Thursday, April 26, 2001, Chandigarh, India

 

C H A N D I G A R H   S T O R I E S

 

 

Mayor faces heavy flak; MCC house adjourned
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
An aggressive BJP-SAD opposition once again stalled the proceedings of a crucial meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh which had to be finally adjourned by the Mayor without transacting any business today.

It is the second time in a month that the House failed to transact any business because the opposition, in a bid to corner the Mayor, Mr Raj Kumar Goyal, levelled a series of charges against him. It has been insisting that he should first explain his position on them before it would allow the House to function.

Although the Mayor belongs to the Congress, it is the BJP-SAD alliance, which commands majority in the 29-member House. Therefore, the Mayor has to seek the support and cooperation of the BJP-SAD alliance to transact any business in the House.

A series of formal and informal meetings with councillors from all sections of the House by the Mayor preceded today's meeting of the House, but it was clear that the Mayor has not been able to muster the necessary support from the alliance. As soon as the House met this morning, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Des Raj Tandon, told the Mayor that he should either prove the allegations levelled by him against the former BJP Mayors and give an explanation on the charges levelled against him by the public or admit his mistake of levelling baseless allegations, failing which they would not allow the House to function. He said that they were prepared for the Mayor convening a special meeting of the House to discuss the issue of allegations and counter-allegations, provided the date of the same should be discussed at this meeting.

In response the Mayor said that he would convene a special meeting but appealed to them to first take up the agenda listed for the meeting. While the Congress councillors were keen on conducting the business, the BJP councillors were in no

mood to discuss the agenda items. Later, Congress councillor Satinder Dhawan staged a walkout in protest against the BJP attitude in stalling the proceedings of the House every now and then.

The Mayor did make an attempt to give some clarification, but senior BJP leader Prem Sagar Jain intervened to point out that as per the Act the Mayor could not give clarification sitting in the chair of the Mayor. He should do so on the floor of the House. The Mayor just kept quiet adjourned the House for tea break.

Mrs Dhawan came to the rescue of the Mayor and suggested that to remove the prevailing deadlock a committee of the nominated councillors be constituted to look into these allegations and counter-allegations. While taking the very first opportunity to reject it, they told him that his own party leaders were staging a dharna against him outside the MC office. Mrs Dhawan clarified that the dharna was not against the Mayor, but was against those councillors who did not let the House function.

Before the tea break, the Mayor had agreed to clarify the allegations and asked the Commissioner to give the facts in the House, but the BJP opposed the same that why should the Mayor not clarify the same. After the tea break, the Mayor skipped the issue of clarification and said that the date of the special meeting be decided.

This led to an uproar in the House and there was difference of opinion on the issue even among the BJP councillors. While the proposal to fix the date of next meeting of the House was acceptable to a few councillors, the others who were opposed to it said that the same should be clarified here only, for the Mayor had the tendency to back out and he may fix a date but not call the meeting.

Expressing resentment, Mrs Dhawan staged a walkout from the House and said that the BJP was not keen on letting the House function and take up developmental works in the interest of the public. She pointed out that the BJP had not only rejected the proposal to constitute a committee of the nominated councillors but were also opposing their own demand for convening a special meeting.

The Mayor refused to resign and leave his chair on account of these baseless allegations.

Nominated councillor Surya Pandit also strongly criticised the Mayor for complaining about the Commissioner and other senior officials of the MCC to the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob. She pointed out that he had only tried to lower the image of the MCC by levelling such allegations against the officials.

The BJP councillors came to support the MCC officials and praised them for their efforts for the development of the city during the past four years. Nominated councillor Major-Gen Rajinder Nath asked the Mayor to explain his position by clarifying that he had nothing to do with these baseless allegations. He also appealed to the councillors to let the proceedings of the House be conducted, for if they continued to be adamant the same may be dissolved which would have a bearing on the development of the city.

BJP councillor Ranjana Shahi pointed out that the ruling party councillors staged a walkout and sat on dharna against the Mayor. Neither his party men nor the councillors supported him.

Though the BJP councillors had yesterday indicated that they would allow the House to function if the Mayor announced a date for a special meeting to resolve the issue, the alliance once again showed its colours by insisting on clarifications. However, there was lack of unity among them on the issue of date for the special meeting .

Talking to mediapersons later, Mr Goyal said by coming out with new demands every day, the BJP-SAD councillors were misusing their majority and wasting the time of the House.

