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Winged guests flock region Chandigarh, November 5 Since the
arrival of the ‘guests’ as per the schedule, bird lovers can watch
different species of migratory birds in various sanctuaries, parks and
wetlands of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh besides
various water bodies in parts of the northern region . The flock of
‘winged visitors’ from Siberia, Asia, Europe, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, China and Laddakh who had arrived by October end, has been
noticed by bird watchers and the wildlife authorities of various
states. These birds will halt at the Pong dam reservoir in Kangra
valley of Himachal Pradesh and Harike wildlife Sanctuary near
Ferozepore in Punjab, while en route their other destinations, a
conservator of Forest and Wild Life in the Himachal Wildlife and
Forest department said. The Pong dam reservoir is the only water body
where the four species of grebes — red-necked, black-necked,
little-grebe and great-crested grebe — descend every year. Among
these species, little-grebe and great-crest-grebe are the rarest
species. In the Pong dam, the Himachal Pradesh Wildlife authorities
spotted 12 little-grebe and 16 great-crest last year. The most common
species of the migratory birds that arrive here include ruddy-shell
duck, bar-headed geese, millard, coot, pochard, pintails and gulls.
A record number of 1,15,000 migratory birds of 67 species arrived at
the Pong dam reservoir last year and the department expect that the
number of visitors will be comparatively more this year. The
migratory birds have also been spotted in Renuka lake in Sirmaur,
Rewalsar lake in Mandi and some other big and small water bodies in
the state. According to Mr Gurmeet Singh, Deputy Chief Wildlife
Warden, Punjab, migratory birds have arrived in thousands in Harike
Wildlife Sanctuary in Ferozepore in Punjab. Being the first batch of
this year, the counting has not been done to know the exact number and
type of species. He added that Harike wildlife sanctuary was cleared
of huge growth of hyacinth on the water sheet by the Army authorities
two years ago which had helped in attracting more birds of various
species. The creatures have also started flocking water bodies such
as Thein Dam, Ropar, Nangal, Chhat Bir zoo lake. Apart from some
other known wetlands of the region, the birds have also descended at
Delhi zoo lake, Okhla bird sanctuary and Basai areas, near Gurgaon in
Haryana. The Haryana Wildlife Department had noticed more than 1,500
migratory birds of 25 species, including four avocets, three purple
herons, four marshall’s iora, a Jaceana, cormorant many others in
Sultanpur national park and Bhindawas wildlife sanctuary in the first
week of November last year. |
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Slum colonies to get metered power supply Chandigarh, November 5 The UT Administrator Justice O.P. Verma (retd) today asked the Finance Secretary to extend bulk power supply scheme to all 13 slum colonies in the city to check power thefts and illegal practice of ‘kundi’ connections. Under the bulk supply scheme, a private contractor is engaged who takes power supply at one point and then distributes it to users. Taking a serious note of increasing number of kundi connections and resultant line losses and fatal mishaps, Justice Verma said the experiment of bulk power supply initiated in three slum colonies should be extended to all 13 colonies by March, 31,2004. Meanwhile, the Engineering Department must ensure that there was no exploitation by the electricity contactors in this practice. Stressing upon the need for constant drive against kundi connections and power theft especially by the bulk consumers, Justice Verma said that field employees who collude with culprits should be punished. Justice Verma asked the Chief Engineer to strengthen the enforcement system in the electricity wing of the Engineering Department and identify the black sheep with whose connivance electricity was being pilfered. He said constant monitoring of power supply, especially to the bulk power consumers and colonies would check this malice. Justice Verma asked the Labour Secretary to evolve a method to check
the exploitation of contract employees, if any, by the labour contractors and service providers. He said representatives of the Labour Department should have regular interaction with contract employees and it should be ensured that there was no exploitation by contractor and there are paid agreed salaries through cheques. Justice Verma took a serious note of burning of waste paper in the open in the Industrial Area.He asked the Deputy Commissioner to take action against such waste paper dealers under the Environment Act. He said it should be ensured that solid waste was carried to dump ground and disposed off as per municipal corporation procedure. Taking a serious note of ward attendants harassing the poor patients in gynae ward of General Hospital, Sector 16 and Polyclinic for “abkshish” from poor patients, Justice Verma asked the Finance Secretary to initiate disciplinary proceedings against erring employees and ensure that ward attendants who are government servants do not exploit the poor patients. |
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Notice to Punjab on
suicide bid in court Chandigarh, November 5 Pronouncing the orders, a Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice
B.K. Roy and Mr Justice S.S. Saron, also directed the issuance of
notices to the Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police, along with
the Station House Officer of Kot Fatta police station.
