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Pregnant woman killed,
22 injured in accident
Mohali, August 19
The police later found that all four tyres of the bus were worn out and were not roadworthy. The driver and owner of the bus service are being booked for causing death due to negligence. The seven-month pregnant victim, Jasbir Kaur, who died on way to the PGI, Chandigarh, like many other passengers was travelling with her family to her brother’s house in a nearby village for rakhi. While her husband, Jasbir Singh, escaped with minor injuries, their year-old daughter, Navjot, who was grievously injured, is battling for life at the PGI so are three other passengers. Two of those injured are admitted to the Kharar Civil Hospital. The rest of the injured were discharged after first-aid. The accident took place at 11.30 am when the bus (PB-12-C-1377) of Ajit Bus Service carrying over 40 passengers was on its way from Ropar to Kharar. The front left tyre burst and the bus went out of control. The driver swayed the bus to the side and finally hit a large tree. According to the police, the bus driver jumped out of the crashed bus and ran away. Passersby and those at the Rayat College of Education nearby came to the assistance of the trapped passengers. The injured were first taken to the Kharar Civil Hospital from where those in critical condition were shifted to the PGI. Relating the incident, Seema, one of the injured said she along with her mother- in-law, Kaushalya, and yearold son had boarded the bus at Kurali for her brother’s place in a nearby village. “We heard a loud sound and were thrown about inside the bus. My head hit a side window. My son fell down but my mother-in-law was hurt the most,” she told Chandigarh Tribune at the PGI. The DSP Kharar, Mr Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, said, “All tyres of the bus were in a bad shape. They were not just completely worn out but ‘threadbare’. Accidents like this one are bound to happen if buses ply with such tyres”, he said adding that since a passenger had died in the accident, Section 304 (death due to negligence) was being added to the FIR lodged at the Kharar Sadar police station against the driver, Jaswant Singh and the owner of the bus company. Other than Jasbir Singh and his family, Kuldip Singh (35), his wife Sarabjit Kaur (32) and 12- year-old daughter Sandeep of Lakhnaour village, were injured. Kuldip Singh has been admitted to the Kharar Civil Hospital.
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Lawyers slap contempt case on IG (Prisons)
Chandigarh, August 19 Two days after the police booked Mr Chahal, along with advocate S.S. Bawa on the charges of intimidating the Burail Jail staff, the lawyers today hit back by filing contempt of court against the IG (Prisons), Mr A.S. Dhillon, the Burail Jail Superintendent, Mr R.C. Sharma, and the Deputy Jail Superintendent, Mr Subhash Chander. Filed before the Additional Sessions Judge, Mr M.M. Sharma, the application urged the court to make a reference to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for taking criminal contempt proceedings against the jail officials. Meanwhile, member of the District Bar Association (DBA) today struck work to express solidarity with advocates, who they alleged, had been “framed” by the police for exposing various acts of omission and commission of the jail staff. The application alleged that the conduct of the jail officials in restraining the defence counsel from attending the trial court in the Burail Jail was “arbitrary, discriminatory and humiliating”. It was done with a view to interfering in the due course of judicial proceedings on August 17, it was claimed. Putting the record straight, the application claimed that Mr Chahal had been framed to deter the defence counsel from defending the case, which he was doing for the past about 10 years. “This tentamounts to interference with the judicial proceedings and obstructing the administration of justice by depriving the defence counsel of the right to defend his client,” the application said. The FIR had been registered with “mala fide” intent as Mr Chahal, president of the Lawyers for Human Rights International (LHRI), and Mr Arvind Thakur, general secretary of the local unit, had been “exposing” jail officials from time to time. Meanwhile, in an apparent bid to effect a compromise, the judge offered to park his car outside the Burail Jail during the proceedings in the Beant Singh case. Mr Sharma kept the application for tomorrow. It may be recalled that the vehicle of Mr Chahal and Mr Bawa, was denied entry into the jail premises on August 17 following which they allegedly intimidated the jail staff. Later, a case under Sections 353,332,341 and 506 of the IPC was registered against Mr Chahal and Mr Bawa on the complaint of the Jail Superintendent. In another development, a delegation of the
DBA, led by Mr Ashok Chauhan and Mr Jaskaran Singh, president and secretary, respectively, met the SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav, in this regard. Mr Yadav reportedly assured the delegation that a fair probe would be conducted into the issue.
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Cops fail to solve manhole case
Chandigarh, August 19 The officers claim that they will be able to say things for certain only after receiving the report prepared by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). As of now, they are recording statements of different persons involved in the matter, directly or indirectly.
