Chandigarh, June 1
The acting Chief Engineer of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is going to benefit from the recent extension given to the regular Chief Engineer, SK Jain, currently on deputation in Delhi. Eyebrows are being raised over the “expected” extension to the incumbent, GS Rosha.

It is worth mentioning that the Central Board of Investigation (CBI) had recommended a major penalty against Rosha for allegedly committing irregularities while appointing a junior engineer during his tenure as superintending hospital engineer, PGI. He was on deputation to the PGI from January, 2000, to January, 2003.

He was given charge as Chief Engineer just a day after he was chargesheeted by the CHB in August, 2009. CHB Chairman Mohanjit Singh, when contacted, said, “Rosha has been given the charge as Chief Engineer in the absence of Jain. We will see what to do when Jain comes back.”

Sources said Jain was on deputation to Delhi for three years and his term ended in March this year. He is learnt to have been given extension of another six months recently. In his place, the CHB had given charge as current duty charge to Rosha.

In fact, Rosha was promoted as Superintending Engineer from the back date. The CHB had promoted Rosha as Superintending Engineer from May, 2000. This meant that even after adding the probation period of one year, Rosha became regular Superintending Engineer at least four years ahead of his colleagues SK Jaitley and Kishanjit Singh.

While Jaitley was still serving as Superintending Engineer with the UT engineering department, Kishanjit had retired as Chief Engineer of UT. The officiating Chief Engineer’s name was also rejected as regular Chief Engineer at a Departmental Promotion Committee meeting in 2008.

Chandigarh, June 1
The UT administration remains mute on setting into place a resolute mechanism for the disposal of e-waste, one of the biggest realities of the 21th century staring into our face.

‘Kabarias’(junk dealers) have set up makeshift structures for cheap purchase and disposal of different spare parts for lakhs of computer terminals in the city, which is among the top rankers in the per capita technology application all over the country, both in offices and residences.

A casual survey of different parts of the city and particularly its periphery has revealed that a number of junk dealers have set up parallel businesses in computer spare parts at different places in Dhanas, Sector 45, Dadu Majra and Burail.

Interestingly, a huge portion of the e-waste is being transferred to shops in Delhi. Just the frightening figure of lakhs of computer terminals, mobile phones and accessories should send enough warning signals to the UT to hurry up with a corrective mechanism immediately.

One also cannot ignore lakhs of out-of-use computer material dumped at back offices of the university, schools, colleges, government departments, hospitals and business set-ups.

A Dadu Majra-based junk dealer, requesting anonymity, said, “A major portion of our junk is picked by an agency in Delhi. Trucks come after giving us a call.”

Chandigarh, June 1
A former private assistant of the Haryana election commissioner who was later transferred to the state irrigation department was arrested last night on charges of raping a woman in Maloya village. The police also apprehended his colleague for allegedly abetting the crime.

The victim’s husband, an electrician by profession, reportedly threw her out of his house after she informed him about the incident the next day. It was only yesterday that he agreed to report the matter to the cops, leading to the arrest of the suspects, the police said.

The victim told the police the prime suspect, identified as Narinder Kumar Madan, a resident of Sector 20, had raped her at the house of her neighbour, Gurmeet Kaur, in Maloya. Gurmeet, who is a colleague of the suspect, called her (victim) up on the pretext of dyeing her hair. The victim there was another unidentified person in the room who caught hold of her while Madan raped her.

The third accomplice is still at large, the police said. Subinspector Baldev Kumar, in charge of the Maloya police post, said the

victim told the police Gurmeet sent her to a room located on the first floor of the latter’s house to fetch a bowl. The victim stated she then went to the room where Madan and his accomplice overpowered her. Gurmeet locked the room from outside and did not open it even as she (victim) was crying for help, the victim claimed.

She said the suspects had threatened her of dire consequences if she informed anyone about the incident.

The police said a neighbour of Gurmeet claimed the latter had been “asking other women to join her in her immoral activities”. Baldev said the cops would also probe the allegations.

Gurmeet, a mother of four, whose husband had died earlier, had been working with Madan in the Haryana election commissioner’s office as a peon. Both Madan and Gurmeet had recently been transferred to the Haryana irrigation department office in Sector 5, Panchkula. Madan, who is a frequent visitor to Gurmeet’s home, was yet to join his new post, the police said.

