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Amarinder involved in oil-for-food scam: Badal
Mohali, November 10 Alleging that the Punjab Government had given security to those involved in the scam, Mr Badal added that the Chief Minister’s “deeds” would come out in the open only when the Akali government came to power in the state. Levelling serious allegations against the working of the government, Mr Badal said the state was being “looted” by private real estate developers. “Instead of carrying out development through its agencies like PUDA, land has been sold at subsidised rates to private developers. Other than the land cost subsidy, the government is exempting from various taxes. The government should earn profits itself so that it can divert this money for development. Instead it is allowing private persons to earn money from public,” he said. When asked if he would take up the Chief Minister’s offer of debate on development in the Vidhan Sabha, Mr Badal said: “There has been no development in the state so what is the use of having a debate on the issue. “I am ready for a one-on-one discussion with him but unlike him I cannot spice up the discussion with lies and swears,” he said. Stating that he was in favour of giving water to Chandigarh, Mr Badal alleged that the Congress government had been responsible for making long-term mistakes. Continuing in the same vein, he further blamed the Congress government at the Centre for the treatment being meted out to the Sikhs across the world. “I have been told that the Sikhs in Canadian jails are not being allowed to keep their hair and carry kirpans. Had the Prime Minister been interested in the welfare of the Sikhs, the government would have been more active in ensuring that proper information is sent to these nations through their embassies,” he said. Responding to a question regarding the Centre’s announcement of relief to the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims, Mr Badal said: “No compensation is enough till those responsible for the heinous crimes are not punished. Other than this, the government should ensure that the victim families are economically comfortable.”
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Mohali-based financier held for fraud
Chandigarh, November 10 Giving details, sources in the Crime Branch said a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy had been registered on the basis of a complaint made by Assistant Estate Officer N.S Brar. The complaint was filed three days ago. It was alleged in the complaint that accused Nirmal Singh, a resident of Phase 10, Mohali, who runs a private financing company under the name of K.S. Finances, had issued a loan to Satbir Singh of Janta Colony in Sector 25. It was further stated that as per the rules the houses allotted under the rehabilitation scheme by the UT Administration were non-transferable, could not be sublet to another party or mortgaged. The sources in the Crime Branch said Nirmal Singh used to give loan on rates of interests as high as 24 to 36 per cent per annum. The police also seized original allotment letters of two houses, some blank affidavits and receipts from his premises. The sources said the police had also seized a ledger containing names of hundreds of such allottees belonging to Vikas Nagar in Mauli Jagran complex, Ram Darbar, Nehru Colony in Sector 52, Indira Colony and Janta Colony, Sector 25. The sources further added that Nirmal Singh had not been issued any licence by the Reserve Bank of India to operate a finance company. He had been carrying out his operations since 2002, said the police. It may be recalled that the UT Administration had allotted around 22,000 houses under the scheme in 19 colonies. Acting on complaints, the authorities concerned carried out a survey to find out the illegal practice of transfer, subletting or mortgaging of these houses. The finding revealed that as many as 30 per cent of the
allottees were found be defaulters.
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One month on, no trace of missing girl
Chandigarh, November 10 The photograph, he says, was taken two years ago on Divali. “At that time, I had no idea that she would disappear and only her photograph and memory would remain”, he adds. A student of kindergarten, Komal had gone to a school in Hallo Majra’s Deep Complex area with her elder sister Sudha, but never returned. Pandey says his wife Seema has been inconsolable ever since she received information about their daughter’s disappearance. “She has been going from one soothsayer to another, hoping to solve the mystery behind the disappearance. However, so far no one has been able to tell her anything in certain terms,” he adds. Determined to find her, rehri-puller Pandey says he has explored the possibility of some “religious belief” being the reason behind the kidnapping. “But so far we have not been able to find any evidence to show the hand of a tantrik in the abduction”. Pandey claims he has brought the matter to the notice of the police and a daily diary report was registered in this regard on October 7 in the Sector 31 police station. A senior police officer of the Sector 31 police station says, “We have sent information to the missing person squad of the Chandigarh Police and the photograph of the missing girl has also been published in newspapers. A hue and cry message has also been flashed in this regard. So far, we have not received any information about the girl.” Pandey, meanwhile, says, “We have no relatives here. Otherwise also, she is too young to go anywhere on her own. She knows the address and the family details. So she could not have lost her way. In all probability, someone
Absolutely clueless about her “kidnappers”, Pandey, hailing from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, insists he has no enemies in the city, not even at his native place. “If someone has picked her up for ransom, we have not received any call”. Pandey adds he has been making announcements over the public address system in all religious places in the vicinity. This is not all. He, along with his younger brother, has been searching almost all colonies and slums in the city.
