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October 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Bank defrauded of 70 lakh Dera Bassi, October 19 A loan worth Rs 69, 01, 453 had been advanced to M/S Ishrat Enterprises Private Limited, a raw material preparing unit for a soap manufacturing industry — for expansion purposes from April 1998 onwards. However, it came to light recently that the company no longer existed as the directors had sold off all machinery as well as other movable and immovable assets of the company. While one of the Directors, Kanwar Pal Singh Cheema has been arrested by the police, the other directors — Harpal Singh Cheema and Ms Harwinder Kaur Cheema — are still at large. A case under Sections 406 and 420 of IPC has been registered against them with Dera Bassi police station. The accused are family members and are residents of Sector 38, Chandigarh. In a complaint to the police Mr. Davinder Singh Sahni, bank branch manager, had stated that the company directors had approached the bank for raising loans and limits of their company. The bank sanctioned them a term loan of Rs 25.50 lakh, cash credit (hypothecation) limit of Rs 6 lakh and cash credit (book debt) limit of Rs 4 lakh in April, 1998. The company was also enjoying a Term Loan of Rs 31.50 lakh, Cash Credit (hypothecation) limit of Rs 12 lakh, Cash Credit (book debt) limit of Rs 6 lakh, Cash Credit (pledge) limit of Rs 6 lakh in land LCC of Rs 10 lakh, cheque purchase of Rs 2 lakh besides interest (from July, 2002) till date apart from security for the repayment of the advances and the equitable mortgages on properties, the complaint lists. The branch manager further added that Mr Rajinder Singh Cheema, father of first two accuses, and Ms Anu Cheema, wife of Kanwar Pal
Singh Cheema, had furnished sureties of the “accused directors” for the repayment of the money. Mr Sahni complained that the bank authorities had been continuously inviting the company directors for the regularisation of their accounts which had been lying closed since February 2001, but they had paid no heed to the repeated communication. The bank received a letter from Harpal Singh Cheema, a company director, on July 7, 2002, seeking withdrawal of his guarantee which made the bankers suspicious. A team of bank employees visited the factory premises and found the unit locked from outside. They also found that the plant and machinery had been removed from the site. The raw stock, furnished and semi-furnished goods, were also missing from the factory premises. The accused had even removed the tin sheds from the unit, he revealed. Taking a serious view of the complaint, the Dera Bassi police constituted a team and managed to arrest Kanwar Pal Singh Cheema from Phase XI in SAS Nagar on October 17. A police party headed by Mr Gurjit Singh, in charge of Lohgarh police post, conducted a raid at the house of Atul Sharma, alias S.J. Vardhan, claimed to be an agent of the country’s premier intelligence agency, RAW. He was arrested by the Mohali police in September. He had gone underground and was staying in Atuls house (No 560), in Phase XI, SAS Nagar. Mr Singh said the police party found the house of the accused in Sector 38 A in Chandigarh locked and later conducted raid in SAS Nagar on a tip off. He was later produced in a court in Rajpura and was remanded to judicial custody. Atul Sharma, alias S.J. Vardhan who claimed to be an agent of the country’s premier intelligence agency, RAW, was arrested by the Mohali police on September 12 for cheating a local resident of Rs 7 lakh. |
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City airlinked to Mumbai, Goa Chandigarh, October 19 The new Mumbai-Delhi-Chandigarh flight (IC 601) would take off from Mumbai at 6 in the morning to reach Delhi at 7.55 a.m. After taking off at 8.40 a.m. from IGI Airport in the union Capital, it would reach here at 9.20 a.m. The return flight (IC 865) would take off from here at 10.30 a.m. to reach Delhi at 11.10 a.m. from where it will take off at noon to reach Mumbai at 1.55 p.m. It will reach Goa at 3.40 p.m. after taking off from Mumbai at 2.40 p.m. With the introduction of a direct flight to Mumbai and Goa, a long standing demand of the business, trade and industry of the region has been met. The much needed air connectivity for export of fruit, vegetables and flowers from this region, would provide support to growers of the region. Meanwhile, the Airlines has also rescheduled its Leh-Chandigarh flight. Instead of Thursdays, now this flight will operate on Wednesdays, leaving Chandigarh at 9.40 a.m. |
