& V I C I N I T Y
Wednesday, January 6, 1999
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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, January 6, 1999 |
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Adulterated mustard oil
racket unearthed
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 Voters at their wits' end CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Women candidates who have filed their papers for the panchayat poll are keeping their distance from the overtures of various parties and are preferring to woo the voters by door-to-door campaigning in their villages. One number, two cars: thief
arrested |
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Adulterated
mustard oil racket unearthed CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — In a major breakthrough, the Chandigarh police and the local Health authorities unearthed a large-scale racket in filling adulterated mustard oil. Several thousand litres of adulterated oil, colours and other goods used for the clandestine operation were seized from the premises of a Sector 26 trader here tonight. The East Division of the Chandigarh Police tonight raided the premises of M/s Narian Dass Suresh Kumar in the Grain Market, Sector 26, run by Jai Bhagwan, alias Bhanu. It was found out that the accused mixed mustard oil with soya bean oil and water that had been coloured yellow. A herb " maharangi " was allegedly used as a colorant and the mixture passed off as mustard oil in small towns. The herb is not an edible item and is known to cause infections in the stomach and skin cancer, said Dr G. Dewan, who was among the raiding party. The trader had employed workers, largely women, to package the adulterated oil in bottles and paste stickers of various brand names. The brand names used by him were Durga, Badshah, Taj and Shiv. The stickers even claim that the oil was double refined. The stickers have an address of either Rohtak or a place in Sangrur district. During preliminary investigation the police has found that both the addresses were fake and no oil mill existed at the given addresses. A visit to the place around 10 : 30 pm tonight revealed that the trader had kept hundreds of empty plastic bottles, kilograms of colouring agents, hundreds of stickers and big drums that were used for filling purposes. The women employees told the police they had just joined two weeks ago and they did not know about the adulteration process. The owner, who has absconded, used to come in the morning, issue instructions and leave. The supply of oil was largely in Himachal Pradesh. He hails from Sampla in Rohtak district and has been trading in oil for more than 25 years from the same premises. The DSP, East Division, Mr Vijay Pal Singh, said that the three truckloads of the adulterated oil besides 50 bags of atta ( wheat flour) that were meant for public distribution and had been illegally stocked in the premises were seized. Some weeks ago, the Bapu Dham police led by Sub-Inspector D.S. Chandel had nabbed a person selling coloured peas. A case under sections 420, 467, 468,272, 273, 482, 486, and 487 of the IPC has been registered. Besides, cases for stocking government owned wheat flour and adulterating food items have been registered. The DSP confirmed that the
police would find whether tea leaves and spices found at
the premises were adulterated. |
UT
panchayat poll CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Women candidates who have filed their papers for the panchayat poll are keeping their distance from the overtures of various parties and are preferring to woo the voters by door-to-door campaigning in their villages. The last date for filing of nomination papers is January 6. Although the parties are unofficially maintaining that they are backing their candidates in the villages, but are unwilling to be put this on record. This has complicated things as voters do not know which candidate belongs to which party. The parties are staking their claim on those candidates who enjoy rapport of the villagers at this stage. Talking to a cross-section of voters in three women reserved villages of Maloya, Dadu Majra and Sarangpur, villagers revealed that while the battlelines would be clear in the next few days, the chances of certain candidates winning at the hustings were bright. Mr Jasbir Singh, a youth leader of Dadu Majra, said they had objected to the decision of the Administration for allowing the residents of Shahpur colony to vote in the elections. The village would witness bad blood and the contest had narrowed down to villagers vs colony residents. Other villagers claim that the contest would be between Mrs Harbans Kaur, wife of the sitting sarpanch, Mrs Leela Devi, wife of a suspended sarpanch; and Mrs Veena Sharma, a representative of the colony residents. The grievances of the colony residents include lack of development and civic amenities in the colony as no money from the village funds is spent. Villagers counter this by claiming that money for the village cannot be spent on areas outside ‘lal dora’. In Maloya, the contest seems to be between Mrs Surjit Kaur, Mrs Gurdial Kaur, Mrs Charanjit Kaur and Mrs Kuldip Kaur. The main issues here are repair of the approach road to the village, upgradation of the school, filling of the pits dug by the telephone department and repairing of the faulty sewers. Mr Kehar Singh, an old time resident said the villagers had reached a consensus on Mrs Surjit Kaur but village rivalries and pressures from certain political parties had come up, resulting in more candidates entering the fray. Interestingly, the sitting sarpanch, Mr Mam Chand is contesting the election as a panch. The same is the case in Sarangpur. Villagers had reached a consensus on Mrs Bhupinder Kaur but again village-level politicking came in the way and as a result the contest is now open between the former and Mrs Sita Devi, Mrs Surjit Kaur and Mrs Bhag Kaur. Mr Ramesh Chander and Mr Surinder Kumar, residents of the village, claimed that efforts were afoot to arrive at a consensus before the lapse of the nomination time. The main issues facing the
villagers are an improvement in the supply of drinking
water, setting up of a dispensary and a veterinary
dispensary. The village needs a playground for the school
children and improved civic amenities, they said.
