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One held on theft charge
Chandigarh, April 23 Harpal Singh was arrested at a picket near the Sector 22 dispensary while riding a stolen scooter. The police also claimed that it had also solved the case of cheating a woman in front of the Punjab National Bank, Sector 22 B. The police claimed that the
arrested person reportedly admitted that he had thrown currency notes on the road to dupe Mrs Reshmi Gupta on April 12. The police claimed it had recovered the purse of the woman and her
documents from the arrested accused. He had taken away the purse of the woman when she stopped to pick up currency notes of Rs 10
denomination. The police claimed that one Bajaj Chetak scooter, stolen from the Kiran Cinema parking lot stolen and another scooter stolen from Sector 22 C had also been recovered. The police was also questioning the arrested person for his suspected role in the snatching of a bag containing Rs 55,000 in the same area of Sector 22. |
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Woman gang-raped
Chandigarh, April 23 The four were, however, arrested when residents of the locality called the police on hearing shrieks of a girl and few men in house number 447 in Sector 61. The woman was in Sector 40 this evening to meet a
friend. She got a call from her home to rush back. The woman in hurry started on foot. Unaware of the area, she stopped a Maruti car and asked for a lift from two boys sitting in it. The woman asked them to drop her in Phase XI in Mohali. The boys let her in the car bearing registration number CHO 1 U 7949. The boys after covering some distance turned towards Sector 61. They told the woman that they had to visit a relative in a flat there. They asked her to join them there. The two more boys joined them. As soon as the woman reached the flat, they bolted the door and allegedly raped her. However, the cry for help was heard by the neighbours, who called the police. A police team led by the Sector 61 Police Post In-charge, Mr Dilsher Singh Chandel, arrested the boys. The police tonight got the boys and the woman medically examined and booked them under Sections 342, 323, 506, 376 and 34 of the IPC. Paramjit Singh and Yachin from Mohali and Rajal of Sector 61 were arrested along with the juvenile boy. The police said while one of the boys was doing engineering, another was an MCA student. |
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PGI can proceed against Dr Dash: SC
Chandigarh, April 23 The Supreme Court also vacated the stay obtained by Dr Dash whereby disciplinary proceedings against her had been stayed. The Court also directed the PGI authorities to proceed with the disciplinary proceedings against Dr Dash. Dr Dash was granted ‘ex-India leave’ by the PGI for two years from December 16, 1991 on the condition that neither further leave would be granted, nor any request for resignation or voluntary retirement would be entertained. Dr Dash’s request for leave up to December 15, 1994 was rejected. The PGI authorities informed her that she was deemed to have left the PGI with effect from December 16, 1991. Dr Dash filed a separate writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1992 challenging the selection and appointment of Dr Garewal as Professor of Haemotology, PGI. In this petition, the High Court granted Dr Dash stay on initiation of disciplinary action against her. The Punjab and Haryana High Court vide decision dated April 4, 2001, permitted the petitioner to join duty with all consequential benefits. In the decision on the appeal by Dr Garewal, the Supreme Court held that the view subscribed by the High Court that Dr Dash was not given an opportunity of hearing, and her removal was bad under the Constitution, was incorrect. The Supreme Court held that the premise on which the High Court has proceeded was faulty as the High Court had not examined the applicability of Article 311 of the Indian Constitution which has resulted in the wrong conclusion. The Supreme Court ruled that Dr Dash was granted ‘ex-India leave’ for two years on the express condition that she would be deemed to have vacated the post if she opted not to join after the leave period. The Supreme Court observed that Dr Dash preferred to remain in the greener pastures for a pretty long time in spite of repeated reminders from the PGI. The apex court also held that the stay of disciplinary action against Dr Dash ought not to have been granted by the High Court since her petition in the High Court challenging the selection of Dr Garewal did not have any bearing upon her extensions of ‘ex-India leave’. The apex Court held that disciplinary proceedings against her was a separate action and could proceed separately. |
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Price of being honest
