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| Saturday, September 16, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Encroachment by CM’s aide SAS NAGAR, Sept 15 — Unauthorised structures that have been raised to fence public land near the house of a close aide of the Punjab Chief Minister seem to mock the anti-encroachment drives of the Estate Office of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority. The fenced land falls under a 220 KV power line that passes through Sector 69. About 2 kanal has been fenced by raising over eight-foot-high concrete pillars that support the barbed wire. Rules say that nothing should be constructed under the high-tension power line. At least 50-foot margin has to be left on both sides of the power line. The land under power lines is developed by the Horticulture Wing of PUDA. Shopkeepers of Lambian village, whose unauthorised structures were demolished by PUDA, allege that the fence has been raised by the owner of the house, Mr K.B.S. Kang. They say that PUDA has done nothing to demolish it. Mr Kang refutes the charges. He said the land was between two plots (8 and 9) owned by him. “First, I was allotted land close to the power line and then the site was shifted after officials of the BBMB took up the matter with PUDA. The distance between my plot and the power line is 58 feet,” he said. He also said the space was being developed by PUDA and the issue was being raked up by some persons who had vested interests. However, it has been found that the fencing has not been authorised by PUDA. The Estate Office had sought a report from a JE in this regard. A notice in this regard is likely to be issued to the owner of the house. A PUDA official said a similar area in Sector 71 with a high-tension power line passing through it had been developed by the Horticulture Wing as green belt. |
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Cop crushed to death PANCHKULA, Sept 15 — Head Constable Balram was crushed to death by an unidentified vehicle on the Sector 2 roundabout this afternoon. According to sources, the deceased was employed with the Haryana police and used to up and down daily. He reportedly had taken a lift from a motor-cyclist to his office at Police Headquarters in Sector 6. He fell from the vehicle as driver applied breakes to save an animal. A truck following the motor-cycle crushed him to death. |
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Last
battle for Senate seats hots up CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — Campaigning is on for the last
phase of the Panjab University Senate elections. Nearly half-a-dozen
candidates were seen in same institutes of the city at the same time
today. The election are on September 17. The candidates are
campaigning on a bigger scale than the previous elections and are also
spending more than ever before for the purpose. Persons can be seen distributing pamphlets and cards with pictures of the candidates. Some of the pamphlets carry information about the constituencies of the candidates and their telephone numbers. Some veterans have relied on the customary request letters for seeking votes. Breaches are also visible in some old alliances. Fate of 31 candidates will be decided in the final phase of elections. These include eight college principals, eight lecturers of arts colleges and 15 registered candidates. In the principals’ category, one seat is reserved for Chandigarh, three for Punjab and four are open to all. There are 58 votes in this category and nine candidates. This means that the result is likely to be announced after the first round of counting only. The candidates in this category include Dr A.C. Vaid (GGDSD College, Sector 32), Mr P.S. Sangha (Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26) Mr Tarsem Bahia, Mr B.D. Budhiraja, Ms Harmeet Kaur, Mr Jaswant Singh, Mr A.S. Bedi, Ms Surinder Brar and Mr H.R. Gandhar. A number of officiating principals have not been given the permission to vote. On September 17, eight professors, senior lecturers and lecturers of arts colleges will also be elected to the Senate. There are about 2,400 votes to be polled in this category. Chandigarh has 637 votes, PU areas have 1,800 votes and the Ludhiana district, about 1,100. There are 19 candidates in fray. Prominent among the contestants is Prof Charanjit Chawla, a General Secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh Teachers Union. Prof Chawla has been an active participant in debates in the Senate and the Syndicate. Dr Dinesh Talwar, Dr S.P. Manocha, Dr K.C. Bali, Dr Kanwaljeet Dhillon, Dr Amrik Singh, Dr Amar Singh and Dr R.S. Josh are among the candidates from Chandigarh. Mr Satish Kumar, Mr A.S. Dua, Mr Hardeep Singh, Mr Jaipal Singh, Mr Jarnail Singh, Mr Avinash Chander, Mr S.S. Hundal, Ms K.K. Pannu, Mr Sukhpal Singh, Mr Devender Arora and Mr S.P. Anand are the prominent ones among the other candidates. The biggest contest is in the graduates’ constituency. The court has asked the university to withhold the results. There are more than 1,00,000 voters and 36 candidates in this category. Mr Rajinder Deepa, Mr Ashok Goyal, Dr Ajaib Singh, Mr Pawan Valecha, Mr Mukesh Arora, Mr B.S. Sood, Dr Rabinder Nath Sharma and Mr Rajinder Bhandari are among the prominent candidates. |
