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| Wednesday,
June 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Zoo store raided, rations
sealed Chhat Bir, June 12 Highly-placed sources in the Forest Department confirmed that Mr Surjit Kumar Jyani, Forest Minister of Punjab, headed the team which raided the stores and took samples of dry grams, pulses, rice, wheat, maize and mixed flour. The dry food items are fed to elephants, monkeys, bears and some other animals and birds. These were being supplied by a contractor. The animals were forced to go hungry. The team reached the zoo at about 12 noon and stopped the zoo employees from feeding the animals. Later, a team consisting the Deputy Director of the board, a subdivisional officer and pharmacist was called from Chandigarh and samples of the food items were taken for laboratory tests. Sources confirmed that the contract was given to Mr Sunil Kumar, a resident of Baddali village on April 1 after inviting tenders. The contractor was supplying about 30 quintals of day grams, 5 quintals of pulses, 3 quintals of rice and 3 to 4 quintals of wheat and maize each on a monthly basis. The zoo authorities had also rejected some quantity of the dry food some days ago on one pretext or the other. The raid was conducted on the complaint of Mr Jagdish Chabra, president of the Chhat Bir Zoo Employees Union, on behalf of the union members. In his complaint, Mr Chabra had alleged that the contractor was supplying substandard dry food items to the zoo, which might affect the health of animals. The Punjab Vigilance Department had also raided the beef store of the zoo last year. A controversy over the purchase of beef was raised, following which over 125 carnivores were forced to starve many times. |
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SAS Nagar may ban use of polythene
bags SAS Nagar, June 12 Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the civic body said after getting sanction from the general house, the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, would be urged to issue directives in this regard. The Chandigarh Administration has already issued a notification banning the use of polythene bags in 1999. Officials of the civic body said the decision had been taken in light of a Central Government notification banning the use of polythene bags. However, the use of recycled polybags with certain conditions has been allowed by the Union Environment Ministry. Once the plan is approved, people would be discouraged from using polythene bags. Apart from focus on harmful consequences of polythene, the use of paper bags vis-a-vis polythene bags would be encouraged. Though the modalities of implementing the decision were yet to be worked out, the officials said the shopkeepers, traders and consumers would be urged to minimise the use of polythene bags in view of the danger these pose to the environment. They would be asked to use jute and recycled paper bags instead. It was pointed out that discarded polythene bags were choking the sewers and finding their way into the stomachs of cattle. Several incidents of stray cattle dying by consuming polythene bags have been reported from the town. The presence of chemicals in polythene bags, affecting soil fertility and also the plants would be highlighted. The burning of polythene bags at the garbage dump near Verka Milk Plant here is allegedly releasing poisonous gases and harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. |
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Varsha Joshi to function as DC Chandigarh, June 12 This is among the few orders issued by the Chandigarh Administration. Besides this, Mr Ishwar Singh, Deputy Conservator of Forests, has been designated as Joint Secretary, Environment and Forests . The work of Mr Gurmel Singh as Director Tourism has been handed over to Managing Director CITCO, Mr S.P. Singh. |
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A harassed girl’s tale of
woe Chandigarh, June 12 The girl was subjected to sexual assault by Bhagwan Dass for a period of four months. It was when the girl lost her appetite and her concerned mother took her to a midwife in the neighbourhood, that her pregnancy was discovered. It was then that the child narrated her harrowing experience to the midwife and her mother. The matter was reported to the Sector 39 police station yesterday and the accused was arrested on charges of rape. He was produced in a local court here today and given a 14-day judicial remand. The statement of the victim was also recorded in-camera. The victim, who was brought to the General Hospital, Sector 16, for a medical examination today, said she was relieved that her harrowing experience was over, but she was still in the grip of fear. “Papa ne kaha tha ki agar kisi ko bataya to maar daalunga. Ab woh jab bhi police se chhuut kar aayenge to mujhe aur maa ko maar dalenge” (Papa had said that if you tell anyone, I will kill you. Whenever, he is released from police custody, he will come after me and mother), is all she manages to say. She says: “Papa would gag me before assaulting me and later threaten me with a knife. It was a daily routine, but I could not complain to my mother as I feared he would kill both of us,” she says. The 14-year-old daughter of a rag-picker, Sapna alias Sappu, who had been playing with dolls till about four months back, is now pregnant
