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HUDA extends housing scheme by month Panchkula, April 2 HUDA had recently advertised about 500 prime residential plots in Sectors 2 and 6 of the MDC. However, the high court judgement had created a situation of uncertainty for thousands of applicants and HUDA had been flooded with enquiries regarding the fate of the scheme. To clear confusion, HUDA had even urged the Haryana Advocate-General, Mr Ashok Aggarwal, to plead before the high court to advance the next date of hearing, May 19. The sources claimed that HUDA tended to benefit from the extension in two ways. One, since the development of Sectors 2 and 6 did not disturb the ecological balance of the lake, HUDA could plead its case in a better way and the decision — whether in HUDA’s favour or against — would clear the confusion. Two, with over 50,000
unsuccessful applicants of the scheme for 2,500 plots slated to receive
the refund of their earnest money, this money was likely to be invested
by them in the MDC scheme.  |
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Two held within hours of robbery Chandigarh, April 2 The victim, Ram Krishan, reported to the Sector 17 police station that he was signalled to stop near the Sanatan Dharam temple in the Sector by three youths. One of them asked for a lift. On the way, the youth offered to ride the bike, saying Ram Krishan was not able to drive it properly. When the youth and Ram Krishan swapped their positions, the youth took the motor cycle to a secluded place near the nursery. His accomplices followed them and the youth stopped the vehicle as soon as they reached the nursery. They then took the motor cycle and his belongings and sped away. The matter was reported to the police in the morning. The police constituted a team of officers and personnel drawn from the Sector 24 and 22 police posts. The team then searched for the records of criminals active for the past one year and zeroed in on Ranjit Singh, alias Pattan, of Sector 24 and Sanjiv Kumar, alias Gora, of Janata Colony, Sector 25. During the day-long raids and investigation, the police traced them to the cremation ground in Sector 25. The police party reached the cremation ground and arrested them. The arrested men then revealed the identity of the third person involved in the crime as Sanjiv Kumar, alias Adhna. Adhna, however, gave the police a slip, taking away the robbed motor cycle. The police recovered a wallet, a mobile phone and the scooter used in the crime from the two youths. Adhna is facing a trial in a robbery case. The two will be produced in the court tomorrow. The victim, Ram Krishan, a resident of
Sector 23, said he had gone to drop one of his friends, Ram Gopal of
Sector 22, at his residence before the incident took place. |
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Ex-servicemen to petition Kalam on demands Chandigarh, April 2 The petition will be sent all over India for obtaining the signatures of ex-servicemen, before it is taken by a delegation to New Delhi to be handed over to the President, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. Speaking to The Tribune here today, Brig Harwant Singh (Retd), president of the All-India Defence Brotherhood, which has launched the campaign, said that the President is being petitioned as a last resort because of the apathy of the government towards the welfare of ex-servicemen and its failure to meet its genuine demands. The exercise has been termed as Operation Last Resort. One rank — one pension, equation of technical qualifications obtained during service with civilian trades, reorganisation of Kendriya Sainik Board and Rajya Sainik Boards and reservation for ex-servicemen at various levels in the government hierarchy and increase in disability pension for those boarded out of service on medical grounds are among the demands put forth in the petition. Ex-servicemen are also seeking employment guarantee from the government up to the age of 60 years, in the view of the fact that soldiers are compulsorily retired at a young age to keep the profile of the armed forces youthful. This is in keeping with the view that civilian employees serve up to the age of 60 years. The petition has also sought that the requirement of 33 years of service to be eligible for full pension be done away with as no soldier, other than senior officers can put in 33 years of service due to early retirement. It has also sought uniform compensation for the next of kin of martyrs irrespective of the circumstances of death and the state to which they belong to. For serving personnel, ex-servicemen are
demanding that the Warrant of Precedence be revised in accordance with
those existing in other major democracies so that the honour of serving
soldiers is restored. A separate pay commission for the armed forces, on
the pattern existing in the United Kingdom, is also being sought for
ensuring better service conditions and appropriate renumerations. |
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Money power holds the key in Chandigarh Club elections
Chandigarh, April 2 From throwing lavish parties — booze
and non-veg delicacies for the supporters — to supporters of candidates
in fray visiting the houses of members and seeking votes, the
campaigning for the club’s executive has been like never before. It is
perhaps for this reason that the Chandigarh Club elections are being
called the “mini Parliament” elections. As many as 24 members are in the
fray for the one post each of president and vice-president, and eight
posts of executive members. Ask former president of the club, Mr
Chaman Lal Sharma.”This time the campaigning has been very aggressive.
