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| Wednesday,
October 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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SCO AUCTION Chandigarh, October 29 The Administration’s U-turn in the stand advising the Municipal Corporation to appoint a House committee to get an inquiry conducted by its officer is being seen as an attempt to pre-empt an outcry in the House at its meeting on October 31. The House at its last meeting had unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Administrator to get an inquiry conducted by an appropriate authority in the matter. However, the Administration had decided to advise the corporation to appoint an all-party House committee to go into the matter. The decision was communicated to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, and the Mayor on October 18, sources said. The Administration has now again communicated about the inquiry officer giving the Mayor a great reprieve as she would now be able to tell the House that its feeling had been upheld by the Administration. Mr Marvah has been asked to conduct the inquiry within 15 days. The decision of the Administration was developing into a possible tussle between the two top bodies of the governance in the city with elected representatives feeling slighted ignored. The unanimous decision of the House was also being perceived as a tug-of-war between elected representatives and officers. The inquiry is likely to soothe the ruffled feathers of elected representatives and officers. The rejection of the demand of the House could have been serious as a section of councillors led by the BJP had been demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter and had twice approached the Administrator with the demand. During the last House meeting, there had also been demands of getting a case registered in the matter but a consensus emerged on the matter being left to the Administrator. With the Administration being under the Central Government, a certain section of councillors were also thinking of directly sending the matter to the CBI. |
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PU POLL Chandigarh, October 29 In most of the public appearances, the candidates are depending on the voice of the “old” to speak out their issues. The Panjab University Students Union camp is flooded with old-timers, few of who have been at the helm of university student affairs. Munish Anand, a former president of the campus council, and Rohit Sharma, a presidential candidate earlier, are busy backing the candidates. Also seen doing the rounds is Bhupinder Singh ‘Bhuppi’, another former council president. Bhupinder Beniwal, one of the founder members of the Students Organisation of Panjab University, has announced his support to the PUSU-HSA-HPSU front. He is also one of the former candidates to the post of the president. He is also one of the founder members of a party (the Haryana Students Union) floated a few years ago when he was denied a ticket by the SOPU. The party vanished after the elections. Interestingly, Beniwal had later contested against ‘Bhuppi’ and both are now in the same camp. Even in press conferences, old leaders are seen holding the centrestage. When the PUSU panel was declared, Gurwinder Grewal, a former secretary, held the stage for nearly half an hour and read out the agenda, which was expected of a current leader. Santokhwinder Singh Nabha, a former council president, was seen voicing issues of SOPU at the press conference to introduce the candidates. The ABVP election desk is manned mainly through Subhash Sharma (Punjabi University) who seems to have answers to all controversial questions. Chand Singh Madaan, a former chairman of the HSA, is also busy in poll activities. Santokhwinder Singh Nabha, a former president of the campus council, is seen openly campaigning for the SOPU front. The most famous figure of the SOPU’s bygone era, Dayal Pratap Singh Randhawa, a former president of the campus council, is also in the town. He has also visited the campus and is likely to address a rally. The ABVP also has Vineet Joshi, a star student leader of the early 90s, who is campaigning mainly for Saurabh Joshi (candidate for general secretary), who is his brother. Surat Negi, another veteran leader, has been summoned from Amritsar, which happens to be his core area of party activity. Also seen doing the rounds were Neeraj Sharma, a former candidate for secretary, and Arun Sood, a former president of the party. The ABVP this time has also banked on star attractions. Nakul Bhardwaj, president of the Delhi University Students Union, and Deepti, general secretary of DUSU, have done the rounds of the campus campaigning for the ABVP. |
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Jatin Grewal adds glamour to poll Chandigarh, October 29 So, when model-turned-actor Jatin Grewal of the “Rahul” fame turned up at DAV College in Sector- 10 this morning to address a rally in support of the ABVP candidates, he struck an instant rapport with students, not just for his celebrity status but also because he himself was a vice president in the DAV campus unit of the ABVP a couple of years back. The campaign by both ABVP which is being supported by various other parties and its rival party, DAV College Students’ Association-DAV College Students Union combined, is gearing up in the college campus with both parties electing campaign booths in front of the college. The ABVP claimed that 10 class representatives of their parties had been elected unopposed. The shouting of slogans by a great number of followers in both teams along with colourful posters pasted all over the place has virtually converted the campus into a battlefield, with the students community getting polarised in the two camps. Same is the situation at the Government College, Sector 11. However, the difference lies in the fact that both PUSU and combined ISU and GCSU are following more subdued
