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| Tuesday,
August 8, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Admn releases grant for
PU, strings attached CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — A sum of Rs 13.5 crore has been released by the Chandigarh Administration as the first instalment of the annual budgetary grant to Panjab University. The Administration has imposed two conditions for Panjab University (PU) to follow while spending the money. The second and final instalment of an identical sum will be released in the coming two months. The Administration has instructed PU that no fresh recruitment should take place in the year, while the university should also work out ways to generate some revenue on its own. Confirming the release of the money, Mr Rakesh Singh, Finance Secretary, said the grant had been hiked from Rs 24 crore to Rs 27 crore for this year. The sum was released while Mr Singh was on tour. Meanwhile, sources point out that the Administration has asked PU to avoid employing any retired persons on posts which are not required. This is in reference to appointments of various advisers for engineering or horticulture wings. For such things, the university can take advice from the Administration or the Punjab and Haryana governments, opine senior officials of the Administration. Further seeking imposition of austerity measures, PU authorities have been asked to generate some more revenue on its own. The same has been stressed upon by the Punjab Government authorities, who have to release Rs 16 crore for Panjab University. Punjab has refused to increase the grant, citing budgetary constraints. The UT Administration has asked that no fresh recruitment take place if austerity has to be maintained. The university had prepared a budget of Rs 40 crore for this year. This was questioned by the UT authorities. A major controversy broke out, with senior Administration officials and the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof M.M. Puri, trading charges and counter charges, and the entire episode spilling out in the media. Till date, the budget of the university has not been passed. A meeting for passing of the budget has been scheduled for August 13. Meanwhile, sources say a demand of the Senate of Panjab University to get an investigation carried out on the expenditure of the university cannot invite any action. An audit cannot be ordered by the Administration as a pre--audit is carried out on expenditure of the university. It is now
up to the Senate to decide if it wants an outside audit. The Senate had demanded to know how money was spent on roads, guest houses, hostel buildings and renovation of toilets in the administrative block of PU. Prof P.P. Arya, President of the Panjab University Teachers Association, had demanded an investigation. |
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3 soldiers' bodies sent to native villages CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — The bodies of Capt S.K. Yadav and Sepoys Sushil Kumar and Rajinder Singh, all belonging to the 3 Battalion of the Rajput Regiment were sent to their native places after being accorded military honours at the northern area here this morning. Wreaths were laid on their bodies on behalf of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, as well as the station commanders of Chandi Mandir and the northern area. A guard of honour presented a salute, reversed arms and observed two minutes’ silence in memory of the valiant soldiers. Capt Yadav and the two jawans were buried in snow after they succumbed to gun shot wounds while fighting the enemy in an attempt to capture the Reshma post in Siachen on August 30 last year. Due to the snow, their bodies could not be recovered. Their bodies were recovered on Friday and were airlifted from Thoise today. All three were unmarried. The body of Capt Yadav has been sent to Kathingara village in Etah, while those of Sepoy Sushil Kumar and Sepoy Rajinder Singh have been sent to Ataulapore in Panipat and Tinoni in Meerut respectively. |
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Market sites to be auctioned by month-end CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — Sites in the first of its kind bulk material market in Punjab will be auctioned in this town during the last week of this month. The bulk material market, to be built in two phases, will cover an area of 121 acres in Sector 65-A. In the first phase, an area of 76 acres is being developed by the engineering cell of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA). In the auction, PUDA has earmarked at least 54 sites, which include shop-cum-office (SCOs), booths, and other general purpose sites in the first phase. The authorities are also planning to arrange visits to the site for the potential buyers. Located along the proposed Chandigarh — Ludhiana railway track, the bulk material market will house trades of timber, iron and steel and marble. Movement of freight to and from the market would be easy due to its proximity with the proposed Kambali railway station. According to information available, the reserved price of a corner SCO has been fixed at around Rs 80. 75 lakh, while for other SCOs it is Rs 71.62 lakh. The corner booth site and other booth sites would have a reserve price of Rs 2.83 lakh and Rs 2.39 lakh, respectively. The reserved price of one-kanal plot has been fixed at Rs 38.39 lakh and that of corner one-kanal plot would be Rs 42.89 lakh. In case of 10 marla plot, the reserve price would be Rs 18 lakh and for the corner site it would be Rs 20.29 lakh. An official of PUDA said the corner plots had 10 per cent extra price. The Town and Country Planning Department, Punjab, has already approved the lay-out plans of the project at a meeting of the planning and design committee of PUDA. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 8.27 crore, out of which around Rs 4.63 crore was being spent on laying roads. The sites to be auctioned are for trades of timber, iron and steel and marble. The authorities have made provisions for facilities like weigh bridge, hotel, dispensary, residential accommodation police post in the project.
