Wednesday, December 8, 1999
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N E W S Wednesday, December 8, 1999 |
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PUNWIRE ED
hides himself in bathroom, arrested SAS NAGAR, Dec 7 — Amidst high drama the Executive Director (Incharge) of the Punjab Wireless Systems Limited, Mr Ved Parkash, who had been evading arrest in a criminal case for not depositing the provident fund of the employees, was today arrested by a police party of Punjab Police from his residence in Sector 36 at Chandigarh. The police, which had been on the lookout for the Executive Director (ED) in connection with the case registered two weeks ago, got in action after members of the Punjab Wireless Employees Union and the Punwire Marts Union gave a tip-off to the Phase 1 police station at about 2 p.m. that the ED was present at his residence along with some his confidants. The Minister of State for Industries, Punjab, Mr Sucha Singh Langah, was also informed at the same time about the whereabouts of the absconding ED, who in turn is reported to have asked the senior police officials to arrest the official. When the police party led by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harmesh Singh, who is also the investigating officer in the criminal case, reached the house of the ED, Mr K.S. Mann, an Assistant Manager with PUNWIRE, said Mr Ved Parkash was not there. Two personal secretaries of the ED, Mr Hari Om and Mr Surinder Kumar, and his younger brother were also present in the house. After a frantic search, the police party found that the ED had locked himself in a bathroom of the house. Mr R.S. Sohal, Station House Officer (SHO) of the Phase 1 police station, said the ED, who had been kept in a lockup at the police station, would be produced before the Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, Mr Sanjeev Agnihotri, for police custody. Meanwhile, when the news about the arrest of the ED spread, employees of PUNWIRE gathered in front of the factory demanding strict action against him. Mr Rakesh Kalia, General Secretary of the Punjab Wireless Systems Employees Union, and Mr K.P. Singh, President of the Punjab Marts Union, said the vigilance enquiry against the Managing Director (MD), Mr Gurpal Singh, who is absconding, and the Executive Director (ED) should be completed at the earliest. Mr Singh said a case under Sections 406 and 409 and 120-B of the IPC had been registered against the MD and ED last month after the two had failed to deposit the provident fund of the employees, amounting to over Rs 3 crore, with the Provident Fund Commissioner, Punjab. An anticipatory bail application moved by the ED at the Sessions Court, Ropar, had been rejected on December 1. Since then the police was on the look out for him. Meanwhile, the President of the Punwire Executive Welfare Association, Mr P.S. Bajwa, said that the ED and MD had failed to pay eight months salaries of the officers and five months salaries of the non-managing staff. This was despite a notice from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to pay the pending salaries of the employees by November 30. He said the association was planning to file a case of contempt against the ED and the MD. Meanwhile, sources in
PUNWIRE said the ED, along with one of his confidants had
made an unsuccessful attempt to flee the country last
month. A third man accompanying them, who was posing as a
General Manager of PUNWIRE before the American embassy
officials, had reportedly been arrested. |
25 booked
in forgery case SAS NAGAR, Dec 7 — At least 25 persons, including a suspended officer of the Department of Consolidation of Holding, Punjab, has been booked by the police for allegedly transferring several hundred kanals of Gram Panchayat land at Dhanthol village, Patiala, in their name through cheating and forgery. The land scandal came to light after Ms Balwant Kaur, a Sarpanch of the Dhanthol village, complained to the Director, Consolidation of Holding, Punjab, Mr S.S. Sandhu, in this regard who in turn directed the Additional Director of the department, Mr S.S.Khera to look into the matter. A case under sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of the IPC was registered by the police on the basis of an inquiry conducted by Mr Khera. During the inquiry it was revealed that the Consolidation Officer, Mr Jasminder Singh Sadhrao, in connivance with Ranjit Singh, a member of the Dhanthol Gram Panchayat, got the land illegally transferred in the name of 25 persons. The land allotted to the suspects should have been allotted to the land holders, who owned the land at the time of consolidation in 1960-61. Moreover, the land had been transferred without proper verification. The inquiry officer pointed out that Jasminder Singh Sadhrao was not competent to sanction the mutation and he did it against the instructions of Government issued way back in 1979. The persons named in the
First Information Report (FIR) are Ajit Singh, Jaswant
Singh, Kuldip, Sukhwinder, Santokh Singh, Lakhwinder,
Amrik, Krishan, Kartar Singh, Saroop, Balkar Singh,
Nishan Singh, Kahla, Karnail Singh, Balbir, Bachan Singh,
Bhupinder, Gurdeep, Balwinder, Kashmira, Dilip, Harbhajan
and Balbir. |
Gang of
