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MC suspends munshi, repatriates JE
Deaths by water Despite being among the best planned cities in the country, the mismanagement of the rainwater has taken a toll of three lives this monsoon
season. August 4: Pawan Kumar, a 12-year-old resident of Burail, was drowned while playing with his friends in a pool of water between Sectors 33 and
45. July 10: Ms Leela Kanwar, a 46-year-old Upper Divisional Clerk at Western Command, was washed away in a seasonal rivulet at Chandi Mandir. Rajinder Singh of Sector 47 was killed earlier this month when he was drowned near the roundabout of Sectors 44 and 45 while he was on his cycle.
Chandigarh, August 17 Prem Nath, work munshi in the office of the Executive Engineer, M.C.P.H. Divn. No. 4, was suspended while Rajiv Kumar, junior engineer, working in the public health circle, MC, was repatriated to his parent department, Haryana, with immediate effect. Issuing the orders here today, Mr P.S. Aujla, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said Prem Nath had been suspended for misconduct. Stating that it amounted to negligence of duty and lack of supervision which resulted in the death of a woman, Mr Aujla added that disciplinary proceedings could be initiated against him. The Chief Engineer, MC, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Sub-rule (i) (a) of Rule 4 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 1970, as applicable to the officials of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, suspended Prem Nath with immediate effect. It was further ordered that during the period of suspension, the headquarters of Prem Nath, work munshi, would be the office of the Executive Engineer, MC.P.H. Divn. No. 3 and he will not leave the headquarters without obtaining prior permission of the Executive Engineer. It is further brought out that grave dereliction of duty on part of Rajiv Kumar, junior engineer, working in the public health circle, has led to a loss of a valuable life. While he has been repatriated to Haryana, the MC has recommended that he should be suspended. A charge sheet for imposition of major penalty would be forwarded in due course of time. Meanwhile, Mr Harjit Singh Kandola, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has been appointed as an inquiry officer to conduct a fact-finding inquiry into this matter. Mr R.C. Diwan, Executive Engineer, MCPH Divn. No. 2, will assist him in conducting the inquiry.
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Grieving kin face apathy
Chandigarh, August 17 No compensation was announced, even though a case of causing death by negligence was registered against “unknown persons” under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code. Marriage cut
short It was a love-cum-arranged marriage for Jaswinder Kaur. She and Gurnam Singh tied the knot on December 6, 2004, and were eagerly looking forward to the arrival of their first child. She was given appointment on compassionate grounds in 2002 after her father’s death. Gurnam Singh is deployed as a Home Guard volunteer with the Chandigarh police. Jaswinder had recently appeared in the BA (II) examination. Still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, her relatives alleged that they had to wait in the Sector 16 General Hospital till afternoon for getting the post-mortem conducted. They alleged that doctors delayed the examination on one pretext or another. “Last night, the doctors did not even bother to examine the body properly and simply declared her ‘brought dead’. Despite repeated requests to check for the signs of life in Jaswinder and her unborn baby, the body was sent to the mortuary. The body was brought back to explore the possibility of the baby being alive, following heated arguments. Still, junior residents on duty refused to thoroughly examine the victim,” said Jaswinder Singh, a cousin of the deceased. Describing themselves as victims of not just the circumstances, but also indifference, another relative Sudarshan said the police and the fire brigade reached the spot within minutes, but there was lack of coordination between them. “In the absence of a clear-cut combined rescue plan, they kept groping in the dark for hours after her disappearance. For them, it was a wait-and-watch strategy even as precious time slipped out of their uncertain hands,” added Jaswinder Singh. The seven-month pregnant, Jaswinder Kaur (27) had slipped into the sewerage line through an uncovered manhole in Sector 30 near the CSIO around 8.45 p.m. She had reportedly
Though two Municipal Corporation employees were pressed into service for locating the victim around 11 p.m., they too failed due to the presence of gases in the sewerage. They added that they were unable to move around due to the absence of equipment. Relatives and eyewitnesses said the authorities should have at least provided masks to the employees, bedsides other equipment, including searchlights. They added that the Engineering Department also failed to provide any map of the sewer lines. As such, the rescue work could not be carried in a systematic manner. Eyewitnesses said senior officers kept ordering the rescue teams to launch and re-launch the search operations, starting from the manhole in which Jaswinder Kaur fell. They kept on hovering around the same spot, for over two hours, even as the body was carried to another spot, over 10 km away, by the gushing water. Meanwhile, emotions ran high as Jaswinder Kaur was cremated around 4.30 p.m. in the Sector 25 cremation ground. The Senior Superintendent of Chandigarh Police, Deputy Superintendent of Chandigarh Police along with a former Mayor and councillors of the area attended the cremation.
