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April 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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No more talks with Pak: KPS
Gill Chandigarh, April 29 ‘‘Enough talks have already taken place and since a mighty change of context has come about, India has no business to talk to Pakistan anymore,’’ said Mr Gill while answering a question after having delivered a lecture on ‘‘Threats to internal security’’ organised by the Panchnad Research Institute. Mr Gill said that the current cease-fire in the state had both good and bad aspects. ‘‘Cease-fire is good if it is reciprocated and shows results, but if it starts affecting the alertness of our security forces and our camps are constantly attacked then it is no cease-fire at all.’’ Expressing concern over the number of foreign mercenaries operating in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Gill said that the number ranged between 3,000 and 5,000. ‘‘This foreign instigated terrorism was the most intolerable form of terrorism where a country encourages local groups to train youngsters, arm them with weapons of mass destruction, pay them, give it religious colour and facilitate infiltration into a neighboring country. And for India which lacked a judicial system or even a law to counter terrorism, bowing to human rights organisations which are serving interests of the countries trying to dominate India, it is an explosive mix,’’ said Mr Gill. Talking about the recent killing of BSF personnel at the Indo-Bangladesh border, he said that India’s response had been soft. ‘‘The inhuman way our soldiers were treated deserved a tough response.’’ As regards the Kargil incident and the Indian Airlines IC 814 hijacking at Kandhar, he said Kargil episode happened because of the lack of action by the local commanders who thought that after the Lahore talks nothing could happen. The hijacking was the failure of our crises management group to respond to a situation which needed immediate attention. The internal security mechanism of the country should be a well oiled indivisible whole, each part working complementarily with the other, every response well established and self reactive with complete insulation against corrupt practices. |
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Ishan, Raj Kumar top middle
exams Chandigarh, April 29 Raj Kumar, also from Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22 D, stood first in the Non Model Stream by securing 90.1 per cent. The total number of candidates who appeared this year were 12,074, out of which 7,513 candidates were from the Non Model stream (Hindi medium/ Punjabi medium) while 4,561 were from the Model stream (English medium). The number of students placed in the first division i.e. securing 60 per cent and above are 3,895. As many as 1,292 from the Non Model stream and 2,603 students from Model stream got first division. The number of students who got second division are 4,151. In total 1,140 students got third division. The candidates securing 90 per cent and above have been placed in the merit list. In all, 36 students have been placed in the merit list from the Model stream. Out of these 18 students belong to
Government Model Schools, 17 students from private schools, out of which seven positions have been bagged by students of Manav Mangal School, Sector 21, and one is a private candidate. Among the Non Model stream, only one student, Raj Kumar of Shishu Niketan Senior Secondary School, Sector 22-D, has entered the merit list by securing 631 marks out of 700. The result gazette will be issued to the concerned schools by 9.a.m. onwards in Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18. Candidates who have appeared from government recognised schools can see the result at their respective schools.
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UT Congress’s cool reaction to
manch Chandigarh, April 29 The party has adopted a wait-and-watch policy with regard to the development. The CTCC chief, Mr B.B. Bahl, plans to go to Delhi on Tuesday to brief the party high command on the latest political situation in the UT. The formation of the manch, if seen in its proper context, is nothing more than the creation of a new but vociferous pressure group in the Congress Party. The manch had already staged a dharna in front of the Municipal Corporation a few days ago to ‘knock some sense into the heads of the squabbling councillors’ and had announced an elaborate plan to make its presence felt in the coming days. The Congress Party is not unfamiliar with the creation of such pressure groups elsewhere in the country. While announcing the formation of the manch, Mr Dhawan was at pains to emphasise that the manch would function within the four walls of the Congress Party and would not clash in any way with the known policies and programmes of the party. But the show of strength put up by Mr Dhawan on the occasion of launching the manch left observers in no doubt that if the internecine infighting in the Congress Party did not abate and if the push came to a shove, he could well quit the Congress Party. At least, this was what many of his supporters felt. Mr Dhawan was a member of the Janata Dal and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. After the fall of the V.P. Singh government, he joined the Samajwadi Janata Party led by Mr Chander Shekhar and became the Union Minister for Civil Aviation for four months. After the fall of the Chander Shekhar government, Mr Dhawan contested every parliamentary election from Chandigarh but did not succeed in making it to the Lok Sabha. He joined the Congress Party about two years ago when the Chandigarh Congress needed to consolidate its fractured vote base in the UT in order to wrest the Chandigarh parliamentary seat from the BJP’s Mr Satyapal Jain. His entry into the Congress Party ensured the victory of Mr Bansal in the election to the Lok Sabha. This