cheats, auto-lifters busted CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — In a major breakthrough, the Chandigarh Police has busted a gang of inter-state cheats and auto-lifters which had been operating in the northern region for the past many years. Those arrested include Bhupinder Singh, Rajwinder Singh, residents of Phagwara, Puran Singh alias Lucky of Samana Mandi and Sunil Kumar of the local Mauli Jagran colony. According to Mr Parag Jain, SSP, secret information was received that a gang, which has been active in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, was presently moving about in the city in a white Maruti car, HR 03 9681, which was a stolen vehicle. Acting on the tip-off, a team supervised by Mr S C Abrol, DSP, and led by Inspector J S Cheema, in charge, Crime Branch, comprising sub-inspectors Jarnail Singh and Balwan Singh, was deputed to nab the culprits. Nakas were set up in the entire city and the concerted efforts paid off, and all the accused were finally arrested on December 3 near the Sector 24/25/37/38 roundabout while they were travelling in the car. The accused were produced in the court of Mr Sant Parkash, Chief Judicial Magistrate, who remanded them to police custody till December 9. Mr Jain said during interrogation they revealed that they had been active for the past many years and had not only stolen cars but had also indulged in several acts of robbing unsuspecting travellers on trains and buses after befriending and drugging them subsequently. Citing an instance, he said, they had robbed a business man travelling by the Aashram Express train going from Delhi to Jaipur of Rs 8 lakh, a mobile phone besides a diamond ring, on August 24. The modus operandi was that a member would befriend the co-passenger and after winning their confidence completely, would administer them soft drinks laced with sedatives. As soon as the victim became unconscious, they would rob him of all his belongings. They have confessed to 15 such crimes all over the country, he added. The SSP said on sustained interrogation, the accused also confessed to have stolen two cars, one motorcycle and one moped which have been found to be stolen from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Gold jewellery, a mobile telephone have also been recovered from their possession. The gang used to operate in busy markets and steal the vehicles after using master keys. The car in which they had been travelling had been stolen from the city and its original registration number is HNH 1500. With the exception of Sunil, all the accused had been arrested previously in cases of auto-lifting and cheating by the police of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. They are facing trial in many such cases in all these states. Further investigations
are on and more recoveries were expected, he added.
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Chilly
winds in the offing CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The city received the first drizzle of the winter season tonight making temperatures dip by several degrees Celsius. This forced residents to take out their woollens. The drizzle occurred due to a cloud in the late afternoon hours. From Thursday onwards
the city and its surrounding areas will be witnessing
chilly winds while the cloud cover that towered
temperatures sharply this evening will clear up by
tomorrow evening, the local Meteorological Department
predicted. The mercury dipped by several degrees and the
temperature was 15.4°C by the evening. But this rain may
not affect in the maximum temperature which was recorded
at 21.6°C in the afternoon. |
PGI
employees move court CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — In a civil suit filed in a city court, the PGI Employees Union today sought directions for restraining the institute from "transacting any business in the governing body as well as institute body meeting scheduled to be held on December 8 at Delhi". The meeting, the
plaintiffs added, was regarding the selection of the
faculty "made under the illegal and arbitrarily
appointed Chairman, Dr. I.C. Pathak, and in the absence
of the Director Member Secretary and Liaison Officer of
the PGI". |
How safe
is Chandigarh airfield? CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Though hundreds of villagers had a narrow escape last week when an IAF MiG-21 crashed soon after take-off from the Chandigarh airbase, the mishap has focussed attention on a large number of structures and settlements, many of which are unauthosised, around the periphery of the Air Force Station. The mushrooming growth of encroachments and the failure of the civil agencies concerned to take into account the provision of laws framed to ensure flight safety have resulted in Chandigarh airfield becoming hazardous to operate from. What is alarming is that some of these structures ringing the perimeter fence are actually on the Air Force land and have been raised by influential persons, including a minister in the Punjab Government and an-ex-Central Defence Accounts official. Housing four operational squadrons, including a fighter squadron, two transport and a helicopter squadron in addition to a base repair depot for overhauling helicopters, the Chandigarh Air Force Station is one of the most sensitive stations. Though it is primarily an Air Force airfield, civil flights as also aircraft of the Punjab and Haryana Government operate from its tarmac. Besides, this is a transit point for all VVIPs visiting Himachal Pradesh and certain parts of Punjab and Haryana, who stop here to switch aircraft. Pilots, civil as well as of military, point out that they have to make extra effort to ensure flight safety. A large part of Zirakpur and S.A.S. Nagar as well as several slums and villages lie in the funnel. The funnel, as specified, extends up to a distance of 15 km from the edge of the runway, with a divergence of 15 degrees on either side. Further, no structures within 900 m from an Air Force