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Deathtraps dot city
Chandigarh, August 17 Even though a day has passed since the seven-month pregnant Constable with the Chandigarh police, Jaswinder Kaur fell into one such deathtrap, a survey of the city reveals that manhole covers are missing in almost all sectors. Adding to the danger are the storm waterdrains being constructed by the authorities all over the city. Mounds of dug-up earth around the craters, along the roadside, are the only indicators of the lurking danger. Then there are live electric wires jutting out of the poles that have not been taped for ages, it appears. They expose the pedestrians to the perils of electrocution in Sectors 29, 30, 20 and 21. But no one is apparently bothered about it. In Sector 20 alone, there are at least three manholes without covers. One of them is near the post office. Another is near the labour chowk right next to the cycle track. Residents claim the covers have not been replaced despite repeated reminders to the authorities concerned. Things are hardly any different in Sector 29. Besides missing manhole covers, uncovered stormwater drains pose a danger. Drive down the road dividing the area from Sector 30 and you will find scores of such drains. Otherwise, pedestrians walking down the kutcha path along the road often find themselves staring into gaping holes, if they are lucky. Randhir Singh, living in Sector 20, was not so fortunate. Last year in August, he realised the presence of an open gutter, concealed under dense growth, a bit too late and was admitted to a hospital for almost two weeks with a fractured leg. The situation is similar in Sector 32 and all the rotaries in the city. Even there, the stormwater drains are uncovered. Just outside the YMCA in Sector 11, you will find a manhole — almost “invisible to the naked eye” due to a thick growth. The cover has been shifted — the local residents are aware of the fact. The outsiders visiting the sector are ignorant about it. Just three months back, a pedestrian injured himself at night. Also, a pup fell into it, kids playing in the area claim. “We are extra cautious,” they add, with a smile. For them, it is a reality that has been existing for long. Though Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh officials say that the manhole covers have been stolen, sources in the Chandigarh police claim that they have not received any complaint in this
regard.
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Milkmen stage protest
Mohali, August 17 The protesters, who gathered in response to a call of the Chandigarh Periphery Milkmen Union, alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched by the government in connivance with the Verka milk plant to harass milk sellers. They demanded that the campaign be stopped and threatened to launch a statewide stir if this was not done. They raised slogans against the plant authorities. Mr Amarjit Singh Landran, president of the union, said the milk plant and the Health Department were defaming milkmen so that the market for the sale of milk and milk products was handed over to milk plants and multinationals in order to benefit the foreign milk trade. He said milkmen supplied fresh milk to consumers whereas milk in packets reached the consumer after processing, which took extra time. He said milkmen were responsible for the product they supplied to consumers. They had not received complaints from consumers against the milk supplied by them. The General Manager of the Verka milk plant, Mr Balwinder Singh, said the protest by the milkmen was uncalled for. Milkfed was only trying to create awareness about the quality of milk. Campus for testing milk had been organised on public demand and not by the plant. He said people had the right to know about the quality of the food items consumed by them. Consumers approached the milk plant for getting the milk tested but the plant did not collect samples from consumers on its own. In certain cases, consumers had even taken milk from Verka pouches and without telling the plant about the source of the milk, had got it tested at the plant. Mr Balwinder Singh said an analysis of loose milk samples received from the Chandigarh Health Department today showed the following:
buffalo milk sample — fat 4 per cent; SNF (solid other than fat) — 7.6 per cent; and acidity — 0.120 per cent. Cow milk sample — fat 3 per cent; SNF — 6.9 per cent; and acidity — 0.115 per cent. He said in standard milk the fat content should be 4.5 per cent and SNF 8.5 per cent. In case of double-toned milk the figures were 1.5 per cent and 9.0 per cent, respectively. The General Manager said under the Milk and Milk Product Orders, 1992, strict standards had been fixed for maintaining quality. But unfortunately such standards were not meant for persons or organisations dealing in the supply of milk less than 5000 litres.
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Sec 8 firm booked under Section 420
Chandigarh, August 17 Interestingly, the case has been registered following a complaint by employees working in the company after their employer went ‘missing’ on August 11. The company, Western Softwares, used to take Rs 15,000 per appointment. It had reportedly amassed crores of rupees from gullible applicants.