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House
burgled, set on fire PANCHKULA, Jan 5 — In a bizzare incident, burglars broke into a locked house in Sector 8 here last night and set it afire before escaping. Two rooms of the house (No 438) were completely ravaged in the blaze, which was brought down after an hour by a fire engine. The raging fire, which was noticed by a passerby at around 1 a.m. this morning, left its impact on the entire house. Even after eight hours of battling the blaze, the rooms were filled with smoke. Household items, including a double bed, had been reduced to ashes. The items lying in other rooms were saved in time by firemen. The police suspects that the thieves after ransacking the house set it on fire. The exact loss could not be ascertained as the owner of the house, Mr Surinder Wadhawan, along with his family is on a holiday since December 25. The brother of the house owner, Mr SS Wadhawan, who lives in the same area said that it would be difficult to assess the loss as the fire had done a substantial damage. The incident, perhaps, for first of its kind in the township, has sent shock waves among the residents. Following some incidents of unscrupulous elements throwing stones at houses in the area late in the night in the past few months, residents apprehend that the burglars have evidently devised the method to know the presence of the occupants in a house. Meanwhile, the police has registered a case under sections 380, 436 and 457 of the IPC. A dog squad was pressed
into service. Forensic experts have been called from
Madhuban. |
One number,
two cars: thief arrested CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — A youth from Fatehgarh Sahib was arrested by the Sector 26 police this morning for allegedly stealing a car, making a fake registration and fixing a fictitious number on the car. The registration number he used on the stolen car is also the original number (PB-11-K-0840) of the car of a senior SGPC member, whose car enjoys unrestricted access to the houses of the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and SGPC chief, Mr G.S. Tohra. The youth, Dilraj Singh, alias Raja, is the son of a SGPC functionary posted at the Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. The car which was seized today had been stolen some three weeks ago. The car belongs to Mr Karnail Singh Panjauli, former Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) youth wing. Senior police officials while confirming the arrest of Dilraj Singh said the Punjab police had been informed while the conspiracy angle, if any, was being probed. Dilraj Singh has been booked under Sections 411, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 473 of the IPC. Dilraj was nabbed after
both the cars were found to be parked outside a hotel in
Sector 26 this morning. |
‘Revamp of cookhouses in Year of
Jawan’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The annual Conference of the Formation Commanders in the Western Sector was held at the Western Command Headquarters, Chandimandir, today. The meeting was presided over by Lt-Gen H.B. Kala, GOC-in-C, Western Command and attended by Lt-Gen H.R.S Mann, COS, Western Command, Corps Commanders, Delhi Area Commander, and senior staff of the command. General Kala exhorted the officers to adjust their philosophies to the post-Pokhran scenario. He enlightened all about the infotech revolution the country was undergoing today. The Army is also keeping pace with the country in this respect and all officers should be adept at handling computers and reduce manpower requirement drastically since a massive slashing of the clerical cadre was on the cards, he added. He highlighted the major thrust areas for all ranks during the year to be observed as the Year of the Jawan. The cookhouses of the jawans would be modernised and amenities for them given top priority. He reiterated the need to keep the troops under the command technically and physically fit for undertaking any tasks. The General also welcomed the decision of the Punjab Government to provide 258 acres for use by the Army. The conference is a prelude to the civil-military liaison meeting to be held tomorrow which would be addressed by Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, tomorrow. Top officers from the Army and civil administrations of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi will take part in the deliberations. Another conference of
paramilitary forces commanders will be held in the
afternoon. High ranking officers of the Army, Border
Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and
Indo-Tibetan Border Police in the Western Sector will
participate. |
Euphoria '99
on January 7 CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The first-ever inter medical college cultural contest, "Euphoria '99" will open here on January 7. The three-day event is being organised by the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. As many as 300 medical students from institutions in the northern region are expected to participate in it. A fete-cum-exhibition will
focus on the curriculum and education to educate students
from schools and colleges of Chandigarh about various
aspects of medical education. |
Protest
today on ‘Fire’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — The Chetna Manch, Chandigarh, will organise a march in the city tomorrow to protest against the attacks on film ‘Fire’. According to a press note here today by Dr M.S. Randhawa, general secretary of the organisation, writers, artists, journalists and intellectuals will be participating in the march which will start from the Gandhi Bhavan in Panjab University at 12 noon. The march will pass through sectors 14, 15 and 16 before terminating at the Sector 17 Plaza. The director of the film,
Ms Deepa Mehta, will also join the march, he added. |
Trends in
