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| Sunday, November 19, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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City may have direct rail link
with Kerala SAS NAGAR, Nov 18 — The Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr O. Rajagopal, today said that he would consider the demand of starting a direct train between Chandigarh and Kerala. He said he would explore the possibility of starting a direct train or some other arrangement for the once he reached back his office at Delhi tomorrow. The minister, who also holds the portfolio of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, was in the town to attend the annual day function organised by the local Malayalee Samajam here this evening. He stated this while reacting to the demand charter submitted by the Keralites who were residing in the Chandigarh region. He said already two direct trains — the Kerala Express (Trivandrum to Delhi) and the Mangla Express (Delhi to Coachin) — were being run. He said he would consider extending the Delhi-bound weekly trains to Chandigarh. The minister said the previous central government had allocated Rs 33 crore in the Railway Budget for Kerala and the Vajpayee
government had allocated Rs 205 crore for the same. Earlier, Dr John.V.George, IGP (Law and Order), Haryana, who was the special guest, said the Keralites were exploring jon opportunities out the state due to unemployment there. He urged the younger generation to train themselves for the information technology (IT) industry. Mr Thomsom Mathew, president of the Samajam said the Keralites residing in Chandigarh and surrounding areas had to face a lot of problems to board the train bound for the southern states as there was no direct train. He praised the Punjabis for welcoming the keralites to the state. He said: “We are 3000 miles away from our homes but have never felt like outsiders”. Later, a classical dance by Neera
Varma, folk dances by children and magic by a 17-year-old boy from Kerala were the highlights of the cultural evening presented on the occasion. |
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Lord Jagannath rath yatra draws
thousands CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON ) organised a Lord Jagannath rath yatra with religious fervour here today, in which thousands of ISKCON devotees from India and other countries participated with great enthusiasm, according to Kanti Dasa Prabhu, Co-President and Organiser, Festival Committee. The nicely-decorated 35-foot high chariot of Lord Jagannath, being pulled by the devotees, fitted with imposing domes, presented the view of a moving temple, was welcomed by the city residents, who lined on both sides of the roads to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannath. It was showered by floral petals by “Pushpak Viman” before it left from Sector 28-C Motor Market at around
noon. Then it passed through Sectors 27, 19-27, 20-30, 20-21, Aroma Hotel, Nehru Park, Sector 22. The rath yatra culminated at the Hare Krishna Dham, Sector 36-B, Chandigarh. Thereafter, a delicious prasadam was distributed among those present. Earlier, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Food and Supplies Minister, Punjab, who was the chief guest lauded the role of ISKCON and its founder, Acharya Sri A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Sril Prabhupada, towards the ancient vedic culture of India. He further said that only by adopting the path of spiritualism can one attain real peace in life. Mr Pawan Bansal, M.P, was also present on the occasion. The prominent saints who graced the occasion were H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami Ji Maharaj, H.H. Ved Vyas Priya Swami Ji Maharaj, Mr
