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Court orders impleading of
37 city schools
Chandigarh, March 17 While the names of all schools could not be known, sources say that high-profile schools such as DPS in Sector 40, which has Chandigarh MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and other senior Congress leaders as partners, and Durga Das Foundation-managed Strawberry Fields School in Sector 26 are among those impleaded. Today, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice Devinder Kumar Jain and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta fixed April 1 as the next date of hearing. The court was hearing a bunch of seven petitions, out of which five are challenging the allotment of sites to these schools. Two of them are challenging the policy framed by UT Administration in 2001. The UT Administration had amended its 1996 Scheme of Allotment of School sites in December 2001. The petitioners say that vide this amendment, the Administration allowed existing schools as well to apply for another site. The petitioners further pointed out that the amendment did away with the clause that provided for reservation for residential schools. The petitioner also stated that a judgment by the High Court in 2001 had ordered the closure of schools functioning in residential premises. The judgment, the petitioner added, also stated that the Administration, while framing its policy, should rehabilitate the residential schools and thus frame the policy with their interest in mind as well. The hearing will now resume on April 1.
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CBSE cancels Guru Harkrishan Public School’s affiliation
Chandigarh/Ambala, March 17 The release added that 25 candidates of Class X and 30 candidates of Class XII have been allowed to appear for the 2005 examination as a very special case, keeping the future of the students in mind. “The school has also given in writing that it will not admit any student from Class IX onwards from the session 2005-06 which begins on April 1. The parents are advised to check the status of the school before admitting their wards,” the release mentioned. Meanwhile, the management committee chairperson, Ms Amarjeet Kaur Gulati, said they had not yet received formal information about the cancellation of the affiliation of the school from the CBSE. Ms Gulati said they have already fulfilled all necessary requirements of school building. “We have constructed a new school building in Saha. The new building meets all the CBSE specifications. The CBSE officials can inspect the new building anytime they want,” she said. She stated that three years back, they had constructed a building in Gandhi Nagar. “However, that school building was demolished by Town and Country Planning officials. Thereafter, we bought land at Saha where we have constructed the new school building,” she said. She said they have already submitted photographs of the new school building to the CBSE officials concerned. “Last month, we had taken special permission from the CBSE officials so that our students do not miss out on board examination. As many as 55 students had taken the board examination,” she said. Ms Gulati said she was again going to request the CBSE officials to inspect the building. “The main issue was for school ground, which we have met. The infrastructure is already in place and I am sure that CBSE officials will understand the situation,” she said. “Our students have been doing well in examinations and parents are happy with our performance,” she added.
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Maximum temperature falls after duststorm
Chandigarh, March 17 With temperatures in mid-March touching around 70° C the weather seemed all set to welcome the khus filled air coolers. But the weather gods took heed of the unwelcome warmth and the duststorm brought the maximum temperature down from 31.4 ° Celsius to 23.4° by 7:30 pm. The minimum temperature recorded was a pleasant 18.6° C. The maximum wind speed recorded yesterday was around 64.8 km/hr while some areas in Punjab and Haryana received some precipitation as well. The storm was a result of two western disturbances, one over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and the other over North East Afghanistan and the adjoining areas of north Pakistan.
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Rs 5.4 cr earmarked for roads, parks, tubewells
Chandigarh, March 17 Mr S. K. Sandhu, Secretary Engineering, said the works to be undertaken included construction of approach road and parking in the shopping centre of Sector 40-D costing Rs 20.65 lakh. Importantly, roads dividing Sectors 24 and 25 and Sectors 37 and 38 will be widened and strengthened at a cost of Rs 1.41 crore to ease traffic congestion on those roads. The condition of the Jan Marg on the stretch between Secretariat and Housing Board Chowk will be improved by laying 25 mm thick semi-dense bituminous concrete at a cost of Rs 27 lakh. Similarly, Udayan Path between Sectors 10 and 11 and Sectors 2 and 3 will be widened and carpeted at a cost of Rs 1.05 crore to take care of additional
traffic flow.
Two deep bore tubewells would be installed in villages of Hallo Majra and Kajheri. A tubewell and a booster for water supply to the Chandigarh Armed Police complex, near Dhanas village, will be set up at a cost of Rs 41 lakh. Residents of Sector 47 and 48 will have un-interrupted power supply and better voltage with the setting up of four 11-KV feeders from newly constructed 66 KV sub-station in Sector 47 with an estimated cost of Rs 15 lakh. Similarly, problem of over-loading in Sector 11 will get solved with the installation of 11-KV feeder from 66-KV sub-station, Sector 12, at an estimated cost of Rs 20 lakh. A storm water disposal system along the newly constructed road from the Information Technology Park, near Kishengarh village to traffic lights at the turning for the railway station would be set up at an estimated cost of Rs.94.35 lakh. This will help in tackling the problem of water accumulation on these roads.
