Chandigarh, May 9
A doctor is oblivious of a patient’s deeds or origin when it comes to saving his life. Justifying this common notion, the PGI doctors unconditionally put in efforts to revive the Pakistani prisoner, Sanaullah (51), who was admitted to the hospital on Friday. Rising above the enmity between India and Pakistan, the doctors remained on their toes round the clock for seven days, but could not revive him. He died of multiple organ failure this morning.

A team of doctors, headed by Dr SN Mathuriya, Head of Neuro-surgery, and Dr YK Batra, Professor Incharge of Trauma ICU at the PGI, had been closely monitoring Sanaullah’s condition in the Trauma ICU.

On round-the-clock duty in the ICU, the doctors had only managed a few naps in the last 6 nights. “The patient was extremely sensitive. We had to handle the entire apparatus attached to his body very carefully. Serious injuries on his head and his consistent perseverance in coma did not allow us to make any major medical interventions like a surgery,” said one of the members of the team.

He had been in deep coma and on ventilator ever since he was admitted to the PGI. His condition deteriorated day by day despite the experts remaining on their toes to revive him.

In the last five days, he had suffered multiple organ failure and was officially declared dead today. In addition to a deep fracture on the head, he had extremely low blood pressure when he was admitted. The doctors tried to revive his metabolic parameters by balancing out dopamine dose.

The doctors as well as the paramedics involved in the treatment had to repeatedly run around for arranging the life support devices inside the ICU. They also had to bear with the additional burden of security check at the ICU entrance, an unusual feature on any ordinary day at the PGI.

He had developed jaundice and breathing problems due to lung failure after two days. On Wednesday, his kidneys also stopped functioning early in PGI docs leave no stone unturned

the morning (at around 3.30am) and the doctors immediately put him on dialysis. His pulse rate also slowed down on Wednesday night and stopped completely by about 6.15 am today, following which the life support system had to be removed.

Sanaullah, a Pakistani citizen lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail of Jammu, was attacked by a fellow inmate on Friday morning. After initial treatment at the Jammu Hospital, he was rushed to the PGI in an air ambulance the same evening.

His body was airlifted to Pakistan from the Chandigarh Airport today after a post-mortem examination was conducted at the PGI. 

• 6.56am-Sanaullah Declared dead
• 8.30am-Body handed over to the police and shifted to mortuary, family informed
• 9 am-Family, Pakistan delegates visit PGI, meet the Director
• 10.00am-Home Secy, Chandigarh, and Ministry of External Affairs informed
• 11.00am-UT Adviser and DC visit PGI Director's office
• 11.20am- Home Secretary visits PGI Director, declares Sanaullah's body will be airlifted from Chandigarh to Pakistan
• 11.40am-Director visits mortuary, announces that Pakistan delegates satisfied with the treatment offered to Sanaullah Medical, board for post-mortem constituted
• 1.00pm-post-mortem starts
• 2.30pm-post-mortem over
• 3.10-DC visits mortuary
• 3.19-UT bomb squad examines ambulance
• 4.00pm-Family, Pak delegates visit mortuary
• 4.50pm-Body taken to airport in an ambulance
• 6.25pm-Body (in a coffin) airlifted in a special aircraft to Sialkot in Pakistan 

STRICT SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

More than 300 policemen were deployed in and around the PGI as the body of the Pakistan prisoner was to be shifted back to his country. Three DSPs and as many Inspectors were supervising the security arrangements. A bomb squad also visited the PGI to check the ambulance in which Sanaullah's body was taken to the airport. Nobody was allowed to move around the mortuary.

ONLOOKERS SWARM PGI

The PGI functioning almost came to a standstill between 4 pm and 5pm on Thursday when Sanaullah’s body was being taken back to Pakistan. Officials from the administrative block as well as numerous attendants of patients gathered near the mortuary when his body (in a coffin) was being put into an ambulance. The PGI had never seen such heavy deployment of police force for a patient, said a PGI doctor. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Less than three months after former athlete Milkha Singh and three others were booked in the Chandigarh Golf Club brawl case, the “matter has been compromised”. A petition has also been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for quashing the FIR on the basis of the compromise.

In their petition placed before Justice Jitendra Chauhan, Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, Punjab’s former Chief Secretary RS Mann, Congress MLA from Nabha Randip Singh Nabha and Sukhjit Singh Lehal have asserted that “the complainant has no grudge against the petitioners”.

Taking up the matter, Justice Chauhan has issued a notice for May 24.