was acknowledged by Mr Bansal as also the CTCC chief, Mr B.B. Bahl. But soon things began to fall apart for Mr Dhawan. Expecting to be ‘adjusted’ in the party hierarchy soon, he found his claims being ignored by the Congress leadership. He had to undergo the mortification of seeing Mr Bahl elected as the CTCC chief. Finally, he had to be satisfied with the membership of the AICC. His attempts to have his supporters adjusted in the party’s infrastructure also did not succeed. Soon the bitterness grew which culminated into what he described as ‘his open humiliation’ by the CTCC chief when he went to the party office to attend a meeting. He was not allowed to sign the register because he was late.This provoked him to announce his boycott of the party’s activities. Although Mr Dhawan did not say so, his immediate priority seems to be put up candidates in the forthcoming election to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation which are due to take place towards the end of this year. In the last election, his party was able to win three seats while the Congress secured only one against 15 won by the BJP-SAD alliance. This time, he hoped to put up a better show.He had demanded that elections to the MC should not be fought on party symbols. Instead, all candidates should contest as Independents so that the electors could choose the best among them without having to worry about their party affiliations. If his suggestion was accepted, he could well put up his candidate under the banner of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch which he described as a ‘non-political outfit’ and create a headache for every political party. |
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Liquor smuggling in city
slums Chandigarh, April 29 This illegal sale of liquor is being carried out on a large scale in the slum colonies of Bapu Dham, Ram Darbar, Colony No. 5, Colony No. 4, Palsora, Maloya, Kumhar Colony, Indira Colony, Labour Colony and Daddu Majra. Police officials concede that though they have been maintaining a regular vigil, the amount of liquor seized is not even 30 per cent of the liquor smuggled in these areas. According to the information available, the liquor smuggling in these areas becomes active by night. In fact, the entire operation is carried on quite openly after, the policemen on duty have taken their daily round of the area, mostly at a fixed time. Earlier, the smuggling was carried in for liquor bottles, now it is the liquor pouches that are smuggled in a large number. Moreover, a large number of women and children are increasingly being used as ‘carriers’ for liquor smuggling.The bottles are carried mostly in the hand bags, slinging around the shoulders,
even Last year ,over 106 bottles were reportedly seized from the possession of children and 232 bottles from women. Even this year, till date three women have been arrested for liquor smuggling and 225 pouches of liquor have been seized from them. The increase was astronomical. In 1999, just six and a half bottles were seized from one child. The number of children taken into custody was also more than the previous year. In 1999, just one child was arrested. This year, three were apprehended. The arrested children included a girl. The motive behind involving kids in smuggling racket is that they arouse little suspicion. Chances of their getting away are more, believe police sources. Though the police has been carrying out various interactive programmes in these areas in order to curb this menace, but it seems to have little effect on the over three lakh people residing in these slum areas. Senior officers in the Police Department admit that the figures, though startling, are a poor indicative of the ‘large scale smuggling’ clandestinely going on in the city. ‘‘Smugglers carrying liquor beyond the permissible limit are the only ones taken into custody,’’ says a senior officer on the condition of anonymity. ‘‘No action can be taken if the number of bottles in the person's possession is less than 12’’. The pilferers, the officer discloses, are active mostly in the city colonies. ‘‘A substantial number of arrests are made every year by keeping a close vigil in the colonies on the activities of smugglers belonging to certain criminal tribes’’, he asserts. The business is ‘‘very profitable’’. It is learnt that for every case of whisky purchased by the smugglers, something between Rs 400 to Rs. 200 is saved. The bottles are then either sold as loose to customers or as a single drink. Another police official , contacted by TNS said , ‘‘For the tipplers, buying liquor from the smugglers is very convenient as they get the bottles on a nominal discount, that also at their door steps." |
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Notice to college management Chandigarh, April 29 The college management has been asked to provide evidence to the office of the Estate Officer by May 15 to prove that the college site is being used only for education purposes. The notice issued on April 18 states ‘‘you have altered the building without prior permission or sanction of the Chandigarh Administration in the following manner: basement is being misused for running a college, instead of storage, parking and garages etc as sanctioned in the building plan; unauthorised rooms covered with sheets and other rooms for college towards the east-south, WCs, bathrooms, chowkidar rooms and rearward gates have been made.’’ In case the college is not able to give a satisfactory explanation for this, it is likely to face resumption of the land which was given to the college management at a concessional rate. Among other conditions, the allotment letter to the college by the UT Administration clearly states that no shrine or temple will be constructed on this land and the building will be dedicated to the construction of class rooms, libraries, residential offices, prayer hall, printing press and school purposes. |
