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Law protector turns mediator
Zirakpur, October 4 "I got a shock of my life when I received a call from a policeman, deputed at the Sector 31 police station in Chandigarh. He told me that the accused was asking for Rs 50,000 for returning the bag of my younger brother, Manmohan Singh Sohal, an NRI from Australia," alleged Avtar Singh. A daily diary report has been lodged at the Zirakpur police station. Avtar Singh (75), who has been staying at Nirmal Chhaya Society with his niece, said that he went to pick up his brother from the Chandigarh airport in an auto-rickshaw on October 2. "When we were on our way back to Zirakpur, a youth took a lift in auto and accompanied us till our destination. After alighting from the vehicle, we noticed that he had fled with the bag. The youth has been identified as Gaurav Verma, a resident of Sector 40, Chandigarh," said Avtar Singh. The former Olympian said he went to the Sector 31 police station to lodge a complaint where the policeman offered him help asking him to go to the Zirakpur police station. "I was shocked when I got a call from Jatinder who told me that the accused was asking for Rs 50,000 to return the bag. The policeman also gave me the correct description of the accused. I am surprised how he came to know about the accused," alleged Sohal. When contacted, DSP (South), Chandigarh, Surjit Malik said he was out of the town. "I will look into the matter when I return," said the DSP.
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City’s heritage goes the Wright way
Chandigarh, October 4 The auction will take place on October 17. The UT Administration has, however, started celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of Le Corbusier, which falls on October 6. The furniture to be put under the hammer include a double-sided bookcase from Central State Library, a pair of lounge chairs, a dining table from the cafeteria of the PGI, a bookcase from the College of Fine Art and an armchair from the MLA flats building. Le Corbusier’s cousin Pierre Jeanneret had designed chairs, tables, stools and racks for government offices in the late 50s. However, the furniture was replaced in the late 80s and early 90s. After tossing out the heritage items in the backyards or stores, most of the UT departments had auctioned these as a part of junk, unaware of their international worth. Advocate Ajay Jagga, who had filed a public interest litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said that the UT Administration and the Union Government should write to the auction house and seek details of the invoice of furniture. The Administration should find out who sold the furniture to the auction house illegally and take action accordingly. This is not for the first that the heritage furniture, treated as junk by the Chandigarh Administration, is being auctioned. In 2007, a manhole cover, designed by Le Corbusier, fetched $21,600 at one of these auctions. To be auctioned
(Source: Wright website)
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Ex-UT chief engineer acquitted
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 4 The court of District and Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal acquitted Jerath and six other engineers in the case after the prosecution failed to prove the charges. The case was registered by the UT Vigilance Department on March 16, 1998, when the UT Engineering Department was in the dock for inviting tenders for underground cables over and above the prevailing market price. It was alleged that the allocation of the tenders was not done at the market price and by doing so, the UT had attempt to cause losses running into lakhs to the state exchequer. As per the prosecution theory, tenders were invited for laying underground cables from Sector 21 to Sector 34 by the UT Administration at a price of Rs 43.5 lakh. It was alleged that the market price of these cables was Rs 24 lakh and thus the engineers attempted to cause a loss to the government. The prosecution had stated that the accused attempted to cause wrongful loss to the state exchequer for causing benefit to contractor and also committed criminal breach of trust. Anuradha Gupta, the then Home Secretary, got the case registered against KK Jerath, the then Chief Engineer and Secretary (Engineering), Chandigarh Administration and others after they received a complaint from Jagjit Singh Sawhney, a private contractor. Others who are acquitted include JK Gandhi, former junior engineer, JC Gilhotra, former superintendent engineer, CJ Rai, Harjinder Singh and AS Gulati, former executive engineers, and VK Narula, chief draftsman. They have been acquitted under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under Sections 120-B, 409 and 511 of the IPC. Contractor took department for a ride
It was alleged that an inflated estimate had been prepared by the UT Engineering Department. While the estimated cost stood at Rs 43.5 lakh, the complainant, JS Sawhney, executed the work at Rs 20 lakh. It was found that the complainant, JS Sawhney (contractor) took the department for a ride and supplied the cable which was of substandard quality. The cable with inferior specifications was laid by the contractor which showed a manufacturing defect before commissioning and during the period of warranty, repeated short-circuits took place on the cable. The cable which was promised to carry ISI mark did not carry any certification.