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2 cops suspended for misbehaviour PANCHKULA, Aug 7—Two constables were suspended on charges of misbehaviour and corruption while inquiries were marked to IGs and SPs in 70-odd cases at the open darbar of the Director General Of Police, Mr S.P.S. Rathore, held at the police headquarters in Sector 6 here today. As many as 120 complaints were heard by the DGP in the darbar which continued for over six hours. About 35 cases were those of ex gratia and inter-district transfers of police personnel. In a case from Ladwa, it was alleged that Madan Lal was forced to commit suicide by two persons of the village. The complaint stated that he bought a truck with a loan from a bank. However, the truck and a sum of over Rs 1 lakh was taken away by Pawan Kumar which forced him to commit suicide. It added that the police had failed to take any action in spite of the suicide note naming the two accused. In a case from Naraingarh, Mrs Ramti Devi, said that her daughter-in-law Naresh Kumari had murdered her husband and was helped by two
men, Sukhwinder Singh and Maan Singh. Once she even admitted of having strangulated him and pushed him into the Bhakra canal. However, after a couple of days the investigating officer informed them that the statements had been changed by the accused. The village panchayat demanded that the case should be handed over to the CBI. However, the DGP ordered the case be looked into by a senior officer. The darbar saw many complainants from districts all over the state. The premises proved inadequate to accommodate all who had come to seek justice. Though adequate arrangements for drinking water had been made at the venue, the complainants had to cool their heels under trees within the premises, waiting for their turn. |
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Students' endless wait for PU results CHANDIGARH, Aug 6 — The new session at Panjab University and its affiliated colleges begins at last but not without some hiccups. As the students file into colleges and their departments, many are unsure of how they have fared in their examinations. Still pending at Panjab University is the declaration of results of some undergraduate classes and most postgraduate classes. And no one is ready to take responsibility. Those at the examination branch blame the examiners for the delay while the examiners blame the examination system. In the traditional set up of the examination system, the number of destinations the answersheets pass through from the hands of the student to the examiner are many. From the examiner centre these copies are sent to the secrecy branch where they are coded. The number of copies for undergraduate classes are almost 8-10 lakhs and for postgraduate classes almost one and a half lakh. The undergraduate course answersheets are checked centrally with the spot checking system. Examiners are invited at particular centres where these copies are checked. This is done at the university campus and some centres in Punjab. For postgraduate classes the copies are sent to the examiners and a response from them waited. This process can take anything between two weeks to one month which leaves almost two to four weeks with the examiner to check the copies in, if the results are to be declared in time before the session starts. The examiners who are being blamed by the authorities as taking more time than necessary leading to the delay in the declaration of the results have their own set of explanations. They say that firstly the copies are sent very late, sometimes even after the session has started. Since the copies received are already more than one and a half month late, they are not the ones to cause delays. Moreover, there is no major pressure on them to return these on time. Then there is the problem of correcting answersheets in Punjabi and Hindi. A large number of examiners who are sent copies in Hindi and Punjabi either take too long to check these or return them to the university saying that they do not understand the language or the handwriting is illegible. In such cases the university re-sends them to other examiners who also can send them back or take their sweet time returning them. Mr A. R. Bhandari, the Joint Controller of Examinations, Panjab University, says that an easy solution to this is
available. When the colleges and departments are asked for a list of faculty members who are to be made examiners it can be specified as to which language the examiner is comfortable with. Also related is the fact that the examiners are paid a rather meagre amount to check the copies (it is a mere 6 Rs per copy) and thus most examiners do not have any special attraction to check copies. On the other hand the examination branch considers the time given to the examiners more than enough by the for examining copies. Though the number of copies given to each examiner varies, going by the speed of the spot examiners of 40-50 copies a day, it is expected that the examiner sitting at home would be able to check most of the copies in a week. But this rarely happens as neither the copies reach the examiner on time nor do the examiners send them back in time. After the checked copies are received, it takes another week or more depending on the rush to prepare the result and get it printed. Whether it is the whim of the examiners or the slow moving processing system of the examination branch, the fact remains it is the student at the receiving end of the examination system. Mr Paramjit Singh, Registrar, Panjab University, was not available for comments while the Deputy Registrar, Secrecy, Mr R.P. Bedi refused to comment till Mr Paramjit Singh permitted him to do so. |
