The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

ITI students block traffic
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, Feb 13 — Vehicular traffic on the Kharar-Kurali highway remained suspended for about one hour this morning when girl students of Government ITI Kharar blocked the road near the bus stand in support of their demands. The students raised anti-government slogans.

The blockade was lifted when Mr Devinder Singh, SDM, held discussions with the girls.

The students were protesting against the decision of the Punjab Government to open the ITI on Saturdays and Sundays and to give training in shifts.

COURTS

Six-month RI in adulteration case
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 13 — The UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, yesterday sentenced a resident of Ropar, Baljit Singh, to six months' rigorous imprisonment under the Food Adulteration Act.

It was alleged that on August 20, 1992, the food inspector had intercepted the accused in Sector 24 and recovered 20 litres of cow milk from his possession. The milk was meant for public sale.

The inspector had purchased 750 ml of milk by paying Rs 5 for the purpose of sample. The sample was sent to public analyst for analysis. As per report the contents of the sample were found to be adulterated.

The Magistrate stated in the order that no leniency was desirable in such cases and sentenced the accused to six months' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1000.

Bail plea dismissed

The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge dismissed the anticipatory bail plea moved by the duo in a case of dowry death. The duo, Karamjit Singh Gill and Paraminder Kaur Gill, had moved an anticipatory bail plea under Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The complainant, the father of the deceased, had stated that Tikapreet Kaur was married to Bhupinder Singh. It was alleged in the complaint that the deceased was harassed by her in-laws to bring more dowry. It was further alleged that Tikapreet Kaur was abused by her husband on the phone on January 28, as a result of that the deceased consumed some substance and later died in a private hospital in Sector 34.

Karamjit Singh and Paraminder Kaur had stated in the bail application that they had nothing to do with the case.

Judicial remand

The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr R.C. Godara, today remanded to judicial remand a resident of Sector 15, Sanjay Kumar, till February 27 under Section 21 of NDPS Act.

It was alleged that the police had seized 1.5 gm of smack from the accused on January 22.

Illegal lifting of top soil from shamlat land stayed
By Bipin Bhardwaj

PANCHKULA, Feb 13 — The ‘illegal’ lifting of soil from the shamlat land in Ramgarh village, about 7 km from here, by a contractor of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), has been stayed by a local court.

In his interim order, the Civil Judge (Senior Division), has restrained the plaintiff from excavating earth from the land, till issuance of further orders.

Mr Kanwar Mohan Singh, a resident of Ramgarh village, had earlier filed a case against Mr Jaswant Rai Verma, a contractor of HUDA, and also against the Administrator of HUDA, alleging that the duo had started lifting soil from the village’s joint land — shamalat — for the past over one month, without checking revenue records.

Residents of the village, when contacted by The Tribune, alleged that some influential persons of Jaisinghpura and Ramgarh villages, in connivance with shareholders of the joint village land, sold the top soil of over six acre of land at the rate of Rs 40,000 per acre, without taking into confidence other shareholders. They did not even fix any limit, or upto what depth the earth was to be excavated, the residents alleged.

Moreover, they even sold the trees on the land in question. Hundreds of kikar trees were axed in violation of the Forest Act. This act was not only a fraud against the villagers but also an assault on the fragile ecology of the hilly area, said Mr Amitabh Singh, a Ramgarh resident.

He further said that the topsoil of half-an-acre of his personal land had also been lifted after felling over 35 kikar trees over it by the contractor’s employees without his knowledge.

A visit to the site by The Tribune team, revealed that the earth was being lifted with the help of three earthmovers on a war footing. Five trucks were pressed to take the loose soil away. Dense clouds of dust had engulfed the area along the Panchkula-Ramgarh road on the excavation site. Residents allege that tonnes of soil was being put up in Sectors 25, 26, 27 and 28 of Panchkula to raise the roads.

Mr Jaswant Rai Verma, the contractor, claimed that he along with three other contractors had purchased the land from the villagers and then started lifting earth. He showed resentment against HUDA’s indifferent attitude and complained that HUDA should first acquire its own land before floating tenders.

The sarpanch of Ramgarh village, Ms Kamla Rani, expressed her ignorance about the land holders and said that Mr Mehma Ram, a resident of Jaisinghpura village, was aware of the matter.

Mr Mehma Singh, however, denied the allegations and said the land was being levelled according to the level of an adjacent plot, belonging to Mr Chander Mohan, a local MLA.

He further said that 15 villagers of Ramgarh and Jaisinghpura had asked the contractor to lift the soil. This would not only serve his purpose but their land would also be levelled and could be converted into agriculture land, added another resident.