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| Monday,
August 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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PU to re-admit PUSU president Chandigarh, August 18 The Law Department had cancelled the admission of Malwinder Kang for not having attended the required number of lectures. It was also pointed out by the department that the medical certificate submitted by him to the department was “fake”. It is learnt that a decision with regard to revoking the order of the cancellation of admission was taken by a high powered committee which met under the chairmanship of Justice D.V. Sehgal. Other members included Dr M.M. Sharma, Mr Ashok Goyal, both fellows and Prof Bal Krishan, Chairman of the Law Department. Mr Gopal Krishan Chatrath, another fellow, however, did not attend the meeting. It is worth mentioning that the department had also cancelled the admission of six other students. However, those cases did not come up for deliberations at the meeting. The committee has recommended cancellation of the order of the Board of Control of the department terminating the candidature of Kang. However, in order to protect the rights of the student who was next on the waiting list and had been admitted, the university will create a special seat for Kang, as per the sources. The committee has decided that the facts regarding the case, which needed to be clarified, will be taken up in details before any further action. It is pertinent to mention in this regard that one of the main reasons for the cancellation of his admission was that he had allegedly submitted a fake medical certificate. Kang had denied the fact and said he had said he was being treated by a doctor of General Hospital, Sector 16, and would submit the certificate later. The certificate on his record belonged to a private nursing home. The department senior authorities maintained that the document had been submitted by Kang but he denied it altogether. |
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RAPE
CASE Chandigarh, August 18 The police is also working on the theory of involvement of more than one person in the crime. Though the victim in her statement before the illaka magistrate had named the owner of Kodak Computers in Sector 20, M.K. Jain, for being involved in the case. Sources in the police said the actual number of people involved in the crime would be revealed only after the arrest of the owner of the computer centre. Mr Surinder Sharma, a resident of Sector 45, who had called up the Police Control Room had said he had seen the victim being thrown out of the car and he had chased the vehicle for some distance. So far the investigations by the police were centred on the statement given by the victim. “ Since there was no second eye witness in the case, the police had to rely on the statement given by the girl”, said a police official adding that the chemical examination of the clothes of the victim and the swab samples were today sent to Patiala. A thorough search of the car, which was reportedly used in the crime, had not revealed any circumstantial evidence. However, removing evidence like the glass in which the cold drink was offered or other circumstantial evidence to evade police suspicion is not being ruled out. The police suspects that the victim had been raped somewhere in Chandigarh. Regarding the statement of the suspect’s family that he had returned home after playing golf and he had used Zen car, the police official said till the arrest of M.K. Jain, nothing could be said. The police is said to have verified the antecedents of the victim from the Himachal Pradesh Police. She is said to be hailing from Rampurbushair in Shimla district. The victim, who is still under observation at the female ward in the Sector 16 General Hospital here was said to be reluctant to contact her parents. She has reportedly called her uncle on mobile. |
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Housing colony structures demolished Panchkula, August 18 The housing colony was coming up over 52 acres of agriculture land in the village for the past some years in violation of the Punjab Scheduled Land Regularisation and Development Act. The structures were demolished under Section 41 of the Act. The coloniser had reportedly violated norms relating to the construction of the colony within a 2 km area in circumference from the outer boundary of the Industrial Area in Barwala developed by the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation. The area has been declared as “Notified Controlled Area” by the state government recently. During the five-hour operation, main and internal roads, and a sewerage line were dug up besides removal of streetlight poles and signboards indicating the location of main attractions of the colony by an enforcement team of the administration, headed by Mr M.S. Yadav, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the area. There were two police companies and a riot control vehicle to avoid any untoward incident. This action of the administration shocked scores of investors who had invested in plots from their hard-earned money. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Ms Geeta Prakash, District Town Planner, said Mr R.K. Aggarwal, the coloniser, was