A senior officer claims that a team of officials today went to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh’s office in an attempt to procure the sketch of the drainage system. But the same was not provided to them, even after spending the entire day in the office. So far, the constable’s family has categorically told the police that they do not suspect foul play in the matter. In fact, Jaswinder Kaur’s brother, mother, cousin and other relatives today met senior Chandigarh Administration officers and police authorities. They told the powers-that-be that they had no reasons to disbelief Jaswinder’s husband Gurman Singh’s version. Terming the incident as unfortunate, her uncle Darshan Singh says the matter is being blown out of proportion. Instead of sympathising with the family, fingers are being raised at the victim’s husband. Husband Gurnam Singh says in a voice chocked with emotion that “some people” are making a mockery out of the tragedy. “I have lost everything... my wife... my child... and now twists and turns are being added to the truth”. Describing himself as a “walking corpse”, he adds that the authorities can throw him in the manhole, instead of a dummy, to find whether the body will surface in Phase XI or Sector 49. Referring to an experiment conducted by a Junior Engineer on Thursday to show that Jaswinder Kaur could not have reached Phase XI, he says that a body and a sandbag are different. “How can you expect the same results?” Agreeing with him, his uncle Surdarshan Singh says some authorities in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh are trying to wash their hands of the controversy by suggesting different angles. “The fact is that Jaswinder Kaur fell into an open drain,” he says. “How can the authorities say they are not to be blamed for acting in a negligent manner by suggesting different theories.... If Jaswinder Kaur wanted to kill herself, she would have jumped in the lake, instead of a dirty drain”. Blaming the authorities for acting in an insensitive manner, he says they were called to an office for collecting the amount of compensation, “as if we are beggars”.
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City to have 2,912 flats
Chandigarh, August 19 Under the project, the Chandigarh Housing Board has earmarked a land of 14.81 acres in Sector 38 which will house 1216
flats. The area earmarked for 1696 flats in Sector 49 is 22.06 acres. The project includes “internal development” including roads, water supply, stormwater and sewer drains, streetlighting and development of parks. The flats under this project will be four-storeyed. One interesting aspect of this scheme is that “expression of interest has been sought from parties which can complete the project within 15 months”. A project under CPWD guidelines is given 36 months. A senior official confirmed the decision to look for parties which could complete the task within 15 months against the prescribed CPWD norm of 36 months. “We want to save as much time as we can. It also saves a lot on costs. This is a project for a special category and the residential quarters here need special attention in designing maximum facilities within a small area available”. Instead of taking the project of construction in its own hands, the CHB has invited “expression of interest from reputed firms, agencies and consortia involved in the construction of multi-storeyed flats ,capable of completing the project within 15 months or lesser time using a proven technology”. The firms and agencies eligible for the project should have satisfactorily completed at least one housing project comprising not less than 400 flats, costing at least Rs 24 crore. The project should have been handled during the past seven years which should have included civil, public health and electrical components. The CHB has underlined the requirement of firms first satisfying it with its capability of completing the project within 15 months. “We don’t want the project to drag on for a long time because less time means saving on finances as well as ensuring quicker availability of houses to the needy”, the official said. The interested parties have been asked to deposit the “expression of interest” uptil-September 12. In the earlier stages, the CHB had constructed one storeyed one-room flats in Dhanas, Mauli Jagran, Ram Durbar and Indira Colony areas. Residents added more floors without seeking permission and indulged in other building bye-law violations. Sources said following a survey during the tenure of Justice
O.P. Verma, former Governor of Punjab, it was suggested that the one-room tenements be given out on rental basis instead of handing out possessions. The suggestion had come following discovery by the CHB that a large number of tenements in these areas had been sold out by the original allottees for small profit.
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Sub-broker dupes investors
Chandigarh, August 19 The police sources said he cheated people by selling their shares without consent. A case of misappropriation and cheating has been registered in this regard. The accused Pradeep Gulati of the NAC, Mani Majra, has absconded. Efforts are on to trace him. A case has been registered on the basis of a complaint by Mr Sanjeev Jain of Phase I, Industrial Area. Mr Jain alleged that he had paid Rs 19.65 lakh to the accused to invest in shares on his behalf. The accused sold the shares without informing him. The fraud came to light when Mr Jain checked his account and found that the money was not deposited. He went to the office of Pradeep Gulati in Mani Majra and found it locked. Mr Jain reported the matter to the police and met there many allegedly duped by Gulati in a similar fashion. The investigating officer of the case said Gulati had won affiliation of a Delhi based IKM Company which deals in share broking. Sources in the police said a warrant officer appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High court visited the Mani Majra police station in an attempt to trace Gulati.
