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April 22, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Gaping holes in MC’s save-water
drive Chandigarh, April 21 During a visit to the area it was found that there were at least three to four such leakages in the supply line on the road leading to the Sector 25 cremation ground. While drinking water continues to flow on the roads during supply hours, those residing in the nearby Panjab University colony are facing shortage of water. The standing water on the roads not only damage and weaken the roads, but is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The magnitude of the problem is such that at times dirty stagnant water flows back into the broken supply lines, causing to flow of muddy water through the taps. Kishore, a resident of the colony pointed out the colossal waste of drinking water for the past one week due to these leakages. The matter has been brought to the notice of the public health officials, but they have not taken any corrective step in this direction. This, however, is not an isolated incident, as about two three days back, the residents of Bapu Dham colony faced a similar problem due to leakage in the pipeline near the police post in Sector 26. The water that gets accumulated in the area gradually flows into the colony. A leakage is also reported from a water supply line in Sector 46 and the filth around the supply line has become an eyesore. Few residents of Sector 40 are also upset with the MC for not plugging leakages in the main supply line outside some of the houses. According to information available, at least 15 per cent of the total water available in the city from various sources gets wasted due to leakages which are result of the callous attitude of the officials concerned. The MC receives a total of 64 million gallons per day ( MGD) from its sources, 10 to 12 per cent of this gets wasted in
leakages. The demand for water in the summer months rises to 96 MGD .MC officials on
The SE ( Public Health), Mr Swaran Singh Kanwal, said for repairing these leakages in the supply lines, the entire supply system would have to be closed. “The repair work can be undertaken only when we have sufficient water in our reserves, so that normal supply is not affected during repair work, thereby
putting residents to inconvenience, he said. Mr Singh said leakages in Sector 25 would be dealt with on April 23 and 24, when some leakages in one of the Kajauli water works line would be repaired. The other small leakages would be taken care of within the next one or two days. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation has warned that on April 23 and 24 , the supply of water to the city will be inadequate and the residents in various parts of the city may have to put up with low water pressure. This is in view of the repair of a leakage in the water supply line at Roorkee village near Kharar, which was not repaired earlier since the need of the hour was to restore water supply then. However, people have been advised to be cautious in using water and store water in case of poor supply.
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Residents rue axing of peepal
trees Chandigarh, April 21 The shopkeepers of the shed market in Sector 23 here have resented the felling of trees. “These trees were our lifeline,” said Charanjeet Lal, who has been selling vegetables under one of the axed trees for the past 10 years.” Besides making this place lively, these trees used to provide us shade in the summer,” he added. Krishan Lal, another shopkeeper who tried to obstruct officials from cutting the trees said since official were armed with the requisite permission letter he watched the axing of trees helplessly. The trees felled were right in front of the Sanatan Dharam Mandir, but nobody from the Mandir protested, said Sanjeev Malhotra, a shopkeeper of the area. Mr S.K. Sharma, president of the Environmental Society, said the Tree Preservation Act, 1952, was not clear cut. According to this Act, trees like mango and peepal are given protection in specified areas. Though the society has not said anything about the axing of these trees, but it has been applying pressure on the authority to implement a new Act on the lines of the Delhi Tree Preservation Act, 1994, said Mr Sharma. There was big hue and cry against making a post office in this proposed site with a case registered against the government by the market association. However, the High Court went in favour of the establishment of the post office and gave it’s verdict in 1968, according to the sources. |
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Bid to attack Zaman causes
