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Panchkula cops in dock for
beating boy
Panchkula, October 9 The police was thrown into a tizzy as soon as the news spread about the beating up of the minor, picked up from an adjoining cluster of jhuggis on April 13 this year. Senior police officers, including the IG (CID), Mr P.V. Rathee, and the Superintendent of Police, Mr Balbir Singh, arrived at the CIA Staff
office.
Speaking to mediapersons, Mr Balbir Singh said a case was being registered on the basis of the video-clipping shown by the channel. “We are checking up our records to see if any minor was booked by the CIA Staff around the time the video was shot. Also, we are checking our staff deployment for those days and making inquiries from the staff now,” he said. Maintaining that they had approached the channel to provide them a copy of the footage, the SP held that the guilty would be punished. “We can’t identify the man beating the boy, Mukesh, shown hanging from a tree with his hands tied at the back in the video. The child or his parents must come forward and help identify the culprit. If it is established that a policeman was guilty of the crime, a criminal case will be registered against him and departmental action initiated,” he stated. Meanwhile, the family of Mukesh and two other boys, also allegedly subjected to torture by the CIA, have been shifted to a “safer” place by the channel. Apprehending trouble for the families, this morning the family members were “removed” from their jhuggis. The video was shot at the CIA Staff Office behind the Mata Mansa Devi shrine by local lawyers Arvind Thakur, Hirday Pal Singh and Ravinder Pal Singh, also members of the Lawyers for Human Rights, an NGO . “We had been receiving complaints about police staff atrocities in the area. We stumbled upon this evidence during a routine round of the police station. Then, another boy from the small jhuggi cluster was beaten up in a similar fashion. We have recorded that as well and will release it shortly,” Mr Thakur claimed. He said for any theft, the police picked up minor boys and beat them up to “extract” a confession and then registered an FIR. “Contrary to set procedures of first registering an FIR and then proceeding to arrest the accused, the Haryana police operates rather differently. It’s a callous force, evident from the treatment meted out to the children. Their only fault is that they come from poor families and can’t raise a voice,” he held. “We approached the top brass of the police, the Haryana Government and even the local authorities to bring the culprits to book. However, none of these agencies took me seriously and seemed completely disinterested in our evidence. We had no alternative but to turn to the media,” the lawyers said. They also alleged that the minor boys were sodomised by the CIA Staff during the illegal detentions. “We are not satisfied by a plain inquiry being marked into the matter. We want the suspension of the police post in charge at that time. We will also move court to get justice for the boys and their families,” he held.
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Forest cover violated yet again
Perch (Kharar), October 9 In another glaring example of the forest violation near Perch village, a law officer of the Punjab Government has levelled hillocks and undertaken construction activity (as seen in the picture) on forest land, protected under various provisions of the forest protection laws. The Law Officer, Mr M.S. Patti, when contacted, denied violating the law. He said he had bought the land and was just raising a place to keep milch cattle. He said there was no ban to raise walls and, instead, said he had planted trees. He pointed out that there were other violations in the area. The site is located near the village link road leading to the Perch dam. To facilitate vehicular access to the site, located about 800 metres from the link road, he has levelled forest cover and covered the path with waste construction material — malba. The chunk of land is surrounded by a thick forest cover. A large hillock has been cut across in the middle to gain access to the chunk of land. In the process of levelling the land, a number of full-grown trees and wild growths have been uprooted. Mr Patti claimed that he had made no thoroughfare. However, officials of the Forest Department said the construction and other activities were in violation of the Act and necessary action had been taken. The private forest land protected under various Sections of the Punjab Land Preservation Act 1900, prohibits any kind of quarrying, uprooting and cutting of tress, and changing the use of land. Permission to change the land use can be given only by
the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The forest officers are empowered to arrest the violator and impound any vehicle being used to level forest land. But when The Tribune team visited the site, the construction of the boundary walls was in progress. A tubewell has been bored to facilitate supply of water. The Punjab Forest Minister, Mr H.R. Joshan, said after reading of the repeated violations on the forest land in Ropar district, he had constituted a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of Mr Kuldeep Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF). He said the committee had been asked to report back on the matter within two months. “All the violations will be taken seriously,” he added. As per the records of the State Forest Department, the entire area of Perch village and the surrounding villages is closed under the forest laws. Moreover, the department under the Japan Bank of International Cooperation-assisted ‘Punjab Afforestation Project has spent several lakh rupees to protect the fragile hills from eroding in the area. “By the time action is taken, the damage would have been done. The excuses given by the officers are due to loopholes in the system which allow the violators to continue with their activity in connivance with the officers,” said a perch villager.