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2 die while repairing tubewell ZIRAKPUR, Sept 15 — Two persons died due to asphyxiation while repairing a tubewell near Bartana village today. According to eyewitnesses, Billoo (17) and Makhan Singh (25) went down the 25-foot deep well to carry out a technical check, but did not return. Their companion, Satbir Singh, tried to bring them out with the help of some nearby shopkeepers. After he went down the well, Satbir found that a pungent smelling slush had accumulated at the bottom of the well. He cried for help the shopkeepers pulled him up with the help of a rope. A shopkeeper pulled out the unconscious workers and they were rushed to the Sector 32 Government Medical Collage and Hospital in Chandigarh. Billoo, a resident of Bartana village, and Makhan Singh, a resident of Sundran village, died on their way to the hospital. The third person, a resident of Bartana village, was discharged soon after he had received the first-aid in hospital. |
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‘Why didn’t Kapil resign earlier?’ CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — The resignation of Kapil Dev as coach of the Indian cricket team has triggered a debate on whether his decision is right or wrong. Has Kapil succumbed to the pressure mounted by the BCCI, investigative agencies and politicians? Chandigarh Tribune interviewed some sportspersons and the other individuals to know their reaction to Kapil’s resignation. Most of them believe that he has taken the right decision. Amardeep Sonkar, a cricket player of the Sector 8 DAV School, says, “Kapil’s decision was a dignified one. I do not know much about the match-fixing issue, the CBI inquiry and income tax raids, but the way he has been browbeaten is sad, especially for the cricket fraternity,” says Amardeep. Sukhjinder Singh and Karan Vir Singh, cricket players of the same school, say, “Cricketers like him are strong enough to handle any pressure and we believe that he will return as coach of the Indian team.” “It is just a face-saving exercise,” says Mr I.M. Soni, a former Chairman of the Panjab University Department of Mass Communication. There are two issues — match-fixing and the raids conducted by the Income Tax Department. As far as match-fixing is concerned, the CBI may not file its report before the Nairobi tournament begins. Also, if it is proved that he has not paid income tax, he will be fined. He did not require to resign at this time. Obviously, it is a face-saving exercise.” “Kapil had refused to quit even after the Union Sports Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, had said that tainted players should step down from the team on moral grounds.” Mr Vipul Saighal, a senior manager of a reputed company, says, “Kapil should have quit only after the investigative agencies cleared him. There is something wrong somewhere.” The coach of the Indian women’s cricket team, who is conducting a camp here, refused to comment on the issue, like the players who are attending the camp. Tina and Pooja, students of the Sector 11 Government College for Girls, support Kapil’s decision. “The board wants the players to be yes-men.” Vidushi, a cricketer of the college, says, “If Kapil is proved guilty, he should be punished for hurting the sentiments of cricket lovers.” “Kapil has chosen the most honourable way out,” says Karan Bhardwaj, cricketer and a former schoolmate of Kapil. Vikas, a student of Punjab Engineering College, says, “It is a matter of shame that the man who served the country for two decades had to face such humiliation from the board, investigative agencies and politicians.” Mandeep Singh Chhatwal, a student of the PU Department of Law, says, “Why didn’t the board remove him along with Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and the others?” |
Merger order
quashed CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising of Mr Justice SS Sudhalkar and Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill today quashed the order of the Punjab Registrar, Cooperative Societies, directing the merger of Constofed with Markfed. The Bench also quashed the notice dated April 17, 2000, in this regard. The order was pronounced on a petition by Mr Harmahinder Singh and other, former directors of Markfed. The order was quashed because a piquant situation had arisen due to contradictory order by the Registrar. |
