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‘I always wanted to be a criminal’ Chandigarh, May 26 The Crime Branch of the Chandigarh Police exploited these weaknesses to nab the shrewd and computer-savvy criminal. The Crime Branch came to know that a girlfriend of Tota, Nisha, of Sector 40 here, was fond of having liquor with friends. The police planted a few persons in the company of Nisha, who was often called by Tota outside Chandigarh to stay with him. Tota, who had been changing his mobile numbers to evade arrest, had been contacting at least three girls in the city. Nisha used to carry a phone of an acquaintance. The persons planted by the police tampered with the phone, rendering it useless. Then, they provided her a speaker phone, so that they were able to hear their conversation. The months-long efforts
Nisha arranged a car of another friend and also bought some liquor for Tota. Then she left for Ambala. Some policemen in plain clothes chased her car in a private vehicle. Finding Tota alone, the policemen swooped down on the criminal and overpowered him. Tota, a college dropout, told Chandigarh Tribune that he always wanted to become a criminal as the roles of villains in films fascinated him. Tota said his first wife Sonia, with whom divorce proceedings are on, was not allowing him to meet his 10-year-old son. Tota has a daughter from Yogita, who presently lives with him. Tota said while he was trying to evade arrest, he had been in Allahabad, Delhi, Noida, Patiala and Rohtak. Tota has been in contact with an arms dealer in Uttar Pradesh and had been working as his agent. |
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Admn, MC lock horns over imposing taxes Chandigarh, May 26 Countering this logic for the non-release of the grant, the MC says the Administration should give it a share in sales tax as well as excise on liquor. The collection in these two heads is close to Rs 450 crore. The MC says the money for road tax and registration of vehicles should also be shared. The Senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Pradeep Chhabbra, assured that there would be no fresh taxes of any type on residents, adding that the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, would be asked to pursue the matter with the government at the Centre. On May 12, two days after the Lok Sabha elections were over, the Administration had shot off a letter to the MC, sending the Congress-led local body in a tizzy. While stating that the Administration would provide Rs 38.74 crore under Plan and Rs 52.9 crore under Non-Plan as budgetary support, the letter stated that the remaining grant-in-aid of the corporation would be “considered and released, based on the efforts undertaken by the MC to raise revenue”. Reacting to the letter, top officials today said the imposition of taxes would become inevitable if the MCC was to “maintain and improve” amenities being provided in the city. However, the Congress camp in the MC is against the imposition of any taxes and its think tank has thrown up an alternative to taxes. “We will ask for a greater share in the taxes. If 70 per cent of whatever is collected by way of taxes in the city is given to us, we don't need the grant-in-aid to run the corporation. One thing is certain, the people will not be burdened with any taxes,” Mr Chhabra, claimed. It may be recollected that the MC had passed a resolution saying that 2 per cent tax be levied on commercial property in the city. However, in October last year, the then Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mr Raminder Singh Gujral, had rejected this and asked the MC to impose a 5 per cent tax. This was aimed to make property tax a major source of revenue for the urban local body. The MC passed a resolution, rejecting the suggestion of the Administration. In the face of pressure to mobilise resources for revenue-generation, the MC had upwardly revised the water tariff. |
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DC orders
closure of KC Theatre Chandigarh, May 26 An inspection was carried out last week and it was found that KC Theatre did not have even a regular power connection and the airconditioners were not working. |
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PEC Professor moves HC over retirement age Chandigarh, May 26 In his petition, Professor C.D. Garg, who teaches in the Mechanical Engineering Department, has said that since the Union government has notified PEC as a deemed university, the retirement age of employees should be raised to 60 from the present 58. He has stated that while the Union Government issued a notification on October 16, 2003, declaring PEC as deemed university, the UT Administration told the High Court sometime back that PEC continued to be a department of the government. He said the decision to declare PEC as deemed university was taken on the recommendations of a panel of experts. The Professor said there was a contradiction in the stand of the UT Administration. He has also requested that he should be allowed to continue in his job beyond June 30, when he is due to retire. He has also said that the Punjab Government has also increased the retirement age to 60 years. After hearing his counsel, the Bench of Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar and Mr Justice J.S. Narang issued notice of motion for July 2. |
