 |
|
| Friday,
August 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India
|
|
||||
|
Schools to remain closed today Chandigarh, August 15 In Panchkula, too, all government and private schools will remain closed on Friday. This announcement was made by Haryana Governor Babu Parmanand at Parade Ground, Sector 5, while concluding his address to the people today. |
|
Babu Parmanand pays tributes to martyrs Panchkula, August 15 Paying tributes to martyrs and his gratitude towards patriots and freedom fighters, Babu Parmanand said we were enjoying all facilities and liberties of a free citizen because of their sacrifice and sufferings. He urged the people to imbibe the spirit of national integration in our youth, which would go a long way in strengthening and preserving our national unity, integrity and freedom. The Haryana Armed Police, district police, Home Guards, NCC, scouts and students of various schools presented an impressive march past on this occasion. More than 1,000 children from 16 schools of the district performed a variety cultural programme to project the national spirit of patriotism and nation building. A grant of Rs 50,000 was also announced from the Governor’s discretionary fund for distributing sweets to the participants. The Governor also announced a holiday in all schools for tomorrow. The 56th Independence Day was also celebrated at Government College here with the Principal, Mr B.S. Dahiya, unfurling the National Flag. He took salute from NCC cadets of the college and paid tributes to martyrs and freedom fighters. A colourful cultural programme was also organised on this occasion. Doon Public School, Sector 21, also organised a colourful cultural programme. The General Manager, Vijaya Bank, Mr K.M. Shetty, hoisted the Tricolour and students of nursery class presented a cultural programme. Gaeity and fervour marked the celebrations at the State Bank of India, Staff Training Centre, Sector 14, here today. Amidst chanting of National Anthem by the participants, staff and their families, Assistant General of the centre unfurled the National Flag. The Rotary Club and Inner Wheel Club, Panchkula, celebrated Independence Day with inmates of Saket Institute of Orthopaedically handicapped, Chandi Mandir. Dr J.L. Chaudhary, Director, Health Services, was the chief guest who unfurled the National Flag. The inmates presented a cultural programme. Mr Parveen Kumar Goyal, senior vice-president of the club, said the club donated a water purifier costing Rs 6,000 to the institute. Fruits, chocolates and daily need articles were distributed to the inmates. |
|
Overall
best trophy
for city police Chandigarh, August 15 The road safety trophy was won by children of the Kailash Bahl DAV School, Sector 7. The civil defence unit was declared top in its own class. At the cultural function the patriotic action programme was presented by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sector 25; flag drill was presented by Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27; Government Model School, Sector 35 presented a play on corruption; Government Model School, Sector 16, presented a Rajasthani dance; and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46 presented a bhangra. |
|
‘Corruption, a cause for concern’ SAS Nagar, August 15 Expressing these views at a function held in connection with Independence Day at Lawrence Public School here yesterday, Mr Birender Singh, MLA (Kharar), said the people had great expectations from politicians, but the latter had let them down. Politics was now a number game in which even an illiterate could become the Chief Minister. He regretted that Independence Day was not celebrated in universities and the celebrations were now confined to the school level. He said one rarely saw the National Flag atop private houses on Independence Day. In fact, not all government offices hoisted the flag on August 15. An inter-house competition was also held on this occasion where students presented songs and skits that had a patriotic theme. |
|
Man kills sons, surrenders SAS Nagar, August 15 The 33-year-old man, Baldev Singh, a part-time taxi driver, surrendered before the police early this morning. The children, Hardev Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, were the offspring from his first marriage with Kuldeep Kaur. The woman had committed suicide about four years ago. The man first strangled his younger son Lakhwinder Singh, around 11 p.m. Then it was the turn of Hardev Singh. After strangling him, he also stabbed him in the neck. After bolting the house from the outside, surrendered at Sohana police station around 6 a.m. The villagers came to know about this incident only when police personnel reached the village at 7 a.m. Police personnel and some villagers in the presence of the sarpanch of the village went upstairs and found both bodies on a blood-splattered bed. Mr Ram Singh, a former Railway police employee, and grandfather of the victims, staying with his elder son at Ambala was informed. Scores of villagers accompanied the bodies to the Civil Hospital, Phase VI. Some irate neighbours also reached the Sohana police station and gave a sound beating to Baldev Singh. According to villagers, Hardev Singh was a student of Class V in Arya Public School in Sohana while Lakhwinder Singh was studying in the nearby Shiva Public School. Baldev Singh had