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Chandigarh calling SECURITY personnel had a real tough time when the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, came to Chandigarh to inaugurate the Doordarshan studios. The tension on the faces of the cops was not due to Mrs Swaraj but due to the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is one of the highly protected VIPs. With the entry being free for all more than 200 persons, including mediamen, TV crews, local politicians , hangerson and favour-seekers cramped the studio building. Chandigarh Police’s security wing immediately banned the entry of any more people. Burly cops of security wing held each others’ hands to form a protective wall preventing entry into studios where Mr Badal was. With so many mediamen in Chandigarh due to proliferation of newspapers, police officers stopped even the scribes they did not know first hand. A senior official was seen asking a senior journalist as to who all were mediamen. The journalist just shrugged his shoulders saying that there were so many now that even he could not recognise all of them. He then asked an inspector to get cracking by requesting people to move out of the building. Security guards of the Chief Minister were also visibly tense. The cops relaxed only when the cavalcade of VIPs reached the PGI’s Bhargava auditorium for a scheduled cultural programme to mark the opening of the studios. A different mela It was a mela with stalls but the motive was different. The State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, opened three stalls to provide legal aid. Visitors were informed about the functioning of the authority. Among those eligible for its services are members of the Schedule Castes/Schedule Tribes; victims of trafficking in human beings or beggars as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution; a woman or a child; a person with disability; an industrial worker or anyone having an annual income of less than Rs 50,000. The authority is also providing for advocates at state expense, pays court fee on behalf of eligible persons, bears expenses of documentation. Besides this free counselling in the resolution of disputes, including matrimonial , rental and service matters is provided. All disputes are settled through a daily Lok Adalat. The phone numbers of the authority are 742999 and 742888. It functions from the Additional Deluxe Building in Sector 9.
Study time Though a new session has just begun, for those studying in board classes, it’s a tough time. These class X or XII students have already started seriously preparing for their examination. While those in the tenth aim to get the maximum score, the plus two students are even busier as they also have to appear for the competitive examination. Days of two to three tuitions have already begun and many have even finished the syllabi in school curriculum . The busy schedule starts right from early morning with tuitions, self study followed by school classes. Internet coaching is another place where these youngsters are spending their time. They are more concerned for their careers than their parents, unlike a few years back . If you comment on the same, pat comes the reply: “after all it is a matter of our entire life”.
Book Day The Central State Library, Sector 17, hosted a function to mark World Book Day. Considering that these days information is a simple mouse click away and more and more students are taking to the computer earlier than they take to reading habits, a day needs to be reserved for trying to save the good old story book. Extempore speeches on topics related to books and libraries were also organised on the occasion. The Dev Samaj College of Education too held an exhibition of books on human rights and education to mark the day.
All-is-well card A look at the greeting cards issued by the BJP to mark the beginning of the Indian New Year gives a feeling that all is well between the BJP and the Akali Dal (B). The face of the card has the map of India in green with mug shots of Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani on two top corners. Inside, there are photographs of Parkash Singh Badal along with BJP leaders. The card also has statements about the importance of the Indian new year and how Punjab is a unique state of India.
Art loving officials The exhibition of paintings put up at Government Museum and Art Gallery by Manmeet Pal Singh, a deaf artist from the city, seems to have impressed UT officials quite a bit. Both the UT Administrator, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, and UT Adviser Ms Neeru Nanda’s gestures on the day of the inauguration of the show (April 27) were highly appreciated by art lovers. While the Governor booked four of Manmeet’s works, rating them as very powerful in line and content, Ms Nanda also reserved three pieces for herself. The works will be purchased by the officers after the exhibition is over.
Heat causes trouble The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, could certainly do with an electric generator on its premises. Otherwise the situation can turn out to be really embarrassing at times. Like it did on April 26 when the illustrious artist from Delhi, Kanwal Chaudri, was in the museum to talk about her latest art textile show entitled Ode to Peace. The press conference was called by the Chandigarh Administration on behalf of Kanwal Chaudri, who is also a member of the All-India Handicrafts Board. Right at the outset of the conference which was arranged in the small library room of the museum, power supply went off. All the scribes, including the artist, kept sweating through 45 minutes of the talk that followed. In the absence of proper arrangements to beat the heat, the show was not as well received as it could actually have. The galleries which host press conferences of such reputed designers as Kanwal Chaudri should in the least be possessing an electric generator!