alarm Chandigarh, April 21 Mr H.S. Bhatty, Chief Executive Organiser of the conference, in an interview with TNS on his return from Lahore said here today that a large number of fundamentalist elements, including “Khalistanis”, had infiltrated into the four-day conference. They repeatedly tried to disrupt the proceedings, intimidate delegates and brainwash those who had gone there from India. They also made threatening phone calls to the organisers of the conference, including Mr Fakhar Zaman, his family members and friends and relatives. Mr Bhatty said since Mr Fakhar Zaman had remained minister in the Benazir Bhutto Cabinet, it was propagated by the fundamentalists that the conference was a political show organised by the Pakistan People’s Party to project its leader Ms Benazir Bhutto. It was also alleged that India was trying to “culturally penetrate” Pakistan through such conferences. The fact of the matter was that the conference had generated an “unprecedented” interest in Pakistan Punjab where the Punjabi language was being given a step-motherly treatment by the government. Punjabi there was regarded as a language of the rustic and illiterate, despite the fact that more than half the population of Pakistan was Punjabi. It was not allowed to be used even in the state Assembly of Pakistan Punjab without the permission of the Speaker. He said for the World Punjabiat Foundation, which was a co-sponsor of this international gathering of Punjabi writers, poets, intellectuals, journalists, advocates and sportspersons, it was a purely literary and cultural event. Local lovers of the language also took part in it in large numbers. The Pakistani press, the radio and TV gave it extensive coverage. “The truth is that all this euphoria generated by the conference gave a big fillip to promotion and resurgence of the Punjabi language which has been denied its rightful place in Pakistan to the dismay of millions of Punjabi-speaking citizens. The resolution which was adopted at the conference stressed the need for strengthening peace between India and Pakistan which was in fact the theme and main objective of the conference.” An important decision at the conference was the demand for removal of irksome restrictions on travel between the two countries and five-year visas to writers, journalists, artists, intellectuals, lawyers and sportspersons. There were rumblings of discontent and opposition from fundamental and fanatic groups during the conference but taking these objections to perpetration of threats and physical violence could not do credit to Pakistani democracy and liberalism. |
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2,000 cases
settled by Lok
Adalat Chandigarh, April 21 Talking to this correspondent the District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, said, “a liberal view is taken while deciding the summary cases and to expedite the process of disposal, 18 benches had been constituted under the aegis of UT’s State Legal Services Authority.” Mr Bhalla also said, “We got very good response from the litigants and advocates and popularity of the lok adalats could help us to reduce the pendeny of cases in the courts”. He also informed that representatives of the various insurance companies also took active part in the adalat, this was much appreciated by the general public. He said such lok adalats would be held on June 2. The adalats started functioning at 10 a.m. Within minutes, the familiar corridors of the District Courts were filled up by a crowd of hopeful lawyers and litigants. They waited for their turn patiently. Two make-shift reception-cum-enquiry counters, with the details of the cases fixed before the various adalats, were also set up near the main gate of the complex. Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here also actively participated. Several litigants also said that lok adalat had helped them to solve their disputes but complained that there was need to provide more powers to solve the litigants’ disputes. As most of the time parties agreed to pay compensation in the lok adalat but later refused to pay the money to opposite party. They demanded that the court should recruit some official to ensure that the compensation was paid to the litigants and that the order of the lok adalat was implemented. The District and Sessions Judge, Mr Bhalla, however, said he had not received any complaint in this regard from any of the litigants and added if the litigants had some problem they could bring it to his notice anytime. |
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Multiplex scheme a non-starter Chandigarh, April 21 Seven out of eight cinema halls in the city have shown no interest in the scheme. The only cinema house to apply for conversion into a multiplex in collaboration with ZEE TV is Dhillon theatre at Mani Majra. But this proposal too is alleged to be caught up in the usual red tapism in the corridors of the UT administration. The other seven cinemas, including Kiran, Neelam, K.C., Jagat, Batra, Piccadilly and Nirman feel that the scheme in its present form is neither attractive nor viable to interest them. In any case, they are keeping a close watch on the outcome of the proposal for a multipurpose put forth by the Dhillon theatre before making up their mind finally. Mr Sarbjit Singh Sandhu, Chief Architect of Chandigarh, says his department had already written to the Dhillon theatre listing a number of points to be clarified and complied with by them. He was yet to hear from them. A multiplex means three or more separate theatres within the same cinema complex with each theatre having a seating capacity of not less than 100 seats. The scheme was notified on November 17, 2000, in the official gazette with a view to “increase the avenues of entertainment available for the citizens of Chandigarh and tourists.” The scheme provided