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Retired officer dupes over 100 ex-servicemen
Chandigarh, July 22 Sources said a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy had been registered against the two under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC on the basis of a complaint filed by Mr Avtar Singh, a resident of Mehra village in Gurdaspur district. Both accused are still at large. A combing operation has been launched to trace them. Police parties have been dispatched to several places. Sources said Mr Avtar Singh was not the only ex-serviceman allegedly duped by the officer of the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel. There were about 100 such victims, belonging to not-so-affluent strata of society. A good number of such aspirants reportedly belonged to rural Punjab. Sources in the Economic Offences Wing of the Chandigarh Police said several among them had raised loans on heavy interest to pay for the services. Quoting the complainant, they said Mr Avtar Singh had given Rs 50,000 on October 10, 2004, to Lieut-Col Gurinder Singh Cheema and his wife Rajinder Kaur, both residents of Sector 16, for obtaining a work visa to Kuwait. The complainant said the duo had taken money from him by making a promise of a job of a security guard in Kuwait. He alleged the accused neither sent him abroad, nor returned the money. Sources said that the former Army officer used to charge anything between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 from aspirants wanting to go abroad. He was reportedly operating an immigration agency, Global Guard, from SCO 68 in Sector 17-A, they added. He started his operations in November, 2004, and closed the office in January, 2005.
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Illegal farmhouses demolished
Panchkula, July 22 Six palatial farmhouses, one saw mill, two brick-kiln offices, two nurseries and four shops were among the 20 structures that were demolished at 11 places today. The farmhouses demolished today belong to a hotelier, a jeweller and some top businessmen of Chandigarh and Panchkula. The drive was launched under the supervision of the Subdivisional Magistrate, Panchkula, Mr Virender Dahiya, the District Town Planner (DTP), Ms Geeta Prakash, the SDE, National Highways, Mr V.K. Kapoor and the Tehsildar, Mr M.S. Sangwan. A huge posse of cops led by the DSP, Mr Manbir Singh, facilitated the demolition drive. The staff of HUDA, along with the DTP office, carried out the demolitions. A JCB machine was used for demolishing these structures. While 13 structures demolished today had come up in violation of the New Punjab Capital Periphery (Control and Regulation) Act, 1952, seven structures were demolished because they violated the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Area Restrictions Act, 1963. Barring a small incident, where a hotelier, Mr Balbir Chaudhary, protested against the demolition of his farmhouse at Kami village, the drive was peaceful. Mr Chaudhary, who arrived at the spot, when the Town and Country Planning team started the demolition of his farmhouse, said he had just built a room along with his tubewell room, and had sought permission from the department to regularise his structure. However, the DTP said notice had been issued to him that the room was illegal and would be demolished. Following this, the officials went about their job and demolished the structure. The drive lasted eight hours, from 11 am to 7 pm. Officials said that because of the dark, they had to leave the drive midway, but this would be continued next week.
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MLA leaves meeting after spat with Johar
In another vital decision, Mr Johar has asked the Deputy Commissioner to put an end to the registration of shamlat land in the district. Pointing to a specific case of Bhukri village, the minister said the Deputy Commissioner should ensure that all such registries were reviewed.
