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NRI, daughter killed in accident
Mohali, April 23 The deceased have been identified as Harinder Singh (32) and his five-year-old daughter Sampreet. The Tavera car was coming from the Phase III-V chowk and the milk tanker from the direction of the Phase VIII bus stand when the collision took place. The left side of the car was badly damaged and there were pieces of glass all over. The two vehicles were still at the scene this morning. The tanker had no registration number plates. Residents alleged that they had been removed by the tanker driver, who fled from the scene after the collision. The injured were identified as Ms Hardeep Kaur, wife of Harinder Singh, his son Samraj, Mr Jaspal Singh, Mr Kamaljit Singh and Happy. All of them were travelling in the car being driven by Happy and returning to Jhingar village in Nawanshahr district. The family had come to meet relatives in Phase XI here. Harinder Singh was first taken to Cheema Hospital in Phase IV here and later referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, where he succumbed to his injuries. A doctor at Cheema Hospital said the child was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The condition of Ms Hardeep Kaur, who was admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh, along with Mr Jaspal Singh Mr Kamaljit Singh, is stated to be serious. Relatives said Harinder Singh and his family had come on a visit from England and were scheduled to go back next week. According to the police, a case has been registered on the statement of Happy against the driver of the tanker under Sections 279, 304A, 337, 338 and 427 of the IPC. The driver has been identified as Jaswant Singh, hailing from Gurdaspur. Residents said a number of accidents took place at the PCL chowk and the administration had failed to take any preventive measures in this regard. Traffic coming from the bus stand side or going towards that direction generally moved at a high speed.
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Man duped of Rs 1.5 lakh
Chandigarh, April 23 Mr Malhotra complained to the Sector 17 police station and the police released a sketch of the accused person. A woman lost her money in similar fashion in
Sector 22 on April 21. Mr Malhotra told the Chandigarh Tribune that he had withdrawn the money from Punjab and Sind Bank branch in Sector 17 this afternoon. He put his bag on his scooter lying in the CMC parking lot in the Sector 17 and started opening the lock of the scooter. At the same time a middle aged stout man wearing white shirt, black trousers came to him. The man while keeping his head down wards got his attention by saying “Excuse Me!” and then pointed towards some 10-rupee notes scattered on the ground. Mr Malhotra said he saw some Rs 10 denomination notes lying on the ground. The moment he paused and gave a thought the cheat ran away with his bag. Mr Malhotra said, he reported the matter to the police. A case under Section 379 IPC has been registered in this regard.
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Degrees conferred on 336 PEC graduates
Chandigarh, April 23 Professor S G Dhande, director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur was the chief guest on the occasion. Addressing the convocation he talked about the challenges and opportunities in technical education. He emphasised on the need of quality in technical education which should be in tune with the requirements of the international market. He feels that the technical institutions must have a high level of autonomy and they must remain away from any licence-permit raj, culture and the fee charged should be commensurate the cost of education. Earlier, Professor Vijay Gupta, Director, Punjab Engineering College, presented annual report of the college and highlighted the excellent performances of the students in economics, sports and other extra curricular activities. He announced that 314 out of 336 students who cleared their BE examinations had secured first division. Administrator’s gold medal for overall outstanding performance went to Shivani Gupta of Computer Science and Engineering. Adviser’s gold medal for overall outstanding performance in sports went to Puneet Rana of Computer Science and Engineering. Miglani memorial gold medal was secured by Shivani Gupta of Computer Science and Engineering. Ms Monica Syal of Aeronautical Engineering received Kalpana Chawla memorial award. Gold medals were given to those students also who stood first in Panjab University in the BE Degree examinations. These students are Ms Monica Syal, Aeronautical Engineering, Mr Gaurav Moudgil, Civil Engineering, Ms Shivani Gupta, Computer Science and Engineering, Mr Shubham Jain, Electrical Engineering, Mr Varun Kumar Mohandru, Electronics and Electronic Communication Engineering, Mr Saurabh Chawla, Mechanical Engineering, Mr Abhishek Chauhan, Metallurgical Engineering, Mr Samarpreet Sohi, Production Engineering and Ms Lotika Jain, Information Technology. Silver medals were given to those students who stood first in the major projects.