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Estranged husband denies kidnap charge
Panchkula, November 10 Addressing a press conference, he alleged that the allegations levelled against him by his wife regarding demanding dowry were false. “She herself left me and her children, because she had developed illicit relations with Tarlochan Singh of Mankya village. She has also converted to Sikhism because she wanted to get married to him,” he alleged. He said Kalawanti’s sisters were married to his brothers. “Both her sisters, Chander Mani and Angoori, and parents had tried to convince her to stop her affair, and take care of her family, but she did not pay heed,” he said. Chander Mani, sister of Kalawanti, who was also present on the occasion, verified this.
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Police Act under review
Chandigarh, November 10 The idea is to change the basic role of the policeman, who lives his entire life with criminals, said Mr Joshi, who was at the Institute of Correctional Administration here today to speak on human rights of prisoners to prison administrators. One of the key members of the committee on the new Police Act was Mr Soli Sorabjee, said Mr Joshi. Mr Joshi, a 1970 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS officer went on to add that certain key recommendations of the National Police Commission have been culled out and will be circulated to the states to seek their views on implementation. Mr Joshi who has the additional charge of DG, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), said he had also started understanding the working of the ITBP. He was on his first visit to the border areas of Himachal Pardesh. When asked if the recent diplomatic changes with China had resulted in change in ITBP duties, Mr Joshi said “our task is to protect the border and that has to carry on”. Admitting that he was new to the ITBP, Mr Joshi said he could not go in great details, but added that modernisation of the force was underway. Mr Joshi said one of the things in the pipeline was to have a modern communication system on all border posts. This would not only help in operational communication of the ITBP, it would also enable the families of the jawans to communicate with them which would be good morale booster in the remote outposts. Welfare measures for the jawans would be a priority. Cyber crime was another area on which the BPR&D was working and has asked states to start computer training programmes for all. Earlier, while speaking on human rights of prisoners, Mr Joshi asked prison officers not to inflict any punishment on the prisoners as this would only degrade you mentally.
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Number-etching drive to be relaunched
Getting the number etched is “absolutely essential”. “Out of the 300-odd vehicles picked up, the maximum number were stolen from the southern sectors or from parking lots in the commercial sectors,” say sources in the Police Department. Besides etching, policemen also recommend certain other precautionary measures, including installation of electronic locks “which takes at least 30 or 40 seconds for even an expert to disconnect”. Claiming a 12-inch long ruler to be enough for opening a car, an officer says: “Safety should also be ensured with the help of steering locks. If the cars are parked outside the houses, the neighbours should have gates erected to make the neighbourhood more secure.”
Chandigarh, November 10 Only last year, the theft of 627 vehicles was reported to the police. In 2003, the number of stolen vehicles was over 515. Out of the total vehicles stolen, a substantial number were cars. Sources in the police headquarters say the percentage of recovered vehicles is far from satisfactory. Last year, just 37.48 per cent stolen vehicles were recovered. In 2003, just 34.17 per cent vehicles could be traced. In Chandigarh, almost 100 vehicles are registered every day. The total number of vehicles is over 6 lakh. Every year, the number increases by 10 per cent, they add. A similar drive was launched by the police earlier also. Banners announcing the scheme were put up across the trees all over the city and the numbers were etched on the windows after charging a nominal fee. The drive was reportedly pushed into oblivion under the pressure of day-to-day work. Etching is “an effective measure against theft” as it not only makes “the escape with the stolen car difficult, but detection also becomes easy.” “Even if the thief changes the number plates and gets the car repainted, the registration number etched on the rear and front windshields, besides the side windows, will still narrate the tale of theft,” says a senior police official. He adds: “If he tries to get the glasses replaced, he will be caught as the mechanics would inform us. Driving without getting the panes changed would be too risky. “The thief will be caught during one of our regular checks as the number etched on the panes, and painted on the plates, would be
different”.
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Governors mourn Narayanan’s death
Chandigarh, November 10
His deep concern for the emancipation of the poor and downtrodden and constant endeavours for their uplift has made him the messiah of the dis-advantaged sections of our society. General Rodrigues said the real tribute to this great son of India would be to follow the values of his principled life for creating a society free from discrimination of caste, creed and class. A separate press note issued by the Secretary to Tamil Nadu, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, said the Governor had communicated to the wife of the former President that he was “deeply shocked to learn about the sad demise of your beloved husband Dr K.R.Narayanan. He was a versatile personality and an able administrator who was known for his simplicity”.
