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Prosecution of Bhushan Industries ordered
Chandigarh, January 8 “Since the case is under the Factories Act it will be filed with the Chief Judicial Magistrate and the Labour Department shall file it,” said Mr Arun Kumar. On January 3, a worker of Bhushan Industries, Prem Kumar Shah, died on the spot when his skull was smashed in a pipe blast. Issuing the order, the District Magistrate warned all industrial units to maintain all safety measures and added that strict penal action would be taken against the defaulters. Earlier, two inquiries were conducted for finding out the cause of the accident first by the Labour Department and second by Ms Padmini Singla, Subdivisional Magistrate (East). Both the inquiries pointed out severe lapses on the part of the management in terms of providing safety measures. The inquiry officers had pointed out that the approach passage to the chilling unit was only 1½ feet wide which was not adequate in the event of an accident or emergency. Similarly, the moving parts used in transmission such as pulley and the belt of the motor running the unit which were fast moving parts, were not guarded with suitable fencing for the safety of the workers. This was again a violation of Section 21. The fire extinguishers available in the unit were found empty and the first-aid box did not contain any bandage and sufficient medicines were not available in the box. At the time of the accident, no trained person for first-aid was available. There was no record of periodical examination of the pressure vessels by the competent authority as is required under Section 92. The building plan of the gas unit had not been approved by the Chief Inspector of Factories which is a violation of the Factories Act. The inquiry officer had pointed out that the management failed to discharge their obligation to ensure safety, so it was liable for prosecution. Earlier, a case had been registered under Section 304 of the IPC at the Industrial Area police station.
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MC gives shopkeepers 3 days to remove encroachments
Chandigarh, January 8 While addressing a press conference the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Mr P.S. Aujla, said today that the corporation staff would swing into action from January 12 and items confiscated during the anti-encroachment drive would not be returned at any cost. “We have taken a very serious view of the growing menace of encroachment and a beginning has to be made. Also, we will appoint a Municipal Magistrate, a post provided for in the Municipal Act, to streamline the exercise,” he said. In an attempt to systematically recarpet city roads, to ensure that southern sectors are not discriminated against he said the corporation was working on an online arrangement wherein every road would be given a specific number. “Under the arrangement, we would have information about when the road was last carpeted and when carpeting is due. This will take care of allegations levelled by some councillors,” he maintained. He added that officials of the corporation would shortly meet the Administrator to discuss problems and find solutions. “This would also include the issue of sharing of the revenue collected by way of taxes,” Mr Aujla added. Stating that the corporation would have zero-tolerance for corruption, Mr Aujla said the bidding was hardly competitive in the Engineering Department with regard to development works. “We will ensure that all tenders are hosted on the corporation website. Also, ensuring minimum wages for safai karamcharis wherever sanitation has been privatised would be taken care of. Work on the Municipal Solid Waste Management will begin by April 2005 while completion of the sewerage treatment plant would be hastened,” he said. While modernisation of the fire fighting wing and improvement in sanitation were among the other thrust areas of the corporation, an effort to evolve formal and informal mechanisms to involve citizens in the decision-making process would also be made. Mr Aujla said efforts would be made to complete the IVth phase of the Kajauli Water Supply scheme by May 2005 instead of the scheduled deadline of August keeping in view the water crisis in the city during the summers. Also, the corporation would chalkout plans to enhance the capacity and spread of tertiary water supply network with an objective to ensure availability of water for greater number of parks for irrigation as also to save potable water.
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Criminal booked for attempting suicide
Panchkula, January 8 Ms Mamta Singh, SP, said Ashok was operated upon last night. His condition was stated to be stable. She said
She ruled out any foul play and added that Ashok had locked himself in a room. He shot himself in the stomach with a country-made pistol. “The police later forcibly entered the room and rushed him to the hospital. The DSP (City) had visited the spot last night and verified that it was an attempt to commit suicide,” she added.