techniques to woo voters. “We do not even believe in having a written manifesto as we are open to tackle all sorts of problems which might arise in the future,” said Harpreet Singh Bedi who is contesting for the post of president from ISU and
GCSU. “We strive for students rights and unity is our strength”, he added. PUSU who promises to uplift the hostel, library and sports facilities in the college is also a firm believer of unity but in a much broader sense. “In our party we have equal representation from different students community like Haryana, Tibet, Manipur and Himachal,” said Pargat Singh , the candidate for the president post. With the examination pressure and Divali mood, students of Government College for Girls, Sector 11, seem to be reluctant to be caught up with the election fever . There is no sign on the campus to indicate that the college is going to the polls on coming Friday. The students who have filed their nominations for various posts are Kanika Chauhan, Rupinder Kaur and Nidhi Takiar for the post of president, Prakriti Nanda, Suniti Sharma and Harita Verma for vice president, Ambika Sharma and Jyoti Dahiya for general secretary and Gagandeep Kaur for joint secretary. In MCM DAV College, Sector 36, the day started with the nomination procedure today though the final list of candidates will be declared tomorrow after the completion of withdrawals. |
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ABVP complaint against rival presidential candidates Chandigarh, October 29 In a complaint to the Dean, Student Welfare, the ABVP has pointed out the provision of the “Constitution of student’s organisation for the teaching departments of the university” which reads under ‘Qualifications’ that a student belonging to the university teaching department will not be eligible to seek the elections of the students council if “he is guilty of a non-bailable offence”. Both Malwinder Singh Kang from the PUSU alliance and Harveer Singh from the SOPU alliance were in jail recently under Section 307 of the IPC which is a non-bailable offence. Reacting to the development, a senior spokesperson of the PUSU said the charges were baseless and the police has not produced the charge-sheet. There were allegations against the presidents earlier on similar grounds, however, the students were allowed to contest. Prof Nirmal Singh, the Dean, Student Welfare, said “a university tribunal had been appointed to look into the case. However, I cannot disclose any more details to keep the sanctity of the exercise. In case the names of the tribunal are open often they are attempted to be influenced by outside sources”. The campaigning gathered momentum today as was evident from the size of the rallies and the added charm of vehicles and posters. The ABVP, meanwhile released its manifesto a day after the others. Demand for the status of a central university for PU tops the list of party programmes. Certain other highlights include : creation of a student-teacher forum to express views of the intelligentsia in matters of national concern; starting of a university newsletter; university placement be made functional; and construction of a university auditorium with a seating capacity of at least 5000. The ABVP is also assuring an improvement chance examination to be held twice a year along with regular as well as compartment examination; coaching for GRE,
TOEFL, GATE, UGC and NET examination; press for more effective workable university-industry interface; and more industry-sponsored research projects. At a press conference at Law department, Bhupinder
Beniwal, a former presidential candidate on the SOPU front, today announced his support to the PUSU panel He is one of the founder members of the SOPU. “I am dissatisfied with the party functioning which forced me to shift my alliance”, he said. |
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Mohali octroi to be privatised SAS Nagar, October 29 A majority of the councillors were in favour of privatising the work of octroi collection as it would add to the income of the civic body. At present there are allegations that employees of the octroi wing are involved in octroi evasion which results in financial loss to the council. However, Mr Sham Bansal and Mr Bharat Bhushan Maini opposed the move saying it would lead to unnecessary harassment to people. They said a number of complaints of harassment were received when the privatisation was done for a period of eight months earlier. They argued that municipal councillors were the representatives of people and the interests of the latter had to be kept in mind before taking such a step. The issue was earlier kept on the agenda of the council meeting held on July 30 but was kept pending after heated discussions on the item, keeping in mind the complaints of harassment. The Opposition councillors had, at that time, pressed for the clearance of the important item on the agenda. Seven municipal councillors walked out of the hall before the start of the meeting as the president of the Municipal Council, Mr Kulwant Singh, refused to take immediate action against a tehbazari clerk who, according to Mrs Harbans Kaur, had used objectionable language while talking to her. Mrs Harbans Kaur said some persons plying rehris were indulging in encroachments in her ward and were not being removed by the tehbazari wing of the civic body. She said the offenders told her that they were allegedly paying Rs 500 per rehri to the council staff and nobody could remove them from that area. She said on August 25 she, along with other councillors of her group, brought the matter to the notice of the Assistant Executive Officer, in whose presence the clerk used objectionable language. The councillors demanded the immediate suspension of the clerk. The president, however, said he had asked the Executive Officer to look into the complaint and action against the clerk would be taken only after the former inquires into the matter. On getting this answer the Opposition councillors walked out in protest. The House also cleared the proposal of reinstating a clerk, Padam Prakash, who had been placed under suspension, on September 9. The clerk had been arrested by officials of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on August 26 after a raid on the council office. Padam Prakash had requested the council to reinstate him as he was facing domestic problems. The council proposed to reinstate the clerk against pending inquiry. |
