Phone department's "dual policy"
CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Nearly 40,000 telephone subscribers in Panchkula and S.A.S. Nagar are losing financially due to a "dual policy" being followed by the local Telephone Department.

Taking cine-goers
for a ride
Place: Batra Theatre, Chandigarh.
Time: 11.30 a.m.
Scene: Thirtyfive persons are standing in front of ticket counters in scorching heat. There is no shelter for them. Some of them say the counters were closed 15 minutes after the sale of tickets started and allege that the tickets were available at a premium. However, this reporter is not able to buy one.

Paid parking from Sept 1
CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — From September 1, parking in Sectors 17 and 8 will be on payment. According to sources, the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has taken a number of steps with a view to protecting vehicle owners from being overcharged.
7 booked in phone scandal
PANCHKULA, Aug 17 — The local police has booked seven persons in connection with the "fraudulent phone connections" scandal which was recently unearthed by the local office of the Chandigarh telecom district.
Daulat Ram Sharma dead
CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Mr Daulat Ram Sharma, a former president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, died of a heart attack here today. He was 82.

DSP's remand extended

Judicial remand

Workshop for STD trainers

Phone department's "dual policy"
By Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Nearly 40000 telephone subscribers in Panchkula and S.A.S. Nagar are losing financially due to a "dual policy" being followed by the local Telephone Department.

The towns are considered a part of the Chandigarh short distance charging area (SDCA) — a technical term used by the telecom authorities to determine their respective working areas. However, subscribers in the two towns are being work areas billed at the rates which should apply to towns outside the Chandigarh SDCA.

Calls made from Chandigarh to either of the two towns or vice versa are now, billed at the rate of three minutes per call whereas under a new policy of the Union Communications Ministry, calls within the same SDCA should be billed at the rate of five minutes.

Interestingly, calls made from S.A.S. Nagar to Panchkula or vice versa are at present being billed at the rate of 90 seconds per charging unit. On the other hand, a call from S.A.S. Nagar to Kalka which is at a greater radial distance — is billed at three minutes per unit, according to sources in the department. The same is the case when a call is made between Panchkula and Kharar which is a further 10 km away from S.A.S. Nagar.

For per unit calls, S.A.S. Nagar is treated on a par with charges levied for calls between Chandigarh and Kharar. However, S.A.S. Nagar subscribers are deprived of the newly introduced direct dialling — non-STD services to towns like Ropar, Sirhind or Samrala. This facility is available to Kharar subscribers.

Similarly, Panchkula subscribers while, making calls to Chandigarh are treated on a par with Kalka for billing. But they cannot dial Solan, Ropar, Parwanoo, Baddi or Naraingarh directly on the new direct service as is available from Kalka.

If the department considers Panchkula under the Kalka network for billing then relative services like direct calls to these towns should have been the norm under the new policy that came into effect on Saturday. The same is true of comparative services if S.A.S. Nagar is considered a part of the Kharar SDCA for making calls.

Under the redefined policy, an SDCA's working boundaries have been demarcated according to the STD codes allotted to the main exchanges of the area and other exchanges having a common STD-dialling code. Earlier the limits of an SDCA were determined according to the revenue areas demarcated by the civil authorities.

Both Panchkula and S.A.S. Nagar have the same STD code as Chandigarh and have been clubbed under the Chandigarh SDCA. Under the new policy, a subscriber who does not even have the STD facility can call up another subscriber in an adjacent SDCA by dialling a specially provided code and the billing is done at the rate of three minutes per call.

So even if S.A.S Nagar and Panchkula are taken out of the Chandigarh, SDCA the subscribers will have the facility of calling Chandigarh directly at the same rates as of now. Besides they shall have a direct access to many more towns.

Taking cine-goers for a ride
Tribune News Service

Place: Batra Theatre, Chandigarh.
Time: 11.30 a.m.
Scene: Thirtyfive persons are standing in front of ticket counters in scorching heat. There is no shelter for them. Some of them say the counters were closed 15 minutes after the sale of tickets started and allege that the tickets were available at a premium. However, this reporter is not able to buy one.