Rs 71 cr collected as small savings CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — During the previous financial year ended in March, 2000, Chandigarh has collected Rs 71 crore by way of small savings, almost Rs 1 crore over and above the target of Rs 70 crore. This was disclosed by Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Joint Secretary Finance, Chandigarh Administration, while delivering his presidential address at the annual Sanchayika day celebrations at the Government College of Education, Sector 20, here today. He opined that the necessity of savings at the tender age helped in the development of the country as well as for the welfare of citizen. Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI (Schools), addressed the students and highlighted the benefits of sanchayika scheme which was very helpful to the students in their future advancement. The Regional Director, National Savings (Government of India) Punjab and UT, Chandigarh, Mr Mohinder Malhotra, while welcoming the chief guest and other participants presented the role of sanchayika in the small savings organisation. He said that the sanchayika scheme was functioning successfully due to the help from the Education Department, school and college authorities as well as the students. Mr Balwinder S. Dhaliwal, District Savings Officer, presented a progress report of the sanchayika scheme and the achievements of small savings schemes in the UT, Chandigarh. He disclosed that the scheme was functioning in 108 senior secondary, high, middle, primary and private schools in Chandigarh with a membership of 87,992 students who contributed Rs 3.24 crore during 1999-2000. Mr Sinha awarded tropics and incentives to the best schools. Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46, alone contributed Rs 25.23 lakh under the scheme last year and was adjudged the overall best sanchayika school. Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, won the first position among ordinary schools, while Government Girls High School, Sector 25 (colony), stood first among the rural area schools. The first prize among the private schools went to Vedic Girls Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra. The second best model school was Government Model High School, Sector 26. The second best among the ordinary schools was Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 20-B, and among the rural area school, Government Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra, was adjudged for the second best school. Besides this, 40 other schools of Chandigarh were also given commendation certificates. A day before the celebrations a quiz competition for school children was held in Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 20. In this competition, Preeti and Renu, the team of the students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46, Chandigarh, stood first while Neha and Sonali, the team of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 21-B, stood second. Besides these students, 12 best students savers of Chandigarh were also given prizes.  |
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Training workshop
for samiti members PANCHKULA, Sept 15 — More than 50 newly elected office-bearers of the Panchayat Samiti participated in a one-day training workshop organised by the Haryana Institute of Community Development, Nilo-kheri, here today. To make them aware about the working system of the Panchayati Raj, the members were given lectures by experts at the HIPA’s Training Centre in Sector 6. The members were educated about their duties, responsibilities, roles, functions and planning of the panchayat samitis, besides the rural development schemes of the Centre and Haryana, said Mr Rajesh Jogpal, District Development and Panchayat Officer. Earlier the Deputy Commissioner inaugurated the workshop and appealed to all the office-bearers and members to do their duties with sincerity and dedication. Those who addressed the members included Mr Jogpal and Mr Zile Singh from the Economic Department of Rural Development, Haryana. |
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Literary contests mark Hindi week function CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — Literary contests marked the Hindi week celebrations at the 3 Base Repair Depot her today. Mr Yadav won the essay writing contest. Mr Jitender Kumar was the runner-up. Mr Chaman Lal and Mr A.K.Singh won the translation contest. The winners of the dictation contest were Mr Mohan Kumar and Mr Francis. Mr Trivedi and Mr Sahi won the debate contest, while the winners of the poetry contest were Mr Chandra Bhanu and Mr Sahi. All the winners are serving personnel at the Base Depot. All three staff training colleges of Punjab and Sind Bank jointly celebrated Hindi Divas. Mr D.S. Bajwa, Principal, presided over the function. Literary contests were also organised on the occasion. |
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Orchestra association’s demand CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — The UT Administration has been asked to extend the time limit of the orchestra and sound system to be put up in marriages and other social and family functions from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. this was stated by Mr Raj Nagpal. president of Chandigarh Orchestra Welfare Association at a press conference held here today. “There is no fixed place for orchestra artistes in the city. There is lack of accommodation. No fixed place is provided where we can have our establishment and where we can practise without disturbing the neighbours”, added Mr Nagal. Mr Vijay Sahota, president, Punjab Orchestra Association, informed that since August 16 a ruling has come out that the girls dancing in their parties will wear sober dresses. He also mentioned the government assurance of looking into the matter of “octroi”.