Case was due to rift with Home Secy: Defence counsel
Terminder Singh, counsel for KK Jerath, said the then UT Home Secretary, Anuradha Gupta, took a complaint from contractor JS Sawhney by hand on the same day when KK Jerath was suspended from the department. She ordered the registration of a criminal case against Jerath for not having awarded the work to Sawhney. Terminder argued that the work was not awarded by Jerath because the contractor lowered the specifications after the opening of the tender, which being the against the statutory rules, could not have been permitted. “Jerath was innocent and he was falsely implicated due to the rift with the Home Secretary,” said Terminder Singh.
6 cases filed against Jerath
Jerath was booked by the vigilance wing of the UT police in six cases. Out of these, he has been acquitted in two cases. He has been convicted in a disproportionate assets case by the CBI court in 2009. In 2012, Jerath was acquitted in a case of alleged misuse of vehicles by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge. This case was registered on the directions of former Home Secretary Anuradha Gupta. He was then sentenced to three-year imprisonment.
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Make cycle tracks operational: HC to Admn
Chandigarh, October 4
Justice Rajive Bhalla also directed the Administration to deploy extra Home Guards volunteers to regulate the traffic. The directions came during the hearing of an ongoing petition filed by advocate Vikram Sharda. As the matter came up for resumed hearing, UT counsel JS Toor informed the Bench that 24 out of 152 closed-circuit television cameras were out of order and would be rectified within 15 to 20 days. Toor said eight CCTV cameras installed in Sector 17 had been removed for the construction of a new parking lot.
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Leading ladies of Ramlila
Chandigarh, October 4 This year, Ramlila organisers in Sector 28, Sector 22, Sector 7, Sector 20 and Dhanas have women artistes performing the main roles. Mukesh Sharma, director, Sector 28 Ramlila, said they faced opposition in the beginning but with the passage of time, things changed. “This time, we have four women artistes playing the lead roles," he stated. Rachita Sharma, an artiste of the Sector 28 Ramlila, said people thought that it was not safe to participate in Ramlilas as these were staged late at night. She added that her co-artistes were supportive and that she had never faced any problem. Another artiste, Saloni, said women should not be barred from participating in Ramlilas. “Women should come forward and help revive the rich tradition," she added. Sector 22 Ramlila organisers have six women artistes. An organiser said they had been encouraging women to participate in Ramlila. Members of some Ramlila committees said budget and non-availability of women artistes were some of the issues that forced them to manage the stage with male artistes.
Ramlilas staged
A day after rain played a spoilsport, Ramlilas were staged at various places in the city. Showers had left the stage and costumes damaged on Thursday. This year, the event is being staged at 49 places. At Sector 29, a revolving stage has been set up. Different sequences will be enacted through a light and sound show at Sector 28. Stage lighting at Mani Majra is expected to draw crowd. The Chandigarh Kendriya Maha Sabha has planned ‘Ram Baarat’ on October 6. A procession will be taken out from Mani Majra till the Sector 7 venue.
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Golf carts to ferry elderly, differently abled
Hina Rohtaki Tribune News Service
Panchkula, October 4 A legal literacy camp set up near the entrance. It will be inaugurated by the District Sessions Judge, RK Sondhi, tomorrow. Arrangements at Mansa Devi temple 
Two golf carts will ferry the differently abled and elderly from the main entrance till the VIP entry point.
Around 42 CCTV cameras have been installed. Earlier, there were 32 cameras in the temple.
Devotees can air problems at the legal literacy camp between 10 am and 5 pm.
120 temporary toilets have been set up.
Musical evenings at the fountain park from 7.30 pm (October 6 onwards). A jagran will be held at 9 pm on October 11.
October 6: A performance by Vashihst Bandhu at 7.30 pm
October 7: A performance by Ishwar Sharma and Kala Chetan Manch at 7.30
October 8: A performance by Suraj and group at 7.30 pm
October 9: A performance by Surinder Khan and Harvinder Rana and group at 7.30 pm
October 10: A performance by Sunil Kumar Dhyani and Manjit Dhyan at 7.30 pm
October 11: Vishal Bhagwati Jagran at 9 pm
October 12: A performance by Devaki Anand at 7.30 pm
Two ambulances will remain stationed at the main entrance. Three beds have been reserved at the General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula.
A special bus service has been started by the Haryana Roadways.
A separate entry gate has been set up for the elderly and ailing devotees.
Sixteen nakas will be laid around the temple. Around 800 policemen will be deployed.
Metal detectors have been installed.