Crime meeting When the danda wielding cops were made to bite the dust before their top boss, allegedly for their “poor performance”, it was a retribution of sorts for the former’s juniors who had been pushed to the wall for the week before the monthly crime meeting in order to get the facts ready. The top brass of the city police had reportedly taken quite seriously the “laxity” by certain cells in the near past, especially the Crime Branch Operation Cell. Interestingly, it was also after a very long time that the Police Control Room was also invited for the meeting. Junior staff from each police station as well as each cell had been on duty for almost a week before the meeting was scheduled in order to appease the powers that be, who were reported to have expressed their unhappiness with the lax attitude of the force. In fact, even the traffic police had gone on a challaning spree a few days before the meeting, to show a rise in their figures. With the meeting over, except for an incharge of a cell being pulled up for not having updated the data, the others left with a sigh of relief.
Overweight cops Happy days are over for a dozen odd overweight cops in the city police, who are now reported to be in awe of their top boss, who has decided to ensure that the city police is fighting fit. The IG has recently announced an annual health checkup for all the city cops to ensure they are not overweight. A few of the cops who are on the other side of 90 kg, are now apprehensive of the checkup by the police hospital staff, fearing the discovery of other ailments that they could be suffering from.
Well done Chandigarh was awarded a shield and a cash award of Rs 15,000 after being adjudged the best maintained Railway Station in the Northern Railway. The award was received by the Station Supervisor, Mr Rajeev Kundra, who was also given a special cash award of Rs 2,000 by the Member (Traffic) in recognition of his outstanding work. Not only that, Chandigarh Railway Station was also awarded “Raj Bhasha trophy” for excellent work in promoting official work in Hindi. Well done Mr Kundra and his team.
Back-benchers On April 23, during the launch function of a consumer brand, two upcoming cricketers of India, Reetinder Sodhi and Dinesh Mongia, were invited to be honoured. These stars reached the venue, a hotel, around 8.30 p.m. The programme began around that time but when they were taken in, they were seated almost at the rear, with dealers who were also called for the same launch. Surprisingly, none of these dealers came to know of the cricketers presence. Reetinder and Dinesh both had to wait for long and quietly wonder how long the function would last. Finally at 9.45 p.m., the organisers announced their names and they were given bouquets. They were told that the refrigerators will reach their home very soon. The moment these cricketers occupied their old seats, the dealers vied with each other in shaking hands, getting autographs and photographs. Interestingly, Rahul Dravid who had come officially to inaugurate the showroom in the morning, was seated in front. During a visit of Dravid to the Sector 22 showroom the same afternoon when he was being quizzed by newspersons, then company officers showed their discourtesy by ordering loudly that the press conference was over. What they were not able to understand was that it was a sports conference and not a business conference. While Dravid was happy mingling with press people, the rude behaviour of company officials spoilt the entire proceedings.
Nature celebrates For the members of Children’s Alliance for Protection of Environment, there could not have been a better celebration of World Earth Day (April 22). As they were gathered around the Sukhna Island Bird Sanctuary that day, they saw three baby swans coming out of the hatched eggs. This photograph by Tribune lensman Mr Karam Singh captures the wonderful moment. Unfortunately, however, while two of the three baby swans were killed by a six foot long snake which surfaced in the area the next day i.e. April 23, one is still alive, thanks to the guard of the sanctuary.
Forest Fires The work of Mr Ajay Sehgal, an Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer, in controlling forest fires has been appreciated in the USA. He had recently read a paper on the subject. His theory is that forest fires can be controlled only through an “investment in people”. He opines that apart from making physical efforts to check and prevent fires other effective social measures have to be taken. These may be social audit, economic sanctions, community education and rewards/incentives. He suggests the formation of Village Forest Committees which will in turn hold weekly meetings. The probability of fires going unnoticed got reduced by 80 per cent because of the fact that villagers constituted a large workforce, who remained vigilant round the clock. Soil environment improved and green and dry fodder was available around the year. Mr Sehgal can be reached at ajaysehgalifs@yahoo.com. Or at his address # 2858, Sector 37-C, Chandigarh.
Welcome link Construction of a linkage by the Chandigarh Administration from Sector 48 and 49 of Chandigarh to Sectors 64 and 65 of SAS Nagar has come as a respite to the entrepreneurs having units in the industrial estate, located to the south of SAS Nagar. The residents living in the southern part of the city want that all the incomplete vertical and horizontal linkages between Chandigarh and SAS Nagar which have been approved as part of the integration of infrastructure between the two urban conglomerates, should be completed.
