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Youth “done to death” in city
Chandigarh, December 4 The body, which had injury marks on several parts allegedly inflicted with sharpedged weapons, including throat, neck and hands,was recovered from the bushes near the kutcha path leading from the Grain Market to Maloya village around 12.15 pm, police sources said. The body it seemed, had been dragged before being dumped at its present position as blood stains were observed at a distance of about 50 yards from the body. The youth, in his early twenties, were wearing a pair of shorts and a striped shirt, which were splattered with blood. Senior police officials, including the SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav, visited the spot. A Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory(CFSL) team took the blood samples. The police sources said scores of residents from Maloya village and Sector 39 were summoned to ascertain the identity of the deceased. However, the police attempts to identify the deceased drew a blank as none of the residents could identify him. Though the police was investigating what a police official said looked like a “murder”, yet the identity of the victim posed a problem. Till the victim was identified, the investigation into the case would not pick up momentum, he added. The police, he said, was planning to prepare a sketch of the deceased so that he could be identified. A case has been registered.
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Police remand for co-conspirator in murder case
Panchkula, December 4 Man Bahadur was arrested by the police late last night. He is a close relative of the main accused- Lal Bahadur and Arjun. In fact, Man Bahadur, who was employed as a domestic help in a house in Sector 6, had recommended Lal Bahadur to the Khattars. The Khattars, in whose house the murder took place, were on the look out for a cook. Man Bahadur recommended Lal Bahadur, claiming that the latter was earlier employed in the house of a retired General, also staying in Sector 6 here. Police parties have been raiding the possible hide- outs of the accused. The police has also sent the photographs of the two accused to the police stations along the Indo- Nepal border, so that they can be nabbed there. Though unconfirmed reports said one of the main accused had been arrested, but senior police officers refused to comment. Meanwhile, Mr Raj Kumar Khattar, in whose house the murder took place, said though they had not been able to ascertain the loss, cash amounting to Rs 15,000 was stolen.
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Gear up for a colder winter
Chandigarh, December 4 The temperature has plummeted by at least four degrees since the month began and icy winds have begun to send a shiver down the spine of city residents. Minimum temperatures during last year’s comparatively warm first week varied between 13.2°C and 8.8°C while the maximum temperature was just over 24°C. This year, the minimum temperature has already once fallen to 4°C while the maximum temperature is hovering around 21°C. Against 14.6°C on the first day of the month last year, temperature fell from prevailing 8.7°C to 4.6°C this year. Today’s minimum and maximum temperatures were 6.6°C and 21.8°C, respectively, compared to 8.8°C and 24°C, respectively, last year. A slight fog, too, has begun to envelope the city late in the evenings and small bonfires have made their appearance near the roadsides. Stalls dishing out chicken and tomato soups and boiled eggs have mushroomed all over the city and rehri markets selling woollens at low prices are doing brisk business. While the bright sun keeps the days pleasant, the crowds in most city markets are conspicuous by their absence in the evenings.
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Power staff threaten strike
Chandigarh, December 4 Leaders of the union today visited various field offices of the Electricity department, mobilised workers for participation in the strike and distributed leaflets. The union is demanding the re-designation of the posts of RTM’s, ALM from the date of regularisation; stopping reduction in pay; and, pay recovery of employees who have been regularised under Labour Tribunal Award. They are also demanding for filling of vacant posts in the department; appointment offer to next of kin of deceased employees; creation of additional posts as per increasing work load; and, adoption and implementation of various Punjab State Electricity Board circulars including cashier allowance, grant gazzeted status to
the Junior Engineers, stoppage of privatisation/ corporatisation of Electricity Department etc. Mr Kasturi Lal, president and Mr Ujagar Singh Mohi, senior vice president, criticised the anti-employees attitude of the electricity authorities towards the above mentioned demands. They blamed the authorities for compelling them to go on strike. “Instead of implementing the genuine demands of the employees, the authorities are provocating the employees by making illegal recoveries, serving charge-sheets and reversion orders to employees and pick and choose transfer orders are issued. They are promoting outsourcing and contract system in the Electricity Department, which is not in the overall interest of the department and its employees,” they said.