The resident, Rajinder Singh of Bhai Bakhtaur village under Kot
Fatta police station, had tried to end his life yesterday. He had, in
fact, placed a file and a phial on the dais "with shivering
hands" before disclosing that he had consumed poison to commit
suicide because of "atrocities committed by certain police
officials". He added that the facts would come to light after the
papers were studied.
Without wasting time, the judges directed the officials present in
the courtroom to take him to the hospital. After initial treatment at
Sector 16 General Hospital, Rajinder Singh was declared out of danger.
Subsequently, the file containing the papers left by him was handed
over to the police by the court secretary.
Today, the judges ruled that attempts to commit suicide, except by
those suffering from some mental disorder, were unusual. Prima facie,
one could believe that the unusual step was taken because of torture.
The judges added that Rajinder Singh's rights had been breached by
the police officials if the allegations were found to be true.
"As a constitutional court, we have a duty to uphold a person's
fundamental right to lead a meaningful life under Article 21 of the
Constitution of India."
The judges further ruled that they were issuing a notice under
Article 22 of the Constitution, suo motu, to the respondents so that
they had their say in the matter and further directions could be
issued if the allegations made were found to be true. In their
detailed order, the judges directed the handing over of the copies of
the papers, along with an English translation, to Punjab's Senior
Deputy Advocate-General Charu Tuli so that she could obtain necessary
instructions or affidavits of the respondents.
The judges clarified that the orders "shall not be treated to
mean interference with the investigation of a case already registered
by the Chandigarh police regarding the bid to commit suicide".
The case will now come up for further hearing on November 17. |
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Entry in HC
restricted Chandigarh, November 5 The decision was taken by Chief Justice B.K. Roy and others judges of the high court following yesterday's incident of Bathinda resident attempting suicide and placing a suicide note on the dais in the courtroom of the Chief Justice. According to the decision, only advocates and their clients, or the
litigants, duly identified by counsel, would be allowed to enter the
courtrooms. Journalists having identity cards, too, would be allowed.
Any other person who wants to enter would have to obtain permission
from the high court's Registrar-General on daily basis. In any case,
cellphones, pagers or any other electronic equipment having a
"wireless system" would not be permitted in the courtrooms. |
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CBI gives clean chit to HC ex-Judge Chandigarh, November 5 The Senior Public Prosecutor (CBI), Mr P. Tapasvi, today submitted the report prepared by the DSP (CBI), Mr Karnail Singh, in the court of UT Special Judge (CBI) R.S. Baswana. The CBI reported that investigation did not substantiate the allegation that K.C. Garg had paid Rs 30 lakh to Justice Agnihotri for allotment of the retail outlets at Doraha in Ludhiana. The allegation that Justice Agnihotri had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as Chairman of DSB Punjab-II had also not been substantiated. However, the CBI said that it had been established that during the selection interview, Justice Agnihotri had awarded undeserving high credit to Saroj. The CBI also said that the petrol station at Doraha was, in fact, "benami property" of K.C. Garg, who also owned some other petrol stations in violation of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) guidelines. The CBI also pleaded that a note should be sent to IOC to cancel the dealership of Saroj. |
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Students create models for
parking lots Chandigarh, November 5 Assigned with the task of suggesting measures to activate the two underground parking lots that lie underutilised due to loopholes in their existing structure, 12 groups of the third semester students have produced 12 models for the underground parking lot system in Sector 17. Out of these prepared models, three have been shortlisted by MC officials, who visited the college yesterday to have a look at the models. While each of the designs on display at the exhibition hall of the college takes care of all aspects of underground parking system, from safety and visual connection to practicability and lighting, the three shortlisted models incorporate additional elements, like fire safety, seepage prevention and ventilation. The most striking feature of the designs, which have been created in a month by students, as part of the classroom exercise, is their practicability and cost-effectiveness. More or less all models take care of the finances, some even suggesting a revamp of the existing underground parking lots, without much alteration in their present structure. Significantly, the process of revitalisation of underground parking lots began after a writ petition highlighting parking problems in Sector 17 was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following the petition, a committee was constituted under the Municipal Commissioner to solve the parking problems. The committee also comprised representatives of the market, along with the Principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, Prof Rajnish Wattas. Prof Wattas, when contacted, informed that members of the committee surveyed Sector 17 for parking problems and suggested possible solutions to them. He said, “During our visits we found that while some parking areas were overcongested, others were grossly underutilised. The underground parking lots were lying virtually dysfunctional because people considered them unsafe and