by two months. The mother — daughter duo were staying in a hutment in Kachchi Colony near the Gurdwara in Sector 38 for the past one year. The victim is the last of the four children of Sapna. Her two elder sisters are married, while her 15-year-old brother, Shamshaad, is staying in Jhansi in Madhya Pradesh. Talking to The Tribune, Sapna said that it was about 10 years ago that her husband, Hanif, had decided to shift his entire family here in search of a better future. “However, he died within a year of migrating to Chandigarh. I was forced to work as a rag-picker along with my two elder daughters in order to secure two square meals a day for the entire family. We were taken in by a distant cousin of mine and stayed in their jhuggi for all these years, till I managed to own a hutment of my own,” she says. She confesses that she got involved with Bhagwan Dass two years ago. “I curse the day he entered my life. Slowly, I began to look upto him for support and he began staying with us. My children used to call him Papa,” she says. She says that after her daughter’s pregnancy was discovered, she confronted Bhagwan Dass, but he categorically denied the accusations. Seething with rage, she says: “I had loved him and had provided him with a good family life. It is beyond my power of comprehension, why he spoiled everything and brought us all to the cross-roads. Now, I have only one dream — to see him suffer as we have suffered at his hands.” |
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Bagga writes to PM, seeks Ranjit’s arrest Chandigarh, June 12 He has reportedly complained that the accused, Ranjit Bajaj, enjoyed patronage by virtue of his parents being senior IAS officers. He has alleged that the police here was not inclined to arrest him and that he feared for his life. A senior police officer dealing with the case, when contacted, said on condition of anonymity, that they were on the lookout for Bajaj, but he had managed to give them the slip. When contacted, the DSP (Central), Mr S.S. Randhawa, said that a team of Central Forensic Science Laboratory today examined the car of Mr Bagga, which is suspected to have been burnt by Bajaj. He said that the CFSL team also examined the spot where the car was burnt and that the CFSL report would be available within a week. It may be recalled that a case under Sections 435 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Ranjit Bajaj and others on June 9. He was accused of burning a car of Mr Jaginder Pal Singh Bagga of Sector 8. He has also been accused of threatening Mr Bagga. In his complaint Mr Bagga has alleged that on June 6 Ranjit set his new Maruti Zen on fire. Ranjit has also been accused of issuing threats to Mr Bagga. According to police sources, the UT Inspector-General of Police had marked an inquiry into the matter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Central). |
| It is haven for drug
addicts Chandigarh, June 12 The modus operandi is simple. Select fresh leaves and rub these on the palms. Keep rubbing the leaves until a layer of juice gets deposited on the palms. Then wipe off the palms on a white handkerchief. A black residue will get accumulated on the handkerchief. Make a small ball out of this and burn it. This soot is mixed with tobacco of cigarette, referred to as soota by drug addicts. Easy availability of the plant on the campus has led to a spurt in the use of the same. Another cause of the increased addiction is that its use is not punishable under the provisions of the NDPS Act, according to a police official. While the plant is affecting the health of youngsters, PEC authorities have been caught napping. Residents say the growth has been there for long, but there have been no measures to check the same. Now the condition is that even city youths are frequenting the campus in search of hemp. The density of the plant’s growth is heavy throughout the campus. A huge bunch greets the visitor at the very entrance of PEC. The growth increases towards the inside of the campus. Ironically, the plants also dot the area outside of residence of many PEC professors. An equal growth spans both sides of a lane behind the Shivalik Hostel. While the problem is grave, the addicts seem unconcerned. The stench of the cigarette, mixed with hemp residue, is very different. PEC students claim that they have seen outsiders coming to the campus and extracting soota from the plants. They also claim that the college students are using the plant for pleasure. Hemp is a wild plant and is found in any wild growth. Hashish is also made from the resin of the hemp plant, which is dried and used for smoking or chewing. |
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Cough syrup abuse on, courtesy
