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LPG distributors call off strike Chandigarh, June 12 The LPG Distributors Federation said they would work tomorrow to streamline the supply in the city. The Chandigarh Administration today offered panchayat lands to 11 LPG distributors in Maloya village, located just south of Sector 39, and gave then four months to shift out of their premises. The remaining seven distributors would be relocated after another meeting, scheduled next Saturday. Those allotted land today were Punia Gas, City Gas, Happy Gas, Jai Gas, Vijay Gas, Public Gas, Pranam Gas, Navdeepmala Gas, Sachin Gas and Parveen Gas. The Deputy Commiss-ioner said to simplify matters, LPG distributors and their godowns would be exempted from the control of the Periphery Control Act for a period of five years. However, they would have to seek permission for this. Private lands would also be taken on lease and the same Exemption would be allowed. Detailed terms and conditions would be finalised for signing of lease
deed between the panchayat and individual gas agency owners by the village panchayat. Broadly, terms and conditions would be uniform and the each gas agency offered a site of 1000-square yard plot on a lease basis. The draft agreement, prepared earlier by the BDPO as prescribed under the provisions of the Punjab Village Common Land Act, would be the guiding document. The owners would seek necessary clearance of the Explosive Act and create an infrastructure in conformity with the urban planning norms. The BDPO and the sarpanch of Maloya village have visited the site and reported that most of the willing gas agency owners could be allocated land on the site. Basic facilities like water and electricity would be provided by the Administration shortly. At the meeting it was also decided that the entire process would be completed within four months after the offer of possession of land to the gas agencies. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of oil companies based at Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the LPG Distributors Federation regretted the inconvenience caused to consumers and welcomed the outcome of the meeting. The federation said the Deputy Commissioner had assured them that no demolitions would take place till the distributors were re-settled. |
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Mystery behind SDO’s death deepens Panchkula, June 12 The post-mortem was performed today at General Hospital by a panel of doctors, and it revealed that the bullet fired from a point blank range had pierced through his head. Later, the body was handed over to the family, who took it to Hissar, for the last rites. The police says that prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide, while conceding that no suicide note has been found. Though the brothers of the victim made verbal representations to the police that it was a case of murder, the police officials say they have not received any written complaint from any family member and have initiated inquest proceedings. A team of forensic experts led by Dr G.R. Jain came from Ambala today and examined the scene of crime. They lifted finger-prints from the objects in the room and also found that the bullet was fired on his right temple. It pierced through the victim’s head and after deflecting from the wall fell on the floor of the room. However, no finger-prints could be traced on the trigger of the revolver as its surface was not smooth. The victim had died of a gun shot wound, fired from his personal. 32 bore revolver yesterday afternoon. He died after he was hit by the bullet, while sitting on the sofa in the drawing room. At the time of the incident, his wife, children and his wife’s relatives were present in the house. However, his wife, Ved Rani, and children failed to inform the police and reportedly told neighbours and friends that he had died of a heart attack. Since no one was allowed to go near the body everyone believed that he had died of a heart attack. The brothers of victim, residing in Hissar, were informed about his death at 4.30 pm. They reached here at 9 pm last night. “When we came here, we realised that he had died of a gun shot wound, and we called the police, though his immediate family had objected to the police being called,” said the victim’s brother, Dr Surinder Sihag. Dr Sihag alleged that the victim had a dispute with his brother-in-law, Shamsher Singh, over some monetary transaction. “He had given Rs 9.50 lakh as loan to his brother- in- law a few years ago, and the latter was not returning it. A panchayat was called to sort out the dispute two years ago. Shamsher had promised to return the money,” he said. However, some other family members say that the victim was upset for the past few days.”
