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Neighbours fail
yet again Panchkula, December 9 This is yet another case where a crime is committed in a house but the neighbours, too busy in their own lives and not willing to “poke their nose” in the affairs of others, do not notice what happens next door. The fact that the residents of Panchkula are settlers from all over the region, including terrorism-hit families from Punjab, there is hardly any interaction among neighbours. Dr Arora’s residence was neither in a secluded corner nor were the houses adjacent to, opposite, or at the back of this house lying vacant. However, no one heard or suspected that the entire family had been done to death. Mr Gurinder Singh, an immediate neighbour, while expressing his shock at the incident, said it was only last night that he got to know of the murder. When asked if he had been interacting with the Aroras, he said they used to exchange pleasantries but had never been inside each others’ houses. But this is not the only case where the neighbours had no inkling of the happenings in their neighbourhood. In January, 2001, an elderly couple — Dharam Pal Madhok, and his wife Rita Madhok — were murdered by unknown persons at their Sector 2 residence here. It was only 10 days after the murder that the incident came to light. Newspapers had been piling at the front door which prompted the neighbour to call the police. The neighbours had then said that since the Madhoks were reserved people, they had not bothered to check on them. The case is still untraced in the police records. Similarly, in neighbouring Chandigarh, a widow in Sector 18, Usha Grover, was murdered and buried in her house itself, but no one suspected foul play. The neighbours knew nothing and it was only after one year that her skeleton was recovered. It was precisely for this reason that the Chandigarh Police had launched its ambitious Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, wherein people were asked to be more vigilant of their neighbourhood and the police beat staff asked to keep a special watch on senior citizens. |
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Cops' credibility
takes a beating
Panchkula, December 9 Though the police claims to have picked up several leads in the Aroras' murder case, it will require a yeoman's effort to regain its lost credibility. Apart from the latest case, there have been 11 other murders reported in the district this year. Of these, at least two have remained untraced. A woman's body, buried in a mound near Nadda, was found in October this year when dogs dug it out. The police had then initiated inquest proceedings, but the investigations have made little headway. In another case in February this year, a 60-year-old woman, Mohri Devi, was found murdered in Ramgarh, near here, with her feet chopped off. This case too remains unsolved. The style of police investigation came under cloud a fortnight ago when a Sector 14 housewife, Neelam, was stabbed by a youth at her residence. Though the accused, Manjit Singh, had escaped, he left his scooter behind, and the police came to know of the assailant within a few hours of the crime. However, till date the accused has not been nabbed, even as the investigating officer, the then Station House Officer of Sector 19 police station, was sent to the Police Lines for his failure. Apart from this, the murder of Dharam Pal Madhok and his wife Rita in Sector 2 on January 21, 2001, the shootout in Sector 1 in which hotelier Pankaj Rana was shot dead in September 2001, and the murder of Col H.D. Kahol, also in September 2001, have remained "untraced" in the files of the Panchkula police. |
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Ex-servicemen’s warning to parliamentarians Chandigarh, December 9 In a letter written to all sitting members of Parliament (MPs), the All India Defence Brotherhood (AIDB) has stated that ex-servicemen will judge their sincerity towards defence forces by what they do before the next general election and not by the promises they make when elections are imminent. Requesting MPs to raise issues concerning defence forces as well as ex-servicemen in Parliament as well as other relevant forums, the letter adds that while parliamentary proceedings are routinely disrupted on “trivial” issues, not a voice is raised against glaring injustices heaped upon the defence services. “Serving and retired soldiers have very genuine demands and face some glaring injustices which the authorities from the level of village panchayats to Parliament ignored simple because soldiers had no vote bank earlier,” president of AIDB, Brig Harwant Singh (retd) told The Tribune here today. “Now that we have a vote bank, we will provide electoral support to those who gets our demands fulfilled or at least addresses them with transparent sincerity,” he added. Among the demands forwarded to the MPs is guaranteed employment up to the age of 60 years, keeping in mind that soldiers are compulsorily retired at a young age to keep the profile of the armed forces youthful. Demanding that the government must provide alternate employment to retiring soldiers up to age limits applicable to civilian employees in central and state governments, the letter has pointed out that majority of the retired soldiers are in the thirties and forties. The letter has suggested that jobs be given to them before their retirement by lateral induction into the para-military forces or by absorbing them into the civil services. |
