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Norms bent to give MC chief’s company Rs 260-cr project
Mohali, May 27 Deviating from the traditional town planning patterns followed in Chandigarh and Mohali, the committee has made a special concession for the JLPL by allowing the company to undertake the project on two pieces of land. According to the minutes of the committee meeting, the Secretary, Urban Housing and Development, informed the other members of the committee that no single contiguous piece of land measuring 300 acres was available in Mohali due to the constraints imposed by the master plan of Mohali. The committee allowed the company to develop industrial and residential/commercial components of the project on non-contiguous pieces of land in the ratio of 60:30:10 as prescribed under the scheme of industrial park as special dispensation. This means that while 120 acres at one location in the township would be developed as the residential and commercial component of the project, another 180 acres would be developed as its industrial component. The JLPL, owned by the Mohali Municipal Council chief, Mr Kulwant Singh, had been refused a coloniser’s licence by PUDA for the development of a residential colony in 120 acres. Sources stated that these 120 acres now formed a part of the 300 acres industrial park. Other than this special dispensation that is bound to raise many eyebrows, a host of other concessions have also been given to the company. The land use change in the area falling under the control of the Punjab Periphery Control Act shall be allowed without any charges levied by the department of Housing and Urban Development. However, this concession would be subject to the decision of the high court. The Minister for Housing and Urban Development in a controversial decision taken on October 31, 2003 allowed the change of land use of over 120 acres in Sohana and Lakhnaur villages for the purpose of colonisation. The decision was taken by the minister despite objections raised by the then CA, PUDA, and the then Secretary, Housing. Following this, the JLPL was refused a coloniser’s licence on various grounds. The validity of the minister’s decision in allowing the change of land use was also questioned. The sources said senior officers also tried to raise objections to the project during the meeting but they were ignored. It was also decided by the committee that the government would ensure the connectivity of roads, accessibility and communication to the project. When contacted Mr Kulwant Singh, stated that the JLPL project would lead to the building up of a state-of-the-art industrial park. “We have never flouted any rules laid down by the government and we intend to take up this project only within the ambit of the law of the land,” he said.
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Kajauli’s Phase IV no permanent solution
Chandigarh, May 27 Expected to be completed later this year, the much-hyped Kajauli project will get nothing more than 14 MGD for the city out of the total share of 20 MGD capacity of the water works. At the moment the city has a supply of 68 MGD against the requirement of 110 MGD. The problem is more pronounced during the current heat of the season. The Municipal Corpora-tion is already looking into a proposal for Phase V of the water works. A senior officer in the Municipal Corporation confirmed that a proposal to this regard was under active consideration of the higher authorities. Mr Swaran Singh, Superintending Engineer, while talking to The Tribune said: “The city needed to immediately respond to the requirements of the future. Each year the water consumption was increasing substantially. So the planning for future should keep the expected growth rate of population in mind. Instead of looking for solutions to immediate problems only, we need to plan for the future”. The Phase IV of the Kajauli water works has a capacity of 20 MGD. Out of the total, the UT is expected to get about 14 MGD and the remaining will be shared by Punjab and Chandi Mandir. It is felt that the water requirement scenario will change very significantly in the coming five years. It is felt that first the authorities need to identify the agency or the government that should take the responsibility for the Phase V of the project. Mr Swaran Singh said that Phase IV of the works, when complete, will definitely improve the water supply. However, things will not be as rosy as expected. During the ongoing summer, citizens should be prepared for a “little discomfort”. Those residing on the first and the second floors should adjust to the situation. Residents on the first and the second floors in the city, particularly in the southern sectors, are complaining about low water pressure. Mr Inderjit Singh, a resident of Sector 38(West), said that his house on the second floor did not get any water supply after 7.30 a.m. today and even the earlier supply was nothing more than a trickle. A resident of Sector 29 also complained about the low water pressure.