installation, of any height, whether overground or underground are allowed. Some of the structures and godowns are just 300 m away. The major obstacle for pilots using runway-11, that is taking off towards or landing from the SAS Nagar side, is the cricket stadium with its 48-m high flood-lights, which lies almost directly under the flight path. Though the height of the flood-lights was reduced following objections from the Air Force, these still distract pilots. Pilots say that when in use, these lights attract insects. When they hit an aircraft’s wind screen, their blood and residue splatters the windscreen. ‘’With hundreds of insects splattering the wind screen, visibility is affected,’’ a pilot remarked. In addition, a large number of multi-storeyed flats are coming up in Sectors 48 and 49, which also lie in the funnel. The situation is particularly serious towards the Zirakpur end. Several storage godowns constructed over the past two to three years near the edge of runway-29 lie directly on an aircraft’s glide-path. Sources reveal that a minister in the Punjab Government had encroached upon 11 feet of Air Force land. Finally, after many efforts failed, the Air Force bulldozed these structures and the minister has since built a wall to demarcate his land. Encroachers have also blocked 38 feet of a natural drain meant for rain water, causing the water to flood the Air Force station and damage the runway. The Punjab Government, it is learnt, is buliding a road in that area about 300 m from the fence. The road has also blocked a nullah. A small bridge built over it was demolished by the authorities, but that work had been undone by encroachers. The airfield being near to city’s industrial area, smoke emitted from numerous factories also affects visibility. Winds generally prevailing over the city are Westerlies, which implies that the general wind direction is from Panjab University towards Zirakpur. Smoke emitted from these factories and also from open fires and hearths in villages and slums, drifts across National Highway 21 and into the funnel. Depending upon the temperature at the time of the day, smoke rises to a certain height and spreads out to form a layer. Pilots say that the smoke screen generally lies at 700 feet and below. Given the height of an aircraft at final approach, which is about 700 feet to 1,200 feet depending upon the type of aircraft, the visibility is reduced. One of the largest
factors affecting flight safety is bird hits. Garbage and
waste generated by slums and villages ringing the
airfield is not disposed and attracts birds. Also a
number of butchers in slums dumping pieces of unused
flesh in the open as well as carcasses left unattended in
villages attract large birds. Air Marshal Gupta on visit to 3
BRD CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal S.S. Gupta, arrived at 3 Base Repair Depot here on a three-day visit today. He is accompanied by his wife and president of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association (Regional), Kusum. On their arrival at the Air Force Station, they were accorded a warm welcome by the Air Officer Commanding, 3 BRD, Air Cdre Arvinda Agrawal, and his wife, Madhu. During his visit, Air
Marshal Gupta will inspect various hangars, laboratories
and repair sections, specially those related to
indigenisation and manufacture of aero-spares. Meanwhile,
Mrs Gupta will take stock of the welfare activities
undertaken by the depot. |
Jailed for
possessing foreign goods CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — For keeping in possession electronic calculators “of foreign origin” without authority, the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, today convicted and sentenced a city businessman to rigorous imprisonment for six months, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1,000. The convict, Prabhu Parkash of M/s Bhardwaj Enterprises, was further directed to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another two months in default of payment. A complainant under Section 135 of the Customs Act was earlier filed against him by Mr Malkiat Singh on behalf of the Assistant Collector of Central Excise and Customs. He had alleged that electronic calculators “of foreign origin” worth Rs 27,720 were seized after the business premises of the accused was searched by the Central Excise Prevention Staff on “specific information”. The complainant had added that the accused at that time had failed to produce any evidence or document for lawful import, purchase or sale of the goods. The accused, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against him, had, however, denied the allegations. Asking for a trial, the accused had added that he was being implicated in the case. Arguing before the court, the defence counsel had stated that the seized goods were not owned by the accused. Claiming to have no knowledge, he had added that the goods had been left by some salesman. Pronouncing the orders in the open court today, the CJM observed: “The complainant has been able to bring home the guilt against the accused beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt. Hence, the accused is hereby held guilty and convicted under Section 135 of the Customs Act”. Rejecting the prayer for releasing the accused on probation, the CJM observed: “I am of the considered opinion that the convict does not deserve any leniency while awarding the sentence and does not deserve to be released on probation”. The CJM also observed: “He has been held guilty of keeping in his possession the goods of foreign origin about which he could not produce any authority to keep the same. If such type of convict is dealt with leniency, it would amount to encouraging unlawful and illegal activity which can affect society at large”. The CJM added: “The