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Battle lines drawn for CTCC poll
Chandigarh, April 23 Battle lines are clearly drawn between the camps of Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, the local Member of Parliament, and Mr B.B. Bahl, president of the local unit. The names doing rounds as the likely change from the camp of Mr Bansal include Mr Subhash Chawla, a former Mayor, Mr Ram Pal Sharma, vice-president of the CTCC, and Mr Pawan Sharma, president of the District Congress Committee. The group of Mr Bahl features no name except his own, seeking an extension. The group of Mr Bahl also has the support of Congressmen associated with Mr Munish Tewari, Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, and Mr Venod Sharma, Excise and Taxation Minister in Haryana. Mr Munish Tewari is said to be a likely candidate for the post of the party president in Punjab while Mr Sharma is well-settled in Haryana. The group of Mr Bansal is confident of a change because “Mr Bahl has few supporters in the local circles”. Mr Bahl is learnt to have left for Delhi today for a meeting with the party high command. Mr Bahl is said to have a good hold in the party high command. He is said to share a good rapport with Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr R.K. Dhawan, both senior leaders. Mr Bansal is close to Ms Ambika Soni. Mr Bahl had parted his ways with Mr Bansal during the last parliamentary elections in 2004. He headed the party campaign till Mr Devinder Babla, a Congressman who had been ousted for anti-party activities earlier, was included in the party by Mr Bansal. Nothing significant was happening in the party till the recent anti-Administration stand on certain issues by the group of Mr Bansal. The group of Mr Bansal held the Deputy Commissioner guilty for the ouster of Mr Bhupinder Singh Badheri, president of the Market Committee. A little later the group made a scathing attack on Gen S.F. Rodrigues, the UT Administrator, for his clearance to the action plan of clearing encroachments in certain areas of Mani Majra. Mr Bahl and certain Congressmen supported the DC and the Administrator.
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Time to change outdated laws: Sorabjee
Chandigarh, April 23 “The second affidavit filed by the government will have to stand the scrutiny of the SC. Is the fresh affidavit only the result of George Fernandes phobia? In such important cases, one expects the Attorney-General to take personal interest. It will be interesting to see who finalised the first affidavit and when was the ‘inaccuracy’ discovered. Such controversies don’t add to the prestige of the government,” he added. In a freewheeling interview to The Tribune, held at the chambers of lawyers Anil and Ranjit Malhotra, Mr Sorabjee, who was in the city to deliver a lecture, also countered the statement of the Lok Sabha Speaker, who had assailed judicial intervention in the Jharkhand government formation case. “Courts cannot remain a mute spectator if they find that democratic process is being subverted. In Jharkhand, the question of whether Mr Shibu Soren enjoyed the support of the majority of MLAs was not being resolved properly. The courts had to intervene to prevent horse-trading,” Mr Sorabjee added He also favoured better pay and perks for HC and SC Judges. “If we have to attract good lawyers to judiciary, there must be financial security. Otherwise how can we expect good lawyers, who earn whopping amounts every month, to accept judgeship? I am in favour of full pension for all Judges,” he added. Mr Sorabjee also advocated the need to change the archaic laws of the country at the earliest. “The Law Commission should review the old statutes and rules that have lost relevance. This should be a continuing exercise. Also needed is simplification of laws, particularly in the field of taxation laws,” he said. He also suggested a change in the system of appointment of Judges. “The present system is not working satisfactorily. Tiffs between the Chief Justices of HCs and Chief Ministers of the states result in trade-offs. This is not a healthy trend,” he noted. Mr Sorabjee, a jazz lover, also suggested faster change in the Contempt of Courts Act. “Truth has to be a defence in contempt cases. When I was AG, I had initiated the process of changing the Act. The present contempt laws allow judiciary to shield corrupt judicial officers. It also leads to self-censorship by the media because journalists are deterred from publication matters which they can prove to be true,” he remarked. However, Mr Sorabjee also suggested stricter punishment to those who tired to discredit Judges. “It has become fashionable to cast aspersions on integrity of Judges if their judgement is not palatable to one of the sides in a dispute. This has to stop,” he said.