The petitioners were proceeded against in FIR number 48, dated February 16, under sections 323, 506, and 34 of the IPC registered at the Sector 26 police station on a complaint of Lt-Col Vijay Singh Sandhu.

Their counsel Sukhdip Singh Brar has asserted: “All the petitioners and the respondent-complainant are well respected citizens of Chandigarh… The complaint was filed because of some misunderstanding while the petitioners and the complainant were playing golf at the Chandigarh Golf Club”.

Brar adds: “The matter has been compromised with the intervention of friends and the complainant does not want to pursue the case any longer in view of the compromise. Since the matter has been compromised, it will be futile to keep criminal proceedings pending. It is therefore requested that the FIR and proceedings thereon be quashed, in the interest of justice”.

Brar claimed that a cross-case has been filed by Randip Singh Nabha, and FIR number 49, dated February 16, has also been registered at the Sector 26 police station under the same sections. “A separate application is being moved for the quashing of the FIR,” Brar adds.

In an attempt to substantiate the contentions, the compromise deed was also enclosed with the petition. It says: “On the issue of allowing pass, an argument took place, which led to a physical scuffle among Lt-Col Vijay Singh Sandhu on one side and Sukhjit Singh Lehal and Randip Singh Nabha on the other. As a result, all three suffered injuries…

“Now, with the help and intervention of friends and well wishers, a compromise, in the spirit of forgive and forget, has been effected between the two parties…

“As a result of this compromise, all misunderstandings, mutual differences, ill will and bitterness have been fully removed and thus there is no friction among them. Accordingly, they will extend courtesies, friendship and goodwill to each other”. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's rail projects for the region seem to have got derailed after the surfacing of the bribery scam involving the minister's kin. Highly placed sources in the Railways revealed that before the scam was unearthed, preparations for flagging off the Kalka-Shirdi train from Chandigarh were almost finalised.

In fact, the officials were asked to get the schedule for the train drafted and send it to the Railway Ministry for its approval. After the bribery scam came to light, all the ongoing projects and new trains for the region, which were announced in the railway budget, have been stalled.

The railway officials stated there was no confirmation of the commencement of the Kalka-Shirdi train from the city by the higher authorities.

The fate of another train, to be run between Chandigarh and Amritsar within the next one month, is also uncertain. An announcement about the launch of the train was made after the first train on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link was flagged off.

A senior official of the Railway Headquarters revealed that decision on all the new and on-going railway projects had been held up. He claimed that all the new trains, which were announced in this year's budget, will commence within a time span of one year. He accepted the fact that due to this scam, there will be a delay in the completion of all the projects as the final approval for them has to be given by the minister.

In the railway budget for 2013-14, the railway minister had announced direct rail connectivity to important places in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu, Himachal Pardesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa.

After two decades, a new rail link between Chandigarh and Yamunanagar was announced in the current rail budget, but now doubts are being expressed about the execution of the project.

The minister had also announced in his budget speech that by setting up a modern signal equipment facility in Chandigarh through PPP, more employment opportunities would be generated for the youth of the tricity. The ministry will impart training to the youth in railway-related trades at 25 locations. Chandigarh is one of them. 

Chandigarh, May 9
The Central Administrative Tribunal today directed the UT Education Secretary, VK Singh, to appear before the Tribunal in connection with an application filed by terminated PGT teachers, who were earlier working as guest faculty with the Education Department.

During the resumed hearing today, CAT adjourned the matter to May 29, with directions to the Education Secretary to appear before the Tribunal.

The Education Secretary was summoned after the DPI (Schools), Upkar Singh, informed the Tribunal that the Education Department was considering the claim of the terminated guest faculty teachers "sympathetically" but as it was a policy decision, the matter was pending with the higher authorities.

On the previous hearing, the UT Education Department had informed CAT that it was working out modalities regarding the case pertaining to the guest teachers and thus sought time.

Earlier, the Tribunal had directed the UT Administration to adjust the teachers and had even directed the department to allow the guest teachers to continue till further orders. The Tribunal had also directed that these terminated post graduate teachers (PGTs) be allowed to teach the subjects of TGT teachers. This was done as the UT Education Department, after terminating the services of the PGT teachers, had appointed TGT teachers as PGTs and thus there are no vacancies for PGTs. About 55 guest faculty PGTs had moved CAT challenging the order of the Education Department. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Operators of ‘jugaad’ vehicles, improvised by combining a cart with the engine of a two-wheeler, are in for trouble.