The Mayor, whose future to a large extent hinges on these House meetings, continues to be in the grip of problems and no solution seems to be coming forward. The question is how does the ruling minority Congress run the House in the absence of support from the BJP-SAD alliance.
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Confusion over environment paper
Students at the receiving end
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
Anxiety is writ large on the faces of hundreds of undergraduate students of the colleges affiliated to Panjab University as they “are being forced to appear” for the paper in environment studies which they have already cleared.

Panjab University last year had decided that students who have attended seven lectures in the subject will be given certificates which will exempt them from appearing in the subject of environment studies. A decision in this regard was taken in a special committee on February 24, 2000.

Principals were expected to send the attendance reports by March 31, 2000. Informed sources said that information had not reached the university in several cases. “This was expected to be submitted by the colleges concerned. Now, as a result of a communication gap between the college authorities and the university, “we are being punished, rather harassed,” a student said.

Students are busy contacting all possible avenues for “justice”. Dr R.P.S. Josh, a Fellow of the university, while talking to The Tribune confirmed the facts. He said the principals concerned should send immediate information confirming eligibility of the students to the university. The university should also take suo motu notice of the facts and exempt the “harassed” students.

The university authorities were mentioning lack of relevant information material to cancel the examination for “these students who claimed to have attended lectures”. The college authorities said that at the university had been contacted. “Whoever is to blame, why should the students be penalised for no fault of theirs,” Dr Josh asked.

Dr A.C. Vaid, Principal of the local GGDSD College, said: “Regular records had been forwarded to the university. The papers seem to have been lost somewhere. Why should students suffer for no fault of theirs?”

Dr Vaid said: “Only BA I and outsiders (fresh in the university) were expected to take the examination. The current situation was confusing. Students have come to me also. I am sending a fresh office copy of the students’ attendance to save them from an uncomfortable situation.”

Principal P.S.Sangha, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Sector 26, said, “The college put the copies of the required documents on the college notice board. Copies were also sent to the university. Colleges were now asked to submit the certificates. How would it be possible at this junction?”

Principal Sangha further stated that many colleges had not sent certificates. When the college authorities were certifying the candidates to have met the required conditions, the university authorities should help the students.”

A final year student said: “We were absolutely ignorant about a written examination. The condition now, which was not being corrected despite repeated efforts, showed absolute lack of interest of the university in initiating any correctional move.”

PU is perhaps the only university in the entire country to have introduced the subject of environmental studies. Justice Kuldip Singh always remained at the helm of affairs. The examination first time had to be cancelled as it showed negligent results. Thereafter, usually a minimum number of lectures were being conducted each year to certify eligibility of the students. 
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Police updating list of militants
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
Following the resurfacing of the dreaded terrorists, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal and Mukhtiar Singh Mukha, in the city recently, the UT police has begun an exercise in earnest to update its database regarding former Punjab militants, who are suspected to visit the city in the coming days.

The local police authorities had approached the Punjab Police intelligence agencies, and with their assistance have compiled a list of ‘sleepers’ (members of militant outfits, who remain inactive for years together as common people) in and around the city. These ‘sleepers’ have earlier also been used by the various militant outfits against each other during the days of terrorism.

With a large number of militants now sending feelers to the Punjab Police and expressing their desire to return to the mainstream after facing trial here, the police is now worried about the proactive role that these ‘sleepers’ could play.

Sources inform that though Operation Cell of the city police had been regularly tipped off by the intelligence agencies about these ‘sleepers’ in the city, no records were being maintained.

A list of all surviving Punjab terrorists and their present whereabouts ,who have the potential to strike in the city, their sympathisers in the city, the places in and around the city where they could strike, those involved in terrorist-related activities in the city during the past and now settled abroad, and the terrorist related offences committed in the city has been prepared by Operation Cell, the Intelligence Wing and the Crime Branch within the department.

This exercise is being carried out after the Crime Branch, now rechristened as Operation Cell, drew flak from the top brass of the police for its inability at keeping track of various militant organisations and their members for the past couple of years.

In fact, the UT Inspector General of Police, Mr. B.S. Bassi, had reportedly lambasted the Operation Cell staff during the monthly crime meeting last week, following the local police being caught unawares during the visits of certain dreaded militants in the city recently. Amidst reports of some retaliatory action by militants following the surrender of Zaffarwal a few days ago, top police officials in the city decided to carry out the exercise of updating its database on terrorists.