The information centre has been set up near the main entrance.
Parking areas have been earmarked for the VVIPs, four-wheelers and
two-wheelers.
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Cultural events mark Raising Day
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 4 Speaking on the occasion, the Governor of Punjab and Chandigarh Administrator, Shivraj V Patil, said if the defence forces were to be strengthened, it was important to meet all their requirements. Commending the department for doing the vital job of payment, accounting, auditing and rendering of financial advice to the defence services, Patil cautioned that the system must be transparent and accurate. Incorrect representation of facts and information led to delays in meeting the requirements of the forces, which in turn adversely impacte the national security, he said. The Principal Controller of Defence Accounts, Western Command, Upendra Sah, highlighted various achievements and e-initiatives of the department. A brief demonstration of Suvigya, a web-based system for defence pensioners, was also made. Sah said his department had won this year’s “Raksha Mantri Award for Excellence” for improving the quality of internal audit and streamlining the Ex-servicemen’s Contributory Health Scheme. The department had detected irregular payments and procedural lapses in the functioning of the scheme, he said. Patil honoured staff members of the department for their performance. He also felicitated children for academic excellence. A large number of serving and retired DAD officials and their family members attended the function. A Sufi-kathak fusion by Deepanvita and her troupe from the North Zone Cultural Directorate captivated the gathering.
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Zen gang on police’s radar
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, October 4 For the past six years, the police has been unsuccessful in nabbing the members of the Zen gang accused of theft and robberies. The gang members usually target employees carrying huge amount of cash. Members of the gang usually strike twice or thrice a year. According to police officials, the members of the gang do not utter a single word while carrying out the robbery in order to leave behind no clue, which can in any way lead the police to them. “A white Etios car has been used for the crime, but the modus operandi is the same as the Zen gang members. The members are using this car, to avoid any suspicion,” alleged a police official. Despite several reminders by the Panchkula police, to not to carry such huge amounts on two-wheelers or in absence of a guard, employees continue to break rules and are becoming the targets to such activities. “The members of the gang knew that the bank where the victims were going to deposit the money does not have any morning guard and hence decided to carry out the robbery there,” said a police official on the condition of anonymity. The police has not been able to make any breakthrough in the case yet. Several persons were rounded up for investigations today, but nothing substantial could be found. “Since the footage captured on the CCTV is also not clear, we are not able to ascertain the faces of the miscreants who carried out the robbery,” said a police official.
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City should treasure its heritage: Picon
Chandigarh, October 4 After visiting the Capitol Complex, he said it was sad that nobody valued the treasure. He said the Capitol Complex was being taken care of by two states and that the authorities should not let high-rise buildings come up around the
complex. He did not like the way the heritage furniture was displayed at the museum. He said, "There is always a better way to showcase such items." City-based museums should be upgraded, he said. There is hardly any information available for visitors in the city. He said he visited the museums where the furniture designed by Corbusier was put on display and that he was not satisfied with the way it was being preserved. The arrangements made for tourists left him disappointed. He said people coming from far-off places to know about the rich heritage of the city should be given better facilities. He said the UT Administration should try to get the heritage status for Corbusier's works from UNESCO. He stated that it was a matter of concern that Le Corbuiser's works were being auctioned in various countries. The celebrations started today with a heritage walk from Sukhna Lake to the Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19. Corbusier walk was organised by the tourism department. Students and members of various NGOs participated. The highlight of day was Le Corbusier memorial lecture by renowned architects Prof Antoine Picon and Rahul
Mehrotra.
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Special children left in limbo
Chandigarh, October 4 She said the management here was running the commercial activity by giving rooms as paying guest to girls at Rs 7,000 per month and to earn more income, they shut down their one room centre in the building. We opened up this centre here in December last year with the due permission of PC Singla, ex-president of the Anuvarat Society, but the society started harassing our trust after the new management committee took over the Bhavan earlier this year. It is despite the fact, that it is doing a noble job of giving good education to the special children, she alleged. Manoj Jain, president of the Anuvarat Society, refuted these claims and said they had no commercial activities in the centre. Those living in the Anuvarat Bhavan were the members of their community and they did not live permanent here. He said the society had mutual agreement with Meenakshi Vishwas on July 18 that the trust would close down its centre with in four months. But there was no effort by the trust to relocate and they kept running the centre. According to him, the centre was also not doing well as it had few students. More over the presence of the centre was also a nuisance to their religious activities. Meanwhile, Meenakshi filed a police complaint at Sector 11 police station and the police is investigating the matter.
