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| Wednesday, July 5, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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PF Commissioner attaches prime Punwire property CHANDIGARH, July 4 — Prime property owned by Punwire, valued at about Rs 2.5 crore in the market, was attached by the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner here today to recover a portion of the Rs 4 crore that is due from Punwire on account of arrears of ‘Employees’ provident fund. This will bring relief to Punwire employees, who have been at the receiving end as they have not been paid salaries for the past one year. The move will
at least ensure that at least the PF is deposited. Punwire had been defaulting on depositing the employees’ provident fund since October, 1998. According to provident fund authorities, the property will be put up for auction after the exact value is assessed and reserve price fixed by the auctioneers. The entire process of auctioning the property will be completed within the next 2 months. Once that is through, the money will be deposited in the respective accounts of the employees as per their due since October, 1998. The attached property is measuring about 2.5 acres (approximately 12,000 square yards) and is located in the Industrial Area phase VI, S.A.S. Nagar. To recover the balance of the remaining sum, a team of recovery officials also plans to transfer the recovery case to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Mumbai. Punwire has prime property in its subsidiary’s name in Vashi , Navi Mumbai. Local officials, who are following up the recovery case, say at the moment the exact value of the Mumbai property cannot be ascertained. However, verification is going on to know the exact location of the property and have it assessed. If auction of the S.A.S. Nagar property fulfills the requirement of Rs 4 crore then the department will not need to attach the Mumbai property. The latter part does not seem possible so proceedings to attach the Mumbai property are already on, say PF authorities. As per the latest reserve price for industrial property fixed by the Punjab State Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), just the land of attached property in S.A.S. Nagar works out to be Rs 1 crore. This does not take into account the prevailing premiums , location, built-up area and of course the machinery. And in an auction the price bids may go up even higher. Punwire authorities had tried to hoodwink the PF Department till September, 1998. They kept on depositing the PF contribution, fully knowing that the PF Department conducts it annual check up in September. Thus they succeeded in getting time till October, 1999. Employees complained to the PF authorities
in the latter part of 1999. Already on December 7 last year, the Executive Director (Incharge) of Punwire, Mr Ved Parkash, who had been evading arrest in a criminal case for not depositing the provident fund of the employees, was arrested by the S.A.S. Nagar police from his residence in Sector 36 here. He was arrested after a high drama when the police party, after a frantic search found that the ED had locked himself up in a bathroom of his house. A case under Sections 406 and 409 and 120-B of the IPC had been registered against the MD and the ED. |
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10+2 board results delayed SAS NAGAR, July 4 — Punjab School Education Board students hoping for admission to courses in the arts stream in various colleges of Chandigarh and Punjab, which are affiliated to Panjab University, are a worried lot. Their cause of worry is the delay in the declaration of results of the arts stream of the board. Though the board officials say that they were making efforts to declare the results by July 15, the process of admission to the graduate courses in the colleges affiliated with the Panjab University is scheduled to begin on July 12. On the other hand the result of the 10+2 class of the CBSE has already been declared. The Chairman of the board, Dr Kehar Singh, said if the board was not able to declare the result by July 12, they would write to the Panjab University authorities to extend the date of admissions. He added that confidential result would be made available to needy students as the publication of the gazette could take some time. He said he would consult the Controller of Examination before deciding on the matter within two days. In case of students seeking admission in professional courses in institutions affiliated with Punjab Technical University (PTU), the date for accepting the forms for the BCA and BBA courses is July 15 which could be extended to July 20. Earlier, the date was July 1. The board authorities had written to the UT Education Department to extend the date of admissions to senior secondary classes till July 5 in the wake of declaration of the matriculation results on June 3. A number of students who had not got the detailed marks sheet (DMC) or their result was late in the gazette were making frantic efforts to get provisional marks certificate in order to seek admission in higher classes. In the past few days over 100 students have been given provisional certificate, said board officials. As the DMCs of the regular candidates were to be dispatched from July 5, the superintendent in the examination branch had been authorised to issue a provisional certificate to enable them to seek admission in higher classes. The DMCs of the private students have already been
