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| Tuesday, August 1, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Power board staff to gherao Parliament CHANDIGARH, July 31 — Engineers, technical workers and other employees of the electricity boards in the country have raised a banner of revolt against the proposed enactment of the Electricity Bill, 2000. The new Bill has been proposed to repeal the Indian Electricity Act, 1910, and the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948, and the Electricity Regulatory Commission Act, 1998. There is a provision for more powers to the regulatory commissions in the new Bill. There is a provision of reorganisation of the State electricity boards. Employees of the electricity boards apprehend that the proposed Bill was a planned move of the Union Government to privatise the power sector in the country. Mr Padamjit Singh, Secretary General and Mr
V.K.Gupta, Secretary of the Northern India Power Engineers Federation (NIPEF) told TNS here today that the employees of all boards in the country had decided to gherao Parliament on August 9 to oppose the Electricity Bill, 2000. They said the decision to this effect had been taken at a meeting of the national coordination committee of the employees of all the electricity boards in the country. Mr Gupta said in five States, where the power sector had been privatised, consumers were facing a lot of problems and the States concerned were repenting for privatising the power sector. He said the Electricity Bill, 2000 would be introduced in the current session of Parliament. Talking about the privatisation of the power sector in Andhra Pradesh, Mr Gupta said the government had to jack up the power tariff up to Rs 7 per unit to meet the demand of private investors in the power sector. He said now the Andhra Pradesh Government had announced a subsidy of Rs 2 per unit to reduce the power bill burden on the people. He said in one go, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister had to enhance power tariff for agriculture to 61 per cent, domestic sector 54 per cent and for industrial sector 6 to 20 per cent. Likewise, the average power generation cost in Orissa before privatisation in December 1998 was only 92 paise a unit, but it has now gone up to Rs 2.55 a unit . He said as the private companies who had invested in the power sector were demanding 16 per cent rate of return, the per unit to consumers would cost Rs 8 per unit. The power consumption in Orissa has come down to 154 units per capita while it was earlier 201 units per capita. The line losses had gone to 54 per cent in Orissa while before privatisation it was only 23 per cent. The Federation had earlier given a memorandum to the Prime Minister requesting him to reform the existing electricity boards and there was no need of the privatisation of power sector. Mr Gupta said Mr Ashok Rao, Convener of the National Working Group on Power, had opined the new legislation was not required as the existing legislation was broadbased and can accommodate any restructuring. The reforms so far undertaken had failed miserably on every count. |
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JE killed by wife’s paramour SAS NAGAR, July 31 — The 45-year-old junior engineer of the Horticulture Wing of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) who went missing a month ago has been murdered. The case came to light when Sohan Singh, allegedly involved in the murder of the JE, Bhoop Singh, was arrested by the local police here today. Investigations by the police revealed that an extra-martial affair of the Bhoop Singh's wife Meena (35) with 22-year-old Baljinder Singh, led to his murder. Efforts are being made to recover the remains of the deceased dumped in a seasonal rivulet near Balongi village. The body, allegedly dumped by the paramour of the woman and his accomplice Najar Singh, went unnoticed due to wild growth along the nullah. Bhoop Singh married Meena in 1979 and had three children — Deepak (17), Rakhee (16) and Mamta (11). The victim was drugged with at least 15 sleeping pills before being done to death by his wife's paramour with a sword while she pretended to be asleep in the adjoining room. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), City, Mr Sukhwant Singh Gill, said efforts were being made to trace the remains of the deceased. The police arrested the woman and her two accomplices late this evening on the basis of information given by Sohan Singh. Some shocking facts leading to the murder of the Junior Engineer came to light with the questioning of the woman. It all started about one-and-a-half years ago when Baljinder Singh started living in an LIG flat adjacent to the JE's house in Sector 70. The youth used to visit the house of the JE when the latter was away and allegedly developed illicit relations with her. When the family of the boy came to know about his illicit relations with the married woman, they took him away to his native place in Amritsar, but the boy soon returned. Then he left his brother's residence and started living in Mataour village. When without job, he used to survive on the money given by the woman. Bhoop Singh was also aware of his wife's illicit relations and objected to it. The main suspect in the case, Baljinder Singh, said the woman use to blackmail him if he refused to carry on with her. He alleged that her husband used to object to her affair. "She asked me to bring sleeping pills to be given to her husband so as to facilitate his murder," he revealed. On June 30, he along with Najar Singh and Sohan Singh borrowed a scooter from their friend to go the JE's house around 10.45 p.m. When they reached the house, the JE was asleep under the effect of the sleeping pills. A police official said the sleeping pills were procured by his wife from a chemist at Mataour village and by the time her paramour reached the scene, she had set the stage for the murder. Baljinder pierced a sword twice into the stomach of the victim and, along with Najar Singh, took the body on the scooter to the nullah. Their other accomplice, Sohan Singh fled the scene before the murder took place, said the police. The woman on the other hand said she was threatened by Baljinder to keep quiet about the episode, but confessed that she had relations with the boy. The police is making efforts to trace the sword used in the crime. |
