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Fake degree racket busted,
three arrested Chandigarh, December 4 Emma Suri of Sector 21 was arrested from
her house while Akhil Dua was taken into custody from Panchkula today. The kingpin
of the racket, Munish Kapoor, was arrested by the Chandigarh police a couple of days ago from Sriganganagar in Rajasthan. The racket
surfaced when Mr R.K. Gupta reported to the police that he had been sold a fake degree of
BCA of Delhi University. After investigations, the police arrested Munish Kapoor and following his interrogation, Emma and Akhil were arrested today. The police said Munish was earlier a neighbour of Emma in Sector 21. His wife and Emma became friends. Emma and Akhil were friends
for long. Akhil, a web designer, was pursuing his graduation through correspondence from
Panjab University. Munish reportedly approached Pankaj and offered him a degree of Delhi University but he did not show any interest. However, Pankaj discussed the matter with his father, Mr R.K. Gupta who approached Munish and asked for a degree. Munish took him to a cyber cafe and made him solve a paper on an American website. After a few days, Munish returned to Mr Gupta with a BCA degree "issued" by the Delhi University. After a verification, Mr Gupta came to know that the degree was fake and reported the matter to the police. The police said the father of Akhil owns a printing press and the degrees might be printed there. However, Akhil told the police that the degrees were generated through a computer. The police has received two more complaints. The three have been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of IPC. Emma was today sent to judicial custody, while Akhil was remanded in police custody by a local court. Munish was earlier remanded in custody till December 5. |
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MC staff impound UT officer’s car Chandigarh, December 4 The driver of the car had brought the car to the Sector 27 car for getting accessories fixed. The car with a temporary registration number — which was taken to the vehicle pound of the enforcement staff in Industrial Area — was got released after the driver of the
vehicle paid the challan amount. According to shopkeepers in the market, when the enforcement staff descended on the scene to pick the vehicle, its driver misbehaved with the enforcement staff. The car was taken to the store of the enforcement wing. None of the senior officers of the corporation was available for comments. The officers of the enforcement wing refused to talk on the issue. One of the officers said a only car jack had been seized. |
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Uday’s funeral service to be as per US army traditions
Chandigarh, December 4 Stating this here today, Steven J. Stoiber, a defence attache with the US Embassy in New Delhi, said the contingent was expected to be led by an officer of the rank of Brigadier-General. The services would be as per the US army traditions. For the family, it will be a tortuous wait as it would take at least a week before Uday's body arrives here because there are many formalities to be completed. The body has been taken to Dover, Maryland, for an autopsy. After being embalmed, the body will be draped in the soldier's "Class-A" uniform, complete with service medals and regimental regalia before being airlifted to Chandigarh. This is perhaps for the first time in Independent India that a foreign army would be conducting a service funeral. Later, Uday's ashes would also be taken to the Arlington National Cemetery in Maryland near Washington, where the US buries it war dead. The US authorities had earlier asked Uday's father, Lt-Col P.M. Singh (retd), whether Uday should be buried at Arlington or his last rites be performed in Chandigarh. Steven, who refused to disclose his rank, is performing the role of casualty assistance officer, whose job is to stay with the bereaved family until the funeral is over and assist the family. The US Embassy's media adviser, Ms Arti Singh, is also here and is expected to stay until all formalities are completed. Speaking to media-persons at his Sector 18 residence, Colonel P.M. Singh and his wife, Manjit said their son had not been afraid to fight in Iraq. With tears, she recalled her son’s last words to her a few days ago, when he had said he was proud to be in the US army and that nothing could happen to him. She said she had been against Uday joining the US army. Enlisted into ‘C’ Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Armoured Regiment, Uday was killed after his patrol had been ambushed near Habbaniyah. He was evacuated to the Forward Operating Base, St Mere, where he succumbed to his injuries. He had been a gunner onboard a “Hummvee”, which left his torso exposed. The 21-year-old trooper hailed from a military family, with his father having served in the Indian Army and his grandfather having served in the Royal Indian Air Force during the colonial era. Uday’s father said his son had proved himself as a soldier, having been awarded the Army Achievement Medal when his company was deployed in Kuwait in 2001. He had moved to Iraq in September 2003. His home was crowded as relatives, friends and associates poured in to express their condolences. His friends recalled that Uday loved fast cars, war movies and was keen on joining the US army. He had spoken to some of his friends a few days ago. An alumni of St Stephen’s School, from where he did his Class XII, one of his teachers said he was focussed about his career. Uday’s 87-year-old grandmother, Anup Kaur, to whom he had written last month describing the conditions prevailing on the battlefield, trying to overcome emotions, said Uday had brought honour to a military family by sacrificing his life. Uday’s 11-year-old sister Bani was brought home from Sanawar, where she is studying in Class VII.  |