If muscle power has a major role to play in the parliamentary elections
and Assembly elections, this time round money power is being used by
candidates for turning the elections in their favour.” For proof,
sample this. Last night, one candidate threw a party at a farm house in
the outskirts of the city, while his archrival in the elections had
“invited people over” for dinner at the Sector 34 mela grounds. Over
1500 persons (mostly members of Chandigarh Club) were seen at both
venues. Interestingly, a sizeable percentage of members were seen
visiting both the parties, promising their support to their gracious
hosts, as they enjoyed their drinks and kebabs. Over the past one
week, hectic campaigning has been going on during the tambola nights as
well. The candidates, with their wives and children throwing their
weight behind them, have been going from one tambola/ dinner table to
another, distributing the election cards and seeking support. But what
makes the Chandigarh Club elections such a talked about event in the
city? For one, the club’s membership list boasts of former and serving
ministers and politicians of both Punjab and Haryana, Judges,
bureaucrats, lawyers, and businessmen. Secondly, other than the who’s
who of the city, over 6000 families are also involved in the club. And,
thirdly, the past few weeks have seen the raising of an unsavory
controversy over the largescale enrollment of fresh members. Says Mr
Ravinder Krishan, one of the oldest members of the club,” The membership
issue is vital in these elections. The club is losing its exclusivity
and quality of service in the membership enroll-ment overdrive. Earlier,
there was a selection process for the members, which has been dispensed
with. I wish this was introduced again.” What the two candidates in
race for president’s post have to say Amarjit Singh Sethi Mukesh Bassi |
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Asha booked for attempting suicide Mohali, April 2 According to Mr Bhupinder Singh, SHO, Phase I, here, Asha was booked under Section 309 of the IPC after recording her statements today. ‘‘She jumped with a clear intention of killing herself. According to the information gathered from creditors and her, she was not forced to jump. She closed the bathroom door behind her before she jumped,’’he said. Asha, who had suffered grave head injuries
other than fracturing her arms and feet, is said to be in a stable
condition at the PGI. Asha, along with her partner Kulwant Sharma, ran
the National Finance Company in Phase I, but closed the business three
months ago without paying some of the creditors. |
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City police
alerts airports,
seaports Chandigarh, April 2 The police issued a lookout notice to prevent any efforts by the three, who were associated with the Sector 34-based Paradise Solutions Private Limited, to flee from the country. The Economic Offence Wing of the Chandigarh Police also traced a bank account of the three accused in ICICI Bank in Sector 9. The police has initiated a process to get this account frozen. The police today sent one of its officers to the Registrar of Companies in Jalandhar to find out the addresses of the directors of the company. The action follows after the police found out that the company had
shifted from SCO No. 110 and 111 in Sector 34 to SCO No. 90 and 91. But
the new office was also found closed. |
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Cyclist crushed to death Chandigarh, April 2 The truck (HP 14 7127) hit Siaz Mohmmed, son of Mohmmed Asram, from behind. Siaz was rushed to the PGI where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver, Mahinder Singh of Kangra, was
arrested and the truck impounded. Siaz worked in a factory in Industrial
Area, Phase I. He was going to the factory when the truck crushed him. |
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Mining mafia targets Ghaggar river bed Ramgarh (Panchkula), April 2 And with the authorities looking the other way, a contractor today started unauthorised mining from the river bed on the Haryana side of the Ghaggar, endangering the development of Sectors 27 and 28. The contractor reportedly had a contract for mining at the river bed outside Kakrali village of Patiala district in Punjab. The Ghaggar divides Punjab and Haryana areas. A visit to the site this afternoon revealed that huge craters had been created at the river bed just adjacent to studs on the banks of the river. Atleast five tractor-trailers were being loaded with sand and stone for supply to several stone crushers dotting the Dera-Bassi and Zirakpur areas. A worker at the site said they had been “ordered” only today to lift sand and stone from the Haryana area. Similarly, six tractor-trailers were being loaded in the area falling in the jurisdiction of Punjab. Observers felt that the illegal mining might pose a threat to Sectors 27 and 28, which were being developed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in a big way. Sources said even HUDA took permission to get the stones and other material from the river bed to construct embankments to protect the sectors. The HUDA Administrator, Mr C.R. Rana, said the requisite payment had been made to the Mining Department. However, officials of the Mining Department confirmed that no permission had been granted to any contractor for mining. Terming the mining as “contrary to rules”, they said strict action would be taken if illegal mining was “detected”. All 55 sand mines in the district could not be auctioned