chemists SAS Nagar, June 12 Huge quantity of empty bottles of cough syrups described as Schedule-H drugs can be seen littered in parks and open places in the town. Residents of Phase XI lament that the addicts, mostly youths from the sector and neighbouring areas in Chandigarh and surrounding areas, buy cough syrups from chemists and dump the empty bottles in open spaces. A concerned resident called up the TNS to show empty bottles lying in a open space, located near a chemist shop. He said the empty bottles, around 10 dumped daily, was a source of income for scrap collectors. After Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the menace of drug abuse in villages of Kharar and SAS Nagar subdivision, the drug authorities had raided shops of at least 14 chemists in Mullanpur and Nayagaon. They had found that Schedule-H drugs were being sold without prescription by the chemists. The shops were also found selling drugs without warranty cards. According to sources in the drug department, samples have been also collected form some of the chemist shops. The warning of the authorities to take strict action against the erring chemists appears to have little impact on the chemists selling the drugs. Concerned residents do not rule out the connivance of the certain officials in allowing the illegal practice. Dr R.S. Saggu, Chief Medical Officer, Ropar, did not rule out chemists selling the banned drugs, but said the drive against the erring chemists was slow due to shortage of drug inspectors. “We are not relying on local drug inspectors and instead are calling drug inspectors from other districts”, he said. He had not received any specific complaint about sale of the drugs by chemists in the town. Mr Harish Sethi, president of the Ropar Chemists Association, said they had been regularly asking their members to refrain from selling the banned drugs. Claiming that 99 per cent of the chemists were adhering to the guidelines of the authorities, he said the drug abuse was more rampant in Chandigarh and the addicts bought the cough syrups from chemists in Chandigarh.  |
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Mayor calls meetings for
smooth House functioning Chandigarh, June 12 The Mayor has, in a letter written to the BJP, Congress and nominated councillors, drawn their attention to some of the vital time-bound agenda items which need immediate attention. While some of these pertain to improving the functioning of the existing infrastructure of the civic body, some others pertain to improve the financial position of the MC and a few others pertain to discharging important obligatory duties such as grant of ex-gratia payment to employees and the HC order on the water meter issue. He has appealed to them to attend the meetings so as to reach some consensus before the issues are taken up on the floor of the House. According to information available, some of these vital items on the agenda are the water meter issue; modernisation of slaughter house; disposal of institutional sites in pocket 1 of Mani Majra; disposal of land in pocket 2 and 3 to group housing society; replacement of water pumping machinery in Sector 32 water works; and payment of ex-gratia to MC employees. As part of the strategy the timings of the meeting are different. While he will meet BJP-SAD councillors at 12 noon, he will meet Congress and nominated councillors at 4 pm and 5 pm, respectively. Mr Goyal, when contacted, admitted that he had called these meetings to break the impasse in the House and thereby transact business pertaining to the development of the city. “I am only doing my duty to ensure that at least 12-13 items on the agenda, which are either time-bound or can invite contempt of court should be taken up in the next meeting of the House,’’ the Mayor said. A BJP councillor, Ms Ranjana Shahi, when contacted, said BJP councillors had decided to attend the informal meeting tommorow. “Our attitude is positive for we are keen that the House functions and development of city takes place. The Mayor has to learn how to function in a democratic way. He should try to accept the majority decision in the House and not adjourn the House whenever any decision of the majority is not conducive to him,’’ she said. Sources disclose that BJP councillors, at a meeting held today morning, took a serious note of the frequent adjournments of the House by the Mayor on frivolous grounds. They claimed that even with their majority in the opposition, they had never tried to stall the proceedings, boycott it or stage a dharna on the Well of the House. The leader of the opposition in the House, Mr Des Raj Tandon, said that the party was keen to let the House function and transact business, provided the Mayor also cooperated. They will meet the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen (retd)
J.F.R. Jacob, tomorrow and submit a copy of the memorandum regarding the repeated and illegal adjournments. The memorandum, addressed to the Finance Secretary and the Secretary, Local Self Government, highlights how the House has been adjourned on certain occasions without letting the resolution passed by the majority prevail. Another BJP councillor, Mr R.L. Arora,