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Offices, structures of 50s being pulled down
Chandigarh, January 8 Known as the “old bungalows” in local parlance, these dilapidated structures were temporary constructions, which have not been demolished all these years. One of the them houses the Public Works Department (PWD) store and is the maintenance office of the UT Engineering Wing. Officials of the Chandigarh Administration said the office of Le Corbusier was located where the office of the Forest Department is located now on the Madhya Marg in Sector 19. The structures, which are being demolished, are near to the Sectors 19 and 27 traffic lights and were used as camp offices by various engineers and their staff. At least 4 to 5 one-kanal plots will be carved out on these lands for auctioning. Originally there were five bungalows and all, except one housing the PWD store, have been pulled down. A visit to the area showed that the walls of the store are giving way and the roof leaks perpetually. Officials said to keep this building in its present shape is impossible, as it was a temporary structure. The location of these “bungalows” was interesting. The old Shimla-Kalka-Ropar road used to pass nearby, and it was chosen as it was near to Nagla village and there was a bus stop, which was known as “Nagla Adda”. The bungalows were less than 500 m from the erstwhile bus stop.
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Need to air Pak TV channels in India, say Pakistan journalists
Chandigarh, January 8 The delegation of the Pakistani journalists talking to The Tribune at a breakfast hosted for them by Capt Kanwaljit Singh, sitting MLA of Banur Assembly Constituency and general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), in Hotel Mountview, in Sector 10, this morning. The members of the delegation opined that a number of private TV Channel have been coming up in Pakistan in near future and the governments should formulate such policies so that the TV programmes must be telecast in India. They claimed that more than two-and-a-half dozen Indian TV channels had gained popularity in Pakistan. While assuring the delegation, Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, a former Finance Minister, Punjab, said that he would take up the issue of airing Pakistani TV channels with the state as well as the Central Government. Capt. Kanwaljit Singh said that the peace process had re-united many families living across the border since Partition. Both the countries had been facing similar problems like overpopulation, poverty, unemployment and terrorism. If the political leaders, political parties and people of both the countries came forwards to wipe out differences, it would reunite the "hearts". He also appealed to the citizens of both the countries to maintain brotherhood, love, respect, leaving caste and creed to build 'new bonds' among themselves. "If both the countries reunite, the days are not far when they will rule the World", added Capt. Kanwaljit Singh. While talking to The Tribune, Mr Arshad Ansari, president of the Lahore Press Club, said that he enjoyed a homely atmosphere in India and especially in Chandigarh. Mr Ansari also expressed his gratitude to the hosts during their stay in Chandigarh. Mrs Farah Warraich, the only woman Pakistani journalist with the delegation, was overwhelmed with the affection and the curiosity among the Jat families, living in India since Partition, towards the members of Pakistani Jat family. She was fascinated when she found a Indian family waiting for her outside Fun Republic, a Cinema Hall in Manimajra where she had gone to watch Veer Zara, a movie, on Friday. The family waited for over two hours to see her. Mrs Warraich claimed that the family belonged to the Jat community and was anxious to visit her, since she was also from the same community. "Chhole bhature", an item in the hotel menu, reminded the delegation their morning at Lahore. The fragrance filled the air in India and Pakistan the same way, caimed Mr Jahid Awas, general secretary of the Lahore Press Club. The delegation that was scheduled to reach the hotel at 9 am reached the venue with a delay of over one-and-a-half-hours keeping the hosts and top journalists of the city waiting.
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Lahore journalists’ union for tie-up
with CPUJ
Chandigarh, January 8 In the letter, Mr Chaudhary has stated that there was need for the journalists from both sides of the Wagah border to join hands and have a common forum. He added that the forum would not only fight for the causes of journalists on both sides of the divide, but would also act as a meeting ground for the two organisations. Spelling out the aims of the association, Mr Chaudhary said that the venture would promote mutual understanding between the journalists of Eastern and Western Punjab.