Chandigarh, April 23 A Mohali resident, Jaspreet Kaur, was stopped by the Traffic Police personnel at around 12.30 pm on the road separating Sectors 24 and 25. She alleged that there she faced almost two-hour harassment as she insisted for a challan than make an illegal payment. She alleged that when she showed her learner’s licence, the policeman pointed out that her car did not bear the “L” mark. The woman said she was coming from a hospital and they could challan her for this violation. When she refused to offer anything and insisted on challaning her, the police personnel asked her to give her registration certificate, which she could not produce. When she insisted on letting her go, a policeman allegedly said she could not take the car as it would be impounded for violating speed limit. She refused to sign the violation saying that the charge was fabricated. She refuted that she had violated the speed limit. The woman kept on pleading the policemen to let her go considering her illness. She even asked the policeman to drop her at her residence and take the custody of the car but the policemen refused to do so. Showing her hospital records to this reporter, the woman said the rude behaviour of the police personnel
should be brought to the notice of public. |
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CBI probe demanded into Forest Hill case
Chandigarh, April 23 The court was requested to ask the Director of the CBI to constitute a special investigative team (SIT) to probe the lapses and circumstances under which the club was allowed to come up in violation of rules. Summing up his case for a CBI investigation into how the club management was allowed to flout rules to construct the resort, the amicus curiae, appointed by the court to assist it, said that in the present circumstances he did not expect a fair investigation by a state government agency. “With almost all senior IAS and IPS officers having accepted free membership of the club, how can one expect the same officers to let a free probe take place?” the amicus curiae asked. Saying that the club management has lured senior bureaucrats and police officers by lucrative offers, the counsel said that later the same officers returned the favour by allowing the club to flout rules. He also placed on record a copy of the news-letter circulated by the club as well as printouts of some portions of the club’s website. Pointing out that in its news-letter, the club management had quoted former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as saying that the club is extremely good, the counsel said that the modus operandi of the club owner, Col B.S. Sandhu (retd), is very simple. “He first lures big officers and then uses them. In allowing him to flout all rules and byelaws with impunity, the state has shrunk before him. In fact, the incidents of wining and dining by the high and mighty of the state at the club also need to be probed,” the amicus curiae added. After listening to his plea and going through the news-letter, the Bench, comprising Mr Chief Justice
B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant, asked the counsel for the club if the management had taken the permission of the former Chief Minister to use his name for the advertisement. The Bench also asked the club to furnish a list of the civil servants and police officers who participated in the Civil Services Tennis Tournament and a liquor festival. On being informed by the amicus curiae that Mr S.S. Bajwa, Additional Secretary, Forest Department, had been trying to prevent the officials of the department from helping the amicus curiae in the case, the Bench asked the counsel for Punjab if Mr Bajwa was still in the department. The counsel for the state of Punjab also reiterated the offer that a fresh investigation into the matter could be got conducted by any agency or officer of the state government. She also stated that the Principal Secretary (Home) S.K. Sinha was of the view that if the investigation was handed over to the CBI, it would have a demoralising effect on the state police. Incidentally, Sinha is also an ex-officio member of the club. The case was later adjourned to April 26. |
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Club had complained against inquiry officer
Chandigarh, April 23 In a letter addressed to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Rajiv Bajaj, estate officer of the Forest Hill Club, had alleged that the inquiry officer, Conservator of Forests, Harsh Kumar, was demanding bribe from the management. What action, if any, was initiated on the complaint is not clear. Mr Harsh Kumar is the officer who was given the task of inquiring into the allegations that the club was constructed on Forest land and that many trees had been cut by the management during the construction of the club and the golf course. His appointment as inquiry officer had been questioned by the PCCF on the ground that he had not been consulted by the government in the issue. Mr Kumar had filed two reports on the issue. While the first one indicted the management for flouting Forest laws, the second report was a little soft on the management. In a complete volte-face, in the second report, he completely exonerated the club management, including its owner, Col B.S. Sandhu (retd). However, the government had earlier told the High Court that since there was a contradiction in the two reports, no action had been initiated on the same. Advocate Anupam Gupta, the amicus curiae appointed by the court to assist it in the matter, has also refused to accept the reports. He had told the court that Mr Kumar’s inquiry was completely without jurisdiction. |
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First vote
I am excited about exercising my right to vote for the first time. I am interested in the political affairs of the country and had been waiting to become eligible to vote. To form my opinion on parties and candidates, I have been holding discussion with my friends and teachers.