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Woman chases thieves, gets her chain back Mohali, May 26 The incident took place on Monday evening when Renu was returning from office and decided to stop at her parents’ place in Phase VII here. “Near Ravi Das Bhavan, two young boys on a scooter passed from my right and pulled my gold chain. I was angry and shouted ‘chor, chor’. But no one heard me. I started following them on my scooter. The boys seemed to be having a problem with their scooter. They even stopped for a second and re-started the scooter. I followed them till Phase 3A where their vehicle finally stopped. They had probably run out of petrol,” she related. Face to face with the thieves, Renu then did something even more brave. “I caught one of them by the collar and told him to return my chain in loud voice. The other thief pushed me and told me that his uncle was an inspector and he would call him. I promptly told him that my uncle was a DIG and I would call him. By this time onlookers gathered and caught the two”. “I told them that if they returned my chain, I will let them go but they insisted that they were innocent. But with the crowd gathering around they seemed to be losing their nerve. One boy even seemed to be under the influence of drugs. I took the keys of their scooter, but they snatched it back from me,” she said. However, this was not the end of Renu’s adventure. “Then one of the boys said he wanted to make a call to his uncle from his mobile. But instead he spat out the gold chain he had been hiding in his mouth and both of them ran away.” The police came later and filed a DDR. “I got my chain back. And although my parents said that I should not have chased the thieves, my husband is proud of me,” said a beaming Renu. |
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NCC doing away with technical units Chandigarh, May 26 Already, about 60 technical units have been done away with. The only technical establishments to carry on would be Remount and Veterinary units, which are concerned with imparting equestrian training to cadets. "We feel that the specialised training relating to armour or artillery is not justified at the level of NCC cadets," Brig D S Dhillon, Deputy Director General NCC, told The Tribune. "The NCC's aim of inculcating leadership qualities and the spirit of adventure and comradeship among the youth can be adequately pursued in infantry battalions," he added. There was also the issue of procuring and maintaining equipment for technical units. Some of the equipment held by such units has long been phased out by the Army. "Artillery units, for example, held 25-pounder guns which date back to the Second World War, while some armoured units held armoured personnel carriers which were phased out by the Army about two decades ago," an officer said. The equipment was mostly lying idle. "A lot of resources are required to maintain such equipment and the NCC is already facing a financial crunch as state governments often fail to chip in their requisite share," he added. The equipment released by converting technical units would be sent to Army Ordnance Depots for storage of disposal. Some equipment is being donated to educational institutes. "Three artillery guns held by the Amritsar unit are being given to Guru Nanak Dev University to be show-cased as trophies," an officer revealed. Some of the spare equipment and manpower would be re-allocated to other units to make up for deficiencies. Brigadier Dhillon said that the NCC was also introducing an honorary rank of lieutenant colonel for outstanding Associate NCC Officers (ANOs). Presently, Major is the limit for ANOs. This, he said, would be an added incentive for ANOs. The NCC is also inducting more wholetime lady officers (WTLO) and a separate cadre for such officers is coming up. It is significant to note that now only WTLOs are posted as administrative officers in girls' units. According to available information, 17 posts of WLTO in the Punjab Haryana Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate are being filled through departmental examinations, while another 68 are being filled through direct recruitment. Brigadier Dhillon revealed that there was a proposal for lateral induction of short service women Army officers into the NCC on the completion of their five- year term. "Discussions are at an advanced stage at Army Headquarters on this issue," he said. |
Villagers perform ‘last rites’ of minister Mohali, May 26 The villagers prepared an effigy of the minister and consigned it to flames after performing all rites. ‘‘We placed the ‘body’ on a pyre of cow dung in the direction opposite to what is laid down as part of the rites, signifying that the minister always did things against what the public wanted. Then we consigned him to the flames using kerosene instead of pure ghee. ’’said Mr D.P. Singh, general secretary of the Kisan Hit Bachao Committee, the body leading the protest. Mr D.P. Singh added that they would take this unique protest to its logical end ‘‘We will collect his ashes tomorrow and immerse them in Mohali’s ganda nallah.’’