Baldev said the victim was medically examined and her clothes had been collected for taking suspected semen samples.

The police has filed a case of wrongful detention, rape, criminal intimidation and common intention under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code against Madan, Gurmeet and the third unidentified suspect. Madan and Gurmeet were both arrested in Maloya last night.

Mohali, June 1
After sacking a teacher for beating a class VII student, Rattanpreet, Yadavindra Public School (YPS) has marked an inquiry into the incident leading to the student making a frantic call to his mother, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, who died of cardiac attack last Friday.

Rattanpreet's father Dr Barinder Singh, said: “I have lost my wife. Corporal punishment should not be allowed at any cost. I hope the school authorities take a strict action against the erring teachers by lodging a criminal complaint.”

YPS vice-principal Anita Kashyap said beating a child was not acceptable. The school had never tolerated such an act in the past also.

All students, who had gone to a summer camp to Manali are being questioned so that authorities could take the case to a logical conclusion.

Three teachers, Balraj, Harish Sachdeva and Amit Pathania had gone along with the students. School

authorities, so far, have found Harish Sachdeva to be guilty of beating the child. “We are conducting the inquiry and if any other teacher was found guilty strict action would be taken,” said school authorities. After the camp, on Sunday evening, Rattanpreet's class-mates along with their parents had met the school principal complaining about slapping, kicking and thrashing in front of the entire group after Rattanpreet had asked the teacher for money he had allegedly handed over.

Chandigarh, June 1
Confusion continues to surround the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) awarded to Class X students this year, as not only the students but also the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) stands clueless about the formative or non scholastic assessment awarded to them.

The assessment, which forms 50 per cent of the final evaluation, is based on both the student’s performance in various non-academic activities and general behavior.

Ironically while the Board had crafted a new format of grade sheet to replace the conventional Detail Mark sheet awarded to class X students year after year, it has failed to implement it at the time of declaration of results. Consequently, thousands of students were given the same old DMC with no mention about a student’s grade in his formative assessment.

“The board results lack transparency. While what is generally called internal assessment accounts for 50 per cent of the total marks for a student, both schools and students stand clueless about the final marks secured by each students,” said a senior official of the UT Education department.

Chandigarh, June 1
The City, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana and the administrative headquarters of the Union Territory, which was considered to be an “El Dorado” by PCS and HCS officials for postings in the past, has now become an ‘undesirable’ destination.

In fact, there is no longer a scramble among senior PCS and HCS officers for posting in the city unlike in the past when they lobbied hard to get a deputation to the Union Territory. The posting of a comparatively junior-level official, MM Sabharwal, in place of Director of both Information Technology and Director Public Relations Manjit Singh Brar is testimony to the fact that senior state province services officers are really shy of serving in Chandigarh.

“In the past couple of years, the bureaucracy has come under scanner in the city due to controversies surrounding mega projects and land allotment to firms in IT Park.

A senior official, who earlier served in the UT Administration, while speaking on the condition of anonymity said with almost every major decision coming under scrutiny of the Central Government agencies, a deputation to Chandigarh is no more attractive.”

A direct offshoot of a resultant “officer crunch” is that a number of important public dealing posts have been lying vacant and are therefore being held as additional charge by other officials. Besides heading the IT and Public Relations Department, Brar also held the post of Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner. Currently all these three posts are lying vacant even after his repatriation to Punjab for almost two weeks.

Then again, even after several weeks of the repatriation of RS Verma, a former Additional Director of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and also the Director of Cultural Affairs, the UT Administration is awaiting his replacement. Another example of holding dual charge is that of Amandeep Kaur, a PCS officer, who is the Director of Tourism in addition to being Chief General Manager of CITCO. .

Similarly, Director, Industries, Vandana Disodia, is holding additional charge of both the state transport authority and is also the Controller of Weights and Measures. Another HCS officer, Kamlesh Kumar, posted as the Assistant Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, is holding additional charge of the Director, cultural affairs.