that multiplex theatres could be set up either by converting the existing cinema houses or by fresh construction with the prior approval of the plans from the Urban Planning Department, Chandigarh Administration. The scheme also provides freedom to the multiplex theatres to fix entry ticket prices of 80 per cent seats in each theatre by linking the same to market conditions. For 20 per cent of the seats, the Licensing Authority shall be competent to fix the entry ticket prices. Ticket prices once so fixed shall remain unchanged for a period of six months. The prices fixed by the licensee shall be notified to the Licensing Authority as and when revised. “Who can pay up to Rs 10 crore to convert the existing cinema to a multiplex. And one can never be sure if he can recover his investment,” say Mr Naresh Batra and Mr Ashok K.C. as also Mr Kewal Dhillon. Mr Naresh Batra, owner of the Batra cinema, feels that setting up of multiplexes is a concept suitable for big metropolitan cities like Mumbai and Delhi where the number of cinema-going people is much more. The suitabilityof these for small
As things stand today, cinema houses in the city as also elsewhere in the region are facing a crisis. Dwindling audience, declining revenue receipts and rising maintenance costs are making increasingly difficult for the cinema houses to survive. The onslaught of satellite TV channels on cinema has been unrelenting. They have put a mind-boggling variety of world-class, round-the-clock, entertainment in one’s own home at the flick of a button. “Movie producers who are facing a crisis of their own have also started demanding a minimum guarantee from cinema-owners before releasing their films for exhibitions in theatres. For instance, the minimum guarantee demanded and paid for Mohabbatein was about Rs 15 lakh, it was Rs 17.50 lakh for Yaadein, while it was Rs 7 lakh for Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. In most cases, the theatre owners are unable to recover even the minimum guarantee because the falling appeal of the cinema for the audiences,” says Mr Ashok KC, owner of the K.C. cinema. With the arrival of the direct-to-home broadcast of TV channels, the challenge to cinema houses will become even more grave as the quality of films telecast on satellite channels will be very good. “In order to make the scheme for multiplexes more viable,” Mr Batra said, the UT Administration will have to make it more attractive by increasing the commercial area which could house a shopping mall, bowling alley, billiards room, a pub, a cybercafe etc. That alone will induce the theatre owners to sink more money in their existing properties. |
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Park at your own
risk Chandigarh, April 21 ‘Parking at owners risk’, announces a notice at Chandigarh railway station. The popular park and ride facility, which enables passengers to park their cars at the station and board a train, has been the worst hit. Sources in the Railways said the contract was for Rs 10 lakh each year and one year was remaining. The contract allows either the Railways or the contractor to back out after serving a notice. The person running the scooter and cycle stand cannot be handed the work as terms and conditions are different, according to railway authorities. |
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Fear psychosis in Shatabdis Chandigarh, April 21 The irony of the situation is that those who are duped are able to lodge their complaints only on their arrival in Delhi after a few stop-overs. No wonder, these thefts are never taken note of by the local police. Many passengers suggest that the police should provide adequate security during the journey. |
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HUDA, police blamed for spurt in
crime Panchkula, April 21 *April 17: A house in Sector 8 was burgled and cash to the tune of Rs 50,000 was taken away by the thieves. Other items including jewellery and other items were also found missing. The police has no clue to the identity of the thieves. *April 18: A 70-year-old woman was attacked by a jhuggi dweller (15) who entered her residence in Sector 4 and attempted murder. She gave all details of the accused to the police. He was arrested on April 21. *April 19: Thieves decamped with Rs 18,000 and gold jewellery among other things while the couple residing in the house in Sector 8 locked it and went away for barely two hours. On returning, they stated that labourers employed by HUDA in the adjoining park could be responsible. These cases are only illustrative of the state of law and order situation in the township. The local police and the officials of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) have earned the ire of city residents for the sudden spurt in instances of thefts reported from the city during the entire last week. Blaming the laxity, especially on the part of the police, the residents claim that nothing is being done to improve the situation right from holding meetings with the Residents Welfare Associations of the sectors down to tightening security and patrolling in sectors. “Some answers by police personnel leave you infuriated. On being informed of a theft in Sector 8, the police turned up almost half-an-hour