On the night of June 10, he had gone to attend a party at the house of a senior officer in the department, but did not return home all night. He came back in the morning, and then went to his office. He came home for lunch, and while family members were in the other rooms, he shot himself,” a relative said. |
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Lockout at ESPL; staff stage protest Mohali, June 12 A number of employees who had gathered in front of the factory, despite being a holiday, staged a dharna and also raised slogans against the PSIDC and the Punjab Government. They said the move of the corporation was arbitrary and unjustified. A board has been put up on the main gate of the factory on behalf of the Managing Director of the PSIDC which reads: “This property belongs to the PSIDC. Trespassers will be prosecuted. “The factory was locked from inside. Mr Kultar Singh and Mr T.P. Singh, president and general secretary, respectively, of the Electronic Systems Punjab Employees Union, urged the Punjab Chief Minister to personally intervene and get an inquiry into the reasons that led to the closure of the factory. They demanded that the factory should be restarted. The closure of the factory came as a shock to the employees of the unit, who were on duty yesterday, and had left the factory after 5 p.m. They got to know late in the evening that a board by the PSIDC had been put up on the gate. Today when they came to protest, they saw that the entire security staff on duty had also been changed. Mrs Baljit Kaur, an employee of the ESPL, told The Tribune that a peon had been asked by the management to stay after 5 p.m. yesterday as some guests were expected and he had been asked to attend to them. She said it was he who informed a union leader about the board that had been put up on behalf of the PSIDC. The employees said the company had work orders from the Election Department, Punjab for annual maintenance of computers till 2006 and an order worth Rs 7 crore was in the pipeline for preparing electoral rolls. They said the company had a regular annual income of Rs 2.5 crore from the maintenance work of data acquisition and control systems of various thermal plants. Apart from this, the company earned another Rs 1.5 crore per annum from PNB from annual maintenance contract. Mr Ramji Dass, general secretary of the local unit of the Trade Union Council, said the closure of the factory was unjustified because it had been earning operational profits for the past more than six years. He said the agitation would be intensified on Monday. Mr Rajinder Shukla, legal adviser to the union, said the closure of the factory was against public interest. He said the Punjab State Electricity Board had written to the Principal Secretary, Industries, Punjab, that closure to the ESPL would have adverse effect on electricity generation at Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar, which generated 420 MW of power for Punjab. |
Dowry Act being misused, says SSP Mohali, June 12 This was stated by Mr S.P. Singh, SSP, Ropar, at the inauguration of a women cell in the Phase VIII police station here today. The cell was inaugurated by the Ropar Deputy Commissioner, Ms Seema Jain. The SSP said at many times, the police was under pressure to register cases related to dowry. He said in the past six months, 25 such cases had been registered and most of these were linked to influential persons. He said that the women cell was being strengthened so that a common man could approach the police with his problem. He said that in future, cases related to dowry would be registered only after the women cell recommended such an action. Ms Jain said the cell would study all aspects of the cases and make efforts to get them solved after providing proper counselling. The DC said that in today’s world, materialism was on the rise. In a number of cases, marital disputes arose because of misunderstandings. She said a marriage did not involve only two persons, but also their families. Going to courts with dowry cases was no solution, she said, adding that society had to participate in order to solve the problem. Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, SP, said members from the public would be nominated to the cell, provided they did not have any political links. The work of the members would be reviewed every six months. Those who were interested could come forward with their suggestions. There was a plan to set up a marriage counselling wing also, he added. Three members have so far been nominated for the women cell. They are Ms Amteshwar Kaur, Municipal Councillor, Dr Surinder Kaur Gambhir and Dr Hardeep Singh. |
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City boy’s Olympic dream comes true Chandigarh, June 12 On a flying visit to his aunt in Chandigarh, Abir talked with gusto about the rigorous process that preceded his selection as an escort. His young eyes sport a sparkle as he adds, “Can you imagine who I escorted — none other than the legendary mountaineer Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia (retd), who has scaled the Mount Everest thrice. He had severely injured his spinal chord on his way back during the last trip. Now he is disabled, and uses a wheelchair”. For Abir, an ardent trekker himself, escorting Major Ahluwalia was indeed a lifetime achievement. Though he also escorted actor Rahul Bose, Adil Sumariwala, a 1980 Olympian and a Coke employee, he is most excited about his chance encounter with Major Ahluwalia. Abir says, “I began trekking in the lower Shivaliks when I was in Chandigarh. Later, I went for more difficult trekking routes like the Chandrataal in Manali and Tapovan beyond Gaumukh. Though I moved to Delhi some years ago, I am essentially a Chandigarh boy. My father is a bureaucrat in the Haryana cadre. As an aspiring mountaineer myself, I was too glad to move the wheelchair of Major Ahluwalia, as he bore the glorious torch”. Humble in his success, Abir adds that he had to seek instant medication to attend the Olympic torch ceremony in Delhi. “Just before the occasion I had sprained my ankle while playing cricket. But I was keen to escort the legends. So I consumed heavy doses of medicine to keep fit for the D-Day.” Even the screening process was no less than “stringent”. The aspirants were supposed to participate in an essay contest. The best writers were then to be selected as escorts. The Coke-sponsored essay contest centred on the theme, “What or who inspired me to make a difference”. Abir says, “Coke covered 100 schools for the contest. Only seven were finally selected from Delhi. I represent Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram”. A class XII student of DPS, RK Puram, Abir had many other credits to his name. Not only did he score well in the essay contest, he was also preferred for his strong extra-curricular record. Besides being the sports secretary of his school, Abir also plays under 19 for various cricket clubs in Delhi. He says, “The news of selection came as a pleasant surprise. I was so happy to be part of a ceremony which has a historical significance. I know not many youngsters will get this chance again in life”. Accompanied by officials from Athens, Abir ran proudly as he escorted the best achievers of India. At the end of the day, all he had to say was, “Next time I will strive to bear the torch”. |