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Loaded with bonanza, BSNL to go mobile next week Chandigarh, October 19 Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Prithpal Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL, said: ‘‘We are going to launch the cellular services in Chandigarh and Punjab region next week. We are determined to woo most of the existing and potential subscribers on the strength of our lowest tariff structure, all-India network and improved customer services.’’ He disclosed that the BSNL would provide free incoming calls on its cellular network from its landline phones and from its mobile phones by charging just Rs 325 as monthly rent. There would be no hidden costs and the customers would be provided all-Indian free roaming and CLI facility. However, they would have to pay for incoming charges like other private networks for Rs 225 monthly rental package. They would be provide with free mobile-to-mobile incoming calls in this package, he added. At present, in Chandigarh and Punjab region, there are about 5.5 lakh cellular subscribers and the market is growing expeditiously. Spice Telecom has over 4 lakh subscribers and Airtel has added about 1.25 lakh subscribers during the past seven months after launching its services. In Chandigarh alone there about more than 60,000 cellular connections, besides about 30,000 WLL (limited mobility) connections. Mr Ashok Goyal, MD of Spice Telecom, admitted that though they had yet to see the fine print of the BSNL tariff, as per reports it had introduced predatory tariff. He said: ‘‘Though it is difficult to react at this stage, by next week, when BSNL enters our region, we may announce competitive package to meet the challenge.’’ Mr Singh added that their customer services would be much better than the competitors, and there would be no hidden costs. In Chandigarh, says a local BSNL official, they have already set up 28 towers and are ready to launch the service any time. A call centre at Gurgaon has been set up to provide supportive services. The company would target potential customers as the market was likely to expand in view of the lower tariff. The BSNL has introduced two tariff packages— Rs 225 and Rs 325 monthly rental. In the first package, said Mr Singh, customers would have to pay Rs 2.40 per minute for outgoing calls and would enjoy free incoming calls from mobile phones on its network. However, by paying just Rs 325 monthly rental, they would enjoy free incoming calls from its landline phone network, besides paying Rs 2 per minute for outgoing calls. The activation charges, he said, would be Rs 200 and there would be no roaming and CLI charges. Insiders say Connect Telecom, which is at present providing WLL services (limited mobility services), would also have to revise its package, as the customers would definitely prefer BSNL mobile phone services due to free incoming and almost same monthly rental. It has at present about 80,000 connections in Punjab and Chandigarh. |
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Octroi official suspended SAS Nagar, October 19 The suspension has been ordered following a report submitted by Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, following an internal inquiry into a complaint filed against Mr Tarlochan Singh last year. During the inquiry it was found that Mr Tarlochan Singh had changed the noting (dated
September 22, 2001) on composition fee to be charged from truck (number PB-13D 9617) causing a loss of Rs 56,700 to the
Mr Tarlochan Singh, who has been working with the Municipal Council for more than five years will now be placed under suspension and chargesheeted with major penalty regulations. Mr Tarlochan Singh had been promoted a couple of years back to the post of an Octroi Superintendent. Stating that the council will carry out the government’s orders forthwith, the Municipal Council president Mr Kulwant Singh, added that replacement for Mr Tarlochan Singh would most probably be made available in a day or two. Mr Tarlochan Singh, who resides in the Municipal Colony here, was, however, not available for comments despite repeated attempts. |
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Power supply to city areas hit Chandigarh/ S.A.S. Nagar, October 19 According to the Punjab State Electricity Board, Superintending Engineer, Mr S.C. Agarwal, a large number of high and even low-tension wires were being rerouted following the widening of the Kharar-Chandigarh highway. “But everywhere things are being carried out in a pre-planned manner and alternate arrangements are being made. No power shutdown was carried out in S.A.S. Nagar due to this rerouting.” He also pointed out that whenever roads were widened, the B&R Department worked in coordination with other departments, including the PSEB, and as a routine wires were rerouted and in case their height was to be increased, it was done. |