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School board to reinstate 107 clerks Mohali, December 9 However, the issue of the implementation of the Punjab Government notification with regard to the regularisation of the services of contractual employees was kept pending at the meeting of the board members held here today. Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, the Chairman of the board, Dr Kehar Singh stated that the board will be drawing up a seniority list of these clerks on the basis of the number of years served in the board. Depending on the number of posts required to be filled for examination duties and for the duration of these duties, the posts will be filled from among the seniormost in that list. Other than the 107 agitating clerks who are likely to placed in the list, the list will also include about 57 of the 134 clerks who had been ‘thrown out’ by the board recently following a report of the committee constituted to ascertain the validity of the process of their regular employment in the board. The 57 clerks had been serving in the board prior to the controversial conduct of the written test. Sources state that the decision to re-employ these clerks either as daily wagers or again on contract has been taken following immense pressure on the Chairman and some other members of the board to end their agitation. However, the board members decided to postpone the decision regarding the implementation of the 2001 Punjab Government notification which states that employees serving on contract in a government organisation should be regularised after three years of service as contractual employees. Stating that a majority if the members were of the opinion that the implementation of the said notification will amount to contempt of court in wake of the Supreme Court decision on the issue, the Chairman pointed that an acceptable via media will, however, be worked out in the case of PSEB employees. ‘‘Some members of the board have offered to meet political leaders, including the Education Minister and some thing might be worked out,’’he added. The sources also revealed that majority of the members attending the meeting today were against the implementation of the notification but the matter was kept pending instead of being outrightly rejected following the insistence of some members. Meanwhile the employees union leaders told The Tribune that they would be discontinuing their agitation from today and were happy that almost all of the clerks who had been agitating outside the board building will be back in job. ‘‘However, we would have preferred if the government’s notification would have been implemented today,’’they added. |
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Lawyers’ march for justice Chandigarh, December 9 The lawyers were holding protest against the Legal Service Authorities Amendment Act, 2002, implementation of Section 30 of the Advocates Act and deletion of section 34 (1) of the Advocates Act 1961, entry of foreign lawyers, National Judicial Commission, Justice Malimath Committee recommendations. Later they gathered in the Bar Association room of the High Court where they were addressed by Dr Anmol
Rattan Sidhu, the President, of Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana, the Chairman of the Bar Council, Mr Mukesh Berry, the General Secretary of the Bar Council, Mr
C.M. Munjal, and also the Secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Mr S.S.
Swaich. The members of the Bar Council did not submit a memorandum to the Haryana Governor, as the officials present there refused to allow all members of the Bar Council to meet the Governor said the General Secretary of the Bar Council, Mr
C.M. Munjal. Ambala: Members of the District Bar Association suspended court work today in protest against the Legal Services Authorities (amendment) Act regarding the setting up of permanent lok
adalats. The Bar Council of India had given a countrywide call for a strike in this regard. A meeting of the Bar was organised in the Bar room under the chairmanship of its president J.S.
Kohli. A number of speakers condemned the amendment on this occasion and demanded that only persons with judicial background should hold a lok
adalat. Later, the Bar handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner to be forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister. Addressing the lawyers, Mr Kohli criticised the withdrawal of right of appeal. He said the right to appear before the tribunal and the authorities was important and should be restored immediately. He welcomed the proposal of the National Judicial Commission. Patiala: Members of the District Bar Association organised a protest rally in the front of District Courts here today. As many as 500 advocates participated in the rally. The members of the association condemned the amendment made by the government in the Legal Service Authority Act, 1987. According to the amendment, for the establishment of a lok adalat in a district, district judge, assistant district judge and other employees will be appointed by the government and there will be no appeal against the decision taken by the majority in these
adalats. Addressing the gathering, secretary of the council G.S Rai said under this amendment, no provision of the Civil Court and Indian Evidence Act would be implemented against the decision taken by the lok
adalats. The association further condemned the amendment made in the Advocate’s Act, according to which powers of the related Bar council were being given to high courts. This means that the high courts could take disciplinary action against advocates. The association later also submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Tejveer Singh. President of the association Rakesh Gupta, Vice-President B.S. Roharjagir and joint secretary Amardeep Singh Saran also addressed the rally. |
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Panchayat poll: Cong