brought both boys to the village yesterday afternoon from his in-laws’ house in Ram Darbar in Chandigarh. Women folk in the village revealed that the man had developed illicit relations with his cousin sister-in-law and this had forced his wife to commit suicide. Bachani Devi, aunt of the accused, alleged that Baldev Singh was a short-tempered man and had also beaten up his father Ram Singh a month back. The bodies were cremated in the village cremation ground late in the evening. Meanwhile, a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Baldev Singh at the Sohana Police Station. The police has also recovered a knife from the spot. The accused said, ‘‘I am unemployed and financial problems forced me to take this extreme step. I was unable to bring up Hardev and Lakhwinder Singh. None of my family members helped me out.” |
|
MC plan to replenish ground water Chandigarh, August 15 This was announced by the Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi after unfurling the National Flag on the Municipal Corporation office premises and inspecting the guard of honour presented by a contingent of 32 firemen led by the chief fire officer, Mr G.S. Bajwa. The Mayor also announced cleaning of nullahs in Mani Majra and making additional arrangements for draining water from streets and small lanes in the area. The area was flooded yesterday and the Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, had also announced similar measures for finding a permanent solution to the problem. Terming development as a continuing process, the Mayor called for people’s participation in putting the development on a faster track. She said the recarpeting of V-6 roads had been completed and work on V-4 and V-5 roads was going on. The Mayor admitted that the Municipal Corporation was in
financial mess and thanked all councillors for putting up a united front for more funds before the Chandigarh Administration and the Second Delhi Finance Commission. Ms Joshi highlighted the afternoon water supply in the city as an achievement of her tenure, adding that several measures had been taken to augment the supply. She said the clean water storage capacity of the city was being increased with the digging up of one such store at Sector 39 waterworks. The Mayor said PVC pipelines were being arranged for green belts and parks of Sectors 9, 10, 20, 23, 27, 28, 29 and 47. She said a 5 MGD sewage treatment plant would be completed by the end of the next year to save the people of Mani Majra and Mauli Jagran from pollution. The Mayor assured that the recarpeting of roads in villages and colonies would be completed soon. The Mayor said the Municipal Corporation would improve condition of parking lots in all markets and work in this direction had already begun. Reiterating her focus on cleanliness, the Mayor said more JCBs, 150 contract sweepers, tractors, wheel barrows and garbage bins were being procured, adding that number of challans for creating insanitary conditions had also been increased. She appealed to people to come forward for funding gaushalas in Sectors 25 and 45. The Mayor thanked the Adviser, Ms Neeru Nanda, for taking active participation in keeping the city clean and green. Sahaj Safai and Khad Banao Kendras in Sectors 21, 26, 27, 33, 15 and 36 had been built with her cooperation, she said. |
|
Petrol, diesel prices cut Chandigarh, August 15 The price of petrol in Chandigarh will be Rs 29.15 per litre against the present rate of Rs 29.34. The consumers would get diesel at Rs 17.72 per litre against Rs 17.90 at present. In Panchkula, the current price of petrol is Rs 28.88 per litre and that of diesel it is Rs 17.58 per litre, which are likely to come down to Rs 28.70 and Rs 17.40 per litre, respectively. Similarly, in SAS Nagar, the prices would come down by about 20 paise per
litre. |
|
HIV risk to medical staff: the threat is real Chandigarh, August 15 With paramedical staff handling blood samples and body secretions that could carry life-threatening infections, there is concern amongst the medical fraternity over the heightened risk are they exposed to while treating HIV-positive patients. Sources revealed that more than 25 such cases had already come to light after they approached doctors at the PGI for treatment following an accidental prick while treating AIDS and HIV-positive persons. “The problem is not just confined to the PGI and government hospitals in the city. I have had frantic call from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh from those who had an accidental prick while treating a patient who has AIDS or is HIV positive,” said a senior PGI doctor. He cited the case of a nurse from Rajasthan who contracted the killer disease after she had a needle-stick injury, while treating an AIDS patient and got to know of it only when she had her blood tested, much later. “Frequently, paramedical staff from smaller places in the region is seen rushing to Chandigarh as apart from lack of knowledge regarding what treatment should be followed after an accidental pricking, the required medicines are also not available there,” said a doctor from the GMCH, Sector 32. He said that due to the social stigma attached to a person afflicted with AIDS or HIV, the medicines are not available at smaller places. “Since viruses like HIV, Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted by blood, the risk of