Basing his works in Hindi on Gurmukhi script Chandigarh, October 19 “When I started doing research in ancient Hindi literature, I found out valuable manuscripts of Hindi written in Gurmukhi script gathering dust just because most of the Hindi writers were not comfortable with Gurmukhi script and Punjabi writers could not comprehend ‘Brij bhasa’ though the script was their own,” says Mr Gupta. So his effort bore fruit in 1950 when he penned down his first book “PEPSU mein Hindi ki Pragati.” Even after having written about a dozen books in this particular direction, Mr Gupta feels there is still a lot more to be done to enrich Hindi literature by using Gurmukhi manuscripts as resource material. “There are a large number of valuable manuscripts still lying at the archives or with private collectors in Punjab and Haryana and most of them are in deplorable condition,” says Mr Gupta. “Only an Initiative by the respective governments can save those treasure houses,” he adds. Son of an Urdu poet and freedom fighter Roshan Patialvi, Satya Pal Gupta’s first love has always been Hindi. “It was just after the partition when I started writing and during that era only Urdu and Punjabi used to dominate the region,” he reminisces. He not only contributed to the new trend of writing in Hindi but also provided a platform to all budding Hindi writers of the region by starting a branch of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in Patiala, which has its headquarters in Allahabad. “I encouraged Hindi writers to translate from different scripts and also started translating my father’s works from Urdu to Hindi,” he adds. Mr Gupta has been recently honoured with an honorary degree of Sahitya Mahopadhyaya by the All India Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Prayag, for his lifetime contribution to Hindi literature. He has also been honoured by the Haryana Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and recently by the Haryana Anubrata Committee as an eminent writer in Hindi. Among his notable works are “Gurmukhi Lipi mein Hindi Sahitya”, “Punjab ka Hindi Sahitya”, “Punjab mein Hindi ki Pragati”, “Haryana Ateet aur Vartaman” and “Haryana main rachit Hindi Sahitya”, besides a few plays in Hindi. After retiring as a Joint Director, Public Relations, Haryana, Mr Gupta has been totally into writing. But recent trends in Hindi market upset him. “The ever-increasing popularity of electronic media and upward shot in price tags for books have killed the market for Hindi books,” says Mr Gupta. “Though the Indian Constitution gave Hindi the status of the national language, it could not do away with the colonial mentality of people who still think English to be their first language,” he adds. The writer is currently working on a volume that contains about 250 letters written by eminent Hindi writers.  |
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READERS WRITE This has reference to the report “Rs 126 crore for Patiala” (Chandigarh Tribune, Sept. 29). A sum of Rs 162 crore is being provided to the Municipal Corporation, Patiala, for the uplift of the city. There is a kutcha piece of land between two bylanes of Street No 3 of Desi Mehmandari, Patiala. The land is being misused by sweepers to dump garbage which stinks and emits a foul smell along with the heaps of cattle dung. Whenever there is an election, whether of Parliament, Assembly or corporation, the candidates promise to get this stretch metalled but after the election nobody keeps his promise. During the last Assembly elections, Ms Preneet Kaur, Patiala MP, visited this site twice and promised to get this piece of land metalled from her own funds or through the Municipal Corporation. However, nothing has materialised. Perhaps the residents will have to wait for another empty promise till the next election. It is hoped that Mayor Vishnu Sharma, who has publicly promised to visit all wards to know the problems of the citizens, will also visit this site and do the needful. Jiwan Singh Cable fee anomaly What’s the reason for different subscription rates for cable connection? The subscription rates vary from one sector to another. For instance, we pay Rs. 200 for our connection every month in Sector 19. But those in Sectors 20, 27 and 30 pay only Rs.150 or 125 per month. We get the same channels but the rates are different. It is mainly because of the
monopoly of the cable operator that this discrimination continues. Anuj Dhanwantry Why new STD code? This has reference to the report on the BSNL’s plan to introduce the new STD code for SAS Nagar (01888) instead of the existing code of 0172 and prefix 91 with the telephone number and vice versa for Chandigarh subscribers. We, the people of SAS Nagar (Mohali), strongly oppose the BSNL plans to delink SAS Nagar from Chandigarh on telecommunication lines. Since SAS Nagar already has established links in the national and International markets due to its industries and other infrastructure, and has telecommunication and postal services on the lines of Chandigarh, I request the BSNL authorities to reconsider their decision. Harjinder Singh Kamboj In saint’s uniform This has reference to the report (Chandigarh Tribune, Sept. 28). According to the report, a thief named Vinod who was nabbed by Chandigarh Police, was a Delhi resident. A number of stolen goods were recovered from him, including gold jewellery. There was a photograph also along with the report in which the thief was standing amidst eight policemen. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the word ‘Bishop’s’ printed on it. Maybe, even the policemen might haven’t noticed it, but it’s an irony. Another interesting piece of information about him was that he has been a member of the All India Crime Prevention Society. Now, if all the criminals are wearing the saint’s uniform, to whom can we rely upon Vimaljit Kaur Ping-pong game “The UT Administration gives a free hand to PU on students’ poll”, screams a headline. It appears as if a game of ping-pong is going on. “The ball now is in PU’s court”...could well be another headline! What is all this going on? Why does one not realise that any rule, in this case the holding of elections in varsities and colleges, which curtails the basic sprit of its evolution must be changed? I as a parent can realise well how painful it is when you come to know that your child is not attending classes or is refusing to take examinations, while the varsity and the administration are playing games to shift responsibilities on each other. Look, the administration says that it is fully prepared to maintain law and order. Yes, while looking at the city’s ever-rising crime graph and ever-increasing traffic chaos on roads, we do believe in its inherent capability. But why let such a situation arise? Moreover, no college principal reportedly has talked of law and order problem. Rather they showed their worry about the avoidable obstruction of classroom teaching, which does not seem to be on anybody’s mind. It is good to know that college principals reportedly have opposed elections in the larger interest of the smaller number of serious students. In case any one is serious about solving the problem, it should not be allowed to be ping-ponged between the administration and the university. Only the college principals and the heads of varsity’s departments, who eventually face the brunt of most of the blinded decisions that are often forced upon them, should be allowed to adjudicate on this rather serious matter. Rupinder B. Singh |
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CMP celebrates 63rd anniversary Chandimandir, October 19 A special Sainik Sammelan was held to mark the occasion where the Officer-Commanding, Col A K Sinha greeted all ranks and their families, including civilian employees. He lauded the hard work and dedication displayed by the CMP personnel during the performance of their multifarious duties. Later, a tea party at the Western Command Headquarters was attended by senior officers while a barakhana was organised for all ranks and their families. Veteran officers, JCOs and other ranks who had served the unit and were settled in and around Chandimandir attended the celebrations. Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt-Gen S.S. Mehta has greeted all CMP personnel in the Western sector on the occasion. The Chief of the Army Staff and the Adjutant-General and Colonel Commandant of the corps have felicitated the CMP for its immaculate performance of various professional tasks. The Corps of Military Police traces its origin to the tense months proceeding World War II. The first-ever Indian Provost Section was raised from seven and 11 Indian Cavalry Regiments for the fourth Indian Division in 1939. It was in the bloodbath of World War II that CMP (I) truly won its spurs. The White Belts took part in all operations and contributed to the ultimate victory. On October 18,1947, the CMP (I) shed its British connection and was re-designated as the Corps of Indian Military Police. Finally, it was rechristened as the Corps of Military Police, in January, 1950. |
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Lack of facilities decried Dera Bassi, October 19 The Dera Bassi Industrial Focal Point Association has complained there are deep potholes on the internal roads which lead to inconvenience in transporting the goods. The focal point also lacks postal and bank facilities which force the industrialists to go to Dera Bassi, Mubarakpur and the nearby cities to get their works done. Mr R.C. Kalia, general secretary of the association, complained that the focal point had neither any shopping centre nor any bus stop which further aggravated their problems. To buy goods and commodities of daily use, they had to travel between 3 km and 10-km distance to Dera Bassi, Chandigarh or Panchkula. Moreover, the absence of any bus service and bus stop in the focal point for the past many years had multiplied their problems, added Mr Kalia. The condition of telephones was also miserable, he added.