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Chemist manhandles SMO
Panchkula, March 17 The Senior Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr Subhash Sharma, said the chemist, Mr Chander Prakash, had come looking for patients who could buy medicines from his shop. When Dr Sharma spotted him in the ward, he asked the chemist to leave the
hospital.
“No sooner had I said this he began abusing me in the ward. I called for the securitymen to take him away. While they were doing so, he freed himself and came charging back, pushed me and caught hold of my collar. Before he could cause any harm, the securitymen and other doctors overpowered him and took him away,” he narrated. Dr Sharma added that the chemist even threatened him, stating, “Don’t think our government is out of power and you can have your way in the hospital. We have our connections in the new government as well.” Later, angered by the attack on a fellow colleague and the regularity with which chemists operating on the hospital campus were misbehaving with the doctors and the staff, a 12-member delegation led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Satvir Chaudhary, submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Brijinder Singh, and the Superintendent of Police, Mr S.P. Ranga. Demanding that the shops be shut down, the doctors claimed that the chemists on the hospital complex were selling inferior medicines to gullible villagers at hiked rates. “However, we don’t want to comment on that since that is the job of the Drugs Inspector. We have repeatedly complained about misbehaviour on the part of these chemists, the growing nexus between them and our lower staff and their visiting the wards in search of patients but to no avail. Now, things have reached a point where these chemists are acting with impunity much to the distress of the doctors at the hospital,” the doctors rued. They claimed that the very purpose of setting of these shops, the idea was let NGOs to run the shops and make available medicines at low rates, has been defeated which renders them useless. The doctors held that there were a whole lot of chemist shops right next to the hospital to take care of patients’ needs and that the two shops were no required at all. However, the shopkeeper, under fire from the doctors, said he had gone to leave a patient suffering from cancer, to the ward. On seeing him inside the hospital building, Mr Prakash claimed that the SMO shouted at him and used abusive language. “The doctor pushed me away, hit me on my face, broke my spectacles and asked the security to throw me out of hospital after which I retaliated,” he stated. He, too, has registered a complaint with the police. Meanwhile, the police has registered a case against the chemist, Chander Prakash, for assaulting a government doctor on duty and threatening him with dire consequences. The chemists association of the city condemned the assault on the doctor and said that action against the erring chemist should have been initiated when complaints first came in.
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Kanishka wounds impossible to heal
Chandigarh, March 15 Even though Vipin Berry remarried after his wife Neelam’s death, the judgement acquitting two accused in the mass murder has made matters worse for this Montreal-based chartered accountant, trying hard to live life again. He is not available for comments, but his close friend H. Kishie Singh says, “Life goes on, but it’s been never the same again for Berry.’’ No one can explain the agony of living a life without a loved one, he adds. Mr Kishie Singh recalls that his friend Vipin came to him in Canada as a student in early 70s and slogged alongside to earn a decent living. He was later joined by his childhood sweetheart, Neelam. The two toiled together to make enough money to buy a house and settle down. They were happy together and Neelam quit working to raise two children — a boy and a girl. Since it had been some years since they all had visited their families back home in India, Vipin told Neelam to take a trip with the kids for a few months. Since he could not get so much leave, he would join them at the tail end of their trip and that they would travel back together, recalls Mr Kishie Singh. But that was not to be, for Neelam and the kids ( below 10 years) were on board the Kanishka flight, which killed 329 persons off the Irish coast on June 23, 1985. Vipin was never to see them again. Though Vipin and Neelam got married in their mid-twenties, their association went back to a time when they were just 10 and 12 years old, says Mr Kishie Singh, adding that two years back when he visited him, he was still reliving some of the memories of his sweetheart and kids. “Everytime he hears anything related to Kanishka, his wounds resurface and start bleeding all over again.’’ We took a few holidays together when we were in Canada and the memories of those still live on, says Kishie Singh. Without commenting on the judgement, Mr Kishie Singh says, “it is indeed horrific that in the past 20 years, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, one of the most efficient police forces in the world could not find a shred of evidence against anyone.’’ It took the prosecution almost 15 years to frame charges against the accused in one of the worst air disasters of the world,’’ he rues. The judges must be right in delivering the verdict, for they did not find any evidence against them. But their questioning the worthiness of witnesses by saying that “most of them were cooked up witnesses by the police and the prosecution ‘’ also is a sad testimony of the trial of this case, he adds. Today, one can only hope and pray that truth and justice will prevail. And one day, the world will come to know who were the culprits.