despatched. |
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PU candidates await CET results CHANDIGARH, July 4 — Delay in compilation and despatch of results for entrance
examinations (CET) in Panjab University is evident from long queues and number of queries about the fate of candidates in these examinations every day. This holds their future on tenterhooks. Though the university maintains that no delay has occurred in the despatch of CET result cards, the number of students at the enquiry counters and outside the examination office tells a different story. The situation is peculiar because students have not received their result cards although the results were declared more than two weeks earlier. Not receiving the cards debars the candidates from appearing in interviews for courses at GNDU and the Thapar institute. The father of a candidate said that his ward had undergone unnecessary mental tension. “Two institutes do not allow admissions without result cards . The journey for discovering the card was too cumbersome. It would also be a good on the part of the university if procedural modes were clarified to people who came with their problems”. At least three more students narrated their problem in tracing their cards to The Tribune in less than 15minutes in the university corridor. One had come from Ferozepore. In case of the forthcoming Bachelor of Education examination scheduled for July 9, the university has been kind to issue a notice saying that “ If any candidate does not receive the admit card by Friday, he is advised to contact the officers of the universities only at the place of his examination on July 8”. The centres include DAV College, Abohar; Khalsa College , Amritsar; CET Cell, Panjab University Administrative Block; Government Rajindra College, Bathinda; Government Brijindra College, Faridkot; RSD College, Ferozepore; Government College, Hoshiarpur; Government College, Gurdaspur; Lyallpur Khalsa College for Men, Jalandhar; PU Extention Library, Ludhiana; DM College for Education; Government College, Muktsar; RK Arya College, Nawanshahr; Government Mohindra College, Patiala; Government College, Roopnagar; Government Ranbir College, Sangrur; GHG Harprakash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd. These admissions pertain to nearly 24 colleges affiliated to Panjab, Punjabi and Guru Nanak Dev universities. Approximately 49,000 candidates are appearing for 4,000 seats. The university expects to declare the results of other entrance examinations by July 7, sources said. The tentative date pertains to courses in MSc ( honours schools in botany, chemistry, zoology and physics, mass communication, library courses, physical education, besides others. About 29,000 candidates feature in this list. |
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Chandigarh ideal to be a convention city CHANDIGARH, July 4 — "Chandigarh has a great potential to be a convention city," says Ms Vivienne McCabe, Director of Studies, Events Management at Southern Cross University in Australia. Ms McCabe, who has recently come out with a book on the ''Business and management of conventions", says that her university is perhaps the first in Australia and the world to introduce masters programme in events and convention management. "In Australia, events and conventions are recognised as industry. The meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry worldwide has been the focus of much activity during the past 20 years. Within Australia, the fledgling MICE industry of the late 1980s has increased substantially and is now estimated to generate $ 7 billion per year compared to $ 3 billion in 1994,'' she says maintaining that students from the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Southern Cross University has 98 per cent placement. Nine students of the local Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends (ITFT) will be visiting this university for nine weeks later this month to complete a tourism research project. The students, according to Dr Gulshan Sharma, Director of the ITFT, are Arti Kalia, Kirandeep Sohal, Bharti Kashyap, Nishita Rani Kumar, Sarita Rajoria, Manjit kaur, Shaminder Grewal, Rupinder
Kaur and Gunjan Singh. "I find the students here excellent. They are alive, very conscious and committed. It is wonderful to interact with them," she said, while describing the purpose of her first-ever visit to the
City. "I am here as a guest of the ITFT." Ms McCabe says that in Australia studies in events and convention management have really progressed well. Eight years ago, Southern Cross University introduced masters in events and convention management. "The MICE industry is seen as the blue chip end of the tourism industry in an area that continually provides extensive career opportunities. As the industry has grown, new professions have emerged to support this rapidly developing sector," she says. From conceptualisation to planning, promotion and management are all essential ingredients of