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Markets closed to protest MC staff ‘excesses’ Chandigarh, October 19 The traders also organised a dharna and a protest rally. Representatives of various trade organisations and leaders later called on officials of the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation. The traders of Sector 28 yesterday had yesterday resented the move of the Enforcement Staff to confiscate the goods lying outside the premises of the shops. The MC team was gheraoed by a group of protesting traders led by Mr Devinder Singh Babla, president of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch. The MC staff had lodged a complaint and 31 people, including local traders and politicians, were booked for allegedly clashing with the enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation. In a release, Mr Ramesh Goel, president of the Chandigarh Car Accessories Dealers Association, said that the tussle between Sector 28 traders and the Chandigarh Administration had been simmering for the past six months, but the Administration had not taken any action despite repeated assurances. |
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Chandigarh Carnival celebrates 200th show Chandigarh, October 19 Joining the revellers was none other than the UT Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, who launched the celebrations by cutting a special 20-kg cake. Sponsored by The Tribune, the function attracted passersby, who seemed smitten with the wonderful presentations from city-based singers Brijesh Ahuja, Rimi Chopra, Madan Tanwar, Anju Gupta and Ram Niwas. Resonating all around were melodies of yore like bachna ai hasino, “main jat yamla”, “aajkal tere mera pyar”... and many more. An added attraction was the arts corner that was being held by the students of Government College of Art, Sector 10. |
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Top models for Regalia Chandigarh, October 19 Showcasing exquisitely-designed pieces of jewellery that form a part of the vast and vibrant collection of Ravoy Gems, Regalia will underline beauty and earthiness of the Indian woman. To add zing to tomorrow’s evening at CGA, the organisers have roped in Jaishree (Femina Miss Indian finalist), Anchal Gulati (also Femina Miss India finalist and TV anchor), Lada, a Russian model who has featured in many commercials and Jasmine, a much-sought after ramp model, among others. Holding the fort also will be Divya Jaitley, Radhika Bajaj, Shivani Sharma, Shweta Bhardwaj and ace compere Pallab Bose. All models were present at the CGA range today and talked, about how they believed in the concept of promoting designer jewellery that spells attitude and class. Conceptualised by Nitesh Garg, Regalia will feature 10 rounds showcasing jewellery and classic apparel. The entire evening will progress under technical guidance from Ms Vimi Vansil and Mr Anant Randhawa of Glam World, who are choreographing the event. An equal responsibility in the show will be shared by the JD Institute of Fashion. The fashion show will be interspersed with dance sequences by The
Dazzle. |
3 cases of theft reported Chandigarh, October 19 Mr Veer Pal Singh, a resident of Sector 8C, reported that his computer monitor and a cabinet was stolen from his residence on the night intervening October 18 and 19. A Priya scooter (CHP 142) of Mr Santosh Walia of Sector 39 was allegedly stolen from his residence. Mr Ranbir Singh Malih of Sector 32 also reported that his Bajaj Chetak scooter (CHO1D 7875) was stolen from his residence on Thursday. Kidnapping Scooter impounded Arrested Case registered Panchkula Crushed |
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Two crushed to death Panchkula, October 19 A 22-year-old labourer, Sushma, a resident of Baltana was crushed to death by a train near Sector 19 here at around 4. 30 a.m. The woman had left home yesterday with the labour contractor and had not gone back home since then. In the other incident, Amrit Kumar, 20, was crushed to death, while Ram Prakash was seriously injured near the Surajpur crossing . The duo, both residents of Baddi, were reportedly sitting on the track when they were run over by the Kalka Express. The latter is being administered treatment at Kalka. |
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JE held Kharar, October 19 |
ICICI Bank’s claim on level of banking Chandigarh, October 19 Talking to presspersons, he said over the past two-and-a half years, the bank had set up new benchmarks for technological products and customer services. Consequently, the number of customers had increased from about 50,000 to over 3 lakh during that period. He said: “The total deposits have increased from Rs 175 crore to over Rs 1,600 crore within two and half years. Similarly, the total advances have crossed over Rs 350 crore, though in Haryana alone, projects worth over Rs 500 crore have been financed by the Delhi branches of the bank.” His mantra for this success, he said, “was to focus on salaried class accounts ,when no other private bank was ready to opt for them. We have focused on these valuable customers and have gained financially. The total number of branches has gone up from just six to 22 and the number of ATMs had increased from 12 to 82 during that period.” Mr Anand Kumar claimed that his biggest contribution to the banking sector might be considered in terms of providing tailor-made customer services in a hygienic environment. Most of the banks had also started copying our models. Asked about the change in the behaviour of the city customers during the past two years, he said, “A section of the city customers is demanding facilities and services like any developed country. The public sector banks, especially the SBI, has also changed its style of functioning. Though we are not in competition with this giant, but today, we are considered as number two in the country.”
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SBI branches open today Chandigarh, October 19 The opening of the branches by the SBI would continue till Devali said Mr SS Gupta, Assistant General Manager of the bank.
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ATM installed SAS Nagar, October 19 |
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