 |
|
| Thursday,
March 13, 2003, Chandigarh, India
|
|
|||
|
Jaish area commander gunned down in Noida Operation Landmark Noida/Meerut, March 12 While the slain terrorist was identified as Manzur, the ‘area commander’ of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s outfit in Baramulla, the arrested militants were identified as Ezaz and Mehraz. The trio, it is learnt, were going to target such landmarks as the India Gate, Parliament building and the Mumbai stock exchange. The funds for the attack had been organised through the hawala network from Mumbai, it is learnt. The conspirators were now only waiting for the green signal to gather in Muzaffarnagar for the final meeting. These details were revealed by SSP, Muzaffarnagar, in a cellular phone conversation. Ezaz and Mehraz also disclosed that Manzur had stayed in Muzaffarnagar for a fortnight in November and December 2002, to lay the groundwork for the mission. According to a senior intelligence official, Gazi Baba had appointed Manzur as area commander of Baramula to enable him to complete his mission. The trio had also visited Mumbai to identify possible targets of their attack. They had reportedly inspected the stock exchange building and the Gateway of India. In the next phase, Manzur took them to Delhi and showed them the other possible targets –- Parliament building, India Gate, North Avenue, PM’s house and Rashtrapati Bhawan. After the shootout in Noida, the police recovered a motor bike, incriminating documents, automatic weapons and hand grenades of Austrian origin, SP City Vijay Bushan disclosed. The hand grenades are believed to be of the kind used by the Pakistani Army. According to Rajiv Ranjan Verma, SSP of STF, they had received information from the CBI and from their own sources that some terrorist groups had infiltrated Delhi and were likely to target some vital installations in the Capital and Mumbai. SP City Vijay Bhushan disclosed that they were tipped off that some terrorists were likely to visit sector 32 bus terminal on the evening of March 11; there, they were expected to pick up another terrorist and proceed towards Meerut. On the assigned day, at about 2 am a motor cycle was seen approaching the bus stand. The police waited till the suspect picked up his colleague. But by then the duo had sighted the police and started firing indiscriminately. The police, who had surrounded the area, retaliated. Under the cover of fire, the suspects took refuge behind a wall and resumed firing. But with the police attacking them from all sides, the terrorists relented. Later, the police found the bullet-ridden body of Manzur who had been hit seven times. The other terrorist had fled. Manzur, Ezaz and Mehraz had also visited Mumbai to identify possible targets of their attack. They had reportedly inspected the stock exchange building and the Gateway of India. In the next phase, Manzur took them to Delhi and showed them the other possible targets –- Parliament building, India Gate, North Avenue, PM’s house and Rashtrapati Bhawan.
|
|
INTELLIGENTSIA’S
VOICE New Delhi, March 12 While reconciling to the fact that until an alternative method of choosing representatives to head the gurdwara committee was found the electoral system should continue, the participants said the Sikhs should take active interest in the affairs of the community. “While the physical structure of Akal Takht was damaged in Operation Bluestar, the Sikh leaders elected to manage the affairs of the community are destroying the values and principles of Akal Takht itself,” Mr Charanjit Singh Chinni of the Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat said. Sikh intellectual Dr G. S. Negi said rampant corruption in the gurdwara committee was due to the electoral system. “Had this been in existence in the past, then Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur would not have become Sikh Gurus,” he said. Stating that there was no system of election in any other religion, he said the electoral system was the root cause of corruption as only those who got the support of maximum number of persons got elected. The candidates, to win the polls, invested large sums of money and when elected used the gurdwara institution to recover their investment, he added. Former ambassador Dr Jaspal Singh said though the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, states that only those persons who are ‘amritdhari’ can be elected to the DSGMC, it is a known fact that several of them are not ‘amritdhari,’ though they might have given affidavits to the contrary. “The Act also states that the members should not be engaged in business, but for most of the members, gurdwara committee itself is their business,” he added. Former Akal Takht Jathedar Prof Darshan Singh Khalsa, while condemning the electoral system, said there was a need to define who is a Sikh. He said the offices of the gurdwara committee and political parties should not be within the gurdwara complexes as they denigrated the honour of the religious institution. |
|