impracticable as far as parking was concerned. People also thought they could be potential crime-prone areas. The best way to check parking hassles, we thought, was to animate underground lots so that people could start visiting them.” The models prepared by college students provide for revitalisation of parking lots, by making room for kiosks, cafes, paintings, wall murals, fire safety measures and ventilators. Some of the salient features of the designs created by students include — sprinkler system to prevent fire hazards, skylights to arrest light, measures to prevent seepage and flooding besides maximum parking strength,
i.e., 300 scooters and about 25 cycles. Among the shortlisted models are the ones made by Isha Sharma, Jaikishan Negi and Shikha Dhiman, who have proposed shopping clusters at the heart of the parking lot. Informed the students: “The idea is to animate the dead space and assure the people the presence of other persons.” The main elements of another shortlisted model prepared by Mohita Garg, Nikita and Shilpam is shops around the periphery area and spacious pedestrian path. The final shortlisted model, prepared by Raman, Saurabh and Akhil, incorporates safety concerns by providing for sprinklers to prevent fire and sumps to prevent seepage. The corporation will now look into cost-effectiveness of the shortlisted models so that their future execution could be discussed. |
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Hunt on for new PGI Director
Chandigarh, November 5 The process for the selection of the head of the institute begins six months prior to the retirement of the PGI Director. Prof Sharma, who as per PGI institute body’s decision has been asked to proceed on three-month leave is due to retire on March, 31 next year. It is on the recommendation of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and the CBI, that the Health Ministry ordered an inquiry against him. Interestingly, the officiating PGI Director, Prof N.K. Ganguly, who is the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is due to retire on November, 30. “Under such circumstances it will be interesting to watch the stance of the Health Ministry, who in all probability will ask Prof Ganguly to continue till a final decision is taken,” said a senior faculty member. The seniority of Prof Sarla Gopalan, Head of Gynaecology and Prof Sudha Suri, Dean and Head of Radiodiagnosis, who are the seniormost doctors, is being disputed, speculation is rife in the PGI circles as to who would be the final choice. In fact, the issue of their seniority is sub-judice as Prof Gopalan had moved the court. Next in the seniority list is the name of Prof O.N. Nagi, Head of Orthopaedics, followed by Prof S.B.S. Mann, Head of ENT, Prof Promila Chari, Head of Anaesthesia and Dr G.K. Khullar, Head of Biochemistry. “In case, the appointment of the PGI Director is made after March, 31 next year, majority of these senior doctors will have less than two years of service left, making them ineligible for being given the post,” said a senior doctor. As per norms, the eligible doctor must have more than two years of service left at the time of appointment, he explained. The other names doing the rounds includes Dr V. Sakhuja, Head of Nephrology, Dr Gurjeevan Grewal Head of Haemotalogy, Dr Kusum Joshi Head of Pathology, Dr G.K. Khullar Head of Biochemistry and Dr Amod Gupta, head of Ophthalmology, and Dr Yogesh Chawla, Head of Hepatalogy. “In order to put an end to the bickering and politicking that has become the order of the day at PGI it is better to appoint a doctor who is non-controversial, capable and a good administrator,” is the thinking that is gaining momentum. Even though not very high in seniority, Prof Amod Gupta’s seems to be emerging as a hot contender for the top post. In fact, the Ophthalmology Department is rated as one of the best as far as the services and functioning is concerned. “Being a very important post it is not just seniority and merit which matter as selections to such top positions are done with a lot of pulls and pressures,” is the unanimous view of majority at the PGI. |