town planning discussed CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — "We cannot talk about architecture without city planning," says Mr Jean Louis Veret, Chief Architect for National Public Buildings and Palaces in France. Speaking at the Sector 36 Alliance Francaise here this evening about his works in the field of architecture and urban planning, Mr Jean-Louis Veret recalled his earlier days with Le Corbusier when they travelled together to Africa and their work in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. He also has memories of the "inauguration of Chandigarh in November, 1953." Recalling Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks, he said that the Indian Prime Minister wanted that in designing Chandigarh the planners should not let down the nation's culture but at the same time be not slaves to the culture. Mr Veret also talked about his various projects in different parts of the world and discussed changing trends and requirements in town planning and urbanisation. Mr Veret and Mr Bernard
Huet are two eminent French architects who have been
jointly sponsored by the French embassy in India and
Alliance Francaise to participate in an international
symposium "Chandigarh 50 years of the idea" to
be organised by the Chandigarh Administration from
January 9 to 11. |
LPG outlets
remain shut CHANDIGARH , Jan 5 — Distributors of LPG in Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula kept their establishments closed today in protest against the policy of the Chandigarh Administration to acquire their godowns without allocating alternative sites. A total of 37 distributors took part in the protest, which is to continue tomorrow. The Chandigarh chapter of the All-India LPG Distributors' Federation has demanded that alternative sites should be given to the distributors directly on a leasehold basis and the procedure of allotment should be simplified. The rent to be charged should be not more than Rs 1000 , they have said. The period of lease should be 99 years and the increase in rent should not be more than 5 per cent in five years are among the other demands. The federation has also
pointed out at the modifications in the plan that will be
required to be carried out while raising godowns. |
CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Most of the two-wheelers have become costlier in past one year. A survey of the local market revealed that the hike in the prices of scooters, motor cycles and mopeds varied between 2 per cent to 8 per cent. The rise was more in case of scooters and motorcycles than mopeds. According to sources, if the NV model scooter of LML company was available for Rs 24,890 in past one year, it is priced at Rs 26,000 now. Similarly, the Select II model of the company has become costlier — i.e. its price has risen from Rs 28,000 to Rs 30,400. The price of Star, another model of scooter of the company has risen from Rs 26,000 to Rs 28,600. Trendy, the recently launched scooterette has been priced Rs 500 more than is from Rs 17,150 to Rs 17,650. Similarly, Bajaj Auto has increased the prices of almost all of its vehicles in the past one year. If the price of 'Chetak' has increased from Rs 21,745 to Rs 22,805, Bajaj Super, which was available for Rs 21,910, has witnessed a rise to the tune of Rs 500 in this period. The price of 'Classic' model of the company has risen from Rs 25,000 to Rs 26,385. As far as 'Sunny' is concerned its price was hiked by the company from Rs 13,000 to Rs 14,825. In case of 4S Champion, the four stroke bike, the price has jumped from Rs 35,000 to Rs 37,725. The sources said that the price of Kinetic Honda DX scooter had witnessed a jump — from Rs 33,250 to Rs 33,750. The price of Kinetic Honda ZX has increased from Rs 34,150 to Rs 34, 650 in the past one year. There was, however, no increase in the price of Kinetic Pride, the recently launched four-stroke motorcycle as it is still available in the market for Rs 21,950. On the mobike front, almost all models have become costly. The price of Hero Honda SS model has gone up from Rs 35,990 to Rs 37,715 and the price of Hero Honda Splendor has jumped up from Rs 38,035 to Rs 40,010. If the Suzuki-Shogun bike was priced at Rs 41,975 last year, it is available for Rs 42,395 nowadays. Similarly, the price of Suzuki-Shaolin motorcycle has gone up from Rs 38,575 to Rs 40,460. The price of TVS-Scooty too has increased from Rs 20,555 to Rs 20,955. According to dealers, the hike was mainly because of the hike in sales tax in the city. The sales tax in UT has increased from 3 per cent to 4.2 per cent. There has also been a hike in the excise duty. Fall
in business of woollens CHANDIGARH, Jan 5 — Come winter and the number of outlets dealing in woollens goes up. As many as 30 such outlets are housed in rooms of the various bhavans and even occupy grounds. But disappointment is writ large on the faces of the businessmen who came with high hopes of doing brisk business. Says Mr Hemraj, who has rented a shop in Sector 22 especially for the season, "Winter has played truant this year. I had invested the entire earnings of my summer sale in the hope that I would make good the investment with the sale in the city. We have just managed to break even." Mr Prakash Sharma, who has a stall in Sector 15 says, "Winter has proved disastrous for traders dealing only in woollens this year. We are desperate for customers and hope they will come in large numbers once it rains. Otherwise, we will be forced to sell at prices that are bound to break us". Mr Rajan Nayyar from B.N. Oswal Mills of Ludhiana, in a room in one of the hotels explains, "Not only has the winter been mild but also this year there has been an influx of woollen dealers. There are sales everywhere and this has resulted in profits of the `regulars' declining and being distributed among the various stall owners." On the contrary, Mr Sahil Verma with a stall in Sector 18 says, "The people of the city are very fashion conscious and want to look different. They come here looking for colours and we have lots of them. They want it cheap and we have prices that suit every pocket.'' Mr Rajesh Dubey, a salesman in one such stall in Sector 18, says, "We have been holding a stall in this bhavan for the past seven years. We have certain regular customers. But a year's bad sales will not deter us and we will be here next year with a lot more for the customers." The showrooms in the city
with their exclusive designerwear woollens and brand
names which are exorbitantly priced have not felt the
pinch, the owners claim. "We cater to the high class
of society which prides itself in wearing what is the
latest and best", says one and the others agree. |
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