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CHB allots houses
to couples jointly CHANDIGARH,
According to the Chairperson of the board, Ms Neeru Nanda, a proposal is being forwarded to the Chandigarh Administration to draft a policy in which all the allotments to the slum dwellers will be made in the joint name of the husband and wife. The housing board had allotted 32 dwelling units in Palsora village on July 21. Out of these, 31 were in the joint names. ‘‘This will ensure that the husband does not sell the tenement without the consent of his wife,” Mrs Nanda, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare, said. This will also empower the woman in the family and ensure that she also has a say in the property management, Ms Nanda added. If the proposal is implemented, it will ensure that those benefiting from such schemes do not dispose of their property for a premium at a later stage. A large number of dwellings, allotted by the Chandigarh Administration to resettle jhuggi colonies, till date, have been resold by the original allottees. More than 10,000 dwelling units, in the form of plots or semi-built-up houses, have been allotted to the slum dwellers. It may be recalled that alarmed at the large-scale resale of the tenements by the allottees, the Chandigarh Administration had transferred the powers of the Estate Officer to the Assistant Commissioner-I, Mr Ashok Vashist, for property falling under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh. |
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Firms not to pay for laying OFC CHANDIGARH, According to sources, the Director, Information Technology, Chandigarh Administration, Mr Vivek Attri, has conveyed the decision to provide free right of way to be given to the IT firms. The letter says that during a conference of the IT ministers held in New Delhi on July 10, a resolution was adopted for allowing the free right of way to various companies to lay the OFC. The letters says: "The companies will be providing free bandwidth to the administration for all its e-governance, including those of the corporation. This will ultimately benefit the public both directly and indirectly." Corporation sources, while
confirming that free right of way would be provided, however, informed that restoration charges for the road cuts would be recovered from firms selected. In fact, free facility for laying cables had already been extended to Essar Communications Limited (ECL) which is laying underground cables for the telecom network. The company was, however, paying the restoration charges at the rate of Rs 90 per square feet and had already deposited Rs 1 crore as security. It may be recalled that the administration had recently shortlisted eight telecom and information giants for laying the OFC intended to provide Internet connectivity and value-added services to the city residents. The firms are Bharati Comtel, Gurgaon, Larsen and Toubro, Mumbai, BPL Broadcast Networks, Bangalore, Zee Interactive Multimedia, New Delhi, RPG Cables, New Delhi, Hathway Cable and Datacom, Mumbai, Spectra Net, New Delhi, and HFCL. The administration plans to select four to five firms for laying the underground cables. |
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Land allotted for Police Lines PANCHKULA,
The ball is now in the court of the Police Department. A site plan is likely to be initiated after the Police Headquarters gets information from the Superintendent of Police, Panchkula. The Superintendent of Police, Ms Kala Ramachandran, said that being a new district, the earmarking of an area for setting up the Police Lines had been in the pipeline for quite some time. In the absence of a particular place, police personnel and the belongings of the department had been scattered at various places, she said. The land in Bada Madanpur and Nagal Moginand will cater to the police personnel at present residing in the cramped building of a police station in Sector 1. In the absence of stores and paucity of space, barricades and other belongings of the department have been dumped in the building taken on rent for the purpose. Also, arms and ammunition are stocked in the police stations of the city. Personnel add that because of shortage of space, they too have been accommodated in the various police stations and police posts as stop-gap arrangement. The new building will have residential facilities for constables, head constables and non-gazetted officials, besides stores for equipment, parade grounds, a camp office of the Superintendent of Police, a quarter guard for arms and ammunition, among other facilities missing from the present set-up. In the face of uneven terrain in the land acquired by the department, other additions would be made only after a survey of the area. The construction work would be handed over to the Haryana Police Housing Board Corporation. This will enable the department in the district to function as one unit and is bound to increase efficiency and reduce preparation time for operations significantly. Meanwhile, the SDM, Mr Rajiv Ranjan, added that Rs 2,03,21,024 had been paid by way of compensation for land to the villagers. |