PUBLIC PLACES Khurja (Noida), March 12 All those seeking to register their plot face an uphill task in Khurja and elsewhere. More than the stamp duty and other legal charges for registry, the illegal “service charges” have become the most potent stumbling block in the way of those going in for a registry. Though normally people have to pay through their nose all such “service charges” as demanded by officials dealing with registries , the ever-rising expectations and demands have converted the Registry Department in Khurja into a den of corruption. Twenty-five per cent of the commission is returned to the document writers and a revenue loss running into lakhs of rupees is incurred by the government. The officials in the department may not help or guide the public about the legal charges but they are experts and quite professional in negotiating and hiking the rates of their own commission or “service charges”. If you ask why they are demanding so much, pat comes the answer, “Don’t you know we have to pass part of the ‘commission’ to the top officials too. We shall just get a pittance out of it.” The stamp duty and “service charges” seem to have been worked out very fairly - you have to shell out an amount equal to the one you give for legal duties and charges to the officials. And if you are a little liberal with your money, the personal visit for physical inspection reports will also by recorded by officials while sitting in the office only. And you are handed over the copy of the official documents, proving that even if corrupt their system is efficient. The net result is that simple rural folk and educated town dwellers alike become the victims of the agents who pocket fat amounts of money in the process. Though there is a technical ban on agents and document writers entering the official premises, but actually these people go about their work freely as the public is usually meted out a very rude treatment by the officials. One factor contributing to the prevalent system is the late arrival of officials. This comes as a blessing in disguise for the agents who apparently come to the rescue of the harassed public. There seems to be a strict code of conduct in place among the corrupt officials and agents. Every official’s share is meticulously and honestly handed over to him, according to the pre-settled rates and norms. There is no room for dishonesty among the dishonest. If you want to reduce the stamp duty, agents and official can help you in this also if only you will increase their share accordingly. And those who are bitten by the honesty bug and won’t like to proffer a bribe are indeed in for a tough time and a big load of harassment. They have to run from pillar to post for collecting their documents. |
|
|
HC penalises bank for harassing ’84 riot victims New Delhi, March 12 The court ruled that this was a case where the effort of the government to ameliorate the miserable lot of the riot victims of 1984 had been deliberately subverted by the bank. The profound agony of the victims magnified and got prolonged for nearly 18 years. A Bench comprising Mr Justice B. A. Khan and Mr Justice R. S Sodhi in its judgement directed that the cost would be paid by the bank to the applicants in equal proportion. The Bench was hearing the plea by two riot victims against the order of a district court, which had allowed a suit by the bank for recovery of Rs 1.66 lakh from them. The two had taken a loan amounting to Rs 2 lakh for purchase of a truck under the interest-free Central Subsidy Scheme (CSS). The Bench, considering the circumstances, ordered the bank to treat the appellants as a deserving case under the CSS, process the case in accordance with it and put them to notice accordingly. It also ruled that if, upon consideration, any amount was payable, the victims should pay it in monthly instalments of Rs 5,000. The court said that on analysis of the documents and statements of witnesses it appeared the bank was aware of the CSS framed by the Reserve Bank of India pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in a case of a riot victim on this issue. |
|
Masked men gain entry into nurses’ hostel Bhiwani: Three masked men entered the nurses’ hostel here at about 8 last night. The trainee nurses, however, managed to lock the miscreants in a room. They later informed the police. It is alleged the police reached the spot in time but the miscreants managed to escape. The trainee nurses met the Chief Medical Officer the next morning to register their protest about the incident, demanding more security in the hostel. The trainee girls said this was the second such instance in a week. The SDM, Mr Yashender Singh, assured the inmates that the boundary wall of the hostel would be raised and one more watchman put on duty. In the wake of prevailing resentment the hospital administration has closed the hostel for 10 days. It is worth mentioning that a thief entered the hostel on March 7 and decamped with the trainees’ valuables. OC Accused cashier dies Faridabad: The Head Cashier of the Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) branch at Sector 15 here, who had consumed acid after being charged with misappropriating Rs 7.84 lakh yesterday, died in the hospital early this morning. The deceased, identified as Sunil Dutt, had been put in the lock-up at a police post after he failed to reveal where the missing money was. The accused consumed acid kept in the toilet in the night from where he was taken to hospital. He remained unconscious yesterday and died this morning at about 1.30 am. The accused had reportedly admitted his involvement in the bungling during police interrogation. The police had decided to keep him in the lock-up to coax him into disclosing where he had kept the money and book a case against him. The money is yet to be recovered. The deceased was a resident of Sector 19 here.