given The authorities also said that the coloniser had continuously been advertising in print media for long to attract customers through wrongful means, which he could not unless by getting the colony regularised from the Town and Country Planning Department. Mr Sanjay Sharma, brother of a Delhi-based investor Ms Saira Sharma, said they had approached the proprietor for a 6-marla plot after going through an advertisement in a newspaper in Delhi. After corresponding to the company, they deposited Rs 30,000 in the first instalment and then got a “plot allotment” letter after making the payment of same amount. The coloniser asked them to make payment in instalments and assured them that they would get possession of the plot after three years. By then the colony would be developed completely, it was stated. Mr Sharma was on his way from Manikaran to New Delhi and decided to have a look at the colony where his sister had purchased a plot. He was surprised to see the police and public gathered and approached the authorities there and enquired about the incident. Mr Mohinder Singh, a local farmer who was also approached by the coloniser for land, alleged that R.K. Aggarwal, had been cheating investors from far-flung areas advertising it as a “Exclusive Modern
Township”. |
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INDEPENDENCE DAY celebrations this time had a unique flavour. This even as protocol was breached on a few occasions. The good part first. To start off, two days ahead of August 15 it rained continuously bringing the temperature down. The Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), did a jig when a cultural programme was being presented by school children. For the first time the Chandigarh Administration took a bold step that it will not honour any of its employees for meritorious services, as being done in the past. Those to be honoured included cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia and golfer Chiranjeev Milkha Singh. The three could not attend the function due to their own schedules, but were gracious enough and called up the officials to explain their positions. The awardees included weightlifter Nirmal Singh and a blind girl Robina Shiekh, whose collection of poems has come in for praise from even the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. At the function, the Adviser to the Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, accidentally occupied the chair reserved for her boss, General Jacob. Red faced officials rushed in to arrange another chair. Before the second chair could arrive Ms Nanda was back to her own chair thus saving the blushes. In the evening very few of the civil servants were in the ceremonial attire, that is the bandhgala. A senior IAS man commented either that the practice of the bandhgala should be done away with or be followed to the hilt. Termination Very rarely do IAS officers get a termination notice. But this has happened in the case of Dr Dilraj Kaur, who was serving in Chandigarh as Assistant Commissioner ( under training) between July, 2001, and May, 2002. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the officials of the IAS training academy at Mussoorie conducted a summary enquiry for the period she was in Chandigarh and submitted the report to the top officials from where the termination notice was served. The enquiry had found her acts as serious “ misconduct”. As a patchup bid the woman IAS officer came to Chandigarh last week and asked a few middle-level officials to vouch for her “good work”. This was strange as the report was to be sent by top functionaries. Slowly word spread around and The Tribune , in its local edition, broke the news about the acts of the IAS officer. Unusual scrutiny Gays, if any, in the city will be put under an unusual scrutiny for the first time. Exotically termed MSM (men having sex with men) their ilk will of course, not be the only one to be put under the microscope of a survey, planned by the UT AIDS Control Society. Female sex workers, truck drivers, street children, eunuchs and intravenous drug users are the other categories, which would be screened as part of an exercise of “mapping” the City Beautiful, to pinpoint the existence of sex workers in various pockets . The exercise is being undertaken as part of the guidelines of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), to identify the high-risk target population for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. It would be for the first time that mapping of MSM would be undertaken in the city since medical experts regard them as potential carriers of STD.While the exercise of mapping is yet to start, it would be an interesting revelation for the city denizens if the gays make their presence felt in the survey. Docs at risk Call it a professional hazard , but it comes at the cost of putting their life at risk. In a tragic revelation, that is still sinking in a worried medical fraternity, dozens of doctors and paramedics treating HIV infected persons in the region have been exposed to the threat of contacting the killer disease. The medicos explain it in terms of “accidental pricking” , which makes the threat of getting infected real, if not treated immediately. There have been instances when the unfortunate medicos, who have had an accidental prick come rushing to the PGI, for treatment as in the smaller towns the treatment and medicines are rarely available. Tool
kits In order to make the inmates selfreliant and better citizen the Burail jail authorities in collaboration with the Jan Shikshan Sansthan and Municipal Corporation have provided 25 tool kits to inmates who have completed six-month course on scooter repairing and refrigerator and airconditioning. The kits were handed over to Mr D.S. Rana, Superintendent, Central Jail by Mr Arjun Kamboj, Director-Incharge of the Sansthan and Mr B.S. Thakur, Section Officer, MC. These tool kits will be given to jail inmates on their release from the jail so that they may be able to start their own work immediately after release. No info, no strike! Students of Panjab University who sat on hunger strike in Model Burail jail had to face embarrassment when they came to know that the authorities were not aware about their strike. After two days of their hunger strike the jail authorities informed the students that before observing a strike they have to inform the jail authorities about their agitation. Police on hire Now hiring cops of the Chandigarh Police for escorting cash of different government departments of Punjab and Haryana has become a costly affair. Acting on recommendation of the Chandigarh Police, the Chandigarh Administration has revised the rates. To hire an Inspector, now the charges are Rs 640. Similarly, the charges for a Sub Inspector, an ASI, Head Constables and a constable have been fixed at Rs 621, Rs 507, Rs 436 and Rs 365, respectively. The force at the revised charges would also be available for private security. A police official says that if the duty exceeds five hours during the day time and four hours during the night hours, the charges would be double. The police was also contemplating to provide force for exhibitions and melas but at a price. Party