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Bhinders upset over verdict
Chandigarh, March 17 Ironically, he died over water along with 330 other people travelling by Kanishka on June 23, 1985. His death came as a blow to his family since they were sure he would have managed to survive the ocean and its currents. “We thanked God that the crash happened over water. It was only later we realised that an explosion had preceded the crash,” recalls Capt Bhinder’s younger brother, Mr K.S. Bhinder. The second blow to the family, still not reconciled to his sudden death, was delivered by the Canadian judge who acquitted two Indian-born Sikhs, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, in the bombings in the Air-India plane after two years of trial. “We had been waiting for the verdict eagerly. Our man has gone. He won’t come back but it was all about bringing the culprits to book for mental satisfaction. However, we sat stunned and shocked with the news that came in. It was disappointing but we are not giving in yet. The fight must go on till the ends of justice are met. I am sure there are other courts we can appeal to,” the brother, an XEN with the Punjab PWD Department, contends. Mr Bhinder has vivid recollections of his elder brother’s last visit to his house. Capt Bhinder’s every word still rings out loud and clear. “He was the most precious gem of our family. His death anniversary comes as a reminder of the cruel blow meted out by destiny to our family. He lives on in our minds and we just can’t accept this judgement. I am sure others who lost their near and dear ones are
also with us,” his wife, Ms Inderjeet Bhinder maintains. Since the entire case was based on circumstantial evidence which didn’t hold good in court, the family doesn’t blame the judge for the verdict he delivered. “Let’s see how things move since the verdict is only beginning to sink in. The culprits certainly have not seen the last of us. We will be back at the doors of the court, looking for justice. It’s only a matter of time before we get there,” Mr Bhinder adds. With a brilliant academic record and a stint in the Air Force, Capt Bhinder shifted to Air-India subsequently. “He was happy that his family would be allowed free trips to various parts of the world,” the brother says. With the world as his oyster, he was destined to be the pearl which dropped into the ocean and was lost forever.
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Bold judgement a victory for Sikhs, says a defence counsel
Chandigarh, March 17 Reacting to the landmark judgement acquitting the duo by a Canadian court, Mr Navkiran Singh today claimed that the trial was doomed to failure from the very beginning despite the Canadian Government wasting $ 130 millions on it. The acquittal, coming after over 14 years of investigations and two years of trial, proved that it was done to "blacklist" the Sikhs by the Indian and the Canadian intelligence agencies, he added. During the past days of the trial, the prosecution made all-out efforts to give the case an "honourable burial" by pressing for even minor punishment for Malik and Bagri. Despite that the case was based on circumstantial evidence, the Canadian Government pursued it with a view to "maligning the Sikh community", Mr Navkiran Singh alleged. The only evidence against Malik was a testimony by one Ms Sharma, who was thrown out of the job from a school run by Malik.
Similarly, immigrant Gajjan Singh Bagri, who was paid by the Canadian Government for being witness, was the only non-government witness against Bagri. Coming down heavily on the role of the Indian and Canadian intelligence agencies in the bombings of the Air-India plane, Kanishka, Mr Navkiran Singh claimed the judgement had restored the prestige of the community. Mr Navkiran Singh assisted the seven-member defence team appointed by the Canadian Government to plead for Malik and Bagri from August, 2001, to March, 2002, and again visited Canada in June, 2004. Demanding adequate compensation for the mental and physical torture suffered by both, Mr Navkiran Singh demanded a probe to bring out the truth in the case.