I want the prime ministerial candidate of any political party to be young, educated and physically fit. The agenda of the candidate should reflect a future vision for the country. The age of the candidates certainly matters to me. I have decided to go for the candidates who represent national parties instead of the regional ones. (As told to Rajmeet Singh) |
BJP lowered morale of
troops: Cong leader
Chandigarh, April 23 Major Sandhu said the BJP-lead government had lowered the morale of the troops by mismanaging its response to the terrorist attack on the Parliament. He said by keeping one million Indian troops on constant high alert for almost eight months in forward areas and then pulling them back without any military or diplomatic success had also affected the morale of the armed forces. He asked the BJP government to list the steps it had taken to prevent the high rate of fighter plane crashes. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress candidate, while addressing the shopkeepers of Sector 43, said he would ensure that automobile repair shops are set up at the petrol stations in different sectors. In the morning, Mr Bansal participated in a padyatra organised by Sector 41 residents. Mr Bansal was also invited by Shishu Niketan, Sector 22, and Shastri Market traders, who extended their support to him. At Shastri Market, a public meeting was also organised during which Mr Tirlochan Singh, president of the Chandigarh Property Dealers Association, joined the Congress along with his supporters. |
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Candidates interact with PU teachers
Chandigarh, April 23 Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, (Congress), Mr Satya Pal Jain, (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Mr Harmohan Dhawan, (Indian National Lok Dal) were present during the session organised by the Panjab University Teachers Association. Mr Dharam Paul Sharma, president of the PU Non-Teaching Employees Federation contesting independently and Mr Surinder Chauhan (independent) also spoke on the occasion. Mr Harjinder Singh Laltu, president of PUTA, underlined the key areas of discussion at the beginning of the session. These included the missing pension scheme for university employees, and enhancement in retirement age for university employees. Views were also sought on the need for more government expenditure on education. All candidates were unanimous on the need for an increased government expenditure on education. The figure of six per cent of the GDP was uniformly quoted. Mr Bansal said the serving and retired university employees should sit together to work out a workable pension scheme. He said he was not clear about the issue of a central university status for the university. The matter needed greater deliberation because it affected nearly 100 colleges located in Punjab also. “Let the university Senate take a decision and I will honour it”, he said. Mr Jain said he agreed to seriously consider the demand for a central status to the university. The Punjab Government was not being responsive in giving the due share to the university. He said the increasing fees in colleges and university was another important issue which should be discussed. Mr Dhawan said Mr Jain and Mr Bansal had been in Parliament for the past 13 years. They had been promising same things each year to the university employees. However, nothing concrete happened. “Give me a chance this time and I will prove that I do what I say”, he added. Mr Sharma said none of the candidates was aware of the issue of pension. The scheme was cleared in 1990. However the aspect of the cut-off date related to the matter could never be settled. “I take the responsibility of taking the pension issue to a logical conclusion in case voted to power”, he said. He said the Punjab Government “treated us like beggars whenever we went to get our share of the grant. We need to seriously look into the need for the central status”. He also underlined the need for representation of the non-teaching employees in the university Senate. The Senate has already taken a decision to this regard. However, it has not been implemented. Mr Chauhan criticised the government for not giving due attention to education. He held all MPs responsible for not following the demands of the university employees. |