seeks EC’s help Chandigarh, December 9 The election staff was demanding birth certificate, residence certificate and employment certificate from the persons who were applying for a voter I card. The Congress President, Mr B.B. Behl, said there had been cases where the name of the enrolled voters were missing in the voter list. Such examples were many, said Mr Behl. Meanwhile, there was a heavy rush of candidates and their supporters who had come to file their nominations at the offices of the four returning officers. Tomorrow is the last day of filing the nominations. |
Scribes demand new wage board Chandigarh, December 9 A consensus was reached on the issue during the inaugural day of the two-day national executive meet of the union. The meet was hosted by the Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists, which is affiliated to the IJU. The members also demanded an end to the contract system in the print and electronic media, saying that it was against the freedom of the press. They expressed concern over attacks on mediapersons in different parts of the country and demanded security. Inaugurating the first day of the meet, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, described the media as the fourth pillar of democracy, which he said, was straying away from its primary duty. “ Healthy criticism of failures of the government was acceptable, but it must come up with praise for good work”, said the Chief Minister adding that the scribes needed to be given news and views and not impose their personal viewpoint on the masses. The journalists should also shun from planting news, he opined. He was critical of the electronic media in wrongly predicting the results of the Assembly elections in four states and also during the last Assembly elections in Punjab. He attributed the defeat of the Akalis in Punjab on the wrong projection by the media. Mr Chautala said his regime was in the favour of looking after the welfare of the scribes and assured all possible help to the union. Earlier, Mr Suresh Akhouri, president of the IJU, said the members of the national executive discussed various issues concerning the journalists. He sought the help of Mr Chautala in urging the Centre to set up a new wage board. He said dharnas and rallies would be held if the Centre did not listen to the genuine demands of the journalists. Members of the organising body said a unique group insurance scheme would be formally launched at a function in the CII by the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, tomorrow. Mr Vinod Kohli, president of the CPUJ, said during the two-day meet, issues like implementing the wage board recommendations, equal facilities to desk and reporting staff and demand for a new wage board would be discussed. |
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Focus on Indo-Iranian ties Chandigarh, December 9 This was highlighted by Dr Pam Rajput, Director of the Centre for Women Studies, Panjab University, at a symposium on “Indo-Iranian historico-cultural relations” at Gandhi Bhavan on the campus here this evening. The symposium was organised by the Centre for Women Studies in collaboration with the Iran Students of Panjab University. Dr Rajput quoted Pt Jawaharlal Nehru by saying: “Among the many nations and people that have come in contact with India and made their mark in its life and culture, the oldest and the most consistent is Iran”. She laid emphasis on the need for unity among the Asian countries in the context of changed world power equations, which were purely in favour of the West. Prof A.K. Prasad, former Dean University Instructions, said Iran and India had common ties. The Iranian King was known as the Aryan Mihir. A large number of other similarities in language and culture could be pointed out. As a consequence of very rich oil reserves Iran had assumed a great geo-strategic importance. Ms Abolfathi, an Iranian student, spoke on the role of women in Iran. She quoted the example of Makhmalbaf who received an award of 100000 Euros recently for her artistic performance at an International Film Festival held in Venice. She said as many as four women were elected to the “majlis” (Constitution). The times were changing. Mr Asgarzadeh, a research scholar of English Department, introduced the speakers. He also gave a brief talk on the geographical, historical and socio-economic features of Iran. Prof R.J. Hans Gill, Dean University Instructions, also spoke on the occasion. Mr Majid Reza Mommin summed up the proceedings. A photo exhibition on women related issues in Iran was inaugurated by Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, in the afternoon. |
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Dhanwantri College, Dabur
sign MoU Chandigarh, December 9 At a formal ceremony, CEO of Dabur India Limited Sunil Duggal and President of the Shri Dhanwantri Educational Society D.K. Gupta signed the MOU. According to a press note, Dhanwantri Ayurvedic Hospital will be renamed as Dabur Dhanwantri Ayurvedic Hospital. It will conduct clinical studies and research. Dabur will provide strategic inputs and will also invest in expanding infrastructure. “This tie-up is the first of its kind with any ayurvedic institute . This is also, perhaps, the first such alliance wherein a company has taken stake in the management and operations of an ayurvedic institution and will invest in further expansion of its operations”, said Mr Duggal. |
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Uday’s funeral tomorrow Chandigarh, December 9 The 21-year old trooper, who belongs to Chandigarh, had died after he received gunshot wounds near Habbaniyah, 65 miles west of Baghdad, on December 1 when US forces on a routine patrol came under fire. His body will be brought here on the day of the funeral. Among others to attend the ceremony would include US Embassy Defence Attache Col Steven Sboto. US Embassy attache and casualty assistance officer Steven Stoiber and the Embassy’s media adviser Arti Singh are already here making arrangements for the ceremony. Uday, who recently migrated to the USA, is the first Indian to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. |