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HUDA told to restore plot to original allottee CHANDIGARH, July 31 — Allowing the appeal of an employee, Ms Tripta Rani, against the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has set aside the order of District Forum I which had turned down the complainant's plea of restoring the legally allotted plot to her. Ms Tripta told The Tribune here today that despite payment of all the required instalments, HUDA had declined to give her the plot. The said plot, she added, had earlier already been allotted to her, but subsequently the future of the scheme became uncertain and HUDA returned the money she deposited with it for allotment of the plot. She said the plot was not being restored on the plea that she had lost the right to possession after taking back her money. The commission Bench consisting of President J.B. Garg and members P.K. Vasudeva and Devinderjit Dhatt held that HUDA had been unfair in not restoring the plot to the complainant. Going by the documents, the Bench held that the future of the scheme under which the complainant had been allotted House number 207 in Sector 4 of Panchkula was uncertain since day one. It was only after a long communication between the state and the central governments that the decision of developing a green belt in the area was taken. The Bench observed that the present case was not one in which the complainant was unable to pay the money on account of fund shortage. It held HUDA deficient and observed that HUDA itself was uncertain about the future of the said scheme. Deliberating on the point that after Tripta Rani took her money back, the plot in question was allotted to Ram Kumar out of the discretionary quota of the CM, the Bench held that in case the plot in question has been allotted to some other applicant during the pendency of the case, HUDA shall allot and deliver an alternative plot of the similar area to the appellant together with physical possession of the plot in Mansa Devi Complex within four months. Ms Tripta's complaint had been turned down by the District Forum I which directed HUDA to refund Rs 53,850 lying with it together with interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of deposit. In her case, the complainant stated that Chief Administrator, HUDA, had invited applications for allotment of 14-marla residential plots at Mansa Devi Urban Complex on April 12, 1984. She stated that she deposited Rs 7,176 (10 per cent of the price as the earnest money) and on October 23, 1984, plot number 207, Sector 4, was allotted to her. She further deposited Rs 10,764 by means of a bank draft on November 20, 1984, within 30 days of the issuance of the letter of allotment. She informed that another Rs 9,000 was deposited as the first instalment and by 1986 a total of Rs 26,940 stood deposited with HUDA. Thereafter, there was a wave that the residential plots may not be developed. But in December, 1986, the Chief Administrator, HUDA, sent a letter to the Administrator, HUDA, informing him that no interest was payable on the amount deposited to be refunded in toto because the scheme had been closed down. Following this, the appellant was also returned Rs 26,940 which could be re-deposited in case the scheme was to be revived. Later, when she learnt that the scheme had been revived, she deposited the money, but HUDA declined to give her physical possession of the plot which had earlier been allotted to her. |
Recarpeting of Kalka-Ambala highway DERA BASSI, July 31 — The quality of recarpeting carried out at the cost of several crores on the Kalka-Ambala National Highway, just three months ago, speaks volumes about the reportedly shoddy workmanship of the building and roads wing of the Public Works Department (PWD).Potholes and peeling off of the bitumen are a common sight; as one drives on this stretch of the highway. Questions are also being raised about the non-completion of the work as the project was to be completed before the advent of the monsoon. The Ministry of Surface and Transport (MOST) had released a sum of Rs 3.48 crore to repair the road-berms besides improving the ‘‘riding quality’’. In this context a stretch of 31 km of the highway from the Panchkula barrier to Jharmari village near Ambala was to be recarpeted. Sources in the department revealed that the authorities had been awarding the recarpeting contract to a single firm for the past many years. ‘‘Some senior officials are allegedly hand in glove with the contractor and are said to pocket handsome commissions” alleged an employee. ‘‘The department gets funds for carrying out repairs once in five years from the ministry. After spending crores, there is hardly any improvement in the riding quality of the bumpy and potholed highway, ’’ he pointed out. Sources alleged that the contractor had used substandard material besides flouting the specifications listed in the tender. There could be no other reason of potholes appearing after just three months and one must keep it in mind that the next grant could be released after five years. Soil dug from the roadsides to level the berms has added to the depth of roadside ditches. The contractor had saved money by doing this as the soil was to be brought from a site more than 9 km away from here as per the terms of the contract, sources alleged. Experts revealed that poor quality ‘‘track coat’’, and ‘‘semi-dense concrete’’ has resulted in the peeling off of the fresh layer of bitumen on the road. Besides this, waste concrete material had been used by the contractor to fill the road dividers instead of good soil thereby again flouting the terms of the contract. Poor quality bricks had been used in constructing dividers, alleged Mr Vikram Sharma, a resident of Lalru. Knee-deep potholes have appeared on the newly-recarpeted road. The bitumen has not been able to withstand even one monsoon, and the condition of the road after two years could be well imagined, he observed. Mr C.J. Lal, Superintending Engineer, said that sealing of the recarpeted surface was yet to be done. Due to some disputes this work was stopped for some time which delayed the project. He, however, denied the allegations against the department and claimed that payments to the contractor would be released only after the satisfactory completion of the work. The Superintending Engineer, Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma, expressed his ignorance about the condition of the recently recarpeted road.  |