Matka Chowk protesters’
favourite spot CHANDIGARH,
Aug 7 — One of the most well-kept roundabout, Matka Chowk, also has the dubious distinction of being the scene of many a scuffle between the cops and agitators causing a lot of problems to commuters. The majority of demonstrations and strikes by employee organisations and political parties take place here. Thousands of protesters converge at the chowk with the result that the traffic is inadvertently diverted to other routes. People have to take a detour of more than two
km causing unwarranted harassment for them. The demonstrations, mainly by the Punjab or Haryana Government employees, besides farmers and other organisations, take place here as it is the nearest point from the Punjab and Haryana Secretariats and the agitators cannot go beyond this chowk because Section 144 of the Cr PC is in force all year round. This roundabout, situated on the busy Madhya Marg, is used by thousands of commuters going to the PGI, colleges, Panjab University , the high courts and also to some of the major business and commercial establishments. Mr Vijay Katiyal, a bank employee, who comes from Panchkula, says “I really feel agitated whenever there is a protest or some kind of agitation near the roundabout. I invariably get late for office. The government must take some step to change the venue to a place like Parade Ground. These dharnas should not be allowed to take place on the main roads as it is a source of recurring nuisance to people like me.” A university student, Radhika Jaswal, says, “The authorities must initiate steps to stop such disruption of traffic on the main roads. Sometimes I miss my classes due to this reason alone since it takes some more time to reach the university. Chandigarh, being a good tourist spot, attracts a lot of tourists and such demonstrations present an unsavoury picture for newcomers.” A lot of man hours of the local police are also lost in maintaining law and order at this place. Although the agitators are mainly from Punjab and Haryana, yet it is the responsibility of the local cops to handle the protesters, laments a senior police officer. The department has written to the Punjab and the Haryana police to provide additional force to handle the agitators, another officer informed. |
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An overview of City Beautiful Chandigarh, a modern, well-planned city, is increasingly coming under criticism for its poor management. It is a common perception that Islamabad is cleaner than any city in India and Singapore, an Asian city, is one of the best managed cities in the world. After the loss of Lahore at the time of the Partition, Chandigarh was planned as the new capital of Punjab. There was also a move to resettle some of the urban migrants from western Punjab in a model city. The residents of the city feel that the development, maintenance and management of the city have not taken place along the expected lines. Filthy rehri markets, unauthorised colonies and large-scale encroachments on government land have spoiled the face of the City Beautiful in a short span of four decades. It has become crowded, polluted and dirty. Stray cattle and dogs are seen everywhere. The garbage and garden waste removal system has become ineffective. Litter lies scattered in the open at various places. A former Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, the late M. S. Randhawa, used to inspect various sectors of the city during his morning walks and see things for himself. He took personal interest in the greening and beautification of the city. Most of the officers had an intimate understanding of the problems of the city. The situation deteriorated rapidly in the period that followed. As the population increased and the number of vehicles on the city’s roads swelled, the city started losing its distinction as a modern and well-planned city. Work culture has taken a nosedive and there is poor implementation of the law. Political interference makes the task of officials difficult, especially when politicians want either to delay implementation of certain decisions or want these to be implemented selectively. Reorganisation of Punjab was the first serious blow to the city. It was the beginning of the dilution of the Periphery Act. It was during this period that haphazard construction came up at Zirakpur which has now become an eyesore right at the entrance of the city. The dispute between Punjab and Haryana on the status of Chandigarh has also adversely affected its maintenance and development. Both states developed their