School sites Allotment of land to private educational institutions in residential areas in SAS Nagar by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has yet again attracted a strong protest from residents. This time the protest is from residents of Phase 5 who lament that schools in their close vicinity would take away their privacy and lead to traffic congestion in the area. But the PUDA officials maintain that the sites are allotted as per the approved sector plan. In some cases where the State Education Department failed to pay for sites earmarked for government schools, the sites were then allotted to private educational institutions.
ATMs galore Installing of ATMs by three private banks in just one year — ICICI, Bank of Punjab and HDFC — has proved to be boon for the residents of the Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra. The complex, which was established in 1992, now has a population of 20000 and till date there were two banks running, Punjab National Bank and the Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank. The private bank operators instead of going for a full fledged branch or any extension counter just thought it prudent to go all out for the ATM facility. All these ATMs are located in a radius of 100 metres only. Even the posh Sector 9 and Sector 8 (Madhya Marg) do not have ATMs at such a close range.
— Sentinel |
FENG SHUI TIPS FENG Shui principles are used mainly to create a living space in which we are comfortable and from which we benefit. If you are planning to move or have acquired or are planning to acquire a piece of land to build a home, there are some important considerations to make. While choosing a location, people generally investigate the surrounding environment — from the appearance of neighbourhood houses to proximity to schools, markets, efficient transport and parks etc. Some people have to move because of their jobs, while elderly people tired of urban lifestyles try and move to quieter places. Every one has his own idea of a house. There are some basic important things to consider. First of all is the history of the place you are planning to shift in. Previous owners should not have left the place because of problems. Also, there should be no electronic transformers or towers near the house. The house should not have either crematories or hospitals in close proximity. The last but not the least thing is that the house should not have anything directly pointing at it.
Harshna
Send your Feng Shui queries to:
E-mail: fengshui@tribuneindia.com |
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Land levelling, tree cutting near Nada
Sahib Panchkula, April 29 Although privately owned, the hillock in question, adjoining the Nada Sahib Gurdwara, is in line of fire and under attack with earth lifting going on for over a month, the work suspended for some time after it got underway last year. The earth so removed is being utilised in making of a road in Sector 21, the contract for removal of earth from the site and making of the road being with the same person.‘‘We are utilising the soil from here for the purpose of road construction,’’ Mr Avinash Arora, contractor, confirmed. Besides, a tower of a high-tension wire passing over the area also faces considerable threat with the levelling job.‘‘Though the party has left some area around the tower untouched, the monsoons will lead to soil erosion in the absence of any green cover on the hillock and send the tower down. However, it is their land and we can hardly do anything since they have left the land around the tower intact,’’ an official in the electricity department said. The extensive deforestation and chopping down of 58 trees had the prior permission of the Forest Department. An official said that this permission was initially granted last year but was renewed again this March since the owners wanted an extension. While the department was normally tight fisted as far as granting permission for cutting trees was concerned, in this case, it did not take much time to give the ‘go-ahead’ to the party and renewed the permission. They justified on grounds that the land was privately owned and they had no alternative but to grant permission in most such cases. One of the two owners of the land, Mr Parminder Singh Sandhu, confirmed that 58 trees had been cut from the hillock and that the levelling work had been necessitated for farming purposes. He stated that the wood of the cut trees had been deposited with the Forest Department. ‘‘No farming could be done as the hillock stands. We went about the whole thing in a systematic manner, seeking every permission that was necessary. We had our trouble-making files move but our contacts worked for us,’’ he added. The duo, Mr Parminder Singh and Mr Simmerdeep Singh, had recently bought the land and claimed it would be used for farming purposes only. However, enquiries at the spot revealed that a hotel was being planned at the site, a statement denied by the
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Govt committed to welfare of children, says SAD MP SAS Nagar, April 29 Stating this here yesterday, Mr Balwinder Singh Bhundar, MP and general secretary of the SAD, said the party leadership wanted that its workers should go to villages and make children aware of the availability of government loans and other facilities for them. He was speaking at a function organised in connection with the 10th anniversary of the National Society for Child Artists (NSCA) based here. Mr Bhundar, who was the chief guest, said serving children amounted to serving society. The country was poor and the responsibility for this was on society but mainly on persons who were running the system. Other countries developed because of hard work by all, strict rules and lack of tax evasion. Their governments were able to provide various facilities to their citizens because tax collection was an important aspect there. Six persons who had helped strengthen the NSCA were honoured on the occasion. They were Col Jasbir Bhullar, Mr Sham Singh, Mr Kuldip Singh Ugani, Ms Satinder Kaur Pannu, Ms Manisha Bakshi and Ms Kavita Verma. Mr Ajit Salani, chairman of the NSCA, said the organisation aimed at providing a platform to children to express themselves. He said 13 functions would be held by the NSCA in connection with the coronation anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A five-member committee had been set under the presidentship of Mr Bhundar for organising the functions. The function was presided over by Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the local Municipal Council. |