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A difficult road to walk on CHANDIGARH, One cannot even walk on this kilometer-long stretch because of the constant danger of slipping. "It is impossible for the pedestrians to use the road after a rainfall,'' reveals a woman. "The two-wheeler riders take chances only if they are experts." The tractor-trailers carrying sand from the nearby choe have worsened the problem. "Even when the road is dry, dust particles raised by the tractor-trailers enter the eyes," complains a shopkeeper. "Daily a minimum of 500 tractors and trucks ply on this road", he adds. The village sarpanch, Ms Ved Vati, is aware of the problem. She asserts: "Though it is the work of the PWD, yet being the sarpanch I am being asked by the villagers to get the road repaired." According to her, the condition of the road was never good, but during the past few years it had
deteriorated. "As I belong to the out-of-power party, my village gets step-motherly treatment," she alleges. Claiming to have met the Ropar Deputy Commissioner, she adds: "The authorities and leaders of the
ruling party have given us assurances and nothing else." Her son, Ramesh, says that in past two years the village had received just Rs 60,000 for repair of the streets and nullahs. "We had asked the local member of Parliament to release Rs 30,000 for the village cremation ground, but we are still waiting for the sanction," informs Ramesh. The pond too is neglected. villagers describe it as the breeding ground for mosquitoes. Green
algae floats on the dirty water as flies and mosquitoes hover over it. "The pond is the house of many diseases like malaria, viral infections and host of skin diseases," warns Dr Gurpreet Singh, whose clinic is near on the pond. "We contacted the authorities for cleaning the pond, but I was told about the absence of grant for the purpose," asserts another villager. |
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Inflated water
bill alleged CHANDIGARH,
One of the harassed Sector 20 shopkeepers, Mr Subhash Arora, alleged that his water meter was shown as "dead" in spite of the fact that it was in working condition. Since he did not reside in his SCF, the water consumption was less and he had been paying the bill in addition to the meter rent in time. But since December last year he had been receiving "inflated" bills and his meter had been shown as "dead" in the official record. Mr Arora demanded the meter reading should be rechecked. |
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‘Article 25 gives separate identity to Sikhs’ CHANDIGARH,
July 31 — The World Sikh Intellectual Council at a press conference here today, protested against those who have opposed the reference to Sikhs in Article 25 of the Constitution as being construed to be a part of the Hindu community in general. Article 25 which deals with the freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion gives the following explanations: Explanation 1: The wearing and carrying of kirpans shall be deemed to be included in the profession of Sikh religion. Explanation 2: In Sub-clause (b) of Clause 2, the reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jain, Buddhist religion and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly. According to Mr Gur Rattan Pal Singh, legal advisor to the WSIC, Article 25 provides for a separate identity of the Sikhs. They are allowed to wear kirpans and also ensures the equality of all religions promoting secularism and does not in any way imply that Sikhs are a part of the Hindu religion as is being felt. He further stated that in spite of Articles 25, 29 and 30, the minorities in the country continue to feel insecure. The President of WSIC, Mr Baldev Singh Balluana, said a seven-member panel constituted by the WSIC earlier had submitted a representation to the National Commission to review the working of the Constitution. He further stated that the Anandpur Sahib Resolution was the Magna Carta for those states which wanted more power to the states and as per the resolution, the Centre should restrict its interference in the working of the states. Talking to TNS later, the members of the WSIC felt that although the identity of the Sikhs has to be maintained and their culture and tradition propagated to the newer generations, the Sikhs also need to be in tune with the times. |