Alerted by the illegal operation of these unclassified vehicles that do not have any registration certificate, and against which the operators pay no road tax, the State Transport Authority (STA) today impounded several such vehicles.

Over the past few months, the number of such improvised vehicles, which use engines of discarded scooters and motorcycles or those designed to run irrigation pumps, are on the rise in the city.

State Transport Secretary, Chandigarh, Balbir Singh, said such vehicles came under the unclassified category and could not be allowed to run on roads at any cost. It was a clear violation of the Motor Vehicle Act, he said, adding that the vehicles would be released only when their owners would dismantle them.

A fine ranging between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000, depending on the capacity of the engine mounted on the cart chassis, is being imposed.

As per the Motor Vehicle Act, no vehicle can ply on road without getting an approval from the transport authority. These improvised vehicles, however, have no vehicle registration plate as they are not registered with the transport authority.

Chandigarh, May 9
It was the CTU bus driver Balbir Singh who called the UT police control room from his mobile phone (number 9876061584) to inform that a woman had been crushed under the wheels of his bus on the slip road ahead of the Sectors 10/11 dividing road on Tuesday.

The police control room (PCR) had received the first call regarding the accident at 2.21 pm, and before that no accident in the area was reported to the Sector 3 police station that day.

The PCR has the recorded version of the call made by the driver, who was later arrested in the case of causing death due to negligence. The information available with the PCR is in complete contrast to claims made by two youths, Ravit and Akash, who alleged the driver tried to flee from the spot, and was nabbed by them after a chase. Moreover, there is no recorded call made to the PCR at 12.35 pm, the time at which the accident took place according to the two youths. The police reached the spot two hours late, they had alleged.

The records also reveal that a PCR vehicle reached the spot at 2.30 pm, 10 minutes after receiving the call, and after spending 15 minutes on videographing the body (as the head of the victim was completely crushed), she was taken to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital in Sector 16. There the woman, later identified as Sharmila Gupta, was declared dead on arrival.

The PCR had informed the Sector 3 police station staff, following which Assistant Sub-Inspector Satinder Kumar was informed. The photographer was asked to reach the spot for taking pictures of the fatal accident. The photographer reached the spot, following which the SHO arrived there at 3 pm and made attempts to disperse the crowd.

The police admitted that the two boys entered into an altercation with the police. The body was lifted and sent at 3.12 pm. The body reached the doctors for examination in Sector 16 at 3.22 pm. At around 3.40 pm the doctors on duty declare her brought dead.

A copy of the FIR in the accident case that carries the version of the complainant, who is the victim's brother, states that he saw the woman on her Activa scooter at 2.10 pm, when a speeding CTU us crushed her under its tyres.

UT IGP RP Upadhayaya has marked an inquiry against the Station House Officer of the Sector 3 police station, Inspector Sri Parkash, after it was alleged that he reached the spot late by two hours on Tuesday afternoon.

Chandigarh, May 9
During a special drive, the enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation today removed encroachments from various markets in the city. As many as 150 violators were challaned by the MC staff.

The enforcement team removed encroachments from markets including Patel Market, Sector 15; Krishna Market, Sector 41; markets at Sector 37, 38, 42, 45 and Burail village. During the drive various unauthorised items, including rehries, tables, stools, crates, garments, cylinders and folding beds, were removed and seized.

Chandigarh, May 9
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's one-time political adversary and Congress MLA from Haryana, Venod Sharma, has come out openly in his support. In a statement issued in his favour, Sharma said today that the BJP was "unnecessarily stretching the demand for Bansal's resignation and had taken the demand too far".

Sharma, a contemporary of Bansal and claimant of the MP ticket from Chandigarh, said the Opposition was harping on the demand for Bansal's resignation "illogically".

"The Union Minister has already made it clear that he has nothing to do with the "deal" and has demanded a free and fair probe to establish those guilty of manipulating situations to serve their own vested interests. When the minister and the party are committed to bringing the guilty to book, the demand for Bansal's resignation is illogical and the protests by the Opposition parties uncalled for. They must wait for the probe to be over and the truth to come out," he said. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Acting on a tip-off, a team of the anti-human trafficking unit of the Chandigarh Police today rescued four children working at tea stalls and dhabas in the outer parking space of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The team led by ASI Ranjit Singh, with the help of the UT Labour Inspector and members of Snehalaya conducted the raid. The rescued children were medically examined and sent to Snehalaya, Maloya, after being produced before the child welfare committee. The shop owners who had employed these children were also challaned by the labour inspector.