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July 6 to be Manav Kalyan
Divas Chandigarh, April 29 Dr Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri, the national co-convenor of the manch, in a press release said the fortnight ranging from October 7 to October 20 would be observed as “Tibet mukti pakhwara”. It was on October 7, 1950, when China first attacked Tibet and repeated the offensive on October 20, 1962. This was decided at the two-day session of the Rashtriya Pratinidhi Sabha of the manch in Panjab University, the release added. In one of the resolutions Taliban’s act of demolishing the statues of Buddha at Bamiyan and elsewhere was condemned. The Indian government was also urged to allow more facilities to Tibetan students. The open session was attended by Mr Satpal Gosain, Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha; Mr Kishori Lal, Industry Minister, Himachal Pradesh; Mr P.C. Dogra, a former DGP of Punjab Police; and Prof Brij Lal Rinwa, president of BJP, Punjab , besides others. Mr Avinash Jaiswal, organising secretary of the BJP, Punjab; Mr Vijay Kranti, a known Tibetologist and a journalist; Acharya Jeshi Puntschog, president of the National Democratic Party; and Dr Mantrini Prasad, chairman of the Himachal Research Institute were also present on the occasion. Mr Dogra also released the book “Tibet ki azaadi”. The book, written by K.S. Sudarshan, the RSS sarsanghchalak, has been edited by Mr Kuldeep Agnihotri and Mr Chaman Lal. It was also resolved that the pilgrimage to Kailash and Mansarowar be allowed for Indians and Tibetans without too many regulations. |
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Sekhwan for probe into fee
evasion SAS Nagar, April 29 The recommendation by the minister has been on the basis of a complaint by a councillor of the civic body, Mr Manjeet Singh Sethi. Mr Sethi, when contacted, said tehbazari amounting to around Rs 9 crore had been not been recovered from the rehri markets during the past three to four years. The issue of permission for roadside vendors had also been raised by the councillor. The issue gained credence after the revenue collected by the enforcement wing under a special drive from January this year amounted to Rs 58,000. Revenue from the rehri markets stood at Rs 14.09 lakh till March 16. It stood at Rs 6.90 lakh in January. Revenue under the head in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 was Rs 8.49 lakh and Rs 12 lakh, respectively. The municipal councillors in the opposition had recently alleged that due to stakes of certain local municipal councillors in rehri markets and shady deals by the council officials in allowing unauthorised kiosks in the rehri markets, the council had suffered a loss of lakhs.The issue of transfer of ownership of at least 135 kiosks, as per a resolution adopted by the council in 1997-98, on payment of Rs 5000 and the missing record of the cases was also highlighted. The issue of evasion of octroi fee on account of cement and cold drinks was also alleged by Mr Sethi. |
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HC order hits land
sales SAS Nagar, April 29 People in the real estate business said that after the draw of lots from the plots in the last week of March, the plots had been attracting a premium of as high as Rs 1 lakh against the letter of intent. Plots in the category of six to eight marlas had been attracting a premium of Rs 70,000 to Rs 90,000. The higher category plots had been attracting more premium comparatively. But after the reports of stay on dispossession of land and subsequent clarification, the plots had been hardly attracting any premium. They said around 400 plots had been sold or were in the process of being sold on the basis of Power of Attorney (POA), but now the deals were struck midway as the plots were attracting a premium of around Rs 20,000 only. Meanwhile, the PUDA is reported to be in the final stages of announcing the awards for the acquisition of around 1,250 acre of land in Sohana, Mauli Baiwan, Raipur and Lakhnour villages. Sources in the authority said the awards could be announced within this week. The villagers of the area, whose land was being acquired, have been demanding that the delay in announcing the awards had created a host of problems for them. The affected landowners said after the objections under Section 9 were heard by the authority in February, the villagers had not planted the new crop and had already given money in advance for the purchase of land at other places. Mr Buta Singh, another affected land owner, said no deal of agricultural land would be executed after June 15 and if PUDA did not announce the awards before that, they would be doomed. They say PUDA should have acquired land before allotting plots on their land. |
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Construction of ‘religious structure’ stopped Chandigarh, April 29 Chandigarh Tribune had carried a report about the construction today. It is learnt that the persons behind the construction later themselves stopped the work fearing action on the part of the authorities. The Chandigarh police had deputed its personnel in the late hours of yesterday to prevent any untoward incident. A resident of the area requesting anonymity said that one of the person behind the construction had even purchased idols form Delhi for the proposed temple. Mr M.C. Sharma, treasurer of the local Welfare Society, denied any role of the society in the construction. However, he said that a temple must come up in the area. He said, ‘‘We want a temple in the area, but it will be constructed in a legal manner’’. |