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Package systems to be extended to other PGI departments
Chandigarh, April 23 Interacting with The Tribune on the completion of his first year as the Director of the Postgraduate Institute (PGI), Prof Talwar, while unfolding his ``patient-friendly plans'' lined up for the coming year, also reflects on the frequent administrative tussles in the PGI as ``unfortunate'', which have kept the institute under scanner for all wrong reasons. The PGI administration should be more transparent in its working so that it can gain credibility,'' says the Director. Satisfied by the initial success of a few package deals introduced in the three departments of the PGI---Ophthalmology, Cardiology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prof Talwar says one-time package system is here to stay and will be extended to all departments in a big way. ``We are going to further strengthen the one-time payment package deals and plan to introduce such packages in almost all departments in a big way. It is a patient-friendly system and the costs have been so worked out that the charges are nominal and not much different from what the patients are already paying in the segregated manner. We are also streamlining the funds generated for the poor patients,'' says the Director. He adds that important projects, including the eye centre and the cardiac centre, will be completed by the end of this year and the much-awaited computerisation too should finally be completed in the coming months. ``We also want the senior faculty at the PGI attracts more funds from external agencies. If the faculty projects at AIIMS generated Rs 19 crore last year, the PGI can also better its last year's figure of Rs 7 crore,'' he argues. Meanwhile, perturbed over perpetual tussle within the faculty on issues of seniority, the on-going litigation over the issue of PGI's Dean and the earlier commotion with the former Deputy Director, Administration (DDA), the Director says that the faculty is wasting much of its time in the wasteful activities but energies need to be channelled in more productive works. ``The number of litigations that are here within the institute is certainly not there in the institutes like AIIMS, New Delhi,'' he says.
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Audit ultrasound scan centres to check foeticide, says expert
Chandigarh, April 23 These were the views expressed by Mr Arvind Kumar, District Collector,
Hyderabad, during an interaction with The Tribune in Shimla. He was here for a consultation on “Declining sex ratio in Himachal Pradesh: A dialogue on future strategies”. The two-day consultation was organised by Jagori Woman’s Training, Documentation and Communication Centre and Centre For Advocacy and Research, here on April 21 and 22. Mr Arvind Kumar has done pioneering work in the implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention and Regulation) Act
(PNDT Act) in Andhra Pradesh. During his tenure as District Collector of Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh in 2003- 04, he realised that female foeticide was more of an urban phenomenon. “I went through the provisions of the PNDT Act, and found it to be a powerful Act, if implemented properly. I then embarked upon the idea of auditing the scanning
centres, where the ultrasound scans indicate the sex of the child,” he says. He then went about auditing all ultrasound scans done on pregnant women in 45 scanning centres in
Khammam, and verified child birth in all patients who came in for the scan. “If the patients had aborted the child, and the aborted foetus was female, we knew that they had been informed of the sex of the
foetus. We then proceeded to take legal action against the scan centre,” he says. “Though the decline in child sex ratio (0-6 years) in Andhra Pradesh has declined by 11 girls per 1000 boys from 1991 to 2001, this decline is an indicator that the evil needs to be nipped in the bud,” he says. “We have not reached the alarming situation as in Punjab and Haryana, but immediate steps need to be taken to stop female
foeticide. Even after I was posted to Hyderabad last year, I have successfully implemented the audit of scanning centres in all 389 scanning
centres. In cases, where the companies have sold ultrasound machines to scanning centres which did not have a registration, we have proceeded against the centres as well as suppliers,” he informs. He feels that the decline in sex ratio is more of a ‘technology-aided evil than a social evil’. “ The scan centre audit, if implemented all over the country will go a long way in curbing
foeticide. In traditional male-dominated societies, the desire to have a male child has been inherent for a long time. But only after amniocentesis ultrasound came in, making it possible for people to know the sex of
foetus, decline in child sex ratio came about. The mushrooming of these ultrasound and scan centres during the past two decades, aided people who wanted to have only a male child,” he says. No wonder that the child sex ratio in the country shows a decline from 945 girls per 1000 boys in year 1991 to 927 girls per 1000 boys in 2001. The worst case scenarios undoubtedly have been Punjab (decline is 87 per 1000) , Haryana (decline is 59 per 1000), Chandigarh (decline is 54 per 1000) and Himachal Pradesh (decline is 54 per 1000).
