& V I C I N I T Y
Wednesday, August 26, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Wednesday, August 26, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Another telephone scandal? Shelters
cry for care |
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 Mansa Devi Board to spend Rs 2.48 crore on facilities CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board has decided to spend about Rs 2.48 crore during the current year for providing infrastructural facilities for the benefit of the pilgrims. Teachers to intensify stir |
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Suit
seeks cleaning of drainage system GMCH
to appoint 10 professors Gautam
is PUTA president Bail
plea of Xen, SDO rejected Bail
rejected in jail blow-up case MCPI convention from September 10 |
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Another telephone scandal? CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Close on the heels of detection of "fraudulent telephone connections scandal" in Panchkula, another similar racket masterminded by a property dealer of SAS Nagar has been detected. More than 30 telephone connections, granted "fraudulently" in SAS Nagar at the instance of the property dealer on a payment ranging between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 a connection, have been disconnected. The property dealer, who had been operating in connivance with certain officials of the Department of Telecom, has reportedly gone underground. The Principal General Manager Telecom, Mr Pritpal Singh, when contacted said after the detection of the Panchkula scandal, instructions were issued to all commercial officers of the Chandigarh district to check whether any new or old connections had been "fraudulently" transferred. "All such connections were immediately disconnected", Mr Pritpal Singh added. Investigations reveal that in this "racket" only those case files where either the applicant has died or left without notifying a change of his address have been used to "dupe" the department as well as the applicant concerned. In certain cases "fake affidavits" were submitted to get the address of the applicant changed. One of the victims of this "racket" has been none other than a senior journalist of the city. He had applied for a new telephone connection in Chandigarh. On the maturity of his turn, the telephone was installed at an SAS Nagar address. This was probably done by getting the address changed with the submission of a "fake affidavit". When contacted, the Divisional Engineer (Vigilance), Mr A.S. Hundal, confirmed the detection of this "racket". More than 30 telephone connections granted "fraudulently" have already been disconnected. The cell was inspecting the files of all such cases. It was expected to submit its report to the Principal General Manager in a day or two. Mr Y.P.S. Arora, Commercial Officer, said it was a chance detection. The original applicants had applied for telephone connections in the early ’90s. Their turn for new connections matured some time in 1996. It was at this stage that the Commercial Office was bifurcated. "But how the files belonging to one office — for connections in Chandigarh — were moved to SAS Nagar and subsequently tampered with was still a mystery. After the detection of this case, I lodged a complaint with the Chandigarh SSP, Mr C.S.R. Reddy, besides informing the internal vigilance cell of the department", Mr Arora said. "At what stage these files were taken away from one Commercial Office to another is still not known. Who did it? All these questions are still to be answered. It is suspected that a large number of daily wagers, employed through contractors, may have some hand in this fraud", Mr Arora added. "Even the signatures of some of the officers have been forged. It appears that some unauthorised persons worked on these files. None from our office is involved", Mr Arora concluded. In some cases, even official formalities were not completed at the time of "fraudulent transfer" of these fields. Investigations by The Tribune reveal that in this case, unlike the previous case where no initial application fee for a telephone connection was deposited with the department, the original applicants are genuine. On the maturity of their turn some time in 1996 when advice notes were issued to them, these were returned on the plea that no one by that name lived there any more. Even after physical verification that the applicant had either moved away without notifying a change of his address or had died, the members of the "gang" preyed on all such files. The files were then "tampered" with. The "kingpin"
used to collect Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 to get a telephone
connection transferred to the beneficiary. Like the
Panchkula "scandal", telephone so installed
continued in the name of the original applicants. |
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Shelters cry for care CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 - Bus queue shelters in the city and surrounding areas neither protect commuters from the sun nor rain. The condition of a number of these shelters, is such that passengers, prefer to wait for buses in the open. A number of these shelters leak during the rain. After a mild shower , the water continues to seep from roofs for one or two days. "Even during the summer or the rains, we are unable to use the shelter", complained a school teacher, working at nearby Sarangpur village. She had not seen anyone repairing the shelter during the past three years, she said. Many shelters in the urban areas have been encroached upon by beggars and vendors. Mr Naresh, a resident of Sector 23, complained that the residents were unable to use the shelters in the market and on the road separating Sectors 22 and 23 as these had been occupied by a number of beggars. The shelter outside the Sector 26 vegetable market has become a urinal and garbage is dumped at its back. The filth and stench forces waiting passengers to seek the shade of a tree. Roofs at many shelters grow grass and vegetation and have broken benches. The CTU time table is a rarity at these shelters. The city and surrounding areas have 118 bus queue shelters, which are maintained by the Municipal Corporation and the UT Engineering Department. The responsibility of maintenance of the shelters along all major roads passing through the city is of the Engineering Department, while the Municipal authorities have been entrusted with the upkeep of the shelters in the inner areas of the city. According to sources, both the organisations have not undertaken a major repair during the past three years. The
Superintending Engineer of the MC, Mr Manmohanjit Singh,
said the shelters under the MC, were being repaired
regularly. However, a senior officer of the Engineering