late. On being asked about the cause of the delay, the official replied that as the theft had already taken place and could not be undone. So, there was no hurry. The answer left me shocked”, says the president of the Residents Welfare Association, Sector 8, Mr R.P. Malhotra. Ruing that it was a sad reflection on the police force, Mr Ashok Narang, president of Housing Board in Sector 15, said though the police is prompt to respond to calls at the control room occasionally, patrolling needs to stepped up. “As far as I am concerned, I am yet to come across a police jeep seem doing the rounds. The crime rate has gone up despite their claims of increased patrolling and the vehicles at their disposal are partially to blame,” he adds. Residents are of the opinion that the “confidence-building” exercise is virtually non-existent while the police is unperturbed. Not only that, residents are holding HUDA equally responsible for being unable to check the mushrooming jhuggis. The Superintendent of Police, Dr C.S. Rao, admits that the growing number of jhuggis present a law and order problem. “We will take up the matter of removal of jhuggis at an appropriate time,” he claims. “They have the backing of official machinery and can effectively ensure jhuggis don’t come up in open spaces. However, they lack the initiative and over the years, have turned a blind eye to these,’’ responds Col Sham, former president of the Sector 12 residents association. Meanwhile, the Administrator, HUDA, Mr Srikant Walgad, holds, “The police must also ask these jhuggi-dwellers to clear up the area. We are doing our bit by carrying out regular anti-encroachment drives. We can, however, work with the police to make an impact.” |
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Govinda’s gimmicks fail to
tickle Albela’ (Piccadily and Suraj, Panchkula) is a below average show of a promising cast. The storyline is a little too far-stretched and so are the gimmicks of Govinda. Overstress on detail of characters rob the comedy of its charm. The director also seems a bit carried away in filling in elements of tragedy which fail to make an impact.
Govinda is an orphan and stays next door to Namrata Shirodkar, also an orphan. She runs a bar but also cooks for Govinda. She loves him, but he is smitten by Aishwarya Rai.Aishwarya’s father, Sayeed Jaffrey, does not want her to stay in India and asks her to come back. She announces her plans to fly away when she spots Jackie Shroff. Her memories fly back to her days in Austria when Jackie Shroff had entered her life as a journalist wishing to interview her father, and they had fallen in love. But bowing to her father she had refused to marry him. This time she decides to do otherwise. Just then Sayeed Jaffrey enters the scene. Once again, Aishwarya is nearly decided on flying back. Govinda starts crying. She offers to take him along Narmrata Shirodkar packs his luggage, crying in secrecy. Deepak Sareen directs the Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani production. Sameer has rendered decent compositions for a decent Jatin-Lalit music. Manmohan Singh is impressive in cinematography. The film is mostly shot in foreign lands. |
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Misuse of water & power The Governor and the Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh have appealed to the citizens to be prudent in the use of water and electricity. But it is generally observed in offices that when people leave their rooms for a short while, they do not care to switch off the lights and fans. Taps are left running for hours in toilets in public places. Water is one of the most precious natural resources. It becomes all the more valuable when it is processed to make it clean and fit for human consumption. However, potable water remains ridiculously subsidised. Perhaps that is why it is the most misutilised of all natural resources. Every morning, even in times of water scarcity, many residents of Chandigarh and Panchkula are seen using hose pipes to wash their cars, sometimes up to four vehicles per household. There ought to be exemplary punishment for such insensitive behaviour. Many among us are quick to raise a hue and cry when water tarrif is raised. Have we ever pondered over the plight of the people in areas like Rajasthan where even half a century after independence, women have to tread miles for a mere picture or two of potable water? Vivek Khanna Panchkula Neglected dogs Dog is mans’s best friend. A dog gives his master everything he can, and in return seeks only a corner to live, a piece of bread and a pat. We talk a lot about human rights but where are the rights of animals? Street dogs in the City Beautiful suffer from skin and other diseases. You find them in every street corner, scratching themselves with paws, crying and looking with pitiful eyes, as if asking for a help. But no one is bothered. We boast to help the animals through a number of organisations, such as the PFA and the SPCA, which hardly take any initiative to help these helpless creatures. Immunisation camps are held where the pets of the rich and the famous are treated with little attention to these orphans. The situation now is that hardly any section or street of the city is without these pitiful creatures. Their cry for help reaches none. Under the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals Act, even mercy killing of animals is an act of cruelty. Life in death is worse then death itself. Thus not caring for these helpless creatures is itself an act of cruelty towards them. Will the Administration and other organisations up and hear their cry for help? It is time we the citizens of City Beautiful, did our duty towards them. Amit Tiwari & M.K. Tiwari