Mohali, July 22 During the meeting, Mr Bir Devinder Singh was told repeatedly by the minister that he should talk only when required to, to which the MLA sharply retorted that he was an elected representative of the people and had come to the meeting to speak on their behalf. “We have our own honour and dignity. Please do not ridicule a member like this Mr Minister,” said Mr Bir Devinder. Following his walkout, the MLA told newsmen that the committee had lost its purpose and it was a fruitless exercise to attend the meeting since no results ever came out of it. The minister, however, said after the meeting that the MLA had not walked out of the meeting and was just following his style of functioning. “He is a good friend of mine,” said the minister. “He is a very senior leader of the party but he should realise that such meetings are useless till officers are made accountable to the public,” said the MLA. The verbal spats between the two once again brought to the fore the seething dissatisfaction among Congress men, embarrassing officers and members of the public who had come to attend the meeting. The verbal spats started the moment the minister reached the venue of the meeting at the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) here. He was around 45 minutes late than the scheduled time of 11.30 am. Mr Bir Devinder Singh, who had come for the meeting of the District Planning Board, demanded since the
However, majority of those present at the venue objected to this and insisted that the Grievances Committee meeting be held first. At this, the MLA sharply retorted that he would not want to waste his time on the Grievances Committee meeting and would leave if the Planning Board meeting was not held first. “Care should have been taken to time the two meetings separately,” he added. Many of those attending the meeting promptly pointed out that the Planning Board meeting had a frivolous agenda and was not required to be held at all. “The agenda relates to the issuing of utilisation certificates of various centrally sponsored scheme funds. Since it did not concern the board members at all, the meeting need not take place,” said a member. Agreeing with the member, the minister ordered that till the Planning Board received any funds for use, no meeting be called. Following this, the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Mr H.I.S Grewal, started with the first item on the agenda of the Grievances Committee meeting. The agenda item related to a complaint made by Mr Bir Devinder regarding the dirt and filth caused by the residents of the Jhotte Kutt colony in Mohali. While the report on the issue was being heard, the MLA started cross questioning the reporting official to which the minister objected. “Route your questions through me and don’t talk to the officials directly,” he said. “I am here to speak and is responsible to those who have elected me. This complaint of mine had been pending for over six months and no action has been taken on it. The House should decide what action should be taken against on those officials who have not bothered to find a solution to the problem since then,” said Mr Bir Devinder. Heated spat between the two followed. The spat repeated itself when the next item on the agenda which was again another complaint by the MLA, was discussed. Following this the MLA left the meeting in a huff stating it was useless wasting time there.
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CHB gets post office vacated
Chandigarh, July 22 After being “thrown out” of a rented accommodation by the CHB, a sub post office in Sector 40 have been shifted to the GPO in Sector 17. For want of space, the entire record of the persons subscribing to various postal services has also been sifted to the GPO. Residents of the area point out that despite the post being an essential service, no effort was being to ensure that the residents did not have to travel long distance. As a temporary arrangement, the postal office should be shifted to the Sector 36 post office instead of the GPO. They said alternative premises should have been arranged made much in advance as the postal officials knew about the impending dispute between the allottee and the CHB, a fact denied by the officers concerned. Senior Superintendent of Post Office, Nirmajit Singh said he tried his best to get some time to shift the post office, adding that the staff at the post were caught unaware. Calls were made to the officers of the CHB, but to no anvil he said. Ironically, the sub post office has accounts of around 12,000 subscribers. Apart from the sale of postal stationary, hundreds of residents have invested money in saving accounts, recurring deposit (RD) and term deposit (TD). For operating these accounts, the subscribers now have no option but to travel all the way to Sector 17. Mr N.K.Sharma, a resident of Sector 40, said , “ To go by bus from Sector 40 to Sector 17 bus stand, one has to spent Rs 18 to and fro. From the bus stand, one has to again take a rickshaw to reach the GPO”. It is very difficult for senior citizens to commute the long distance on buses or autos, said Mr
R.N.Gupta, a resident of Sector 38 (West). Postal Department to take up the issue with the Chandigarh Administration After the incident of the postal staff being “thrown out” of the rented accommodation, the postal authorities are agitated at the
indifferent attitude of the administration towards the issue of running essential services. The office of the Chief Postmaster General, Punjab, is likely to request the UT Administrator to issue standing instructions so that the public was not put to inconvenience and time be given to the department if any rented premises was to be vacated by a government agency.