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Mohali council removes 120 khokhas SAS Nagar, November 5 The operation which was started around 11.30 a.m. lasted for more than two hours. The structures were first demolished and then transported from the area in a number of vehicles. Though some resentment was visible on the faces affected persons, no untoward incident was noticed. When a demolition drive was carried out on September 19 in this area, the affected persons had pelted stones at MC employees, injuring six of them. Even the JCB machine used during the operation had been damaged by them. A case had been got registered by the civic body against Shobha Ram. Ahmed Ali, one of the affected persons, said for years he had been selling meat in Mohali village, but when he was evicted from there he had shifted to the present site. Now again his khokha had been damaged and he had nowhere to go. Shanti Devi complained that while trying to demolish a
khokha, the MC employees had damaged her jhuggi. A large number of khokhas had come up along with main road, opposite the market area, which had become a source of nuisance for residents of the area. The residents had complained that by selling meat, owners of a number of khokhas were creating unhygienic conditions in the area. Mr Rajinder Sharma, municipal councillor of the area, said a number of meat sellers, who had been evicted from Mohali village, had shifted near Phase VI. He said none of the meat sellers went to the slaughter house of the council but dressed chicken on the roadside, much to the annoyance of the residents of the area. He said meat was being sold without getting it cleared from the veterinary doctor concerned. Mr Avtar Singh
Kalsia, who headed the anti-encroachment team, said five khokhas selling meat were also removed from near the Dara Studio. |
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Residents protest against demolitions
Chandigarh, November 5 At about 8.45 am, they took to the streets. Raising slogans against the Chandigarh Housing Board authorities for pulling down “even authorised structures” without the “issuance of adequate notice”, they blocked the road dividing Sectors 40 and 38. For over an hour, the traffic came to a near standstill as the agitating mob burnt effigies right in the middle of the road. Some even placed bricks in an attempt to disrupt the free flow of traffic. Even after the mob retreated to gather the bricks of their demolished dreams, the men in khaki remained posted at the roundabout and houses to rule out the possibility of any untoward incident. “It’s like a mini cantonment,” a resident commented. Later during the day, the residents stood next to the demolished structures as the labourers picked up bricks or used saws to cut metal rods, which were still protruding. Few could be seen gathering whatever little had been left after the drive, including toys. Others stood there cursing the authorities for not giving them adequate notice. “On Tuesday, some Chandigarh Housing Board employees came along with the Electricity Department staff to carry out a survey, but left without saying a single word,” a resident asserted. “They again came back on Wednesday at 9 am and ruthlessly started throwing goods and articles out of the so-called unauthorised rooms”. Another residents asserted that they were not even given time to remove the goods. “The labourers just barged into rooms and started throwing the articles despite our protests,” he claimed. The resident added, “They said three persons have been electrocuted during the past two years due to electricity cables passing through the so called unauthorised structures. That is the reason why the structures were being pulled down. But all this is not true. No such incident has ever taken place in our Sector”. Among the aggrieved was a widow taking care of her orphan nephews. She claimed that the room, where books and other things, belonging the little ones were stored, was also damaged. “We had gone to the market after locking the room, along with the rest of the house,” she claimed. “When we returned, there were just debris to greet us”. Denying the allegations, board officials said notices had been issued to dwellers of 25 houses. The drive, they asserted, was carried out after prior intimation. Giving details, they asserted that action was taken only where government land had been encroached upon. Most of owners had covered the back courtyard, extending on the government land. The immediate cause of action, they commented, were complaints received by the Electricity Department officials regarding the possibility of a mishap. The drive, they said, was ongoing.  |
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Cong leaders refute Jain’s statement Chandigarh, November 5 Shopkeepers of the area have made the UT Administration a party in the court case filed by them. The Congress leaders challenged the BJP to prove that the action had been taken on the directions of the corporation. Contrary to this the Congress has been opposing such drives. On the directions of the BJP, the Administration has issued eight reminders to the corporation in this regard, they said. |
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500 kids arrive to participate