time It was party time for the inhabitants of Senior Citizens Home, Sector 43, as it was the birthday of Mrs Harbans Kaur Brar, widow of an army officer. Her grand-daughter had thrown a party for her and the other inmates who are otherwise forgotten. The inmates of the home cheerfully wished the graceful lady, who turned 72. Her last birthday was celebrated in the command hospital as she had a fractured leg and is still recovering from it. She has been here for over a year and has to stay at the home as her four daughters are happily married and busy with their families. Mrs Brar dressed in a beautiful white suit, sat cozy with her grand-daughter Rachna and her friend Bhavneet, both students of BA part III, while all the other inmates feasted on the delicious samosas, gulabjamuns, and of course, chocolate cake. The occasion was made even special by a beautiful violin recital by another inmate Mr G.S. Saini. He played, ‘Hum Tumse Mohabbat Karke Sanam’, and then on special request came ‘Jane Kahan Gaye Wo Din’, which left some of the inmates with a heavy heart. Mr S.S. Sachdev also sang a song, ‘Sapnon Mein Mujhko Pyar Mila’, to grace the occasion. Cops on test The Punjab Police is learning its lessons well. The Mohali Police organised a written test for its employees asking them some basic questions about their profession. While for some of the 180 policemen who sat writing for more than two hours it was a tortuous experience, for many it was a cakewalk. Whatever their feelings, it was certainly amusing to watch dangerous looking Punjab Police men sitting like children on benches of a school on a Sunday afternoon and writing answersheets. Cribbing goes on Slum colonies in these parts of the region are probably the most spoilt lot. After two cases of acute diarrhoea were reported from one of such colonies in Mohali, the complete set of civic authorities was at their doorstep offering them the best possible medical help, clean drinking water and cleanliness. And yet the leaders of the colony were not happy. Cribbing constantly about how heartless the civil hospital doctors were in not having paid for their medication, the leader type of the colony was clearly vying for power leaving the hospital authorities feeling sheepish. Maybe a kick in the rear to some of these leaders would have solved the epidemic problem in the colony better. In any case, the way the recent outbreaks of various diseases have been handled in the city and its periphery, has been rather commendable. Considering that those living in the slums really don’t care two hoots about either cleanliness or that their habits can cause
disease to others, the health authorities did a good job. And what the UT Adviser did was much needed. A good shout to these people and passing orders that if they do not keep clean, action will be taken against them. Patience personified Patience is a virtue not many policemen are acquainted with. But the SP Mohali seems to be amply endowed with this quality. In a recently held meeting with the senior citizens of the township the old men and women were relating their list of woes. Every list went on for at least 20 minutes and by the end of three hours, half the hall was empty and the rest sleeping. But our Superintendent of Police was all ears, taking down notes and giving the right facial expressions to make the speaker feel that he was being heard attentively. A nod here, a smile there... all well done. Landscaping About two years ago a bridge on the seasonal “Patiali ki Rao” on the entrance of the city from Kalka and Chandigarh railway stations was inaugurated. But its aesthetic design does not match with the city beautiful says a spokesperson of the Environment Society of India (ESI). One explanation could be that the new bridge was an extension of the old bridge. Now the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) has adopted the central verge and is engaged in landscaping and beautifying this area. The other central verge towards the Chandigarh side awaits sponsors. There is another serious problem on this road. If you are motoring towards the city, as you approach the bridge, you will feel the jerks due to bumpy road. One has to drive carefully till levelling is done by the engineering department. A signboard “Road bumpy-drive carefully” can also be of some help. Naag Panchami As the month of August starts, so do the preparations for Naag Panchami. Snakes are captured in suffocating bags, kept in tiny boxes, are starved, have their teeth violently yanked out, many have their mouths painfully sewn shut and are brought into cities. The snake’s venom duct is often pierced with a hotneedle, causing the snake’s glands to burst. Some snakes go blind because of the “tikka” applied on their hood during pooja, when it trickles into their eyes. Lilyn Kamath of World Wide Fund for Nature India says: ‘The snakes are extracted from their burrows. Their mouths are stitched, their poison sacs punctured and fangs broken. They are then kept in earthen pots hung from trees until Naag Panchami.’ Because they are starved and kept thirsty, the snakes consume the milk offered to them. Nothing could be farther from their natural diet. Milk causes the snake severe dehydration and allergic reactions, and often dysentery. Most die as a result. Says naturalist Vijay Awsare: “The festival has always left behind a trail of dead and mutilated cobras. Nowhere have we heard of so many snakes being killed on one occasion”. The snake’s skin is sold and made into a leather purse or belt. Some captured snakes are sold to hospitals and colleges for dissection or for a miserable lifetime cramped in a dark box only to be taken out for venom milking. Another misconception is that snakes sway to music. However, snakes are deaf, and actually spread their hoods and sway in tandem to the movements of the snake charmer in an effort to defend themselves, an action which causes them exhaustion and terror. If you see a snake charmer, you can book a complaint against him under the Wildlife Act as well as the 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. As per the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, it is a crime to catch snakes do business with them or even own them. Under Section 11, Sub Section 1 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960: it is illegal to torture, cause unnecessary pain, or suffering to an animal: wilfully and unreasonably administer any injurious substance to an animal: keep or confine any animal in a cage or any other receptacle that does give an animal reasonable opportunity for movement; and illegal for an owner to fail to provide sufficient food, water, or shelter. Inside job As the competition among the newspapers to break news hots up in the city, the managements of some private business houses are employing wards of retired or serving bureaucrats as correspondents. This, in the long run, would ensure regular channels of news from the bureaucracy. A senior scribe told sentinal that such a practice had proved fruitful in getting inside information from the police. Restricted area Sector 10 is not considered to be a very safe area for girls. It is often said that any girl passing by that area, which houses a local boys college, should do so at her own risk. Only last week, a girl riding past the college on her Kinetic Honda landed herself into big trouble. As she was striding past a group of boys on her vehicle, someone from among the group tried to get closer to the vehicle and catch hold of the girl’s arm. Although the girl managed to rescue herself while maintaining the balance of the scooter, she could not prevent a horrible scratch on her forearm, which started bleeding. Since such incidents have become common in the Sector 10 area it would be in the fitness of things to instal some police check posts there. That is the only way to check hooliganism, lest the girls should consider the area as “restricted.”
—Sentinel |
Loose wiring poses threat to residents Chandigarh, August 18 The wires are just a hand’s stretch away from houses posing a danger to residents, but there is no alternative as a large part of the locality does not have space for erecting poles. The electricity department got as many as 150 complaints on the day when a wall of one of the houses gave in under the weight of wires. The department personnel are now hooking the same line to another house where it will be tied to a cantilever. Mauli Jagran, which also has similar wiring arrangement, however, was at greater risk due to kundi connections, a lineman said. He claimed the lines were not dangerous as these were insulated thrice with leather, steel and PVC layers leaving little scope for a person or a wall to come in contact with a live wire. Another problem is that of shortage of staff. The staff catering to 85,000 population of Modern Housing Complex, AWHO, Gobindpura, Mori Gate, Valmiki Mohalla and half the motor market has only 20 per cent of the required strength. Most of the staff included administrative staff sparing few for field work. The department does not have proper infrastructure with the linemen and assistant linemen running around on cycles. Staff of the centralised complaint centre launched on Friday had problems dealing with complaints when the lines were shut for carrying out repair. Members of the staff said complaints were repeated at the centralised complaint centre and a person had to write these at the area centre before passing them on to the staff. The centralised complaint centre needs to be informed before the department takes up a major repair work. |
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PUDA quotes astronomical sum for cattle pound land SAS Nagar, August 18 PUDA has been quoting amounts which can only be termed as astronomical for a piece of land for developing a facility which it should have provided of its own volition as part of the town’s basic infrastructure. The latest letter received by the council from PUDA a few days ago quotes a figure of about Rs 72 lakh for 2 acres of almost worthless land which forms part of a choe. The council has estimated that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 head of stray cattle in the town which not only are a traffic hazard but also damage property. In fact, a local organisation has even approached the court against the stray animal menace. The council has been pressing PUDA for the past about nine months to allot land for the cattle pound. The PUDA authorities, who had agreed to provide 2 acres for the purpose in November last year, have been haggling over the price without even pausing to think that the facility is not only for the common good but that its own poor planning is responsible for its absence. At first PUDA accepted Rs 1 lakh as token money from the council and agreed to give 2 acres for the cattle pound