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Universal Society members move court
Chandigarh, July 22 Tired at the delaying tactics of the Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies
(JRCS) in granting permission for holding the draw of lots, the members have moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Acting on the petition, a Division Bench of the high court comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sud and Mr Justice Virender Singh has issued a notice of motion to the Administration for August 29. Members alleged that even though 122 substitute members out of the 186 had paid all dues, yet the Administration was fighting shy of recognising them as members of the society. And this was despite the fact that banks and financial institutions had advanced them loans for being “genuine and irrevocable” members. Mr S.K. Sharma, a member, claimed that the names of the substitute members were approved by the executive and the general body of the society and the list was sent to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies
(RCS) in 2003. The Administration was aware of the substitution of members and deposit of land cost to the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) by them, he added. In May this year, the JRCS had postponed the draw of lots of dwelling units scheduled to be held on May 28 on the issue of inclusion of substitute members in the draw. Now when the flats were ready for possession, the administration was dragging feet on the issue of a policy for the substitute members. In fact, the draw of lots had already been postponed twice — in June and November — last year. It may be recalled that in response to a newspaper advertisement in January 2003 inviting substitute members, 122 persons, which formed almost two-thirds of the membership, had applied. After fulfilling all formalities and payment of dues, the members were issued share certificates, the Universal Enclave Welfare Association claimed. The members had been blaming the apathetic attitude on the part of the executive body and the Administration for a delay of over one year in the draw of lots, putting the members to hardship.
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23-year-old kills self
Panchkula, July 22 The victim, Neha, was reportedly alone at her house when she took the extreme step. Her father, Daksh Kumar, a Manager at HMT and mother, Ms Sunita a teacher at Chandigarh, were away to work, and the younger brother was at school. When the victim’s mother came back home, she found her
daughter's body hanging from the ceiling fan.
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Passing Thru
What brings you to Chandigarh?
I am here for the state-level workshop on capacity building on human rights and HIV/AIDS. The IPPF is the largest voluntary organisation dealing with reproductive health. We basically work in the areas of adolescence, abortions, HIV/AIDS. What
are the primary issues that need to be dealt with? In 1952, when the IPPF came into India, family planning and population stabilisation were primary. Today, it is HIV/AIDS and the pressure that discrimination and stigma placed on those affected. Gender selection, women’s empowerment, sexuality and rights of those affected, either directly or indirectly, is important. The greatest challenge is capacity-building of human resources through training and sensitisation of men in their role in society. What do you expect from this workshop? One hopes that there is a sensitisation towards the issue of human rights. Not even the educated middle class has enough awareness of the urgency of the situation. People do not like going beyond the veneer of an issue. — Gayatri Rajwade
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Bansal urges UT Adviser to
Chandigarh, July 22 "An open auction is for fresh purchase of property whereas in the case of the Industrial Area, the owners already have the title of the property which they bought in the past on the then
prevalent rates. No reduction in the conversion charges has been provided on this account. Conversion should not be treated as a fresh purchase", Mr Bansal said. "The commercial plots sold in other parts of the city vary in size from 20 sq yds to 250 sq yds. Price fetched for them in an open auction cannot be treated as a benchmark for determining the conversion charges for the plots measuring between one kanal to 10 acres", he said. A delegation of the Chandigarh Industrial Association under the leadership of Mr M.P.S.Chawla, president, had recently called upon the Governor and pointed out the hardships in conversion under the current rates.
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Ravi Kant appears before inquiry panel
Panchkula, July 22 The latter
is holding a departmental inquiry against Mr Sharma for his absence
from duty in 2002 while evading arrest by the Delhi police. Mr
Sharma was posted as IG, Prisons, Haryana, till August 14, 2002. After
a team of the crime branch of the Delhi Police swooped down here on
the night of August 2, 2002, to arrest Mr Sharma for his alleged
involvement in the murder of journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, he managed
to escape. At that time, Mr Sharma had applied for a five-day leave
— from August 5 -9, 2002. His leave period included two week-ends
— August 3-4 and August 10-11. With the Delhi Police on trail, Mr
Sharma went into hiding and his whereabouts were not known till he
surrendered on September 27, 2002. Mr Sharma failed to either report
for duty or apply for extension of leave after August 11. The Home
Department, Haryana, placed him under suspension for absence from duty
on August 23, 2002. A departmental inquiry was, thus, initiated
against him. Mr Ravi Kant was brought here by a team of Delhi Police
officials on the directions of a Delhi court. This was his second
appearance before the inquiry commission.