events and convention management. When asked about the possibility of extending benefits of the expertise the university has acquired over the years in this sector by launching distant learning programmes, Ms McCabe felt that though distant learning was part of the programme but she herself felt that personal contact between the teacher and the taught would be much better as the time taken for response to an electronic mail at times may be very long. Talking about her visit, she said that she arrived last week and had already travelled to Agra and parts of Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla and Chail. "I have been very much impressed by the warmth and hospitality of India. The advancement in technology India has made is also enormous," she said. Talking about her impressions of Chandigarh, she said that the city was ideal to be a convention city. The potential was enormous and offered tremendous opportunity. The question was how to harness this potential or opportunities. In recognition of the good work done by the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Southern Cross University, the Australian Tourism Board has conferred the Australian Tourism Award for Industry Education on the school. For the past three years, the school has been winning the same award from New South Wales state. Intervening in the conversation, Dr Gulshan Sharma said that within the next two months, the ITFT would make a presentation and present a report to the Administration about how to make Chandigarh a convention city. |
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Sarpanch
booked for fraud CHANDIGARH, July 4 — The police has registered a case against the Sarpanch of Kajheri village on the charges of preparing and submitting fake documents during the panchayat elections. The case was registered after Mr Jagir Singh, a resident and former panch of the village, moved an application in a city court asking for the registration of the case as the police authorities had refused to do so. The court subsequently directed the police to book Ramu, Sarpanch of the village, under Sections 461, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC. According to the complainant, he received a tip-off that the accused had contested the election on the basis of forged documents. The village had been declared a reserved seat and as such only a Scheduled Caste candidate could contest the election. Since the accused was not a Scheduled Caste candidate, he reportedly got prepared a certificate issued by the Tehsildar of Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, and presented it along with his nomination papers. He contested for the post of Sarpanch and won in January, 1999. In his application, the complainant said he visited Kayampur village, from where Ramu had shown he hailed, and made inquiries from Mr Amzad Ali, the village pradhan. The headman denied issuing any document on the basis of which the certificate had been issued by the Tehsildar. He also revealed that no person by the name of Ramu had ever been listed in the electoral rolls. Meanwhile, village welfare associations have taken a serious view of the matter and are said to be pressing for his suspension and a complete inquiry into the affair. |
Mother united with child CHANDIGARH, July 4 — Tears rolled down her cheeks as Sector 44 resident Promila Verma hugged her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter with affection after being handed over her custody by the Punjab and Haryana High Court here. Her hands quivered with excitement as she lovingly passed them through the child's dark, closely chopped hair while showering kisses on her forehead and dusky-brown face in the courtroom. It was after a long legal battle that her baby was in her arms again. Seeking directions for her production,
Promila, in her petition before Mr Justice V.M. Jain of the high court, had earlier stated that her husband and in-laws had "rebuked, abused and pushed her out of the house" after she went to their house for obtaining her daughter Bhavna's custody. She had stated that her husband Sanjay, on the insistence of his parents, had gone back to their house "depriving her of the custody of the baby". Arguing before the court, her counsel had added that the husband's parents had been unhappy with the marriage. She had added that the petition was being filed as Promila was not allowed to meet the child by the respondents. |
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Citizens’
forum CHANDIGARH is the pride of India. We, the residents, enjoy the quality of life, which undoubtedly is the best in the country. We are at the top in many respects: we have highest literacy rate, and our boys and girls always excel in national competitions. With the prestigious PGI, we have the best health care system that one can hope for. Chandigarh with the backdrop of Shivalik hills, with its gardens and vast greenery, wide roads and beautiful roundabout Sukhna Lake and Rock Garden are the envy of any city. Visitors fall in love with the city at the very first sight. Chandigarh has the