convict deserves to be dealt with a heavy hand so that
others may not dare to import or possess such type of
foreign goods without any lawful authority from the
competent authority.” |
‘File
challan against leasing company’ CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 —In a case of alleged fraud against directors and manager of Marigold Leasing (India) Co Ltd, Mr Justice C.H.B. Chalapati of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Chandigarh Administration and the Inspector-General of Police, Chandigarh, to file challan against them with in 15 days in the trial court. Mr J.S Kohli and Mr Rajinder Singh, who had filed the petition for a CBI inquiry against the company and its functionaries, had averred that the respondents had accepted large amounts as deposits and had offered about 25 per cent interest on the deposits and issued post-dated cheques to the depositors who included widows and retired persons. The respondents failed to pay against the cheques on maturity and had committed fraud on innocent persons by collecting huge amounts. The Administration told the court that the respondents had been arrested and the charge was ready. The judge allowed the
depositors to file complaints against the respondents
under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act
afresh from the instant case against the respondents. |
Notice to
Adviser, Home Secretary CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Taking a suo motu judicial notice of a news item on the official apathy of a juvenile home in Chandigarh, Mr Justice T.H.B Chalapathi, a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, today issued notice to the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator, the U.T. Home Secretary and the Director of Social Welfare to show cause as to why action should not be taken. The judge directed all these functionaries to submit their reports to the court by December 17. The Registry of the High Court was also directed to issue notices to the officers today itself. Mr Justice Chalapathi also directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Chandigarh to visit the juvenile home on December 8 and submit a report to the court about the condition of the home. The Chief Judicial Magistrate was further directed to make surprise visits to the home at least once a week and submit his report to the court. In his two-page order the Judge observed: “It appears from the news item... that the condition in the juvenile home run the U.T. Administration is pathetic and inhuman and no facilities have been provided for the juveniles lodged in the said home. It is further evident that the treatment to the juveniles is horrible and living conditions are not up to standard and the home is run by the Administration not in accordance with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1980.” “I therefore, deem it fit and expedient in exercise of the inherent powers of this court under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” the Judge ruled, “to take judicial notice of the news item and issue notice to the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator and the U.T. Home Secretary to show cause why action should not be taken in view of the pathetic condition of the juvenile home as reported.” Yuva Morcha wants party activation SAS NAGAR, Dec 7 — The BJP Yuva Morcha has sought the early “activation” of the party unit here in view of the forthcoming municipal council elections. Mr Harjit Singh Bhullar, member of the executive of the Punjab unit of the morcha, said yesterday that a delegation comprising leaders of the BJP, the Yuva Morcha and the Mahila Morcha had met Mr Madan Mohan Mittal in Chandigarh to urge him to hold a party meeting here. It also sought the holding of talks with the SAD on the contesting of council seats. Mr Bhullar regretted
that at the time of the fresh delimitation of municipal
wards BJP leaders were “ignored”. |
Appeal
against conviction dismissed CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr R.C. Godara, today dismissed an appeal filed by four city residents against their conviction by the Chief Judicial Magistrate. The four — Pritpal Singh, Avtar Singh, Tehal Singh and Shingar Singh — accused of cheating a bank by forging loan documents had earlier been sentenced to one year imprisonment by the CJM. Pronouncing the orders in the open court today, Mr Godara observed: “Since the lower court has sentenced the appellants properly, therefore there is no ground for interference in the matter of awarding the sentence by the impunged order. The lower court has already been sympathetic while awarding the sentence to the appellants”. The judge further
observed: “There is no merit in this appeal and
affirming the impunged judgement and order of sentence,
both dated September 24, 1996, the same is being
dismissed”. |
Totally apathetic about human