The police has a list of militants owing allegiance to eight militant outfits in Punjab — the Babbar Khalsa International, the Khalistan Commando Force, the Khalistan Liberation Force, the Bhinderanwala Tigers Force, the All India Sikh Students Federation and the Sikh Students Federation, the Akal Federation and the Dal Khalsa.

Other than this, the police has also begun updating its data on the Kashmiri militants, belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Force and the Lashkar-e-Toiba, who were either caught in the city or had committed some terrorist related offence here. Their whereabouts, local aides here and the ‘sleepers’ in the city are also being included in the new data. Perturbed over the rising crime graph in the city, the police has also decided to upgrade its data on the history-sheeters.
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Move on house tax rejected
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, April 25
The Local Government Department has rejected a proposal of the local Municipal Council to levy house tax on commercial property here. The civic body has reportedly been told not to impose the tax for the next five years.

An agenda item on this issue, that was expected to raise protests from the business community here, was to be placed before the House after the government’s approval. However, there was no move to impose house tax on residential premises after the state government granted an exemption in this regard.

The move to impose a 10 per cent house tax on the rental value of commercial property here was initiated past month by the MC after the Local Government told it to take a decision on the issue on its own.

Sources in the council said, the exemption on the levying of house tax on commercial property had expired on March 31, 2000, and the Executive Officer had sought a clarification from the Local Government Department on this issue. The Executive Officer wanted to know whether there was any move by the government to exempt owners of commercial property from paying house tax. The Local Government said the MC should take a decision on its own.

Officials of the MC said a survey would be conducted to find the number of commercial properties in the town and the rental value of these. Even if the civic body reduces house tax, income from it will be huge because commercial activity is picking up in all sectors here.
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Chance meeting with Parikshat
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, April 25
It was a chance meeting with Parikshat Sahni, actor and son of the legendary star Balraj Sahni, today morning. The actor, who has been working in Bollywood for decades, was spotted by this reporter at a vegetable shop along with his cousin sister at the Modern Housing Complex here. When was asked for a brief interaction, the actor willingly agreed.

Parikshat was on his way to Uzbekistan for the shooting of a movie titled “Yeh Mohabbat Hai” being directed by Umesh Mehra. Last evening he had come here from Kulu district (Banjar tehsil) after shooting for a children’s film by Varinder Saini titled “Akaash Ko Chhu Leinge” for the Children’s Film Society of India.

During the brief interaction Parikshat described as most memorable his role in the famous serial “Gul Gulshan Gulfam”, which was aired for many years and is now on the verge of being revived. He said when he began doing roles in films, people started looking for reflections of his father. He said his father was a serious actor but acting was thrust upon him. His father was best in tragedy roles whereas he felt more at home with comic roles. He was of the view that he was more inspired by his mother than his father in acting.

Parikshat, who has done commendable roles in films like ‘Pavittar Papi’, “Duniayadari” and “Tapasya” in the 1970s is now more busy with TV serials. At present he is working in serials like Tanha, Alpviram, Heena and Noorjahan, where he was acting as Mirza Ghias. The star cast in Noorjahan includes Milind Soman as Salim, Gauri Pradhan as Noorjahan, Krutika Desai as Man Bai, Punit Issar as Sher Afghan, Ranjeeta as Asmat Begum, as also Vijendra Ghatge and cricketer Salil Ankola in different roles.

Another new serial in the pipeline was Bahu Rania, where he was again playing the role of the head of a family.

Parikshat, a student of Lawrence school, Sanawar, said he had to encounter a lot of difficulties in life. He graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, before going to Russia for attending an advanced course in cinematography.

Parikshat said his original name was ‘Parikshat’ only, but for just one film it was changed to Ajay Sahni which he never liked. He said he was given diverse roles due to his being proficient in many languages — Urdu, Sanskrit, Russian, besides English, Punjabi and Hindi.

He said he would try to have a little base in Chandigarh since his eldest daughter, Aditi, was married to Nalin, employed in the merchant navy and at present staying in Sector 27. Aditi never wanted to live in Mumbai due to pollution so only a few months ago settled down in Chandigarh.

Parikshat said he wanted to become a good script writer and director. He hoped to accomplish this with his new venture titled Balraj Sahni International.

Asked why his children were not joining movies or series, Parikshat said it was their own decision. His second daughter, Tania, and son Varn, the youngest in the family, were still studying and were least interested in joining Bollywood.
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Punjabi gets its due in UT
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
In a significant decision, the Chandigarh Administration has decided that all signboards on roads, in public offices and public places will be written in Punjabi apart from English and Hindi. Besides, all correspondence in Punjabi will be entertained in all UT offices.