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‘VIP’ sons
arrested for rioting Panchkula, October 29 The accused — Ravi, son of former MLA Lehri Singh and Gaurav Chauhan, son of former Panchkula SDM V.P. Chauhan , were arrested along with Gaurav Sharma, Lakhbir, Dilbar Singh and Anand Kumar after a hot chase by the police at around 1.30 am today. The accused had forcibly entered a coffee shop in Sector 7 market and had assaulted the staff on being refused to be entertained. They tried to flee after the incident. The accused were reportedly in an inebriated condition. They were booked under Sections 148, 149, 452, 506, 427 and 323 of the IPC. They were produced before a local court this afternoon and released on bail. |
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READERS WRITE THE most common conventional forms of energy in India are thermal energy and hydroelectric power. These are exploited because these are considered to be the most economical. But these sources prove to be costlier the costs are accounted for. On an average, the government spends Rs 4-5 crore per MW on power generation. A similar amount is spent on power transmission and distribution (T&D). If we add the losses incurred during T&D and the leakages due to pilferage, the actual cost would rise considerably. Further, the cost of subsidisation of power and the cost incurred by the government due to environmental degradation i.e. in the form of release of greenhouse gases by thermal stations and in the form of greenery submerged by hydroelectric power plants, the total cost of conventional power for society would be phenomenal. Under these conditions, it is natural for scientists to think of alternate low-cost sources of energy. Energy from photovoltaic cells is one such promising alternative source of power. It would be generated at the user end with the help of solar photovoltaic cells installed on walls and rooftops. This would obviate the need for T&D and thus there would be no T&D costs and losses. The losses due to pilferage and environmental degradation would also not be there. This type of power is most suitable for a tropical country like India where solar energy is abundantly available throughout the year. The solar photovoltaic cells would also insulate the walls and roofs of buildings and prevent their solar heating, thus resulting in lesser consumption of energy for cooling by running fans, coolers and airconditioners. The energy generated from solar cells would be stored in batteries and used for various purposes like lighting, cooking, pumping water, heating/cooling of water, running fans, refrigeration and
air-conditioning, TV etc. The use of solar power could similarly be extended to commercial and industrial buildings. Solar cells could be installed on walls and roofs of commercial buildings like strings of showrooms/shops and energy could be stored and used for their cooling or for lighting etc. This would bring down the peak load power requirement to manageable limits. Similarly, such cells could be installed in industrial establishments and bring down the industries’ bill on account of lighting, cooling of water and air etc. One possible major area of application could be the installation of floating solar cells in man-made lakes of hydroelectric power plants. This would not only reduce their auxillary consumption due to lighting etc, but also prevent loss of precious water due to evaporation. Thus solar cells could also be used to conserve conventional energy. The novel uses of solar energy would be effective means of demand management, energy conservation, reduction of energy cost, increase in fuel or energy efficiency and employment generation. What is required is planned and concerted efforts by government and other agencies concerned with close and effective cooperation of the people. RAJIV KUMAR GUPTA,
Panchkula Traffic alert As many as 78 persons were killed and 353 injured in road accidents up to October 13, this year. Last year, 118 were killed and 498 injured last year. The Chandigarh Traffic Police has made elaborate arrangements to reduce road accidents. But these are much less as compared to Delhi. The UT Police has fixed speed limits for all vehicles but the car drivers never bother to obey the traffic rules. Speed-limit boards should be installed. Trucks and heavy vehicles have been banned to run in the city during day time, but they also break the rules. Mobile phones are used while driving, but who cares?. Some drivers are also drunk. Surprisingly, cases of drunken driving have been increasing in the city. After 10 p.m., the roads are virtually left to drunken
persons. This trend will has to be checked with the attention it deserves. The UT police has a special responsibility to keep a watch on those violating the traffic rules during the festival season. The number of cyclists has been on the rise, but they are yet to be given tracks in most Sectors. In foreign countries, cyclists are a revered lot because they contribute to the reduction in the pollution levels. M.
