. Following this, the authorities had assured them that payments would be made by September. “ However, the mill owners have not even started making the payments and instead approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court to get a stay,” he said. The state government, it is learnt, had announced a rate of Rs 104 per quintal, Rs 106 per quintal and Rs 110 per quintal , depending upon the variety. But the farmers said they were not being paid in accordance with rates announced by the government. The mill owners were now offering them Rs 62. 50 per quintal, as announced by the Central Government. The farmers are demanding that the sugar mill be sealed and the government apply for vacation of stay in the court case filed by the owners. They are also asking for a criminal case to be registered against mill owners for tampering with records and the list of payments to be made public. |
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BJP seeks CBI probe into SCO auction Chandigarh, September 9 The delegation led by the ad-hoc committee convener, Mr Yashpal Mahajan, comprised Ms Kamla Sharma,Mr Gian Chand Gupta, Mr Rajesh Gupta and Mr Purushottam Mahajan. The memorandum said records of the two auctions on January 23 and August 28 should be requisitioned by the Administrator and a recovery of Rs. 50 lakh should be made from the person found to be guilty. The memorandum alleged that there had been number of such irregularities in the municipal corporation since the Congress took over. The BJP blamed the Congress for ‘’mismanaging the affairs in the corporation and demanded a stern action against the corporation ruled by the Congress.’’ Mr Jacob gave them a patient hearing and assured to look into the matter. Meanwhile, an NRI who claimed to have given a bid for the shop on August 28, also shot off a missive to the Administrator stating what transpired on the day of auction. |
Tribal life her forte Chandigarh Born on December 22, 1954, she has several works of fiction and non-fiction to her credit. Her “Saloni” series published by Harper Collins is a big hit with children. Her other works for children include “King of the Jungle”, “Talking Parrot”, “Hunt for the Jewels” , “Earthquake”, etc. An IAS officer of the MP cadre, she has observed the life of the tribesmen of Madhya Pradesh very closely — their problems, their exploitation by the upper class. Her latest novel, “Terror in the Jungle”, is centred around the Naxalite movement that culminated in the formation of the People’s War Group. It brings the reader face to face with the kind of life tribesmen lead: how they are denied the basic necessities of life and exploited as “workhorses” by those better off. The novel also exposes the so-called “friends of the people”, the Naxalites who have little regard for human life as “state prosecutors”. In an interview with TNS here, Ms Kacker said she became interested in the life of the tribesmen during her posting in the tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh. She got registered for Ph.D and studied the customs of tribals closely. Shivji is a tribal god who they refer to as Mahadev. She feels that conditions exist in the tribal belt for the Naxalite movement to take root. There was a minor uprising of the tribals in Bastar during the British Raj. It was then decided by the British to isolate and disarm them and keep them confined to the jungles. The tribes folk were used to jungle life but following the nationalisation of forests, they felt that not only their way of life but also their livelihood was threatened. This intensified their feeling of alienation which, in turn, gave birth to the Naxalite movement. Incidentally, the Naxalite movement was not led by the tribesmen. It was headed by Andhra non-tribals. Her new book is based on a real-life incident in which a police thana was looted of arms and ammunition by Naxalites. Kacker has also edited Volumes X and XI of “Puratan”, a research journal published by the Directorate of Archaeology, Madhya Pradesh. She won the second prize in a national competition for children’s writers in English, conducted by the Children’s Book Trust in 1996 and 2001. Besides being a children’s writer, Ms Kacker works passionately for the overall development of children. She is president and chief promoter of Upvan, an organisation working for the overall balanced development of a child. This, it believes, requires not only studies but also sports and other extra-curricular activities that will help develop leadership qualities, communication skills, team behaviour and emotional intelligence. Ms Kacker has a Chandigarh connection too. Her grandparents settled in Chandigarh after migrating from what is now Pakistan. “I am basically at a Delhiite but during my school days I used to come to Chandigarh to live with my grandparents and spend summer holidays”. |