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Roadways accident rate down
Panchkula, July 22 This was revealed at a function organised at the Kalka bus stand today where the Haryana Transport Minister, Mr. Randeep Singh Surjewala, formally dedicated the first “Raen Basera” to the people. The oldest worker the bus depot, Mr Ajit Singh, performed the ceremony in the presence of the minister. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Surjewala said that more such night shelters would be set up at various bus stands so that people did not have to sleep on the floor of the bus stand. A night shelter would be set up at the Ambala Cantt. bus stand shortly. The Raen Basera at the Kalka bus stand has 20 beds in the dormitories, an air-conditioned
de-luxe room, a family room and an ordinary room. One could stay in a dormitory by paying Rs 50 per bed and the charges for air-conditioned de luxe room would be Rs 475 per day and for family room it would be Rs 325. The ordinary room could be hired at a rate of Rs 225 per day. Mr Surjewala said bank ATMs internet cafes and outlets of reputed eating joints would be set up at bus stands as part of the drive to upgrade the facilities. Special seating arrangements were being made at all bus stands so that people could sit comfortably while waiting for buses. A face-lift was being given to all bus stands for which a special budget of Rs 10 crore had been sanctioned by the state government for the first time. He said that there was a plan to replace 765 old buses during the current financial year. Also, air-conditioned buses would be made operational on all important routes and CNG buses would operate in the National Capital region. He said route rotations and time tables were being rationalised and all important activities and functions of the roadways were being computerised under a special plan. Some of the modules of the computerisation project had been developed by HARTRON and were being tested at Chandigarh depot. Mr Surjewala also gave away prizes to the outstanding workers which included three drivers, three conductors, two members of the workshop staff and four members of the management staff. Mr Surjewala today directed the General Manager, Haryana Roadways, to introduce more buses from Kalka to Chandigarh at 6. 30 am. He issued the order after his attention was drawn towards the rush of students in buses during morning hours from Kalka to Chandigarh.
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Poverty threatens to cloud a bright future
Chandigarh, July 22 Not only has he become an outstanding sportsman following rigorous training and practice, he has also participated in the 2002 World Hockey Tournament for Mentally Handicapped held in the US. Soon after the event, he was invited for the world football tournament for the mentally challenged held at Tokyo in 2003. While the past has been glorious and full of consecutive successes for Gurpreet, this year has not dawned bright. Repeating history, Gurpreet has been selected again for the world athletic meet to be held in Canada in September, but he does not have the requisite funds to go. Worried and helpless, Gurpreet’s teachers at GIMRC-32 have placed their hopes in the good Samaritans of the region. They say, “If only someone could sponsor Gurpreet, he would again come out with flying colours. We are waiting for help, so is he.” For Gurpreet, who normally exudes confidence of a victor, life has suddenly turned unfriendly. He says, “I can only fight my disability and can do what I am best at. And I am not best at making money.”
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Another sector becoming garbage dump
Chandigarh, July 22 The MC had never bothered to ameliorate the civic amenities in the sector, say the residents. They blamed the mayor, municipal councillor of the area, residents welfare association for the mess created in this sector which has a population of more than 5,000 people in Sector 34-C and D only. The A and C part of the Sector 34 are commercial areas. The sector has a sizeable number of student population as most of the educational and coaching institutes are now concentrated in Sector 34 and nearby Sector 20. So it is convenient for the students to find accommodation either as paying guests or get the rented rooms. The moment one enters the market or goes towards the gurdwara located on main road, a foul and stinking smell greets you. There is no pedestrian path along the busy road which also has traffic going towards Sector 44 and other southern sectors as people come to shop in Sector 34 and take the inside B roads. Ridhi, a student, complained that for days the garbage was not being lifted. Worst are the Saturdays and Sundays, when no staff was there. She said even the rainy season had not moved the local Muncipal Corporation officials into action. She said what was the fun of having modern technology in garbage disposal when it was not lifted for days. Anish Khanna, another student, said he preferred this sector over others due to its proximity with main shopping centres and coaching institutes. But now he was repenting his decision. He said the drainage system was also not proper. Near Verka milk booth in Sector 34-C still water was the breeding place for mosquitoes and health officials were to blame for the same. She said even central parks were without any swings and congress grass was abundant in the park grounds. Rajwinder Singh, another resident, said during late evening hours, the fast moving traffic was a danger to the walkers. He said though local police was stationed at many points in the evening , but it had failed to regulate the traffic as there were no speed breakers and there was no speed limit for the inner roads. Moreover opposite the gurdwara, there was always traffic chaos as city police had not devised any traffic management system at that point When contacted, Ms Anu Chatrath, Mayor, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh said, ‘No one from this sector had complained to the MC. Regarding the non-visit of the area councillor, Ms Harjinder Kaur, to the sector, she said, “I cannot comment on that”.