mentioned that the Mayor had to accept the resolutions passed by the majority in the House, which was the essence of democracy. The legal aspect of the same should be left to the Administration, he added. If the Mayor, because of being in minority was not able to do so, he should quit and pave way for a new Mayor, he further said. Sources further reveal that the Governor will shortly meet the local MP; Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, a former MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, and the BJP party president, Mr Dharam Pal Gupta. He is likely to ask them to urge their respective councillors to rise above party politics and cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House. |
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Case of forgery registered Chandigarh, June 12 It was alleged that the company, MS. Parhery Security and Detectives Private Limited, sent fake bills to the PGI. They sent bills of a few persons who had not been working as sweepers at the PGI. The fraud was discovered a few days back. |
FAUJI BEAT Chandigarh As the cut-off group secures the escape route and plants mines and booby traps to delay any pursuit, the support group provides cover to the assault group, which stealthily approaches its targets — the power generators and the communication antennae. As explosives are swiftly planted, the second group takes up position outside the control centre. As the explosives are detonated, the second group storms the control centre, with grenades and assault rifles reducing it to a mass of mangled metal and charred cables. As “enemy troops” rush to the scene, they are kept at bay with covering fire provided by the well-placed support group. The assault group makes a fast and orderly withdrawal. A few more grenades blow apart the fence and the commandos disappear in the darkness, leaving behind a stunned enemy with his communication network severely crippled. Mines and trip wires take care of any immediate pursuit. After a forced march of 25 kilometers, they rendezvous with a recovery helicopter that carries them safely back home. This simulated raid is one of the many training activities carried out by the elite para commandos. Behind it lies a tough, gruelling regimen of training, more training and still more training. The regimen requires nerves of steel and physical stamina to match. For these men of the Army’s Special Force, facing unknown challenges and undetermined odds is second nature. Tasks undertaken by the Special Force range from capturing or destroying vital enemy installations, to spearheading assaults, disrupting lines of communication, intelligence gathering and rescue operations. Every member of the Parachute Regiment (Para) is put on a three-month probation to prove his aptitude and mettle, before he is allowed to wear the coveted maroon beret — a universal symbol of airborne forces. Then begins the real task of moulding “the soldier’s soldier”. After learning rolls and landing techniques, the first jump from an aircraft is done from 1250 feet. This is called a “static” jump as the parachute opens automatically. The basic para course requires five jumps, after which the paratrooper is authorised to wear the ‘’wings’’ above his right shirt pocket. For further training there is an option of free fall sky diving or under water scuba diving — both means of infiltrating into enemy territory on covert missions. The free fall course requires the trainee to make at least 50 jumps from altitudes up to 22,500 feet. For jumps from 12,000 feet and above an oxygen mask is required. Free fall is normally done for 5,000 feet — the distance covered in about a minute. Semi free fall jumps require the opening of parachutes five seconds after jumping. With the help of High Altitude Parachute Penetration System, using highly manoeuvrable special parachutes, the para commandos can “glide” forward as far as 50 kilometres. This means that they can be dropped from an aircraft flying in friendly airspace and glide virtually undetected into enemy territory. But the initial training is not the end. Daily routine in their units keeps these men on their toes all the times. The day is kicked off with a 5 km run and exercises aimed at strengthening the ankles, knees and stomach — done in field dress and combat boots. Breakfast is followed by training sessions and workouts, with classes in weapon training, fieldcraft, weapon firing and inland navigation. Various assault techniques and means of infiltration through land, air or water are discussed and practised, besides handling explosives and special equipment and infantry tactics such as ambush, counter-ambush and patrolling. Besides para ground training, which simulates para jumps from the mock up of an aircraft, significant time is devoted to close-quarter drill and unarmed combat as well as assaults in built up areas. These activities continue till lunch. After administrative and maintenance work in the unit or catching up with pending paper work in the afternoon, all off-duty officers and men re-assemble for games in the evening. The evening roll call is at 7 pm, where night duties are assigned and general orders for the next day are given. Night training is done once a week, with night firing and a 20 km route march with a load of 60 kgs. Forced marches are done once a month, carrying combat loads of 65 kg over a distance of 30 km. Night drop, also with complete battle load, is done once in a quarter. |
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Sohana residents sore over incomplete