suffering PANCHKULA, Dec 7 — Dissatisfaction over the handling of a complaint filed by Mr Harvinder Mohan, a resident of Sector 10, and the procrastination policy being followed by the police to register a case on the basis of the complaint two weeks has left little hope for justice. In his complaint addressed to the Director-General of Police and the Superintendent of Police, Mr Mohan has appealed for the registration of a case under Section 210, 304-A, 465, 468 and 471 of the IPC and Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council Act against a private doctor practicing in Sector 7 for causing death of his wife, Mrs Sangeeta, by criminal negligence. Mr Mohan said: “I have sent a registered letter to the DGP and have received the acknowledgement slip also. I have met the SP a number of times after submitting my complaint on November 24, but have failed to receive a positive response from him. While I was on one such visit, I heard of the open darbar, and went there but was disappointed. The DGP, after going through my complaint, said that the SP would be directed to look into the matter,” He lamented, that the DGP had directed him to seek justice from court for the same. “If the court is the only solution to all ills, why spend such a mammoth amount of paying salaries to policemen? And then, don’t I know that the court will help achieve the ends of justice when all else fails? I do not need to be guided on that front. All I am asking for is police co-operation in registering a case against the errant doctor, and that is surely not asking too much of the police,” he contended. He was critical of the fact that the police continued to harp on improving police-public ties but did very little or nothing at all to reflect this in their work. He says: “I am trying to come to terms with the death of my wife, who died all because a doctor could not perform her duty responsibly, I am struggling with bringing up my 40-day-old daughter she has left behind, and also fighting against the injustice being meted out to me by the police for no fault of mine. Instead of coming to my rescue, they have added to my woes, but I am expecting that good sense will prevail, and a case will be registered against the accused.” He alleged that the police was trying to hush up the matter since the doctor named in the complaint had an ace up her sleeve in the form of a former SP who wields tremendous influence in the Police Department. The SP, Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, admitted that he had received the complaint, and said that it had been forwarded to the SHO concerned. “A case will be registered on the basis of the complaint very soon. The police had its hands full during the last few days on account of other cases requiring immediate attention. Further, I have assured the complainant that a case would be registered and that no ‘extraneous factors’ are at work,” he added. In his complaint, Mr
Harvinder Mohan had stated that his wife was admitted to
a maternity hospital in Sector 7 on October 20. The next
day the doctor performed a Ceaserian operation, without
arranging for blood. Later, his wife suffered haemorrhage
and tremendous blood loss, after which she was referred
to the PGI. The low haemoglobin level and the blood loss
during the operation led to her death in the PGI on
October 28. He further alleged that the doctor had also
tampered with the record of the patient. |
The law,
once again, sides with cops CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Mr Suresh Sharma, a middle-aged man, is at a loss to understand why the bicycle he had been riding was forcibly taken away by two Punjab policemen on a scooter after a minor accident at the intersection of Sectors 35 and 36 last evening. “I was on my bicycle on my routine business assignment when I was hit from behind by a scooter. Since I was first hit in the shoulder by the driver of the scooter, I lost balance and my bicycle collided with the scooter near the intersection of Sectors 34 and 35, just outside the All-India Radio building. All of us, including both the driver and pillion rider of the scooter, fell on the road. “The scooter driver, who later identified himself as Head Constable Harbhajan Singh, working as a reader to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Tarsem Singh, at Punjab Police Headquarters in Sector 9, started abusing me and even tried to physically assault me. The pillion-rider of the scooter also joined him. Two policemen, who were on naka duty, initially took my side, saying that I was not responsible for the accident. But when the Head Constable produced his identity card, the policemen changed their stance and started blaming me. “Head Constable Harbhajan Singh demanded Rs 1500 as compensation for damage to his brand new scooter because of the accident. I pleaded that they were the ones who hit me from behind, and instead of compensating me, they were demanding money. I told them that I am a poor man and work as a salesman for a private furniture shop, and work hard to make both ends meet. But they did not listen to me. The policemen took away my bicycle and told me that I could take back my bicycle after paying Rs 1,500. The policemen on duty refused to intervene and allowed the Punjab policemen to take away my bicycle. “My agony did not end there. Next day (this morning), when I went to the police station south (Sector 34), they refused to entertain me or register my complaint on the plea that the incident had taken place outside the jurisdiction of police station south,” says Mr Suresh Sharma. He says he does not know
what to do as he has been rendered immobile because of
the snatching away of his bicycle. He lives in Kishengarh
village and works for an employer in Sector 7. Perhaps,
law sides with those who are supposed to enforce the law,
irrespective of who breaks it. |
BJP-SAD
