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City spruced up to host VIPs
Chandigarh, October 6 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi would arrive early tomorrow morning to inaugurate the two-day Congress conclave at the Punjab Bhavan. Security personnel from various agencies have been on tenterhooks since yesterday and have completely sanitised important areas where the dignitaries would be present for work or pleasure. The state and Central security agencies are working in close liaison with the Chandigarh police to provide a foolproof security. All approach roads to the venue — Punjab Bhavan — have been heavily barricaded while the adjoining Haryana Niwas has been converted into a media centre. The Chandigarh police has conducted raids at several places in the city. Checkpoints have been erected at various points in the city while additional security personnel have been deployed at the Inter-State Bus Terminus and the railway station. According to Chandigarh police officials, around 2,000 police personnel, including around 250 officers, armed with sophisticated gadgets, including jammer-fitted vehicles, have been stationed in and around the venue. The entire city wears a festive look with Congress flags fluttering all around. Air balloons with pictures of Mrs Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh have been fixed at several locations. Large cut-outs of various leaders have also been put. Interestingly, no permission has been taken for the same. Even as the Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhavans were being spruced up to host the Prime Minister and Mrs Gandhi, opposition parties raised a strong objection to hoisting of Congress flags at these two places saying this was in violation of norms as the Governors were expected to be neutral to all political parties. Party sources said the chief ministers of all 15 states would make presentation about the progress in the implementation of the Congress manifesto in their states. Important issues concerning their states would be taken up. On the second and concluding day, party leadership is expected to discuss the various schemes of the Centre. While Mrs Gandhi would address the party leaders tomorrow morning after the inauguration, the Prime Minister is expected to address them on Saturday before the closing. The address of these two leaders would be open to the media. The exercise of holding the Chief Ministers Conclave to review their performance was started by Mrs Gandhi in 2001 when the Congress was in the Opposition. Such conclaves have so far been held twice in Delhi and once each in Guwahati, Mount Abu, and Srinagar. Viewed in the backdrop of the Assembly elections next year in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Assam, the meet assumes significance as the party will not only want to retain the three states where it is in power — Kerala, Pondicherry and Assam — but also make inroads into the Left-dominated West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. While Congress is a marginal player in Tamil Nadu, it is struggling to resuscitate in West Bengal. Punjab too will go to the polls in early 2007. The party has been in power at present in 15 states and some of these governments, including those in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa are coalition ones. Meanwhile, the city today witnessed police personnel on horseback carrying out security drills. A mock drill was also performed to ferry the Prime Minister and Mrs Gandhi from the airport to the venue of the conference. The access to Sector 10 market was blocked by barricades as a result of which many local residents had to face hardship in their daily commute. Interestingly, many rickshaws were seen loaded with Congress flags to be put up at various places in the city. These were literally “planted” at roundabouts and green patches in the city. Punjab and Haryana have put up facilitation counters for visiting dignitaries and mediapersons at Chandigarh railway station. Several top leaders were been provided with a security umbrella and escorted to Hotel Mount View where these VIPs would put up.
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Cops on their toes on Congress conclave eve
Chandigarh, October 6 Peaceful protesters were also asked to shift from Madhya Marg and other places in view of the VIP movement as the city was virtually converted into a police cantonment. The protesters included Halo Majra residents. They were objecting to the acquisition of land for development purposes. A massive drill was also carried out by the police. Twenty vehicles covered the rout from the airport to the Punjab Raj Bhavan and other venues. The entire exercise lasted for over four hours. Search operations were carried out at the inter-state bus terminus in Sector 17 and 43. Besides, special checks were carried at the railway station, hotels, motels, guest houses and even dhabas, all over the city. Even late in the evening, traffic police personnel could be seen patrolling. The security was particularly tight on the roads leading to different venues from the airport. A senior officer added that snipers of the Chandigarh police, along with Home Guards personnel and other police personnel, had been deployed at key places. Owing to the security checks, a large number of residents had to face inconvenience. Some of the residents putting up in Sector 10 behind Motel Mountview complained of “unnecessary frisking”. The worst sufferers were party workers and labourers installing cut-outs, banners and other display material late in the night on the route to be taken by the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Leaving nothing to chance, they too were frisked by the police. Sources in the police said the focus of the police drive was on various slums and colonies and it was aimed at identifying any “anti-social” elements planning subversive activities after settling down in the city. Senior police officers also asked the landlords to inform the police about the antecedents of their tenants.