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Owners to get details of flats on CDs
Chandigarh, December 4 The development is envisaged as a step in the direction of saving time, professional management of data records and, very importantly, in the direction of checking cases of bribery reported in the office. As a strong reaction to the public image of rampant corruption in the office of the CHB, the board has launched a project to save public from harassment at the hands of certain uncouth ‘babus’ who move the file at a snail’s pace. Confirming the move, Mr S.N. Sahai, chairman, said the CHB had initiated the process of identifying a principal bank which will handle all transactions. SPIC has worked out a complete software for implementation of the plan. The bank will be finalised later this month which will be given all the data for inputs. It has been pointed out that the move might take some time for implementation as it has more than a crore entries to update the entire data. Each applicant will be handed out the information and data regarding the plot or the property under question on a CD. The file will be allocated a special code which the customer can refer to whenever he comes to the office. This will save a lot of time. Explaining the reasons, Mr Sahai said “at the moment the work was divided in different sections. The accounts section was in a mess. People give money to banks who give scrolls to the CHB. Several errors were detected in the recording of the data which led to public inconvenience at a later stage. There is nothing denying the fact that the loopholes in the procedure encouraged corruption and Shashi Mohan, arrested yesterday, was just one loose block in the entire set-up. With easing of the data recording methodology, there will be lesser chances of people having to shelve out money for getting their work done”. In a related development, the CHB had decided to set up a frontal desk office, right at the entrance to the office. Public will not be looking for the dealing hands. They just need to walk up to the desk and pose their question.
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Passing Thru
What brings you to the City?
I am here to conduct a part of the joint degree programme for Indian nurses between the University of Surrey, UK and INSCOL in Chandigarh. What is this programme about? It is an intensive, full time UK degree theoretical programme designed for qualified nurses that focuses on specific healthcare topics. The teaching work will held place at INSCOL till May 2006. After this, the students will go to the University of Surrey, UK, to further complete the course by August 2006. What is the purpose behind this? The strategic objective is to establish collaborative provisions with Higher educational institutions in the UK to offer a platform to Indian nurses to upgrade their knowledge base and skills. After that they can acquire a degree from the UK-based universities. How do you rate Indian nurses? I have not visited the main hospitals of the city and vicinity, including PGI, as I could not spare time from my tight schedule but after interacting with the nursing students I can say that they are more friendly and concerned when it comes to professional
terms. G. S. PAUL
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On a divine mission
Websites of the Guru Nanak Data Baksh Lai Mission
www.Baisakhi1999.com.org www.SriGuruGranthSahib.org
www.SriGuruNanakSahib.org www.BabaNandSinghSahib.org
www.SikhVideos.org
With an aim to break the caste/ class barriers and promote the concept of “All are children of one God”, Brig Partap Singh Jaspal (retd) founded the Guru Nanak Data Baksh Lai Mission in 1999. A direct disciple of Sikh saint Baba Nand Singh, Brigadier Jaspal’s sole passion and ambition in life is to share the treasure of divinity which he inherited from his divine master, Baba Nand Singh, and his father, Baba Narinder Singh, IPS (retd).
The mission was launched on the tercentenary of the foundation of the Khalsa, along with a website, www.Baisakhi1999.com.org. Thereafter the mission launched four more websites providing information on the Sikhism. These websites are referred to in religious curriculum by recognised religious indices and association of libraries like the American Library Association. The mission is non-commercial, as no donations in any form have been accepted since its inception. Brigadier Jaspal has also authored a book “Eternal glory of Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj”, which provides a glimpse of the spiritual personality and inspiring life of the sage of Kaleran. The book is primarily based on his father’s intuitive experiences and face-to-face conversation with Baba Nand Singh. Running into more than 300 pages, the book was displayed at “Pustak Pardarshni” held at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi from November 12 to 28. The mission has many videos to its credit and the latest in the long list are “Satgur Nanak Pargateya”, a tribute to Guru Nanak Dev, and “Sri Harkrishan Dhiayai”, an album on the eighth Sikh Guru. Brigadier Jaspal is also working on an album on Guru Arjan Dev that will be released next year to mark the 400 years of the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru. Another feather was added to the mission’s cap on the occasion of the fourth centenary celebrations of the Prakash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib when it screened a three-hour programme at Takht Hazoor Sahib and won applause from the sangat. The programmes of the mission are also telecast in Europe on every Sunday from 8.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. (UK time). In all humility Brigadier Jaspal says he is merely a servant of society and his sole aim is to spread ideas of humanity. He adds: “I dream of a global community in which there are no man-made barriers of caste, class and creed”. — TNS
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BJP organises sammelan for party workers
Chandigarh, December 4 Kiran Maheshwari, Lok Sabha MP, All-India Secretary and in charge of the Chandigarh BJP, was present there along with all state office-bearers. In addition to the address of Mr Yashpal Mahajan, president, BJP Chandigarh, Mr Satya Pal Jain, ex-MP, addressed the workers. Addressing the audience, Mr Jain said nobody was above the party which was the prime message. He appealed to all party workers to come forward and create history. He also stressed that the party should register victory in the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections next year.