P. L. Sethi, a disciple of Swami Sril Prabhupada from Mumbai.
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Hunters accidentally kill
farmer RAIPUR RANI (Panchkula), Nov 18 — One person was killed and another seriously injured when certain unidentified hunters accidentally fired on two farmers adjacent to the Bhoor river in Kambala village, near here around midnight last night. According to information available, the hunters, who were on the lookout for boars in the forest, fired when they noticed a movement in the adjoining fields. Thinking the movement was that of wild animals, they fired in the direction of movement and the bullet hit Ajmer Singh, a resident of Thadyo village, who died on the spot. Another person, Ram Swaroop, a resident of Bharauli village, was seriously injured. The injured crawled to a nearby place where labourers lived. He was taken to a Raipur Rani hospital in a tractor-trailer. Later he was referred to the PGI in Chandigarh. Though a case under Sections 302,307 of the IPC and Sections 25-54-59 of the Arms Act has been registered, no arrests have been made. The body has been sent to the Panchkula General Hospital for post-mortem. It may be recalled that hunters from several cities, including Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula, go for hunting in the forests. It is the first incident of its kind, according to residents. The incident has sent a shock waves in the surrounding villages. Mr C.S. Rao, SP, Panchkula, visited the spot and assured the bereaved families and the villagers about the early arrest of the accused. He, however, could not be contacted till late in the evening. |
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Jerath contests new FIRs CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — Two new FIRs registered by the Chandigarh Vigilance Department against former UT Chief Engineer K. K. Jerath have been challenged by him in the Punjab and Haryana High Court here. Mr Justice V.M. Jain has fixed the hearing of the case for December 8 which Jerath will personally argue. Jerath has inter alia sought the transfer of the investigation of the two cases to the CBI. According to him, Investigating Officer Gurdial Singh is highly inimical to him as he tried to arrest him twice in the same case which is illegal. In one of the FIRs, Jerath is alleged to have misused his official Gypsy at his residence which he describes as totally false. Vide the other FIR, it has been alleged that he sent his subordinate officers to Delhi for a meeting which was to be attended by the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator to prepare the case in advance, which according to the FIR, was the work to be performed personally by him. By sending them in advance, he allegedly caused monetary loss to the government. |
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13 booked under ESMA CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — The Chandigarh Police has registered a case under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against 13 Haryana Government employees .Confirming the registration of the case, the Senior Superintendent of Chandigarh Police, Mr Parag Jain, when contacted late in the evening on his mobile phone, said no arrest had been made so far. |
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PU syndicate CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — A pending Punjab and Haryana High Court decision on the fate of elections in the graduates constituency of the Senate has resulted in an indefinite postponement of the meeting of the faculties scheduled for December 15 and16. The decision was taken at the Panjab University Syndicate meeting today, reliable sources said. This assumes significance in the light that the decision will lead to non-formation of the fresh syndicate. Mr Satish Sharma, Dr R.D. Anand and Mr Gopal Krishan Chatrath spoke on the issue. The Vice-Chancellor has been empowered to look into the matter. The last date for filling preferences of faculties for new Senate was fixed for November 17 which has also been postponed. One set of probable dates was said to be December 28 and December 29. The is important in the light that a new syndicate assumed office at the turn of a new year. One very crucial item included in today’s list of items was list of construction activities over the past few years. This has been a repeated demand during the tenure of the past VC, Prof M.M. Puri. A long list was attached to today’s item but the issue was deferred. Members expected serious deliberations on the issue. However, some members pointed out certain lapses in the compilation of the list handed down to the members. Prof Charanjit Chawla pointed out flaws in the set of rules for college teachers. The Vice-Chancellor is said to have assured to look into the matter. Mr Satish Sharma, Dr Raghuvir Singh and Mr H.S.Deol spoke on the issue. The house cleared the item of benefits to four employees who retired recently from the university services. Also cleared was the item pertaining to benefits to wards of the bereaved. The house condoled the death of Sardar Prem Singh, a former fellow of Panjab University and a former Education Minister of
Punjab. The house felicitated Prof S.K. Malik, Department of Mathematics on his having being honoured with the Jawahar Lal Nehru Birth Centenary award. The house appointed Prof S.K. Taneja, Department of Zoology, as the co-ordinator of the Central Animal House. Prof Veer Singh has been appointed director ( honorary) of the IAS coaching centre and centre for other competitive examination. The house approved permanent affiliation to Government College, Sector 46, for the vocational course of advertising sales promotion and sales management. Permanent grant of affiliation was cleared for MR Government College, Moga. Teachers and teacher representatives seeking a fresh appointment against the continuation of Principal despite her reaching the age of retirement at Tara Singh Memorial College, Ludhiana, staged a dharna at the venue. It was decided that the college be not given university recognition till a new Principal was appointed. The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union President Mr K.B.S. Sodhi led the protest dharna. Dr Anand and Mr Satish Sharma are also known to have commented on the unfaithful recording of the Senate and the syndicate
proceedings. Mr Kehar Singh and Prof Chawla asked the Vice-Chancellor to make regular visits to college convocations which would only enhance the institution’s grace. Also cleared were affiliations for courses at Arya College, Ludhiana, AS College Khanna, DM College, Moga and MBG Rana Gajendra Chand Girls College, Mansowal, Hoshiarpur. |
A chase for love CHANDIGARH: “Kahin Pyar Na
Ho Jaaye” (Neelam and KC, Panchkula) is a healthy situational comedy about chasing the made in heaven love. No action to trouble lamenting hearts. This love drama happens in the family setting. The lead pair Salman and Rani Mukherjee have made an attempt to give the drama a different appeal. The story unfolds in a housing complex. Families interact and provide opportunities to youngsters to fall in and out of love. The highs and lows of love this salt-pepper movie worth watching. Salman waits for his love Raveena: Instead of singing litany he spends time making music in the care of his sister Kashmira Shah and her hubby Mohnish Behl. Rani Mukherjee lands in the city looking for a job. She is mistaken as child lifter and held hostage till her sister Pooja Batra releases her. Among the neighbours is Shakti Kapoor, a priest with five children with tonsured heads to add to the surfeit of fun and frolic. Salman sits cross-legged at his `mandap’ waiting for Raveena to turn up. After a perspiring wait he rushes to her house and discovers that she has committed herself to an NRI for the would be groom would pay for the treatment for her terminally ill brother. Jackie Shroff is by his side more as an elder brother. Everything goes well till Rani comes to invite Salman for her engagement ceremony. Salman’s name is on the invitation card as the singer of the evening. The screenplay is by Sanjay Chhel and Abbas Hirapurwala; choreography by Ganesh Acharya, Raju Khan and Ganesh Hegde; background score by Surinder Sodhi; lyrics by Sudhakar Sharma and Rajesh Malik. Hamesh Reshammiya’s music is impressive. K.Murali Mohan Rao has directed this Venus and Siddivinayak creation.