potential of becoming major tourist spot. It connected with Himachal valley, Mughal Gardens of Pinjore, Golden Temple, Bhakra Dam etc. Unfortunately, it has yet not developed into a tourist centre and I do not think that addition of an international airport will help. The city has fast train and bus connections with Delhi and other major cities of the region. People like to hope into the Shatabdi rather than go by air . I myself prefer the Shatabdi even for my trips to Delhi, although I am entitled to travel by air I do not agree that an international airport will act as a magnet and attract tourists to our city. For that, it requires many other things, the most important being aggressive marketing. Unfortunately, neither the travel agencies nor the Chandigarh Administration have ever taken this seriously. The region has an international airport at Amritsar. Chandigarh, too, will definitely require one but not now, may be after a decade or
so; and I have reasons for this. An international airport costs money and we must know our priorities. I do not know whether the present airport can be converted into an international airport. Is there enough space and will the Defence Ministry permit an international airport next to a strategically placed Air Force station? Secondly, I do not think that the present airport with only a couple of flights a day even squares its expenditure. An international airport will definitely be a financially losing proposition. Can we afford it ? Chandigarh has many other priorities. The civic amenities have
deteriorated; one has to take remedial measures before Chandigarh loses its exclusive status. Sanitation is poor with heaps of garbage found everywhere. Chandigarh is bursting with unauthorised colonies and there is no solution to this. Electricity supply is erratic, underground cables are not existing and hence a little wind or rains can shut the electricity for hours together. Same is the story with the telephones. Water supply is scanty. The transport system inside the city is pathetic, buses
are rickety; taxis charge very heavily, and three- wheelers and rickshaws are a pain in the neck . A little rain is good enough to flood the roads and hundreds of vehicles can be seen stranded.The roads are very wide but traffic accidents are also in plenty. The health care services are good but there are no organised ambulance services for first aid and evacuation of the injured. Chandigarh has no night life. Young people consider this as a dead city and tourists do enjoy the night life. We must consolidate what we have . We must improve our infrastructure and only then go for newer and bigger things. In a country like India, where more than 40 per cent people are living below the poverty line, priorities must be looked into very seriously before planning anything. Strand of hair in biscuit CHANDIGARH, July 4 — A Sector 34 resident was shocked to find a strand of hair in the biscuit she was eating today. Mrs Ramneek Kohli had purchased a packet of Vita Marie Gold biscuits on July 2 from a shop in the same sector. When she was eating the biscuit, she felt that something in it was irritating her. She was not able to swallow it properly and spat it out. She was horrified to see that the remaining biscuit had a strand of hair embedded in it. “It was really surprising to see hair in the biscuit of such a reputed company. This clearly shows that proper quality control is not being carried out, ” she narrated. The packet and the biscuit is in the possession of the family and they intend to file a case in the consumer court. The packing date of the biscuit packet is June 2000 and code was C1 7B. Mrs Ramneek Kaur said, “I just want to bring in the notice of public as well as the company the carelessness in making their product. This incident could happen with anyone and people should be cautious while eating even branded products.” |
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More CTU buses needed, feel commuters CHANDIGARH, July 4 — Inadequacy of bus service, coupled with lack of direct bus links between certain key areas of the city is the main issue of concern for the majority of residents. Most of the people feel that better and faster services should be provided with immediate effect. They also point out towards the illegible sector numbers written on the bus which leads to a lot of confusion. Raj Mohammad, a Class VIII student, says: "No doubt the bus fares are nominal, but Sector 28 residents have to suffer a lot due to the inadequacy of bus service. To help my mother in her chores, I have to go to Sector 17 everyday. But sometimes I have to wait for about half-an-hour for the bus to arrive which accounts for a lot of time wastage." An ITI student, Sarabjit Kaur, points out, "In the absence of a direct bus service to my institute in Sector 28, I face a problem while coming from Panchkula as there is no direct bus service. First I