combine sees no split CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — With just 10 days to go for filing of nomination papers for the post of Mayor, chances of a split like last year among councillors of the ruling BJP-SAD combine are very little. The election will be seemingly consensus with little or no dissent, opine senior local BJP leaders. Though meeting of the party has not been held so far, various theories on the issue of consensus are being put forwarded. This year, under the annual rotation system of electing a Mayor, it is the turn of a woman councillor to be the Mayor of Chandigarh. One of the theories is the fact that elections to the general house of the Municipal Corporation are due in two years from now. This means only two terms of Mayorship to go. And if the two major groups within the party — the Satya Pal Jain group and the Gyan Chand Gupta group — show a disjointed face the chances of a patch-up in the last term will be lesser or even negligible. This can have an impact on the next poll. So this time the candidate will be on consensus with posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor thrown in as baits for either of the groups. Even, more if one group opposes the other candidate now it will only result in a tit for tat next year. With several old timers in each group eyeing the Mayor’s post during the last term, a consensus seems to be the way out, a source in the party says. The next term of Mayor is to be of a male councillor. Besides, since last year the two groups have more or less patched up after the Senior Vice-President of the BJP, Mr Krishan Lal Sharma, showed his displeasure over the happenings within the party Sources say that the Deputy Commissioner, is yet to notify the name of the Presiding Officer. This officer will be from among the nominated councillors to hold the election of Mayor on December 23. The election will be through secret ballot. Once the Mayor is elected he will hold the elections of the Senior Deputy Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. The last date for filing
nominations is December 17. Withdrawals can take place
even on the floor of the House or just minutes before the
elections. Mayor will be ours: Jain CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former Chandigarh MP, said he was confident that the BJP-SAD alliance would win all three positions in the coming elections for Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. In a statement issued here, Mr Jain said the post of Mayor was reserved for a woman councillor. He said all three women BJP councillors were competent enough to be the Mayor of the city. He said Ms Kamla Sharma was an old worker of the party and had a year's experience as the first mayor of the town. He also said Ms Shanta Abhilashi had sacrificed her husband for the integrity of the country and Ms Ranjana Shahi was an educated young lady. He said it was for the party high command to decide who would be the candidate for the post of Mayor. Denying report of groupism in the party, he said he neither had any group in the corporation or in the party nor did he believe in groupism. He said he respected all 13 councillors of the party alike. He said some persons who did not want the BJP to win these elections, were spreading rumours of groupism in the party with a view to defaming it. He also said the last
time when BJP was divided and the Congress was united,
the Congress could not win any of the three positions. He
said now the position was different. He urged all party
workers to shun their personal egos and learn a lesson
from the past mistakes. |
PUDA
sells 15 sites at auction SAS NAGAR, Dec 7 — Showroom-cum-flat (SCF) sites in the town were much in demand at an open auction of commercial sites held by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority in Phase I here today. Of the 19 sites, including booth sites, the PUDA sold 15 sites, earning over Rs 5 crore. In an unexpected change, the local Estate Office of the PUDA disposed of all the four SCF sites in the Sector 53 (Phase 3A), which it had been unsuccessful in selling in the past few years. Last year, only two sites could be auctioned. The highlight of the auction was an SCF site in Sector 64 ( Phase X), which was sold for Rs 51,05,000 against a reserved price of Rs 42,79,500. In Sector 53 (Phase 3A), the PUDA earned a profit of over Rs 12 lakh on SCF site number 10. Terming the auction as successful, the Estate Officer of PUDA (SAS Nagar), Mr G.S.Ghuman, said Rs 5,43,30,000 was earned in the auction. Though during the auction, half of the chairs were vacant, only potential bidders made their appearance, said an official of the PUDA, adding that the slump in real estate business did not have its impact. All the 15 sites were sold of within five hours. For the four SCF sites in Sector 56 (Phase 6), there were no takers. A booth site was also withdrawn in wake of no bidder. Giving information about the auction, a spokesman of the PUDA said a site in Sector 53 was sold for Rs 32 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 24.93 lakh. Another site in the sector was sold for Rs 34.05 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 24.93 lakh. In Sector 65 (Phase X), a site was sold for Rs 49.15 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 42.79 lakh. Similarly, another site in the sector was sold for Rs 32.50 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 29.64 lakh. Two SCF sites in the sector were sold for Rs 49.05 lakh and Rs 48.60 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 42.79 lakh each. In Sector 70, of the four booths sites, the PUDA sold three sites. Booth number 1-C was sold for Rs 15.86 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 15.78 lakh. Similarly, another booth site was sold for Rs 13.16 lakh against a reserved price of Rs 13.14 lakh. An attraction for the