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70 lakh was sought for repairing road for President’s visit Mohali, December 4 It may come as a surprise to many that PUDA’s engineering wing asked for a whopping Rs 70 lakh for the repair of a 2 km stretch of road in Sector 68 here that led to the Army Institute of Law for the President’s visit. Thankfully, the amount was reduced to a more acceptable limit and the final tender was given for Rs 16 lakh (all figures in close approximates). The wide variation in the amount that was desired to be spent and what was finally allowed has led to eyebrows being raised at the “technically” sound working of the engineering wing of PUDA. But explanations are handy, the obvious one being that while the original amount was demanded for the construction of the road, which would have entailed the use of BM (bitumen mix), the final work done was a mere recarpeting or black topping of the road using premix which is cheaper. ‘‘Actually the condition of the road was very bad. And we thought that we will reconstruct the stretch but then our proposal was rejected and we went in for premix. Those who take a final decision in these matters do not understand the various technical details,’’explains Mr Tirlochan Singh, Chief Engineer, PUDA. However, sources state that in no way could a Rs 70 lakh proposal for the construction of a 2 km stretch of road can be justified unless one is undertaking the construction of a part of a national highway where the carriage is in thousands of tonnes. The Sector 68 road which was to be repaired was just an intra-sectoral road. A handy comparison is a similar repair undertaken by the Municipal Council here of the road that led to the NIPER on the occasion of the first visit of the President last month. An engineer working in MC confirmed that although the exact specifications of the kind of work undertaken by the MC and PUDA varied leading to a variation in cost, an equal stretch of road was repaired using BM and SDC for less than Rs 30 lakh. “Although there is a fixed rate schedule for the construction material laid down by the PWD, there is still a wide margin in the quality and quantity of material used. But I am sure that the specifications we have used on the NIPER road are better than what PUDA has used in Sector 68,’’he added. |
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Student suffers varsity apathy Chandigarh, December 4 When contacted for comments the university officials first claimed “non-existence of any such case”. This has happened despite the fact that the student had documentary evidence of his having deposited certain fee(Rs 30), lack of which, he was told was the reason for non declaration of his result. The case was subsequently taken up by Mr Mukesh Arora, a fellow, who also has a copy of a document of the fee deposit that he personally made. The university gave him in writing that the student had nothing pending against him on account of settling the accounts. Dr Sodhi Ram, Controller of Examination, said the delay had occurred due to certain procedural errors “ probably in identifying the roll number” and that the result will be declared at the earliest. Mr Arora said the papers kept on shifting between tables in the university. He added that “on more than two occasions, I was told that the previous staff had been shifted.” The result of a candidate of B.Com I( Roll Number 6449) has not been declared because the result has been referred to a third examiner as there was a very big difference between the earlier two evaluators (more than 15 per cent). A student of Government College, Hoshiarpur, has been denied admission to the next higher class by the college because he did not fill the examination form within 15 days of the declaration of the result. A local fellow said at least two students were allowed to attend classes in his college on a temporary basis in anticipation of timely receipt of their re-evaluation results and the university till date had not declared their re evaluation results. The list of undeclared results is very long. Students of Panjab University who do not get their results on time continue to be left at the mercy of the examination branch for no fault of theirs. Each year scores of candidates from affiliated colleges fail to get admission in the next higher class. “The third examiner cases which are a result of a big difference between marks of two evaluators are one of the reasons for the delay. Another major reason is that a sizeable number of teachers are not forthcoming in complying with their evaluation duties”, a senior official of the examination branch said. Mr Arora has sent a resolution to the university seeking that the results of re evaluation should be sent to the candidates concerned through registered mail. The university calender clearly says that admission to candidates whose results are declared late will be allowed within 15 days of the dispatch of the result by the concerned branch. In wake of delay in the delivery of result cards through normal mail, students many times did not know the exact date when they should contact the office concerned. The delay denied them a chance for admission in the higher class. |
