 |
|
| Sunday, January 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India
|
|
||||
|
Guest-house owners told to close shop Chandigarh, January 19 The High Court deadline expires on January 20. The Chandigarh Administration has asked owners of about 140 guest houses run from residential areas here to close shops or face consequences. Once a building is sealed, it cannot be put to any use and the owner loses even the right to stay in it. In September 2001, the Chandigarh Administration had notified the rules to regulate temporary functioning of guest houses on residential premises. These rules will remain in force till January 20, so, the Administration has asked these for closures by tomorrow. About 140 guest houses are being run from residential areas in sectors 21, 22, 8, and 18. Owners of the guest houses have tieups with rickshawpullers and auto-rickshaw drivers who bring in customers who are mostly budget tourists. The matter went to the High Court as residents of these areas alleged that these guest houses had become dens of anti-social
elements. The guest-house owners were, earlier, given permissions to carry on. According to a survey by the UT Estate Office, 130 residential buildings in the city are being used as guest houses. Moreover, 1,000 families are directly or indirectly earning their livelihood from this business. The Guest House Social and Welfare Association, in an affidavit, had said the demand for accommodation was increasing as an average tourist could not afford accommodation in even two-star, hotels. |
|
Police arrests ‘duping letterman’ SAS Nagar, January 19 According to the deal, Mr Rakesh had to pay Rs 1.20 lakh more on getting a government job. The man was found carrying a “forged” recommendation letter of a senior official in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the private Secretary to the Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha. The ASP, of SAS Nagar, Ms Kalpana D. Nayak, said the conman used to use such recommendation letters to trap unsuspecting unemployed youths. A recommendation letter bearing “signatures” of the Private Secretary to the President of India, Mr K.C. Jayarajan, and another letter “signed” by the Private Secretary to the Finance Minister, Mr M.M.K. Malhotra, were seized from the suspect. The letter contained recommendations for two persons, Padam Mishra and Ram Pati Yadav, and were addressed to the Managing Director of the ICI Paints factory. A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered by the police. The man was arrested from his Phase 1 residence by a police team led by ASI Bhagwant Singh Riar. |
|
Tehsildar
booked for cheating Dera Bassi, January 19 Mr Kumar has alleged that the three accused — Rajesh Kumar, a resident of M.S. Enclave in Dhakauli village in Zirakpur, Karamjit Singh of Zirakpur and Surinder Singh, a resident of Rajpur in Ghanour tehsil of Sonepat — in connivance with Inderjit Kaur Kang, tehsildar of Dera Bassi, transferred the ownership of a portion of land without taking their fourth partner in confidence. The complainant has alleged that two Chandigarh residents — Rajiv Kumar Malik of Sector 20 and Alok Swami of Sector 23 — sold their disputed land in Bartana village to Mr Jaspal Singh and him for Rs 11,50,000 on April 27, 2001. The buyers made the payment the same day. He said a general power of attorney was executed in favour of Rajesh Kumar, Karamjit Singh and Raj Kumar and they were authorised to dispose of the property, but with the consent of all partners. After registering cases against the four alleged accused, the police has started investigating the matter. |
|
Pulse Polio Campaign today Chandigarh, January 19 Complete arrangements have been made by the UT Health Department to help eradicate polio in the country and make city a polio-free zone. A team of 1,700 doctors, nurses, nursing students, senior and junior residents, interns has been trained and put on duty at the 461 booths which have been set up all over the city for the purpose. The residents have been requested to bring every child up to the age of five years to one of these booths and get a dose of oral polio vaccine. ‘‘The aim is to have an environment for a period of at least three days in which the polio virus cannot hold on. But if even a single child remains non-vaccinated during this period the chain breaks and the virus is not eradicated, and the whole effort is lost. Out motto is —lets make it not the lost but the last war,’’says Dr Manocha, District Immunisation Officer, in charge of the campaign in the city. About 405 of these booths are stationary and have been set up in all sectors in the city. There are at least four booths in every Sector. The number is much more in slums and villages. ‘‘No resident will have to walk more than 400 yards to get his child vaccinated,’’ says Dr Manocha. Eight booths have been set up at city entry points. The police will be cooperating in stopping buses and vehicles entering the city for administering vaccine to any children travelling into or outside the city tomorrow. The campaign has been intensified in the city, as in 2000 and 2001 a polio case each at Mohali and Panchkula was reported. PATIALA Apart from 1100 booths and 4400 personnel who will carry out the second phase of pulse polio in the district to be held on Sunday, 42 mobile teams will carry out “search and vaccinate” operations A total of 2,64,144 children up to the age of 5, who form 14 per cent of the total population in the district, are expected to be covered under the pulse polio programme. Addressing a press conference here today, Dr Inderjit Kaur Walia, Civil Surgeon, Patiala, informed that a door-to-door campaign will also be launched on the specified day so that every child in the district receives the polio vaccine. |
|