transmission of these to the healthcare professionals by a needle-stick injury is always there,” opined a doctor. While on an average, the risk of getting infected by HIV following pricking is 0.4 per cent , the figures for Hepatitis B and C are between 9 to 30 per cent and 3 to 10 per cent, respectively. This overlooks the fact that viral hepatitis carries a substantially lower mortality than HIV and can be protected to a great extent with a vaccine. With very few cases of HIV transmission being reported after exposure of mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes and broken skin of the infected blood, the risk of occupational exposure to HIV is real. “Utmost care can be taken while treating an AIDS patient , but the greatest threat is from people who themselves do not know that they are carrying the virus or do not disclose it for obvious reasons,” said a doctor. Medical experts suggested that taking universal precautions while treating patients was the only solution. These were based on the assumption that all blood was potentially infectious, regardless of who it belonged to and what his or his HIV status was. This also applied to other body fluids like faeces, urine and sputum. Doctors suggested that precautions included use of gloves, masks, gowns, protective eye wear, when splashing of blood was likely to occur. Blood spills should be handled with care, while needles should never ever be manipulated, bent or recapped, they said. |
|
|
Residents protest against power failure Panchkula, August 15 It was around 8 pm yesterday that a sparking in the main pedestal led to a major fire and a number of transmission lines got burnt. Power supply to all 600 houses in the complex was disrupted. Residents allege that inspite of making numerous calls to the Housing Board officials as well as the UHBVN, no official turned up. It is learnt that the Housing Board was passing the buck onto the UHBVN for repairing the fault and the latter was unwilling to take the blame and said that the Housing Board was itself responsible for the maintenance of power supply in the complex. With both departments at loggerheads, the residents had to suffer. When power supply was still not restored around 11 am today, the residents took to the streets. Around 200 residents staged a dharna outside the Housing Board Complex and raised slogans against the authorities. Later, the Superintending Engineer, Mr R.S. Gupta, the Executive Engineer, Mr Naresh Mahajan, and the SDO, Mr Y.K. Gupta of the Housing Board reached the spot at about 12.30 pm. By that time Electricity Department officials, too, had rushed to the spot. However, it was only around 7 pm that the power supply could be restored. Mr Randhir Singh Badhran, President and Mr Jaswant Singh of the People’s Forum, Panchkula, said that the transmission lines were old and needed maintenance. But none of the two departments were willing to undertake the repairs. |
|
Samiti
to fight for footpath workers Chandigarh, August 15 The Footpath Worker’s Rozgar Bachao Samiti, in a function at Labour Chowk, demanded permanent work places for barbers, washermen, cobblers and cycle mechanics and took a pledge to continue its struggle till the goal was achieved. The Congress president, Mr B. B. Bahl, administered an oath of unity to his partymen while unfurling the Tricolour at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Burail, Sector 52, Palsora and Industrial Area. The BJP remembered the day for the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, becoming the only non-Congress Prime Minister to have unfurled the National Flag for five consecutive years at Red Fort. The local BJP ad hoc committee convener, Mr Yashpal Mahajan, and the national executive member of the party, Mr Satyapal Jain, presided over functions in party office in Sector 33, Bulhana, Hallomajra, Labour Chowk, Sector 44 and 45, Peer Colony, Palsora, Lal Bahadur Shastri Colony and Sector 38. Area councillors, including Ms Kamla Sharma, unfurled the National Flag in their respective areas. Those who attended the BJP functions included Mr Purshottam Mahajan, Zila Parishad chairman, Mr Darshan Singh Buhlana, Mr Jai Ram Joshi, Mr Prem Sagar Jain, Mr Desraj Tandon, Mr Dharam Pal Gupta, Ms Nancy Ganju, Mr Kanhaya Lal Sharma, Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal and Mr Pavittar Singh. The Nationalist Congress Party President, Principal Gurbachan Singh, today concluded party’s ‘Bharat bachao saptah’ on the day. He unfurled the Tricolour at SBS Colony, Indira Colony and Raipur Khurd. Party leaders, Mr Sham Lal Kanoujia, Mr G. C. Dhadwal, Mr Subhash Chand, Mr Ved Prakash, Mr Surjeet Kaur, Mr Asa Ram Pilodia, Mr Manjit Singh Mann, Paramjit Kaur Dhillon, Mr Gurmail Singh Matharoo, Ms Anita Gupta and Mr Gurcharan Singh Channi attended the functions. The Chandigarh Mukti Morcha president, Dr Arvind Kumar Mishra, unfurled the National Flag in Shahid Bhagat Singh Colony. The New Congress Party president, Mr Ram Pal Hans, hoisted the Tricolour in a function at Ram Darbar. The Sector 27-D Welfare Committee organised an Independence Day function which was attended by the local councillor, Ms Harpreet Kaur Babla, and the Chandigarh Vikas Manch general secretary, Mr Devider Singh Babla. |
|
Punish