in National Children Festival SAS Nagar, November 5 Organised as a part of the National Youth Project, the four- day festival will entail various activities and programmes for the children, conducted by the project director, Mr S.N. Subba Rao. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Subba Rao said the unique feature of the festival was the cross-cultural exchange between the students, with their counterparts in other states. ‘‘Each student who has come from outside, will stay at the residence of a Punjabi student. They will communicate with each other and learn to exchange views and get the first-hand experience of the other student’s culture,” explained Mr Subba Rao. And the students too are thrilled. While over 400 students from outside have been sent to stay with students of SAS Nagar and some Chandigarh schools, some who are still arriving are putting up at the Shivalik School hostel. ‘‘We are expecting about 1,000 students and I am sure that each one will find a welcoming family here to live with for the next four days,’’ said Mr D.S. Bedi, Principal, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41 Chandigarh. All within the age group of 8 to 12 years, the children too are having a time of their lives. “They are looking forward to the beginning to the festival tomorrow. We will have games activities involving all students. Some children have come prepared with dances, plays or some other cultural item from their respective states, which they will perform during the next four days,” explained Mr G.S. Sidhu, a coordinator of the festival. The most remarkable feature of the festival will be a national integration march taken out by these students along with local schoolchildren joining in on the last day of the festival, in Chandigarh near the lake. ‘‘The last two similar festivals were held at Wardha and Jodhpur. At Jodhpur, the number of children who participated in the march were above 6,000. It is the success of those camps that made us undertake yet another project here,” said Mr Subba Rao. “The aim of this festival is to inculcate the spirit of national integration among the children so that they live in a peaceful, united and harmonious India. It is strange but the Government of India does not have any provisions for a peace programme, only for defence programme. So we decided to organise camps. This is the third festival with children, but we have had many camps with youth,’’ he added. One of the many attractions of the four-day festival will be the performance of two Marathi dances by children of Abhirao Bal Vikas School, Nasik. Specially prepared for the festivals, the two dances, thakar and gondhli, are among the traditional folk dances of the state. |
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Mobiles to exceed landline phones by 2004: BSNL chief Chandigarh, November 5 He was speaking at the 37th Foundation Day function of the Chandigarh Management Association. Speaking on the telecom revolution in India, he said, “The telecom revolution is giving a boost to the economic growth as it was facilitating communication among industry, trade and service sector. The BSNL has already crossed the mark of 4.3 million mobile connections within one year of launching its services. It is now expecting to touch 6 million mobile connections by the end of current financial year in the country.” By the year end, it will provide services to all the parts of the North-eastern states, he added. He said since the growth of landline connections had already slowed down, with the result that about one to two million customers would be added in the next one year, touching 41 to 42 million landline connections. During the same time, the total number of mobile connections is likely to cross that figure. The BSNL was all set to provide Internet services, video on demand, SMS and other value added services to the landline and mobile services in every corner of the country. The BSNL would soon provide SMS service to landline customers in the region, he said. Earlier in his presidential address, Mr Sunil Kant
Munjhal, CEO, Hero Cycles on “Managing a globally competitive environment” said the Indian companies would have to put their house in order before demanding anything from the government. Issues of corporate governance, transparency and social responsibility had gained more importance during the past few years. Taking a dig at the “feel good factor” talked about by the corporate sector and the policy makers, he said,” The growth is being propelled by the recovery in the agriculture sector, and that too by a good monsoon this year. Can one ask what the government or the industry has done to bring a good monsoon ?” Mr Narinder Singh, President, CMA, Mr Dwaraka Nath, Chairman, Northern Regional Council of All India Management Association, and Mr
P.K. Verma, former president, CMA also spoke on this occasion. |