Chandigarh Encroachments Pavement encroaches are back in the Sector 22 market. This sends a signal to the public that drives against encroachments are not earnest but half- hearted measures, only to justify the existence of the anti-encroachment wing of the administration. Five months ago, the Sector 22 market was cleared of encroachments and to prevent the re-appearance of pharis, the parking site was expanded and the width of the pavement was reduced. The money and effort spent by the Administration in this exercise could have been saved by a vigilant follow-up by the anti-encroachment wing. Pharis on pavements did not appear overnight. Administrative laxity is responsible for their reappearance. Immediate action by the anti-encroachment staff could have prevented this situation from developing. For several years the Estate Office staff has been swooping on roadside vendors and confiscating their wares. Has this made any difference? The vendors consider the fines imposed on them as rent paid to the Administration. Squatters are seen all the year round near certain round-abouts, only to be removed when some VVIP is to visit the city. Harinder Mohan Singh
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Eco experts against isolated
approach Chandigarh, April 21 The workshop on “Infusing environmental issues in science education”organised by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology gave a chance the Indian environmentalists to interact with Dr Mohammad Ibrahim from Bangladesh, Mr Nandu Giri from Bhutan, Ms P. K. Nanayakkara from Sri Lanka and Dr Sharada Devi Maharajan from Nepal. During this five-day interaction a number of environmental issues were discussed. Dr Mohammad
Ibrahim, Chairman of the Physics Department, Dhaka University, and the founder director of a voluntary organisation called Centre for Mass Education in Science, said no environmental issue could be tackled in isolation as these were inter linked. Citing an example of the problem of rise in the sea-level which is posing a grave threat to the very existence of mankind. Dr Ibrahim said, global warming, which is the root cause of the problem, has to be handled collectively by the entire world”. Dr Sharada Devi
Maharajan, Associate Professor of Tribhuvan University, Nepal, said, “what is required to sort out the environmental mess most of the countries are in, is to tie up with the voluntary organisations working in this direction. Mr Nandu
Giri, a teacher trainer from Bhutan who visited the city for the second time after a gap of 17 years, said, “though Chandigarh has retained it’s freshness , India as a whole has not made much progress in addressing the environmental problems. It is still in the awareness generating stage. May be it is the population pressure which has hindered India’s efforts towards handling such problems.” Ms P. K. Nanayakkara from Sri Lanka said, “our country has made progress in introducing environmental education at the primary and secondary level of education.” In our country we have 15 field study centres where students are tought about various eco - systems.” Talking about the problems faced by India, Dr Madhav
Kakri, Regional Programme Coordinator of the International Development Research
Centre, a Canada-based donor agency, said, “India is fast loosing the biodiversity in cultivation and forest products. The country which had about 50,000 rice varieties is now left with only 50 varieties”. |
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16-year battle for justice Chandigarh, April 21 The UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, dismissed the report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation for the cancellation of the FIR against Hardev Singh and others. While accepting the complaint filed by Mr Allaha Singh, against the CBI report, the Magistrate observed that the CBI report was not based on facts and there were various facts which supported the
possibility of murder in the case. The magistrate had examined 11 witnesses, including CBI officials, police officials, Director of Forensic Science Laboratory and the doctor who had conducted post mortem of the body. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune while coming out of the court, Mr Allaha Singh said, “It is basically an endless struggle for justice. I hope that the culprit will be sentenced before my death. I will continue my struggle as long as I am alive”. He added that he had received many threat calls, but only by the grace of God was he alive. Mr Allaha Singh, a resident of Patiala, had filed a petition against the conclusion of the CBI that the Inspector, Mr Sita Ram, had planted blood on various items belonging to the deceased and a false scene of murder was created with the connivance of Mr Allaha Singh. CBI had recommended quashing of the FIR registered against Hardev Singh and others. The court ordered an investigation in the case as many points mentioned in the report were not dealt with judicially. In 1995, the court had directed the CBI to conduct a fresh investigation. The case was handed over to the SP in CBI, Mr Kirtti Chandra Kanungo (now DIG, CBI, North East Region, Guwahati). Mr Kirtti had investigated the case again. During investigation, he had examined more than 100 witnesses examined by the previous investigating officers. He concluded that the death of Inderjit Singh was a homocide and it was not a case of suicide. It was alleged that the deceased was murdered by his landlord, Hardev Singh, and others. The postmortem report stated that the death was due to asphyxia caused by hanging. The father of the deceased then wrote to various officials and approached Mr Shiv Swarup, the then Adviser to the Punjab Governor. A panel of doctors was appointed to reexamine the postmortem report. The report prepared by the panel revealed that the postmortem report given by Dr S.K. Garg were not consistent with the findings in case of hanging.Mr Sita Ram, SI in his inquiry report concluded that it was a case of murder and the suicide story was false. The case against Hardev Singh and others was registered under Sections 302 and 34 IPC, on November 24, 1985. The police sought the help of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. As per the report, the deceased seemed to have resisted the attack. The blood samples were sent to the CFSL, Madhuban. A report from the CFSL opined that it was a case of murder and not of suicide. The Chandigarh police had allegedly tried to close the case after getting a recommendation from the Patiala police on February 27, 1988. The father of the deceased had given a representation to the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Justice of India, following which the case was reopened. |
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World Earth Day
celebrated Chandigarh, April 21 As many as 200 students of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 41, and Class I and II students of its Mohali branch took out a parade in order to celebrate the event. The children presented a colourful presentation advocating the importance of healthy environment. They were carrying colourful posters, banners and raising slogans. Some of them were dressed like clowns holding baskets enscribed ‘’Use Me’’. Some others were dressed like trees and skeletons holding ‘’quit smoking’’ banners. They projected environment balance and global warmth in order to avoid pollution and deforestation. The principal, Ms Jasmine Kalra, lead the parade. DAV Model School, Sector 7-B, held an inter-school drawing competition to celebrate the day. Justice A.L. Bahri, chairman of the school, presided over the function. The Deputy Conservator, Forest Department, Mr Ishwar Singh, was the guest of honour. A colourful cultural programme was presented by the students on this occasion. DAV Public School, SAS Nagar, organised drawing competition, paper reading contest and collage making to celebrate Earth Day. The Children’s Alliance for Protection of the Environment celebrated the day at Khuda Ali Sher village by organising an impressive rally that spread the message of harmful effects of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. About 300 students from Moti Ram Arya Senior Secondary School, Sector 27, and Government High School of the village also had a brush with the nature on this occasion. Dr K.K. Garg, Joint Director , Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, while addressing the rally urged the farmers and the students to take practical steps to save the mother earth from pollution. |
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Essentials of good PR
discussed Chandigarh, April 21 The seminar was organised by the society on the theme “Opportunities and challenges for PR”. Mr R.S. Verma, IAS (retd), former Chief Secretary, Haryana, was the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Verma explained how the advent of the last millennium was different from the advent of this millennium. While an atmosphere of unscientific temperament prevailed at the advent of the last millennium, the present millennium is of mind boggling achievements in the field of science, specially communications. The biggest challenge before a PR person is to meet the challenge of increased communication facilities. He said, “sincerity of job is essential and everybody can learn with time”. Prof H.S. Dilgir, former Chairman of the Mass Communication Department of Panjab University, while presiding over the seminar related his experiences in the field of public relations. In his own style of speaking spiced with couplets of Urdu poetry, he said that PR is pyaar and to be a good public relations person one has to realise that the word public stands not just for your clients but also for your family members and even your neighbours. “If you are a good public relation person in the office, you ought to be a good person at home, with your wife, your children and the neighbours, too. PR cannot be learnt in a day, but has to be learnt over a period of time. “We should have more introspection than speeches” he said. |