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Harassed citizens in search of
identity CHANDIGARH,
Time: 12:30 p.m. Place: CITCO office, Sector 17. Problem: A long queue of citizens to submit applications for the inclusion of their name in voters' list. Background: The
inclusion of the names, transfer of voters to other areas and correction of identity cards is a recurring problem. Although the government started a new system by introducing voters' identity cards few years ago to avoid confusion and eliminate malpractices during the elections, the citizens have to pay repeated visits for the corrections in the identity cards and to get their votes transferred. With the special dates announced for special revision of electoral rolls of the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency, long queues were witnessed outside the election office in Sector 17 here today. The citizens had to wait for hours for their turn. There was no shelter provided to the citizens. Meanwhile, the citizens gathered over there complained that as only a day was given to them for getting their names included in the voters' list and getting the corrections made in the photo identity cards. This way they had to leave other urgent works for getting this work done. Citizen's viewpoint: Resentment prevailed among citizens who had come to get the corrections made in the photo identity cards. They said that for getting a small correction made they had to spend hours standing in a queue. "The government has spend crores of public's money on these identity cards. But you won't imagine that I cannot use this card because it contains incorrect information about me. So this document is a piece of waste paper for me. Why do they commit errors in the first place? If they make the mistakes why do they harass us by making us stand in a queue for hours. They should get the mistakes corrected by some other method so as not to trouble us." said Mr V.P. Sharma, a resident of Darwa village. “Moreover, I have been moving from one counter to another but they cannot guide me to the right person. They themselves don't know from where to get the work done,” Mr Sharma added. “I am standing here for the past four hours and nothing seems to be moving. If they had called so many people they could have set up more counters and manpower to take the control of the things, ” said Mr Joga Nand, a resident of Colony No. 4. Another resident said that he had got his name transferred from a constituency to another. “My name was deleted from the last constituency but it was not included in the another. I am forced to come here because of no fault of mine,” he added. |
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Over 400 vehicles lying unclaimed with the
police CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — More than 400 motor vehicles, including as many as 24 cars, have been lying unclaimed at various police stations and Traffic Lines of Chandigarh Police for periods varying from a few weeks to several months. Though a large number of such unclaimed vehicles have already been disposed of in a recent drive of the local
police, still a substantial number remains at various police stations. There are two trucks and more than two hundred scooters awaiting to be claimed by their rightful owners. Sources in the Police department reveal that a good percentage of hese “unclaimed vehicles” belong to nearby towns of Punjab, including Ludhiana, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and even Nawanshahr, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. Then there are some vehicles which have Haryana registration number plates. For example both the jeeps lying unclaimed with Chandigarh Police have Haryana registration numbers. Though Chandigarh police has pasted the registration numbers, engine numbers and chasis numbers each of these “unclaimed vehicles”, there have been very few enquiries from the public about these vehicles, the value of which runs into lakhs of rupees. In the absence of proper upkeep and maintenance at police stations or police lines, most of these vehicles are in a deplorable condition. The police officials maintain that after recovering these “unclaimed or abandoned vehicles” from various parts of the city, every effort has been made to intimate to the State Registration Authorities besides the police of the states
concerned for onward transmission of information to the actual owners. The Chandigarh police also informed the National Crime Bureau about these vehicles in its
endeavour to locate their rightful owners. One of the reasons given for growing number of “unclaimed vehicles” at police stations has been reluctance of the “actual owners” to get themselves involved in “cumbersome litigation” to claim the vehicles which were either stolen or have been “clandestinely” abandoned to claim money from Insurance companies. Once the claims are settled, even the insurance companies do not bother to claim these vehicles which by the time litigation ends are reduced to mere “junk”.