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Dire need to improve education standards: Expert
Chandigarh, April 23 He was in the city to address a convocation of Punjab Engineering College (PEC). Answering a question on the negligible presence of foreign students in educational institutes here, he said despite collaboration with SAARC countries in the field of education the county continued to have a few foreign students. ‘In sharp contrast to it, more and more students here prefer to study abroad,’ he said. He laid emphasis on the need to improve education standards and formulate need-based policies which could make the system more viable. He said engineering colleges like PEC needed to tie up with industrial houses and big financial companies. Apart from enhancing their budgetary provisions and getting essential feedback from the market, this will enhance their reputation. In a modern city like Chandigarh which is planned and has urbane population, it will help the students to compete at the global level. Since PEC now has a governing body, a lot of issues neglected earlier will now be taken care of, he said Asked about any special provisions for Pakistani students in educational institutes here, he said the same merit criteria would apply to them as well. However, if Parliament decides to formulate a law on the issue, then it would be a different matter. He revealed that a new subject M.Sc in Economics will be introduced from the coming session at the graduate level. Students after clearing the plus two exam could get admission for this course. He said now not many IIT post-graduates went for civil services as in contrast to an earlier trend. The ratio had come down. However, opting for the IAS was also an individual choice. A lot of them even became journalists.
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Tribune Follow-up Tribune News Service
Panchkula, April 23 The children seem far removed from the atmosphere of revelry in the room. They have been here for two days now and are getting used to being on their own. And the elder of the two, Sanjana, seems to have taken her brother under her tiny wings, as she leads him to various rooms at Bal Sadan here. “I like being here. At least we do not have to be out in the sun all day long and we can play with other children,” she quips. The two have been left here by their father Sunny Kumar, an auto-rickshaw driver in Chandigarh. After their mother deserted them last month, Sunny started taking them along in his auto-rickshaw, as he could not leave them alone at their house in Sector 52. The case was highlighted in Chandigarh Tribune on April 14. Acting on the report, Ms Jean Rodrigues, wife of UT Administrator, asked the UT Social Welfare Department to help out the family. Since no home for destitute children in Chandigarh could accommodate the siblings together (homes in Chandigarh accommodate only girls or boys), the Social Welfare Department approached the authorities at Bal Sadan, Sector 12 A, here. Ms Kalpana Ghai of Bal Sadan says their home, too, no longer accepts boys but they made an exception in this case. “The boy is very young and the siblings want to be together. We could not have snatched their only emotional support system by separating them,” she says. She says the children will now be sent to a regular school. “They used to go to a school in Chandigarh but had to quit after their mother left. We have now made arrangements for them to go to Springdales School in Sector 4 here,” she says.
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IAF to deploy Mi-17s in Sudan under UN mandate
Chandigarh, April 22 The decision to deploy the IAF under the UN mandate in Sudan comes on the heels of the recent decision to send an Army brigade group comprising two infantry battalions and two mechanised columns to Sudan. The contribution to the UN mission assumes significance because the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is operating an oilfield in southern Sudan and also has stakes in two exploration blocks there. Bharat Electronics Limited also has the Sudanese Army as its client, having recently sold it 10 battlefield surveillance radars generating a revenue of $ 15 million. This would be the IAF’s third UN mission in recent years. Currently, three contingents are deployed in Congo, with one looking after airfield operations and the other two operating Mi-17 utility choppers and Mi-35 gunships. In 2000, the IAF operated in Sierra Leone, where it deployed two Mi-8s, two Mi-35s and two Chetaks. Prior to this, the IAF had participated in UN missions in Congo in the sixties. Between August 1993 and December 1994, an IAF contingent equipped with utility helicopters had been part of the UN mission in Somalia. IAF sources said the Mi-17s being sent to Sudan would be ready in about two months. The IAF contingent is expected to proceed to Sudan in July and would consist of about 150 personnel, including air crew, technicians and ground support staff along with logistics, administration and medical personnel. “The IAF is laying more stress on participating in UN missions because realistic warlike situations under which the men operate provide a fantastic training ground,” a senior officer here said. “In addition, there is the prestige, honour and financial benefits associated with such missions,” he added. The modifications to be done to the Mi-17s at 3 BRD include additional armour-plating, retrofitting an electronic warfare suite and defensive measures against radar homing and heat seeking missiles, and upgradation and standardisation of communication equipment. They would be painted white and carry UN markings Besides, the choppers would be thoroughly serviced. Under UN specifications, all serviceable components and sub-systems should have at least 500 flying hours of life without having to be serviced or replaced. The choppers would be inspected by UN teams before being deployed. All Mi-8/17 helicopters deployed by the IAF on UN missions earlier were suitably modified by 3 BRD. A team from 3 BRD recently won accolades after it retrieved and repaired a damaged Mi-35 under extremely difficult conditions in Congo.