he said. ‘‘May be this will wake up the minister from his reverie.’’ On May 17, the protesting landlords had started a chain fasts which entered the 10th day today. On April 26, thousands of villagers, including hundreds of women from over 40 villages in the Mohali sub-division had marched to the PUDA Bhavan in Phase VIII. The protesters are demanding the cancellation of the notification issued by the government dated January 19, 2004 with respect to the acquisition of approximately 690 acres of land in five villages. According to the PUDA notification, over 170 acres of land would be acquired in Sohana village, another 209 acres will be acquired in Lakhnaur village, 21 acres in Landran, 124 acres in Bermpur and 162 acres in Manak Majra village. In a memorandum to the Punjab Government, the committee members had stated that the land owner should be given a share of the profits that PUDA earned after developing the acquired land. |
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PUDA stops construction of housing society Mohali, May 26 The action was taken following resumption orders passed by PUDA against the management of the society for not paying the cost of the land allotted to them by the authority. Sources said the society’s appeal for the reconsideration of the resumption orders passed by the PUDA Estate Officer were dismissed in March this year. Following this, the ACA, Mohali, today ordered that construction work be stopped at the site with immediate effect in order to facilitate the resumption of the 9.2-acre plot. It is reliably learnt that the management, which had already constructed and sold majority of its 364 flats, owed over Rs 6.36 crore to PUDA. The sources pointed out that the management had paid 25 per cent as earnest money to PUDA to take possession of the land and had since then had not paid anything. Over 9 acres of land was allotted to the society by PUDA on March 14, 2000, at a cost of Rs 7.52 crore. However, following non- payment of instalments, resumption orders were passed against the society on 29 April 2003, against which the society had appealed to the ACA, Mohali. On March, 9, the appeal was dismissed after long discussions. In its appeal, the management had alleged that the entire chunk of the land allotted to them was not feasible. A part of the land was a slushy tract of a pond in Kumbra village. As a result of which they could not construct 20 flats as planned. However, the ACA, Mohali, Mr Yashvir Mahajan, in his order observed that field reports suggested that the portion referred as infeasible by the society was insignificant and did not come as a hindrance in the execution of the building plan. |
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Mohali City Centre plan yet to become a reality Mohali, May 26 The hopes of residents that work on the ultra-modern City Centre in Sector 62 would begin soon were dashed when even the earnest money of Rs 50 lakh each was returned by PUDA to the two companies concerned. According to sources Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd and M/s Simplex Concrete Piles India Ltd deposited earnest money Of Rs 50 lakh each along with the filling of tenders in August. The earnest money was returned to them in the last week of March. At a meeting of senior PUDA officials held here today it was decided to prepare fresh estimates for the development of the sector after changing specifications. The development would now be carried out in a phased manner instead of developing it in one go. It has also been decided to defer some of the items. However, no decision has been taken as to when the tenders for the new work will be called. The sources said work was not
allotted to Simplex Concrete Piles (India), Limited, even when it had given the lowest bid which was over Rs 53 crore. The PUDA authorities allegedly kept extending the validity of the bid. It is learnt that the delay in the allotment of work for which tenders had been called in June last year compelled the two bidding companies to take back the earnest money as they were not prepared to work on the specifications and parameters that had been laid down by PUDA for the project due to a hike in the prices of steel and other materials by the past months. In all nine companies had been shortlisted for the work but tenders had been received only from two of them. Under the plan Rs 50 crore was proposed to be spent by PUDA on laying the infrastructure in the whole of Sector 62 excluding works related to centre plaza landscaping and underground parking. The works that had to be carried out in the sector included building of concrete roads, the provision of water supply, sewerage, storm water, electrification, including setting up of sub stations and sinking of five tubewells. Out of the Rs 50 crore project, concrete roads were to be constructed at an estimated cost of about Rs 30 crore. A sum of about Rs 14 crore was proposed to be spent on electrication and about Rs 6 crore on works related to public health. At a meeting held on January 30, which was attended among others by senior PUDA officials, it was decided that keeping in mind the resource constraints of PUDA, to avoid wasteful expenditure and keeping in view the future trends in mind the City Centre should be developed in a phased manner. It was pointed out that if the development activity of Sector 62 was carried out in a phased manner the cost would be much less as PUDA might not have immediate finance to go in for the entire City Centre’s development works. This would enable PUDA to market the developed area and whatever funds were generated could be reinvested in a phased manner to develop rest of the City Centre. At the meeting it was also discussed that technology kept changing with time and if the development was carried out in a phased manner, there would always be a scope of upgrading the works. Mr Sanjay Kumar, Chief Administrator,