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NRI wants to bring kabaddi on Olympic map
Chandigarh, March 17 Mr Padda was in the city to propagate his zeal to do something for sports. He has chosen kabaddi as his first sport. He says it is in the blood of Punjabis. Mr Padda feels kabaddi is a glamour sport. Like cricket, it can offer huge money and attract a mass following. He has started the Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Sports Club with the aim of reviving sports in Punjab. He says, whenever any major sports event like the Olympics is held, Indian sportspersons put up a dismal show. As his part of the contribution, he wants at least kabaddi to come up at the International level in big way and also become an Olympics sport. But for that the rival factions in the national kabaddi organisation must be brought on one platform. Asked, if kabaddi was also popular in Norway, he said the country had around 7000 Indians. Pakistanis were more than Indians even. Moreover apart from Asians, Europeans also enjoyed watching kabaddi matches. A few of them have also shown keen interest to take part. Mr Padda said every year their club held a kabaddi tournament where players from various parts of India besides teams from other countries participated. He said the winning team pocketed Rs 1,60,000. He said the club also gave exposure to Punjab kabaddi players who wanted to take part in various international kabaddi meets. He said kabaddi offered a lot of money to professionals. The main countries that host kabaddi tournaments are, USA, UK and Canada. Mr Padda was accompanied by a hockey promoter, Mr Lakhbir Singh Khaira, who disclosed that hockey was another sport which their club was keen to develop in Norway. He said ‘‘No doubt it is soccer, ice skating, cycling which were still the first love for Norwegians. But we are right on our path to focus on these traditional Indian sports’’. Mr Padda said he planned to host a mega kabaddi tournament next year either in Chandigarh or Mohali. The club would also sign an annual contract with budding youngsters who would be enrolled in the club at Kapurthala. The contract could vary between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. Mr Padda was thankful to Rana Gurjit Singh, MP, for his support to the development of sports in Kapurthala.
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Passing Thru
How do you see the potential of Haryana team?
There is tremendous potential in this team. We have three international standard players in Ajay Ratra, Amit Misra and Joginder Sharma. They are in form and ready to step into the India Eleven.
Is there any political interference in the selection of players? No, selection is made purely on merit. Only best among them are asked to join the Indian team when there is a need. When did you play Ranji Trophy and what change do you find in the atmosphere? I played for Haryana from 1981 to 1990. The atmosphere is changed because the players are provided with better infrastructure like nets, balls, bats etc. Since the past four to five years, the Indian board is paying handsomely to the players. As Australian Board paid 25 per cent of total earning to the upcoming players whereas the Indian Board gives 26 per cent. Former cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya has played a very important role in promoting the game in our country. How do you like the City Beautiful? I am impressed with its architectural splendour. I have not yet seen Rock Garden. This time if our team make good in the match I will definitely visit it. — G.S. Paul
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City police to update its road safety website
Chandigarh, March 17 Mr Harman Sidhu, creator of the website (www.chandigarhtrafficpolice.org), who got paralysed after a car accident in October 1996, said it would now provide information to the internet users about the traffic diversions in the city during Independence Day, Republic Day, Rose Festival and other such occasions. The site would also give details about the prevailing speed limits on various roads for different vehicles and the roads banned for heavy vehicular traffic. The Traffic police sources said the website would also be helpful for those coming to the city from outside to plan their journey accordingly. The website would provide animated tips about how to help a road accident victim and manage the situation. This module would be used for training purposes also. Besides, information about traffic signs would be linked to illustrations. These would help road users to understand better where they should expect such traffic signs. Separate sections for pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheeler riders, bus passengers and schoolchildren would have illustrations and flash animations explaining the dos and don’ts. The information regarding habitual traffic offenders will be regularly updated. It will also help in informing the people about offenders in their vicinities. The Traffic police would then study the history of the individual and take necessary action. The site would also facilitate in knowing the status of one’s challan. The visitor to the website would be able to pay online and receive the documents at his/her home. However, the online payment facility would be added at a later stage, said Mr Sidhu. A list of Traffic Marshals would also be displayed along with a form for those who want to assist the police in this regard. Mr Sidhu said he was regularly in touch with international road safety experts to get their views and comments in order to make the site more useful for the users.
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Prithvi Singh Azad’s daughter donates land
Lalru, March 17 Dr Pragya Kumar, a Chief Medical Officer, at Panjab University Chandigarh, along with her husband Prof Virendra Kumar, a former chairman of Law Department, visited the site and donated the land to the Trust. Dr Pragya was prompted for donating the land to the Trust due to the spirit of her illustrious father that no one could continue to have a meaningful existence without contributing to the society. The land was donated in a formal function in Lalru in the presence of Patiala Deputy Commissioner, Mr Tejveer Singh. The members of the Trust including Mr PH Vaishnav, president, Ms Oshima Rekhi, managing trustee, Mrs Radha Balkrishan, Mrs Mahendra Samber, Mrs Sumitra Gupta and some others were also present on the occasion.
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Kasni promises to make HUDA corruption-free
Panchkula, March 17 Meanwhile, Dr R.C. Mishra, Commandant, Fourth Battalion, will take over as the new Superintendent of Police tomorrow. He replaces Mr Sat Prakash Ranga, who has been posted as SP, Kurukshetra.