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Passengers suffer as impasse persists
Mohali, August 19 Employees of Punjab Roadways did not allow CTU buses to operate in Punjab. Even local bus services to Mohali and Kharar have been stopped. The area near the Phase VI Civil Hospital has become a bus stand for long-route buses moving towards Kharar. Mr Balwinder Singh Aluna, president of the State Karamchari Dal, said the protest was going on successfully. He said from today all entry points from Punjab to Chandigarh were manned by roadways employees and no CTU bus was allowed to operate in any part of the state. He said a meeting of representatives of the transport unions with the managements had been fixed for Monday. He hoped the matter would be sorted out by the authorities concerned. Mr Satwinder Singh, chairman of the State Karamchari Dal, said the employees were compelled to protest as complaints at various levels had failed to yield results. He said the employees had brought their problems to the notice of Chief Minister, Punjab, as well as senior officials over the past some months. But nothing had been done to sort out the matter. On the other hand, employees of the CTU blamed the Punjab Roadways staff for creating problems for passengers. They said trouble was started by them, even when they were not plying their buses according to a set time table.
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Commuters put to hardship
Zirakpur, August 19 It was around 12.30 pm when a Punjab Roadways bus blocked the Chandigarh-Ambala road it led to blockade of traffic for nearly four hours. Later, the other side of the road was also jammed. The ordeal faced by commuters could have got early respite had the district administration, Patiala, acted in time. It was alleged by people present there that the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dera Bassi, reached three hours late. There was a huge rush today on account of Raksha Bandhan. This correspondent, who was present at the spot, had a talk with various stranded passengers. Shanti Devi, who was in a Punjab Roadways bus, criticised the authorities for not solving the dispute. Another bus passenger, Satinder Jit said for the days he had been reading newspaper about the ongoing imbroglio, but instead of solving the dispute, the authorities had allowed the problem to deteriorate.
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Postmen to verify addresses
Chandigarh, August 19 To ensure that the government-controlled telecom player was not taken for a ride by the subscribers, who with the intention of defaulting on the bill amount furnished fake addresses during verification, the responsibility for door-to-door verification of addresses of applications has been given to the Postal Department. Initially, the project was launched in Chandigarh and Mohali. The task has been entrusted with postmen. Under the arrangement, the postman would be given an incentive of Rs 1.50 for every verification done. The duty would be in addition to the routine task of delivering post. The Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Chandigarh Division, Mr Nirmaljit Singh, said postmen were already on the job. Since there was a huge backlog with the BSNL, the postmen across the city were doing around 250 verifications daily, he added. For the area under the Mani Majra exchange, there were over 40,000 address verifications pending as the contractor engaged to do the job had failed to do it, said an officer in the BSNL. The Postal Department is charging Rs 40 for verification of each address. Sources in the Postal Department revealed that in case verification had to be done within 24 hours, the postman was sent early in the morning. “A postman is the most reliable person to verify an address. A private person appointed by BSNL cannot be always relied upon”, said an officer in the department. The department has also decided to allow the postmen to deliver pamphlets, hand bills and posters on payment of fee by advertisers. Another proposal for sale of SIM cards at the post offices and door-to-door delivery of the SIM cards of the BSNL was under consideration. It may be mentioned that the pilot project to authorised postmen to sell stamps and stationary, book registered letters and speed post articles at the doorstep of the customers had been a run-away success in selected pockets of Ludhiana.
Special arrangement
to deliver Rakhi
The Postal Department made special arrangements to deliver rakhis in Chandigarh, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Amritsar. The rakhi mail was sent through a special delivery at 8 am so that the users could get it before 10 am. For the convenience of the public, while letter boxes had been put up outside the post offices for expeditious delivery of the mail. In the five cities, around 36,900 rakhi mail had been delivered today, said Mr J.R. Nur, Assistant Director, Postal Department.