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Bus driver thrashed; police lets off accused
Lalru, May 27 The fault of the driver, Mr Sukhwinder Singh, was that his bus (HR-45-7314), on route from Chandigarh to Kalsora near Karnal, had collided with a jeep near Zirakpur about 30 minutes earlier. Sources in the police claimed that the armed persons were employees of the Agro Dutch Foods Limited, an industrial unit near Lalru, who turned violent and assaulted the driver in presence of some police personnel at the spot. They were later let off following telephone calls from the owner of the industry. Eyewitnesses revealed that the armed persons reached the spot in three vehicles including a black Corola (HR-03R-8837), a Gypsy and a jeep. They blocked the highway at about 4 pm and assaulted the driver brutally leaving him critically injured. The injured was later admitted to the Civil Hospital at Dera Bassi. Traffic on the busy highway also came to a standstill for over one-and-a-half hour putting hundreds of the motorists and passengers to great hardship. Mr M.S. Bhinder, owner of the industry, however, expressed his ignorance about the incident. The police had started investigating the matter and taken the statements of victim Mr Sukhwinder Singh and Mr Mehak Pal, the bus conductor.
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Beware of urchins posing as cleaners
Chandigarh, May 27 She objected to his cleaning the window but he succeeded in diverting her attention. When he refused to go away, she scolded him and he started making faces at her. In the meantime, the light turned green and she drove off. She thought of making a call to her husband but was shocked when she found that her purse was missing. She informed the police in Sector 17. She was told to file a complaint at the Sector 17 police station. A case of theft has been registered. Her purse contained Rs 6,000 a mobile phone, car registration certificate, an ATM card and documents of immigration to Canada.
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Probe meat supply to zoo, says lawyers’ forum Chandigarh, May 27 In a complaint to the Governor, the federation, a non government organisation, has also given reference of the news item published in The Tribune regarding the supply of meat of dead buffalos by a meat supplier to the zoo. The federation has also sought a high level probe by a judicial commission presided over by sitting judges of Patiala or any other district so that the erring officers could be punished according to law. Mr Arvind Thakur, president, and Mr RS Thakur, vice president of the federation, said the matter of Sarsika Wildlife Sanctuary was already in the news with the CBI reporting to the Supreme Court that there was no tiger in the sanctuary. In 2002 different newspapers highlighted in their columns that poor quality meat was being supplied to the tigers of the sanctuary following which their population had declined drastically. The federation claimed that the Saharanpur based contractor had been collecting dead and ailing animals from the Municipality of Saharanpur and supplying their meat to the Chhat Bir Zoo after skinning them in a filthy makeshift slaughterhouse. The federation also expressed concern over the role of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, (PCCF) Punjab, and the Director of Chhat Bir Zoo for being mum on the this issue. The federation also complained to the Governor that with this illegal act on the part of the authorities concerned, the lives of mute animals in Chhat Bir zoo was not safe. The federation also complained that the authorities had not been adopting safety measures in checking the quality of buffalo meat being supplied by the contractor. Supply of meat of dead animals to over 60 carnivores of Chhat Bir Zoo by Mr Inaam Qureshi, a Saharanpur based meat contractor, was highlighted by The Tribune on Wednesday. All zoos in the state come under the control of the Chhat Bir Zoo authorities. Interestingly, the price of meat quoted for supply to the three zoos is strikingly different. The meat rates at the Tiger Safari, Ludhiana, is Rs 25.97 per kg, at the mini zoo, Patiala, Rs 40 per kg and at the Chhat Bir Zoo Rs 13.68 per kg.
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Goods worth lakhs gutted in fire
Panchkula, May 27 Though the exact cause of fire was not immediately known, it is suspected that the fire was caused by a short circuit in Auto Spark Industry. Some workers employed in the neighbouring unit saw the smoke coming from the factory around 7 pm and informed the fire department, police and the factory owner, Mr G.S. Madan. As many as two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and within 45 minutes the fire was brought under control. The Station House Officer, Mr Balwant Rai, too reached the spot to see the fire fighting. Mr Madan said a large amount of raw material, computers, air conditioners, records and furniture were destroyed. He suspected the loss to be close to Rs 75 lakh.