satellite towns which put an additional burden on the city’s resources and amenities. To compound the confusion, the Anandgarh project is being talked about now. During the days of militancy, a large number of unauthorised constructions, besides pitching of hundreds of tents, took place in the city. Gypsies and other vehicles with red lights on top became a law unto themselves. To some extent, the situation still continues. Politicians with vested interests have encouraged large-scale migration from far-off states into the city. This has resulted in not only crowding but also created a law and order problem. Allotment of low-priced tenements on easy instalments has attracted a large number of migrants to the city. The allottees have been selling these dwellings at a high premium. The Administration has not been able to clear the sidewalks of unauthorised rickshaw stands that have sprung up there, hindering pedestrians’ movement. The pedestrians have to walk on the carriageways. The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation should restore the sidewalks to the pedestrians. The public health authorities have been lax in removing garbage from the service lanes and other places. Had the old practice of removal of garbage from the lanes twice a week continued, these would have remained clean and the menace of congress grass would have created fewer problems. There appears to be no dearth of money for buying air-conditioned cars for officers and VIPs, but when it comes to procuring tractors and trailers for the removal of garbage, shortage of funds comes in the way. Experts who routinely praise the development of the city at seminars should to go to various places and see the ground realities. The Town Planning and Architecture Department should study how and why haphazard growth and unplanned development have taken place and devise ways to stop
them. Responsibility for allowing encroachment should be fixed squarely. The creation of the Municipal Corporation was meant to lessen the burden on the Chandigarh Administration. Certain areas for which there is concurrent responsibility have added to the confusion. The number of officials at the higher level in the Administration has not decreased; in fact it has only increased. Therefore, with the creation of the MCC, expenditure on the management of the city has increased and efficiency has gone down. The management of the city can only be improved if quick action based on dependable feedback is taken. About seven years ago, the Administration started the system of creating sector level committees under the chairmanship of middle-level officers. Besides the representatives of all sub-sectors, representatives of various departments also used to attend the monthly meetings of these committees. These meetings had proved useful in tackling various problems faced by different sectors. Like most of other good schemes, these committees have also ceased to exist, creating a serious communication gap between the residents and the Administration. The scheme should be revived. — Brig S. S. Chowdhary (retd) |
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Eunuch as an artist CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — Eunuchs in Sector 26 Bapu Dham Colony live a tough life, devoid of social acceptance. The city does not have a separate burial ground for eunuchs. Their head and guru Shama Bai has to her credit the creation of a mini rock garden. "I like to create instead of wasting time in gossip," she says. The work on the project started 18 years ago. "It was a long process, but I was committed to it," says Shama Bai. She collected rocks from Ghaggar, Ropar, Nangal and Hardwar. The structure stands in majesty and tells a story of patience and perseverance. The garden is surrounded by thick cement walls and has many animal figures. There are many statues of goddesses. This garden has gradually come to be regarded as a sacred place because of the five pirs and Mai Heera samadhi. Shama had created a mini-zoo, but had to release the animals into the forest because she was not healthy enough to take care of the animals. Ask her to where she belongs and she gets a little nostalgic. After being born in Madras, now Chennai, Shama Bai came to Punjab in the 1950s and met her guru Mai Heera, who came from Pakistan after Partition. Recalling life in the city, she says, "Life was tough here
initially. In the 1970s, the only place we had to live in was the slum area of the grain market." Shama stayed there for more than a decade. She is grateful to the government for allotment of a house in Bapu Dham. She used to organise a cultural programme every Sunday in the mini rock garden, but it had to be discontinued. People come to Shama Bai's place from India and abroad to have an insight into the life of eunuchs. A German national, David, has written a book on eunuchs. A Canadian national, Thomas, has made a documentary on them. |