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Slum children told of traffic rules
Chandigarh, July 22 As many as 400 children from the slums participated in the daylong seminar, which educated them on how to facilitate movement of traffic in the city.
However, the senior police officers were nowhere to be seen. The function was to be attended by the Senior Superintendent of Chandigarh police for Traffic, Mr Amitabh Dhillon, not only he but the DSP (Traffic) also did not attend the programme.
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Father looks towards good Samaritans to save child
Chandigarh, July 22 Employed as a cook in a city hotel, Amar Singh has been running from pillar to post trying to manage the money needed to save his child. He needs at least Rs 1.5 lakh to save Ankit. Doctors at the PGI have told him that surgery is the last option. Since July 2, when doctors informed him about that his son could only be saved through a surgery, Mr Amar Singh has been roaming around helplessly, seeking out help. Donations can be deposited at the office of the Public Relations Officer, PGI, Sector 12, or Financial Controller, Hotel GK International, Sector 35.
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“No bus detention day”
Chandigarh, July 22
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Hooda releases two books
Chandigarh, July 22
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2 swindlers land in police net
Chandigarh, July 22 Sources in the police said, Munish, alias Gunjan (19), and Tarun Chopra (18), both residents of Mani Majra, were arrested this afternoon following secrete information. The police laid a trap behind the Police Lines in Sector 26 and nabbed the accused. A case of cheating under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered against them. The SHO of the Sector 26 police station said, “During the preliminary interrogation, the accused had confessed to have duped Jatinder Kumar of Pipliwala Town on July 13”. He said the police was also trying to find out if they were involved in other crimes. They might be involved in a theft case, he added. They are reportedly unemployed.
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Thieves decamp with 10 computers
Chandigarh, July 22 Mr Vishal Gupta, a resident of Sector 35, lodged a complaint with the police alleging that 10 computers and computers spareparts were stolen from his SCO 112-113 in Sector 34-A on Thursday night. Mr Gupta said the thieves gained entry by breaking open the locks. The estimated loss was Rs 5 lakh. In another incident, Mr Vishal Mahajan of Sector 40-A reported to the police that a TV, a music system and computer parts were stolen from his SCO 230 in Sector 40 during the night of July 19-21. Two separate cases of thefts and trespassing have been registered in this regard. Scooter stolen:
Injured:
Ms Meenu Kumari, a High Court employee and resident of Phase II, Mohali, sustained injuries after being hit by a Alto car (HR-05-W-0028) near the High Court. She sustained multiple fractures on her leg. The police has registered a case and impounded the car.
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Resident looted of Rs 70,000
Mohali, July 22 He said the scooter was parked at a distance from the bank. Amrik Singh said a person came to him and told him that the cashier of the bank was looking for him. He went inside the bank, but realised he was befooled. When he returned, he was shocked to find the glove compartment broken. Interestingly, traffic cops were posted a few metres from the crime spot. Mr Rakesh Aggarwal,
Superintendent of Police, said a case had been registered. He said they would jack up security arrangements by sounding a red alert.
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Motorcyclist killed
Panchkula, July 22 THEFT: Cash worth Rs 5,000 and jewellery worth Rs 30,000 was stolen from a house at HMT Colony, Pinjore, when the owners, Mr Bhaskar Goel and his wife, were away to work. When the couple came back home, they found the house ransacked.
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