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Four awarded by Puadhi Punjabi Sath
Mohali, December 4 The Giani Ditt Singh Award was given to Sardara Singh, Editor of the magazine ‘Gurbani is Jag Mein Chanan’, while the Asa Ram Gayak Award was given to Rabbi Behronpuri, a veteran singer of the Puadhi Akhara tradition. The Master Saroop Singh Lambardar Award was given to Pind Bachao Committee Chandigarh chief Angrez Singh. The Jasmer Kaur Kishanpuri Award was given to Prof Jagir Kaur Komal. The president of the sath, Mr Pramod Singh Daon, said these awards were given each year to encourage and promote those coming from the Punjabi- speaking belt of the Puadh area (the Shivalik foothills area). Today’s ceremony was observed in the memory of Amrita Pritam.
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Troops asked to strive for professional excellence
Chandigarh, December 4 Addressing a special Sainik Sammelan, Chief of Staff, Northern Command, Lieut-Gen B.S. Yadav, who is also Colonel of the Bihar Regiment, exhorted the troops to strive for professional excellence. Stating that the battalion had done well since its inception, he said the troops had proved their mettle under trying conditions in the jungles of Malaya and Burma during the Second World War. He said the battalion now must prepare for its upcoming field tenure in the northern sector. A number of officers, who had earlier served with the regiment, including those who have retired, attended the celebrations. These included Major-Gen K S Balhara, General Officer Commanding Kilo Force, Major-Gen D.P. Singh (retd), Brig S C Johar (retd) and Brig K.S. Chaddha (retd), who came all the way from London to join his old comrades-in-arms. They also addressed the troops and shared their old experiences and wisdom with them. Five former commanding officers of the battalion were also present. Presently commanded by Col Surinder Monga, 2 Bihar was raised on this day in 1942 by Col G.L. Traver. It was baptised by fire during Operation Zipper in Malaya. It also served in Burma. Post-independence, it was tasked to escort refugees from Pakistan to India during which it won a Maha Vir Chakra. During Operation Vijay in 1961, 2 Bihar took part in the liberation of Goa and captured a large area, besides taking 1,400 Portuguese soldiers as prisoners-of-war. It is the second oldest unit among Bihar Regiment's 17 regular battalions. As many as 17 widows, besides ladies from the battalion who had performed well in various walks of lives, were honoured on the occasion. Ms Amarjit Kaur, daughter-in-law of the former GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, Lieut-Gen Sant Singh, will be presenting the late general's uniform, medals and cane to the battalion tomorrow. General Sant Singh was the first Indian commanding officer of the battalion and his medals include decorations and campaign medals dating back to the Second World War. A bhandara, where all guests, officers and men of the unit along with their families will dine under one roof, a performance by the unit band and a diamond jubilee dinner in the Officers' Mess are scheduled for tomorrow. A diamond jubilee trophy, reflecting the heritage and sacrifices made by the battalion, will also be unveiled tomorrow before the dinner.
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Convention against drug addiction
Mohali, December 4 This was stated by Nehru Yuva Kendra chief Shahid Ahmed during interaction with mediapersons here today. He said a number of schemes had been launched for the youth and those attending the convention would be told about these. He pointed out that the problems arising from drug addiction and erosion of moral values among the youth would take a larger toll than a tsunami. Mr Ahmed said there was an urgent need to percolate information and education about these problems to the youth in villages and small towns. He said the main reason why these problems were spreading like wildfire across the nation was ignorance. He added that a youth development centre would be established, which would have youth from at least 10 villages as its members.
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PSEB engineer honoured
Chandigarh, December 4 Mr Goyal is an Additional Superintending Engineer with the PSEB and author of several technical books, and more than 90 technical articles and papers published over the past 17 years. The award was conferred by Dr K.K. Nohria, Chairman of the Board of Governors. Mr Gautam Thapar, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Ballarpur Industries Limited, presided.