According to the Ms Harjinder Kaur and Mr Tarlochan Singh, chairman and president, respectively, of the Punjabi and Punjab Vikas Manch, these decisions have been conveyed to the manch by a letter of the UT Home Secretary yesterday.

The letter said the matter regarding the official language in the UT was decided at the level of the Central Government. At present, the official language of Chandigarh is English.

All administrative secretaries, heads of the departments, offices and institutions of the Chandigarh Administration have been directed to ensure that no correspondence should be refused to be accepted/entertained by any department of administration on the ground that it is written in Punjabi, the letter added.

It may be recalled that the manch has been urging the administration to give Punjabi its due status in the UT, which also happens to be the capital of Punjab. The manch had also submitted to memorandum to the Prime Minister and the present directions seem to be the offshoot of that memorandum.

Terming the decisions as a “small victory” for the Punjabis, Mr Tarlochan Singh added that the fight to secure the official language status for Punjabi would continue.
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MC fails to evict roadside vendors
Kulwinder Sangha

SAS Nagar, April 25
It is business as usual for a large number of roadside sellers all over the town despite the Municipal Council’s drive to curb the menace.

Despite the council levying fines and impounding the goods of sellers and others, it seems to be a losing battle for the civic body as the offenders can still be commonly seen along the main roads. One comes across sellers of water melons, bidis, tea, khas screens of coolers, besides bicycle repair men, barbers and cobblers.

The council had around mid-January effected a staff reshuffle to bring about efficiency in the collection of tehbazari fees and impounding of cattle. The concerned staff had been asked to maintain a register in which a daily record of the tehbazari fee collected and the fines imposed on roadside sellers had to be entered. Besides, the register was to have details of the confiscation of goods kept illegally in the market verandahs and the fines imposed as well as the details of the stray animals impounded and the fines collected in this regard.

Although the council has made little headway in the confiscation of goods in the market verandahs, work in the case of stray animals has been minimal. In the drive against illegal roadside sellers officials claim that around Rs 65,000 had been collected as fines from January 16 till March 30. They say that there also has been an increase in the tehbazari and rent income. The income which was Rs 6.91 lakh from April 1, 2000, to January 15 this year had touched Rs 14.57 lakh till March 30.

It is learnt that council is unable to get the desired results from its drive as the staff is finding it difficult to evict the roadside sellers who have been there for years. Even though a fine of Rs 500 per rehri is imposed by the civic body, in most cases the offenders pay the fines to get their goods released and in no time they are back in business at the same spot. In many cases officials are forced to let off offenders under pressure from politicians, senior officials, municipal councillors or civic body employees.

The SDM, Mr Jai Pal Singh, has also expressed concern over the presence of such roadside sellers. In fact he has written letters to the council president asking him whether permission had been given to sellers to operate along the roads and, if so, under which rules. He said if these persons had indulged in illegal activity, why no action had been taken against them.

Council officials say that the SDM himself had given permission to certain Punjab state lottery agents to put up stalls.

These agents usually operate on roadsides, particularly in areas like the Phase I barrier. They say it is very difficult to evict such lottery ticket sellers and it proves to be a bad precedent for other offenders as well.

Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the Municipal Council, said the drive against roadside sellers would be carried on a regular basis and it would take a long time to get the desired result. Roadside sellers had been there for the past 10 to 15 years and even though goods are confiscated and fines imposed, they are found again operating from the same spots. But for how long would they keep paying fines as the drive for removing them would go on?

He said in the past none of the council administrators or presidents had tried to fight out the problem. The council would also see if it could increase the penalty amount to get rid of the menace. He admitted that there was interference from certain quarters and in many cases offenders had to be let off without fines though personally he was against all this.

Mr Kulwant Singh said shopkeepers wanted certain facilities like proper toilets, etc in the markets. The council would first try to provide all the facilities due to them and then start with the drive of confiscating goods kept illegally in market verandahs.
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Disadvantaged citizens
Bill for phone that never was
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
Officials of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are threatening a 79-year-old resident of the city that an FIR will be registered against him if he does not pay a pending bill. However, the bill is for a period when the man did not even have a telephone.

Capt Attam Singh Kohli (retd), a heart patient who lives in Sector 33, received a letter from the BSNL on February 26 that said he should pay a 1996 bill for Rs 1,853. In June 1996, the BNSL (the Department of Telecommunications then) had sent a bill for telephone number 611983 to Capt Kohli. The shocked Armyman wrote back to the department, saying that he had no telephone at his home.