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Kerala CM says BJP bigger enemy than Left
Chandigarh, October 6 The embattled Kerala C.M said that the people in his home state were “fully aware about the destructive nature of the Marxists politics” and averse to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that remains the number one enemy of the Congress at the Centre. “We have set our house in order and hopeful of a turnaround at the grassroots level”. Mr Chandy, who is here to participate in the two-day conclave of chief ministers of Congress-ruled states told The Tribune that he had admitted before the party President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, that his party had done badly in the recent panchayat elections, but said that he had explained to her that even though the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) lost, in practice the number seats went down by only 16, to 667 from 683 in the last panchayat polls. But going by the ward results in the same polls, his party actually improved its position in 60 wards as compared to the last poll. Explaining the dichotomy of Left parties being his main opposition in Kerala, but an ally of the Congress at the Centre, Mr Chandy said, “we have sought the support of the Left at the Centre to keep the BJP out of power, but the Left in Kerala have caused havoc with the infrastructure and social fabric of the state. Strikes, dharnas and bandhs have become rampant as a result of which the state in spite of comprising highly educated people has failed to attract and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)”. The Left has exposed itself before the people by pursuing anti-development policies and the people of the state are bound to react against this during the next assembly
elections. Mr Chandy further said, “The Congress is certainly on a revival path and we fared better in the local bodies elections than in the May, 2004, Lok Sabha elections when Mr Karunakaran was with us,’’ he said, while claiming that the poor turnout helped the Marxist-led front. He did not give a direct reply when asked how he could claim that the Congress was on the revival path when it had lost out to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) which had captured all the city corporations and almost all the municipalities and three-tier
panchayat. Comparing Chandigarh with Bangalore as an Information Technology destination, Mr Chandy said “even though Chandigarh is a much better IT destination, but every city in India, may it be Kochi or Bangalore, their potential is still under explored and each one can contribute to the development of IT infrastructure in
the country”. With regards to the other developmental activities in his state, Mr Chandy said he had met the Union Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister, Mr T R Baalu, in Delhi earlier in the day and discussed with him “several issues concerning the development of inland waterways and road sector in the state”. He also said that his government was giving priority to developmental works in
coastal areas. He said his government had also cleared all statutory requirements for implementation of the Right to Information Act from October 12.He said his government would also go ahead with the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project, envisaging widening of state highways and other important roads after seeking an additional loan of Rs 528 crore from the World Bank for completion of the
project. Later in the evening, a deputation of Kerala residents living in Chandigarh met him and handed over a memorandum highlighting their
problems.
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Panchkula sitting on AIDS volcano!
Panchkula, October 6 The authorities arrived at this conclusion during their ‘Family Health Awareness Campaign’ which was launched on September 26 They detected that over 1500 persons of the city, within the age group of 15 to 49 years, were suffering from various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and reproductive-tract infections (RTIs). Dr Lalit Virmani, District Nodal Officer (AIDS), says that out of the total cases detected so far, 90 per cent of the cases are of the RTIs. "Because of the unsafe sex and unhygienic conditions, a large number of women in the slum colonies and rural areas of Panchkula suffer from RTI's,” he says. “Since the patients do not take treatment, they continue to suffer for years, little realising that they are at a higher risk of contacting HIV infection," Dr Virmani adds. During the past 10 days, the local health authorities have been organising camps wherein the STD and RTI cases are diagnosed and given treatment. A few months ago a survey done by the Faith Healthcare Private Limited to identify the high-risk behaviour population with regards to the HIV, found that Panchkula has the highest concentration of homosexuals, in the state of Haryana, who face the risk of contacting the HIV virus. The survey reveals that there are about 95 homosexuals (of a total of 770 homosexuals identified all over Haryana) in the city who face the risk of contacting the deadly virus. The mapping of the site and size of high-risk behaviour population with regards to the HIV/ AIDS in the district, was authorised by the Haryana AIDS Control Society. The survey further reveals that Panchkula is one of the most vulnerable districts in Haryana, facing the threat of HIV. This survey identifies 3605 truck drivers, 750 commercial sex workers, 367 intravenous drug-users (IDU's) besides 41 eunuchs and 14,248 migrant labourers in Panchkula who form the high-risk behaviour group.