corrupt officials: Forum SAS Nagar, August 15 Col H.S. Sangha, president of the forum, said today that despite a couple of suspensions and postings at the local PUDA office, the state of affairs continued to be disappointing. He alleged that the PUDA machinery had to be ‘greased’ for various works including, getting an NOC, a sewerage connection or a plot demarcation done. Members of the Forum said the declaration of assets should not be limited to high ranking officers of the government but also cover other officials. |
|
City boy to represent IMF at Johannesburg summit Chandigarh, August 15 Mr Gupta, who belongs to Chandigarh, is currently in the city visiting his parents. His father, Mr J.P. Gupta, retired as Financial Commissioner, Punjab. “Corruption is best defined as diversion of public resources for private use,” says Mr Gupta disclosing that research papers being included in the book basically deal with the impact of corruption on revenue collection thus limiting the government from providing basic amenities to the populace at large. “Its is mainly the budgetary allocations that provide scope for corruption. Studies reveal that substantial budgetary allocations are made to the projects which have a wider scope for corruption while the issues related to welfare of a common man get little or no allocation. “Though at the UN Millennium Summit attended by nearly 150 heads of states approved eight millennium development goals, including eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, yet corruption is coming in a big way in achieving these goals. “Though various steps, including hike in wages of civil servants, have been suggested for reducing corruption, yet wages alone is not the real cause of rampant corruption in developing societies. It is a multi-faceted phenomenon with socio-economic ramifications. To deal with the problem, one choice would be to strengthen the infrastructure leaving little or no scope for corruption,” says Mr Gupta. “This could be well achieved with an open and transparent budget procedures. The IMF has developed a ‘Code for Fiscal Transparency’ which lists best practices for making budgets free and transparent. If such a code is followed, corruption will tend to diminish substantially,” argues Mr Gupta. “Public participation in fiscal management is the best check,” he says. Appreciating the work done by Transparency International, Mr Gupta says that most of the developing countries figure high on the
corruption list prepared by the Transparency International from time to time. Other reason for corruption has been the “fungibility of money”. The diversion of funds from the earmarked projects provides sufficient opportunity for corruption, he says. Mr Gupta will be in Johannesburg later this month to represent IMF at the Sustainable Development summit. “We will present a paper at the summit where more than 100 heads of states are expected to attend.” |
|
TRIBUNE
IMPACT Chandigarh, August 15 The Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, who is also the Director, Sports, will conduct the inquiry. It was reported Chandigarh Tribune on August 4 that the champions of this year’s under-14 competition for the pre-Subroto cup were the much-hyped Chandigarh Football Academy players of Sector 42 Government Model High School. At least three of them were overage and they presented fake date of birth certificates to get take admission.
Chandigarh Tribune in its investigation had gathered records from the Punjab Education Department. Most of the boys who figure in the overage bracket are from Gurdaspur. Several schools lodged a protest against the Sector 42 Govt Model High School for fielding overage players. |
|
Racket
of forged documents Chandigarh, August 15 In the case of Tata Indica car with the registration number, CH-01-T-0875, originally been issued to a Bajaj Chetak scooter, the police has found that the bank statement given by the applicant was fake. One person, Devinder, has already been arrested in the case. The file of the other car (CH-01-1196) was said to be untraceable in the office of the Chandigarh Registration Authority. The original documents of the second vehicle have been sought from a private bank which financed the vehicle. Sources in the police said details of the vehicles were being sought from the finance companies. An official said the information could also be sought from a common pool of information about the chronic defaulters in the city. The list of defaulters purchasing vehicles on higher sale purchase could be over 1,500, said persons in the business of higher sale purchase. Proper investigations could reveal many more such cases but for that a common complaint would have to be made to the police. |
|
Chautala’s wife admitted to PGI Chandigarh, August 15 Dr Harinder Bali, who is attending to her, said that her condition was stable but she would be kept in hospital for another three days. |