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18 in fray for Chandigarh seat
Chandigarh, April 23 Six Independent candidates filling their nomination papers on the final day today, besides Mr Harmohan Dhawan, the Indian National Lok Dal candidate. The list of candidates does not includes the names of Mr Yash Pal Mahajan and Mr B.B. Bahl, covering candidates of the BJP and the Congress, respectively. One of the candidates is Mr Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Ram Darbar. He is an ex-serviceman and gets a monthly pension of Rs 2400. He has cash worth Rs 20,000, a policy worth Rs 50,000 and a house worth Rs 4 lakh. Mr Gurcharan Singh has cash worth Rs 8 lakh. He owns an industrial plot worth Rs 1 crore and an eight-marla house in Sector 43, besides jewellery worth Rs 50,000 and savings worth Rs 3 lakh. He also own an Ambassador car. Mr Bhupinder Pal, also an Independent, has jewellery worth Rs 70,000 and Rs 15000 in cash. He has an outstanding loan of Rs 89,000 against his name. Also in the fray are Ms Rekha Sharma, Mr Daulat Kuldeep Singh and Mr Ramesh Chopra. |
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Jain promises to develop southern sectors
Chandigarh, April 23 He said there was no proper arrangement of streetlights in these sectors, as a result of which crime rate had gone up. The roads also needed repairs and little attention had been paid to the development of these sectors. Mr Jain claimed that in order to ensure proper electricity supply to these sectors, he had initiated a move to get a high-capacity transformer installed in 1998 but afterwards, Mr Bansal did not take any step for the completion for this task. Mr Jain held a padyatra this morning in Sector 20. He addressed a gathering of the Salmani Society in Sector-56, Palsora, and held meetings in Sector 7 and Sector 30. |
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Dhawan declares assets worth Rs 3.77 crore
Chandigarh, April 23 Property: The affidavit mentioned agricultural land of Rs 16 lakh in Mr Dhawan and his wife’s name in Kaimbwala village, a flat worth Rs 14 lakh in his and wife in Gurgaon and one-third share worth Rs 85 lakh of the family in a house in Sector 9 here. Cash/bank deposits: It further said there was Rs 70,000 cash in name of the Mr and Mrs Dhawan and family saving of Rs 11,220 in bank accounts. Investment/jewellery: The affidavit further mentioned family jewellery worth Rs 7.20 lakh, assets such as claims of Rs 29.4 lakh, bonds, shares and debentures worth Rs 2.11 crore and other savings of Rs 3.72 lakh. Vehicle: The affidavit said there was no vehicle owned by Mr Dhawan and that the total worth was Rs 3.77 crore. |
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BJP plans hi-tech campaign
Panchkula, April 23 With this aim in mind, the party was considering the idea of starting a ‘media rath’ in certain areas of the 10 constituencies by next week where it had less voter
percentage. Messages by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the 10 Lok Sabha candidates would be beamed to the voters through a projector. Sources said the ‘electronic media profile’ of the party, highlighting the achievements of the Central Government and the BJP in different TV channels, was also being compiled to woo the voters. Meanwhile, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, state BJP treasurer, had been appointed, in charge of Kalka and Naraingarh Assembly segments of the Ambala constituency by the party president, Prof Ganeshi Lal. |
Celebration time at Sector 19 church