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Panchayat members join Jan Shakti Chandigarh, April 29 Inducting the panchayat members, Mr Hem Raj, president of the party, announced that the party would contest the forthcoming elections to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh all alone. The newly-formed party was getting a good response in the colonies and villages and several leaders from the other parties had either joined the party or were ready to join it. Among the leaders, who have joined the party are: Mr Hukam Chand, sarpanch of Khuda Ali Sher, Mr Piara Singh, and Mr Ratan Singh, both panches. All three owed allegiance to the BJP. Besides, another panch, Ms Roshi Devi, and a former general secretary of the Samajwadi Janata Party, Mr Rajan Mahajan, also joined the party, said Mr Amarjit Singh, a spokesman of the party. Meanwhile, Mr Hem Raj has made certain appointments with the consent of the national party president, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan. While Mr Shiv Kumar Nishat has been appointed as office secretary/ in charge, Mr A.P. Gupta as vice-president, Mr Ranjan Lohan as chairman of the Legal Cell and Mr Bhupinder Singh as secretary. |
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CTCC condemns PM’s statement Chandigarh, April 29 Mr Bahl said it was the nature of Mr Vajpayee to project himself an impartial person, whereas the truth was that he used all gimmicks to enhance his image. Mr Bahl and other leaders hailed the stand taken by Ms Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief, wherein she gave a befitting reply to Mr Vajpayee. Among the leaders who attended the meeting were Mr Ram Pal Sharma, Mr Surinder Bhatia, Mr H.S. Lucky, Mr Pawan Sharma and Mr Kamaljit Panchhi. |
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SAS Nagar to have martyrs’ memorial SAS NAGAR, April 29 Speaking at a function organised here today by the Punjab Cultural Society on the occasion of the second death anniversary of a Kargil martyr, Major J.D.S. Dhaliwal, he said the site for the proposed monument would be finalised after getting approval from the government. Hailing from Phase 1, Sqn Ldr Anil Sharma had died while on duty in the Rann of Kutch last year. Capt Kanwaljit Singh, the Punjab Finance Minister, formally renamed the local Rose Garden in Phase 3B1 as Saheed Major J.D.S. Dhaliwal Rose Garden. A board at the entrance of the garden had been painted to rename it. The minister said the soldiers sacrificing their lives for the country were always remembered. A programme was also organised at Sacha Dhan Gurdwara in Phase 3B1 here. After the religious ceremony, speakers paid tributes to the martyr. |
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Residents sore over inadequate water supply Chandigarh , April 29 Residents are also complaining that the duration of the morning water supply has also been reduced from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to 5 p.m.to 6.30 p.m. Meanwhile, members of the residents association have stressed that if their water problems are not resolved soon, they would gherao the city Mayor and municipal corporation officials in the MCC office. Residents of other sectors, including 44, 44, 20, 21, 22 and Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra, have also been facing acute water shortage for the past few days. |
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Bonanza of non-film songs Chandigarh , April 29 The programme started with the ghazal Khuda Raham Kar Hum Par by Veenu Kautish. Kanchan Kulkarni sang Pal pal Sham O Sahar. Brijesh Ahuja, Neelam Chauhan, Amarjit and Rinku Kalia sang about 15 songs. The musical troupe accompanying the singers was Gautam Dhar on tabla, Munish Sachdeva on guitar, Laxman Neeta on dholak, Munish arora on octpad, Subhash on congo and Tarsem Singh on keyboard. |
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Cops scan crime-prone areas Chandigarh , April 29 The onset of summer brings these criminal tribes from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar to Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana each year. After striking at various places, the gangs lie low for a few days before striking again. |
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BALCO: a call for solidarity Chandigarh, April 29 In a press note issued here today, Mr Nagpal appealed to the workers in Punjab and Haryana to extend their full support to the workers of BALCO under the banner of the Balco Bachao Samyukta Abhiyan Samiti. |
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Minister’s plea to industrialists Chandigarh, April 29 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Rawat informed that the Uttaranchal Government would provide various incentives, including concessional land, to the investors in the state. The state had vast potential in certain areas like the generation of hydel power and tapping of tourism potential, the minister said. |
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Ambedkar’s statue
installed Chandigarh, April 29 Addressing the gathering, Mr Nishad urged the Dalit community to unite so that the dream of Dr Ambedkar of seeing the community prosper could be realised. Mr Lalit Gautam, general secretary of the Lok Jan Shakti, stressed on the need for following the teachings of Dr Ambedkar. Prominent among those who spoke were Chanderpal Anarya, national chief convener of the Bharatiya Valmiki Dharam Samaj and Ms Latika Sharma, national president of the women’s wing of the Lok Jan Shakti Party. |
Pornographic video cassettes, CDs
seized Chandigarh, April 29 A team of policemen from the Sector 11 Police Station conducted raids at the rehri market of Sector 11 and at other places in Sector 15 and Sector 24. Four persons, Ashwani Kumar, Harwinder Singh, Suninder Singh Rathaur and Ashok Kumar were also arrested by the police.