road SAS Nagar, June 12 Ever since the Public Works Department ( B and R) started the work of raising the level of the road, some incidents of vehicles tossing over due to scattered stone metal had been reported. The busy road takes the load of the traffic plying on the Chandigarh — Fatehgarh and the SAS Nagar — Patiala routes. The effective width of the road section had been reduced by at least half as stone metal had been laid on one of the sides. Residents of Sohana lament that after laying the stone metal the PWD authorities had forgot to complete the work. The road was often used by the VIPs. An official of the PWD said the stone metal had been laid to raise the level of the Sohana— Chunni road section. He said the work would be completed within a month. |
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Mahila sangh
to hold conference Panchkula, June 12 Highlighting the objectives of the conference, the official spokesperson for the sangh said it was aimed at creating awareness regarding the rights of women as well as making them self-sufficient in a male-dominated society. About 1,000 women delegates from all over the state, including women social workers, NGO activists, panches and sarpanches, are expected to take part in the conference, named “Chetna Sammelan”. Addressing the governing body of the sangh, the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, stressed the need of inculcating leadership qualities among the rural women. |
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Cong staged dharna Chandigarh, June 12 In the memorandum the party also raised the issue of Scheduled caste certificates and simplify its procedure and issue the certificates to genuine applicants. The party pressed for the issue of ration cards to the needy and those living below the poverty line. |
Parbati project gets clearance Chandigarh, June 12 |
FENG SHUI
TIPS Family luck means that the family plays, laughs and stays together. It also means that the members of the family stay loyal and are committed to one another. Husband and wife live with few conflicts. Rivalry should be non-existent. There should be family happiness and a sense of togetherness. According to Feng Shui, the family’s relationship luck sector is the centre of the house. It is very important to take care of the feng shui of the centre of the house. The centre should have a dining room or a family room. The centre of the house is the place where the family gathers at the end of each day. It means that the heart of the home is filled with happy Yang energy. There is life and love and happiness in the centre. Feng Shui suggests eating and playing at the centre of the
house. Here it is very important to energise the atmosphere. A very good idea to energise the room is to place a beautiful crystal chandelier to create good fortune. The chandelier should be switched on in the evenings to create good luck everyday. Never have staircases in the centre of the house — especially not a spiral staircase. A spiral staircase can be a very, very odd feature for the household people. If one has such a staircase, please let him try to change it altogether. Sometimes it is very difficult to remove the staircase. So, Feng Shui suggests that one should fill up the empty spaces in between the salves. If this is not done, the riches of the family will fly out of the window.
Harshna
Address your Feng Shui queries to: Postal address: C/o F.S. TIPS |
Absconding accused
held Kharar, June 12 Mr Jasdev Singh, SHO, Kharar, said here today that two persons namely Joginder Thakur and Anil Kumar were arrested by the Kharar police under Sections 379 and 411, IPC, and stolen goods were recovered from their possession. They were remanded in police custody by a court but they escaped from the police cell on April 19. The police registered a case under Sections 223 and 224, IPC, against them and the guard on charge of negligence of duty. The SHO said Joginder Thakur, alias Rajinder, had been arrested by the Panchkula police and cases of theft registered against him. He said he was brought here by the Kharar police yesterday. He was produced in the court of Mr Roshan Lal Chauhan, Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, today and he has been sent to police remand till June 13. |
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1 held on sodomy
charge Chandigarh, June 12 According to an FIR registered under Section 377 of the IPC, Vijay Kumar allegedly sodomised the victim on the college premises. He has been arrested by the police. One booked: Tarsem Kumar and a few other persons were booked on charges of power theft in Kachchi Colony, Sector 38 here. They had made kundi connections and were caught on Monday. Woman arrested: A woman, Kelo, was arrested by the police for allegedly stealing an aluminium cover from Phase I, Industrial Area, here on Monday. She has been booked under Sections 380 and 411 of the IPC. Two held:
Two persons were arrested for gambling at a public place in two separate cases. Shila Kumar was arrested from Sector 38 and Rs 1,300 was recovered from him, while Pardeep Kumar was arrested from Daddu Majra Colony on Monday. |
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