TNS |
|
DELHI IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, March 12 To overcome this, the train traction control system software has been got modified and will now not affect the train traction system. The embassies in the Capital owe Rs 2.7 crore to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as electricity and water charges, the Rajya Sabha was informed today by the Minister of State for Home, Mr Harin Pathak. He said that the state bhawans owe Rs 0.2 crore and the central government departments’ outstanding dues amount to Rs 26.6 crore. The Delhi Police, in compliance with the Delhi High Court directives, have drawn up a scheme for the protection and well-being of senior citizens in the Capital. Under the scheme, a fresh survey of elderly people living alone would be conducted, their residents visited periodically by the beat staff, station house officers and division officers concerned, and antecedents of their domestic servants verified. Two cases were registered during the past three years up to February 28 this year against parking attendants who helped auto lifters in theft of vehicles. While the parking attendant was arrested in one case, the accused in the other case is absconding. It was pointed out that the owners or leaseholders of parking sites have been asked to get the antecedents of parking attendants verified through the police before putting them on job. Four police personnel, including a female Assistant Sub-Inspector, were sent to police lines last month on the charge of corruption. Adverse observations were made by courts against Delhi Police investigations in 39 cases, the House was informed. In one case, in which re-investigation was ordered, remedial action was taken, while disciplinary action was taken in other cases against the investigating officers prima facie found to be at fault, Mr Pathak said. |
|
|
Chautala
flayed for ignoring quota for Jats Sonepat, March 12 In a signed press statement issued here today, Mr Mor said that when the agitation for reservation of jobs for the Jats in Rajasthan was on, Mr Chautala had publicly promised that the moment the declaration for reservation was made in Rajasthan, he would do so in Haryana the next day. “Now it is three-and-a-half years that the declaration for job reservation for the Jats in Rajasthan and Delhi has been made, but the Haryana Chief Minister is still silent on this issue,” he said and added that the job reservation for Jats had also been done in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. He recalled that during the Janata Dal rule in Haryana from 1987 to 1991 when Ch Devi Lal and Hukam Singh as well as Om Prakash Chautala and Banarsi Dass Gupta were the state chief ministers, the Gurnam Singh Commission was constituted to identify other castes including Jats to bring them in the OBC category. “It was the Haryana government under these leaders which initiated the process for the first time in the country to bring Jats in the OBC category. But, now it is the last state not to declare the Jats as OBCs,” he remarked. |
|
Sugarcane
farmers to get dues in 10 days: MP Ghaziabad, March 12 The Ghaziabad member of Parliament, who is also chairman of the House Allotment Committee of the Lok Sabha, said that all the problems of the area would be addressed during the current session of Parliament. Of all the questions raised by him, Dr Tomar said, the release of payment to sugarcane growers of the area was most important. There are 51 private and 49 government and cooperative sugarcane mills in the state. The government mills consume 28 per cent of sugarcane grown while the private mills use 72 per cent of the crop. The government sector mills have already started releasing payments to the sugarcane farmers. But the delay in the release of farmers’ payments by the private mills has become quite serious. He had raised the issue of sugarcane farmers’ problems before the Prime Minister and the Dy Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, Dr Tomar said, had assured him that steps would be taken soon for the release of payment to the farmers. The member of Parliament said that the release of payment would start within 10 days. Dr Tomar said he had raised all the local issues at a meeting in Lucknow on March 8-9, including the law and order; release of sugarcane payment; and the predicament of traders with regard to the impending application of VAT in the state. He said that he had opposed the application of VAT, terming it against the traders’ interests. “Three crore traders in the state will start indulging in illegal evasions if VAT is imposed. The trader in the state is already being exploited under Form 49. He said he had also pleaded with the Chief Minister to give the traders some relief. Dr Tomar said he had demanded under Rule 377 of the Lok Sabha that the Mohan Nagar flyover should be made a 4-lane bridge. The Ghaziabad MP said that a number of programmes are being chalked out for the Founding Day celebrations of the BJP on April 6 when a huge rally would be taken out apart from the seminars and symposiums in the district. |