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Visually challenged man says his wife
Chandigarh, August 19 In his complaint to the Inspector-General of the Chandigarh Police, Kunji Ram (29), a clerk posted in the office of Punjab’s Director, Animal Husbandry, alleges that a carpenter living in his neighbourhood had lured or blackmailed his wife Nirmala (26) to accompany him. He says his wife went missing on August 8, when he was away to office. Kunji Ram married Nirmala in November, 2002. He lost eyesight at the age of three. After completing his graduation, he got a job from the quota for the disabled. He alleges that taking advantage of his disability, the carpenter started paying visits to his home and took his wife to several places. He alleges that they were caught by a police party during the night of July 22 but were let off. He says his wife apologised to him for the act and even “signed an affidavit”, promising not to repeat the mistake. He says on August 8, Nirmala went missing under mysterious circumstances. He reported the matter to the police and expressed his apprehension about the involvement of the carpenter in the “kidnapping”. The police, he alleges, did not pay heed to his pleas. Kunji Ram alleges that the accused has kept his wife at a place in Mohali or Panchkula. When contacted, the SHO of the Sector 11 police station, Inspector Sukhpal Singh Rana, denied the allegation of police inaction. He said they had inquired into the matter and found nothing incriminating against the carpenter during questioning. He added that they are making efforts to trace the woman.
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Akshay Urja Divas celebrations launched
Chandigarh, August 19 The state level celebrations have been organised by the Departments of Science and Technology and the Municipal Corporation along with the active participation of students from local schools and colleges. At the main pandal, an exhibition of renewable energy devices was put up to promote public awareness about the utility of the devices in our day-to-day life. Besides, rallies were organised throughout the city to spread the message about the need for more renewable energy by organising painting competitions, exhibitions and declamation contests in various schools and colleges. Interacting with experts of Science and Technology Department, General Rodrigues emphasised the need of popularising the concept of renewal energy in our rural and urban areas by using different strategies and means of communication. He asked the scientists to study the application of models of solar energy and bio-gas in Pondicherry and other states and incorporate the best methodologies, suiting on our local conditions and needs. Lauding the contribution of Late Rajiv Gandhi, General Rodrigues said he laid special focus on propagating scientific temperament among our people by launching technological missions covering various programmes in the field of communication, drinking water, immunisation, defence, space to invent new management methods to solve the problems being faced by the country. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Finance Secretary, also spoke on the occasion.
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Rodrigues plays host to SOS village kids
Chandigarh, August 19 Interacting with the Director of SOS village, Col Harvinder Singh and other staff members, Gen Rodrigues emphasised the need to collaborate their endeavour with vocational and craft centres being run by the Education Department of Chandigarh. This would serve to impart training to eligible children in different vocational trades to ensure their placement in gainful employment in future. He also assured full help in the furtherance of its programmes. According to Col Harvinder Singh, the SOS Children’s Village, Rajpura, was the first village in Punjab was set up on the request of the state government following a number of children becoming orphaned after the
decade-long violence in the state. Earlier, the Brahma Kumaris tied rakhis to General Rodrigues who urged the members to promote a value system in society by sharing their experiences and thoughts with people from all walks of life for spreading the message of universal brotherhood, peace and harmony.
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Councillors flay water rate hike
Mohali, August 19 At a press conference here yesterday, Mr Amrik Singh Mohali, Mr Manjit Singh Sethi, Mr Amrik Singh, Mr Manmohan Singh Lang, Mrs Harbans Kaur, Mr Manjeet Singh and Mr Sukhdev Singh Patwari, alleged that the council president, Mr Kulwant Singh, wanted the House to clear the proposal in connection with the tariff hike to please the Minister for Local Government. They said they had opposed the move at the meeting but this was not recorded in the proceedings book. They said the proposal to hike the charges had earlier been rejected twice by the House and the third time it was kept pending. They said they could not take such a major decision at a time when the tenure of the elected body was to expire. They further alleged that the proceedings of the meetings were not recorded at the time of the meeting but later. Mr Kulwant Singh, however, said the government had issued a notification to hike the rates. The executive officer had been issued directions by senior officials to implement the hiked charges. He said the council was not doing at its own level. He said the proceedings of the meeting were recorded there and then, but Opposition councillors did not bother to sign the register.
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Expedition to Mount Gaya flagged off
Chandigarh, August 19 Mount Gaya is the highest peak in Himachal Pradesh and lies at the tri-junction of Spiti, Ladakh and Tibet. The stupendous rock monolith has eluded many attempts by experienced mountaineers and was conquered in July, 1998. The expedition is being led by Col Rajesh Joshy, an experienced mountaineer who was the deputy team leader during the expedition to scale Hathi Parbat in 1990. Other team members include Capt Atul Rai, Kripal Singh and Pratap Singh, who recently scaled the Trisul peak in the Garhwal Himalayas. Flagging off the expedition, General Rath said it would boost the spirit of adventure amongst the troops.