buyers was that the PUDA had declared that all the SCF
and booth sites were for general trade, unlike in the
past, when specific use of a commercial site was
mentioned. |
Computer
courses for PU employees CHANDIGARH, Dec 7—Short-term courses, with detailed specialisation in job specifications of related offices for university and general employees, have been designed by the Department of Computer Science and Application, Panjab University. The courses, approved by the university syndicate, is an evening course for administrative staff, government employees and outsiders. “Computer courses in fundamentals of computers, DOS, Windows, MS-Word, MS-Excel, Use of Internet and E-mail facilities are the prime areas identified for courses.Generation of funds for the department and the university have been underlined as the major attraction for introduction of courses,” reliable sources said. “Each course will be designed for particular type of users to make it user-oriented.The duration of courses will be two weeks, four weeks and six weeks, depending upon the nature of the course, with appropriate hours for classes and contact programmes every evening,” the proposal read.The intake of the course will be 20. The departments will undertake courses whenever needed. University employees, their wards and researchers can take up the two-week course by paying Rs 300.Government and private organisations from outside the campus will pay Rs 1,000 for the same course. The four-week course for university employees and their wards costs Rs 600, while the same costs Rs 2,000 to government and other private sector employees. The six-week course for university employees and their wards costs Rs 900, while the same costs Rs 3,000 to government and other private sector employees. The participants from PU and other organisations will have to apply through their department heads. The candidates will be issued certificates of completion of courses. Approximately Rs 2,400 will be shifted to the Foundation for Higher Education and Research in the six-week course. The honorarium for teachers and programmers is Rs 2,000, while the remuneration for the technical staff is Rs 1,000. The fund to be shifted to Foundation for Higher Education and Research in the four-week course is Rs 4,800, and Rs 7,200 in the six-week course. The figures of collection are on the higher side for government sector employees and outsiders.The unspent balance will be transferred to the Computer Revolving Fund. A senior employee of PU said computers should be introduced for all sections of the university and arrangements about training should also be made by the university. In majority of the cases , employees of Panjab University seeking computer education will work at the same place. Sanjay Raghav, a
student, said computers needed to be introduced in each
university department and students should be made
familiar with the changing world scenario. “It is
alright for the university to generate sources from
outsiders. However, it appears strange that outsiders are
learning computers while university students are unaware.
Short-term courses could be beneficial to the majority
section of the university,” he added. |
2 get RI
for keeping stolen items CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Two city residents, accused of being in possession of a stolen time piece and a steam press, were today sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for six months each, besides being fined Rs 500 by UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Mr Baljinder Singh. The duo — Jasbir Singh and Rakesh Datta — were further directed to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another month in case of default of payment. They were earlier booked by the Chandigarh Police for theft and dishonestly receiving stolen property knowing it to be stolen under sections 379 and 411 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, a remote control, a time piece and certain other articles were recovered from Jasbir Singh, while a tape recorder was taken into possession from Rakesh Datta after they were searched by a police party in March 1993. The accused, the prosecution had added, were coming on a cycle when apprehended. When confronted with the incriminating evidence against them, the accused denied the allegations. Claiming to have been implicated in the case, the duo had asked for a trial. Today, pronouncing the orders in the open court, the Judicial Magistrate observed: “The prosecution has been able to prove that accused Jasbir Singh had dishonestly kept in his possession one steam press and one time piece knowing or having reasons to believe the same to be stolen property”. The Magistrate further
observed: “Similarly Rakesh Datta has dishonestly
kept in his possession one tape recorder belonging to
complainant Jaswinder Singh, knowing or having reasons to
believe the same to be stolen”. |
Jacob
visits art gallery CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 —
The Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT, Lt-Gen JFR
Jacob (retd), today visited the Government Museum and Art
Gallery, Sector 10. He showed keen interest in
terracottas from Akhnur and Ushkar, gandhara sculptures
and the Indian miniature paintings collection. Other
works which attracted the Governor’s attention were
the pahari schools of Indian miniature paintings,
especially Basholi, Mankot, Kangra and imperial
Mughal.Later, he also visited the reserve collection and
viewed more paintings, sculptures and
‘thankas’. General Jacob also selected various
pieces of Chinese pottery for display in the gallery.