2 local bodies awarded for serving disabled Chandigarh, December 4 The local-level committee of the Social Welfare Department has been awarded for its work in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disability and Umeed, a venture of the Institute of Mentally Retarded Children and Parents, Sector 32, owes its award to finding job placements for the mentally challenged. Elated at the award, Prof B.S. Chavan, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, said he had been hoping to get the award. “I was positive that our work would not go unnoticed. For three years, we have strived for finding placements for the mentally challenged and done a lot of innovative works. While I was expecting the award, I would not have been disappointed had we not got it since the award was certainly not the aim,” he said. Having received the award on behalf of the local-level committee, Mr Gurdip Singh, Director, Social Welfare, attributed it to the joint effort by non-government organisations and the government body. “Besides, the city, with its means of transport and communication, was an added advantage for us in our rehabilitation plans for the disabled. Though a lot of work is going on in other states, ours is a small city with a lot of awareness. This made our task easier and we achieved success in whatever we undertook,” added Mr Gurdip Singh. Giving details, he said within a short span of its existence, the committee had organised 10 awareness programmes, appointed 81 legal guardians and distributed 1555 guardianship forms. The committee, in coordination with the Social Welfare Department and the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded Children, also undertook programmes for awareness, early detection, integration and rehabilitation of the persons with disability. Programmes relating to their education and counselling of parents, aiming to reach each and every mentally challenged person, were also initiated and 21 mentally challenged persons were rehabilitated in one year. The national award for the welfare of challenged persons was handed over by the President of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to the two recipients. |
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BJP celebrates win in three states Chandigarh, December 4 Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former Member of Parliament, and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, local president of the BJP, danced to the beats of bhangra and burst crackers. Mr Jain said the victory showed the pro-people policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre. The victory was a mandate of the masses, he added. Prominent among those who attended the celebrations were Ms Kamla Sharma and Mr Rajesh Gupta, both councillors. |
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City may soon have
reliable transport system Chandigarh, December 4 The transport system would have to cater to the needs of all sections of the union territory’s population. It would have to be efficient and affordable. The solutions found in other cities could be taken into consideration. The Administrator asked the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, to act against the illegal taxi stands creating nuisance for the public. The Commissioner informed the Administrator that according to the survey of the Municipal Corporation, there were 81 locations on which these taxis stands were operating and many of these were illegal. The Chief Architect informed the Administrator that the Planning Department had regularised six taxi stands and 18 more stands had been identified and after verification from the police and the Estate Office, these sites would be regularised. Justice Verma also asked the Adviser to study the judgment of the Supreme Court for providing employment to Scheduled Caste youth and implement the judgment in
toto, expeditiously. |
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Verma directs police to check quackery Chandigarh, December 4 The Inspector General of Police informed the Administrator that there were nearly a 100 quacks working in various slums. The Health Secretary informed that the process was on to gather evidence which would withstand judicial scrutiny and, thereafter, criminal proceedings under the appropriate law would be launched against them. It may be recollected that The Tribune had highlighted it yesterday how the UT Health Department’s resolve to crack the whip on all bogus medical practitioners and quacks in the city had run out of steam as no action had been taken against the persons who had been issued notices for not possessing medical degrees. |