go to bus stand and then take a bus for the nearest bus stop. After that I have to walk some distance also. The buses which do run are normally overcrowded. In summers, the problem aggravates. Pushpinder Kaur, also from ITI, says: "I reside in Sector 32. From there I have to reach ITI at 9 a.m. Often buses reach late, and consequently, I am delayed in reaching my destination. I am marked absent for the whole day. So I think the CTU buses should be punctual. Uma Sharma, doing English stenography from Central Crafts Institute (CCI), says, "There is no direct bus service from my residence in Kishengarh to CCI in Sector 11. I have to come to my friend's place on a bicycle and from there board a bus. That is only a part of the problem. Eve-teasing in the buses is also increasing a lot. Something should be done to check this. Harvinder Singh, a student, says "Despite having my own conveyance, I usually travel by bus as it is cheaper. But it is not so easy. Sometimes it is very difficult to read the numbers written on the buses as they are not clearly written. So it is difficult to know which bus will go to which sector. Also, it is not possible to stop at every bus. The number of buses should be increased to make their service frequent at various bus stops. Suresh Chandra, a shopkeeper, says, "Being old, I have to face a lot of problem. The CTU buses never stop for more than a few seconds at a stops. The halting time of buses should be increased a bit so that the passengers can at least get into a bus comfortably. |
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Wear a helmet and save your life CHANDIGARH,
July 4 — Just about a week back, a young girl Babita Sharma died in a road accident near Zirakpur. The same day, two girls on a scooter, met with an accident near the crossing of Sectors 43 and 44. Harpreet died and the girl sitting on the pillion was badly injured. She was pregnant and lost her foetus as a result of the accident. And now only about five days back, 20-year-old Simran Uppal died as her vehicle hit a dog. None of them were wearing helmets. The Postgraduate Institute (PGI) here is getting on an average as many as 25 cases of head injury a day, of which 70 to 80 per cent are a result of road accidents. According to Prof S.N. Mathuria of the Neurosurgery Department of the PGI, head injuries can be classified as minor, mild and severe on the Glasgow Coma Score. “Out of an average of 25 cases that we get in the PGI, around five cases fall in the score of 13 to 15. These are minor head injuries. Eight to 10 cases are in the mild category, which ranges from a score of eight to 13.
However, it is the score of eight and below which gives a cause for worry. In the PGI we get as many as 10 to 12 cases every day which are suffering from severe head injuries.” Doctors say that whereas head injuries can occur due to many reasons like a fall from a height, a quarrel or an assault. But in the developed and the developing countries, the main cause happens to be the road accidents. Most of the severe head injury cases fall in this category. “Newspapers have been rife with reports how a young girl died because there was no CT scan in the PGI,” says Dr V.K.
Kak, a noted neurosurgeon and Director-Principal of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. “But did anyone bother to raise the question that the accident could have been so easily avoidable had the young girl been wearing a proper helmet.” Dr Kak says that most of the people come to hospitals for treatment of diseases which are unavoidable . “It has to be understood that accidents are not a disease and in fact are very much preventable. It is also a fact that in most of the cases, these accidents can be highly avoidable, if some basic precautions are taken. A simple thing like wearing a proper helmet could save a life. It would most probably help reduce severity of the accident.” Dr Ashish Pathak, Additional Professor of Neurosurgery in the PGI, agrees. “I would accept the blame that the young lady died because the CT scan machine was not functional. But what was she doing, riding a two-wheeler without a proper helmet.” All the doctors are also of the opinion that our traffic rules leave a lot to be desired. Out of which quite a few are those about which most of the drivers do not even have a faintest idea about. “Does anyone in our country even has a vague idea about who has the right of the way at the roundabout,” asks Dr Mathuria. “Chandigarh has quite a few of them and many of the accidents occur on the roundabouts. But no one, either the parents or the authorities, ever bother to teach the basic rule that once you enter a circle, a vehicle coming from the right would always have the right of the way.” “I had serious problem when I started driving in the country after spending years in the West,” adds Dr Pathak. “When I was obeying the rules there were others who were simply not bothered. I think the major problem lies in the fact that here it is very easy to get a driving licence and that too without passing a test. There are just no basic requirements for one to be on the road. Parents, too, are at