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Cop hit and injured by car CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — A constable of the local police was hurt when he was hit and injured by a car driven by a son of an IAS officer. According to police sources, the vehicle (CH-03-1605) was being reportedly driven by a son of Mr Gurtej Singh when it hit and injured constable Hawa Singh on Madhya Marg, near the Grain Market roundabout. He was a member of a police team that was challaning vehicles for over-speeding. While a case under Sections 279, 337, 332 and 353 of the IPC has been registered, the accused has yet to be arrested. Stealing charge All the accused have been booked under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC. Nepalis looted Scooterist hurt Liquor seized Car stolen |
Army-industry interface concludes CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — The two-day interface on Army-industry partnership, AIP - 2000, concluded here today, with both sides laying their respective perspectives and apprehensions and agreeing to increase interaction and understanding for mutual benefit. In his valedictory address, Punjab Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh said that one of the important issues brought out during the Kargil conflict was the need to equip our armed forces with modern and state-of-the-art equipment. He said it is essential that we indigenise as much equipment as possible to ensure its continued supply during hostilities and thereby do not leave room for any international pressure. He said that it is here that the industry can effectively contribute. The Finance Minister said that the present policies of the central government and Punjab are conducive towards greater participation by the private industry in areas which have so far been the domain of PSUs. Speaking on the occasion, the GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, clarified that seminars of this type are meant to enhance interaction and get a better perspective of requirements and not to find specific solutions to specific problems, for which major policies and procedural matters are needed. On the issue of the industry pointing out that the Army has stringent trial and testing procedures, the Army Commander said that these were essential. He said that the acceptance of self-certification by the industry as demanded can be considered in cases where the firms are of high repute and whose name is synonymous with quality. The Army Commander agreed with the participants’ view that the procurement of items through tenders compromises quality, but added that the same view is not shared by the Finance Ministry. Lt-Gen Oberoi stated that as far as business opportunities are concerned, the Army Headquarters was decentralising the procurement process to command headquarters, which would give the regional industry a boost. He added that there is immense potential for the service sector as the Army is aiming to become leaner by cutting down its long administrative tail. The industry, he added, can provide cost-effective options. Highlighting the recommendations put forward in technical sessions, CII Chandigarh Council vice chairman, Mr Y. Saboo, said the industry is of the view that current Army procurement procedures are tedious, long-winding and need to be changed. In the session on outsourcing of vehicle spares, it was recommended that manufacturing capabilities and product range for Army equipment be made available to Army authorities. Even if the order quantities are small, industries should accept these for long-term gains. The session on clothing and allied stores brought out that latest technology for industrial fabic, uniforms and sportswear are available with the industry and can be provided to the Army. The industry brought out that it had better quality of clothing to offer provided sufficient information about procurement is available. Also specification of demands by the Army is generally not in time. The industry also recommended that ISO certification should not be a binding factor for registration and different set of standards for the ordnance factories and other industrial units be removed. The session on utilisation of trained human resources of the armed forces by the industry delved on the working environment in terms of wages, working conditions and period of engagements. While the Army has fixed terms of eligibility and engagement periods, the industry looks for qualifications, experience and skills. The industry is also bound by labour laws, unions and negotiations in working terms and conditions, which is not prevalent in the Army. |
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Shradhas hard