|
|
Greater
Noida farmers refuse to Greater Noida, March 12 The farmers said unless the difference in compensation rates are done away with, they will not accept the payment nor will they hand over the possession of their land to the Greater Noida administration. The farmers have threatened to launch an agitation followed by a “fill the jail campaign”. Addressing the mahapanchayat, called under the aegis of the Greater Noida Development Committee, committee secretary Surinder Singh Bhatti alleged that the Greater Noida administration was adopting double standards. While the Noida administration is paying compensation at the rate of Rs 385 per square yard, the Greater Noida administration has offered Rs 223 per square yard for similar category of land. He accused the local people’s representatives of not being serious on this vital issue, which affects the farmers gravely. Presiding over the mahapanchayat, village pradhan Raju Naggar said some people are playing politics by exploiting the farmers’ cause while all they are interested is to seek personal advantages from the Greater Noida administration. The farmers should socially boycott such people, he said and called upon those who claim to be farmers’ friends to come forward and participate in this struggle against the authority. They should also be prepared to court arrest and go to the jail for the cause. “In case, the authority tries to forcibly occupy farmers’ land, the farmers will give them a befitting answer in the form of an agitation and courting arrest to fill the jails,” he said. A delegation of farmers later met Additional District Magistrate, Land Acquisition, and handed over a memorandum addressed to the District Magistrate. A number of leading farmers and farmer leaders like Parmanand Sharma, Gaje Singh, Dhiraj Singh Pradhan, Des Raj Singh, Karan Singh, Sewa Ram, Dayanand Bhatti, Lakhmi Sharma and Tejpal Singh attended the
mahapanchayat.
|
|
SPECIAL FOCUS ON PANIPAT Panipat , March 12 Many unauthorised colonies have come up with the connivance of DTP such as Viraat Nagar, Shanti Nagar, New Model Town, Aghi Colony, Sat Kartar Colony, Uggarsain Colony, Batra Colony, R.K. Puram, Makhija Colony, Shakti Nagar, Dhingra Colony, Sawan Park – (25-30 acres ) and Himanshu nursery area. Other areas of agricultural land used as colonies are Babail Road – around 200 acres area with 10 colonies; Ujha Road – about 125 acres area with four colonies; Sanoli Road – 200 acres area with 10 colonies; Krishanpura – about 100 acres area, covering Vikas Nagar, Azad Nagar, Sanjay Colony, Raj Nagar and Kabri Road area of about 600 acres with around 12 colonies. These areas of around 2,500 acres are not converted as per law in which licence under the Urban Areas Act and Change in Land Use (CLU) is a necessary requirement. An industrialist has to take permission for the CLU of an agricultural land by paying fees of minimum Rs 1,42,400 per acre. On the other hand, the coloniser has to obtain a licence for carving out plots in the residential zone only by paying about Rs1,25,000 per acre outside the municipal limits from the Director, Town and Country Planning, Haryana. It is alleged that by losing Rs 1,61,000 per acre as scrutiny and the CLU fees, right from the day one, the town planner at the district level has favoured the mushrooming of industries and unauthorised colonies and deliberately put the state government to a revenue loss of crores of rupees in and around 2,500 acres in the Panipat district alone. In some of the cases, the colonisers are reportedly to have purchased the land from the farmers on general power of attorney in fictitious names to avoid stamp duty and income tax. In most of the cases, the property dealers take the contract for getting the sale deed of a particular land within a stipulated period of four to six months and directly get the registration from the owner of land to the purchasers. The Haryana government constituted a tribunal in July last year with a retired High Court judge as chairman who served notices to around 2,700 units in Panipat, which had come up before April 28, 1995 for taking decision regarding the unauthorised constructions and the action taken thereof. Some of the industrial units within the extended municipal limits replied to the tribunal that they were ready to pay the development charges to the Nagar Parishad. The development charges of the Nagar Parishad are Rs145 per square yards which includes ‘malba’ charges of Rs 25 whereas Huda development charges are more than Rs 300 per square meter. Sources confirmed that these units had not paid any development charges either to Huda or the Nagar Parishad. |