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Drive against cattle launched Chandigarh, December 9 A total of 37 milch cattle were caught in today’s drive. When the enforcement team reached Atawa village, the owners of the milch cattle objected and they were given three days’ time by the Deputy Commissioner. The enforcement team was headed by Enforcement Magistrate, Mr Ishwar Singh and Assistant Commissioner, Mr Arun Sekhri. |
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Units causing pollution, say villagers Dera Bassi, December 9 While talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Amar Chawla, a resident of Trivedi Camp, lamented that the situation became peculiar during odd hours. As the problem aggravated early today, more than a dozen villagers of Trivedi Camp in Mubarikpur village complained to the police. A delegation of villagers, headed by Mr Amar Chawla, took up the issue of pollution caused by certain industrial units located in Mubarikpur, Bhankharpur, Haibatpur, Saidpura and nearby areas with Mr Manmohan Kumar Sharma, DSP, Dera Bassi. Taking a serious note of the complaint, Mr Sharma deputed three constables to identify the industrial units emitting pollutants. When contacted the DSP said he had written to the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Patiala, regarding the problem being faced by the residents. |
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Canada to open visa office in city Chandigarh, December 9 This was stated here today by the Animal Husbandry Minister, Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang. He had called upon Canada’s Federal Agriculture and Food Minister, Mr Lyle Vanclief, and the Canadian High Commissioner, Ms Lucie Edward, in New Delhi yesterday with a proposal to discuss collaboration with Canada for promotion of dairy development, processing and fisheries. |
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Osho meditation camp on Dec 11 Chandigarh, December 9 The Premdwara Meditation Centre will also hold celebration the same day from 12 noon to 6 pm at Lajpat Rai Bhavan, Sector 15. According to Swami Akhilesh Saraswati, an exhibition of Osho literature, cassettes and CDs will be an added attraction of the function. In Panchkula, a two-day celebration to mark the occasion will begin from Saturday evening at Osho Dhara Commune, 50, Industrial Area, Phase I. A unique dance to meditation programme will be conducted by experts. A full-day meditation camp will be held on December 14. |
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KC cinema reopens Chandigarh, December 9 Earlier, the licence of the cinema was suspended for seven days starting from December 4. But after the ADC found that the toilets and seats had been repaired. The cinema management had been given a show-cause notice a few days ago as to why the licence should not be suspended. It may be re-collected that a basic set of directions were agreed upon about eight weeks ago when the rates of cinema tickets were hiked.
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Manhole cover stolen Chandigarh, December 9 Mr Ahluwalia told Chandigarh Tribune that he was told by his tenant that an unidentified man removed the cover at around 6.30 pm, rapped it in a mat and disappeared. ‘‘The tenant was under impression that I had hired the man to carry-out some repair job and that is why she did not raise an alarm’’, said Mr Ahluwalia. Thefts:
A Sector 35 resident, Mr Parveen Gulati, reported that his car stolen from Sector 9 yesterday. Another Sector 35 resident, Mr Hoshiar Singh, reported that his car was stolen from his residence on the night of December 7. Mr Ajay Mohindroo, a resident of Jalandhar, reported that his car was stolen from a Sector 26 market on Friday. The scooter of Mr Nazar Singh (of Hallomajra village) was also stolen the same day from the Sector 22 market. Meanwhile, a Punjab Engineering College student, Mr Mohit, reported that two mobile phones were stolen from his hostel room. |
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Couple injured in road mishap Lalru, December 9 The couple, Jaspreet Singh and his wife Baljit Kaur, of Sector 6 in Panchkula was heading towards Zirakpur in their Indica ( HR-03D-2111) when a Maruti Esteem, approaching from the opposite direction, collided head on with their car. Harnek Singh, driver of the Esteem (CHA-4196), also sustained injuries in the accident. The couple was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh while Harnek Singh escaped with minor injuries. Vehicular traffic on the highway also disrupted for more than one-and-a-half hours. After impounding the vehicles, the police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337
and 427 of the IPC against Harnek Singh at the Lalru police station. |
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Student commits
suicide Mohali, December 9 Although the family of the victim refused to talk to the media about the incident, sources said Manjinder was a first-year student of the college and had attended college today where he had an examination. He was found on the road and seemed to have consumed poison. The passers-by found a telephone number from his pocket. His friends were informed, who told the family. He was taken to a private hospital and later referred to the PGI, where he was declared brought dead by doctors. Known as Honey to his friends and family, Manjinder’s father works in the mini-secretariat in Chandigarh. His neighbours said there did not seem to be any problem in the family. |
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