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CM flags off trekking expedition
Chandigarh, August 19 The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, flagged off the team, here today. The members would undertake trekking from Bairagarh. The trek would culminate at Pruthi near
Manali. — TNS
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Union meeting
Panchkula, August 19 The meting was attended by various industrial units of districts. It was unanimously decided to hold the election of the union on September 18 at the Hafed Headquarters, Fatehabad. This was stated by area secretary of the union Dharmpal
Chachiya.
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5 kg of high quality heroin seized
Chandigarh, August 19 A spokesman of the NCB stated that the sleuths of the Chandigarh Zonal Unit working on specific tip-off intercepted a Fiat Siena Car (PB-10-AU-0514) in the city on Thursday. A search of the vehicle led to recovery of five packets of heroin weighing 1 kg each. The sleuths arrested the brothers, Naresh Kumar alias Pandit and Rajesh Kumar, hailing from Ludhiana city. The sources added that during preliminary interrogation the accused admitted that they were on their way for onward delivery in Chandigarh or elsewhere. The NCB official said the contraband was having a typical Afghan/Pakistan packing with apparent trade marks like crescent moon, figures of scorpion, parrot, 777 and 495 on the marked packets. The packets were wrapped in khaki coloured adhesive tapes to avoid detection by the agencies. The NCB has registered a case under the Narcotic drugs and psychotropic Substance Act. The Chandigarh Zonal Unit of the NCB has seized a total of 30 kg high quality heroin worth Rs 30 crore in the international market being sourced through south-west Asian origin (Afghan/Pakistan) since February 2005. It has also seized 228 kg of high quality charas worth Rs 20 crore in the international market apart from destroying illegal cannabis cultivation with potential production of 7260 kg from Malana valley in Himachal Pradesh.
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Four held in kidnap case
Mohali, August 19 According to the police, the arrested persons are Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Phase II, Prabhkiran Singh, a resident of Phase XI, Amandeep Singh, a resident of Phase VII, and Mandeep Singh Toor, a resident of Sector 18, Chandigarh. Efforts are on by the police to arrest the other four persons too. A case was registered by the police against eight persons on charges of kidnapping and rioting. Ranjit Singh was kidnapped from Phase VII by a group of persons. The persons had first approached him, then beat him up before dragging him into a car and fleeing. Ranjit Singh was, however, able to free himself soon after the incident. Ranjit Singh told mediapersons today that when he was being taken in the car, the kidnappers received a phone call which made them tense. They stopped the vehicle near Bassi Cinema to discuss something. As they moved out of the car, Ranjit Singh managed to open a door and run out of the car. They tried to follow him but he managed to escape. He said he returned home from where he was taken away by the police for questioning. The kidnapping followed an incident of clash earlier during the day among persons suspected to be college students.
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Construction firm booked
Chandigarh, August 19 Police sources said a case under Section 304-A of the IPC has been registered against the A.K. Gupta Construction Company following a complaint by Jeet Ram, brother of the deceased Radhye Shyam. Radhey Shyam (55) died after he allegedly received an electric shock during the night of August 11. He was working in a Chandigarh Housing Board’s Flat in Sector 56. Cars stolen: Mr Jinder Singh, a resident of Sector 37, reported to the police that his car (CH-12-T-4145) was stolen from his residence during the night of August 17. In another incident, Mr Gian Chand of Bank Colony, Mani Majra lodged a complaint to the police alleging that his Maruti car (HR-03-D-5595) was stolen from his residence on Wednesday
night. Cases of thefts have been registered.
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Bathroom fittings stolen in Sec 68
Mohali, August 19 The police is investigating the matter.
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2 new motor cycles launched
Chandigarh, August 19 Speaking at the recent launch here, Mr S. Vaitheeswaran, director sales and marketing, Royal Enfield, the two new motor cycles are state-of-art products designed for motorcycling enthusiasts. Christened Bullet Electra 5 S and Thunderbird, the new models have digital TCI for ignition and a powerful magneto to ensure easy starting. Mr Vaitheeswaran disclosed that the company had been successfully exporting its motor cycles to other countries and is aspiring to build motor cycles of more power.
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Tomorrow again the Punjab Roadways employees have threatened to block traffic at 8 am if the CTU does not allow the entry of Punjab Roadways buses to the Sector 17 bus
stand.