Chandigarh, September 10
A 55-year-old security guard was found brutally murdered while he was on duty at a godown in Makhan Majra village in Industrial Area last night.

The victim, Prayag Raj Singh, was found lying in a pool of blood on his cot near a garage in the godown this morning. The police suspects it to be a handiwork of persons with whom he was consuming liquor last night as a number of liquor bottles were recovered from the spot. Cash and mobile phone of the victim was also missing.

The security guard was employed with Saluja Ford for the past 18 months. He was a native of a remote village in Uttar Pradesh and stayed here with his relative.

The murder came to light at 8 am when another security guard, Hriday Nathjha, came for the duty. He saw Prayag lying in a pool of blood and called the police. There was a deep cut near the ear suggesting that Prayag was hit with a heavy rod.

The police reached the spot along with a CFSL team and collected samples. Other workers at the godown told the police that the victim had received a salary of Rs 9,000 only two days ago and was carrying the entire cash in his pocket when the murder took place.

“I met Prayag at 8 pm on Friday when he came to join duty. While he worked on the night shift, I work on the day shift. When I came in the morning, I saw his body,” said another security guard Hriday Nathjha. A case of murder under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered at the Industrial Area police station.

Panchkula, September 10
Potholed roads, non-functional streetlights, ill-maintained parks, encroachments in corridors of markets and thefts, especially in houses situated along the Zirakpur- Kalka highway, irk the residents of Sector 2. Residents have taken up their problems with the authorities concerned time and again, but nothing has been done so far, said Major (retd) KC Verma, general secretary, Residents Welfare and Environment Society, Sector 2.

Shopkeepers have encroached upon land in front of their shops; and (centre) loose electricity wires hang from a pole in Sector 2. A damaged road at Mansa Devi Complex. Tribune photos: Nitin Mittal

Shopkeepers in markets have encroached upon almost every inch of space in corridors. “The enforcement wing of HUDA seems to have turned a blind eye towards the violation,” he added.

A streetlight in front of my house had been lying defunct for the past one month. My repeated pleas were turned down. Ultimately, I only had to spend money to get the fault rectified Sqd Ldr (retd ) PN Dogra, local resident. HUDA as well as the civic body officials have turned a blind eye towards the problems of residents Major (retd) KC Verma, general secretary, Residents Welfare and Environment Society. The authorities should do something to improve the situation Ram Rattan Sharma, local resident. I have not received funds for development work for the past three years Seema Chaudhary, former municipal councillor, Sector 2.

“The nullah has become a garbage dumping site and foul smell emanating from sewage has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” lamented Major D S Multani, general secretary, Defence Enclave Welfare Society.

The authorities have even failed to provide basic amenities despite the fact that mostly retired Armymen reside in the sector, said Sqd Ldr (retd) PN Dogra.

“A damaged internal road leading to NH-22 is no one’s baby. Neither the municipal council, nor the national highway authorities are willing to get it repaired,” he added.

“A streetlight in front of my house had been lying defunct for the past one month. Despite bringing the matter to the notice of the MC officials a number of times, it was not replaced. Ultimately, I had to spend money from my own pocket to get a new streelight installed,” said Dogra.

When contacted, executive officer of the municipal corporation KK Jain said with the conversion of the municipal council into a corporation, development works in the sector had been delayed.

sector 4 MDC
Authorities yet to wake up

On revisiting the area, it was found that even after one month the situation remained the same. A report was published in these columns on August 6. The roads were full of potholes. When contacted, municipal corporation executive officer KK Jain said tenders for repair of roads and installation streetlights would be floated next week.
Despite highlighting the issue in these columns, streetlights are yet to be installed in front of houses in Mansa Devi Complex, Panchkula.

Chandigarh, September 10
The tall claims of controlling the spread of foul smell from the dumping ground and garbage plant by the municipal corporation fell flat again when the UT Home Secretary directed MC officials to verify the cause of the smell that was felt across the city late this evening.

Sources said residents of various sectors lodged a complaint with the UT officials about the stench in their sectors from the garbage processing plant and dumping ground located at Dadu Majra.

The Home Secretary asked the MC officials to inform him immediately about the reason for the stench.

Passing the buck as usual, a senior official of the MC claimed that the smell was coming from the garbage processing plant, while a plant representative claimed that the foul smell usually arose after rain as the corporation officials often failed to cover the dumping ground properly.

Chandigarh, September 10
Panic gripped the Shastri Market in Sector 22 here this afternoon when a bag was found abandoned near a shop. An alert passerby called the police control room and a bomb disposal squad was pressed into service. However, the bag owner returned soon after and identified the bag as his.

Sector-22 police post in-charge Rajiv Kumar said the bag belonged to an engineer working with Sansumg and contained some tools. He had left it by the side of a shop while going to have food at a nearby stall.

“We reached the scene and made an announcement regarding the bag. Soon its owner approached us. He had left the bag at the scene to have lunch,” he said.

Mohali, September 10
The fight between Akali Dal candidate JP Singh and independent candidate Hardeep Singh, a former SGPC member, today took a new turn with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) writing to the Gurdwara Election Commission seeking directions to newspapers not to publish any doctored photograph of JP Singh, allegedly created by rival candidate Hardeep Singh.

The party’s spokesperson claimed that sensing defeat Hardeep Singh, along with his supporters, had resorted to conspiracy in order to tarnish the image of JP Singh. Refuting the allegations levelled by the SAD, Hardeep Singh said he was not aware of any such picture. “It seems to be an election stunt by the SAD to gain publicity,” he said.

Meanwhile, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar while addressing a gathering in support of Akali Dal and Sant Samaj candidate JP Singh, said rival candidate Hardeep Singh was dividing voters in the name of sub-castes and had done nothing for the welfare of the Sikh community. Documentaries produced by Hardeep Singh and funded by the SGPC were never shown to him.

Reacting to the statement of Congress MLA Sukhpal Khera that the SGPC president had misused petrol expenses issued for his official vehicle, Makkar said the information sought under the RTI was presented in a wrong manner.

The funds were used to meet the petrol expenses of three vehicles.

Chandigarh, September 10
After the Controller of Examination and Registrar, it is now the post of Panjab University Dean Colleges Development Council which has hit troubled waters. Close to the heels of geology department’s chairperson urging acting DCDC Naval Kishore to withdraw his application for the post, the Affiliated Colleges Association has asked PU Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti to appoint a college principal as Dean (colleges) rather than any university official or professor.

An executive meeting was held yesterday, where colleges principals highlighted the affiliation problems and the authorities callous attitude towards it.

“ For many courses, affiliation has to be sought every year. As the admission season approaches, we repeatedly request the authorities to inspect and grant the affiliation, but nothing is done leaving us in a fix whether or not to admit students. If we admit students then we are accused of having duped the university,” said an association member.

The association in a letter sent to Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti asked him to appoint a principal as he only can understand the gravity of such issues.

“Dean (colleges) should be somebody who empathises with Punjab colleges. This can only happen when somebody who has been a principal for long gets the post as he will understand our problems which generally are dismissed as excuses of inefficiency. Indifference to colleges was the bone of contention between us and former DCDC Keshav Malhotra,” said association’s president Dr SS Randhawa.

Senior university officials, however, termed the demand unjustified, saying, “ If this logic has to be applied then a student should be made DSW because he can only empathise with students.