Mohali, May 9
The office of the District Transport Authority earned a revenue of Rs 21.24 lakh against the reserved price of Rs 2.18 lakh at an auction of the remaining numbers of the PB 65-U series held here today.

The registration number that attracted the maximum bid amount of Rs 2.50 lakh was PB 65 U 0009 against the reserve price of Rs 10,000. The number was purchased by Rupinder Singh. Number PB 65 U 0003 was sold for Rs 95,000 while PB 65 U 0008 fetched Rs 67,000. The reserve price in both the cases was Rs 10,000.

Registration numbers PB 65 U 0065 was sold for Rs 60,000, PB 65 U 0011 for Rs 58,000, PB 65 U 0097 for Rs 51,000 and PB 65 U 0076 was sold for Rs 50,000. The reserve price for these numbers was Rs 3,000.

Registration number PB 65 U 7777 was sold for Rs 87,000 against a reserve price of Rs 1,000. Similarly, PB 65 U 7878 fetched Rs 85,000 and PB 65 U 6565 was sold for Rs 65,000. The reserve price in both the cases was Rs 1,000.

Mohali, May 9
As many as 21 candidates would contest in the forthcoming zila parishad elections now as over 17 candidates have withdrawn their nomination papers today.

Earlier, a total of 42 candidates had filed their papers to contest elections on 10 zila parishad seats in the district. “Today, as many as 17 candidates have withdrawn their candidature while the nominations of four candidates have been rejected following finding errors or incomplete contents in those,” said Mohali Deputy Commissioner, Tajinder Pal Singh Sidhu.

He said in the block samiti elections, now the number of total candidates, taking part in the fray, is 140 (54 from Kharar, 37 Dera Bassi and 30 Majri) for 57 seats. “As many as six candidates have already been elected unanimously,” said the Deputy Commissioner. From block samiti, Kharar, as many as 55 candidates have withdrawn their candidature today while the number of candidates, who have taken back their names from the contest, is 19. In Majri zone, as many as 30 candidates would try their luck in the fray.

Mohali, May 9
Mohali police inspector Kanwaljit Singh, who was posted as the station house officer (SHO) of Phase 1 Police Station, has been put under suspension here today.

Kanwaljit Singh has been suspended after finding negligence in his investigation in a brawl case involving a proclaimed offender and some policemen. The case dates back to October 2012.

SP (City) Swarndeep Singh said the case was not properly investigated by the SHO.

"Several shortcomings were found in his investigations as certain important aspects were not verified, which needed to be done in routine,” said Swarndeep Singh.

According to sources, even after his investigation, the inspector was not aware that the accused was a history sheeter and was declared a proclaimed offender in a case by a Ludhiana court.

In place of Kanwaljit Singh, sub-inspector Navin Pal Singh Lehal has been posted as the station house officer of the police station. Navin Pal Singh was earlier posted as the traffic in charge at Kharar.

Chandigarh, May 9
The State Bank of India (SBI) has marked a high-level inquiry following the allegations of money laundering levelled against various public and private banks. The SBI has also suspended three officials posted in various cities who are under scanner following the allegations of money laundering. This was disclosed by SBI chairman Pratip Chaudhuri during his visit to Panjab University today.

Chaudhuri said the SBI had initiated an inquiry and three bank officials from Panchkula, Delhi and Aligargh had been put under suspension till the time the investigation was on.

“Their role in money laundering is under question. Moreover, sitting in the bank and propagating about money laundering cannot be tolerated, following which they have been suspended,” he said.

The SBI chairman said the employees were found suggesting ways of depositing the money in various accounts. “Some of the ways suggested by them were to deposit the money in India and transfer it to London and distribute the money in various accounts,” he said.

Those bank customers who spilt up the amount and make several transactions of below Rs 50,000 in a day are also under scanner.

The SBI chairman said: “The Fraud Analysis Cell (FAC) of the bank created in Jaipur scrutinises all the transactions and forwards suspicious ones to the Financial Intelligence Unit, a Central national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions”.

Chaudhuri said money laundering could be possible when the account was opened with a fake name and address.

He said strict action would be taken against any employee found involved in money laundering.

Chandigarh, May 9
Seven occupants of a Tavera car, owned by one Gurjeet Singh of Kharar, escaped with minor injuries after a head-on collision with a truck at the Sectors 45/46 barrier in the wee hours today.