recently as the reserve price of Rs 22.70 crore was stated to be on the
higher side. However, in the absence of the auction, the mining mafia
seems to have resorted to illegal mining to earn a quick buck. |
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Election Dept sets up control room Chandigarh, April 2 The Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer, Mr Arun Kumar, said any information, complaint or problem regarding the conduct of elections could be conveyed on the telephone No. 2707749 of the control room. He
said a permanent centre for preparing photo identity cards had also been
set up in the Central State Library, in Sector 17, from tomorrow. The
centre has been set up to enable registered voters to get their photo
identity cards prepared free of cost. The facility would be provided to
those voters only whose names appeared in the electoral rolls but they
have not yet prepared their cards. The centre would function from 9 am
to 5.30 pm and photo identity cards would be prepared and issued on all
seven days including Sundays and gazetted holidays, said Mr Arun Kumar. |
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2 sarpanches,
30 panches join INLD Chandigarh, March 2 Following a press conference today, Mr Dhawan garlanded Mr Jarnail Singh, Sarpanch of Raipur Khurd, and Ms Kamlesh Sharma, Sarpanch of Khuda Lahora, welcoming them to the INLD camp. He said a number of panches from Halo Majra, Darua, Behlana, Makhan Majra, Khuda Lahora and Raipur Khurd had allied themselves with the INLD. “This is my first step during campaign for the poll. Wait for
a few more days and see the anger that people have against the Congress
and the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates. From the past over 13 years
they have performed negligibly despite majority of their party in
Parliament”. Mr Dhawan said the list of entrants in his party also
included four former panches and two sarpanches. “Mr Mahinder Singh
Behlana, vice-chairman of the panchayat samiti, has also joined my
party”, he added. |
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Revolt in BJP’s city unit Chandigarh, April 2 Mr Chauhan said he was shocked with the “level to which Mr Satya Pal Jain, local BJP candidate, had degenerated the name of the BJP. He has deviated from the real spirit of the RSS.” “Party workers are not happy with the functioning of Mr Jain. This can be gauged from the fact that during the rally of a national leader like Mr L.K. Advani several senior party leaders like Mr Gian Chand Gupta and Mr Dharam Paul Gupta did not turn up at all”, he said. He alleged that Mr Jain indulged in “dirty politics” in his personal interests which was against the spirit of the RSS. This had led to several party workers separating their ways. Mr Chauhan said he was contesting the elections just to register
his protest against the way his party’s name was being used by vested
interest groups for personal gains. “This revolt is not against the
party but against Mr Jain”, he added. |
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BJP’s Legal
Cell meeting Chandigarh, April 2 Mr Jain said he being an advocate himself expected full support from his fraternity. The meeting was also addressed by Mr Chetan Mittal, president of the Legal Cell, and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, president of the local unit of the BJP. In the evening Mr Jain held a meeting at Bapu Dham colony and youth workers in Sector 38. The traders cell of the party distributed ‘prachar’ material in Sectors 21, 22, 23, 37, 38, 40, 15, 16 and 17. They urged participation in the ‘vishal traders sammelan’ in the party office in Sector 33 on April 4. Meetings of the Mahila
Morcha of the party were held in Khudda Lahora, Sectors 38 and 40. |
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BJP activists join Cong Chandigarh, April 2 Mr Pawan Bansal, Congress candidate from
Chandigarh, assured all members that due and dignified place would be
given to them in the party. Mr Bansal also released “Age of adolesence:
a challenge” authored by Dr S. Kumar. |
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Verma highlights Vivekananda’s teachings Chandigarh, April 2 Addressing a gathering at Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, he said Swami Vivekananda was a great saint and the first who proclaimed the greatness and glory of our motherland in the western world, and also aroused India from a slumber of centuries. He also inspired a large number of national leaders during the struggle for Independence. He
added that Mahatma Gandhi had said, “I have gone through Swami
Vivekananda’s works thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the
love I had for my country became a thousand-fold”. |