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Trade union leaders hold rally
Chandigarh, March 17 He criticised the state government for not fulfilling the promises made during the elections. Mr Shekhar demanded immediate transfer of power generating projects from the Centre to the state to ensure required power supply, writing-off of the Central loan on Punjab heaped during the terrorism days. Mr Gurnam Singh Daud, general secretary, Dehati Mazdoor Sabha and convener of morcha, expressed concern over the withdrawal of meagre benefits like old age-pension, shagun scheme and subsidy on ration. Mr Sukhdev Bari, senior vice president, All-India State Government Employees Federation and convener of JPMO, condemned the UPA government for rendering those unemployed at the mercy of market forces. Union leaders like Mr Natha Singh, Mr Sher Singh Pharwahi, Mr Nazar Singh Saidpur and Mr Ved Parkash addressed the rally.
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Chautala suffers fractures
Chandigarh, March 17 Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Prof Nagi said Mr Chautala’s condition was fine and he was expected to be discharged by Friday.
TNS
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Streetlights of Sec 46-D in bad shape
Chandigarh, March 17 Mr K. N. Sharma and Mr S. S. Chawla, president and general secretary of the Residents Welfare Forum (Kothis), Sector 46-D, respectively, said repeated complaints to the SDO (Electricity), Sector 20, Chandigarh, in this regard had failed to yield any result. Travelling on these roads has become a risky affair as there is total blackout at night.
TNS
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Three vehicles stolen
Chandigarh, March 17 Ms Ashu Kumari of Sector 38 (west) reported to the police that her Tata Safari vehicle (CH-03-P-0172) was stolen from her residence during the night of March 15. A case of theft has been registered. In another incident, Mr B. K. Saran of Sector 40 complained to the police that his Maruti car (CH-01-H-0287) was stolen from Sector 22 on March 15. A case has been registered. In a similar incident of vehicle theft, Ms Anita Sharma of Sector 37-C reported to the police that her Kinetic Honda scooter (CH-01-L-7551) was stolen from her residence during the night of March 15. A case has been registered.
Arrested for creating nuisance
The police arrested three persons in two cases for creating nuisance after consuming liquor on Wednesday. Raju of Phase I, Ram Darbar, and Sunil of sector 31-C were arrested while they were quarrelling with each other in an inebriated condition in the Sector-31 market on Wednesday. A case was registered but the accused got bail. In another incident, the police arrested Suresh Kumar of Bhainsa Tiba village near a taxi stand in the NAC, Mani Majra, for creating nuisance under the influence of liquor. A case was registered and he was later released on bail.
Liquor seized
Pardeep Kumar of Sector 46-A was arrested with 36 bottles of whisky from the transport light point. The accused was carrying the liquor in his car. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered.
Gambling
The police arrested Ram Sagar of Indira Colony in Mani Majra near a dispensary in the same locality for gambling at a public place on Wednesday. The police seized Rs 205 from him. A case under Sections 132-A, 3 and 67 of the Gambling Act was registered against him and he was later released on bail.
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Three held for stealing LPG cylinders
Chandigarh, March 17 The accused, Raj Kumar and Ajay, alias Gama, both residents of Colony Number 5, were arrested from near Labour Chowk in Sector 44, while the third accused Shamsher Singh of Sector 24 was arrested from the same sector. The accused are also responsible for burglaries committed in Mohali. Police sources said secret information was received about the movement of two suspicious persons, who were roaming in the region in Sector 44, Labour Chowk near Colony No 5, Chandigarh, for the past two-three days in order to commit more burglaries in the area. The Crime Branch deployed its sources to collect information about them. A specific input was received that two persons, Raj Kumar and Ajay, alias Gama, were in the city to have reconnaissance of the area of Sector 51-A, Chandigarh, to commit thefts. A team of the Crime Branch apprehended two of the accused and during preliminary interrogation, they disclosed about their activities and about the third accomplice Shamsher Singh, who was also involved with them in the commission of various thefts and burglaries. The police later arrested Shamsher Singh from Sector 24. During further interrogation they disclosed that they had committed a number of burglaries in the Mohali area. The Mohali police has now been informed about the arrest of the three. It will interrogate the accused in the Crime Branch tomorrow and make recoveries of their cases of burglaries and thefts, said the police. The accused were produced before a local court today, which sent Raj Kumar and Ajay to police custody till March 19, while Shamsher Singh was sent to judicial custody.
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Youth held
Chandigarh, March 17 Sachin Sharma, a resident of Sector 15 was arrested with a stolen LML scooter (CHI-3744) last night from
Sector 7 Rehri Market. The police said Sachin was arrested on the charges of theft in the past too.
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