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City to have world-class convention centre
Chandigarh, April 23 The centre will meet the need of making the city of a leading centre north of Delhi. The governing body of the Beant Singh Society has cleared the project. Officials of the Chandigarh Administration said the Government of India has also been roped in as partner in the project. The Administration will invite Expression of Interest from private participants to set up the centre. Modalities in this regard are being worked out. The complex will have multi-use convention hall with a seating capacity for 1,200, a small convention hall of 150-200 capacity alongside. To make it self-contained centre, hotel accommodation of 125 rooms would also be created. A couple of restaurants and exhibition area are also proposed in this complex. The centre is required in Chandigarh as the city is emerging as centre for financial and service sector and IT services. A large number of multinational and national companies relating to these sectors have been setting up units in Chandigarh and adjoining cities of Mohali and Panchkula.
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Cong faction’s convention today
Chandigarh, April 23 The city Congress is divided into two groups, one backed by Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, the local Member of Parliament, and another by Mr B.B. Bahl, president of the local unit. This convention is being organised by the group close to Mr Bansal. The convention gains importance in the light that the elections to the president of the local party are to be held shortly. The meeting of party workers, which announced the convention, was attended by a number of office-bearers of the unit. Those present on the occasion included Mr Ram Pal Sharma, vice-president of the local unit, Mr Bhupinder Badheri, president of the District Congress (Rural), Mr Pardeep Chhabra, Mr H.S. Lucky, Mr D. S. Babla, Mr Mohammad Sadiq, Mr Pawan Sharma and Mr Kulwant Singh. Party workers alleged that Mr Bahl was not acting according to the party guidelines. “He was supporting the anti-public moves of the Administration. Our voice against the Deputy Commissioner and the Governor has not been supported by him”, an office-bearer said.
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Cong’s charges against Admn ‘baseless’
Chandigarh, April 23 Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader Satya Pal Jain said the UT functionaries, including the Administrator, were working under the direct control of the Home Ministry of the Congress-led UPA Government. Instead of using “unparliamentary language” against the officials, local MP Pawan Bansal should use his influence to get the officials transferred from the Home Ministry, he argued. Mr Bansal was targeting the officials to shelter the Congress leaders involved in various acts of omission and commission. With the Congress in direct confrontation with the Administration, the development was the first casualty, the former MP alleged. Moreover, the Congress has failed to fulfil its various pre-poll promises to the Chandigarh residents, he added.
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CM’s OSD gives away grants to villages
Mohali, April 23 This was stated by Mrs Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, OSD to the Punjab Chief Minister, while addressing a gathering at Dharamgarh village today. She had gone to the village for distributing grants out of the Chief Minister’s quota for development works to panchayats of different villages. She said that earlier the Chief Minister had played a role in getting Indian youths freed from Pakistani jails. Mrs Garcha said that efforts were being made by the government to provide 24-hour power supply to villages and work on providing link roads had also been stated. She said that she had approached the Punjab Chief Minister for providing grants for the development of villages in Kharar constituency and was given Rs 12 lakh in this regard. Mrs Garcha was accompanied by Mr Kuljit Singh Bedi, president, Block Congress, Mohali.
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World Book Day celebrated
Chandigarh, April 23 “The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George’s Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. It is a symbolic date for world literature. UNSESCO has declared 23 April (Shakespeare’s birthday) as the annual World Day of the Book or World Book Day. The idea has spread across the world. It has become a festival of reading, a day to celebrate the pleasures of reading and writing”, said Sushant
Banerjee, Manager of the library. As part of the celebration, British Library added nearly 1000 new titles to match the reading habits of the members of the library. The collection has been developed on the basis of feedback received from members of the library. The thrust areas are Engineering, Lifestyle, Self Development,
Computer & IT.
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Fire near temple
Panchkula, April 23 INAUGURATION:- The State Bank of Patiala inaugurated its 251st ATM at DAV College for Girls on Jagadhri Road in Yamunanagar on Saturday. An official press release said the college Principal, Ms Sushma Arya, inaugurated the ATM and Assistant General Manager of the bank, Mr V.A. Ghai, was present on the occassion. Welcome:-
The Peoples Union for Civil Liberties today welcomed the statement of Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, regarding delegating of powers to panchayati raj institutions. A press release of the union said that the government should also tackle the “extra judicial” role being played by khaap panchayats in the state.