28 routes identified for private buses Chandigarh, January 19 During the meeting the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, pointed out that preference in permits should be given to bonafide residents of the city and not to outsiders. Ex-servicemen and cooperatives should also be given preference over outsiders. It was proposed that fares should be fixed after taking into account the cost of the bus, cost of operations and maintenance. However, the fare should not be more than the fares of the CTU on kilometre-basis. The issue will be discussed further as losses suffered by the CTU are borne by the government, but such a financial cushion will not be available to private operators. The Administration will also identify places for parking these buses so that no problem or confusion is created at any stage. According to authorities, till now, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), a government body, runs buses on local routes and the movement of buses is from east to west, in general. This makes travel from north to south difficult within the city as no buses are available. For example, someone wanting to travel from Sectors 19 to Sector 33 or 45 have to do a lot of walking to reach bus stop. The present proposal is aimed at sorting out this problem. Private operators will be invited after laying down stringent operational norms. The Administration will fix prices of tickets calculated on per-kilometre basis in consultation with the operators. |
Hundreds take part in ‘nagar kirtan’ Chandigarh, January 19 The procession began from the Sector 34 gurdwara and culminated at the Sector 46 gurdwara after passing through Sectors 35, 22, 23, 21, 20, 32, 33, 45 and 46. Hundreds of persons participated in the ‘nagar kirtan’ and payed obeisance to the Guru. The procession began with the beating of drums and blowing of trumpets, followed by the Nihangs playing ‘gatka’. Students, too, followed a flower-bedecked vehicle. Teams of ‘ragis’ recited hymns as several bands moved along with the procession, playing religious tunes. Several organisations and devotees had decorated the route with colourful flags and buntings. As the traffic came to a standstill for giving way to the procession, devotees served ‘prasad’ to commuters. The police had made elaborate arrangements for the procession and no untoward incident was reported. Several policemen could be seen diverting the traffic. As the procession passed through different sectors, more persons joined in. SAS NAGAR: The Gurudwara Coordination Committee of SAS Nagar took out a nagar kirtan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh here on Saturday. The procession started from Phase 1 Singh Sabha Gurdwara and ended at Amb Sahib
Gurdwara. |
|
Compulsory
retirement flares resentment Chandigarh, January 19 A number of non-gazetted officers and some Deputy Superintendents of Police met in a Sector 35 hotel today to discuss the issue. The feasibility of the affected SI seeking legal redress and its consequences for certain police personnel were also reportedly discussed. Police sources said the decision to compulsorily retire police officials having bad track records had generated resentment among the rank and file of the Chandigarh police. In the first instance of its kind, SI Shiv Ram was retired compulsorily from the service on January 17, orders to which effect were issued by the UT IG, Mr B.S. Bassi. The orders were passed under the provisions of the Punjab Civil Services Premature Retirement Rules, 1975, according to which, a person having completed 25 years of service or anyone who is above the age of 50 can be retired from service on disciplinary grounds. Mr Bassi’s predecessor, Mr S.K. Singh, had first initiated a move to enforce these provisions in order to “cleanse” the Chandigarh police of “inefficient or corrupt” personnel. The scheme, however, could not be implemented at that time. Police sources say that there are about 300 police personnel, including about 50 non-gazetted officers (inspectors, sub inspectors and assistant sub inspectors) who may be compulsorily retired. They include those against whom department inquiries have been initiated or those who have faced disciplinary action. |
|
YOUNG
VOCIE Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is the oft-repeated warning for those harbouring political aspirations. But Nishu Dubey, who has been actively involved in student politics, does not agree to it. Having served two terms as general secretary of the student’s body of the DAV College, he is now the joint secretary of the Panjab University Campus Student’s Council. “Politics is not all that bad. It is always the people involved that make anything good or bad. Politics means standing for the rights of people and fighting for their cause,” he says. This is the guiding philosophy of Nishu Dubey who is presently doing MSc (Botany) from Panjab University. You do not get anything on a platter, one has to struggle to achieve one’s goals. He believes that self-betterment becomes irrelevant if one is not contributing to the betterment of society. “I believe if God has been kind to you, it is your duty to spread His kindness amongst the less fortunate”, he says. |
|
Dy dir booked for sexual harassment Chandigarh, January 19 She wrote to the department head as well as the minister concerned, following which an inquiry into the matter was conducted by a retired IAS officer. However, no action on the report was taken following which, she moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court that directed the Chandigarh police to hold an inquiry into the matter. |
|
Scribe dead Chandigarh, January 19 Mr Surinder Singh, the deceased’s brother, said that he was also a human rights activists and was also writing for various news magazines. |
No rental hike please THE reduction of the STD rates by the BSNL is most welcome. However, if reports are to be believed the monthly rental charges of telephones will go up soon. This would be unfair. There is a strong case for reducing the monthly rentals further. When the BSNL had introduced the local call facility for a call within 200 km, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had increased the monthly rental of telephones. As a result, subscribers had to pay Rs 140 more for two months. Add to this Rs 7 towards service charges. It would have been better if the rental charges were slashed from Rs 500 to Rs 400 for two months. Now, this benefit will be only for a few persons. The STD customers throughout the country fear that the rental charges will go up following the slashing of the STD rates. The TRAI should see reason and should not increase the rental charges arbitrarily. Subscribers should also mobilise strong public opinion against any such move.