Department admitted, on condition of anonymity, that
confusion over the control of the shelters between the
two organisations has led to their deterioration. |
New class of migrant criminals PANCHKULA: How good is the police in crime detection? How many of the cases is the police able to solve? The figures seldom reveal the whole truth. A little or no progress has been made in majority of the crime cases. The reasons may be many, the foremost being the unprecedented growth in a new class of migrant criminals, who come, strike and disappear, leaving no trail behind. The roaster of proclaimed offenders has been constantly on the rise. The police has no clue how to handle this problem. Police forces from India have no direct access to "wanted persons" who take shelter in Nepal after robberies, murders and dacoities. But then, even the involvement of local criminals, too, goes unchecked. This makes the police a suspect in the eyes of the general public. "The police knows everything. If it wants, it can solve cases," is the impression that continues unabated in the minds of the people. Otherwise, even a passing mention of the police triggers off negative reactions for reasons more than one. Positive references are rare. Residents here have unfortunately seen more of the bad and the ugly side of the force and feel that the police is laid-back and lacks crime detection abilities. An average person is reluctant to go to a police station to lodge a complaint. Help or no help, he apprehends, humiliation and harassment by policemen. Lal Man, a labourer from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, has no choice but to rue the day he approached the police with a complaint of his missing wife. "Instead of providing any help, the police beat me up on the suspicion that I had sold off my wife," he says. Mr C.D. Bharadwaj, a senior citizen, had to use influence to get a case of scooter theft registered after nearly two weeks on the condition that the date of theft be changed to suit the police. Mr P. Khurana, an astrologer living in Sector 12-A, recalls that when his brother lost his Maruti car, he had to use his contacts to get the case registered after three hours. There are others who claim that they have no problems in seeking police help as they know top-rank officers. Mr N.P. Sabharwal, a non-resident Indian (NRI), is one such person. But, how many residents in the town have such "connections". Such complaints against the police are frequent. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Alok Mittal, says: "All cases are being registered. Sometimes, there is an unintentional delay in the registration of a case. For instance, if the SHO is away on patrol, the second-in-charge might ask the complainant to wait. We try to teach our subordinates to improve public dealing." But the confidence of the common man in the police is shaken. A college lecturer "doubts their detection abilities." The SP says, "The town shares borders with two states, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, besides the union territory of Chandigarh. Criminals can easily escape from Chandigarh, Punjab or Kalka. It takes them minutes to cross the border. This is a big disadvantage." He says that although the three cases of robberies reported from the district in the past eight months have not been solved, 19 out of the 26 cases of burglaries have been worked out. Mr Kishan Nanha, president, City Congress Committee, feels that the police needs to pull up its socks. "I don't think the criminals are scared of the police. An intruder should dread the police and know that if he dares to trespass, he will not be spared." A seasoned administrator of Haryana feels that the police is no longer held in awe. "No crime can take place in any area without the connivance of police. They know everything." The lone
exception to such strong criticism of the police is Mr
Pravesh Vasudevan, a resident of Sector 6. Mr Vasudevan
says prompt action on the part of the police foiled a
robbery bid in his house early this month. He believes
that the police is only a call away and responds swiftly. |
Mansa Devi Board to spend Rs CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board has decided to build a dharamshala, office building, railing for the park, widen the Patiala temple and Sati temple roads, beautify of Ban Ganga, boundary wall of temple land, construction of additional toilet and providing eight closed circuit TV cameras and staff quarters. A sum of Rs 2.48 crore would be spent during the current year for providing infrastructural facilities for the benefit of the pilgrims. A decision to this effect was taken at the sixth meeting of the board held here today under the chairmanship of Mr Bansi Lal, Chief Minister, Haryana, who is also the Chairman of the board. The board also approved annual budget of Rs 97.75 lakh for the current year for the upkeep and maintenance of the library, sanitation, horticulture and organising melas on religious occasions. The board has also decided to organise Satchandi Mahayag and bhajan sandhya and Din Dyal Pande's pravachana on religious occasion like Navratras and Annual Day celebrations of the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board. Mr Bansi Lal stressed the need for tightening security during melas. Special measures should be taken to check pick-pocketing. He directed the authorities to remove encroachments on the complex. The board also decided to
distribute surplus items received as offering such as
ceiling fans, wall clocks, utensils, sarees, suits, brass
bells, among social organisations, schools, anganwaris
and other government institutions and for the marriages
of daughters of the poor. |
CHANDIGARH , Aug 25 — More than 20 per cent of the students who had applied for admission to social sciences departments in Panjab University have not filled the computer sheets properly leading to errors in calculations of the merit lists. This has been discovered in the post-admission analysis of the errors that crept on the first day of admissions for Centralised Admission Cell in July-end this year following which the entire process had to be postponed . The calculations were tallied manually the next time before the admissions were completed successfully in the second round . Giving details about the process, Dr B.S. Brar, co-ordinator of the cell, said while students had filled in their options correctly in the main form, approximately 400 forms had errors in the computer sheet .When the computer was fed with details of the corrected forms, the system worked perfectly, Professor Brar said. In a number of cases the correct subject codes were not filled. In certain forms, the column for university weightage was left out . The system of centralised