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Consumers line up for LPG refills
Chandigarh, October 9 Even as there has been no reported shortage of the LPG in the region, people in the city have to wait for at least a week to get the cylinder after booking it. While the distributors attribute the shortage to the panic buying by consumers who are booking cylinders for storage purposes, the consumers blame the dealers who have been stocking the same ever since the shortage came to light. A dealer in Sector 17 disclosed that “almost everyone is booking cylinders and not taking a chance. Consumers who own two cylinders are getting both booked, irrespective of the requirement.” He ruled out any such shortage and said they were supplying cylinders to their clients within two days. Housewives, on their part, are keeping their fingers crossed hoping for an early delivery of the cylinder after booking it. The scenario is not too bright when it comes to taking new connections also and you got to get a “word” put in from senior officials to get the same. Representatives of oil companies said companies were contemplating policy changes to overcome the problem of LPG shortage. But these changes were again likely to benefit the affluent sections of the society and not the common man. The new “expensive” cylinders to be launched shortly would be subsidy free. A senior official of Indane said, “The new cylinders will not be of the usual red colour but will be of golden or green colour.” But these would be made available to the consumers at a higher cost without any delay. Mr Vikas Yadav, Senior Regional Manager of HPCL, said companies were facing a loss of Rs 100 per cylinder due to the subsidy, but the proposed new cylinders were likely to be priced Rs 150 more than the normal cylinder. It would come in the normal packing of 14.2 kg in the market but it might take a while. While these cylinders would cater to the immediate need of all those who were willing to pay more for this daily necessity item, it would also see oil companies out of the red.
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Retirement age: Govt weighs fiscal implications
Chandigarh, October 9 Last week, at the behest of certain party leaders, the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, sought details of the financial implications of such a move. He was informed that this would add up to nearly Rs 400 crore by way of salaries,
cumulative interest on provident fund payments and other expenses. It was also pointed out that an employee, who is nearing the age of retirement, would draw the highest salary possible in his/her pay scale. In comparison, a new employee, if appointed to replace the old would be placed at the bottom of the pay scale thus it would bring down the per employee cost for the government. This made financial sense and also political sense. A section of Congress ministers think otherwise and are reportedly keen on increasing the retirement age and have requested the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter. The ministers pointed out to the Chief Minister that an increase in the retirement age, like free power to farmers, was among the poll promises made before the Assembly elections in 2002. To sort this out, a copy of the manifesto was reportedly dug out and it was found that. It did not mention any such promise. Last week the Finance Department disagreed with the demand saying it would hamper employment opportunities for the youth and add to the financial burden of the state. This is the third time in the past six months that such a move has been made. Top functionaries in the government confirmed the development but added that at present there was no move to increase the retirement age. Calculations were carried out and the financial
implications have been spelt out. Now, it is for the Chief Minister to decide the matter. Among the Congress party a school of thought is that political benefits are too little to carry out this increase. A few hundred employees, who may retire in a year or so, stand to gain. However, it can send “wrong signals” to thousands of unemployed youth in the state.
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Sachin’s good form reflected in practice
Mohali, October 9 All players, who will be participating in the four-day Kingfisher Challenger Trophy, starting tomorrow at 2.30 pm in the stadium, took on the nets today as per the schedule of their respective teams. Much to the relief of his diehard fans, Sachin makes a comeback in cricket with this domestic tournament, after six months of lay-off due to ‘tennis elbow’. Today, he took on nets at 3 pm with the other members of India Seniors team. After doing warm-up exercises for half an hour, he practised batting for almost an hour. He played many beautiful shots on all the sides, which showed his full recovery from the injury. He also had bowling as well as fielding practice for half an hour. The three-hour session was held under the supervision of Greg Chappell, the team coach. Earlier, the ‘India A’ and India ‘B’ teams, being led by V.V.S. Laxman and Dinesh Mongia, respectively, also had their net practice sessions at the stadium. Interestingly, Robin Singh, the coach of India ‘B’ team, had not arrived in the city till late evening and the team went to nets without the coach. Meanwhile, the day-night tournament, in which most Indian cricket stars are taking part, will be played on the redressed pitches of the PCA. “The newly-formed pitch, which has 60 per cent clay content to give extra bounce, will also be used during the matches. If it gives better results, the forthcoming one-day match against Sri Lanka on October 28 will be played on it,” stated an official of
PCA.