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PEC opens doors to foreign students
Chandigarh, May 27 The move is seen as an opportunity of giving international exposure to the students. The college adopted a flexible cadre structure for its faculty on pattern of the IITs. The Board also approved a one-time application of the AICTEs Career Advancement Scheme for the existing eligible faculty members. A new formula for sharing of consultancy income was approved encouraging the faculty members to undertake industrial consultancy. This would promote industry-institute interaction, it was observed.
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Gram panchayat members seek meeting with Administrator
Common demands of the UT villages
Chandigarh, May 27 Drawing the attention of the Administrator towards the poor condition of the bylanes, the villagers have sought pucca bylanes and demanded that an underground storm and drainage system be laid. Mr Didar Singh, chairman of the panchayat samiti, said the Chandigarh Administration should pay the market rates while acquiring land. The acquisition rates could be on a par with the rates being paid by Punjab and Haryana in their areas adjoining the city. Demanding extension of the lal dora, it has been said that over the years the size of families had increased and the space within the lal dora had been exhausted, forcing the villagers to build houses outside the lal dora. The panchayats, zila parishad and panchayat samiti members have also sought that their villages should not be included in the municipal corporation. Quota in government jobs, plots under the oustees quota and sports facilities in villages are the other demands.
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Housing society members threaten to move court
Chandigarh, May 27 Members alleged that even though 122 substitute members out of the 186 members had paid all dues, yet the administration was fighting shy of recognising them as members of the society. And this was despite the fact that even the banks and financial institutions had advanced them loans for being “genuine and irrevocable” members. Mr S.K. Sharma, a member, claimed that the names of the substitute members were approved by the executive and the general body of the society and the list was sent to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies(RCS) in 2003.The administration was aware of the substitution of members and the deposit of the cost of land to the Chandigarh Housing Board(CHB) by them, he added. Now when the flats were ready for
possession, the administration was dragging its feet on the issue of a policy for the substitute members. In
fact, the draw of lots had already been postponed twice—in June and November 2004. It may be recalled that in response to a newspaper advertisement in January 2003 inviting substitute members, 122 persons, which formed almost two-thirds of the membership, had applied. After fulfilling all formalities and payment of dues, the members were issued share certificates, the Universal Enclave Welfare Association claimed. Feeling cheated, the members blamed that apathetic attitude on the part of the executive body and the administration had resulted in a delay of over one year putting the members to hardship. Since a majority of members had raised loans from the banks to pay the instalments, they had been put to financial hardship. The welfare association alleged that each member of the society was suffering a loss of over Rs 10,000 per month since the past over one year. Besides paying interest on the bank loan, they had been paying rent for the house they were living at present. The association urged the administration to allow the draw of lots for all members in the interest of justice.
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DLF complex unveiled at Chandigarh IT Park
Chandigarh, May 27 The glass façade building, having about 8 lakh square feet of space, was formally unveiled today. The Chief Executive, Marketing, DLF, Mr Arvind Khanna, said it was high-end work place and DLF had invested nearly Rs 240 crore on the project. The DLF's building in the IT park was spread over 12.4 acres of land at the Chandigarh IT Park and comprises of 6 office blocks, each equipped with an independent lift and lobby. The IT Park is located amidst the lush green surroundings at the foothills of the Himalayas in proximity to the residential and recreational areas. The project also includes a modern retail and entertainment complex which would be ready in six months said Mr Khanna. Chandigarh has a high degree of literacy and boasts of a large and qualified pool of workforce with manpower pouring in from nearby areas like Patiala, Shimla, Rohtak, Ludhiana, Solan/Kalka, Karnal,
Jallandhar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Amritsar, J and K, etc. A strong presence of research and educational institutions, a number of engineering colleges and universities offer attractive catchment for the IT business, Mr Khanna added. In a survey conducted by Hewitt Associates on the City Ranking for IT Companies, Chandigarh was rated high on the parameters of "Low Cost of Living" and "Quality of Life". The demand for employment is far higher, giving an opportunity to the IT companies to attract and retain the best talent. An increase in the number of employment opportunities is expected to attract a large majority of student population from around Chandigarh.