He said, “On checking the facts, officials of the DoT requested me not to pursue the matter as some persons might lose their jobs because of this. They assured me the matter will be sorted out,” he said.

The department installed a telephone in Capt Kohli’s house on July 18, 1996, as he had applied for a telephone connection. The number that was allotted him was 611983. Four months later, the telephone was disconnected. After a lot of “running around”, the Armyman found out that the telephone had been shifted to the Industrial Area.

Later, the telephone connection was restored and the number changed to 615587. It was suspected that some BSNL employee was trying to cover up his misdeeds by first sending a bill for a telephone that did not exist and then installing a telephone having the same number.

The ordeal of Capt Kohli did not end here. In July 1999, he received a bill from the department, according to which, he had to deposit the rent for using the services from February 1997 to June 1997 for the telephone 611983. Capt Kohli said, “Though the telephone 611983 had not been installed at my residence in that period, I paid the bill anyway to avoid harassment.” However, he received a letter from the BSNL in February, that said action would be taken against him if he did not pay the bill. Capt Kohli sent a reply to the BSNL on March 14, 2001, requesting an early action. The BNSL has not sent him a reply even a month after this.
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Dhawan assails ‘obstructionists’
Tribune News Service

Volunteers of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch
Volunteers of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch stage a dharna in front of the office of the Municipal Corporation in Chandigarh on Wednesday. 
— A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, April 25
A former Union Minister, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, today warned that the activists of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch would gherao the houses of those councillors who were stalling the proceedings of the House of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC).

Addressing the first dharna organised by the manch outside the office of the MCC in Sector 17 here, Mr Dhawan alleged that the developmental activity in the city had come to a standstill as the House was not allowed to function by the councillors. Several important decisions were pending; they needed the approval of the House.

The infighting between the BJP-SAD and Congress councillors on the one hand and among the Congress councillors on the other hand had brought misery to the common man. Developmental work was either at the planning stage or at the point of implementation.

Various speakers, while coming down heavily on the behaviour of the elected councillors, reminded them of their duty to the residents. People had elected them to work for growth and development but councillors, by stalling the proceedings of the House, were creating hindrances.

Prominent among those who spoke were Mr Devinder Singh Babla, Dr O.P. Verma, Mr Sandeep Singh, Mr Balwinder Cheema, Mr Raj Nagpal, Mr D.S. Aulakh, Mr Shyam Lal, Ms Sudesh Rani Chauhan, Mr Sripal Verma, Mr Ram Lal and Mr Gurcharan S. Channi.
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CTU employees stage dharna
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, April 25
Hundreds of employees of the Joint Action Committee of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking staged dharna at the ISBT against the introduction of privatisation in the CTU. The employees have also started indefinite chain fast.

The employees were protesting against the decision of the UT Administration for plying of private AC buses as well as mini buses in the city. The leaders of the various CTU unions, Mr Pisora Singh, Mr Narain Singh, Mr Vijay Singh, Mr Kanhaya Lal, Mr Jit Singh, Mr Sat Pal, Trsain Lal, declared that the ACT would call for general strike if administration had not withdrawn it decision soon.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the President of CTU Union, Mr Narain Singh, said the employees were protesting against the privatisation as it is not in the interest of the employees as well as for the public. Mr Balbir Singh, Vice-President of the CTU union, added that in various parts of the India, where the private buses were introduced, lead to the exploitation of the public.
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Villagers support removal of earth
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, April 25
Even as the local Mining Department began the exercise to probe in the issue of removal of earth illegally from fields in Kambali, Dharamgarh and Kormajra villages, land holders lamented that their land was hardly fertile.

They were victims of a seasonal rivulet which had been eroding a considerable portion of land each year during the rainy season.

Mr Narata Singh, a farmer of Dharamgarh village, said they had allowed the contractors to remove the land from their fields so that the uneven land could be levelled and can be used for cropping.

He said they had asked the contractors to take permission from the Mining Department. When the seasonal rivulet was playing havoc with their lands over the years no government department came forward to held them and now when they were “levelling” their land the mining department was objecting to it, they added.