Meanwhile, more people pour in. At the parking lot, some of them are seen arguing with the contractor, alleging that they are being overcharged. The contractor, however, asserts that what is being charged (Rs 5 for a scooter and Rs 10 for a car) is according to the rules. However, as per the charges fixed by the Chandigarh Administration, a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler can be charged Rs 3 and Rs 5, respectively.

"Can you mention the charges on the parking token?' a person asks the contractor. "I am mentioning the amount charged on the token and also signing it. Now, you can take it to the Deputy Commissioner if you want any clarification", the contractor says.

Tokens, which have no charges mentioned on them, are taken back by the contractor at the end of the movie.

As the film starts, those coming late can be seen searching for their seats in darkness as no cinema house employee is there to help them.

After some time, one of the employees comes, but refuses any help. "You sit in the H row as there is no difference between the D and H rows", he says.

Employees of the cinema house as well as those working with the canteen keep on opening doors of the hall to the dismay of the audience.

Airconditioners inside the hall do not function and cinegoers are forced to shell out more for eatables and soft drinks than the prescribed rates.

As it starts raining the roof starts leaking at several places. Some even slip on their way out as the wet stairs are without lights.

The UT Administration in June last year had allowed theatre owners to raise the ticket rates by 50 per cent for providing more facilities like drinking water and airconditioners, but nothing has been done in this regard.

When contacted, an official of the cinema house said the airconditioners were not working as the plant had been damaged after rain water entered the basement. He said the leaking roof would be repaired soon.

Milkmen hold demonstration
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Thousands of milkmen from Punjab and Chandigarh today held a massive demonstration against the proposed constitution of the Punjab Dairy Development Board which would render more than three lakh persons jobless in the state.

The agitators, who had assembled near the Sector 20 mosque raised slogans against the state government for bowing to the dictates of the International Monetary Fund and other multinational companies.

Mr Gurdev Singh Fuji and Mr Vijay Kumar, president and secretary, respectively, of the Punjab Milkmen Union, said the government was planning to divide the state into 23 zones which would be auctioned to private individuals who would be responsible for the collection and distribution of milk in the state.

In such a scenario, the seller, the milkman and the consumer would be at the mercy of the contractors who would be free to charge their own prices for buying and supplying to the consumers. Besides this, the board would also negate the efforts of the unemployed youth of the state to start their own ventures, they added.

Other speakers demanded certain changes in the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act . Offences relating to the failure of samples of milk should be made non-cognizable and fines should be imposed instead of imprisonment.

The quality of feed had also deteriorated and it was not possible to meet the standards fixed decades ago. As the price of the feed had also risen manifold, it was not possible for the small dairy farmer to buy it. So, the feed should be subsidised, they demanded.

Among others who addressed the agitators included Mr Tarsem Jodhan (CPM), Mr Hakam Singh and Mr Balbir Singh, chairman and secretary, respectively, of the Chandigarh Periphery Milkmen Union, and Mr Malkit Singh(CITU). Later the protesters marched to the residence of the Punjab Chief Minister but were stopped by the police near the Housing Board roundabout.

A deputation of the milkmen which met the Chief Minister was assured that their demands would be considered sympathetically and a meeting to sort out the matter has been fixed for August 19.

Paid parking from Sept 1
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — From September 1, parking in Sectors 17 and 8 will be on payment.

According to sources, the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has taken a number of steps with a view to protecting vehicle owners from being overcharged. The contract will be cancelled, if a contractor is found overcharging.

The contractor will be required to provide three boards at the parking lot, displaying the charges in three languages — English, Punjabi and Hindi. The board will be approved by the civic body.

All disputes between the contractor and the corporation, will be referred to the arbitrator — the Assistant Commissioner-I. The arbitrator's award will be final and binding on both parties.