time for traders CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — Shradhas spell hard time for traders. Shopkeepers agree that it is a lean period for them. Major shopping deals are put off by people in general during this time of the year. Women believe it is not a good omen to buy new clothes, jewellery, cars etc during shradhas. Shopping for events like marriages is not considered auspicious by many. However, some people do not believe in this concept, said Madan Gulati, a local trader. A majority of the population does not consider it a good sign to buy jewellery during these days. There are some who not even pick up an order during this period even if it was placed earlier. It is basically a lean period for businessmen, remarked Mr Jawahar Jain, another businessman. People feel that they should avoid buying new things during these 15 days. However, many among the young generation who do not comprehend the meaning of shradhas go ahead with their major buying plans. |
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Microsoft, Admn
to sign MoU CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — Global software giant Microsoft and the Chandigarh Administration will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to arrive at a strategic information technology tie-up to meet IT needs of Chandigarh. A high-level meeting between a team of the Chandigarh Administration, comprising the Advisor, Ms Vineeta Rai, the Finance Secretary, Mr Rakesh Singh, and the Director Information Technology, Mr Vivek Atray, was held with Microsoft officials in Delhi last night. The microsoft team was headed by Mr Christophe Aulnette, Regional Director, South Asia Region. This was to lay down the initial framework before the MoU is signed. The MoU will be signed soon and Microsoft will lend its expertise in operating the “e-governance’’ project of the Administration. To start off, a working group having officials of the Chandigarh Administration and Microsoft will be formed to identify areas of computerisation in departments of the Administration and the futuristic “e-governance’’ project. The US-based software giant is reportedly keen on seeing that the Government of India declares Chandigarh as a model IT city. Besides, Mr Aulnette will be visiting Chandigarh in November once things are finalised . Meanwhile, when the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), met Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates in Delhi yesterday. He presented him a compact disc (CD) highlighting the “qualities” of Chandigarh and the work carried out in the filed of IT towers and IT college, besides the optical fibre Cable (OFC) backbone as part of the “wired city” project. |
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JVG Finance held
deficient CHANDIGARH, Sept 15 — Taking up a set of 16 complaint cases filed by various city residents against chairman-cum-managing director, JVG Finance, the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum II here directed the respondent to pay back the maturity amount of the investors, along with the portion of the interest which was held back. Taking up the complaint, the forum bench, consisting of president Mr R.P. Bajaj and members Mr H.S. Walia and Mrs Urvashi Agnihotri, further directed the respondent to pay interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum to the complainants who had invested money in various schemes floated by the respondent company, unaware of the fate of the said schemes. The complainants in the case, which number 16, stated before the forum that in response to various schemes initiated by the opposite party, they had deposited huge amounts ranging between Rs 5,000 and 80,000. The respondents, however, did not honour their commitment and also did not pay the full interests or matured value of the deposits. In two specific cases, where the complainants deposited their respective amounts with the respondent company for the price of the plot to be allotted to them, the company never made any allotment of the plot, as promised by it earlier. As regards the legal notice, it was issued by the opposite party which did not respond and hence was judged ex parte. During the course of arguments, the complainants produced in the form of evidence the copies of their affidavits. The evidence so produced by the complainants was not rebutted by the respondent party, nor was any allegation controverted. Keeping in view the above mentioned grounds, the bench held that the case of all complainants stood proved. Taking cognisance of the deficiency on part of the opposite party, the forum bench directed that the opposite party must pay Rs 550 to each complainant against the costs of litigation incurred by them. Apart from that, the bench also directed the respondents to make the payment of maturity amounts to the complainants. |
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