They said the quarrying was taking place on panchayat land of Kambali village, located adjacent to the nullah, since January and nobody had objected to it.
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Man withdraws suicide note
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
Mr Gurdev Singh, a former employee of the treasury branch of the SBI in Sector 17, who had threatened to commit suicide if the dues admissible to him under the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), were not paid, said today that he had withdrawn his threat before the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (South), Chandigarh. He has since been set free by the police.
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Power failure
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, April 25
Major parts of the town remained without power for over six hours causing a lot of harassment to the residents. According to the available information a snag in power lines near Gawritex in Industrial Area damaged the Phase IIIB1feeder. 
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FENG SHUI TIPS
Feng Shui is easy to use

The most attractive phase of Feng Shui is its simplicity and the philosophy behind it. The origin of Feng Shui dates back to four thousand years. Its priniciples on arranging living places to attract balanced and pure energies are very simple once you understand them. The phases of good and bad luck can be reversed if one studies the secrets of the earth’s energies and knows how to manipulate them.

When one is going through a period of good fortune according to one’s fate or destiny, beneficial Feng Shui enhances it. When one sees and realises the vast possibilities Feng Shui can achieve, it seems to be very easy to learn. And when one sees that the promise is fulfilled, Feng Shui does not only become fun in practice but also makes itself easy to know.

Feng Shui denotes earth luck and, when viewed within this context, it takes on a significant prospective. Earth luck is within one’s control. If we can actively create good Feng Shui in our home and offices, doing something to improve our personal environment must significantly illuminate our life’s luck.

Feng Shui is a vital component of the circumstances of one’s being for it addresses that part of our destiny over which we can exercise control. The simple guidelines associated with its practice are about attracting money, fame and success.

Harshna

Address your Feng Shui queries to:

E-mail: fengshui@tribuneindia.com

Postal address: C/o F.S. TIPS The Tribune, Sector-29, Chandigarh-160020.
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Alleged rapist arrested
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
The police has caught a 22-year-old youth after he had allegedly raped his landlady in Burail village early this morning.

Accused Tejpal Singh, alias Teja, was arrested by the police at around 5.30 a.m. when Sher Singh, husband of the victim, caught him after he had allegedly sexually assaulted the latter's wife. He was later produced in the court and has been remanded in judicial custody till May 9.

It is learnt that the accused was staying on the first floor of the house of the victim. Last night, Sher Singh left home for some work. At about 2.30 a.m. the accused reportedly came down and knocked at the door. The victim, thinking that Sher Singh had returned, opened the door and was then assaulted by the accused.

When Sher Singh reached home, he came to know about the incident and informed the police. 
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Police fails to trace car owner
Tribune news Service

Chandigarh, April 25
The police is on the trail of the occupants of a Lancer car who fired a shot in the air in Sector 40 late last night following a minor altercation with two other car-borne youths.

According to an FIR registered under Sections 279, 323 and 336, IPC, it is learnt that the occupants of the car (CH-03D-8117) picked up a quarrel with Raman Jamwal and Munish Nanda, while they were going in a car and later fired one shot in the air.

The police has traced the address of the car owner to a house in Sector 33, but later found that the present residents of this house had just bought the house from the persons on whose name the car was registered. The new occupants of the house also said that the previous owners had shifted to SAS Nagar, but their SAS Nagar address could not be found.

Meanwhile, the police also received reliable information that the said car was often seen at a Sector 38 house. Upon reaching there, the police found that a group of three to four college going youths were staying there as tenants. However, none of them were available at the house. The landlady reportedly told the police that the youth belonged to Ferozepore district in Punjab.
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2 teenagers held in theft cases
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
The Mani majra police has arrested two teenagers responsible for at least three cases of burglary and theft in different parts of Mani Majra over the past two months.

Vicky (13) and Subhash (14), residents of Mauli Jagran and Indira Colony, respectively, had been responsible for a series of burglaries in the area along with another accomplice, Sheeru. While the two were arrested by the police, Sheeru has absconded.

The arrested persons have confessed to the burglary in Mani Majra where they had decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh after entering the house through a hole in the wall. They have also confessed to other thefts in Motor Market, Mani Majra, Subhash Nagar and Dera Sahib.

The police maintains that most of the stolen goods are in the possession of the third accused.

Car stolen
In a second incident of auto-lifting outside the SD College, a Maruti car (PB-23-5900) was stolen on April 24. A case under Section 379 of the IPC was registered on the complaint of the owner, Rajwinder Singh.

It may be recalled that on April 20 a Kinetic Honda was stolen from the parking lot of the college.

Booked for defacement
The proprietors of the Chandigarh Auto Care Centre have been booked on charges of defacing public property. The posters of the company promoting a scooter were found posted on an electric pole near Maloya. A case under Section 3 of the Defacement of Property Act, 1976, has been registered.
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