Similarly, in case of loss of a vehicle, the matter shall be first sorted out by the contractor and the vehicle owner. If they fail to do so, the decision of the arbitrator shall be final, the sources say. In addition, the corporation will provide a complaint box at each parking lot, the sources say.

The sources clarified that the underground parking lots in the two sectors would be used only by passholders.

Congress grass: The congress grass eradication programme was inaugurated by Mr O.P. Goel, area councillor, in Sector 21 here today. Eighty members of the Citizens' Association, Sector 21, and personnel of the horticulture wing of the municipal corporation took part in the drive.

7 booked in phone scandal
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Aug 17 — The local police has booked seven persons in connection with the "fraudulent phone connections" scandal which was recently unearthed by the local office of the Chandigarh telecom district.

Two security guards, including one who was posted at the local office of the SDO, Telephones, in Sector 10 here, Jai Bhagwan, has been named in the FIR registered by the police. The other security guard is Umesh Mishra.

Others named in the FIR are three daily wage earners of the department — Angrez Singh, Ved Pal and Madan Lal — who are residents of Mani Majra and two STD PCO operators — Balwinder Singh of Panchkula and Gurmit Singh of Mani Majra. The police has registered a case under Sections 420, 466, 467, 471 and 120-B, of the IPC.

In the complaint on the basis of which the FIR has been registered it has been stated investigations by the vigilance cell of the department revealed fraudulent phone connections had been commissioned on the basis of forged documents. Some new telephone connections and some shift cases had been carried out by manipulating the documents, especially advice note books, waiting list registers and invoices.

Daulat Ram Sharma dead
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Mr Daulat Ram Sharma, a former president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, died of a heart attack here today. He was 82.

Mr Sharma, who was associated with the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, since its inception, had been the party's covering candidate for all Lok Sabha elections since 1966. Mr Sharma was also a member of a number of advisory committees of the Chandigarh Administration. He was also President of the Chandigarh Nagrik Sabha since 1966.

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter besides grandchildren. He will be cremated tomorrow at 2 p.m.

The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee at a meeting held here this evening under the chairmanship of Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal mourned the death of Mr Sharma. The Chandigarh Nagrik Sabha also paid rich tributes to Mr Sharma.

The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lt Gen BKN Chhibber (retd), and the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, expressed their shock at the death of Mr Sharma. They described him as a man of the masses who played a significant role in development of the city. They also sent their condolences to the bereaved family.

DSP's remand extended
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Prakash, today extended the judicial remand of 17 persons including DSP Jagjit Singh Gill, and President of the Muktsar unit of SAD, Manjit Singh Barmandi, until August 31.

All these persons were arrested in connection with the firing incident at the Sector 17 District Courts here.

Judicial remand
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Judicial Magistrate, Mr Tejwinder Singh, today extended the judicial remand of Manoj Godara and Harvinder Singh until August 29.

Both of them were arrested by the local police in connection with the Sector 10 shooting incident in which a student Manjit Singh was killed.

After their custodial interrogation, they were remanded in judicial custody.

Workshop for STD trainers
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — A three-day north zone regional workshop for key trainers on the surveillance of sexually transmitted diseases will start here from tomorrow.

The workshop is being jointly organised by the AIDS control cell of UT Health Department and the National AIDS Control Organisation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi.

Senior state officers and professors of medical colleges of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Chandigarh will participate. During the workshop the experts will come out with action plans to control STD in their respective states.

Dr G. Vajralingam, Finance Secretary-cum-Secretary Health, will inaugurate the workshop.

Campus beat
Teachers urge structural reforms
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Chandigarh Coordination Committee for Teachers Struggle organised a seminar on "Teachers' struggle and higher education in India" on the Panjab University campus here today.

Various speakers emphasised on the need for improvement in the quality of the existing network of universities and colleges through structural reforms. The speakers said the teachers did not want the colleges and universities to collapse which would be the result of the government's irrational wage policy.

While blaming the government for "destroying" the system of higher education, they alleged the government was offering low wages and poor prospects for career advancement.