admissions had worked in the final analysis, but there was scope for improvement, Professor Brar said. The university should not announce the last date of accepting application forms without the declaration of the B.A(final) results. There should be at least a 10-day difference between the declaration of results and the last date of filling up forms. At least a week’s time between the date of interview and the display of final merit should be given in order to help achieve better results, he added. Educational trip: A team of nine students and a professor of the Department of Laws, Panjab University, will leave on more than a three- week educational trip to European countries on August 27. Talking to mediapersons, Professor V.K. Bansal, the group leader, on Tuesday said they had been invited by the European Law Students Association (ELSA) for a stay in Stockholm (Sweden). The team would be interacting with law students and legal experts to familiarise themselves with the socio-economic and the legal system prevalent in the West. The team would also be delivering lectures in the Indian context. The students will also
make halts in London, Paris and Geneva before returning.
In January, a team from Sweden will be visiting Panjab
University. |
CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Daily wage sweepers of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh (MCC) have demanded revised minimum wages and arrears as per the notification of the Administration. In a representation to the MCC Commissioner, over 100 sweepers demanded that they should be paid a minimum of Rs 2,520 with effect from April 1, 1998. They also demanded arrears from January 1, 1996. The Sweepers Union has urged the MCC to grant scooter loan to its members as per the letter of Finance Department of the Administration. Houses' allotment: Employees of the Mani Majra fire station have alleged partiality in the allotment of houses by the MCC authorities. In a representation to the Commissioner, the employees alleged that their juniors had been allotted houses in Sector 46-A though they had applied for the houses. They alleged that while the fire personnel working in Chandigarh were allotted houses of their choice, those working in Mani Majra were given a step-motherly treatment. They urged the
Commissioner to allot houses on seniority basis. |
PANCHKULA,Aug 25— A Khanna-based youth, Dinesh Sharma (25), who had come to meet his brother here three days back reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself from an iron bar in Mata Mansa Devi Temple here late last night. The body of the deceased was found hanging near the Patiala mandir in the complex in the morning by attendants of the temple.He was identified from a driving licence found in a pocket of his trouser. According to the police the deceased who was posted in the Haryana CID wing here , was reportedly under tension due to the death of his father last year. Last evening he had left home on the pretext of doing a phone but did not return. Theft: Motor parts worth around Rs 2 lakh were stolen from two shops in Old Panchkula motor market here last night. According to the information available broke into burglars India Motors Ltd shop and decamped with truck parts worth over Rs 1.5 lakh. The owner of the shop, Mr O.P. Katyal, said the burglars took away expensive motor parts which were light in weight. In the second incident motor parts reportedly worth over Rs 20,000 were stolen from Suresh Motors. CHANDIGARH Burn injuries: Rekha (22) of Mani Majra reportedly set herself on fire in her home. She has suffered severe burn injuries and is admitted to the PGI. She had been married for the past four years, police sources said on Tuesday. Stolen: A washing machine has been stolen from the home of Sector 21 resident, Ms Rita Bakshi. Meanwhile a resident of Sector 9, Gagandeep Singh, has alleged that he was assaulted by Karandeep, Puran Sandhu and Dilsher in Sector 10 on the night of Monday. Booked:
A Sector 24 resident, Baldev Singh, has been booked for
allegedly submitting a false affidavit in a property
deal. |
Teachers to intensify ongoing stir CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Chandigarh zone of teachers working in government and aided colleges here today at a meeting decided to intensify the ongoing agitation for better pay scales. In a press note Dr Rabinder Nath Sharma, president of the local unit of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, said that protest march will be organised on the Panjab University campus on August 27. A state level rally will be organised at the Housing Board Chowk on September 1. Teachers at the state level will court arrest on September 4. Teachers also resolved to compensate the academic loss caused to the students. In a separate press note,
Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, a former MP, criticised the BJP
government for denying pay scales as recommended by the
UGC. |
Suit seeks cleaning of drainage
system CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Lawyers for Social Reforms Association today moved a suit in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, Mr Jagnahar Singh, seeking directions for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to clean the drainage system. The petitioner-association stated that the blockade of the drainage system had converted the city roads into rivulets. The Magistrate issued notice to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The court was told that
the maintenance of the drainage system was transferred to
the Municipal Corporation from the Administration in
1996. |
GMCH to appoint 10 professors CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Appointment of 10 professors in the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, here, will be made this week strengthening claim of the GMCH for permanent recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI). Following directions from the Supreme Court, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will declare result of the interviews conducted earlier. By tomorrow the UPSC, headquartered at New Delhi, will despatch appointment letters to 10 doctors selected professors, according to information from sources here. Once the UPSC sends the letters to the doctors the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen-(retd) B.K.N. Chhibber will accord his approval . This is expected to be done this week. Once the 10 doctors are appointed one of the main conditions of the MCI will be met. The MCI had said that the GMCH did not have regular staff and most of the doctors were working on deputation. A general body meeting of
the MCI is scheduled to be held in September and GMCH
authorities are hopeful that something fruitful will
emerge from the meeting.