M.L.GARG,
Paid parking The resentment among shopkeepers and the others against the newly introduced parking fee in Chandigarh should be examined objectively. Paid parking has its own merits and demerits. In a way, it would help ensure safe custody of vehicles parked at the designated place. During a visit to Chandigarh recently, I saw that while paid parking facility was available at Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, no such arrangement was there at Rose Garden and the Sector 17 market. Looking from the other angle, parking fee seems unjustified. Chandigarh is one of the best cities in the world. The Chandigarh Administration, can easily bear the nominal cost of those employed for the purpose of guarding parked vehicles. Why burden the general public, then? PUNEET
MEHTA, Patiala Cheating cinegoers This has reference to your report ‘Dearer tickets sans logic’ (December 16). One has to see for himself the hardship of cinegoers in Patiala. When the Hindi film ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum’ was released at Tagore Theatre here, the ticket cost Rs 60, Rs 35 more than the normal cost of Rs 25 — a rise of 140 per cent! Cinema proprietors are not only fleecing the cinegoers but also indulging in all kinds of malpractices. Distributors are also cheated in the process as the film is simultaneously shown in Mini Tagore Theatre with a time difference of about an hour and a half. Who will check blackmarketing in the sale of tickets? Your report seems to have highlighted more the problems of cinema owners than the difficulties of cinegoers. K.J.
JAIN, |
Love and terror 'DIL Aashiqanaa Hai’ (Neelam) is old wine in new bottles. A right concoction of love, drama, comedy and action. Director Kuku Kohli has given a decent opening to Karan Nath (son of Madhuri Dixit’s secretary) and Jividha. Also noticeable are Vishal Khanna as the leader of the militant outfit and Aditya Panscholi as the kingpin of cross-border terrorists. The film opens with Karan and Jividha’s teenage escapades far from the about of unfold hijack drama. Jividha’s brother is a contact with the Pakistani terrorists. Panscholi is in India to plan a hijack to get Khanna freed. The hijack is a successful, but a few twists follows before the climax! Love in colleges provides lighter moments in the tense action of in- news cross border terrorism. Sameer has written the lyrics for a light mentionable music by Nadeem Shravan. |
One held for fraud Chandigarh, January 19 They purchased two colour TVs, a refrigerator, a steel almirah and a heater worth Rs 42, 235. They gave him Rs 9,000 and promised to pay the balance later. After waiting for few days for the payment, he went to the addresses given by the accused and found that they were not residing there. Later, he learnt that Surinder Jindal was residing in Burail. On being questioned, Surinder Jindal disclosed that they had sold the said articles further to some one. The police has registered a case for criminal breach of trust and cheating. GAMBLER HELD: The police has arrested a resident of Madarasi colony, for reportedly indulging in gambling and has recovered Rs 1750 from his possession. A case under the Gambling Act has been registered against him. INJURED: A resident of Sector 41, Sumitri, was injured and admitted to the PGI after her scooter was knocked down by a truck near the Markfed office in Sector 35. The police has registered a case. ASSAULTED: A resident of Dhanaoni village near Ambala, Jagir Singh, has reported that he was assaulted by a resident of Sector 19, Roshan Lal. The police has registered a case. 3 STUDENTS BOOKED: The police has booked three students of the DAV College, Sector 10, for reportedly assaulting and threatening another student. Amit Wadhwah, a student of the same college, had lodged a complaint that he was assaulted and threatened after an argument broke out between him and the three accused while he was noting down the datesheet for examinations from the notice board. No arrests have been made so far. 2 WOMEN BOOKED: The Economic Offences Wing of the police has booked two women running a transport company in Saharanpur for reportedly defrauding a local resident. Dr Ramesh Gupta had reported that the women had taken Rs 5 lakh from him for fixed deposit, but did not issue him with the relevant receipt.  |
|
Car taken away Lalru, January 19 Sources in the police said Rahul Chander who was on his way to Chandigarh from Delhi by his Maruti car (PB-27A-0489) was robbed of the vehicle by two muffled persons. The front tyre of the car had got punctured and Rahul had just replaced it, when the robbers came and put a ‘revolver-type’ object at his temple and drove away the car. A case of theft has been registered by the Lalru police. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