Vigilance Bureau collects records from MC SAS Nagar, November 5 It is learnt that a team of vigilance officials, headed by Mr Hargobind Singh, DSP, came to the council office today and asked for certain documents in connection with an inquiry ordered by the ADGP, Vigilance Bureau, following a complaint by a group of municipal councillors. Since then most of the staff members of the sanitation, octroi and engineering branches were busy sorting out required documents and getting photo copies made, which were to be handed over to the vigilance officials. Both photostat machines of the office were used for the work. As the load was too much, a private machine was also used to speed up the work. This activity went on till late in the evening. Sources say the Vigilance Bureau officials wanted record related to the use of melathene by the Sanitation Wing. The Engineering Branch had been asked to provide records related to the use of premix on roads, construction of footpaths, putting of metal railing etc. The vigilance officials had earlier visited the council office on October 31 and asked the authorities to provide records linked to certain complaints by November 5. Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the council, said the development work in the town had been done according to rules and regulations. The record of the entire work was lying at the civic body office which was being handed over to the vigilance officials. He said the council was cooperating with the officials of the Vigilance Bureau. Mr Hargobind Singh said more than 50 per cent of the required documents had been taken from the civic body office and the remaining record would be taken tomorrow. |
Sepoy gets pension after 15-yr struggle Chandigarh, November 5 Sepoy Om Parkash, who makes his living as a vegetable vendor, received his pension last week. A resident of Ambala had been boarded out of service 1978 after he sustained injuries in an accident attribute to military service. He was serving with the Punjab Regiment. His disability was assessed at 60 per cent and he was
entitled to disability pension only. He was not awarded service pension as he had served only for a short period. In February 1987, his disability pension was stopped without assigning any reason. He took up the matter with the Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), but things did not make any headway. Thereafter he decided to move the High Court. In October 2002, the High Court granted him relief, directing the authorities concerned to restore his disability pension. Despite the court’s orders, things remained standstill. In May 2003, the Adjutant General’s Branch at Army Headquarters as well as the Records office of the Punjab Regiment wrote to the Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA), Allahabad, that government sanction for the implementation of the court order had been received and that the CDA should do the needful. When no response was received from the CDA even a few months thereafter, Om Parkash approached the Ex-servicemen’s Helpline at Chandi Mandir a fortnight ago. The helpline wrote a letter to the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts, Allahabad, stating that the Adjutant General’s Branch had issued clear instructions regarding the payment of disability pension to Om Parkash at the rates applicable for 60 per cent disability for life with effect from February 1987, but he had not received it despite all efforts. The letter further stated that the delay in implementing the directive of the high court made it a case of contempt of court. Things moved at lightning speed and his pension, along with arrears was restored within days. |
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Light-aircraft race cancelled Chandigarh, November 5 Adverse weather conditions leading to poor visibility in the morning has been cited as the reason behind the cancellation of this circuit, though not all aviators see eye to eye on it. Participants have been given the option of joining the race from Barrackpore, near Calcutta. The race, being organised by the Aeronautical Society of India to mark 100 years of powered flight, had promised to be a big event for the city, with elaborate arrangements being made for all top dignitaries from Punjab and Haryana to attend. Even the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr R.P.S. Rudi, was expected to fly the inaugural leg of the race from Chandigarh. The 1,500 km Chandigarh-Nagpur circuit was among the four circuits chalked out for the race, the other being Barrackpore-Nagpur, Goa-Nagpur and Bangalore-Nagpur. Sources said that the Organising Director of the race, Air Vice-Marshal Ajit Lamba (retd.), had carried out a recce of the circuit in October. It was believed that the visibility conditions over Chandigarh in the mornings were not conducive for flying the types of light aircraft participating in the race. The Punjab Government's Aviation Department is perhaps particularly unhappy. It had committed eight aircraft from various flying clubs for the race. "We are not sending any aircraft now," a senior officer confirmed. "Taking aircraft all the way to Barrackpore is impractical and beyond our financial means," he added. "Though the race is sponsored, no financial assistance is being offered by the organisers for ferrying aircraft from here to Barrackpore and back to Chandigarh from Nagpur," the officer said. Some of the flyers spoken to expressed scepticism over the reason given for moving the race's northern leg to the eastern sector. Though the NCC, another major participant in the race, is yet to receive a communique from the organisers, its officers rejected the reason, saying its microlite flying activities were being carried out without any difficulty. |