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Sena men protest against conversion bid
Chandigarh, November 10 Seeking the initiation of action against persons allegedly involved in the reported attempt to change youngster Manoj Kumar’s religion, the protesters said their religious sentiments had been hurt. Taking cognisance of the matter, the police has reportedly registered a case of wrongful confinement, hurting religious feeling and criminal conspiracy under Sections 342, 295 and 120 of the Indian Penal Code. A senior police officer said one person, Ram Kumar, had been arrested and further investigations in the matter were on. Talking to mediapersons, 21-year-old Manoj said he was on his way to work in a private bank in Sector 11 on November 7 when he came across Ram Kumar of Rajiv Colony. He, in turn, told Manoj about a business course being held at a religious place in Hallo Majra. After reaching the spot, Manoj filled a form. Manoj added that he was confined to the religious place and made to eat eggs and meat. Standing next to him, Manoj’s mother Leelawati said she was informed about her missing son’s whereabouts this morning by Ram Kumar. She added that after receiving information, she, along with several Shiv Sena activists, reached the religious place and managed to free Manoj after a verbal duel.
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Panels join hands on female foeticide
New Delhi, November 10 The conference will be inaugurated at the UT guesthouse by NCW chairperson Girija Vyas. The president of the All-India Mahila Dakshita Samiti, Ms Suman Krishan Kant, will deliver the inaugural address. Ms Gurpreet Deo, Deputy Secretary in the National
Commission for Women told TNS that the commission planed to hold a similar dialogue with sarpanchies, village women, opinion-makers and doctors in Fatehgarh Sahib, a district in Punjab that has the lowest child sex ratio. For the conference scheduled on Saturday, the organisers have involved voluntary
organisations, academics, doctors, opinion leaders and representatives from social welfare advisory boards and state women
commissions. The vice-president of the NAW, Dr Pam Rajput, said the decline in the child sex Ratio (CSR) in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh prompted them to organise the conference. “We will look at ongoing strategies and identify deficiencies. The child sex ratio in these States is a cause for concern and they have acquired the
dubious distinction of being labeled daughter-elimination states.’’ Dr Rajput drew attention to a comparison of the CSR in the 2001 census and the 1991 census. She said that the CSR in Haryana declined from 879 in 1991 to 820 in 2001. Similarly, the CSR in Himachal Pradesh declined during the same period from 951 to 897 and in Punjab from 875 to 793. What makes the situation even more grave is that the 10 districts with the least child sex ratio in the country, according to the last census, are in the otherwise prosperous states of Punjab and Haryana. In the State of Haryana, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Sonepat have a worrying CSR. While Ambala has 784 girls in the 0 to 6 age group for every 1,000 boys,
Kurukshetra has 770 and Sonepat near the National Capital 783. In Punjab, Fatehgarh Sahib has a CSR of 754 followed by Patiala that has 770 girls for every 1000 boys in the 0 to 6 age group. While Kapurthala and Gurdaspur have a CSR of 775 each, Bathinda and Mansa districts have a CSR of 779 each. The holy city of
Amritsar has a CSR of 785. Dr Rajput, who has been founder Director of the Centre for Women Studies, Panjab University, told TNS that some districts of Himachal Pradesh had also witnessed a rapid decline in the child sex ratio. These were Hamirpur, Kangra, Shimla and Una. The tehsils in Kangra that have a CSR less than 850 are Baijnath, Baroh, Fatehpur, Jawali, Jaisinghpur, Indora, Kangra, Noorpur and Palampur. The sub-tehsils that have a worrying CSR are Dhira, Harchakian, Rakkar and Thural. The three tehsils in Hamirpur where the number of girls in the 0 to 6 age group has declined are Hamirpur, Sujanpur and Tira. In Shimla city, the child sex ratio is less than 850.
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Experts discuss media & disaster management
Chandigarh, November 10 The role of the media in improving the delivery system in case of a disaster and flow of correct information at the right time are the key elements to prevent factually incorrect reporting. It was unanimously felt that keeping in view the increasing number of catastrophes, there was an urgent need for developing human skills and strengthening societal infrastructure within a community to reduce the level of risk. While defining disaster management, Ms Shamsher Kaur, Head of the Disaster Management Cell, stated that as the initial period of 48 to 72 hours after the calamity were crucial, the local community and the administration could play a significant role in reducing the impact of disaster. Sridhar K. Chari, Assistant Editor, The Tribune, while giving a lecture on “Print media response in disaster or emergency” emphasised the need for having a better disaster management synergy between the media and the local administration. He said preparedness was essential to manage disaster effectively and there should not be any conflict in the initiatives of the administration or the media; rather they should work cohesively to overcome the trauma of the disaster. He emphasised the need for adopting a holistic approach and network-centric disaster management for decentralisation of relief operations so as to effectively manage the disaster. Similarly, to prevent any distorted reporting it was mandatory that information was easily made available to the Press. Prof Vidhu Mohan, former Head, Department of Psychology, Panjab University, elaborated on understanding the psychological reaction of the victims after the disaster. Lt-Col G.S. Virk (retd), Project Director, Drug De-Addiction Centre, Patiala, defined the role of the Red Cross in disaster management. As many as 25 officers attended the workshop.