The church consecrated by the Bishop Dr Gilbert Rego, has completed 25 years on April 8. “Since my sacerdotal ordination, too, falls on the same month, we decided to celebrate both the occasions together on April 25,” says the Bishop. “The major attraction of the programme will be the Eucharist which will be presided over by Rev. Pedro Hofez Iuintana, Vatican’s Ambassador to India,” informs Bishop Mathias. On his maiden visit to the city, Rev. Iuintana will interact with 14 Bishops from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and the northern region. The church had a humble beginning. Dr Gilbert Rego was ordained bishop of the Shimla-Chandigarh diocese on September 11, 1971, he took the charge of the diocese in the same month. Shimla was his headquarters with the church of St Michael and St Joseph as his cathedral. This magnificent and historic edifice was built by the catholic Viceroy Lord Rippon in 1885. It is still known as the Gothic marvel of the Himalayas. However, pastoral and administrative exigencies compelled the Bishop to spend most of his time in Chandigarh to be close to the majority of the Catholic population. The need became even more pronounced with the creation of the new city as the capital of Punjab and Haryana with the status of a union territory. The architectural design of the cathedral was drawn up by well-known architect, Mr Dethe. He was assisted by famous structural engineer, Mr Pathak, from Mumbai. After two years, the edifice was ready for dedication. The cathedral was blessed by Dr Luciano Soterro, the then Ambassador of the Vatican. The late Archbishop Amgelo Fernandaz of Delhi, Bishop Symphorian Keeprath of Jalandhar, late Mgr. J. Boerkamp MHM, Prefect Apostolic of Kashmir and Jammu and Bishop Rego also provided assistance. The triangle-shaped cathedral, which can accommodate 800 worshippers at a time is gracefully aesthetic in its interior design. The supporting columns of the massive grey-coloured roof are designed and placed in such a way that the sanctuary and the altar are visible from any corner of the church. When sunrays pass through the stained glasses on the lifesize wooden crucifix above the main altar against the backdrop of 35-feet-high grey and blue mosaic wall, the sanctuary has the aura of peace and serenity. The cathedral has been declared a pilgrimage centre of the Diocese in 2000. |
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Self-use diagnostic kits by CSIO soon
Mohali, April 23 Stating this, Prof V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, DST, said the kits would be in the form of small handy instruments, which would be able to diagnose diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis B and AIDS in a patient. Prof Ramamurthy was in the township today to inaugurate the bio-availability centre at NIPER. “Bio-MEMS stands for bio-micro electronic mechanical system. A hybrid system of bio-silicon is used to create a micrometer which is sensitive enough to show the presence of disease-causing pathogens within a fraction of a second. It is not just convenient and fast, but its accuracy is also unquestionable,” said Dr R.P. Bajpai, Director, CSIO. “For example, normally it takes a fortnight to detect TB in a patient with a certain amount of accuracy, but with this device it will take less than a minute,” he said. Dr Bajpai added that the first such self-use kit for detecting tuberculosis would be available in the market from next year. “We have filed for patents on these products which are likely to be cleared soon,” he said. The Bio-MEMS project at the CSIO started last year as part of a national facility created by the DST. These devices will be produced and marketed by the CSIO in India and abroad. “There are other institutes in the country which have undertaken the Bio-MEMS project but we are the only ones to start with its medical applications,” said Dr Bajpai. Talking to The Tribune, Prof Ramamurthy said the Chandigarh-Mohali belt, with institutes like the PGI, IMTECH, Panjab University, CSIO and NIPER, had a natural advantage over other parts of the country for undertaking quality research in various aspects of bio-technology.