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Residents disappointed as Apni Mandi flops Panchkula, December 4 What is the use of holding an Apni Mandi when there is no vegetable or fruit? We will have to go all the way to the vegetable market in Sector 26, Chandigarh, to buy our stock, complained most residents. With the administration and the market committee officials remaining adamant on not allowing either farmers from Punjab or vendors from entering the Apni Mandi, the mandi failed to get a good response. As against 300 persons usually selling vegetables in the Apni mandi, today there were not more than 50 persons. There was no fruit, ginger, cabbage, carrots, peas, garlic, onions or tomatoes, and residents who came to pick their stock of fruits and vegetables in the morning returned a disappointed lot. Mrs Pushpa Malhotra, a resident of Sector 2, said this was unjustified. “Even if vendors are selling in the Apni Mandis, they are not harming anybody and it is for the residents’ convenience only, she reasoned. Agreed Mr NK Sachdeva, a resident of Sector 4, “We are living in the same country, then why farmers from Punjab should not be allowed here? As it is, Panchkula district does not have any vegetable producers of its own. Residents will have to go to Chandigarh and the whole purpose of the Apni Mandi is lost.” It may be noted that the Panchkula SDM, Mr Inder Singh, had given directions to officials of the Market Committee on Tuesday regarding the farmers from the neighbouring areas of Punjab or the vendors from selling their wares. He had said that the Chief Minister had given strict instructions that only farmers from Haryana were to be allowed in the Apni Mandis here. He had also asked the Market Committee officials to issue identity cards to the farmers of Haryana after verifying the land records of their farms. There was tension at the Apni Mandi this morning with about 200-odd vendors and farmers from Punjab urging the Market Committee people to issue them entry slips and allow them inside the mandi. However, they were not allowed inside, and as the day advanced, these vendors began moving in the bylanes along the venue of the Apni Mandi in Sector 4, and began selling their wares. Some of the farmers from the neighbouring state, and vendors, were also seen selling their vegetables just outside the mandi, on the road dividing Sector 4 and 5. However, the MC staff were called in and they picked up the weights and scales of these vendors. Mr Bhrigu Nath Yadav, a vendor, said others like him had been operating in the mandis here for the past 12 years. “We are even willing to pay double the entry fee, and being the residents of Panchkula, we should be allowed in the Apni Mandi”. He said their delegation would meet the Chief Minister and urge him to roll back his order of not allowing farmers from outside the state and vendors from selling their produce. Meanwhile, even the Market Committee officials agreed that they had suffered losses in market fee collections with the vendors and Punjab farmers not being allowed in the Apni Mandi. From a collection of Rs 7,000 a day earlier, we have collected a mere Rs 1,000 today, said an official on condition of anonymity. |
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3 charge travel agent with 5 lakh fraud Chandigarh, December 4 The three have alleged that the agent kept them under illegal confinement for more than two hours when they asked him to return the money. The three victims, Mr Sukhdev Singh, Mr Dilbagh Singh and Mr Yadvinder Singh, while talking to Chandigarh Tribune alleged that the agent, Vishal Vashisth of Kishangarh village near the Golf Club here, had called them to his house to return the money paid to him. Two of the victims also alleged that they were made to sign blank papers by Vashisth while in confinement. Once they were let out by Vashisth, they reported the matter to the Mani Majra police. A senior police official said a complaint had been received and the matter was under investigation. “Vishal Vashisth had promised to send my daughter, Ms Amandeep Kaur, for further studies to Canada and I had paid him Rs 1 lakh in May last year. The deal was settled for a sum of Rs 3 lakh”, alleged Mr Yadvinder Singh, a resident of Kanech village, Ludhiana. According to him, Vashisth had called them here to give post-dated cheques for the money he owed to them but later in the day he refused to honour his commitment. “He had promised us to return the money in instalments and he was to give us post-dated cheques but, later, he went back on his promise”, claimed Mr Yadvinder Singh. Another victim, Mr Sukhdev Singh, claimed that he had paid Vashisth Rs 2 lakh through a demand draft. “He had promised to send my brother, Mr Hardev Singh, to Canada but even after one year, my brother is here only and Vashisth has refused to return the money”, said Mr Sukhdev Singh of Valipur Kalana, Ludhiana. Mr Dilbagh Singh also claimed that he had paid Rs 2 lakh to the agent on an assurance that his son would be sent to Canada for further studies but
nothing came through. |