— OC
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Europeans leaving cities, shifting to rural areas
Chandigarh, August 17 The duo spoke to The Tribune at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) here today. They were here to present their views at a national seminar on “Capacity building of the local self-government institutions in Punjab.” Talking about the social shift, Professor Depoele said about 50 per cent of the European population was in the cities while the rest lived in villages. The people shifting to the villages are doing so because a good infrastructure exists in all places. He admitted: “What may have been done in Europe in self-government may not be applicable in India, but some ideas can be picked up.” On how to manage rural economies, he went on explain: “We are telling farmers in Europe to grow quality products and not lay stress on increasing the quantity. The subsidy, given in the name of landscaping the areas, is given only if the farmers confirm to strict guidelines.” His colleague Professor Delmartino said: “We in Europe have to find a balance that meets the demand of the markets and WTO standards and also maintain the environment thus discouraging the use of pesticides.” “But”, Professor Delmartino added, “we do not want agriculture to disappear from Europe as this is part of age-old heritage. However, the advice to farmers is not to keep on growing more quantity.” Giving an example he said, “Places like the vineyeards of France, are our heritage. All the 10 million or so farmers are covered under the same policy.” When asked if any kind of India-like minimum support price system exists in Europe, Professor Depoele said, “The farmer is given the first option to take the produce to the market. The countries buy the produce at a price lower than that in the market. This prevents the farmer from making losses in case there is a drop in the demand or due to other reasons.” On how the infrastructure is developed at the local level, Professor Depoele said, “The local bodies formulate the needs and find solutions. Training from the government is essential. Mobilisation of people in handling the work for the community is vital.”
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’84 riots: SAD seeks benefits for kin of defence personnel
Chandigarh, August 17 The president of the SAD’s ex-servicemen’s wing, Brig K.S. Kahlon (retd), said here today that the Nanawati Commission, pursuant to its terms of reference, had sought information from the Ministry of Railways about the incidences of violence, but the ministry, in its reply had stated that it was not possible due to the non-availability of records. “A large number of Sikh defence personnel were killed during the riots and the bodies of many were not even recovered,” he said. “It is surprising that none of the earlier nine commissions of inquiry have looked into this aspect,” he added. He said the two official committees now constituted by the government should go into the details of the serving defence personnel killed on duty while travelling in trains. “If the railways ministry is unable to provide details, records would definitely be existing in the defence ministry or Army Headquarters as the government had released accidental benefits to the families of those killed,” he said. Brigadier Kahlon said about 50 defence personnel had been killed during the riots. Citing known examples, he said Col A.S. Anand had been killed while proceeding on posting from Ahmednagar to Babina. Two young officers, Capt I.S. Bindra and Capt S.S. Gill, were killed while proceeding for training courses. Another officer, Major R.S. Virdi was severely injured and has been bedridden since due to paralysis. The bodies of the three other officers were not found. “Accidental benefits were meager. Many of those killed while on duty were young and their families were not even eligible for grant of any kind pension,” he said. “They deserve better treatment and should be equated with those who are killed in the line of duty,” he added. He said his organisation is now gathering details of defence personnel killed during the riots for taking up with the government the grant of benefits to the next of kin similar to those given to personnel killed while on duty. Such packages, he added, had only been recently introduced.
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PUDA earns 65.33 cr from auction
Mohali, August 17 The society running the Manav Mangal Schools in Chandigarh and Panchkula paid the highest amount to PUDA, bagging the largest site of 3.82 acres in Sector 64 for a whopping sum of Rs 18.42 Crore. The auction price went as high as 9,800 per square yard at a reserve price of Rs 2000 per square yard. The newly formed “Western Society” bought the next largest site of 2.83 acres in Sector 67 at Rs 13.93 crore, at the rate of Rs 10,175 per square yard. The most coveted of sites for a high school adjoining YPS School in Sector 51 was bagged by the Aryavarta Education Society running Lawrence School in Industrial Area, Mohali. The school site measuring 2.30 acres cost 11.11 crore at the rate of Rs 9,985 per square yard. The site measuring 1.5 acres for a high school in Sector 69 was auctioned for Rs 8.78 crore to the Darshana Devi Education Society while another site measuring O.87 acre for a primary school in the same sector was sold for Rs 5.33 crore to the Sham and Kunj Educational Society. The 1.39 acre site for a high school in Sector 67 was auctioned to Sidhu-Brar Bhaichara Society for Rs 8.14 crore. The auctions for school sites were held for the first time in Punjab. Earlier, these sites were allotted to societies by an allotment committee of PUDA. Following the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) example, it decided to auction these sites. However, PUDA has allowed the auctioned sites to be freely transferable to similar trust and societies while HUDA school sites are non-transferable. While registered trusts and societies with education as their primary aim were permitted to participate in the auctions today, since no time limit had been fixed for the existence of such a trust, education societies registered after the appearance of the auction advertisement were also allowed to bid. According to a contender, as many as 35 education societies had been registered since the appearance of the advertisement. “The fact that these sites are freely transferable and 85 per cent of the payment is to be done without interest in the next 15 years attracted groups of property dealers to form societies. And that is the reason the rates went up so high today. Most of the older societies that are running schools in Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula had to go back disappointed since the cost of the land made the entire project non-viable,” said a school chairman.