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LIC drive to sensitise customers
Chandigarh, November 10 They are also holding customers’ education programmes through which the complaint-handling policy of the corporation will be explained to the customers. For the redressal of complaints, customers could meet the Grievance Redressal Officers in all our offices without prior appointment during the 2nd half of working hours on all Mondays and with prior appointment on other working days. Besides, all grievances would be registered and dispose off within seven days of their receipt. The claimant, whose claim has been repudiated by the divisional office, will also be given an opportunity of appeal for a review by the claims review committee functioning at Zonal Office, New Delhi. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of India is also holding a customer awareness programmes during the week. Various procedures for redressal of complaints and initiatives taken by the bank for the improvement in the system or procedure will be explained to the customers under the programme. Mr Balraj Gupta, Assistant General Manager, Central Bank of India appealed to them to build the bank as a value-driven organisation.
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SP gives security tips to bankers
Mohali, November 10 The representatives were also told that if there was more than one branch in a particular area, the guards should also be on the look-out for anyone acting in a suspicious manner near the bank premises. Police patrolling would be intensified during peak hours in areas where more branches were located as in Phases I, V, VII and X, he added.
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2 power meters sealed
Chandigarh, November 10 A senior official said the magnets were found to be kept near the meter to slowdown its movement. A special drive was carried out in Industrial Area, Phase II, which is a part of the ongoing regular checks.
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A clarification
Chandigarh, November 10
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Shop, house burgled
Chandigarh, November 10 Mr Gulshan Rai of Sector 22-C lodged a complaint with the police alleging that shampoo bottles, cigarette packets, eatables and Rs 15, 000 were stolen from his shop in Sector 22 on Tuesday night. In another incident, Mr Bal Krishan Puri of Sector 18 filed a complaint to the police alleging that a VCR, a TV set, six bed sheets and a bag containing documents were stolen from his residence on Wednesday. Two separate cases have been registered in this regard. Vehicles stolen:
Sources in the police said a case had been registered following a complaint by Mohammad Sartaj Khan of Sector 22-C that his Bajaj Pulsar motor cycle (CH-03-P-0958) was stolen from the Neelam parking lot in Sector 17. In another incident, Ms Ritu of Sector 36-D reported to the police that her Maruti car (CH-01-S-0143) was stolen from the rear of the Sector 7 market place. Two separate cases have been registered. Mobile stolen:
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Two cops caught taking bribe
Chandigarh, November 10 Sources in the CBI said Head Constables, Kuldeep Singh and Balbir Singh of the Crime Branch were taken in the custody while allegedly taking marked currency notes of Rs 8,000 on behalf of Sukhbir Rana, the investigation officer of the case registered against the complainant. As soon as the accused took the money CBI sleuths swooped on them. The sources said a trap was laid on the basis of a complaint made by Surinder Jindal and another person, who were booked by the Crime Branch in October this year under the Excise Act. It was alleged that the accused had demanded Rs 10,000 from the complainants to close the cases registered against them.
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Shop ‘n’ win bonanza “can compete” with Dubai fest
Chandigarh, November 10 However, the BPC wants the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) to chip in to make the shopping festival season an “year-long” affair. Rather the administration and the MCC should be “partners in progress” with the BPC to make the city centre a tourist attraction and shoppers’ destination. “Given its infrastructure, ambience and variety, Sector 17 can certainly compete with Dubai to offer world-class shopping and entertainment experience to the shoppers,” Mr Darpan Kapoor and Mr Arun Talwar, governing body members of the BPC, told Chandigarh Tribune here today. With the sector getting a makeover following efforts of the authorities concerned, including the area councillor, the Sector could emerge as a major shopping centre in the north India, traders claimed. As a first step, the traders should be allowed free space for the display of the items to be given in draw of lots in the shopping festival. Similarly, the administration should play an “activist” role in the organisation of the festival and the revenue earned from the advertisements should be divided between the administration and the traders, Mr Kapoor suggested. It may be recalled that this year the BPC had to shell one Rs 6.5 lakh for the space for displaying the items to be given as gifts to the customers during the draw of lots on November 27. The
administration’s decision to charge this hefty amount had come in for severe criticism from certain quarters. It was argued that the administration should extend whole-hearted support to the traders as more shoppers would mean more revenue for the administration. Besides, this would give a push to the move of the administration to develop the sector as a major tourist attraction.
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