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Rally by RSS against activists' kidnapping CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — As part of the nationwide protest against violence and kidnapping of its activists in Tripura, the RSS organised a rally in the city today. Hundreds of the workers of the RSS, the BJP and other social organisations assembled in Sector 18 and marched in procession to Sector 17 to protest against the kidnapping of four RSS leaders —Mr Shyamalkant Sengupta, Mr Dynander Nath Dey, Mr Sudhamayay Dutt and Mr Subhankar Chakraborty—on August 6 last year. The protesters alleged that the National Liberation Front of
Tripura (NLFT) was holding the state to ransom. From 1993 to 1999 as many as 1757 persons had been kidnapped. Of them 120 persons had been killed and 1425 released after the payment of the hefty ransom. Similarly, 1724 civilians and 168 members of the para-military personnel had been killed during the same period. They urged the Central Government to take strict measures to control the militancy. PANCHKULA: Supporting saffron bands, members of the RSS along with other social and religious organisations marched to the Mini Secretariat in Sector 1 from the roundabout in Sector 2 to lodge their protest against terrorism in the north-east, especially Tripura, here on Sunday. They submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S. K. Monga to be forwarded to the President of India. Their demands included dismissal of the Tripura Government which had failed to protect the interests of the Hindus in the state and failed to secure the release of four functionaries of the RSS. Earlier, the members organised an hour-long dharna outside the Secretariat. Addressing the members, Mr Ishwar Chander, an office-bearer of the district body, said that the government had proved inefficient in the release of four RSS activists taken captive by extremists in Tripura. "The Hindus have gradually become a minority and other communities have established their stronghold in the two states. Consequently, the Hindus are being targeted and conversions have become the order of the day which must end,'' he said. The others who addressed the gathering include Mr Prithvi raj, district secretary of the RSS, and Mr Bharat Bhushan Goyal, circle in charge of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. PATIALA: The RSS workers on Monday staged a protest dharna on the Mall here to protest against kidnapping of its office-bearers by the NLFT militant outfit in Tripura a year ago. The dharna call, given on a national level by the RSS, said it was unfortunate that even though one year had passed since the incident neither the Centre or the state government had been able to find out the whereabouts of the kidnapped persons. The rally, which started from Nehru Park in the morning, passed through main markets of the city before culminating at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner. Speaking on the occasion Mr Parmeshar Das, Sangh Chalak, Patiala district, said people from all walks of life had participated in the dharna. He said the dharna was also supported by cadres of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, the Seva Bharti, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the
Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Sigh Sangat. |
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Another
extension for Dr Kak? CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — The Administration is believed to have recommended the case of Prof V.K. Kak for a third year of extension as Director-Principal of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. Sources reveal that the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai, has recommended another extension of one year for Dr Kak. The file after being duly cleared by the UT Administrator, Lt Gen JFR Jacob ( Retd) has been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health for final approval. Dr Kak had taken over as the Director-Principal of the GMCH-32 in August 1995 for a period of three years. He has already got two extensions of one year each in 1998 and 1999 and this will be his third extension. He had taken over from Prof J.S Chopra, the founder-Principal of the medical college and hospital. Dr Kak had earlier worked as Head, Department of Neuro-Surgery, PGI for over a decade from 1983 onwards. He was also the Medical Superintendent, PGI. |
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Restaurant fined for overcharging CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — In an interesting judgement, the District Consumer Forum-II, comprising its President, Mr R.P. Bajaj, and its member, Mr H.S. Walia, has held a cold drink retailer guilty of indulging in unfair trade practise of charging a price more than the maximum retail price (MRP) prescribed for a one litre Coke bottle. Mr Pankaj Chandgothia, a consumer activist, had in his complaint alleged that M/s Muskan Restaurant in Sector 17 had charged Rs 30 for a one litre Coke bottle refill, which was Rs 10 more than the prescribed MRP. In its reply, the retailer pleaded that the complainant “must have purchased the bottle for consumption inside the restaurant” and, therefore, the charges were valid. Messrs Coca Cola (I) Pvt. Ltd. in its reply, agreed that the price of the bottle was Rs 20 and said that it was for the consumer organisations and courts to ensure that no excess price was charged from the consumers. While allowing the complaint, the forum directed the retailer to refund the excess price of Rs 10 and further pay Rs 550 as fine within one month. |