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Passengers suffer as busmen stage protest
Mohali, August 17 The stretch of the highway near the Civil Hospital in phase VI turned into an unofficial bus stand as passengers were compelled to alight from buses of the CTU or roadways to catch vehicles parked in Chandigarh or the Punjab territory for onward journey. Harassed passengers carrying their luggage or with small children in arms could be seen trying to locate a bus in the heat. A passenger coming from Balachaur, Ms Sita Anand, complained that she was a heart patient and had to change a bus from Mohali even when she was to alight at the Sector-43 bus stand in Chandigarh. She was travelling along with her son Mohit. She said passengers were unnecessarily being put to inconvenience. The protest began when Punjab Roadways employees parked a bus across the main road near the hospital. Soon after, the police removed the blockage. However, later the protest continued with the roadways staff not allowing CTU buses to enter the Punjab territory or their own vehicles to go to Chandigarh. Mr Jarnail Singh, general secretary of the Punjab Karamchari Dal, said the Chandigarh Administration was not allowing new buses acquired by Punjab Roadways to enter the bus stand in the Union Territory. The administration claims Punjab Roadways has unauthorisedly increased the number of bus routes. He said 220 new buses had been acquired by the roadways and 200 more were expected to be added to the fleet. These new vehicles had to be operated and the number of routes would consequently rise. Earlier there was a shortage of buses with the roadways. He claimed that passengers had been rendered all help to catch buses for their destinations without extra charges. Every effort was made to ensure that they were not put to inconvenience. Mr Jagdish Singh, general secretary of the Chandigarh Government Transport Workers Union, said an agreement had been effected with Punjab Roadways recently under which a bus schedule was drawn up. However, the roadways introduced special buses for Chandigarh, allegedly in connivance with private operators, in violation of the agreement. He accused the roadways staff of stopping CTU buses. The CTU staff, he said, had not prevented any roadways bus from entering Chandigarh today.
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MC to set up 3 more safai kendras
Chandigarh, August 17 Sehaj safai kendras are already going on in Sectors 15, 8, 27, 28, 19, 21, Ram Darbar, Sectors 33, 35, 10, 11, 9, 18, 40, 47, 17, 30 and 32. In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 279 of the Punjab Municipal corporation Act 1976 as extended to the U.T. Chandigarh, the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has designated the three sehaj safai kendras in Sector 4- opposite water works, Sector 29- behind Garhwal Bhavan, Sector 29-A and Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra. The sehaj safai kendras shall remain open for depositing the garbage and horticulture waste from 7 am to 6 pm The corporation staff will not collect any garbage or horticulture waste from any other place from August 22 from Sectors 4, 29 and Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra.
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Josan plants sapling at Press Club
Chandigarh, August 17 The President of the club, Mr Jagtar Singh Sidhu, Secretary-General Balwant Takshak and other office-bearers welcomed Mr Josan. Mr Josan said the state-government was making all efforts to increase the forest cover in the state. “The forest cover had come down to 4 per cent at one stage in the state, but now it has gone up to 8.1 per cent,” he said. Farmers were being motivated to adopt forestry. Being a predominantly agriculture state, farmers in Punjab were more interested in traditional crops.
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Hawara’s counsel denied vehicle entry into jail
Chandigarh, August 17 The defence counsel were not allowed to take their cars inside the jail, while CBI Special Judge M.M. Sharma and CBI counsels were allowed to go inside the jail complex in their vehicles. When the defence counsel protested against the act, they were allegedly maltreated by the jail staff. Later, they moved an application before the judge, following which he issued notice to the Jail Superintendent to appear in the court.
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Murder suspect’s son rendered “homeless”
Mohali, August 17 The boy’s father, Tek Chand, a chowkidar at
the factory, mother Gita and two relatives had been arrested on a charge of murdering Lalji, another chowkidar on the premises, earlier this month. The boy, Sandeep, complained that after the arrest of his parents he went away from the quarters given to his father at the factory. However, when he returned he found all belongings of his family missing from the accommodation. The boy, who broke down, said he had been born and brought up there and now
had been rendered homeless after the arrest of his parents. The SP, Mr Varinder Pal Singh, said a relative of the boy who lived in Hoshiarpur had probably taken away the belongings. The man had been summoned by the police. He said he had asked the SHO of the Phase I police station, Mr Jagdish Singh, to probe the complaint.