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House building society office-bearers
Chandigarh, April 23
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Thieves having a field day in unoccupied houses
Chandigarh, April 23 The theft have been reported after the CHB spent lakhs on renovating the single-room tenements which had been lying unoccupied for more than 12 years. After the completion of the repair work, thieves struck and apparently sold the booty to scrap dealers. Following the loss, the CHB has deployed four employees to keep a watch during day time. However, no vigil is being kept after sunset, the time when thieves strike. Sources said the authorities concerned had written to the Station House Officer of the police station in Industrial Area, Phase-I, to register a first information report (FIR). A visit to the spot revealed that decay has again set in the complex adjacent to the Industrial Area. The entire area is suffocating and full of stench as the unoccupied houses have become a centre for disposal of filth for people in Labour Colony. Inquiries reveal that after the dark sets in, the place is a favourite haunt of addicts. An employee at the site revealed that recently some children were caught removing sanitary fittings. In the housing complex, electrical fittings, manhole covers and metal strips on staircases had been removed. To ensure that they were not caught, street lights had been damaged by thieves. Officials in the board reveal that the housing scheme was originally planned for workers of the Industrial Area. With the passage of time, the benefit was extended to other labourers also. There were problems regarding the pricing of the housing units, he added. There was also some trouble regarding the land where the housing scheme has come up. Earlier, the Forest Department had raised an objection, saying that the settlement was illegal. The matter dragged for a long time. Each dwelling unit has been priced at more than Rs 1.50 lakh. This means an instalment of approximately Rs 1,500 per month. Mr Suresh Kumar, a resident of the colony, said, “The Administration should initiate more housing schemes for residents of labour colonies. Workers in the industry can be given houses on easy
instalments. This will save the city from more encroachments.
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Scuffle over broken cigarette: one in PGI, two in police custody
Chandigarh, April 23 The police has registered an attempt to murder case against the Navnish Kumar and his father Vijay Kumar, of Vijay Pan House, SCO-3, Sector 15. The case was registered after the victim gave statement to the police and identified the accused. He could not furnish his statement yesterday, as he was declared unfit by the doctors to gave the statement, said the police. According to the police, Jagtar Singh, a resident of Bathinda came to the shop in Sector 15, last evening. Jagtar went to the shop to buy some cigarettes and his friends waited for him in their vehicle. Jagtar bought the cigarettes and noticed that some of them were broken and brought the same to the notice of shopkeepers, Navnish and his father. The shopkeeper refused to replace the cigarettes and following this both parties entered into arguments, which led to a fight. The accused allegedly inflicted injuries into the belly of the victim with a sharp-edged weapon. On seeing the father-son duo assaulting Jagtar his friends came to his rescue and rushed the victim to the PGI. He condition was serious and the doctors said he was unfit to give his statement. Today he recuperated and gave the statement and the police arrested the accused, said Mr Pardeep Kumar, Investigating Officer. Vikram, the younger brother of Navnish said, “The is trying to implicate us in a false case. There is a peoperty dispute and the police is acting biased. There were no droplets of the blood on the spot.”
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One held, stolen property worth Rs 1 lakh recovered
Chandigarh, April 23 The police claimed to solve five incidents of burglary, today with the arrest of Abhey Pathak alias Bantu a resident of Sector 47-D. Abhey, a drug addict was arrested from Sector 53 this afternoon. The police claims to recover stolen property worth Rs one lakh from his possession. Abhey had stolen gold and silver jewellery from a house in Sector 35 on February 6. He had also struck twice in the police colony on February 18 and 25. He decamped with gold ornaments from the house of two constables. He even targeted his cousin sister’s house in Sector 20 for committing theft earlier this week. He stole Rs 25000 and three mobile phones, which the police recovered from his possession. The police also added that his cousin sister has also identified the stolen articles. The police arrested another person for stealing two wheelers. The police recovered a stolen scooter and a motorcycle from his possession. According to the police Avinash Kumar of Zirakpur was arrested from near ISBT, Sector 42 today. He was riding on a stolen motorcycle (CH-03-M-4474). The motorcycle was stolen from Sector 33 on April 19. The police also recovered a scooter (CH-03-S-4749) from him. The SHO further added that the accused was involved in more than 10 criminal cases. The accused was convicted by courts several times in the recent past and had served jail sentences.