Recently, the Haryana Government amended the HCS (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008, with the view to send more HCS officers to Chandigarh. Under these new rules, prior consent of HCS officers for deputation to Chandigarh will no longer be required. The decision seems to be an upshot of the unwillingness expressed by a large number of HCS officers to be deputed to the city, resulting in UT posts in the Haryana quota remaining vacant.

Panchkula, June 1
Fearing a threat to her life from the unidentified assailants whom she has accused of raping her, a woman from Yamunanagar today met Haryana director general of police Ranjiv S Dalal here to seek protection.

The woman, who arrived in the town this morning, kept waiting for Dalal in his office at the police headquarters in Sector 6. Even though senior police officials assured her she would be provided protection she was adamant on meeting the DGP. She was able to do so only later in the afternoon at 5 pm.

Dalal told the woman the police was unable to move ahead in the case as a court had granted a stay to the IPS officer whom she had accused of molesting her when she went to him to seek justice. However, he assured her she would be provided full protection.

Later, talking to reporters, the woman claimed goons backed by the state’s principal opposition party, who she said were “hand in glove” with the IPS officer, were threatening her. She alleged they had even tried to attack and kidnap her when she was holding a silent protest outside Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s residence in Rohtak on March 31. “However, when I shouted for help the goons fled from the scene where a large number of labourers were present”.

She claimed she had met Hooda the same day in this regard. “Two months have elapsed but the state police has taken no action against its own officer or the goons who had allegedly raped me”. She alleged the IPS officer along with the goons was trying to eliminate her.

The woman said she would again meet Hooda before returning to her town. “If no action is taken in this case I will be forced to take the extreme step for which the state government would be held responsible”, she warned.

Chandigarh, June 1
The police today carried out a flag March in Mauli Jagran and launched a search operation to arrest the accused, who had assaulted a police team yesterday.

Police teams along with commandos from the Operations Cell marched in the streets of the Mauli Jagran where miscreants assaulted policemen twice in a fortnight. Police teams remained in the locality till afternoon to make its presence felt. Inspector Malkiat Singh of the Operations Cell headed the march.

The SHO of the Manimajra police station, Inspector Partap Singh, said effort were on to arrest the accused.

The police has booked Dhamma, Ranjit, their mother Satto and others for assaulting the police party.

Chandigarh, June 1
The differences between the Mayor and Commissioner, which apparently had hogged the limelight for the past several days, seems to have sorted out, at least for now, with the intervention of Pawan Bansal, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, and Pradip Mehra, Adviser to the UT Administrator.

While Mehra at the coordination committee meeting of the administration and the municipal corporation of Chandigarh today asked Mayor Anu Chatrath and Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria to “sort out” the differences at the their own level, Sunkaria had a lengthy meeting with the minister lasting over one hour yesterday.

And now the Commissioner and Mayor have resolved to work together for the development of the city.

Sources said Bansal, a votary of more powers for the elected representatives, asked the Commissioner to take the elected representatives into confidence while taking major decisions. The Congress sources said the bureaucrat was told point blank that he should avoid giving a raw deal to the elected representatives, which he promised to do in future.

Recently, the inauguration of a greenbelt by the Commissioner in the ward of BJP councillor Anil Dubey without taking the Mayor into confidence, had sparked off a major controversy between the Mayor and Commissioner.

In the backdrop of the allegations against the Commissioner by the Mayor, the minister reportedly took a serious view of the officer’s attitude.

Yesterday’s Bansal-Sunkaria meeting is being seen as the “damage-control” exercise by the bureaucrat, who reportedly put the record “straight”.

The sources termed last two days development as a major “victory” for the party, as from now onwards the chair of Mayor would get due respect from the bureaucracy. Official sources said the “compromise” would go a long way in restoring the confidence between the bureaucracy and the elected representatives.

According to sources, the friction between officials and councillors bodes ill for the development of the city.

Chandigarh, June 1
A 22-year-old youth was killed and three others were left injured in four separate road accidents occurred in different parts of the city.

The victim in the fatal accident has been identified as Shiv Kapur, resident of Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra. He was returning home after attending a wedding party of his friend at a hotel in Sector 35 after midnight. He was not wearing a helmet when the accident took place.