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Verka milk pouch found underweight SAS Nagar, November 5 According to a report submitted by the Inspector, Legal Metrology, Punjab, who had conducted tests of the pouches on the insistence of the resident, Mr Rajinder Singla, the Verka milk pouches of brand “Shakti” and “Smart” were found to be not just underweight, these did not even have the date of manufacture printed on them. “The fact that the date of manufacture is not printed on the product raises apprehension that the milk might have lost its shelf life and hence was not fit for consumption”, pointed Mr Singla in a letter to The Tribune. Mr Singla, along with some other residents, had complained to the Legal Metrology Department, both in Chandigarh and Punjab, alleging that majority of the Verka milk packets were underweight. According to the inspection report of two inspectors, who weighed the packets in the presence of representatives of the milk plant, while one pack was found to be 360 ml, the other was found to be 385 ml instead of the 500 ml that it should have
been. |
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Man alleges assault by SI Chandigarh, November 5 Talking about the incident that occurred around 8 pm, Karamjit Singh told the Chandigarh Tribune that he met with an accident when a motorcyclist hit him head on at the dividing road of Sectors 46 and 47. He stated that the motorcyclist in question had violated traffic norms because he was not wearing a helmet. Upon being hit and hurt, Karamjit Singh called up the police exchange number 741100 from his mobile set. He alleged that upon arrival, the police personnel called up the motorcyclist’s father and let him off after accepting a bribe from him. He also alleged that SI Ram Singh of Sector 34 police station accepted currency notes of Rs 100 denomination. The area DSP, when contacted, however, said that SI Ram Singh had informed him that a person was drunk and that the medical report confirmed the same. He refuted the allegation that any bribe had been demanded. However, he said that he would further look into the matter to find out the truth. Meanwhile, Karamjit Singh alleged that when he protested, the police beat him up, damaging his ear. Karamjit Singh was later also taken to the GMCH, Sector 32, for a medical examination. |
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Campaign to issue birth certificates Panchkula, November 5 In a press note Ms Satwanti Ahlawat, Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula, said the certificates would be issued on the directions of the Registrar, General Ministry of Home Affairs, from November 14 to 20. Addressing a meeting of district administration officials and district health authorities, Ms Ahlawat said an action plan should be made for the smooth monitoring of the issuance of certificates and achieving the target. She said, birth registration had been recognised as a Child Right by the United Nations convention on Child Rights, 1989, and the RBD Act had also made it mandatory that the certificate should be issued immediately after registration. The certificates would be issued in three phases. In the first phase, children under 10 years of age, whose births had been registered at their native places, would be issued certificates. Children under 10 years of age, whose births had been registered but they were not residing at their birth place, would be covered. In the third stage, children whose births had not been registered would be taken up. |
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Stones pelted at Shatabdi Express Chandigarh, November 5 One of the passengers told TNS that the train left the station at 4.30 pm. Ten minutes later several coaches were suddenly pelted with stones, which broke some exterior
glasspanes. One of the stones even penetrated through the two-tier glass window, injuring a passenger. He said the train, which was moving at a slow speed, did not stop and continued its journey. No action was taken by the railway police or the train crew, except that an attendant came to sweep away the glass pieces. Even a few police officials sitting in his coach did not react, the passenger alleged. |
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Ex-servicemen’s cell comes to aid of war widow SAS Nagar, November 5 According to Lt-Col S.S. Sohi (retd), president of the cell, the widow, Mrs Balwant Kaur, a resident of Patiala and wife of the late Havildar Kehar Singh of 9 Sikh Regiment, is running from pillar to post to get 10 acres of land possession allotted to her by the Punjab Government. Havildar Kehar Singh had sacrificed his life in J&K (Leepa Valley) on December 6, 1971 during war. In a letter to the Director, Punjab Sainik Welfare Directorate, Chandigarh, Lt-Col Sohi has given details of the allotment of land to the war widow stating that she was allotted land in the riverbed of Churwal village (Ludhiana), which she refused and requested for the allotment of a useable piece of land in Patiala district. In 1997, she was allotted 10 acres of land, which was and still is in the possession of villagers, stated Lt-Col Sohi. The matter was almost solved with the intervention of the Chief Minister but nothing happened after that, he added. The Ex-servicemen’s Grievances Cell, Mohali, has said that the ESM helpline number at Chandi Mandir is 2589624 and Mohali Veteran’s Polyclinic telephone number is 2273534. |