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Gautam is PUTA president CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — Dr Satya P. Gautam (philosophy), who secured 307 votes, was elected president of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) here today. He defeated Dr Nirmal Singh (physics) who polled 234 votes. The elections witnessed a record polling of 92 per cent. Dr M. Rajiv Lochan (history) was elected secretary. He polled 336 votes and defeated Dr M. Shakeel Khan (Urdu) who got 205 votes. Dr Veer Singh (law) got 285 votes and was elected as vice-president defeating Dr Surinder Sekhon(Department of Correspondence Studies) who polled 256 votes. Dr Ravi Mahajan was elected joint secretary while Dr P.D. Sharma was elected treasurer. Members of the executive
include: Group I — Dr D.R. Sharma, Dr Manjit Singh,
Dr Surinder Singh and Dr Swarnjit Mehta; Group II —
Dr M.P. Sharma, Dr R.P. Sharma, Rajan Gaur and Dr Tejvir
Singh; Group III — Dr A.K. Vashisth, Dr D.N. Jauhar
and Dr N.S. Mann; Group IV — Dr K.K. Sharma; and
Group V — Dr Jaspal Kaur Kang. |
Bail plea of Xen, SDO rejected CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr S.S. Lamba, today turned down the bail plea of Harsh Kumar and Gurpreet Singh, Executive Engineer and S.D.O. of the Chandigarh Administration, respectively. Both of them were arrested by the Vigilance Department in connection with the kickbacks case registered by the Administration against certain officials of the Engineering Department. After their custodial
interrogation they were remanded in judicial lock-up. |
Bail rejected in jail blow-up
case CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — The Judicial Magistrate, Mr A.K. Bishnoi, today rejected the bail application moved by Satnam Singh and Baljit Singh, two suspects in the Burail Jail blow-up case. The contention of the applicants was that the prosecution had failed to file the challan in the court within 60 days as was statutorily required. Therefore, they were entitled to be released on bail. The argument of the
prosecution, on the other hand, was that the offences
they were charged with entailed punishment for more than
10 years. Therefore, the challan was to be put up in 90
days. |
MCPI convention from Sept 10 CHANDIGARH, Aug 26 — The Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) will organise its four-day national convention at Gujjar Bhavan in Sector 28 here from September 10, Mr Prem Singh Bhangu, a Central Committee member of the party, said in a press note yesterday. The preparations for the convention were reviewed at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mr Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri. A mass rally will be organised at the Sector 20 ground on September 10 to demand an immediate solution to the Punjab problem, withdrawal of hike in bus and power tariff by the Punjab Government, besides protesting against the rising prices of essential commodities. Mr Sudhir Bhattacharya,
General Secretary, MCPI, Mr Lyallpuri, Mr M. Omkar, Mr
Krishanappa, Mr Oma Shanker and other party leaders will
address the rally, the note said. |
DCC threatens agitation PANCHKULA, Aug 25 — The District Congress Committee has decided to launch an agitation if the administration failed to check the deteriorating law and order situation in the town within the next one week. The local MLA,Mr Chander
Mohan, said this who along with other party workers
called upon victims of the Sunday's robbery in Sector 21
here. Meanwhile, the general
secretary of the National Lok Dal (Rashtriya) , Mr
Pardeep Chaudhary , in a statement demanded that the
sectors located along the Ghaggar river be covered by
barbed fencing. |
Vigilance team takes away files CHANDIGARH, Aug 25 — A team of the UT Vigilance Department today descended upon the Estate Office in Sector 17 and took away files relating to purchases and recruitment made in the last three years. Highly placed sources
confirmed that some files and documents were collected
from the Estate Office. |
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