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Poor upkeep irks
residents SAS NAGAR, Nov 18 — Wild growth along road berms and poor upkeep of parks in a pocket of Phase XI here has added to the problems of the residents, who lament that they have been left out of the special beautification drive started by the local municipal council. Wild growth on road berms is spilling over on the roads. At places, the effective width of the road has been reduced. Lt-Col A.S. Bhinder (retd), who moved into area in 1997, said the state of the amenities had been the same. After erecting mild steel railing around the parks, no further development has been done. He has demanded that the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) should penalise the plot holders who are removing wild growth covering their plots. The residents fear that the wild growth may be used by anti-social elements to hide. Another major headache for the residents is an adjoining area in Sector 66, which is being used to dump garbage. Lt-Col Bhinder said the area was being used to defecate by migrant labourers living in labour colonies in the area. A foundation stone of a residential colony of the Punjab Mandi Board, laid by the Punjab Chief Minister in Sector 66, has been encircled by wild growth. |
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Solemn ceremony marks Corps’
anniversary CHANDI MANDIR, Nov 18 — The Corps of Engineers observed its 220th anniversary at Western Command Headquarters here today. A solemn wreath-laying ceremony was organised at Vir Smriti war memorial, where homage was paid to the unknown soldier. A wreath was laid on behalf of all ranks of the Corps by the Chief Engineer, Western Command, Maj-Gen Madhav Arren. A social get-together was also hosted, which was attended by a large number of serving and retired engineer officers. It was on this day over two centuries ago that three groups — Madras Engineers, Bengal Engineers and Bombay Engineers — were raised. The Corps has three main branches — Combat Engineers, Military Engineer Services (MES) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), besides two other departments — Survey of India and Research and Development Establishment (Engineers). The Combat Engineers proved themselves in war during Operation Vijay by executing field engineering tasks with precision. Their role in Operation Vijay, which included providing combat support to the infantry, keeping lines of communication open and constructing new tracks, won appreciation. In the post Operation Vijay period, the Corps has been engaged in constructing bunkers at high altitude areas in sub-zero temperature. They have been in the forefront during aid to civil authorities during natural calamities like floods, landslides and earthquakes. Two engineer regiments from the Western Command were deployed in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh when flash floods in July and August damaged National Highway 22 at places along a 300-km stretch. Heavy equipment and earth-moving plants were airlifted by MI-26 choppers. Sappers from 7 Division were tasked with clearing the Harike lake of hyacinth and weeds in an area of several hundred square km, a task which required several innovations and modifications to equipment. Sappers were also called in to man the waterworks in Chandigarh when employees went of strike earlier this year. The MES is the largest construction agency in the country, with an annual workload of Rs 2000 crore. Its works programme includes construction of high-rise buildings, hospitals, airfields, hangars, dockyards, factories and specialised workshops. The BRO is engaged in constructing and maintaining roads in border areas, ranging from deserts to remote and inaccessible areas in the Himalayas. Besides professional excellence, the Sappers — as the corps personnel are called — have excelled in sports and adventure activities. A round-the-world sailing expedition and mountaineering and scientific expeditions are among its achievements. The Corps is currently planning an expedition to the South Pole. |
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Grand Supreme Ruler visits city CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — Mr Peter Glyn Williams, Grand Supreme Ruler of the Grand Conclave of England and Wales and Mr Richard Gan visited the city yesterday to participate in the joint meeting of Conclave Chandigarh and Conclave Yadavindra. The meeting was chaired by Dr P.S Egan, Supreme Ruler of Conclave Yadavindra. Mr Williams presented certificates to 15 members of the English order who had joined the Conclave Chandigarh earlier this year. This is the second visit to Chandigarh by distinguished free masons from Grand Lodge of England within a year. Col Bawa Gurvachan Singh, district grand supreme ruler and Mr V. Nagarajan, grand secretary. also came from New delhi to attend the function. Dr N Vasishta, secretary of the conclave, presented mementoes to the dignitaries.