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Mobile bill collection
centre opened CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — The first ever mobile bill collection centre of the local telecom department opened today. This van will have a computer that is connected with the online bill payment computers of the department. The van was inaugurated by the Principal General Manager Telecom
(PGMT), Mr Prithipal Singh, at the Sector 4 telephone exchange. The van will be parked in Sector 4 on Monday and Tuesday. In the Sector 7 exchange on Wednesday and Thursday and in the Mani Majra exchange on Friday and Saturday. With this the subscribers need not go to the bill collections centre as the van will arrive at their exchanges itself. |
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Villagers opposed to ‘Anandgarh project’ CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — Former MLA and general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress J.S. Kang, said here yesterday that he had visited all the 29 villages to be included in the proposed Anandgarh and met the residents. He said the residents were agitated, and disappointed over Punjab Government’s claim that the panchayats and the people of the area had agreed to the formation of Anandgarh Mr Kang said that the government was using muscle power to suppress the opponents of the Anandgarh project. The members of the Anandgarh sangharsh committee were being implicated in false cases, he further added. |
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Lost money found CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — Mr Ranvir Prashar of the Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, has reported that some money has been found from the basement of the administrative block at Panjab University, Chandigarh, today. Anyone who claims to have lost this amount can collect the same from Mr Prashar after giving full details. |
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Lawyers’ strike against
Amarnath killings CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — The District Bar Association today observed a day's day strike to mark the killings of Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir. No substantial work was carried out in the city courts today. The advocates attended only the listed cases and secured dates. Only urgent matters were taken up and no new petitions were filed. President of the District Bar Association N.K. Nanda said that the strike was being observed to silently protest against the killings. He added that the advocates wanted the government to provide adequate compensation to the sufferers. |
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MC poll process
begins SAS NAGAR, Aug 7 — The process to hold elections to the SAS Nagar Municipal Council started today with the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), SAS Nagar, giving nomination forms to the prospective candidates. At least 70 nomination forms had been given by the ERO’s office. The rehearsal of the polling staff will be held on August 11, August 13 and August 17. It has been clarified that candidates need not obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from PUDA regarding the encroachment on public land. The Election Commission under Section 35 of the Punjab State Election Commission Act, 1994, has fixed August 10 as the last date for making nominations and August 11 as the date for scrutiny of the nominations. For withdrawal of the nominations, the last date is August 12. The poll will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 20. It may be pertinent to mention that a case regarding the delimitation of wards of the civic body is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. |
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Killing of yatris condemned CHANDIGARH, Aug 7 — The executive committee of Durga Mandir, Sector 41, has condemned the killing of innocent Amarnath yatris in Anantnag. The committee members also observed a two minute silence in memory of those killed. It was also resolved that their grievances would be conveyed to Mr L.K. Advani, to make appropriate security arrangements for pilgrims to J&K. |
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Discovery quiz in
city today CHANDIGARH,
Aug 7 — Discovery Channel Quiz 2000, travelling through 18 cities, reaches Chandigarh tomorrow. This multi-city, audio-visual quiz was kicked off from Bangalore on July 24. Over 29,000 students from 900 schools all over India are participating in this quiz, which is being hosted by quiz master Derek O’Brien. The winning team from each city in both the senior and junior categories will win a cash prize of Rs 5000 along with a silver plaque and a bicycle from Hero Cycles. The quiz starts at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Tagore Theatre.