fault. What are young school going children doing on the roads without proper helmets and driving sense?” Dr Pathak says that the problem multiplies when even if you are obeying the rules there are many others who are simply not bothered. Moreover, there is no rigid punishment for those who break the rules. The fact remains that the severity of an accident reduces if one is wearing a proper helmet. “There is no authority to check the quality of helmets in our country. I have always wondered if any guidelines have been laid down to see whether it is made of a cardboard or proper material. Essentially a helmet should cover your head properly and has to be properly secured with a strip,” says Dr Pathak. It is also very important to realise that most of the road accidents involve youngsters. “If the helmet is not secured properly, it would fall off after the accident,” adds Dr Mathuria. “It is also very important that the chin should be properly covered, otherwise the person can suffer severe jaw injuries too.” “When an accident occurs and a patient dies, it is sad both for the family and the hospital. However, in Simran’s case, all I can say is that the parents went for the CT scan without anyone from the PGI advising them to do so. She was admitted here at 11.40 a.m. and was in the operating theatre in less than a hour. We tried our best to save her despite the fact that she was 98 per cent dead when she was admitted to the PGI. I can understand the feelings of the parents. It must have been a rude shock for them having lost their child at so young an age. And that too in the circumstances that were totally avoidable. But the events which lead to her death have certainly not been like being projected by them.” Dr Kak says, “most of those involved in the road accident cases are youngsters. It is also the age when they are in the most productive part of their lives. A great personal loss to the parents. And also is a great economic loss to the country. But something easily avoidable in most of the cases. A simple helmet could save at least a few.” |
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Architect engaged for city centre plan SAS NAGAR, July 4 — A renowned Ahmedabad-based planner-cum-architect, Mr B.D. Doshi, has been appointed by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) to prepare the conceptual master plan of the prestigious city centre project in Sector 62 here in the next six months. The decision was taken after a detailed presentation placed before PUDA officials at New Delhi last evening. The Chief Administrator of PUDA, Mr K.B.S. Sidhu, said the original area of Sector 62 was 244 acres, of which 92 acres had already been designated for various uses. An area of 152 acres had been left for planning. He said Dr Upinderjit Kaur, Housing and Urban Development Minister-cum-Chairperson of PUDA, had directed that the architect be given specific guidelines to prepare a plan in consonance with the basic Punjabi spirit and traditional Punjabi architecture. An interesting requirement was a provision for pedestrian access from building to building at various levels. Ample provision for parking and common areas. It had been decided to amend building bylaws, if required, to balance the conflicting factors of flexibility and control in the architecture of the individual
buildings. A detailed study of the project has already been done by CB Richard Ellis. Although the consultants had recommended provision of a city hall, a museum and a library, a final decision in this regard was to be taken by PUDA. He said Doshi had recently been awarded the "best urban planner" award by the Prime Minister. |
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Lonely at life's sunset CHANDIGARH, July 4 — Withered faces and scant ray of hope in their eyes, life is certainly not what they would have imagined for themselves. The houses they had nurtured with their own efforts, run on their principles now seem to hold no place for them. The circumstances have turned to be such that they have been forced to seek shelter in old age homes. Living a forlorn and lonely life, they still wait for those who have deserted
them. This was pretty clear from Sarwan Singh 's reaction, one of the 20 persons, living in the old age home at Sector 15. His apprehension about his younger son's health could be perceived as soon as the phone rang. Hands folded, he prayed that the call bring him some good news about his son. For Jeet Rani Bansal, life has never been easy. After having laboured and worked hard through the prime years of her life to educate her children, she now awaits her mortal end in this old age home. None of her two sons who hold respectable positions in Reliance, Delhi, and the university here, seem to have any place for her. What accounts for their plight? Dhani Ram Chaudhary, an 87-year-old journalist who is also putting up here, blames it on destiny. No where to go and no one to look up to, many others think communication gap is the reason. It is only once in a blue moon that they have any visitors According to Mr