All seven injured were rushed to GMCH-32, from where they were discharged after administering first aid.

The police booked the truck driver, Tej Singh of Mandi. He was arrested, but later released on bail. — TNS

Chandigarh, May 9
Acting on the request of the Chandigarh Administration, the Punjab and Haryana High Court appointed the Additional District and Sessions Judge-I, Chandigarh, to act as presiding officer of the Chandigarh Education Tribunal.

The appointment is for the intermediate period till the time the UT constitutes the tribunal on a permanent basis.

Officials said this move, though an ad-hoc arrangement, had paved the way for the commencement of the Chandigarh Education Tribunal after a gap of 11 years.

The appointing officer is authorised to hear all appeals arising out of disputes between the staff and management of the recognised private schools (aided/unaided), colleges and universities in the UT. Once the permanent tribunal comes into force, all powers would be shifted to its presiding officer, who would also be not less the rank of a retired judge.

The Supreme Court in its judgement dated December 20, 2002, in the TMA Pai Foundation and others versus State of Karnataka case, had ordered each state and UT to set up their appropriate education tribunal for the redressal of the grievances of employees of aided/unaided educational institutes, including private schools, colleges and universities, subjected to punishment or termination of their service.

Even as Punjab constituted its tribunal in 2009, the issue was still pending in the UT and got the attention recently only after the Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened in the matter and ordered the Chandigarh Administration to expedite the constitution of the tribunal at the earliest.

A senior official of the Education Department said since the constitution of the permanent tribunal required a lot of time, the local higher authorities planned to begin the tribunal on an ad-hoc basis for the time being. For this, a formal request was sent to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in March this year to recommend a name of a judicial officer of the rank of Additional District and Sessions Judge posted in Chandigarh to preside over the education tribunal till the time the permanent tribunal was being set up.

Chandigarh, May 9
The committee formed by Panjab University to review the semester system introduced in the postgraduate classes at PU-affiliated colleges has recommended to the authorities that the PG courses should switch back to the annual examination system.

The university while introducing the semester system in the PG classes in 2011 had decided to review the system after two years, following which a 15-member committee was formed that held a meeting today.

RPS Josh, a Senate member, also part of the committee that took the decision, said it was not feasible to have the semester system in the colleges in the absence of manpower.

“Colleges in Punjab are short of teachers and administrative staff, following which we have recommended to the authorities that the semester system should not be extended to the colleges,” Josh said.

Dalip Kumar, a Senator and also a committee member, said everyone was of the view that it's very difficult to have two separate examination systems in the colleges, following which the university should introduce the annual examination system in the PG courses.

“All undergraduate courses follow the annual system, while the PG courses have been put under the semester system. In the absence of staff and resources, it is not feasible to run different examination systems together,” he said. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Dr David R. Gray, Gray Hound Information Services, Ontario, Canada, today screened his documentary on “Early Sikh Migration from India to Canada” at Panjab University.

Dr David, while screening the documentary, shared the stories of immigrants from India in 1900s.

Professor Surinder Kler Shukla, Honorary Director, North Western Regional Centre of Indian Council of Social Science and Research, while welcoming the guest speaker, said immigration was a world phenomenon and Indians, especially Punjabis, had a craze for migrating to different parts of the world and their special destination was Canada and the US.

Dr Gray presented the documentary in which he explained the problems faced by the Sikhs during 1904-08.

According to him, Hindus used to work in cement factories and most of them were suffering from TB.

He said in 1900s, immigrants from India were known as Hindus, even though a majority of them were Sikhs. “The two pioneer Sikhs migrants were Diwan Singh and Gurditt Singh,” Gray mentioned.

He said by 1907-08, there were more than 5,000 Sikhs in Canada.

Chandigarh, May 9
State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Pratip Chaudhuri, while donating a sum of Rs 1 crore to Panjab University, said investment in education made a country succeed.

Chaudhuri, a 1974-batch alumnus of University Business School (UBS), made a contribution towards the construction of a new campus for UBS in Sector 25.

UBS chairperson AK Vashisht said the department, which was presently spread in three different buildings, required an independent building with seminar halls, following which a proposal was sent to the SBI chairman, who agreed to help the university in setting up a new building.

“We are hopeful of getting more grants from our alumnus for the construction of an independent building,” Vashisht said.

Encouraging the students to excel in their carrier, Chaudhuri also asked them to remember their alma mater and even make the smallest contribution towards their school, college and university.