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Marriage ceremony of Lord Vishnu held Chandigarh, November 5 As the devotees stood in rapt attention, Lord Vishnu’s idol was placed in a “palki”. As the “barat” started from Pracheen Shiv Mandir in Sector 24, the reverberating beats of thumping drums filled the air. As the procession moved forward, the devotees could be seen dancing excitedly till they reached the residence of Mr Krishna Kumar where the “phere” of Lord Vishnu and Tulsi were performed. Mehndi ceremony was also held. Sankirtan and bhajan, too, were organised. Pritibhoj will be held on Sunday in connection with the marriage. |
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Blasts warning issued Chandigarh, November 5 According to a statement issued here today, TBRL officials have also cautioned local residents against letting cattle and animals loose, which may enter the danger zone. They further stated that TBRL would not be responsible for any untoward incident, which occurs if anyone trespasses into its range. |
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Animals for adoption Chandigarh, November 5 The PFA is running an animal hospital-cum-shelter,
Basera, a 24 hour animal ambulance service, Jeev Rakshak Seva, besides mobile veterinary camps in slums and villages, vaccination and sterilisation projects and first-aid training workshops. To provide a loving and caring home for animals, the PFA offers animals for adoption. The following is the list of animals put up for adoption: A blackish gray six-week-old female kitten; and two female and one male puppies (mixed breed). For more details, contact phone numbers 2749080, 2749211, between 11 a.m and 1 p.m. |
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750 kg narcotic substances
destroyed Chandigarh, November 5 Kerosene was sprinkled on a heap of 709.75 kg of poppy husk, 11.506 gm of smack and 326.360 gm of ganja. |
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Lions Club starts dress designing course Chandigarh, November 5 The president of the club, Mr Arun
Uppal, said , “We have been involved in rehabilitation of physically challenged and in uplift of the poor. We have also been organising medical camps providing free checkup. The club is soon going to start beautician and computer courses”. |
Cash, gold worth 2 lakh stolen SAS Nagar, November 5 According to the house owner, Mr Sudhir Saxena who has a factory in Kurali and lives in house number 1028, Phase 10, here, the incident occurred between 10.30 am to 1.15 pm when he was away to the factory and his wife had gone to the market. ‘‘I was away from the house for just a few hours with my brother-in-law and child. My other child had gone to the school,’’ related Mrs Saxena. ‘‘We came back just after 1pm and found that the locks were all intact but everything stored in the two safes in almirahas had been stolen by the burglars. There was Rs 1.5 lakh in cash missing from one safe and gold jewellery worth at least Rs 50,000 missing from another,’’ she added. The police was called and a case registered. ‘‘The most surprising thing was that there was no lock which had been broken. The lock on the grill was intact and so was the lock inside. The whole house was in order and there was nothing much which showed that the thieves had found it difficult to look for the keys of the almirah. Whosoever it was knew exactly where the keys to the almirah were hidden and where all the stuff is,’’ she said. |
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Man
killed as ambulance van hits scooter Chandigarh, November 5 The driver of the van lost control of the vehicle in an accident with a cow and the van thereafter collided with Baljeet Singh’s scooter. The cow was also killed in the accident. A report from SAS Nagar said the entire market remained closed to mourn the death of Baljeet Singh. The accident site presented a gory scene with the dead cow lying on the road and Baljeet Singh’s body crushed under the ambulance. The spectacles of 52-year-old Baljeet were lying a few metres away from the accident site and blood was spilt over the road. It seemed that Baljeet Singh had been dragged under the ambulance a few metres before the vehicle came to a halt. The driver of the ambulance van Rajmittar Singh has been arrested. Baljeet Singh is survived by his wife and two sons. It took a long time for the police to extricate the body of Baljeet Singh who was declared brought dead when taken to hospital. The scooter of Baljeet Singh bearing registration number PB-65 1938 was also damaged in the accident. Family members of Baljeet Singh said he was coming from Kalka towards Mohali and alleged that the driver of the ambulance van was moving at a very high speed. |
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Traders to observe ‘black day’ tomorrow Chandigarh, November 5 At a meeting of the mandal, it was decided that on the day, traders would wear black badges on their arms and banners be displayed in markets to demand the withdrawal of the Act. A dharna would also be held in Sector 17 and an effigy burnt, said a press note issued here today.
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