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Unending romance with Urdu Chandigarh, April 2 Dr Mohammed Ayyub Khan, who is presently working as Programme Assistant at the Haryana Urdu Akademi in Panchkula, is committed to the cause of Urdu. Troubled by the widespread misuse of the language, he has chosen to teach the nuances of the language to the young and old, not just as part of his job but also through his numerous writings. He has two master’s degrees to his credit — in Persian and Urdu. After obtaining Academic Distinction Certificate in BA Final Urdu and availing of scholarship, he won a gold medal for standing first in MA Urdu. Later, he earned his doctorate in Persian. This soft-spoken scholar says he used to teach post-graduate classes for Persian and Urdu at Nawab Sher Mohd Khan Institute, Malerkotla, affiliated with Punjabi University. He also did research and script for the Id-ul-Fitr programme telecast on Jalandhar Doordarshan in April, 1991, apart from participating in seminars telecast by the kendra. He even had a stint as editor of his college magazine and as special correspondent of a Punjabi fortnightly. One of the highlights of his literary odyssey has been the critique of Jnanpeeth awardee Qurattulain Hyder’s works with special reference to her magnum opus “Aag Ka Darya”. He has also written another book on Urdu literature, “Azadi Kay Baad Punjab Kay Urdu Afsane”, apart from assisting in books published by the Haryana Urdu Akademi. His short stories and literary articles have been published in prestigious Urdu publications and have been widely acclaimed. A translator of note, he has mainly worked on translating Urdu non-fiction works into Punjabi. Interestingly, he has also conducted interviews of different personalities, which have been published in the form of books. He
firmly believes that Urdu ought to get its rightful place in the
region’s literary and official matters. “After all Urdu is the language
of Indians! It should get its due importance in our day-to-day life. Let
the new influences (English language) not sweep you off your feet and
separate you from your roots,” he says. |
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Chandigarh, April 2 Mr Surinder Singh, general secretary of the society, said a
two-minute silence was observed. Mr Tohra was closely associated with
the society and regularly participated in all its functions. TNS |
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4 booked in dowry case Panchkula, April 2 |
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1 held for helping hawala operator Mohali, April 2 Balhar Singh was arrested on March 10 and
is believed to be in link with an international gang involved in liquor
and drug smuggling and laundering of currency. He is wanted by the both
the UK and the US police. TNS |
Baisakhi shopping bonanza Chandigarh, April 2 The complex
during this period will be run on the theme “Mera Punjab — Baisakhi
Theme”. It encompasses entertainment, musical evenings, live singers,
folk dances, tombola, dance competition for children, puppet shows,
magic shows, and interactive activities like bangle-making, pottery and
lots more. A “jyothshi” along with his parrot has been hired to
predict the destiny of those interested. Every shopper who purchases
goods worth Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 from any shop will enter the lucky draw
and be entitled to a bottle Pepsi free of cost. For a shopping invoice
of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, two lucky draw coupons will be given, while
invoices of more than Rs 2,000 will attract five coupons. As April gets
warmer, the customer will have options like video games, coffee and
food, all at one place in an air-conditioned environment. The prizes to
be won every day range from a handycam, fridge and TV to DVDs by
Samsung. |
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Dealership of Ram Darbar’s milk agent cancelled Chandigarh, April 2 Mr Nirmal Singh had only two days back reported in the media that a pouch of 500 ml of Verka, was found to be weighing 418 ml. The said news item was published in these columns on April 1. Following a complaint by a consumer, he had got the packet weighed on an electronic balance and found it to be underweight and the pictures testify the same. The company officials not only denied the allegations but also
cancelled his dealership while taking the plea that he had been working
against the interest of the Milk Union and despite repeated refrains, he
continues to do so. They said the company was committed to provide
quality product to the customer and had not received any such complaint. |
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Pizzas hotter than before Chandigarh, April 2 Pizza Hut now promises to serve pizzas hotter than ever before in a revolutionary “heated pouch” for all home delivery pizza orders. Mr Raghuvesh Sarup, Manager, Marketing, Pizza Hut, said:
“The new packaging material has been imported from the USA, and the
normal insulated box is packed in the heated pouch before being
delivered.” |
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Perfumes, jewellery launched Chandigarh, April 2 Nike range of perfumes, being made by De Ruy Perfumes, was launched in six variants. Each of the variants — Drops, Muy Atrevide, Fun Water, Woman, Aqua de Fioer and Atrevide — have distinct floral and fruity fragrances. Besides Nike deodorants and Aqua perfumes, gift packs for women and men were also launched on the occasion. The price of Fun Spray is Rs 175, while perfumes and deodorants are on the higher end. Ravoy
Gems introduced their own line of designer gold and platinum jewellery,
studded with precious stones and diamonds. The new line of jewellery —
Tavash — has intricate designs in dazzling diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
aquamarine, garnet and peridot. |
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