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Municipal corporation formation debated PANCHKULA, “In addition to imposition of exorbitant tax rates, we can be sure of a corrupt system if an MC is formed in our area. Experience of MCs in other states has shown that extortion is the name of the game and all developmental activity is a farce for them. The city is bound to go to the dogs if the proposal is not opposed,” Mr Parveen Goyal, a resident of Sector 12-A, says. “The formation of an MC is essential since approaching officers is beyond the reach of the common man. With representatives from every ward catering to a specified area, we will be able to manage the affairs of the city better. As far as taxes are concerned, I am sure we can talk reason with them,’’ Mrs Chandrakanta Agnihotri, a lecturer, says. “I am in favour of an MC since the representatives of wards can be held responsible for any dilly-dallying in matters of public interest. In the office of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, one only manages to chase a file from one office to another. Moreover, all employees have a laidback attitude and the formation of an MC will be a positive decision for the city,’’ Dr Ashok Aggarwal, practising in Sector 11, says. “The formation of an MC in the city will politicise matters further. As it is, the MC is not known for carrying out any development work in the area under its purview. With wards and representatives, every matter is likely to become complicated and solutions debated without achieving tangible results,’’ Mrs Urmilla Kakkar, a resident of Sector 8, says. “We are giving an invitation to ill-maintained parks, unhygienic conditions and bad roads by letting the government decide on the MC issue. Paucity of funds is one problem the MCs suffer from particularly. Added to that, will be the herculean task of completing the development works in the city. Nobody other than HUDA is better suited to handle maintenance and carry out development works simultaneously. Also, they have performed to everybody’s satisfaction,’’ Mr Vipan Sahni, a resident of Sector 9, says. |
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Age is no deterrent for him CHANDIGARH, As a social worker, he is the founder of two welfare societies — life Partners Association and Senior Citizens Welfare Association of Sector 21. As a senior citizen, he has contributed a lot to the city people and he keeps himself busy most of the time doing something creative. He is the centre of attraction among his friends. He is the one who makes everybody laugh and helps them to forget the tension. He believes in charity and donates some amount of his pension to various religious institutions. He has been contributing as a writer to many newspapers and magazines since 1951. He comes through many innovative ideas and implements them on wasteful things. He passes his spare time by giving shape to useless things. He picks up stray pieces, shapes them into good figures and fixes them on the outer window of his house to amuse passers-by. He has turned useless wood and stones into the figures of different animals. He has made dear, octopus, dinosaurs and other items. He has also made sketches of famous personalities, including Sachin Tendulkar, K.P.S. Gill, Kushwant Singh, Daler
Mehndi. |
Two arrested in assault case CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The police has arrested Bikram and Vikrant on the charges of assaulting Mr Pankaj Kapoor, a resident of Sector 44. In his complaint, Mr Kapoor has alleged that the two along with Marry and two other boys assaulted him and snatched his gold chain. In another assault case, Mr Yogesh Singla, a resident of Sector 39, complained that he was assaulted by seven/eight boys who were driving a car (PB-65-A-1101). His car was stopped at the small chowk of Sectors 39 and 40 and he was assaulted. Cases have been registered. Arrested: The stolen trousers had been recovered and a case registered. Gamblers held: Ashok Kumar, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, was arrested for playing satta at a public place. A sum of Rs 120 was seized from him. The police also arrested Sunder Lal, Ambika parshad, Ram
Singh and Sonu Kumar, all residents of Colony No 4, for gambling at a public place. Cases have been registered in both the cases.
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Revolver
found CHANDIGARH,
According to information available, the gun was spotted by Gautam, a labourer working in the area. The police is investigating. |
Octroi collection
auction put off CHANDIGARH,
The issue came up for discussion at a recent meeting organised by the Mohali Industries Association with the DC, Ropar, and other officials of the local administration. |
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Computerised banks to
accept IT payments CHANDIGARH, These woes of taxpayers are finally being attended to by the Income Tax Department from tomorrow, as all computerised bank branches of nationalised banks will accept income tax payments. This scheme is being implemented in 133 cities countrywide. Talking to TNS today, the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, North-Western Region, Chandigarh, Ms Surinder Paul Kaur, said from tomorrow, 46 more branches of banks had been authorised to accept the income tax payments in Chandigarh. Similarly, in Amritsar, 25 additional bank branches of nationalised banks would provide this facility to the taxpayers. This scheme of tax payment would also be applicable in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, wherein 23 and 22 branches, respectively, had started accepting tax payments. In Patiala, eight more branches of nationalised banks would have tax payment receipt counters. She informed that this was one more step in the continuing drive of the Income Tax Department to reduce the compliance cost of paying income tax. She also stated that in the near future, the department was likely to send the refund of any tax directly to the bank account of the tax-payers, ensuring that to collect the refund the tax-payers would not have to visit the income tax office. She added that the new perspective of the department was to look at the taxpayer as a ‘client’ who needed to be provided with the best possible service in payment of taxes. |
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