N.S. Bhardwaj, an official there, says, ''Girls are more bothered about their parents and most of the times they are the ones who visit these old people. But the perception of these elderly people regarding the values of society prevents them from living with their daughters. They are left to live on their own at a stage when their limbs and mind need a lot of support both, psychological and otherwise. At present, trips to religious places and kirtans organised by the authorities here are the only means of solace for these poor souls. Otherwise, life remains the same for these people in this peaceful refuge where these lonely hearts stay together and share their sorrows and pains and together wait for the 'never-never day.' |
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Public Relations Society to hold seminars CHANDIGARH, July 4 — The Chandigarh Chapter of the Public Relations Society of India, at its annual general meeting here yesterday, decided to hold seminars on the role of public relations in different fields, including banking, finance, tourism and preservation of environment. The venue, date and name of the speakers will be announced later. The meeting lauded the work done by the outgoing executive committee and its following members were re-elected unanimously for the next term: Chairman — Mr R.C. Girdhar; Vice-Chairmen — Mr J.S.Jogi and Mr Ashutosh Kapila; Secretary — Mr A.K. Sharma; Treasurer — Mr P.K. Khurana; and Joint Secretary — Mr R.K. Kapilash. |
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Residents
meet DC PANCHKULA, July 4 — A meeting of the Panchkula Residents Welfare Association of Sectors 2 and 8 was held at the office of the District Commissioner here today. The members of the association presented a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Monga, at the meeting attended by the Superintendent of Police, Ms Kala Ramachandran, and Mr SK Khanna, Superintending Engineer, HUDA. The memorandum highlighted the problems being faced by the residents with greater emphasis on the law and order situation in the town. They suggested that the servant verification drive should be relaunched and stern action taken against those who fail to comply with the orders. The members sought the help of the anti-encroachment wing of HUDA to clear vacant plots and parks of encroachers and jhuggi-dwellers who had contributed to the rising crime rate. Further they added that gates at entry points of the sectors should be installed for the safety of the residents. They expressed dissatisfaction over the opening of motels in the residential areas which were causing inconvenience to the residents. The problem of hygiene also came up for discussion at the meeting. |
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Overcharging
at mango mela alleged PANCHKULA, July 4 — The President of the Students and Youth Activities Consumer Forum, Chandigarh, Mr N.K. Jhingan, has alleged “open loot by hawkers” at the recently held mango mela at Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore. In a letter, he said that all items were being overcharged at the fair and the common excuse being cited was the heavy charge being levied by the government for putting up stalls. He added that the exorbitant rates were brought to the notice of the officials in charge who expressed their helplessness in the matter. He added that the mela committee must encourage only vendors who charged according to the maximum retail price printed on the pack rather than an amount much in excess of the cost. |
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Lepers get sweets,
clothes CHANDIGARH, July 4 — The Rotary Club Midtown in association with the District Leprosy Society and the Inner Wheel Club distributed sweets, clothes and fruits among 135 inmates of the Leper’s Home in Sector 47. The President of the Rotary Club Chandigarh Midtown, Dr Vanita Gupta, discussed the health problems of the inmates. The club had been instrumental in setting up this home and rehabilitating patients since 1979. Among the key issues of the project this year has been to provide reconstructive surgery to the treated inmates which assists in making their disabled limbs useful. The club is also organising an eye camp on October 2. |
IA flight to arrive at 3.40 pm CHANDIGARH,
July 4 — The Indian Airlines flight from New Delhi to Chandigarh and Amritsar has been rescheduled for tomorrow. According to Mr Rajinder Kumar, Station Manager, the flight IC 7485, will depart from New Delhi at 3 p.m. and arrive here at 3.40 p.m. before leaving for Amritsar at 4.05 p.m. It will reach New Delhi at 5.55 p.m. |
Woman burnt alive
in road mishap CHANDIGARH, July 4 — In a bizarre incident a lady was reportedly burnt alive and her co-traveller was injured when a Maruti caught fire after hitting a truck in Zirakpur near here. The accident was occurred at 11 p.m. The driver of car was said to be out of danger. According to witnesses the car and the truck caught fire as soon as the accident took place. The witnesses said the police was informed in time but it could not arrive till 12 p.m. The injured was admitted to Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital. |