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522 challaned in special
drive Chandigarh, April 21 According to police sources, 199 riders were challaned for their failure to wear helmets. Another 60 were issued challan slips for not having proper registration number plates. Sources added that 53 drivers were challaned for jumping traffic signals while 24 were proceeded against for making wrong entry. A senior police officer, when contacted, said challans were also issued to those violating the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued in the Traffic Management and Pollution Control case. He claimed that 53 drivers were challaned for having black films on the car windows without taking permission from the competent authority. Five others were also challaned for smoking while driving, he added. Regarding the special drive, the officer asserted that the cops were posted at 29 strategic points all over the city from 8 am to 1 pm. At each spot, an Inspector or a Sub-Inspector was deployed, the officer added. Such drives to ensure the safety of road users by checking traffic violations would continue in future also, the officer claimed. Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar of the High court had earlier directed that persons violating the Court directions, operation of which had not been stayed by the Supreme Court, were liable to be dealt with under the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act, besides being punished for violation of traffic offences. The High Court had earlier made helmets compulsory for both men and women two-wheeler drivers and those on the pillion. Persons wearing turbans had, been granted exemption. The use of black films had also been banned. Exemption was provided only for security reasons. The High Court had also directed the introduction of one-way traffic in Sectors 24 and 17 and the commercial sectors in the city. |
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Stress management course for
police Chandigarh, April 21 According to the Deputy Inspector-General of the Chandigarh Police, Mr Ajay Kashyap, the course incorporates methods to recognise stress, besides its affects, on the human body. Techniques for coping with stress will also be discussed. Giving details, the DIG stated that 16 such courses would be conducted for about 300 officials during the first phase. These had been designed and developed by RICA with the help of the police as occupational stress among the cops was “particularly high, manifesting itself in the forms of alcoholism, high blood pressure and diabetes”. |
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Illegal construction to be regularised Panchkula, April 21 The District Development and Panchayat Officer, Mr Rajesh Jogpal, said the sale of land would be carried out on the basis of certain guidelines provided by the government. He said kutcha and pucca construction on non-agricultural land would be sold, along with 25 per cent of the developed area. The nod of the gram panchayat for the sale of this land would be essential. |
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Worm in tap water? Chandigarh, April 21 Mr Kewal Singh, who brought a bottle of the water to The Tribune office, alleged that he had taken a glass of the infected water and as he filled the another glass of water from the tap, he noticed a “worm-like” object in it. |
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Wastage of funds alleged SAS Nagar, April 21 He said from January, 2000, to November, 2000, money was withdrawn from the fixed deposits of the committee for undesired development works. Seeking intervention of the Director of the Local Government to check rampant corruption and irregularities in the civic body, he said action should be taken against the officials concerned. On the issue of implementation of the decreased water and sewerage rates in the town, he said the Local Government Department should clarify its stand on the issue. He said the roll back in water and sewerage rates had been approved and it should be implemented. ‘‘If the reduced rates were not implemented, I would urge the consumers in the town not be pay the bills in protest’’, he added. |
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Fake transfers case Panchkula, April 21 Sharma, through his lawyer, had moved an application for anticipatory bail. He was directed to put his version before the court. The police, too, was asked to appear on the same date. |
Pirated cassettes
seized Chandigarh, April 21 Modesty outrage bid Taking up her complaint, the Chandigarh police has registered a case under Sections 341 and 354 of the IPC. One arrested According to sources in the Police Department, accused Anita has been booked under Sections 381 and 411 of the IPC. Investigations into the allegations were on, sources added. Car stereo stolen Theft reported Booked for gambling SAS Nagar Case registered Cheating case |
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Govinda is a tourist guide wishing to make it big. He comes across Aishwarya Rai, an Austrian girl on a holiday in India. Her mother is an Indian who has left her in Austria while still a toddler. Govinda mistakes her caring nature for
love.