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With a special child, Major’s widow pleads for house
Chandigarh, May 27 While she will have to vacate the Army’s separated family accommodation quarters in Sector 28 here, she is seeking assistance from the Punjab Governor for the allotment of a flat from the Chandigarh Housing Board on compassionate grounds as she cannot move out of Chandigarh on account of her daughter’s treatment. Ms Shalini’s husband, Major Vivek Bhandral, of 21 Para had been killed in a counter-insurgency operations in Kupwara in August 2002 and had been awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry. Her daughter, Arushi, is suffering from Landau Kleffner syndrome, a rare disorder resulting in epilepsy, inability to talk and behaviour like a one-year old child. “Since Arushi is undergoing regular treatment at the PGI and is going to a special school, I simply cannot move out of Chandigarh,” Ms Shalini said. adding that “Because she requires constant care and attention, I cannot even take up a job.” According to Army rules, she is entitled to retain government accommodation for two years after her husband’s demise. This was extended by a year in her case on sympathetic grounds, but now she has just a month left to vacate the house. She had applied for a flat under the Governor’s discretionary quota during the tenure of Lieut-Gen J F R Jacob (retd) in 2003. After General Jacob left, the scheme, which was introduced by him, was done away with and the UT administration refunded the deposit made by her for the flat. “I had sought the assistance of General J.J. Singh when he was the Army Commander and he had taken up the matter with the Governor, Gen S F Rodrigues, (retd),” she said. “In principle, the Governor has agreed to get things worked out and I have been told that he had written to General J J Singh in this regard”, she added. Ms Shalini had written an application to the Punjab Governor in November, highlighting her position. She had also sought an audience with the Governor and his wife, but is still awaiting a response. Queries with the Chandigarh Housing Board have resulted in her being told that her case was being processed. While the administrative machinery seems to be making little or no headway in her case, several Army officers are coming forward to lend a helping hand. She said that yesterday a retired Colonel had contacted her, offering assistance.
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Ex-Executive Engineer’s death: family alleges negligence
Chandigarh, May 27 According to Prof Surinder Kapila, her 68-year-old husband, Balraj Kapila, suffered a spinal injury last week while he was trying to move a bookrack at their residence in Sector 21 Panchkula. Mr Kapila was immediately taken to a private doctor in the town who further referred him to orthopaedic department at the GMCH for “specialised care”. The patient was admitted in the emergency of the GMCH on May 20 and junior doctors began attending on him. “We were told by the junior doctors at the emergency the next morning that Prof Raj Bahadur would come and examine the patient. But though no doctor came the next morning, a nurse with one hand bandage came and began to turn my husband. He cried in pain while the nurse started giving him physiotherapy. My husband died suddenly and the nurse just fled from the spot,” alleges Ms Kapila while talking to The Tribune today. However, defending the line of treatment given to the patient, the head of department, Prof Raj Bahadur, today said that the patient suffered cervical cord injury, was already wearing a collar and given steroids within the first 24 hours. “The patient, aged 68 had died due to sudden respiratory arrest because of ascending edema, which is common in the patients with cervical injury. It is incorrect to assume that he died due to physically turning him around,” said Dr Raj Bahadur. Asked about the family’s allegation of not attending to the patient for several hours, he said: “I was operating at the theatre when I received a call about the patient’s condition. While I left the theatre to attend to the patient, he had already died. The investigations were still going on and even the MRI had not been done. It was too early for the patient to be labelled “serious,” added the doctor.
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Desecration: Muslims give memo to Governor
Chandigarh, May 27 Led by Maulana Mohammed Ajmal Khan, Imam of the Jama Masjid, Sector 20, they demanded an apology from the US Government. The deputation also requested the Governor to transmit the memorandum to the US Government through the US Embassy, New Delhi, for taking stern action against the culprits.
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UT akademies revamped
Chandigarh, May 27 CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI: Dr Naresh, chairman; Prem Vij, secretary. Ex-officio members are Anita Dutta, PRO, Parvinder Sharma, financial adviser; Head of Department of Hindi, Panjab University, Head of Department of Punjabi, Panjab University, Head of Department of English, PU, Head of Department of
Sankrit, PU. Non-ex-officio members include Dr Naresh Kaushal, J.S.