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Use of Rajasthan Bhavan for marriages resented
Chandigarh, December 4 "High-pitch music till late in the night in violation of the orders of the Administration and unhygienic conditions being created by the catering staff which resorts to cooking in the open, have impinged upon our privacy," rues Mrs Rupinder, a resident of the sector. "The Chandigarh Administration should intervene in the matter immediately to check the nuisance which has caused resentment among local residents, especially, students and senior citizens," she added.
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Razia Sultana to head Punjab Wakf Board
Chandigarh, December 4 According to information, Ms Sultana was elected chairperson unanimously at a meeting of the board. Ms Sultana’s name was proposed by Mr Mansoor Ahmed, a Wakf Board member and a practising advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Meanwhile, apart from Ms Sultana and Mr Ahmed, the other members of the board will be Mr Azadar Hussain Sheikh, Mr MG Sabir and Mr Vakil Ahmed.
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Minor arrested for stealing
Chandigarh, December 4 Sources in the Sector 26 police station said the girl was taken in custody following a complaint lodged by Mr Nitin Kumar of Sector 7-B who alleged that the girl was caught while stealing a camera from his house on Friday. A case has been registered. The girl was later sent to the Sector 26 Nari Niketan.
Purses stolen
Ms R.P. Aery of Sector 35-C has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that her purse containing some cash and a mobile phone was stolen from the glove box of her scooter parked in the Sector 24 market area on Friday. In another incident, Ms Romilla Jain of Sector 27 reported to the police that her purse containing Rs 5,000, and some important documents was stolen from a shop in Sector 47 on Friday. Cases have been registered.
Smack seized
The police has arrested two persons from different parts of the city for allegedly carrying smack on Friday. Kuldeep Singh of Pipliwala, Mani Majra was arrested with 5 gm of smack while Pahal Singh of Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, was held from near the PGI Club in Sector 24. Cases under the NDPS Act have been registered.
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Car stolen in front of marriage venue
Mohali, December 4 Mr Sanjeev Bansal, a resident of Panchkula said he had parked his car outside the studio at 9.15 pm and he noticed that it was missing when he was leaving the venue just after 11pm. “The police was called and an FIR was registered on the spot. The car (HR 42 D 0004) number was also flashed across the district. The police reacted very fast but the car has still not been located”, Mr Bansal said.
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An evening of laughter, slice of luck
Chandigarh, December 4 The two-month shopping festival organised by the Market Welfare Association, Sector 22, drew large crowds. It was not just those waiting to see the results of the shopping festival, hoping to drive home in a new car, but a number of couch potatoes hoping to catch a glimpse of the trio known for creating laugh riots. The function began at around 8 pm. The trio of Mr Pal, Mr Qureshi and Mr Raja had the audience in splits with their hour-long performance. A Western dance was also performed. This was followed by the draw of lots to choose the six winners who would win Maruti cars. Till the time of filing of this report, the winners of three cars were announced. Only Ms Vinita Sharma came forward to accept her prize. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, she said she had bought gold jewellery and some clothes during the shopping festival for a family wedding. “I had never thought that shopping for these goods would help me win a new car. We already have a Maruti car, but we may dispose of the old car and keep the new one that we have won today,” she said. The shopping festival presented the customers the chance to win 12 cars. The mid-draw of six cars was held on October 30. During the festival, various activities like tambola on Karva Chauth and a cultural programme on Dasehra were also held.
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Stepmotherly treatment to “mother market”
Chandigarh, December 4 The “mother market”, which was the first market to be established in the city way back in 1952, is crying for attention with repeated representations of the Market Welfare Association(MWA) falling on deaf ears. Mr Arvind Jain, MWA chief rued that the administration’s response to the provision of even basic amenities had been lukewarm. While the parking had always been a problem in the market, there were no proper toilet facilities for the shoppers in the market. Despite the fact that hundreds of shoppers visited the market daily, no proper arrangement had been made for the drinking water. Moreover, the enforcement staff and various departments harassed the shopkeepers seriously affecting trade, alleged Mr Jain. The shopkeepers claimed that while the administration earned crores of rupees as revenue from the
market, even the initiatives from the MWA to spruce up the market did not find favour with the Administration and the MCC. The Administration and the MCC had focussed its attention mainly on the City Centre, Sector 17, which is being spruced up at a cost of Rs 2 crore. On the other hand, a senior functionary of the Chandigarh Administration denied allegations that efforts had not been made to maintain and spruce up the
market. The administration was providing infrastructural facilities commensurate with the resources available with it.
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