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Pension for PU staff
Chandigarh, October 6 Confirming the news, Prof N.K. Ohja, president, Panjab University Teachers Association, stated that it was a long-awaited decision and they were very happy. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak, was, however, not available for comments. A final notification from the Ministry of HRD was, however, expected before the official announcement was made. “We are very happy ever since we have heard the news and we give all credit to the Vice-Chancellor for it,” stated Mr Ohja. The news of the pension had spread like wild fire in Panjab University late evening; however, a few were speculative and didn’t want to believe anything until a final notification was received by the university. The university has been fighting for the cause of pension since 1991.
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PGI acts fast, sets up probe panel
Chandigarh, October 6 Sources in the PGI said bogged by the allegations, senior faculty members continued to hold high-level meetings throughout the day before forming the committee. The decision is significant as the PGI can find itself in serious trouble if the allegations of improper handling are established. A prescribed procedure for the same has to be followed.
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Major offensive against anti-social elements
Chandigarh, October 6 Giving details of the arrested persons DSP (Central) P.K. Dhawan said the local police solved two separate cases of snatching incidents with the arrest of three persons. In another incident two minors were caught red-handed this morning while stealing a bag in Sector 22. While addressing mediapersons the DSP said Sanjay and Vikas, both in their early twenties, were held on the allegation of snatching a purse containing Rs 3500 and some documents from Mr Banwari Lal of Sector 25 on Wednesday morning from near gate number 3 of Panjab University. Both the accused were arrested today from their residences in the Panjab University campus in Sector 25. The police recovered Rs 2000 from their possession. In the second case, a snatching bid was thwarted by alert private security guards in the Sector 22 market this morning when a miscreant tried to run away after snatching a purse from an old woman. Later the accused was handed over to the police who identified himself as Odi Karappu of Tamil Nadu. He was thrashed by the public before being handed over to the police. Ms Harprit Kaur of Phase VII, Mohali, reported to the police that she went to the market for leaving her elderly mother in the car. At around 11:40 am she saw a man running after snatching the purse from her mother. Harprit Kaur raised the alarm and with the help of security guards was able to nab the miscreant. The purse was containing Rs 8085, she told the police. Elsewhere, two minor boys were held on the allegations of stealing a purse of a woman in Sector 22. Ms Kumari Soma Devi of Sector 35-D reported to the police alleging that the accused had stolen her purse containing Rs 200 and other articles. She raised the alarm and people caught the accused. About the three youths arrested on the charges of stealing credit cards, the DSP Dhawan said Baljit Singh alias Bittu of Patiala, Vinay Kumar of Sector 22 and Sunny Jain of Sector 46 had stolen credit cards from a bank on September 22. Elaborating the fact he stated that the trio stole a purse of Canadian resident Ms Ritu Harjai containing foreign currency, credit cards, International bank Card and other documents. One of the accused Vinay Kumar is working as a sales officer in Sector 35 City Bank. During preliminary interrogation the accused told the police that they made purchasing of about Rs 7000 by using the credit cards. Giving details of how they landed in the police net, the DSP said an employee of the Sector 21 petrol pump noted the number of the vehicle when they went there to fill petrol. The accused used the stolen credit card to make the payment. The police by identifying the vehicle were able to trace the accused. The police also impounded an Alto car, a motorcycle and a scooter from their possession. All the three accused were graduates, said the police. Sources in the Police Department said Dhoodh Singh of Sector 25 was allegedly caught red-handed with 250 iron plates stolen from 33 kv sub-station in Sector 12. Mr Dinesh Kumar, the junior engineer, and Mr Ram Chander, assistant lineman of the Electricity Department, nabbed the accused and handed him over to the police. The accused was also booked by the police under Section 109 of the CrPC earlier, said the police. Giving details of the other person held on the charge of burglary the sources said Ramesh of Ram Darbar was nabbed from Khudda Lahora bridge while he was allegedly taking away stolen articles in a rehri. The police recovered construction material from his possession. Articles belonging to a construction company were reportedly stolen from near the paediatric Department in the PGI. Two separate cases have been registered in this regard.
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Can city cops cope with mishaps ?