|
Haryana
leads in schemes for welfare of the disabled Panipat, March 12 While speaking to mediapersons at PWD Rest House, Mr Ahluwalia informed that the District Administration could send proposals amounting up to Rs 2 crore for the welfare of the disabled and the amount for such proposals would be made available within a fortnight. So far, the money under the schemes had been released for Faridabad, Sirsa, Gurgaon in Haryana, Jalandhar and Patiala in Punjab and Nagore, Alwar and Barmer districts in Rajasthan, he said. He said that under this act, the disabled have been given reservation of three per cent in the government services and five per cent in the private sectors. Haryana has done a commendable work in giving employment to the disabled. He disclosed that if any social organisation holds camps for the benefit of the disabled, the organisation is provided with a grant of Rs 1 lakh. Mr Ahluwalia said that the disabled welfare camps would be organised in every district of the state to address to the problems of the disabled and initiate welfare programmes for them. It was the first camp today in Panipat and the next camp would be organised in Gurgaon on March 14 and 15, he said, adding that the disabled would be given bus passes and medical certificates on the spot in the camps. In today’s camp, a number of disabled persons of the town met the Commissioner for the redressal of their grievances. The district officers of the departments concerned were present on the occasion. The Commissioner ordered for a monthly assistance of Rs 200 to a disabled eighth class student. He directed the health authorities to issue a yellow card for free treatment of a woman Shiela, wife of a disabled person of Ram Nagar. |
|
Better
drinking water for Sonepat Sonepat, March 12 According to a report, the department plans to construct a new overhead tank with a capacity of 25,000 gallons of water at Mohalla Kot where the old overhead tank exists with a capacity of 15,000 gallons. It was constructed about six decades ago when the population of this city was around 35,000. Now the population has crossed two lakhs. With the construction of new overhead tank, the residents of Mohalla Kot, Mohalla Kalan, Faiz Bazar, Kumahran Gate, Ganj Bazar, Bara and Chhota Halwai Huttas, Jatwara Mohalla, Mahabir colony and some other residential colonies would be benefited and they would get more drinking water to meet their requirements. Mr Satpal Goel, Chairman of the Sonepat Municipal Council, accompanied by Mr S K Goel, Superintending. |
|
|
Rai, Jatheri to be developed as modern villages Sonepat, March 12 According to the Chief Engineer of the HSIDC, Mr R. S. Malik, most of the panchayat land as well as lands of other residents of these villages were acquired for developing the industrial estate. In this way, the source of income of these village panchayats got exhausted. During a visit of Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala in the past, the residents of Kundli, Jatheri and Rai villages met him and pleaded for adoption of their villages for providing civic amenities and development works. At that time, the CM okayed the demand of Kundli and promised to look into the demands of Jatheri and Rai, Mr Malik said. Now, the proposal for these two villages had also been approved and these villages had been given a status of modern villages. The HSIDC would now provide all facilities like sewerage,
street lighting, pavement of streets and metalling of approach roads and other civic amenities, he said. Eight hurt in clash:
The injured persons were identified as Ravinder, Sham, Joginder, Shamlal, Ram Krishan, Sharwan, Jai Bhagwan and Ram Chander. All of them were rushed to the local civil hospital from where Jai Bhagwan was referred to a trauma centre in Delhi. |
|
NCR BRIEFS Sonepat, March 12 Dies of mad dog bite One
Jagat Singh of Datoli village died today due to a mad dog bite. He was
bitten by a mad dog in the village on Tuesday afternoon. Within one
hour of the bite, he showed symptoms of rabies and was brought to the
civil hospital here. He succumbed despite the daylong efforts by
doctors of the civil hospital to save him.