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Cops to give PCA security for money
Mohali, October 9 Mr Parag Jain, DIG, Ludhiana Range, confirmed that he would write to the DGP to ask the PCA authorities for the costs that the Punjab police incurs for the security arrangements. The PCA and the Punjab police had locked horns over this issue during the India-Pakistan match in March this year. While the police had asked for a fee to provide security to the stadium during the match, the PCA had refused to pay it. Finally, the Punjab Chief Minister announced that the police would be paid the fee by his office. This time, over 450 Punjab Police personnel have been deployed in and around the stadium to provide security to the players and maintaining law and order. Sniffer dogs of anti-sabotage teams were also seen checking every nook and corner of the premises.
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Six medical teams sent to quake-hit areas
Chandigarh, October 9 Each medical team has two doctors along with para-medical staff. Sources at the Chandigarh Air Force Station said an An-32 was launched in the morning to ferry the medics along with medical supplies and equipment. Besides, 12 Wing here had placed two IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft and six AN-32 aircraft on standby to airlift men and material as and when called upon to do so. The IAF also flew an IL-76 from Kanpur to Srinagar today and the aircraft was expected to touchdown at Chandigarh late in the evening today, sources added. Army sources said another six medical teams from Western Command were also on the standby. These would be sent there if the need for more medical personnel was required. Western Command has also placed two field companies of engineers, along with its equipment, on the alert. Officers at Headquarters Western Command said if Northern Command was able to manage the crisis within its existing resources, there would be no requirement for them to send manpower from here. Army units already based in Jammu and Kashmir, along with paramilitary personnel are engaged in round-the-clock rescue and relief operations. Army and Air Force helicopters from various airbases are also deployed.
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Passing Thru
When will Gail be entering into the retail LPG segment?
Gail will foray into marketing and distribution of LPG across the country like the oil companies from April 1 next year. The company was in the process of deciding a brand for its retail business and had engaged Mc Kinsey as a consultant. f How will the new product be different from the product of the existing oil companies? GAIL will have product exchange agreements with the oil companies and cylinders will be available just like Indane and HP. However, consumers can expect the company’s LPG to be cleaner and greener with lesser hydrocarbons. What are the future plans of the company? The company also plans to invest Rs 750 crore to Rs 1,000 crore to strengthen its 8,000-km telecom network over the next five years. Dahej-Uran Pipeline is under fast-track implementation. Do you have any plans to supply auto LNG and CNG in the North? The joint venture with HPCL in Andhra Pradesh for the distribution and marketing of these products has been successful. With the laying of the Dadri-Sangrur-Panipat pipeline, supplying LNG and CNG fuel will not be difficult. Under the Blue Sky Project, GAIL will supply CNG to 22 cities across the country. — Poonam Batth
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Improved CTU bus service on the anvil
Chandigarh, October 9 The system gives information about the exact location of the objects(buses in this case) located anywhere and the corresponding correct time. Reliable sources said the Chandigarh Administration had tied up with Punjab Engineering College on the project implementation. PEC is learnt to have received Rs 50 lakh in advance to work out the details concerning the implementation of the system which will help in monitoring the entire fleet. The sources said one party had submitted a tender on an earlier occasion which ran into trouble with the authorities. The case for arbitrary reference lies with the Home Secretary. The control room will be responsible for keeping a tab on the correct timing — when the bus leaves the bus stand and reaches its destination. Different speed limits are expected for different traffic zones. The data will be sent to the senior officers to keep a tab and also to maintain individual records of buses on different routes. The gadget will be catching information regarding the correct location of the buses which will help in ensuring that they stick to the prescribed routes only. Buses will be equipped with a messaging system. In case of situations like accidents, break downs, riots or medical emergencies, the control room can be sent a direct message. An effective back-up system of related services is expected to be created to respond to the situation. The facility of keeping a tab on the timings will be of special interest to the
commuters. They will be able to plan better their future assignments while on their trip. “We have written timings even now. However, there are certain gaps in the implementation part and also in keeping a tab”, Mr Arun
Sekhri, Director of CTU said. Mr Sekhri said the system “was being introduced not as any coercive method against the drivers, but as means of upgrading the existing system of bus timing. It is also an effective means for keeping a watch on safe travel of the commuters”. The system has potential for providing data inputs which will enable decision-making for improvements. The speed expectations on long routes also have to take into consideration the condition of the roads, human population and traffic rush, the sources added.