An appeal addressed to the citizens was also circulated during the seminar. It was also underlined that the government had presented deceptive figures in its advertisement campaign.

Prof D.C. Saxena protested against the method of agitation adopted by the teachers.

Meanwhile, a press note of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA), said here today it had been decided to exempt the evaluation of answer sheets of final year exams at the undergraduate and postgraduate level from the boycott decision concerning examination and evaluation work.

A deputation of the ABVP met the teachers today in this regard, the Punjab state vice-president of the organisation, Mr Arun Sood, said.

Rally: A rally was organised by the PU Non-Teaching Employees Federation on the campus here on Monday in support of their demands.

Various speakers at the rally demanded immediate payment of arrears on account of revision of pay scales, settlement of other demands like time-bound promotions and fixed medical allowance.

Admissions: The counselling for general category seats, which have fallen vacant in the B.Pharmacy/B.Sc. (Hons School) will be held on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

The number of vacant seats are physics (8), pharmacy (2), biochemistry (6), microbiology (6), biophysics (7), chemistry (4), mathematics (13), geology (8), anthropology (7), botany (7) and zoology (13).

The candidates interviewed earlier and the applicants who had applied late have been requested to come for transfer/admission to these seats at the Department of Biochemistry.

PUTA poll: After the withdrawal of nominations for the PUTA poll on the last day on Monday, Mr S.P. Gautam and Mr Nirmal Singh now remain in fray for the post of president. Mr Veer Singh and Ms Surinder Sekhon are contesting for the post of vice-president.

While Mr Shakeel Khan and Mr M. Rajivlochan are in fray for the post of secretary, Mr Ravi Mahajan and Mr Harjinder Singh will contest for the seat of joint secretary. Mr P.K. Mittal and Mr P.D. Sharma are in fray for the post of treasurer.

In addition, 23 teachers are also in the fray for the 13-member executive.

Crime file
Body found hanging from tree
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The body of Luxman Prasad, a resident of Madrasi Colony, was found hanging from a tree in the woods beyond Bapu Dham Colony in the eastern part of the union territory this morning.

Prasad, reportedly hanged himself as he was suffering from depression, according to police sources. He had left home on August 14 and had suffered a setback in his dairy business which was run in partnership. At one time, Prasad had a cloth trading business. Some time back he decided to invest in a dairy.

The business suffered a major blow when his partner allegedly withdrew all money. Prasad was very depressed and he gave Rs 93 which he had to his brother and went away on August 14. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to the Sector 16 General Hospital.

Arrested: Two residents of Uttar Pradesh — Chotte Lal and Nanhe Lal were arrested while moving under suspicious circumstances in Sector 19.

Stolen: A pistol owned by Vishpreet Singh was stolen from his car (CHM-3) while it was parked outside the Golf club, the police said on Monday.

Condemned: The local unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has condemned the Chandigarh police for not taking any action in the case of attack against Mr Rajiv Trehan, secretary of the local unit of the VHP. The VHP said come anti-social elements had allegedly attacked Mr Trehan on August 12.

The VHP has demanded immediate action against the persons named in the FIR.

Accessories stolen: Accessories and parts worth thousands of rupees were stolen from two cars in the city within the past 24 hours in separate incidents.

An airconditioner, battery, spare tyre and fan were stolen from a car (DL-2-CC-3019) owned by Mr Ravi Arora from his Sector 33 residence. In another incident, the battery and radiator were stolen from the Car (DDC-7221) owned by Mr N.P. Singh of Sector 44. Separate cases of theft have been registered.

PANCHKULA

Pedestrian dead: A pedestrian died after after being hit by a scooterist in Sector 11 on Sunday. The deceased, Lalji, was a slum dweller in Sector 11 here.

The police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC on the basis of a complaint lodged by Chota Lal.

Picked Up: A Delhi-based financier, Mr Subhash Sharma, was picked up by the Ropar police in connection with some case. The matter is yet to be sorted out.

The local police is still investigating the case.