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Weapons pose risk to mankind, says expert
Chandigarh, January 8 In Mohali's Army Institute of Law for attending a workshop on international law, Prof Nirmal adds the war is also strategically counter productive. "It has disastrous consequences for international rule of law in unipolar world," he adds. Elaborating upon his contention, Prof Nirmal says, "The recent war heaped on Iraq by the US-led defence forces was unprovoked, illegal, unjustified and morally reprehensible. Iraq's virtual annexation in the name of destroying weapons of mass destruction, besides elimination of alleged link between Iraq and the Al-Quaeda, only pushed aside so-called global fight against terrorism". The war, he adds, also brought to fore basic issue pertaining to non-use of force, territorial integrity and political independence of a weak state. "It also demonstrated willingness of the US to perpetuate its hegemonic position by hook or crook. It also displayed lack of qualm on the part of the US to strike any state any time if necessary for furtherance of its perceived self-interest". Offering a solution to the problem of global terrorism, he suggests, "If you want fight against terrorism to be successful, you will have to direct it at two levels. First of all, the existing anti-terrorism regime has to be strengthened and priority has to be given to an early adoption of a comprehensive convention on terrorism. All states will have to show genuine commitment towards elimination of terrorism by becoming parties to the existing conventions".
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Indigenous linear accelerators to be produced for cancer treatment
Chandigarh, January 8 The target is to produce six accelerators in the first year and subsequently produce 10 to 15 accelerators every year so that the production can touch 1000 mark by the year 2020. . “Transferring the technology from the sophisticated labs to the manufacturing units has become the main hindrance as not even a single private company has shown any inclination to manufacture the accelerators on a large scale. The government has now decided to set up its own plant, pitch in its own manpower and start the production at the mass scale so that the efforts of the R& D labs could reach masses, as accelerators would tremendously help in the cancer treatment in the country,'' said Mr Vegraj Singh, chartered engineering and scientist with SAMEER, while talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the National Conference of Indian Radiographers at GMCH, Sector 32 here today. India, in fact, figures among the top six nations in the world to develop the sophisticated indigenous technology for the accelerators, which costs around Rs 3 crore for manufacturing and lasts up to 15 years. The country, till date, has only 48 linear accelerators, of which just four are indigenous, which have come from the laboratories of SAMEER. Remaining are all imported by incurring huge costs. Its inferior and more hazardous predecessor, the cobalt technique accelerators, are not more than 300 in India and two technologies put together do not meet the demands of even half the cancer patients requiring treatment in the country. “We have a huge demand of at least 700 accelerators and the figures would keep increasing with the passage of time,'' added Mr Singh. “Ideally the cobalt units should no longer be in use because the dumping of the radioactive waste, residue of the cobalt unit, is a major problem and the threat of fatal accident is always there. In the developed nations, cobalt therapy is no longer recommended in the hospitals. But in India, due to the huge demand and the lack of linear accelerators, the cobalt treatment is given,'' added the scientist.
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Evolve mechanism to give legal redress: Rodrigues
Mohali, January 8 General Rodrigues, who was inaugurating a two-day workshop on ‘Emerging Role of International Law’ organised at the Army Institute of Law, said there were a number of people who gave theoretical solutions to various problems but there was no mechanism to implement them. We laid down a set of norms which we did not follow ourselves. In certain cases it was not clear which principles of justice were being followed. The Governor said he had always advocated greater transparency and opening of systems. Nothing was sacred when one was talking about the needs of society. The system had to be compatible with the emerging realties. There was a need to evolve a system that did justice to everybody concerned. “Nothing that is unilateral can every succeed”, he added. He said there was also a need to set up new forums and tribunals as the present system was not totally responsive to the needs of society. Prof B. C. Nirmal, member of the executive council of the Indian Society of International Law spoke about his organisation in his keynote address. He said the society was started under the patronage of Jawaharlal Nehru and had been working for more than four decades to promote teaching and research in international law. He hoped that the workshop would not only identify areas of deficiency in the existing international law norms but also make concrete recommendations for the evolution of a generally acceptable global law for mankind. Later, at the morning session of the workshop, which was chaired by Mr Justice S. K. Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Professor Nirmal focussed on the supremacy of international law and state
sovereignty. He said the concept of absolute sovereignty, which was coined by Hobbes, was not really a concept but a political notion which was subject to continuous change. The international system of law was crumbling because in the 21 st century states were the centers of human activities but now they had been replaced by non-state entities. There was a need to refresh international law by giving more importance to individual rights and needs. He said no state could exercise sovereignty unilaterally. International law like municipal law owed its existence to the consent of individuals. Prof Veer Singh, Director-General, AIL, spoke on recent trends in international law. He said after 1945 international law emerged with a new consensus. Initially, a state could wage war unilaterally but now it could only do so for self-defence. International law was more of trans national law. In his opinion international community mandate was necessary for mutual survival. During the evening session of the workshop, which was chaired by Mr Justice Hemant Kumar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Ajay Gulati, advocate, high court, focussed on recent developments in the international economic law regime. He said international economy meant the interaction of national economies. He laid stress on the core issue that there was a need to participate in the international economy due to the growth of national economies and a strong private sector. Mr G. Venkatesh Rao, advocate, Supreme Court, spoke on human development and environmental issues. He said international environmental law was a common concern of the people to preserve the planet from interference by man. It was a constantly evolving law. He said environmental was a global issue. The developed countries were more responsible for environmental degradation. The USA, he said, was responsible for the emission of 20 per cent of green house gases while it had only 4 per cent population of the world. The workshop is being attended by almost 70 delegates of different universities in India.