L. GARG, Chandigarh |
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Women-related issues discussed Chandigarh, October 29 The aim of the project is to prepare a core group which in turn will educated 25 poor families from various colonies and villages in and around the city. The project is being sponsored by the Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board. The first academic session today focussed on various topics, including “Women and decision making” and “Women and occupation opportunity for income generation and health care.” While talking about decision making in social and political process, Ms K. Kaushik, a former secretary of the council, said: “Though the Constitution has given special rights to women, we are yet to utilise those right to their fullest extent.” Analysing the reason for women not coming forward to take advantage of their eights, Ms Kaushik said social mind set and lack of education were the root cause. Dr Veena Gupta from the Health Department talked about pre and postnatal care and immunisation services for women and child. The other topics which will be discussed during the project include “Local Government and Panchayati Raj” by Ms Santosh Singh from Mahila Dakshita Samiti, “Religious activities and women’s participation” by Ms Asha Vashistha from the Child Welfare Department; and “Balanced diet” by Mr S. Mehta from the Food and Nutrition Department. |
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EATING OUT Chandigarh, October 29 The city residents could not have asked for better treat, what with the spicy curried chicken, mutton and
matter panir coming to their doorstep. The huge lawns on one side of the exhibition venue have been converted into an open air arrangement of tables and chairs and a frilly ‘shamiana’ keeping the wind and sun out. “We have come to your city for the first time and the response has been very good,” said owner Prashant Nagar, while revealing that he had got an offer for 200 packed ‘dabbas’ for today. That’s probably because though the Nagar brothers may not have been too familiar with the Union Territory, the people here are very much in the know of Puran Singh and as word spread by way of mouth, food connoisseurs and fans started pouring in. At this point, I may add that while Puran Singh is no more, his legacy continues as the same decades-old tried and tested recipes (his secret trademark) and home ground
masalas rule the roost. In fact, they have not tried to add new dishes on the menu as the Ambalvis never seem to have enough of the stuff. And to give the Chandigarhians the distinct Haryana flavour, the restaurant van has been making two to three rounds to and fro Ambala, bringing huge pots full of
chana masala, dal makhni, matar panir, mutton and chicken curry and fried rice from the base kitchen where the cooks are working overtime. Even bags of flour to roll out
tandoori roti, paratha and naan are brought from the base kitchen. “Nothing has been taken from your city,” smiles the young proprietor shyly. The goodies are only heated here and
rotis baked fresh in the clay oven (tandoor) as per the order placed. Most people seem to lick their lips as the spicy thick gravy hits the palate with a hot tingling. It’s a good break from the everyday almost “bland healthy” food that most of us have become accustomed to and an apt finale to the round of stalls, both during lunch and dinner hours. Also, during the hours in between, as somebody remarked. So, what’s the secret of success? Reasonable rates, for one. While chicken and mutton cost Rs 50 per plate,
dal makhni comes for Rs 20 and palak panir is for Rs 30. For breakfast, they serve stuffed
parathas with curd and butter, the all-favourite highway khana. |
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Raghu Mukherjee — India’s answer to the world Chandigarh, October 29 After living two days of unmatched glory which will now be his treasure forever, the unassuming Bangalore boy is now busy digesting his celebrity status. In the city today for a goodwill visit, Raghu appeared composed and much more in control of himself than he appeared a day before when the whole world was watching him move, react and reason. “The pressure of performance was immense. And I never knew if I could do it. Throughout my stint on stage I kept reminding myself of how my mother, my grandpa and my fiancee believed in me. It was their faith that made me believe in myself and gave me the courage to face the best of men from all over the world. When the good news flowed, I did not know whether to smile or cry.” For the whole day that followed, Raghu shared tears of joy with his family, which has always been his greatest source of strength. Having lost his father recently, facing so many stages of trial was not easy for Raghu, who was humble enough to admit, “I belong to a low middle class family. I grew up amidst hardships, fighting trouble at every crossroad. Victory means a lot to me and I am going to use it for exploring the better part of life. My mother has always taught me not to lose sight of the ground.” Already flooded with offers from the film industry, Raghu, a second year BSc electronics student, is waiting to take the plunge. Currently he is shooting for a Kannada film. He also has offers of many Bengali