PUDA, told Chandigarh Tribune today that the development of the City Centre would be carried out in a phased manner. About Rs 55 crore was needed to carry out the development of the sector in one go and it would have become difficult to arrange such a huge amount. Moreover, it would take 10 to 15 years to market the sector and the infrastructure provided now would get worn out by that time. He said the process to start the development work in a phased manner had been started. |
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Drive
to remove kundi connections fizzles out Mohali, May 26 The PSEB authorities had planned to remove kundi connections from Amb Sahib Colony falling in Sector 48-C, Chandigarh, adjoining Mohali. The residents had been drawing power illegally from the lines passing from near the area. Mr V.K. Mahajan, Additional Superintending Engineer (ASE), said though the colony fell in the Union Territory, power supply was being illegally tapped from Mohali. He said about 50 employees of the board, including 10 junior engineers, had gathered to carry out the operation to remove illegal connections. More than 10 police personnel had also been provided for the job. He said the Naib Tehsildar, who was to accompany the team as a Duty Magistrate, said the police force was inadequate for the operation as the residents of the colony could turn hostile. Mr Mahajan said the Naib Tehsildar wanted that at least 50 police personnel should accompany the team during the operation. The ASE said that the matter was brought to the notice of the local SPA who had talked to the Ropar Deputy Commissioner in connection with the requirement of additional police force. The operation now would be carried out after some days. He said as per the earlier practice he had informed the SDM and the DSP in advance about the operation. Kundi connections were removed even last year from this colony on July 16. At that time about 100 metres of cable, which had a thickness of 50 mm, was removed from the colony. The cable was used to draw power from two transformers in the area. The operation at that time was carried out under the supervision of Mr K.S. Sidhu, ASE. |
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Chautala hoardings are back Panchkula, May 26 Hoardings have been installed at a couple of spots near the Town Park in Sector 5 and the roundabout near the Sector 11 market. Sources said here that hundreds of hoardings all over the state would be reinstalled following orders from the “higher authorities”. Various boards and corporations had spent lakhs of rupees on dismantling these hoardings in the wake of an Election Commission directive saying that they violated the model code of conduct. Besides, the hoardings on the highways also violated various orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court. A top functionary of the Haryana Government said the hoardings had been reinstalled ahead of the Assembly poll. The district officials got the hoardings reinstalled to please the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, who visited the town today. INLD sources said the party wanted to take advantage of the “achievements” of the government during the past four years by displaying these through the hoardings in the run-up to Assembly elections in February next year. |
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Search Within You must have by now become familiar with the usage of a term now in common use: the “now generation.” It is meant to point to the instant satisfaction that the youth look forward to and to their impatience with any delay in the path of realising their goal of enjoyment. Something akin to readymade mixes with which you make edibles with the least time and effort. Instant two minute noodles for example. We are all aware that the term has a meaning critical of the “instant” pleasure seekers. It is generally the contention of our elders that all good things take time and efforts. ‘‘Rome was not built in a day!’’ But there is a sense — more than one — in which the “now generation” is perfectly right. That is a right attitude to take when it comes to attending to things of immediate importance. There are those who are not capable of making a “stitch in time” and keep losing opportunities because they postpone everything for the morrow. This habit is called “procrastination.” In the case of youngsters and others engaged in enterprises in which success is vital, there is nothing more lethal than the habit of procrastination. The student who is habituated to postponing his study to the eve of the examination, the businessman who disappoints the customer repeatedly by asking for more time to fulfill a commitment, the job seeker who turns up late for the interview are all perfect examples of failure. The habit of postponing things for the morrow could be an indication of a lack of courage to act or an inclination to evade responsibility. They often end up paying a heavy price for their delayed responses. This is one of the pitfalls in character we must guard against constantly. “Do it here and now” should be our slogan. If you love someone, now is the time to show it Conversely if some relationship is hurting; if you are at odds with someone now is the time to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. If you want to make this world a better place, now is the time to act. Right now, while you have life in your body, you must set right all relationships and make a difference in this world. You only live once and you can not be sure of the morrow. Today is the day of salvation, tomorrow is not guaranteed. “If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.” If you are too lazy to work on things that need attention, your house starts to fall apart. And ‘indifference’ to matters of human relationship cause damage to friendships and family. If you are wise, you will attend to problems as they arise and seek to solve them while they are still small. If you are foolish, you will say, “It is no big deal. I can attend to it leisurely!!” And before you know it, things are sagging, leaking and collapsing around you. There is another sense in which people try to postpone “living.” The grass is greener always on the other side. Why does it often look so much more appealing to be in some other situation than the one you are in? One of the surest ways to miss out on happiness is to be so busy looking across the fence at unreal fantasies that you never enjoy what is right under your nose. For some of us, looking to the future ignoring the present, has become second nature. We are always waiting for some future event to make us happy. For instance when we were students we thought life would be better once we settle on a good job after graduation. This train of thoughts run something like this piece received through internet: “We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another, get a new job, get a new house. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now! If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with... And remember that time waits for no one! So, stop waiting...until your car or home is paid off ...until you get a new car or a new job ...until you go back to school ...until you lose ten pounds ...until you gain ten pounds ...until you finish school ...until you get married ...until you get a divorce ...until you have kids ...until your kids leave the house ...until you retire ...” M.P.K. Kutty |
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Pak film artist’s cellphone stolen Chandigarh, May 26 Wani had come to the city for the shooting of a film. Wani told the police that he came to his room after the shooting and was having a nap in with the door of the room open. He said somebody came to his room. When Wani asked him who he was, he said sorry saying he had entered a wrong room. Wani did not complain to the police and the next day he left for shooting leaving the police chase him. The complaint had been given on the telephone but the police was not in a position to register the case for lack of details of the phone. The hotel staff did not know the details. Wani reached the Sector 22 police post next day to register the complaint. |
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Naib Tehsildar held for taking bribe Panchkula, May 26 According to information available, the Naib Tehsildar had demanded a bribe of Rs 5000 from Mr Ishwar Chand for registering a land deal in the village. The deal was settled at Rs 3500. Apart from the Naib Tehsildar, Ashwini Sharma, reader of the Tehsildar and Lal Chand, a nambardar, have also been booked by the Bureau. It may be recalled that Mr Ishwar Chand had approached former DC Mrs Satwanti Ahlawat and the present DC Neelam Pardeep to inquire into the allegations. Failing the ordering of the inquiry, the complainant approached DGP, Vigilance Mr M.S. Malik. Mr Malik appointed Mr Tejinder Punia as inquiry officer in the case. Mr Punia conducted the raid today. |
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Owner of video library arrested Chandigarh, May 26 The police raided the ‘Music Point’ situated in Cabin No. 106, SCO 1012-13, Sector 22, and recovered the CDs. Harjinder Singh, owner, has been arrested for violating the Copy Right Act. However, the police is yet to recover the CD copier. Theft: Thieves broke into the house in Sector 38 of a retired IAS officer and allegedly took away a 25 bore pistol, jewellery worth Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000. The former IAS officer, Mr G.S Multani, reportedly told the police that when he returned home on Tuesday from Panipat, he found the lock of his house broken and the things stolen. He had gone to Panipat on Monday. |
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New Ford dealership at Mohali Mohali, May 26 Addressing mediapersons, Mr H.S. Saluja of Saluja Ford said the facility was spread over an area of about 28,000 sq feet. It will have the entire Ford Ikon range on display, a sales counter for enquiries and a lounge for the convenience of customers. With special emphasis for service requirements, the facility has 40 work bays manned by well-trained personnel with a 24-hour helpline. Test-ride facilities are also available for customers. Customised finance options will also be available. Mr V. Sivaramakrishnan, General Manager, Sales, Ford India, said: “We are delighted to inaugurate Saluja Ford’s new showroom which offers our customers at Mohali a truly world-class Ford facility. It incorporates global best practices and processes, ensuring a pleasant sales and service experience for our customers.” Mr Saluja said: “Ford India continues to expand its distribution network and plans to grow from 90 dealer outlets in 71 cities in 2003 to 105 dealer outlets in 86 cities by the end of 2004.’’ Mr Shiva said Punjab was one of the key areas for the company. “We were surprised to find that the second-rung towns had responded better than the big cities. In Punjab, with two main dealers, we have sold over a 1,000 cars already,” he said. |
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Industrial bodies welcome new govt Mohali, May 26 Mr Gurmeet Singh, the president of CITI and Mohali Industries Association, expressed hope that in the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would prosper. “Big business houses have the resources to overcome all obstacles, but not the SMEs,” Mr Gurmeet Singh said, adding that the country’s export promotion strategy should define how best it can help the SMEs to exploit global opportunities and to overcome major obstacles in entering the export market. “The SMEs need assistance in discovering global opportunities. We believe that the SMEs are likely to be most adversely effected under the WTO regime if adequate steps are not taken to develop a competitive small and medium sector,” said Mr Mohan Singh, the Director-General of CITI. “The Union Government and the state government’s Industrial Promotion Department must realise and appreciate that our SMEs have to compete with the best in the world,” he said. |
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