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BJP chief threatens to launch stir Chandigarh, June 12 He said Mr Bansal had promised to the people of the city and those living in villages, during his election campaign, that he would not allow any house to be demolished and those constructed outside Red Line would be regularised. But soon after winning the election, he backed out of his promises he made to the people. It was clear that Mr Bansal was not able to safeguard the interests of the poor people. Mr Mahajan warned that if the demolitions, which were being carried out at the instance of the Congress-ruled government as well as Mr Bansal were not stopped immediately the BJP unit of the city would be forced to launch a mass movement against the demolition drives and the anti-people and anti-poor policy of the Congress. In a separate statement Mr Davesh Moudgil, President, BJYM, also condemned the demolitions being carried out in various parts of the city as well as in villages. |
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Tainted ministers: BJP meeting on June 16 Chandigarh, June 12 |
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Honour for M.N. Sharma Chandigarh, June 12 This is said to be rare distinction and is used to honour personalities that have excelled in the field of art or literature. Mr Sharma came to the limelight in 1968 when he helped to organise and inaugurate the first exhibition on Chandigarh in Switzerland. In 1969 he was invited by the USA based Rockefeller Foundation to meet the foremost architects and visit elite architectural institutions in the USA and Japan. In 1973 Mr Sharma received the coveted “ Award of the Institute of Life” in Paris for creating the best environment for the common man. Of the numerous awards and recognitions received by Mr Sharma, the latest French award is considered to be most prestigious. This distinction brings honour to the country and indeed to the city the cause of which is so dear to Mr Sharma’s heart. |
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Brijesh Ahuja records album Chandigarh, June 12 Having worked earlier as a singer in many serials and films like Jaspal Bhatti’s “Ulta Pulta”, “Flop Show” and “Mahaul Theek Hai”, Brijesh is now concentrating on evolving as a music director. He said, “Music direction is something I have always wanted to do. After many years of singing, I think the time is ripe for taking the plunge. I earlier scored music for a Hindi feature film in which Kavita Krishnamurty and Shailendra Singh were playback singers. Later, I also groomed local talent, besides being a judge for many a music competition”. The present album has the female voice of Shruti Bhagat from Nahan, winner of the Mohd Rafi award. She was present in the studio for recording this morning. |
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Discourses by Bapu Asa Ram from June 15 Chandigarh, June 12 Stating this here today, Mr Vinod Sharma, president of the organising samiti, said lakhs of devotees from far-flung areas of the country and abroad were expected to attend the camp. They would attend the religious discourses to be delivered by Sant Shri Asa Ramji Bapu in the mornings and evenings during the three-day Guru Purnima Mahotasv. |
8-yr-old boy found dead Panchkula, June 12 The young boy, wearing grey trousers and a pink shirt, and a belt of DAV School, Sector 7, was found lying in the bushes, a few yards off the road leading to the Patiala temple. The child’s face was crushed beyond recognition. The police say that this could be a case of accident, and some speeding vehicle could have crushed the child. It is learnt that the body was found by the watchman of the Patiala temple, who informed the police. The victim was then taken to the General Hospital, where the body has been kept for identification. Late in the night, the victim was identified as Babu Ram , the eldest of the three sons of Sona Lal of Chandi Mandir. The victim's father said he was missing since early afternoon and expressed surprise at how the child had reached the Mansa Devi shrine complex. |
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Cash, jewellery stolen Mohali, June 12 Burglars struck at the house, located in the Housefed complex, when its owners were out of station. The lock on the main door was broken to enter the building. Another lock on one of the bedroom doors was also broken. Cash and jewellery kept in a metal almirah was stolen. Mr Sarup Singh, who works in the AG Office, Chandigarh, told Chandigarh Tribune that his wife, Ms Inderjeet Kaur, who worked in Nabard, had been transferred to Dehra Dun and the family was to shift there. Some of the household items had already been taken there. He said he left for Dehra Dun from his office yesterday and there was no one at home. He said this morning he was informed by one of his neighbours that a burgalry had taken place at his residence. I, along with my wife, immediately rushed for Mohali. Clothes and other things were scattered in the bedroom. The police was informed. Ms Inderjeet said she had not taken her jewellery to Dehra Dun as she thought this place to be safer. |
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Man picked up by ‘cops’ Mohali, June 12 It is alleged that Ajit Singh (33) was picked up around 4.40 am by men wearing uniforms. They had come in a van and a Gypsy. They knocked at the door of the house and asked for Ajit Singh, Later they took him out of the house and beat him up. His family members were asked to reach the Phase I police station. It is learnt that the father of Ajit Singh visited different police stations in the town in search of his son but could not find him. |
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PGI employees caught stealing Chandigarh, June 12 The incident took place around 1.30 am today. The accused broke open the lock of the store and stole a wash basin, PVC pipelines, flash valves, taps, bathroom fittings and other items and stocked them in their car. While they were trying to go out of the PGI premises, the security guard at the gate tried to stop the car and asked for a gate pass. It resulted into an altercation, following which the security guard searched the car and seized the stolen items. The three were produced in the court today morning and have been sent to judicial remand for 14 days. |
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Drug peddler arrested Chandigarh, June 12 Sashi Kumar, a resident of Khem Matiharka village in Gopalganj district of Bihar, was nabbed by a team of local police from the Chandigarh Kaimpwala village link road adjacent to the Rock Garden this afternoon. Mr Jagbir Singh SHO, Sector 3, police station said following a tip off Sashi was arrested while carrying the drug in a plastic bag. |
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