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No breakthrough in theft case
Panchkula, October 4 “Immediately after reaching the crime spot, it is the responsibility of the police to preserve the scene of crime. A dog squad has to be called besides the collection of forensic evidence such as finger prints during the preliminary investigations. But in this case, nothing was done,” said KS Verma’s son, Arun
Verma, who is a deputy commandant with the Border Security Force. Arun said he was shocked by this callous attitude of the police. He said his parents were now afraid to return to Panchkula, because of this attitude of the police. “My parents are old and they feel insecure, as the incident took place despite informing the police in advance,” said
Arun. The local police post in-charge assistant sub-inspector Resham Singh refused to comment on the issue. It was on September 29 that the Chandigarh Tribune reported that how KS
Verma, who resides in Gandhinagar in Gujarat, had to suffer because of the lack of alertness on the part of the local police.
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Pay up before Nov 30 to get 10% rebate
Our Correspondent
Mohali, October 4 The last date to pay the tax without any penalty is December 31. If it is paid between January 1 and March 31, a penalty of 25 per cent of the tax would be imposed, said Wadhwa. Beyond that time period, the penalty would be doubled. Also, an interest of 18 per cent would be imposed on the tax amount apart from the 50 per cent penalty after April 1 next year, he said. To provide information about the property tax, the civic body has set up five camps in the town: parking area outside Punjab National Bank in Phase I, near Gurdwara Sacha Dhan Sahib in Phase III-B2, near the scooter market in Phase VII, opposite Silvi Park in Phase X; and at the civic body office in Sector 68. Around 150 persons visit these camps everyday to make inquiries. They mostly seek information about the collector rates and the amount of tax to be paid.
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Iranian film fest begins
Chandigarh, October 4 Another movie, “The colour of Paradise”, was an acclaimed movie by famous Iranian director Majid Majidi. Nominated for an American Academy Award, it was about a story of a blind boy and his relationship with his father. On October 5 two more movies- “Here without Me” by Bahram Tavakoli and Child & Angel by Director M Nqash, will be screened. Before the screening, classical singer Sunita Avni Amin would present the Drupad recital. She is student at Vishva Dhrupad Gurukul started by Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar in Jaipur. She is taking Dhrupad instruction under renowned gurus, Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar and Ustad Bahauddin Dagar. She had a concert at Samanvai Art Gallery in Jaipur earlier this year.
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Experts discuss Sino-Indian relations
Chandigarh, October 4 JJ Singh said India had no reason to be afraid of China as today its nuclear power acted as deterrence. He said both the countries were eager to find an early solution to the boundary dispute issue. General Singh was the first Chief of Army Staff of India to lead a tri-service delegation to a joint training with China. He said more joint trainings between both the countries would enhance trust between the two countries. PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover said the scientific communities of the two countries had a harmonious relationship. Professor of the Chinese language at PU Dr Damodar Panda said China’s world view had changed after Deng Xiaoping unleashed economic reforms.
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Cinemanthan, a hit among residents
Chandigarh, October 4 Cinemanthan started with a 16-minute fiction film, Music in the Blood today at the Law Auditorium. The film from Romania was about a father’s expectations from his son and what happens after that. The feature film, Mirch
Masala, shown in the second slot generated a healthy discussion in the afternoon. Filmmaker Joshy Joseph interacted with the audience whose documentary, “And the Bamboo Blooms” was shown. This film was a study on the relationship between the tribals and the bamboos. Tomorrow much talked feature film “Ship of
Theseus” would be screened and maker of Mindscapes of Love and Longing, Arun Chadha would interact with people.
— TNS
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Probe begins today
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 4 The medical superintendent of the hospital, Rajiv Vadhera, marked the inquiry to the head of surgery department, Dr KS Bal, after the case came to his notice. Dr Bal said he will submit a report to the authorities for an appropriate action within 10 days. The woman was admitted to the hospital on June 17. She underwent an appendectomy. A few days later she was admitted again after complaining of unbearable pain in her stomach.
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Residents may face power cuts
Chandigarh, October 4 The city drew 47 per cent of the power from Mohali (PSPCL), 5 per cent through Dhulkote BBMB and the remaining 48 per cent from
Nalagarh. UT electricity department superintending engineer MP Singh said alternative arrangements had been made to supply uninterrupted power to the city on Sunday. He said in case of overload, they might have to disrupt power supply. The supply might be suspended to Sectors 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24, 26, 37, 38, 39, 43, 44, 51, 52 and 53, the officials stated.