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Panchkula dist gets wildlife sanctuary
Panchkula, January 8 Sources in the Forest Department say that 4,872 hectares falling in the Pinjore-Morni forest division was proposed to be included in the wildlife sanctuary. While 2,226. 56 hectares has now been notified as a protected sanctuary, called the Khol Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, the remaining area of Asrewali Reserve Forest will soon be included in the sanctuary. The new wildlife sanctuary, includes Jalan, Ambwala, and Burj Kotian in the north side; Gumtala, Chowki , Ghaggar river and Nadda in the West, Mogi Nand, Naggal and part of Asrewali Reserve Forest in the South, and Mandana Forest area in the East. The Forest Department had been pressing for the setting up of the sanctuary here as the area has a rich flora and fauna. Other than fruit trees, herbs, shrubs and other vegetative growth, the area has a good population of wild animals here. Panthers, sambars, gorals, barking deer, wild boars, jackals, foxes, hares, pangolins, pythons and other snakes are found in abundance in this area. Wildlife officers say that the avi-fauna in the new sanctuary includes red jungle fowls, peafowls, khaleej pheasants, partridges, and common birds like tree pies, barbets, bulbuls and doves. The issue of developing a sanctuary at Morni had been hanging fire for the past couple of years. The issue was discussed at several meetings of the Indian Board of Wildlife. The department had proposed to develop this sanctuary in lieu of denotification of two sanctuaries - Saraswati Forest , which falls partly in Kaithal district and partly in Kurukshetra and spread over an area of 4,400 hectares; and, in Bada Ban in Jind district, spread over an area of 400 hectares. The department had sought the permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for this de-notification, and notification of the sanctuary in Panchkula. The department had pleaded that the forest reserves in Panchkula were far rich in flora and fauna, as compared to Saraswati Forest and Bada Ban. Now, while the new sanctuary has been notified, the Saraswati Forest and Bada Ban have not been de-notified. Forest officials say that the de-notification would require permission from the Supreme Court.
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Greenpeace to promote cycling in city
Chandigarh, January 8 The idea behind ‘Greentire’, the recently launched Yuvasatta initiative, is to promote the use of cycles as against cars which are major polluting factor. The city has the highest per capita cars in India. With the increasing urbanisation, industrial and commercial activities, the transport demand is further increasing. Much of the problem arises due to an inadequate public transport system which fuels the use of personalised vehicles. The total number of vehicles in the city has increased from 12,346 in 1971 to over 5,22,438 in 2001. The number of cars on the road is also growing rapidly. Greenpeace activist Manish Kumar says, “forecasts assume that this number will reach two billion worldwide by 2030. This will mean that petrol consumption will grow to an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes by 2030. Carban dioxide’s emission from vehicles would then increase to more than 7.5 billion tones, which would be grave.” For some time now, the NGOs have been promoting cycling by organising guided cycle tours for students, housewives, senior citizens, professionals, public and private sector employees. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of yet another chapter in the “stop using the cars campaign’ as ‘Greentire’ will be joined by ‘Greenpeace’ which has had a significant history of exposing global environmental problems.