films at hand. “The choice is not going to be difficult. I am a thorough romantic and I would want to play only romantic roles. Violence is not my cup of tea,” said the handsome boy, who now calls himself a “man”. A family man to the hilt, Raghu hates the very thought of being treated as a special man after winning the title. He said, “When I went home after winning the Mr India title, my mother extended a kingly treatment to me. For some time I let her have her way, but finally I told her that I was her son first and anything else later. For me, there is no joy bigger than the joy of being in the company of my own people who love me for what I am and not for what the destiny has made me out to be.” Also present along with Raghu was Jaspal, first runner up, Mr India, who has to represent India in the Mr Tourism International contest to be held in the USA on November 9. |
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Panchkula
to get facelift Panchkula, October 29 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Chaudhary said roads, sanitation, stray cattle menace , encroachments etc. will soon be things of past here. He said being a citizen of the township, he had taken this matter with the Chief Minister, who had given assurance that all roads in the township would be repaired by the year- end. Mr Chaudhary, ridiculing Congress MLA from Kalka, Mr Chander Mohan, for allegedly “making irresponsible statements” regarding the governments failure to implement developmental schemes promised in Sarkaar Aapke Dwaar programmes, said all schemes had been fully implemented. “ The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala has always given priority to the implementation of development works in the township,” he said. He said new equipment worth several lakhs of rupees would be bought by the Municipal Council for carrying out sanitation works here. |
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Two satta ‘operators’
arrested Panchkula October 29 It may be noted that the police has launched a major offensive against satta players. Two days ago, the CIA staff had arrested two persons from Old Panchkula — Raj Kumar and Rajbir — and recovered Rs 15, 200 from them. One arrested:
Amit, a resident of Kurukshetra, was arrested by the police on charges of stealing a CD player from Sangeet Electronics in Haripur village. One killed:
Suresh, a resident of Kalka was crushed to death by an unknown vehicle and another person was injured in the accident late last night. The duo were travelling on a motor cycle (HR-05A- 5235) at the time of accident. CHANDIGARH Case
registered: The police today registered a case of abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the IPC in the mysterious death case of Seema, who was married to a Sector 46 resident Santokh. However, no one has been named in the FIR and
name (s) would be added after investigations. Seema (29) was found hanging in her Sector 46 house on October 23. The police was not informed about the matter and the body was cremated the following day. The FIR was registered after the victim’s father made a written complaint to the police suspecting foul play in the incident. Seema was mother of an eight-year-old child Shubham. Pirated CDs seized:
The police has arrested Harjinder Singh, a resident of Sector 37 here, and claimed to have seized pirated audio and video music compact dics from his residence and shop in Sector 22 this evening. The police said that as many as 87 pirated and 380 blank CDs had been recovered from his possession. The police raided the two places on the complaint of the Super Cassettes Industries. Harjinder Singh has been booked under Copy Right Act. Dowry case:
Ms Shoolo Devi, a resident of Patiala district, Punjab, alleged that she was being harassed and maltreated for bringing inadequate dowry by her husband, Roshan Lal of Faidan village here. The complainant got married with the accused in March 1999. Ms Seema Mathur of Sector 41 also levelled similar allegations against her husband Ajay Mathur, a resident of Dehra Dun, Uttranchal. She was married in November 2001. Two cases under Sections 406 and 498A of the IPC were registered one each at police stations of Sector 39 and 31. The cases are being investigated by the Women and Child Support unit of the police. Injured:
A resident of Sector 41, Prashant Dikshit was injured and admitted to General Hospital, Sector 16, after his scooter was allegedly hit by a motor cycle late last evening. The motor cycle driver sped away from accident Sectors 39, 40, 55 and 56 roundabout. A case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered. Theft cases:
The Sector 20B residence of Mr Jagir Singh was burgled on the night intervening October 27 and 28 and the burglar(s) allegedly took away a compact disc player, wrist watches and other articles. A case has been registered. Mr Hemant Malachha of Sector 9 Panchkula reported that his Fiat Palio car (HR03G 0055) was stolen from GGDSD College, Sector 32 here yesterday. A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered. Three held:
Surinder Pal, Mohinder Singh and Mohinder Pal were arrested allegedly for consuming liquor at a public place in Sector 42 here yesterday. DERA