15 villages to get water
supply Bhiwani: As many as 15 villages have been selected for
providing drinking water facility under the Swajal Dhara scheme.
Disclosing this here today, Deputy Commissioner Harpal Singh said that
new water works, boosting stations and hand pumps would be set up to
provide adequate drinking water to the villages under the scheme. He
said that 27 tubewells had been installed in several villages of Behal
and Loharu area in view of the ensuing summer. The Public Health
Department has set up tubewells at Pahadi, Nangla, Gagadwas, Gignau,
Sarora, Kadim, Kasni Kalan, Kasni Khurd, Garwa etc, which will be made
operational shortly. Four new tubewells set up in separate mohallas of
Loharu will also be started by March 31, he said adding that the
ongoing construction work on the second water works at Bhiwani is
about to be completed.
Trade stir on March 21 Faridabad:
Traders
and businessmen of the district, under the aegis of Haryana Beopar
Mandal, held a meeting at Ballabgarh town today opposing the taxes on
cloth merchants. The traders have announced to stage a dharna and down
the shutters on March 21. Members of the mandal described the tax on
cloth traders as hard hitting and against the interest of the trade
itself. They said if it was continued, it would harm the growth of the
trade and interests of consumers. They resolved to stage a protest
demonstration at Chandigarh on March 29 and to observe a complete
strike on April 4, if the state government failed to withdraw the
hike.
Motorcyclist killed A resident of the Housing Board Colony of
Sector 10 here was killed after the mobike he was riding collided with
a car in Sector 15 today. Identified as Vipin Chaudhary (18), the
victim was going with a friend Manish on his motorcycle. Manish was
also injured in the mishap.
|
|
|
Traffic advisory for March 13-14 New Delhi: Motorists are advised to avoid the route of Tazia procession to be taken out by Shia Muslims on the occasion of Moharram on March 13 and March 14. The procession will start from Bara-Hindu Rao at 10 pm on March 13 and it will pass through Pahari Dhiraj, Sadar Bazar, Chowk Qutab Road, Lal Kuan, Hauz Quazi, Chawri Bazar and reach Jama Masjid around 4 am next day. Another procession of Tazia will start from Raj Ghat and will pass through Power House Road, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg, Ajmeri Gate and reach at Jama Masjid. The main procession will regroup at Jama Masjid on March 14 at 12 noon and the procession will proceed for Karbala, near Jor Bagh through the following routes: Jama Masjid Chowk, Chawri Bazar, Hauz Quazi, Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj Pul, New Delhi Railway Station, Red Cross Road, Krishi Bhawan, Raisina Road, Vijay Chowk, Krishna Menon Marg, Tughlak Road, Aurobindo Marg and it will end at Karbala. TNS
|
|
Detained Nigerian flees from nursing home New Delhi, March 12 The foreigner, who identified himself as Sil Sadeen, was “taken in for questioning after his movements were found suspicious”, sources said. However, before he could be interrogated, he feigned illness and was admitted to a nursing home in the area. There, he gave a slip to the escorting policemen and escaped raising further suspicion. A case has been registered against him in the Narela police station under Section 224 of the IPC. Vehicle
thieves held:
The accused, Raju Kumar alias Raja, resident of Uttam Nagar, and Kuldeep, resident of Mayapuri, had been active in Paschim Vihar, Patel Nagar and Vikas Puri. The police, acting on secret information that the accused would be coming near DDU Hospital in the Hari Nagar area, apprehended them. The duo confessed to their crimes during interrogation. Shopkeeper’s bag snatched:
When Satpal offered resistance, the youth attacked him with a knife injuring him on the face and neck. After hurting the victim, the youth fled with two of his associates who was waiting at a distance. Satpal was rushed to Mann Hospital. He is reported to be out of danger. The police have registered a case of robbery and have launched efforts to trace the absconding suspects. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