The mishap occurred at the Transport Lights Point around 1 am when Shiv lost control over his scooter, which rammed into the railing installed on the median. He sustained severe head injuries in the mishap and was rushed to the Sector 16 Government Multi Specialty Hospital, where he later died during treatment. Kapur was a supplier of fruits and pulses at the Sector 26 Grain Market.

The police said the victim’s uncle Gurmeet Singh, who was following him in his car, told the police that Shiv lost control over scooter while negotiating a turn. The scooter dragged along the road and that was the reason why Shiv suffered multiple injuries.

Sub-inspector Jasminder Singh, the in charge of the Bapu Dham police post said the body was handed over to the family after post-mortem examination and inquest proceedings had been initiated into the death.

In another accident, the police said Ranjna, resident Khuda Ali Sher, reported to the police that a Honda City car (HR 40 C 0070) rammed into her scooter opposite Sector 16 government Multi Specialty Hospital. She was injured and admitted to the hospital. The police has arrested the car driver Jagminder Singh, resident of Sector 22, after registering a case against him.

Similarly, Radhe Sham, a resident of Phase III, Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, filed a complaint with the police alleging that a truck knocked down his handcart near the Transport Lights Point yesterday in which he was injured. The police has arrested the truck driver Tirath Singh, resident of Daria village, after registering a case against him.

Giving details about the mishap at the Railway Lights Point, the investigating officer of the case sub-inspector Tarsem Singh said a Chevrolet Tavera, which was coming from IT Park collided with a Mahindra Pick Up, loaded with fruits, coming from Shimla around 1.30 am.

The Tavera overturned after the collision while Mahindra Pick Up landed in a trench along the road. Fortunately, three occupants of the Mahindra Pick Up, including its driver Sachin Kumar escaped unhurt in the mishap while the driver of the Tavera identified as Sanjay Kumar complained of pain in chest. He was rushed to the Sector 16 Government Multi Specialty Hospital, from where he was discharged after first aid.

Tarsem Singh said both parties reached a compromise and did not lodge any formal complaint. 

Mohali, June 1
Besides toppers in class XII results, hundreds of students in the rural government schools in Mohali district have done their school proud with improvement in their performance in the results declared yesterday by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

At least four rural schools have recorded 100 per cent result.

Two students of the district, Dharminder Singh, a student of Government Senior Secondary, Mullanpur Garib Dass, and Dilpreet Kaur, a student of Government Model Senior Secondary, Kharar, have made to the state-level merit list.

Last year, only one student of Senior Secondary School, Manauli, Harpreet Kaur, had managed to the state-level merit by securing 87 per cent marks.

The schools that have reported 100 per cent result were Government Senior Secondary School, Amlala; Government Senior Secondary School Samgauli; Government Senior Secondary School, Hoshiarpur, and Government Senior Secondary School, Mundho Sangtian.

In case of Government Senior Secondary School, Phase III B1 here, 281 candidates out of 413 students cleared the exams.

This brings the pass percentage to 68 per cent. In case of Government Senior Secondary School, Sohana, out of 177 students, 138 have cleared the exams.

This comes to 78 per cent result, 22 per cent more than last year pass percentage.

Another rural school, Government Senior Secondary School, Mullanpur, has shown a remarkable improvement in the pass percentage from 33 per cent to 68 per cent this year.

Similarly, students of Government Senior Secondary School, Kurali, got 90 per cent result.

There are many schools with pass percentage between 70 per cent and 90 per cent.

Among the poor performing schools are Government Senior Secondary School, Kurari, Government Senior Secondary School, Jhanjheri, Government Senior Secondary School, Handesra, and Government Senior Secondary School, Dyalpura.

“Government should honour the meritorious students so that they are encouraged to perform better,” said a teacher on the condition of anonymity.

Chandigarh, June 1
Results of the CET-2010 conducted by Panjab University on May 23 have been declared today. The courses for which the results have been declared included MBBS, BAMS, BHMS, BDS, BALLB (honours) five-year integrated course, BSc (tourism management), BSc (hospitality and hotel administration), BPharma and BSc (Honours School).

The result is available on the university website www.puchd.ac.in and will also be available at the enquiry office from Wednesday.

Ayushi Garg and Sainyam Galhotra are the toppers of PCB and PCM groups, respectively.