Chandigarh, October 6 For over 15 minutes, the cops kept on asking passersby to carry the victim of the first accident to the hospital instead of calling in an ambulance. In another accident which took place after a gap of 45 minutes, the victim was bundled into a van and taken to a hospital because the cops again failed to arrange for an ambulance to ferry him. Though senior police officers are tightlipped on the issue, the sources in the police headquarters admit that the life of student Ajay Gautam could have been saved had the cops acted on time instead of wasting precious minutes looking here and there. The sources further agree that failure on part of the cops to arrange for an ambulance, to take the victim of the second accident to the hospital, may have resulted in an "irreversible damage". Giving details, the sources say the victim should have been carried to the ambulance on a stretcher before being shifted to the hospital. But the cops simply picked up the victim and placed him on the van's floor before asking the driver to take him to the PGI. The cops were apparently not bothered about the victim suffering further injuries due to the bumpy ride, the sources assert. Quoting doctors, the sources say that in case of a mishap the victim should be handled with utmost care specially if he has suffered spinal cord injuries. As far as possible, he should be removed from the spot by experts. As such, para-medical staff or the ones trained in handling accident victims should always be present in the police ambulance. But sadly, the cops have been giving two hoots to the recommendations. Though traffic awareness weeks are held and traffic offenders challaned for violations from time to time, senior police officers have hardly done anything to ensure the training of the personnel in handling victims, the sources add. They claim that as many as 141 fatal accidents were reported to the Chandigarh Police last year. In a substantial number of these cases, precious lives could have been saved had the cops arranged for timely help. Denying the allegations of acting in a 'callous' manner, a senior police office says that men on duty did their best to tackle the situation. A spokesman of the Chandigarh Police said Ajay Chauhan. the first - accident victim, was moved to the hospital in a private vehicle before the police was informed. In the second mishap also, the victim was moved to the hospital without loss of time.
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Rodrigues felicitates TA personnel
Chandigarh, October 6 The Governor hosted a reception for officers and other ranks of the Western Command Territorial Army Group. He also commended the role of the TA in war and peace, particularly the constant deployment and contribution in Jammu and Kashmir. The Group Commander, Brig G.S. Dhillon, apprised the Governor about the TA’s role in rejuvenating ecology. The group has three Ecological Infantry Battalions and on Eco Infantry Company. In addition, the Government of Himachal Pradesh has agreed to raise an eco battalion which would be funded by the state for five years with subsequent expansion and extensions. The Government of Delhi has also given three years’ extension to 132 Infantry Battalion (TA) located at Bhatti Mines and the National Highway Authority of India has agreed to raise an infantry company for carrying out plantation work at Ujjwa in Delhi in November, he added. He requested the Governor to consider the raising of ecological task forces for Punjab and Chandigarh.
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Virtual blackout in Panchkula
Panchkula, October 6 The streetlight contractor, Mohan Lal Chaudhary, decided not to switch on streetlights yesterday, when the MC failed to give him his monthly dues. MC officials, on the other hand, say that since the government has not yet sanctioned the budget for the year, hence the delay in making payments. “However, the contractor was unable to replace the defunct streetlights and heavy fine has been imposed on him. The amount of fine imposed on him would be on a par with his dues,” says a senior official. The contract for maintenance of streetlights was awarded on May 9. The contractor was hired for Rs 1.34 lakh per month. However, the streetlights in most internal roads in sectors remained defunct. It is alleged that the contractor, without any fore warning, pulled out of the contract. The MC hired a private electrician to switch on the lights. The officials allege that the contractor and his men again went and switched off the lights. The officials have forwarded a complaint to the police, requesting it to take action against the contractor. Till the filing of this report, the FIR had not been registered. Meanwhile, various resident welfare organisations have lodged a protest. Mr S.K. Nayar, president of the Citizens Welfare Association, said the civic amenities in the town had gone down the drain. “Because of no streetlights and stray cattle on roads, driving is unsafe. It is high time that the administration sits up and acts,” he said.
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Quota must be only for poor Dalits: manch
Mohali, October 6 He alleged that the benefits under the policy were only being availed by politicians and bureaucrats while 90 per cent of the Dalits remained deprived of them. Mr Purkhalvi said the government should make necessary amendments and provide benefits only to those Dalits whose yearly income was not more than Rs 3 lakh. He lamented that students studying in government schools mostly belonged to poor families and were unable to compete with students studying in public schools as government schools lacked facilities. He said this was widening the gap between the rich and poor. He said ministers who got elected on the basis of Dalit votes should raise their voice against this discrimination. He said the manch would be organising marriages for 10 poor couples on October 28 in Phase III B 1.