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Judicial reforms in consumer Act urged
Chandigarh, October 9 In a representation to the Union Secretary for Law and Justice, the convener of the committee, Mr H.C. Arora, alleged that various government departments, including the Department of Posts, were one of the biggest litigants in consumer courts. The provisions of Section 6 of the Indian Post Office Act (conferring immunity on the department against litigation about delay in the delivery of registered post article) and Section 48(conferring immunity on the department against litigation about delay in delivery of money orders) are such that the consumer courts, though helpless, generally pay nominal amounts to the consumers for deficiency in service. The department, which had already spent several thousand rupees on the government counsel’s fee now had to engage another counsel for prosecuting appeal in the State Consumer Redressal Commission. Besides, valuable time of the departmental officials was lost in defending such cases in the courts. It is high time that the government put a stop to such frivolous litigation by amending the provisions of the Act.
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Sharma admitted to Mohali hospital
Mohali, October 9 On October 7, the Delhi High Court had allowed Sharma to be operated upon in police custody at Mohali. On his application, the court had allowed him to be admitted to the private hospital four or five days before the operation. The court directed that the police keep a surveillance on him, but without interfering in his treatment. As many as 11 policemen from Delhi are accompanying Sharma. While four would be on duty outside his private room in the hospital, the rest are spread across the hospital. Being attended upon by his wife, Sharma went through the basic tests, including an MRI today.
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Territorial Army celebrates Raising Day
Chandigarh, October 9 Officers and other ranks of the TA observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to army personnel and civilians killed in yesterday's earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the Sainik Sammelan, he Group Commander, Brig G.S. Dhillon, felicitated the Terriers, as TA personnel are popularly known, for their performance and dedication to duty. He said the role of the TA units had been lauded not only for security-related tasks undertaken by them in Jammu and Kashmir, but also for rejuvenating the ecology in different parts of the country by planting lakhs of saplings. In his message on the occasion, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen J.J. Singh, has said that TA is a vital adjunct of the regular Army with the ability to augment it. He added that the commonality of ethos. officering, training, equipment and organisation rendered it most suitable for rapid integration with the Army.
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Panicked by quake, woman dies
Mohali, October 9 The victim, identified as Anita Sharma (34), was the mother of three children, including a handicapped son. She is believed to have died of panic. Ajay Sharma, husband of the deceased, claimed that his wife died of heart attack at the time the tremors struck. He said she might have panicked and could not get down from the top floor of this Phase-V house they were living in. The neighbourers claimed that she was all right before the tremors struck. Her mother-in-law Subhadra Devi, who had come from Ghaziabad to visit her son, first noticed her. She immediately informed her son Ajay working with Diamond Plastic Products at Mohali. The other family members also came to the house. The brother of Ajay Sharma with his wife also shares the home and all were doing chores during the incident. Ajay said his mother tried to pump her heart but all went in vain. They cremated her last evening. However, police officials denied having knowledge of the incident, but assured to look into the matter.