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Workshop on road safety organised
Chandigarh, January 8 A press note of the police said that 150 principals and teachers of government and private schools of the city attended the conference. Mr Amitabh Dhillon, SP Traffic, addressed the gathering and explained the importance of road safety, particularly for schoolchildren. Police officials emphasised the role the teachers could play in educating the children in this regard. They urged the teachers to persuade the parents not to give vehicles to minors. Literature on road safety was also distributed. Nearly 150 government vehicle drivers and taxi drivers participated in the workshop organised by the traffic police in the Children Traffic Park. Mr Amitabh Dhillon and Mr
S.P.S. Garcha, president, Chandigarh Motor Sports Association, delivered lectures to the drivers regarding traffic rules and regulations. The taxi drivers were asked to be vigilant, as the safety of passengers is their primary responsibility. The closing ceremony of the 16th National Road Safety Week will be held at Traffic Auditorium, Sector 29, tomorrow at 4 pm. The IGP, Chandigarh, Mr Rajesh Kumar will be the chief guest on the occasion.
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Traders protest against property tax
Chandigarh, January 8 The demonstrators burnt an effigy of the Municipal Corporation, besides burning a copy of the notification of the property tax. Leaders of traders said since the Congress came to power in the Municipal Corporation, it has been imposing various taxes frequently on the city residents. Traders of the city are being harassed unnecessarily and goods of traders are being lifted from markets without any reason, they protested. The Congress had got the resolution passed for imposing property tax immediately after winning the previous Lok Sabha election. Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, president, BJP, Chandigarh, Mr Purshotam Mahajan, vice-president, Mr Amrit Lal Goyal and Mr Anil Vohra addressed the protesting traders. Others who joined the protest included Ms Kamla Sharma and Harjinder Kaur, former Mayors of Chandigarh, and many others. Meanwhile, the Market Welfare Association, Sector 47-C, has criticised the imposition of the property tax on commercial establishments in Chandigarh. The association said the traders had opined that property tax would add to their woes.
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Slum children get sweaters, caps
Chandigarh, January 8 These have been made especially for 160 children of night schools, run under the aegis of the Durga Das Foundation, in the peripheral slum colonies of the city.
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2 hurt in accident
Mohali, January 8 One of the injured Tushar, belongs to Chandigarh, while the other, Naresh, is a resident of Mohali. They were admitted to a private nursing home here. KHARAR:
An employee of the Kharar Textile Mill, who complained of chest pain while on work, died at the Civil Hospital here on Friday. The body of Lalit Prasad, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was handed over to members of the family after a post-mortem. He probably died due to a heart attack.
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Mohali MC chief bereaved
Mohali, January 8
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Gang of car thieves busted
Panchkula, January 8 The police say that they received information about two cars- a Zen (PB-05 J- 7314) and another car, being parked near Red Bishop Hotel here this evening. Policemen rushed to the spot and found the Zen car parked there, and Lakhwinder sitting in the car. On questioning Lakhwinder, the police found that he did not have relevant papers for the car. “We found two registration copies in the car, but the chassis number and engine number in the RCs were missing. We took Lakhwinder into custody, and during his questioning, he revealed that he was part of a seven-member gang involved in stealing cars, preparing their registration certificates and then selling them,” said a senior police officer. The gang was operating from a house in Sector 7 here. The other members of the gang- Makhan Singh, Kali, Jaswinder Singh,
Nikku, Ashwani Sethi and Rinku - are absconding. A case under Sections 379, 411, 413, 414, 420, 468 and 471 of the IPC has been registered. Boy electrocuted:
Two held: The police has arrested two
persons-Narata Ram and Sarju- on charges of rioting and assault. Roshan Lal accused them of attacking him while he was working in his fields at Hangoli village. Security Guard held: The police has arrested a security guard — Sanjiv Kumar- of Drish Shoes in Industrial area, on charges of stealing the CPU of a computer from the factory.
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Rs 25,000 stolen from shop
Chandigarh, January 8 One held:
Car stolen:
Injured:
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Electronic goods stolen
Kharar, January 8 The locks of the shops were broken to enter the premises. Shopkeepers suspected the burglaries took place between 4 am and 5 am. The criminals took away among other items mobile phone sets, sim cards and
chargers. The police has registered a case in this regard.
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