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Water shortage in Lalru villages LALRU,
Aug 7 — Residents of this area have been facing an acute shortage of water for the past one week due to the negligence of the Public Health Department, which has not been able to get the damaged motor of a tubewell repaired. Residents have to walk to the neighbouring villages to get water. Lalru village, Lalru Mandi, Sardarpura colony, Modal colony, Premnagar, Amarpuri and Sundernagar are the worst affected areas where residents have to travel a long distance to fetch water from tubewells in nearby fields and wells. A resident complained that the motor of the tubewell had been damaged on Friday. They are forced to use polluted water drawn from the shallow handpumps. Mr Mohan Singh, a resident of Lalru, complained that due to the presence of industrial units in this area the upper water level had got polluted. “To meet water shortage we have cleaned some old wells but their sources are also giving tasteless and yellowish coloured water”, he lamented. Mr Labh Singh, a former Sarpanch, said there were five tubewells in the village some years ago but with passage of time, four of these were abandoned and now only one was fulfilling the water requirement of the area of over with 25,000 population. Residents of the area have demanded more deep-bore tubewells to meet the water shortage in the area. |
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Residents
resent power cut CHANDIGARH,
Aug 7 — Resentment prevailed among the residents of Sector 45 here following a 24-hour long power cut. According to a large number of residents who came to The Tribune office late in the evening, the sector plunged into darkness at about 8.30 p.m. on Sunday. They added that several authorities were contacted but no one responded. They also alleged that power problem had been continuing for the past three or four months. |
Man beaten up following brawl PANCHKULA, Aug 7 — A resident of Sector 10, Hitesh Jain, was beaten up by some boys while he had gone out for a walk on Saturday. He was admitted to General Hospital in Sector 6 after receiving injuries on his head and bruises on his body. Relating the incident, Hitesh said he and his friend Vikas had gone to play pool at a centre in Sector 11 last evening when a couple of boys entered the room and spoilt their game. “Angry at the high-handed approach of the boys, I asked them why they had done so. Instead of answering my question they threatened to beat me up. Suspecting trouble, I quietly slipped out of the centre with my friend after which both of us went our way,’’ he said. However, the accused in the case, along with five more boys managed to find Vikas while he was out of his house and beat him to get Hitesh’s address. Later in the evening, Hitesh went out for a walk and hardly 50 yards from his house, he was surrounded by these boys. Hitesh says, “I was taken aback when the boys with sticks and chains stopped me and without a word, started beating me. Nobody was around to have come to my rescue and after thrashing me, they left me there and drove off in a white Maruti.” His family took him back and the matter was reported to the police where a case was registered. Sources said personnel even went to the house of one of the accused in the case, a resident of Sector 15, but he was not at home. This morning the parents of the boy visited Hitesh in the hospital and tried to urge his parents to compromise.
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39 vehicles challaned CHANDIGARH,
Aug 7 — The police challaned 39 vehicles for various offences in the city today. According to police sources, during the drive by the SDPO, Central, Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, six buses and two three-wheelers were impounded as they did not have any documents, while 31 were challaned for miscellaneous offences in the jurisdiction of the division. The drive would continue. Case registered While Jasbir Singh and Anoop Singh have been arrested, Labh Singh is at large. A case under Sections 147, 149, 452, 506 of the IPC has been registered against them. One held Held for gambling Similarly, three persons - Brajesh Kumar, Darshan Lal and Suttan - have also been arrested on the charges of gambling. Cases under Sections 13 - A , 3 and 67 of the Gambling Act has been registered. Drinking in public Nine held Theft case |
Sodhi Ram’s
remand extended CHANDIGARH, August 7 — The Special Judge for CBI cases-cum-Additional District and Session Judge, Mr Lakhbir Singh, today extended the judicial remand of Panjab University’s Controller of Examinations Sodhi Ram and four other accused in the paper leakage case till August 9. The investigating agency, on the last date of hearing, had presented the challan against the accused. It may be recalled that the five accused, including Anurag Gupta, Dhan Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Ashwani Gupta, were arrested by the investigating agency for their alleged role in the leakage of question papers of B.Sc(III) honours stream of mathematics. |
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