Man booked in rape case, car impounded Chandigarh, August 15 The victim, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, was staying in a rented accommodation in Sector 44, and had earlier worked at a slim and shape centre in Sector 35. The girl, with her clothes torn and bruises all over the body, was noticed by a passer-by near the Sector 33 filling station. He informed the police and she was taken to the Sector 16 General Hospital. A police official said that the suspect, on the pretext of giving her job, took her to Panchkula and sedated her by mixing something in a cold drink. The victim was dumped near the filling station by the suspect before escaping from the scene in a car. The registration number of the car was given to the police by the passer-by. The Mitsubushi Lancer car (CH01-E-0125) reportedly used in the crime was seized from house No 125, Sector 8, this evening. A case under Sections 366 and 376 of the IPC has been registered at the Sector 34 police station. In a statement recorded before the Duty Magistrate at the Sector 16 General Hospital, the victim said she became unconscious after drinking a soft drink and regained consciousness in hospital. Investigations took the police to SCF 138 in Sector 20. The premises was found locked. Sources said that a medical examination of the girl would be conducted at General Hospital tomorrow. The suspect is yet to be arrested. However, the person, who saw the girl being dumped near the Sector 33 petrol station, had said that he had seen two youths in the car. |
|
Cheating
cases registered Chandigarh, August 15 In another case, the manager of the Sector 34 branch of Allahabad Bank registered a
complaint that Annop Singh of Sector 19 took a loan of Rs 4.17 lakh on March 3, 2002, by submitting fake documents of his vehicle. A case under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC has been registered. Theft cases:
At least two streetlight fittings and two PVC bundles were found missing from the complaint office of the Electricity Department in Sector 16. The items were reportedly stolen after breaking open the door of the office. A case under Sections 380 and 457 of the IPC has been registered. In another case, a scooter was stolen from the parking of Fragrance Garden in Sector 36 . A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered at the Sector 36 police station. In another case, Nafe Singh of Janta Colony, Sector 25, complained that grocery items and Rs 1500 were stolen from his shop in the colony on the night intervening August 13 and 14. A case under Sections 380 and 457 of the IPC has been registered. |
|
Water meters stolen from Sector 44 Chandigarh, August 15 A complaint has been registered in this regard at the Sector 34 police station but no arrest has been made so far. Residents said the watchman had caught one of the thieves with his tools but he managed to escape. The watchman said there were three to four persons and when he saw them opening water metres he called out for help. One of the thieves was caught but because he had applied oil on his body, the watchman could not hold on to him. A large number of residents gathered on the call of the watchman in the night. The residents complained that the area had become unsafe with a number of vehicle thefts being reported from the area recently. They said one of the major causes of rise in crime was that the adjoining reserve forest area, a possible safe haven for criminals, had been left unprotected. The residents demanded that a wall be constructed between the forest area and houses. Earlier, a kidnapping had taken place in the area. |
|
1 dead, 1 injured in mishaps Chandigarh, August 15 The driver of the truck, Kesar Singh, has been arrested and the truck impounded. A case under Sections 279 and 304 of the IPC has been registered at the Mani Majra police station. In another case, Ramesh Chand (35) was seriously injured when the scooter he was driving was hit by a car near the Sector 29 mandir. The victim was referred to the PGI from the Sector 32 GMCH. |
|
Man commits suicide Chandigarh, August 15 The victim has been identified as Amar Singh, alias Amar Nath, a resident of 1188, Sector 19-B. He had reportedly been dispossessed by his parents due to addiction to liquor and drugs. A police official at the Sector 19 police station said the deceased was unmarried and had four brothers and four sisters. The victim often used to come to the secluded place behind the PWD office to sleep there. The body has been sent to the Sector 16 General Hospital for the autopsy. In another case, a 50-year-old man was found dead near the Sector 20 gurdwara. The unidentified persons was suffering from some ailment and often used to sleep on a platform near the mandir. People in the area, said he was working in some Haryana Government office. A visitor’s slip has been found in his pocket. Efforts are being made to ascertain the identity of the deceased. The body has been sent for autopsy to the Sector 16 General Hospital. Inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC have been initiated in both the cases. PANCHKULA Chain snatched: Two unidentified youths snatched a gold chain from Ritu Rani on the Sector 10-11 dividing road last evening. The youths were on a motor cycle. A case under Section 356 of IPC has been registered. Man arrested: The police arrested Vijay Kumar, a domestic servant in a Sector 20 house, on the charge of indecent acts at a public place. He has been booked under Sections 294 and 509, IPC. Driver arrested: The police has arrested the driver of a Canter which had hit a scooter in Sector 7 on the night of August 13 and killed Baldev Krishan. The man riding pillion with him, Vikas Walia, was seriously injured. The accused has been booked under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A of the IPC. |
 |
| 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 | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