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Learning disorders discussed
Panchkula, April 23 Parents of children suffering from learning disabilities and teachers interacted with experts in the field at the seminar held under the aegis of the ODE Foundation, an organisation working in the field of Specific Learning Disability in Panchkula and Chandigarh. The key note address was delivered by Dr Prabhjot Malhi, Assistant Professor, Advanced Centre of Paediatrics, PGIMER, Chandigarh. She discussed underachievement in schoolchildren, with special reference to learning disorders and laid stress on the need for schools to give cooperation in working with children with learning problems in a professional way. Defining the problem Dr Raj Gupta gave a brief description of the traits, problems and challenges faced by slow learners. Dr Monika Singh talked about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), its characteristics manifestations and management in terms of medication, behaviour and emotional measures. Delhi-based Dr Anupriya Chadha, Senior Consultant, Inclusive Education, Educational Consultants India Limited, Delhi, told parents and teachers about various measures being taken by the government under PWDA, training of teachers and providing resource support, concessions from CBSE and changing teaching learning process. Gurman Sandhu talked about CBSE concessions for students with learning problems as well as the internal concessions in the classroom for junior classes. Speaking about remedial measures, Sumita Mehta, a special educator, talked about the importance of learning styles and multi-sensory approach. Ms Simran Randhawa, a special educator at St John’s High School, Chandigarh, gave an overview about Sonday System, and different techniques that can be used at home and in the classroom to teach spellings to the children, while Nidhi Gill, a teacher, talked about Dyscalculia giving an overview about maths anxiety chain reaction. The last session had Dr Priti Arun, from GMCH, Sector 32, talking about management of ADHD which includes parental counselling, environmental and behaviour modification as well as medication. Psychologists, school teachers, parents, from Dehra Dun, Agra, Delhi, Amritsar also shared their views in the panel discussions with interactive sessions with the audience. |
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Gates erected for Jain festival demolished
Chandigarh, April 23 Four gates had been erected as part of the festival. According to the Congress candidate, Mr Pawan Bansal, the gates had no connection with the ongoing political activity in the city. The gates were saved from being demolished yesterday following the intervention of Mr Bansal, Mr Pradeep Chhabra, Senior Deputy Mayor, and certain other Congress supporters. Talking about the development, Mr Bansal said, “Rushed to the venue and talked to the Deputy Commissioner. He assured me that he would look into the matter. I also had a talk with the UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma, in this regard.” |
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Taking crisis in stride, a mother moves on
Chandigarh, April 23 Short on money and morale, Anju and her four wards have shifted to a one room tenement in Dhanas Colony near Panjab University. After running into trouble over the stay order granted by the district court, Anju could do little to change things for herself or her children, who find the new place in Dhanas nothing less than “hostile”. For Anju Mehta, the crisis is heartbreaking. After losing her husband who worked as a driver in the UT Administration, Anju counted on the shelter as a privilege. “Even that has deserted me. I have no one to blame except fate. The stay order was inadequate in restoring justice to us.” |
Bid to grab public property
Chandigarh, April 23 At a press conference organised this morning at the Chandigarh Press Club by society chairman Sukhdev Khanna. The copies of the letter addressed to the Administrator were also handed over to mediapersons. In the letter, Mr Khanna alleged that the accused had committed several offences by forging documents, breaking locks, removing hospital records and stealing hospital articles and equipment. He said the accused had forged an agreement of sale, besides committing other offences, “with the intention of grabbing public property worth more than Rs 15 crore”. |
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Newborn’s dog-eaten
body found
Chandigarh, April 23 A constable spotted a dog eating the girl’s body in the garbage bin near house No. 3081, Sector 20-D here. The constable said the child was couple of days old. A case under Section 318 of the IPC has been registered against her parents. The body has been sent for the post mortem examination to the Sector 16 General Hospital. The police is trying to locate the parents of the girl child. |
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2 neighbours commit suicide
Chandigarh, April 23 Bunty 23, was taken to the PGI within minutes of Mrs Bhawani, a mother of a 14-year-old daughter, as they began to vomit at 11.30 p.m. They had reportedly consumed a poisonous substance. Their end also came at the same time. Bunty was to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. He was unemployed after passing out Plus II. The woman was a housewife. The families of the two were known to each other for years. Bhawani’s husband and Bunty’s father are colleagues at the Sector 16 General Hospital. They were first taken to the Sector 16 hospital. Since their condition was serious they were immediately referred to the PGI. The families had shifted to Sector 24-C only a year back from the hospital flats. The two neighbours reported sick while marriage celebrations were going on in front of Bunty’s house. The bodies have been handed over to the families and an inquest proceeding under Section 174 of the IPC has been initiated. |
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IT’s time for double celebrations at the Cathedral of Christ the King, popularly known as Sector 19 church. For the church which has completed 25 years of its existence, its silver jubilee celebrations on April 25, also coincides with the Sacerdotal ordination of Bishop, Dr Jerald John Mathias.