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Booked for occupying house illegally CHANDIGARH, July 4 — The police has registered a case against a Sector 32 resident under the Public Premises Act (eviction of unauthoriseed occupant), 1971. According to police sources, Mr Ashish Kundra, SDM (South), lodged a compliant against Subash Kataria for illegally occupying the house the lease of which had been cancelled by the Administration. It was alleged that the house was allotted to the accused in 1975 since he had only paid 25 per cent of the amount. In view of the above, the house was sealed by the Tehsildar in 1982. The accused reportedly broke open the seal and started living in the house. His appeal to the competent authority has been turned down and a case under the PPA registered. Theft case Mr Madan Lal, PA to the Director, Primary Education, reported that some one had stolen one colour TV set and a VCR from the residence of the Director while he was out of station. A case under Sections 457 and 380, IPC, has been registered. Duped Gwala Colony resident Mohammad Aashiq reported that he had been duped of Rs 38 held The police has arrested 38 persons during a special drive against anti-social elements in the city. According to police sources, the drive was carried out under the supervision of Mr Vijay Pal Singh, SDPO. While 23 persons were arrested for creating nuisance at public places while under the influence of liquor, six were arrested for drinking at public places. Similarly, six persons were arrested while roaming about under suspicious circumstances and one person was arrested for drunken driving. The drive would be carried out in other parts of the city also. Purse snatched Two scooter-borne youngsters snatched a handbag containing Rs 1,500 and gold earings from the principal of a local college when she was with her friends in Sector 46 in the evening today. According to the sources, Ms Gurdip Kaur was returning to her house in Sector 47 when the youngsters on a grey scooter snatched the bag from around her shoulder. The two, Ms Gurdip Kaur said, appeared to be in their early 20s. The police was looking into the matter and a case was likely to be registered, sources added. |
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Gang of car thieves busted SAS NAGAR, July 4 — The police today claimed to have busted a gang of car thieves with the arrest of a member of the gang near PCA lights here late last night. At least two stolen cars, a Maruti and Tata Sumo, have been recovered from his possession. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr S.S. Gill, said the 22-year-old youth had recently been released from Burail Jail after he was arrested by the Chandigarh Police in connection with cases of stolen cars. His two other accomplices, Sagar Rana and Mohan Lal are absconding. The three met in Burail Jail and planned to steal cars. The stolen vehicles were hidden at different places in Chandigarh and its surrounding areas. The police is hopeful to recover more stolen vehicles from their possession after the two remaining suspects were arrested. Mr Gill said Ravinder hailing from Bathinda had come to the city along with a person named Deepak Kohli in search of job. |
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Marriage certificate forged? SAS NAGAR, July 4 — A retired Superintendent of Police had been booked by the local police for forging his marriage certificate. Two tehsildars, earlier posted in the Mohali sub-division, have also been accused of attesting the certificate without following the prescribed procedure. Challenging the genuineness of the certificate, the SP’s wife, Bhupinder Kaur in a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, sought verification of the document. The enquiry was marked to the District Revenue Officer (DRO), said sources. She alleged that on the pretext of getting a document signed for securing a job abroad, the SP, Mr Balbir Singh, got her signatures on the document of marriage. An enquiry by the DRO revealed that the certificate in the sub-division had been issued without proper verification. She had claimed that the certificate was fake. It had been issued on the basis of a certificate issued by Mr Kulwant Singh of Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Phase 1 here. The case under Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against the SP, Mr Vijay Arora, a resident of Phase 1, and two tehsildars Roopinder and Jagdeep. Earlier, the SP had got a case registered against members of two families for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to kidnap his wife, Bhupinder Kaur. In his complaint, he had stated that after he retired in 1998, he was working in Ludhiana and used to visit his residence in Phase 1 twice a week. The rest of the days his wife used to stay with her parents in Bharungian near Mullanpur. The retired police officer has levied charges of adultery against the family members of his wife — Hardeep, Surjit, and Surinder — who he alleged had hatched a conspiracy to marry her to a person named Harmanjit Singh. |
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