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Cops get tips on soft skills
Chandigarh, October 4 A total of 183 newly recruited constables besides other police officers attended the session on October 3 and 4. The UT Inspector General of Police, RP Upadhyaya, was the chief guest. He said the police should have knowledge of IT and soft skills to face diverse situations. “Now, public is much more aware of their rights and the duties of police. The police officials face different kinds of situations and even a single mistake can be detrimental,” he said.
— TNS
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From schools Chandigarh: The school organized different activities on Gandhi Jayanti. Mahatma Gandhi was remembered as an epitome of peace, non-violence, truth and duty. Students were also shown a power point presentation, which depicted his birth and life, freedom struggle and movement. Students of Montessori classes visited Gandhi Museum created for them by their teachers. Students of class VIII went to a class rally organized by Help-Age India.Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School, Sector 40-C, Chandigarh organized a peace march to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti and to observe the International Day of Peace and Non-Violence. A school rally was flagged off. A special assembly was also held to celebrate Gandhi’s birth anniversary. A special assembly was conducted by the students of AKSIPS-65 smart school to mark the birth anniversary of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi highlighting the life and achievements of Ghandhi ji. Pre-primary kids came dressed in Tri-Colour attires for their “Satyagraha” presentation. Students were full of patriotic fevour and showed their distress for certain alarming issues like female foeticide, corruption.NSS volunteers of DAV Model School, Sector15, celebrated Gandhi Jayanti with great enthusiasm. A tribute to former PM of India Lal Bahudur Shastri was also paid. The occasion was celebrated by bhajans recitals. Some of the students were dressed up like Gandhiji. Tiny tots also attended the programme and drew inspiration from their seniors. A slide show was also shown to the students. World Nature Day
Students and the teachers of St. Xavier’s Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh, celebrated World Nature Day with great zeal. The bounties of Mother Nature were depicted though a beautiful tableau of flora and fauna. Students gave small orations on the lessons of purity, harmony and spirituality. Trust and Harmony Day
Interfaith Trust and Harmony Day was observed at DAV, Sector 8, Chandigarh. Children sang songs to highlight the importance of non-violence, love and compassion. Students of classes IV and V took pledge to work for promoting harmony, goodwill, love and peace in the world. Football tourney
CBSE Cluster XIII Football Tournament kicked off with great fervour and enthusiasm at Saint Soldier International School, Sector 28, Chandigarh. More than 43 elite teams from the Northern region will be vying for the coveted trophy. Chief Guest, Dr Dalwinder Singh hoisted the CBSE flag ceremoniously and declared the meet open. The school students presented a high-octane dance performance. Bapu remembered
Panchkula: Various activities were organised by St. Teresa Convent School, Sector 25, Panchkula, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Tiny tots of class I and II came dressed as the freedom fighters and spoke about their role in freedom struggle. Students of classes III and IV celebrated World Nature Day in the school by planting saplings. Students of V-VIII made portraits of Gandhiji and expressed their thoughts on the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi in India’s struggle for independence. Mount Litera Zee School, Panchkula carried a rally for “Communal Harmony” in the society on Gandhi Jayanti to mark the importance of peace in the world. On the special occasion of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the day started with rhymes and song sung by students to give gratitude and remembrance to Bapuji. After that the rally was flagged off by principal Sudha Gupta and went through sector 20, 21, 25 and 26. The theme of the rally was “Stop Violence” spirited by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.
— TNS
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New MBA courses at Ansal varsity
Chandigarh, October 4 Giving information here today, vice-chancellor of the university Dr CS Nagpal informs that their specialised 2-year MBA programme in business analytics is introduced in association with Valparaiso University, USA, besides this the university has tied up with the IBM and Oracle for technical support. According to him, data is the backbone for any industry and in this course, the students will be taught how to collect, store and interpret data for strategic business planning and decision-making. Business analytics is emerging as one of the fastest growing job specialisations globally but it is yet not a separate course in India so far. We are introducing the course with a purpose to give the students edge over others and for better employability, he said. Besides this course, he says, MBA in real estate and lifestyle and luxury management is also a need of the hour. Real estate sector is developing in our country but we don’t have skilled manpower working there. According to him, their approach in all the courses is very competitive. Students are taught soft skills along with their professional courses, he said.
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