UNKNOWN CYCLIST HIT An unknown cyclist was hit by a CTU bus near a liquor vend on the old Ropar Road this morning. The bus ( CH-OIG- 5530) hit the cyclist and the latter fell on the road side. He sustained serious injuries on his head and neck and was rushed to the PGI. The police arrested the bus driver, Balbir Singh, but he was later released on bail. A case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered. Four more people were also injured in various road accidents in different parts of the city today. Two scooterists, Davinder Singh and Satinder Singh, were injured when their scooter collided with another scooter in Khuda Lahora this afternoon. A pedestrian, Veer Sain, was hit by a scooter near the main entrance of the PGI in the morning. In another incident, Ranjit Singh, fell off the scooter he was riding pillion in Sector 55 and sustained injuries.
VEHICLES STOLEN Unknown miscreants fled away with a car and a motorcycle from different parts of the city. A car ( DL-1V-6645) was stolen from outside the Sector 35 residence of the owner, Mr Rajan Chawla, on the intervening night of April 27 and 28. A mobike was also stolen from outside the Sector 45 residence of Balwinder Singh.
ONE BOOKED The police has booked one Suresh Kumar, on charges of eve-teasing near the Math Mandir ground in Sector 20. A case under Section 294 of the IPC has been registered.
ONE ASSAULTED Bahadur Singh, a resident of Pipliwala town, was assaulted by two persons, Mustakh and Amarjit, of Sewak Transport. The former was admitted to the General Hospital, Sector 16, while the latter have been booked under Sections 323, 325 and 34 of the IPC.
TWO BOOKED FOR ISSUING THREATS The police has booked the driver of car, (CH-01J- 3089), and another person, who were found stalking Mr Raj Nagpal, a resident of Mani Majra near Kisan Bhavan in Sector 35 and also for issuing threats to him. A case under Sections 341, 506 and 34 of the IPC has been registered.
SAS NAGAR CASE REGISTERED The local police has registered a case against the general secretary of the Mohali Truck Union, Mr Jagtar Singh, for allegedly taking into possession the documents of a truck (HR 37-A 1848) being driven by Vijay Pal Singh here on Saturday. According to information, the suspect along with six others allegedly took away the documents. A case under Sections 356 and 34 of the IPC has been registered.
ABANDONED BABY In connection with a newborn baby girl, who was found near Akal Ashram, Sohana, on Saturday, the local police has written to the local administration to initiate the process of adopting the baby. No body has come forward so far to claim the girl, who is presently looked after at the Civil Hospital in Phase 6 here. |
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Three held for
kidnapping 14-yr-old Chandigarh, April 29 Ujjagar Singh, Harnek Singh and Jaswinder Singh were arrested by the police late this evening and the kidnapped child, Sandeep Singh, was rescued. The accused have been booked under Sections 323,363, 365, 452, 506 and 34 of the IPC. It is alleged that the three accused were involved in a land dispute with the victim’s grandfather, Angrej Singh, and father, Mewa Singh. The latter had won the dispute case over a three-marla house and this was the cause for animosity between the two parties. This morning, Angrej Singh had come to the disputed house along with the victim’s mother for cleaning the house. The accused then kidnapped the victim and tied him to a beam in a deserted house. The family of the victim approached the police, which later rescued the child. In another case, two servants are reported to have decamped with a gold chain of their employer after they had drugged her. |
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