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No end to Bimla’s ordeal
Chandigarh, October 9 Desperate to go back to her guardians in Panchkula, she left her employer’s house in Delhi only to be detained by the Chandigarh police on the allegations of loitering. She was, subsequently, produced before the court of an Executive Magistrate and was ordered to be lodged in the Nari Niketan. Though her guardians have moved an application seeking her custody, the orders for her release are yet to be issued, at least this is what her guardians are claiming. Her ordeal started with the shifting of her employers to Delhi from Panchkula in May this year. Happy with her work, they took her along. But Bimla didn’t like the place. Feeling homesick, she left without informing them. Upon landing in Chandigarh near Sector 39 Grain Market, she reportedly found herself too nervous to answer the queries posed by police personnel. Not able to verify her antecedents, they took her along. In the meantime, her guardians, who brought her up since she was six month old, set out looking for her. Her guardian, Mr Saran Kumar, who is her maternal uncle, after hearing the news that she was in Delhi went there, but failed to trace her. He lodged a complaint with the missing person cell of the Gurgaon police on May 29. Meanwhile, he somehow got the phone number of Bimla’s employer and contacted him. They told him that they would bring Bimla back along with them to Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the police informed Saran Kumar about Bimla’s stay in Nari Niketan. Mr Saran Kumar in his application to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (South) has asserted that he and his wife Mandira are the only guardians of Bimla and have been taking care of the girl since her parents died when she was six months old. They employed Bimla as a maid servant when she was 10-year-old. He said not withstanding the fact that the police had submitted its report about the guardianship of the girl in his favour, the little girl had still not been restored to them.
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Institute’s cabin gutted
Chandigarh, October 9 The fire was brought under control well before it could spread to the other adjoining cabins and offices below the institute. Three fire tenders were called to put out the flames. Firemen climbed in through the top floor of the adjoining SCO to put out the flames.
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Rally to mark Wildlife Week
Chandigarh, October 9 The students carried banners and placards with slogans like “Save forests, save life” to create awareness among the villagers to protect plants and save wildlife and plants for a better environment.
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Scooterist succumbs to accident injuries
Chandigarh, October 9 In a separate incident, the local police took in custody a Daria village resident on a charge of stealing a mobile phone. The local police booked four persons of a private financial company on an allegations of forcibly taking away a car from a woman. According to the police, 51-year-old Bansi Lal, a resident of Kajheri, succumbed to his injuries today in the PGI. He was seriously injured on Saturday when a Haryana Roadways bus driven by Ram Karan of Shadipur village in Sonepat district hit his scooter near Sectors 35 and 43 dividing road. He was rushed to the Sector 16 General Hospital in an unconscious condition, from where he was later shifted to the PGI. A case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered in this regard. In another accident, two pedestrians — Ms Salochna of Sector 18 and her 10-year-old son sustained injuries after a motor cycle hit them near the Sectors 8 and 18 dividing road point on Saturday. Both were admitted to the Sector 16 General Hospital. A case has been registered. Giving details of the burglary in a house, police sources said Mr Vijay Kumar of Samadhi Gate in Mani Majra lodged a complaint alleging that gold and silver ornaments along with Rs 32,000 were stolen from his residence during the night of October 7. In a separate incident, Mr Ravinder Pal Singh of Sector 15 reported to the police alleging that his Hero Honda motor cycle was stolen from his residence on Friday night. Two separate cases of theft have been registered in this regard in the various police stations in the city. The local police arrested Daria village resident Gurvinder Singh for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a shop belonging to Mr Anil Kumar of the same village on Saturday morning. Acting on a complaint, the police arrested the accused from near Garcha Turn in the evening. The stolen property was recovered from him and a case registered. The police registered a case against four persons for allegedly attempting to forcibly take away a car in Sector 34 on Friday. Ms Satwinder Kaur of Baltana village in her complaint to the police alleged that Satwinder Singh Satta, Chaudary, Munish Bansal and Harish Gupta, all of S.S. Enterprises, a finance company, attempted to take away her car from her driver Gansham near the Passport Office in Sector 34. She told the police that the car was financed by the accused. A case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code has been registered in this regard.
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6 booked for criminal intimidation
Chandigarh, October 9 The police has registered a case of causing hurt and criminal intimidation against Lal Singh Lamba and Ajit Singh Lamba of SCF Number 8 in the Grain Market and four others on the basis of a complaint made by 23-year-old Som Nath of Bapu Dham Colony. No arrests have so far been made in this regard. Som Nath, an accountant working with Rama Traders, SCF 9 in his complaint mentioned that he had gone to take a payment of Rs 8,000 from Lal Singh this morning. The accused instead of giving money started hurling abuses on him and allegedly thrashed him. The other accused also joined later. The police added that Som Nath was rushed to the Sector 16 General Hospital, where the doctors discharged him
after administering first aid.
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