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Residents paying for lack of coordination Mohali, December 4 While the PSEB authorities state that they have no written intimation of the fact that Sector 68 is within the municipal limits of Mohali, the Municipal Council states that since it has never written to the PSEB denying that these sectors are within MC limits, there is no sense in writing to them that it is. Caught within the two agencies’ logic, the residents have been paying hundreds of rupees every month to the PSEB as octroi. Mr Manoj Kumar Aggarwal, general secretary, Residents Welfare Association, Sector 68, states that they have paid over Rs 50 lakh to the PSEB over these years, which should be returned to them by the board. ‘‘But no one seems to have a solution. We have been contacting the PSEB authorities virtually every week, but they show their helplessness, stating that till they receive a written intimation from either the MC or PUDA, nothing can be done,” he rues. ‘‘When we contacted the President of the Municipal Council, he said there was no logic in writing a letter which states the obvious’’ he says. Mr S.C. Aggarwal, S.E.(Operations), PSEB, Mohali, says octroi is being charged automatically and is being paid directly to the board. ‘‘Till we have something in writing, we cannot stop charging this amount,’’ he says. |
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Ex-servicemen seek job guarantee Chandigarh, December 4 In a statement issued here, the All-India Defence Brotherhood (AIDB) demanded that the government must provide alternative employment to retiring soldiers up to the age limits applicable to civilian employees in central and state governments. Pointing out that a majority of the retired soldiers were in the thirties and forties, the AIDB suggested that jobs be given to them before their retirement by lateral induction into the paramilitary forces or by absorbing them in the civil services. Pending provision of a suitable job, pension equivalent to the last pay drawn be paid to them. The AIDB also sought that requirement of 33 years’ service to be eligible to get full pension be done away with as no soldier, other than senior officers, could put in 33 years of service due to early retirement. It sought that a uniform compensation be paid to next of kin of martyrs, irrespective of the circumstances of death and the state they belonged to. |
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“Gita Jayanti Utsav” celebrated Chandigarh, December 4 According to a press release, devotees all over the world distributed books to propagate the sacred message of the Gita among people. Aarti, sankirtan and discourse were held besides recitation of salokas from the Srimad Bhagvadgita at the temple. The release added that it was at the beginning of this age, centuries ago, that Lord Krishna narrated the Bhagvadgita to Arjuna on this day in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. This “Gitopnishad Bhagvadgita” is the essence of all vedic literature and essential nectar of the Mahabharata, said a spokesman of ISKCON Akinchan Priya Das Prabhu. |
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READERS
WRITE I have known Mr Parkash Singh Badal as a gentlemanly politician, soft and suave. He thinks he and his son, Sukhbir Singh, have been framed in cases of corruption at the behest of Capt Amarinder Singh. If so, they can prove their innocence in the court of law, where the proceedings are pending. But Akali workers, to oppose challans against the Badals, resorted to a “rasta roko” programme. A number of commuters could not reach their destinations in time. The Akali workers have not realised how much inconvenience their protest caused to people. Reports reveal that a bus was burnt in Mansa, two buses were damaged in Muktsar and one in Malout. Trees were felled and laid on roads to obstruct the flow of traffic. In a nutshell, extensive damage was caused to public property. As a leader of the Opposition, it was expected from Mr Badal to discourage the Akali workers from protesting in this way, but he did not do so. It does not behove Mr Badal to be party to this gimmick. Prem Chand Mehta Chandigarh Check menace of stray cattle Stray cattle on roads in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula pose a serious threat to the lives of commuters. Many persons have become victims of the menace. The children going to schools on scooters or bicycles are not safe. During the rainy season, the problem is aggravated. The authorities concerned are levying more and more road taxes on the vehicle owners and the traffic police is challaning the vehicles. But the roads provided are not safe. Who is responsible for the safety of the public? No one is taking the responsibility. Entry of stray animals on the roads should be checked and a policy for keeping the roads free of animals should be made and implemented. The family members of those killed in road mishaps due to stray cattle should also be adequately compensated. Bhupinder Singh Happy Mohali
PU decision commendable Panjab University has taken a commendable decision to honour its outstanding employees. It will encourage other employees to perform well and put in more efforts. Some sort of incentive or disincentive is must for the efficient functioning of an organisation. Incentive is a good way to boost the morale of the workers and improve the work culture. Dr Harish Khanna Panchkula |
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Youth’s body found Kharar, December 4 The police informed that the dead person seemed to be in his late 20s. |
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Satya Pal new Principal GM, Telecom Chandigarh, December 4 He had joined the department in December, 1975, and has worked at Ahmedabad, Ghaziabad, Ulhas Nagar, Nashik and Nagpur in different capacities. |
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