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2 criminals arrested
Chandigarh, April 23 The police said the cheat-turned-thieves were involved in seven incidents of cheating and auto thefts earlier and were in the city to commit a crime. The police arrested Harvinder Singh of Kharar and Ravinder Singh of Dera Bass in the Patiala district near Panjab University following a tip-off. During interrogation, the police asked them to produce the licence of the weapon, which they failed to do. The police seized one country-made pistol loaded with one cartridge from Harvinder Singh and two live cartridges from Ravinder Singh. They confessed that they were in the city to commit a crime. Ravinder Singh was previously involved in seven cases of cheating in various towns of Haryana while Harvinder Singh was involved in two cases of thefts (one in Chandigarh and the other in Panchkula) and one case of cheating in Ropar. A case under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered at the Sector 11 police station.
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Beggar’s body found from Sector 31
Chandigarh, April 23 The body was recovered at 12 noon. The body was taken to the GMCH, 32. The police sources said they have not been able to find claimant of the deceased. The body is lying at GMCH’s mortuary, said the police.
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Student missing
Chandigarh, April 23
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Beopar Mandal members meet Selja
Panchkula, April 23 She was addressing representatives of the Beopar Mandal and other traders organisations, during her visit here today. She assured that with the Congress in power at the Centre and in the state, they would bring a new era of development in the region. Mr Kuldeep Chitkara of the Beopar Mandal said that the apni mandis had lost relevance, and it was traders who sold their wares here. “This is causing losses to the traders elsewhere,” he lamented. The Mandal also demanded that though they were paying the price of the verandah in the market corridors, they were not allowed to use these corridors. Mr O P Taneja, brought to light the problem of industrial plots beinmg used for trading purposers, which was misuse of the land. The House Owners Welfare Association, Sector 20, demanded the withdrwal of enhanced cost of land alloted to cooperative group housing societies in Sector 20. Mr R D Gupta from the Marble Traders Association demanded that land be alloted for setting up a marble market on the lines of Chandigarh and Mohali. The Chemists Association also met the Union Minister and demanded that VAT on medicines be freduced from 10 per cent to four per cent. Demands for pucca parking spaces in various markets were also made. The Minister attended several public meretings through the day. In the evening, she was invited as the chief guest on the 16 th Annual DAy function of Senior Citizens Council. Speaking on the occasion, she exhorted the youth to learn from the experiences of senior citizens and thus help in nation building.
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Minister’s view on MC chief poll
Member of Parliament from Ambala, Ms Selja Kumari, today said that president of the Municipal Council will be elected only after consultations with Deputy Chief Minister and local MLA Chander Mohan.
The MP, who is also member of the Municipal Council, clarified that Mr Chander Mohan would not be ignored in the selection of the MC president. At least eight councillors who claim to be her supporters and supporters of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Ms Selja. She made it clear that local MLA’s wishes could not be ignored while selecting the president of the Municipal Council here. Later, Ms Selja said that it was for the state government to decide if the local body here was to be disbanded. Mr Chander Mohan has been claiming that the local body would be disbanded as Panchkula was so far not developed completely. Of the 18 councillors in the Congress camp, nine are in the race for President. These Councillors, who refer to themselves as being from three camps — of Deputy Chief Minister and MLA, Chander Mohan, local Member of Parliament, Ms Selja Kumari, and supporters of Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, along with councillors from slum and labour colonies. While most of the councillors, who are close to Mr Chander Mohan, are in the race for the top post in the MC, two councillors each from the Selja camp and from among the supporters of Mr Hooda, are also in the race.
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Uniform VAT rates demanded
Mohali, April 23 The association also demanded that Central Sales Tax (CST) should be abolished. It further suggested that the accounting procedure and maintenance of record under VAT should be simplified so that even small industrial unit owners and traders could work as per orders of the Excise and Taxation Department without hiring professional help. Mr Prabhjot Singh Sandhu, president of the association, said that a team of officials of the Excise and Taxation Department, headed by I.S. Chahal, DETC, Patiala, had to answer a number of questions raised by industrial unit owners and traders who participated in the second district-level VAT familiarisation camp organised by the
association. He said since VAT was introduced in the state there was no use of having discussion on its merits and demerits.
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Aqua dance floor installed
Mohali, April 23 Mr Manjeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, said that the dance floor, which had 125 nozzles above and 65 on the sides, had been installed so that visitors could enjoy their summers. The floor, which had been installed at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, was empowered with a generator set and a DJ. He said that such a concept was the first of its kind in the northern region and was meant for all age groups.
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