Rainkh, G.S. Saini, Prof Meera Gautam, Vijay Luxmi, Prof Bakshish Singh, Dr Nav Rattan Kapur, Narvijay Yadav, Vimal Bhargava, Syed
Noor-u-Zaman, Chaman Lal Wadhawa, Dr Mohd Ayub Khan and Prof Vikram Kumar. CHANDIGARH SANGEET NATAKA AKADEMI:
Non ex-officio members include Dr Kumara Verma, Dolly Tewari, Mukesh Gautam, Chaman Lal Sharma, Umesh Kant, Shiv Kumar, Sudesh Sharma, Zulfikar Khan, Pt Yash Pal, Ravinder Singh, Ratika Tewari Mohan, Kanwar Iqbal, Harleen Kohli, Chander Sharma, Shobha
Koser, Suchitra Mitra, Rama Rattan, Kana Singh, Aditi Tandon, Vandana Shukla, Balpreet and Nonika Singh. CHANDIGARH LALIT KALA AKADEMI:
Non-ex-officio members are Nirmala Singh, Rekha Naresh, Pallov Mukerjee, Prof Ravinder Sharma, Sandeep Joshi, cartoonist, The Tribune, Nonika Singh, D.S. Kapoor, Dr Tirthankar Bhattacharya, Madan Lal, Prof Inderjit Gupta, Dr
S.L. Sharma an Dr Veena Vig.
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Encroachments removed
Chandigarh, May 27
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2 minor cases of fire
Chandigarh, May 27
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SGPC chief to address media
Chandigarh, May 27
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Man held for carrying gun
Chandigarh, May 27 According to the police, Malkiat Singh of Ganga village in Bathinda district had come to the court with his brother for a hearing. He was moving on the court premises with a .12 bore double-barrel rifle. Five live cartridges were also recovered from his possession. During interrogation it was found out that he had a licence to carry the weapon in Punjab only which was not valid in Chandigarh. A case under Section 188 of the CrPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered.
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Dhanas resident held for stealing power
Chandigarh, May 27 Hakam Singh of Dhanas village was arrested for stealing power, yesterday. A complaint was filed in this regard by Bhag Singh, Junior Engineer, Electricity, sub-Division number 4. A case under Section 379 IPC and Section 39 of the Electricity Act has been registered. Vehicles stolen:
Mr Kewaldeep Singh of Phase XI, Mohali, reported to the police that his Bajaj Chetak scooter (PB-11-M-9517) was stolen from market in Sector 44, yesterday. In a similar incident, Ms Anutriya Gupta of Sector 21-B filed a complaint to the police that her Scooty (CH-01-R-1083) was stolen from the market in Sector 22 on Thursday. Three separate cases of thefts have been registered in the various police stations. Cable stolen:
House burgled:
Two held with smack:
Two separate cases under the NDPS Act have been registered in the Sector 31 police station.
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1 booked for duping Mani Majra resident
Chandigarh, May 27 Mr Manoj Kumar Sehgal, a resident of Gobindpura Mohalla, Mani Majra has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that Satish Kumar Ahuja of Viveka-nand Park, Maqsudan, Jalandhar district, had taken Rs 1 lakh as token money from him for the sale of his house on July 29,2004. Mr Sehgal told the police that he had paid the money at the district courts in Sector 17, Chandigarh. Later, he came to know that Satish Kumar had sold the house to another person. Burnt:
She was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. According to doctors, she has suffered 75 per cent burns. Vehicle stolen:
Gambling:
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Ex cop’s wife held for cheating
Chandigarh, May 27 According to the police, Rajwanti Rana, a resident of Sector 48 and wife of a retired sub-inspector of Haryana Police, was arrested yesterday. Rajwanti was booked in a cheating case under Section 420 IPC. A complaint was filed against her by 17 persons on May 27, 2003. The police obtained non-bailable warrants against her number of times but she remained elusive to the police. Her anticipatory bail was rejected by a Sessions Judge and later by the High Court.
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