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Brigadier held blameworthy for “tampering” Tehelka documents
Chandigarh, October 6 The CoI, which concluded at Dehradun last week, has recommended administrative action against the officer, sources revealed. The findings and recommendations of the CoI, headed by Major-Gen P.K. Rath, General Officer Commanding, 14 Division, have been forwarded to Headquarters 2 Corps, Ambala, for further action. Brigadier Gill is presently commanding an artillery brigade in Punjab. The CoI also opined that the additions made in the SOE appeared to have been done on the insistence of the witness. It further opined that it could not be established beyond reasonable doubt whether the additions were made before or after the witness had signed his statements. The officer had not put his initials wherever the changes or additions had been made. Earlier, while deposing as a defence witness before the GCM he had maintained that the additions were not done with any mala fide intensions, but were done at the insistence of the witnesses. This contention was also supported by an independent witness, Col Uday Chauhan, during the CoI. Deposing as a witness during the course of the trial, former tehelka.com staffer Aniruddha Bahal, who had masterminded a sting operation catching senior politicians, bureaucrats and military officers demanding and accepting bribes for fictitious arms dealers, had stated during his deposition before the GCM in June that certain words and statements had been added to answers which he had given only as "yes" or "no". Headquarters 2 Corps, thereafter, had sent the handwritten script to the Government Examiner of Questioned Documents (GEQD). Forensic examination of documents established that certain portions of the additional summary of evidence were "doctored" and that words had been added at a later stage. Following this revelation, a court of inquiry was ordered into the matter. Besides Anniruddha Bahal, an expert from the GEQD who had conducted the forensic examination and Brigadier Iqbal Singh were among those who deposed before the
CoI.
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Campaign to check land mafia
Chandigarh, October 6 In a press note, the police stated that the campaign comprised initiating criminal prosecution against persons violating the Periphery Control Act or any other law and taking steps for the demolition of encroachments. As part of the campaign, the police has arrested four persons involved in selling agricultural land for residential purposes. Sources in the Estate Office said old cases of misuse of land meant for agricultural purposes would also be examined.
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Protest by insurance staff
Chandigarh, October 6 Mr Raghbir Singh Sandhu, president, Trade Union Council, Chandigarh, chief patron, UT Services Subordinate Services Federation, said the plan of the strike was chalked out by the association and it was being held at all regional centres of the general insurance companies. The agitated employees were protesting against the inordinate delay in settlement of wage revision.
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LPG distributors to observe strike
Chandigarh, October 6 The federation in a statement here this evening said the LPG distributors were unnecessarily being blamed for the shortage of the LPG cylinders. They said that there were several reasons for the shortage of the cooking gas. There was a manifold increase in the number of LPG customers. During the past five years, the oil companies had been pushing distributors to enhance the sale of the LPG.
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Rs 4.5 lakh stolen from car
Mohali, October 6 The SP, Mr Varinder Pal Singh, said that Mr Tejinder Singh and Mr Ajaib Singh, both residents of Bhagomajra village, had complained to the police regarding the theft. He said that Mr Tejinder Singh was a property dealer and was carrying the amount which was paid to him by a customer. The money was kept in the car before they moved to the ATM. The SP, however, said that he could not understand how such an incident could take place at a time when there was rush in the market. He said that the complainants could not give a proper reply as to how much money they wanted to withdraw from the ATM.
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Electrician electrocuted
Panchkula, October 6 Chain snatched: Two scooter-borne youths snatched a gold chain from an old woman in Sector 17. Ms Kanta Vasan (70), who had come to visit relatives here, was standing
outside her house around 6.30 a.m. when the incident took place. Purse stolen: Cash and goods worth thousands of rupees were stolen from a scooter’s glove compartment while it was parked in Sector 11. Ms Suman Sharma complained to the police that while she was inside a shop, someone broke the glove compartment and took away her purse. Her purse contained Rs 2000, five ATM cards and two driving licences.
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1 hurt in mishap
Mohali, October 6 He was reportedly coming from Chandigarh on a scooter when the accident took place. It is alleged that the driver of a tractor-trailer jumped the red light and collided with the scooterist. There was lot of blood at the accident site. The driver of the tractor was arrested by the police.
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Vita to make 101 kg ‘pinni’ for devotee
Chandigarh, October 6 The corporation will deliver the “pinni” to the devotee tomorrow.
Vita is offering four types of packing of prasad priced at Rs 11, Rs 21, Rs 51 and Rs 101 with the guarantee of purity. During normal days, prasad will be kaaju ki pinni while during the Navratras, it will be milk cake. These will be available at Vita milk bars in the complex. The HDDCF has also set up a “juta ghar” and is managing it for the benefit of the pilgrims.
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