on a cost basis. The general house of the council then adopted a resolution clearing the proposal on the purchase of the land. Then in May this year PUDA decided to allot the land at the rate of Rs 1, 758 per sq yd, with the total cost coming to more than Rs 1.70 crore. The council straightaway decided not to shell out such a large amount from its kitty. It is reported that PUDA then came up with a figure of Rs 12 lakh per acre for the same piece of land, but the council again showed its reluctance to accept the offer. Then came the recent letter from the PUDA Chief Administrator offering the land at the rate of Rs 750 per sq yd (a total of about Rs 72 lakh). According to indications, the council proposes to reject the high price at its next general house meeting. Mr Kulwant Singh, council president, said today that the civic body was fed up with the attitude of PUDA, which had shown little interest in the cattle pound project. If the rules permitted, he said, the council might acquire land for the purpose on its own. He said it was the duty of PUDA to provide the necessary infrastructure. In fact, at the time of the allotment of plots to residents, the cost of the plot included the cost of providing the infrastructure. He said the market price of the land being offered by PUDA in the choe area was only between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per acre. The council senior vice-president, Mr N.K. Marwah, said the former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had promised to provide land for the cattle pound with the council paying only a token amount of Rs 1 lakh. He said the existing cattle pound had a capacity of only 100 animals. Even though residents were facing problems, the council had no arrangements to keep all impounded animals. In fact, the PUDA authorities, who were responsible for developing the town, must set up the facility and hand it over to the council for maintenance.  |
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Ex-servicemen’s body to raise strength Chandigarh, August 18 The membership is open to the retired (up to the rank of Honorary Officer only), who are well settled, have their own conveyance and a residential telephone number. Only those ex-servicemen are given chance of membership who are interested in doing social work without any financial benefits, according to Mr Bhim Sen Sehgal, Chairman of the association. The group had been formed with a view to project the bonds of brotherhood in the ex-servicemen community in particular and society at large at time when there is a complete degeneration of social and humane values. Members of the group visit not only the ailing ex-servicemen and their families, but also senior citizens.The list of the group is circulated periodically among the members. A
meeting of the group is held every Saturday at which its activities are reviewed. |
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Booklet to educate farmers released Chandigarh, August 18 The MASR was planning to distribute the Punjabi version of the booklet in rural areas and the English version in the states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. A Hindi version of the booklet was also under way and would be distributed in states like Haryana, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. According to a press note of the MASR, it will release a list of more than 450 suicide cases from Sangrur district’s Moonak sub-division. The MASR is a non-political voluntary action group working chiefly in the field of human rights. The note claimed that their investigations into a large number of suicides by farmers had made it clear that the burden of debt had driven many farmers and farm labourers to end their lives. It was not uncommon to see debtors surrendering their land to repay loans to money-lenders or commission agents. |
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Vanamahotsava celebrated Panchkula, August 18 Mr S. D. Bhambri, former IAS Officer and General Manager, The Tribune Trust, was the chief guest. He planted a sapling in the school campus alongwith residents of the society. The DFO Kandi Project, Mr B. S. Khokha, was also present alongwith Ms Rajni Thareja, Principal of Hans Raj Public School. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bhambri urged the gathering to plant more trees and to launch a campaign to save the environment. “God had created environment and human beings to stay in harmony with each other. However, there is an imbalance between the two,” he said. Students of Gurukul School presented a cultural programme on this occasion. They also staged a play on saving environment. |
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Jhulan yatra celebrations begin Chandigarh, August 18 |
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Residents threaten stir Chandigarh, August 18 |
Booked for stealing power Chandigarh, August 18 Scooter, car stolen Purse snatched Man beaten up Couple hospitalised Eve-teasing |
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Bag stolen from car Chandigarh, August 18 According to the information available, the Professor in a complaint lodged at the Sector 36 police station said the thieves had removed the bag from his Maruti Car (CH-03-7039). The bag contained the cheques of fee of the students of Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, admission forms of students, affidavits and papers of his seven years of research. The police has registered a case under Section 279 of the IPC. |
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Girl recovered Chandigarh, August 18 According to information, Moti had taken the girl to Uttar Pradesh on the pretext of marrying her. He was today sent to 14-day judicial remand by the Duty Magistrate. |
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