BASSI Three hurt: Three persons were injured in two separate accidents here on Tuesday. According to police Gurjant Singh, a school going student sustained severe injuries after being hit by a school vehicle in Kheri Jattan village. He was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. In another accident two persons who were riding a motor cycle were injured after a car hit their vehicle from behind on the railway overbridge on the busy Chandigarh-Ambala highway in Bhankharpur village this afternoon. Cases has been registered by the police in this regard. |
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Crackers confiscated Chandigarh, October 29 Naveen, who has been arrested, reportedly had licence to possess crackers up to 25 kg only but the crackers were heavier than allowed, said police sources. He was also not following the necessary fire safety norms prescribed for storing fire-crackers. He has been booked under the Explosives Act. On October 27, the crime branch of the police had arrested Suresh Kumar of Sector 41, for allegedly selling crackers without permission. The cache of crackers that were seized from him were valued at Rs 1 lakh. A case has been registered. |
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Man held
for theft Chandigarh, October 29 As per police sources, the accused was arrested on October 25 and has been remanded in police custody till tomorrow by a local court. |
Chandigarh Fair — 2002 from Oct 31 Chandigarh, October 29 Seventh in the annual series, the CII Chandigarh Fair — 2002 will showcase the products and services of over 250 companies in six focussed concurrent expositions, according to Mr S.K. Bijlani, Chairman, CII (Northern region). Over 250, 000 visitors are expected to visit the fair. Describing the fair as CII’s major B to C venture in the region, he said
CII's prime objective in organising such events was to restore consumer sentiments and work towards keeping the economy on the move. The different expositions at the fair are: ICE — an exposition in Infotech, Communications and Entertainment; Finmarket — an exposition on banking, finance and investments; The North India Auto Show — 2002; and consumer and kitchen show. A lively sidelight to the fair would be performances by the rock band, ‘Taantrikz’, a light and sound show and a display of vintage cars. The fair is being sponsored by SBI, LIC and several other companies. |
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Scratch
and win bonanza from Verka SAS Nagar, October 29 The prizes being offered during the bonanza include packs of Verka pure desi ghee weighing 1 kg to 15 kg. These can be won on the spot through a scratch card on a minimum purchase of Rs 200. Dr Mahajan said Verka products were also available in Gulf countries. In Jammu and Kashmir Verka milk powder had become popular and Amul had been unable to enter the Jammu and Kashmir market. He said the export turnover of Milkfed was between Rs 16 crore and Rs 17 crore. Dr Mahajan said new products were being added to the list of items, including different varieties of cheese and yoghurt and milkshakes. Later, while talking to mediapersons Dr Mahajan said the milk sold by vendors usually contains contaminated water. Besides, to increase the life and density of the milk vendors often added urea and soda to it. He said 3.5 lakh litres of milk was being sold in Chandigarh every day out of which Verka sells 1.5 lakh litres. Mr S.C. Aggarwal, General Manager of the milk plant, said eight out of 10 Verka milk plants were ISO certified. At Ludhiana plant a new machine, Bactoscan, had been installed to detect and destroy bacteria. |
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MIA group bid to ‘capture’ bhavan SAS Nagar, October 29 Each of the two groups in the association claims that the body elected by it is legal. It is reported that the Tarsem Bansal group took the keys of the bhavan from the office secretary of the MIA and held a meeting in the building. It even got the name of Mr Bansal painted on the board on which the names of earlier presidents had been written. It has also written to Mr B.S. Baidwan, who was elected president by the rival group, requesting him to hand over the office records. Mr Anurag Aggarwal, general secretary, MIA (Bansal group), said in the past they were not allowed to hold a meeting in the building even though theirs was a legally elected body and the majority of the association was with them. Mr Aggarwal alleged that the Baidwan group had even refused to recognise a committee comprising past presidents, to sort out the matter. However, Mr Baidwan said only the body headed by him was legal and the activities of the Bansal group were uncalled-for. He said that the Bansal group had promised the SDM that it would not indulge in the kind of activities witnessed today and only the court would decide the matter. For the first time in the history of the MIA strong protests and manhandling of members had marked the annual general meeting on June 28. Trouble began when many members were denied entry into the bhavan. The House had passed a resolution granting “one-year extension” to the executive committee headed by Mr Baidwan. This step was described a unconstitutional by a section of the members, which later “elected” its own set of office-bearers. |
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