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Tribune employee bereaved
Chandigarh, August 17
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2 Customs inspectors fall in CBI trap
Chandigarh, August 17 Sources in the CBI said that a trap was laid following a complaint by Ms Priti Bansal, Proprietor of Preet Financial Consultant (registered), Sector 22, to the anti-corruption branch of the CBI alleging that the inspectors were demanding money from her to get her job done. After verifying her complaint, the CBI officials laid a trap and arrested the accused red-handed while accepting the money. She alleged in her complaint that Inspector Baljeet Singh, a resident of Sector 46-C, had demanded Rs 10,000 as bribe to settle a notice served to her regarding the payment of service tax by her firm. As per the trap, Ms Priti Bansal today went to the office of Inspector Baljeet Singh and offered him marked currency notes of Rs 10,000 as bribe, which he allegedly accepted and counted them. He later handed over the notes to his colleague, Inspector Dhaminder Kumar, a resident of Kendriya Vihar, Sector 48-C. No sooner did the money exchange hands than the CBI sleuths swooped on the inspectors and arrested them after recovering the money. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has been registered. Raids are being conducted at the residences of both the accused.
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Husband booked for woman’s death
Zirakpur, August 17 Sources in the police said Ms Mohinder Kaur consumed a poisonous substance following a tiff with her in-laws. The police has also booked her husband and mother-in-law under various provisions of the Dowry Act on the complaint of her brother. In a complaint to the police, Mr Panmeet Singh, brother of the deceased, alleged that Son Kaur, mother-in-law, and Ravinder Singh, husband, had been harassing Mohinder Kaur for dowry. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem. No arrest has been made in this context as yet.
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Ambulance hit by truck, patient dead
Zirakpur, August 17 According to the police, the patient, Bunti (23), was being taken to the PGI in an ambulance (HR-37B-0937) when the accident occurred on the Kalka-Ambala highway. A truck (HR-38-B-8026) overtaking the ambulance hit it from the side. The driver of the ambulance lost control of the vehicle which turned turtle. Passersby and motorists assembled at the spot and the highway patrol was called. The injured patient, his mother and aunt were rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where doctors declared Bunti ‘brought dead’. The injured were referred to the PGI. Bunti’s body was handed over to the family after postmortem at the Civil Hospital, Rajpura, this evening. The police has registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the truck driver. No arrest has been made.
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Four cops suspended on kidnap charge
Mohali, August 17 “SHO Gurjit Singh, his gunman Harvinder Singh, night munshi Jagir Singh and munshi Swaran Singh have been suspended and a departmental inquiry ordered against them,” said Mr Surinder Pal Singh. On August 15, the Chandigarh police had booked a Sector 22-C based landlord and Punjab Police cops on charges of kidnapping, illegal confinement, trespass, theft and criminal conspiracy. The three cops had allegedly “carried out the kidnapping” and taken the complainant, Mr Krishan Kumar, to the Phase VIII police station for the night. A resident of Sector 42, Krishan Kumar had said that for the past six months his landlord, Bittu Dhir, along with one Prem Dhir, had been threatening him to vacate the shop. He alleged that on August 14, three Punjab Police cops came to his house and took him to the Phase VIII police station where they kept him for the night. When he returned the next morning, he found the belongings of his shop strewn on the road. A case under sections 365, 342, 448, 457, 380 and 120-B of the IPC was registered.
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Burglars decamp with goods on rehri
Panchkula, August 17 After ransacking the house, they collected the commodities, loaded them in the rehri and rode away patiently. The burglars stuck at the house when its owner, Mr Vikarm Singh, a computer professional, and his wife were in their respective offices. The incident came to light when Mr Sham Lal, a neighbour, noticed two strangers riding away the rehri with electronic goods and other commodities. He than informed other neighbours and they made a phone call to Mr Vikaram asking if he had sent some body to his house. As Virkarm denied to have sent any body to his home, the neighbourers chased the strangers but no to avail. After receiving the news, the house owner reached the house and found the house burgled. The matter has been reported to the police.
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Six hurt in accident
Panchkula, August 17 According to eyewitnesses, the trucks were headed towards Zirakpur and the car was approaching from the opposite direction. The truck (PB-29C-9323) loaded with gravel was trailing another truck (HP-24-3390) when the car without any registration number collided head-on. All injured were rushed to the General Hospital, Sector 6. Mr Jarnail Singh who broke his leg, was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. The driver of the truck (HP-24-3390) reportedly fled. The police has impounded the vehicles.
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