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SC/ST employees submit memorandum Chandigarh, September 9 The delegation alleged that the government’s of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and UT, Chandigarh, have failed to implement the 85th Amendment of Constitution on reservation issue and not a single SC, ST and BC category employee has so far been promoted against available vacancies. The delegation demanded that the amendment should be implemented. The delegation demanded that reservation of seats may be calculated on the basis of population in each stream in professional colleges and other technical institutions. The delegation further demanded that the Atrocity Act may be implement in letter and in spirit. High level screening committees should be constituted through out the country to check unscrupulous elements in society. The delegation also informed the commission about non issuing of caste certificates by the Chandigarh Administration to the employees stationed in the city. |
Youth arrested for girl’s suicide
bid Chandigarh, September 9 A police official said the victim, in her statement before a magistrate in the wee hours today, said the boy used to follow and tease her. She stated that to save her parents from embarrassment, she took the extreme step. A case under Sections 305 and 511 of the IPC was registered against the youth Raju, living in the same colony. The father of the victim, Mr Prem Singh, is a rickshaw-puller and her mother works as a dometic help at a house on the Panjab University campus. The victim used to assist her mother in her work. According to the information available, the father of the victim had gone to the Sector 24 police post to complain against the boy. When she came to know about it, she attempted suicide. Sources said the suspect knew the girl for the past three years and was interested in marrying her. The family of the girl was reportedly opposed to the marriage. |
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Youth killed in road
mishap Panchkula, September 9 Smack seized: The police has seized 100 gm of smack from Mohit Kumar, near Zirakpur. His accomplice, Vikas, reportedly fled on a scooter. Both accused belonged to Ambala. The police has registered a case under Sections 21, 23 and 61 of the NDPS Act. Gang busted:
The police has arrested three members of a gang involved in several cases of burglary here and recovered goods worth Rs 30,000 from them. The accused, Rajesh Kumar, Raj Kumar and Paramjit Singh, were arrested in Old Panchkula yesterday. Gold and silver jewellery, a camera and a walkman have been recovered from them. They have been remanded in police custody for two days. One arrested:
Madan was arrested on the charge of speculation from Pinjore and Rs 50 was seized from him. Chandigarh Chain snatched: An unidentified cyclist allegedly snatched a gold chain from Ms Bala Devi, a resident of Sector 24, on the evening of September 7. The incident took place near Punjab Engineering College, Sector 12. A case under Section 356 of the IPC has been registered. Vehicles stolen: Mr Vishal Puri, a resident of Sector 38, reported to the police that his Maruti car (DL-9-CD-1830) was stolen from the PGI campus yesterday. A Bajaj Chetak scooter (CH-01-X-4088) of Mr Mian Ram, a resident of Sector 37, was reportedly stolen from Sector 37 a couple of days ago. Two cases of theft have been registered. Trespassing:
Mr Rakesh Mahanto, a resident of Sector 8, reported that Prakash Kaur, along with other persons, trespassed into her house and threatened her. A case under Sections 147, 148, 452 and 506 of the IPC has been registered. Arrested:
Sushila Shukla, a resident of Indira Colony, Mani Majra, was arrested with 12 pouches of liquor. She was booked under various sections of the Excise Act. |
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2 persons injured
in attack SAS Nagar, September 9 It is reported that Gurnam Singh (50) and his son, Surinder Singh, were attacked by eight to 10 persons with sharpedged weapons when they were sleeping in the verandah of their house. Gurnam Singh, who was seriously injured, was taken to the local Civil Hospital from where he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. It is reported that the wife and an elder son of Gurnam Singh were sleeping inside the house. The attackers bolted the door from outside and gheraoed both the persons sleeping in the verandah. They asked Surinder Singh if he knew Prem Singh. When the former replied in the negative, they were attacked. The police has registered a case in this regard. |
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MARKET PULSE Chandigarh, September 9 The design of the watch is user- friendly with an easy-to-read dial and ‘hours’ and ‘minutes’ arms printed in different colours on matching double dials, making it easier for children to tell time. Priced at Rs 295 onwards, the watch is like a ‘time teacher’. The company has designed a well-researched packaging. The case of the watch is in the shape of a ‘funky rocket’ which is difficult to miss and can be used as a pencil box also. With kids becoming more aware of styling, the inside dial patterns like butterflies, bikes, ladybirds, dolphins and flowers add to the appeal of the watch. The range is completely waterproof and is ideal for kids who love to splash in
water. The watches can be worn to a pool party or a swim anytime. |
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