The meeting was held at Freemason's Hall, Sector 18-B.
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Clash of dates a cause
of distress CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — The examination dates of the Special Class Railways Apprentices Examination-2000 and the screening test for Joint Entrance Examination-2001 are clashing as both the exams are scheduled be held on December 10, a resident of Panchkula complained here today.
Mr Mayank Wadhawan alleged due to the clashing of the exam dates a number of candidates would not be able to appear for both the exams. Several representations to the examination bodies have failed to elicit any response, the father of the student, alleged.
He demanded that the date of one of the exam should be changed so that the candidates were not inconvenienced. |
| Levy sugar quota
revised CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided to revise the quotaof issue of levy sugar from 1 kg to 500 gm with immediate effect.
The consumers, who were last month issued 1 kg sugar per unit last month due to festival season, will now again be issued 500 gm per unit. An order to this effect has recently been issued by the Director Food and Supplies, UT. CHANDIGARH,
Nov 18 — The Regional Institute of Cooperative Management (RICM), Chandigarh, celebrated the 47th All-India Cooperative Week function on its campus here yesterday.
The objective of the function was to evaluate the progress of the cooperative movement in India.
Dr Vinod Tiwari, Chairman. Uttar Pradesh state Cooperative Union, and Mr Iqbal Singh, Chairman NCCF also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, Dr Niraj Pasricha, Regional Director, welcomed the
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One held for smuggling
opium LALRU,
Nov 18 — The police has arrested one person for allegedly smuggling 3 kg of opium.
In a press statement, Mr H.S. Bhullar, DSP, informed that the accused, Puran Singh, a resident of Dularheri village in Kurukshetra district, had been active in the trade for the past couple of years and had been convicted in a similar case. He was nabbed by the police while smuggling opium on the Ambala-Jarot road yesterday. A case under Sections 18, 61 and 81 of the NDPS Act has been registered.
CHANDIGARH Ten arrested Jaipal of Gobindpura Mohalla, Mani Majra, and Ram Kumar and Balwinder Singh of Sector 11, Panchkula, were arrested from near the Housing Board light points, Mani Majra. In another raid, Kanhyia Lal and Zile Singh of Sector 18, Rinku Salhotra and Dalbir Singh of Sector 19 and Sunil Kumar of Sector 29 were arrested from a hotel in Sector 19. Amandeep and Atul Sachdeva of Sector 19 were arrested from Sector 19. Four cases under Sections 1, 14 and 61 of the Excise Act have been registered. Three nabbed Car stolen
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Urmila hid her real
identity CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — Initial investigations in the Nari Niketan case have revealed that Urmila, apprehended on Friday evening soon after her escape from the custody of the Social Welfare Department, had furnished false information about herself. According to police sources Urmila has told the police that her name was Shabnam. The accused, the sources said, has also informed the cops that she belonged to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and that she had run away from home. The sources added that the Sector 10 address initially furnished by her was also found to be fake. The police is reportedly verifying the address now furnished by her. Her interrogation was being conducted under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Chandigarh Police Sagar Preet Hooda. Urmila, along with Pinki, was booked by the Chandigarh police under Section 224 of the IPC. While Urmila had managed to escape, Pinki was admitted to the hospital with injuries.
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PU employee booked on fraud charge CHANDIGARH, Nov 18 — Office Assistant S. K. Bhatia, working in the Panjab University's Department of Sociology, has been booked by the Chandigarh police for cheating and forgery, besides criminal breach of trust by a public servant, after he allegedly encashed a cheque reportedly issued he the department Chairperson. A case under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC was registered against him on the complaint of Chairperson Raj Mohini Sethi. In her complaint before the police, she had alleged that Bhatia, residing in the university campus, had fraudulently encashed a cheque of Rs 49, 750. Ms. Sethi, when contacted, said the alleged fraud was discovered after Bhatia failed to report for duty. Senior Police officials said the case against the accused was registered after an inquiry into the allegations was conducted. They added that investigations were on and the police would proceed in accordance with law after recording the statement of witnesses. |
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