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Cable
operators flay Mayor CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The Chandigarh Cable Operators Federation has condemned the “dubious role” of the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, in bringing about the legislation of arbitrarily taxing cable operators, while demanding a public debate on the issue . The federation, in a statement issued today, alleged that the whole act was discriminatory and would benefit a particular multinational company with whom Mr Addiwal had a business interest. “Let him come on record and say that he is not a cable operator in Dhanas and is not a franchisee of Siti Cable,” the statement alleged. The federation also condemned the “irresponsible statement” he had made in today’s newspaper that all the operators could afford this tax. This was only a part of the misinformation campaign that he had launched within the corporation so as to influence the members of the house to pass this “black legislation.” The federation appealed to the Administration and other members of the house to intervene in the matter to do justice to all concerned. If this act is passed in its present form, it will not only push the cable prices higher, but will also force other networks out of business, giving rise to monopoly. It seemed that Mr Addiwal had his own “personal agenda”. He should listen to reason and sort out the matter with the operators, the operators opined. As per the Cable
Regulation Act, 1995, the operators are directly under
the purview of the Government of India, which is the
licensing authority. The MC can only demand rent from
operators for the land used by them. Therefore, the only
tax that could be had from operators should be directly
proportionate to the municipal land, the statement
claimed. |
Pension
of war widows raised CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided to raise the pension of World War II widows from Rs 300 to Rs 800 per month with immediate effect. A decision to this effect was taken today. The decision has also been notified. The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), announced this decision at a function held at Punjab Raj Bhavan to commemorate the Armed Forces Flag Day. General Jacob also announced a grant of Rs 10,000 from his discretionary fund for the Armed Forces fund. “This day provides us an opportunity to reaffirm our solidarity with the armed forces and do our bit to rehabilitate the families of those who have laid down their lives guarding the frontiers of the country. The Chandigarh Administration is committed to do the maximum for the welfare of ex-servicemen and of those families of martyrs, who laid down their lives for the country,” General Jacob said. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, and the Director of Sainik Welfare, Col G.S. Dhillon (retd), were present. Later, General Jacob
appealed to the Punjab Government to raise the pension of
war widows of World War II from Rs 300 to Rs 800 per
month on the Chandigarh pattern. |
Jagson
flight from December 15 CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — Jagson, a private airline, has decided to introduce a Delhi-Chandigarh-Kulu-Chandigarh-Delhi flight by using Dornier 228 aircraft. The flight, according to Mr Suresh Bhambri, Station Manager of the airline, will operate on all days except Sundays. The flight will start on December 15. According to Mr Bhambri, the flight (JA 201) will arrive here from Delhi at mid-day and depart for Kulu at 12.20 p.m. It will arrive back from Kulu at 1.50 p.m. and leave for Delhi at 2.10 p.m. It may be mentioned here
that Jagson had been operating on the same route by using
the same aircraft earlier also. |
SNIPPETS Delightful show by kids CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — A colourful annual function of Sri Guru Harkrishan Model School, Sector 38, was held today at Tagore Theatre. About 650 students of the school participated in this function. In the morning function, the junior section presented a delightful set of programmes in front of the parent-audience. The function began with a classical shabad recitation. Other items included song and dance numbers. The tiny-tots enthralled all those present with their dances on I’m a Barbie Doll, and Boogie-Woogie, a Rajasthani dance, a musical drill and an English play on the issues of environment. The chief guest at the morning session was Mr Y.R. Sachdeva, Regional Officer, Central Board of Secondary Education. Ad hoc teachers’ plea to CM PANCHKULA, Dec 7 —The Haryana State Teachers Association has appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, not to appoint new teachers against the vacant posts in the state till all ad hoc teachers working against these posts are regularised. They have taken the plea that these teachers have gained experience and will be jobless once regular teachers are appointed. Relief material for cyclone
victims CHANDIGARH, Dec 7 — The local Mahila Parishad has donated packets of food and clothes to the Punjab Red Cross for the Orissa cyclone victims. According to Dr Promilla
Kakar, President of the parishad, 101 food packets and 25
packets of clothes, each containing clothes sufficient
for a family, have been handed over to the Punjab Red
Cross for distribution among the affected. She said the
next consignment of relief material would be handed over
to the Red Cross on Sunday. |
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