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No construction on less than 2.5 acres on periphery
Mohali, November 18 However, if the periphery policy-framers were serious about their written word, the point that had been unambiguously made was — enough was enough, not a single unauthorised brick would be tolerated beyond what was there before November 1, 2005. No housing colony could come up in an area less than 100 acres within the periphery and anyone who colonised land less than this, was in for serious criminal charges and fine. Equally accountable would be those officials whose duty it would be to keep a vigil on unauthorised constructions in the periphery. The fine has been increased to Rs 50,000 from Rs 5,000 and in case of continued violation, a fine of Rs 5,000 per day instead of the present rate of Rs 500 would be levied. When the committee on the periphery policy was constituted, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed it to “examine the reasons for the coming up of unauthorised constructions, rationale for their regularising and steps to stop such construction in future, including imposition of exemplary fine and setting up of special courts to deal with such illegal constructions; to fix responsibility of the officers/employees responsible for abetting such constructions and setting up a tribunal headed by a retired Judge of the High Court to deal with the cases of illegal constructions.” The committee in its report approved by the Punjab Cabinet yesterday, said that the “Problem of unauthorised constructions needs to be addressed by constant and effective vigil, for which the field officers like Sub-Divisional Magistrates and their staff besides PUDA officers need to be fully involved and held accountable.” The committee added that there would be administrative guidelines to fix responsibility of staff for detecting illegal construction, taking legal action and enforcing the same. Statutory powers of the Deputy Commissioner under the Periphery Act to carry out demolitions could also be delegated to designated officers (e.g. SDMs), the report said. Dedicated field enforcement machinery within PUDA or in the Department of Town and Country Planning would be created so that the demolition orders were implemented in letter and spirit and, more importantly, mushrooming of illegal constructions was nipped in the bud. The committee added that once these recommendations were implemented, there would not be any necessity to set up the special tribunal to deal with cases of unauthorised construction. “However, the credibility of a sustained campaign in this respect would depend critically on the fairness of the process. Towards that end, the setting up of an ombudsman could be thought of who would oversee the entire process, entertain complaints from citizens and would be empowered to give directions to the authorities concerned. The ombudsman would have to be vested with suitable powers but care needs, at the same time, to ensure that there is no intervention in matter relating to the hearing of cases and the execution of orders passed by the competent authority.
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Periphery policy misleading, says kisan panel
Mohali, November 18 He said that according to consolidation of land holding done in 1954-55, people in villages were already using the land falling between the village limit and the lal dora for residential purposes. Even PUDA had considered such area as ‘abadi deh’ since 1995. In order to solve the problems of villagers, which had come up due to rise in population, the Punjab Government should have extended the limit by 150 metres to 200 metres from the area which was already being used by them. He said that houses constructed by farmers on their land should be considered as farmhouses and no charges should be taken from them on regularising such constructions.
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Woman suffers 80 pc burns in LPG cylinder blast
Chandigarh, November 18 Giving details, sources in the Mani Majra police station said the blast took place at about 7 a.m. when Ms Balbir Kaur (40) immediately went to the kitchen and switched on the light. A fire broke out as the gas had been leaking over the night and was trapped in the kitchen. Ms Balbir Kaur received maximum injuries as she was engulfed by the flames. Her husband and son also sustained burns. They were shifted to the Sector 32 Government Medical Collage and Hospital. The doctors said the condition of Balbir Kaur was serious as she suffered 80 per cent burns. While her husband Devinder Singh suffered 35 per cent burns, her son Gurpreet Singh sustained 15 to 20 per cent burn injuries. The police said the family was living in a rented accommodation.
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Son plays cop, finds his father’s killers
Chandigarh, November 18 Sources in the Mani Majra police station said Neerpal, the victim’s son, reached the city soon after he came to know about his father Lal Shah’s disappearance. He went to the Sector 16 police station in Panchkula, but the police did not pay heed to his complaints. He told the police that Udhe Veer, his father’s roommate, visited their native village after Lal Shah’s disappearance. When Udhe was asked about Lal Shah, he could not give satisfactory answers and that invoked suspicion. Giving further details, the Deputy Superintendent of the UT Police (DSP) (East), Mr Vijay Pal Singh, said Neerpal paid numerous visits to the Sector 16 police station and during that time he found the rehri belonging to his father in the Sector 8 market in Panchkula. On quizzing, the rehri owner revealed the names of those who had sold the cart to him. Neerpal reported the matter to the Haryana Police, but they sent him to the Mauli Jagran police post. Acting on the information available, the Mani Majra police apprehended a youth, Rajbir, and during interrogation he revealed the mystery. The DSP said Rajbir (aged about 20) told the police that Udhe Veer and Lal Shah were living in a rented accommodation in Indira Colony, Sector 17, Panchkula. Udhe Veer was known to him. On November 8 Lal Shah and Udhe Veer had a quarrel over some monetary issue and Udhe had, told Rajbir about the squabble. Later in the evening they returned to Indira Colony. While narrating the sequence of events of that fateful night Rajbir said they strangled Lal Shah and put the body in a sack and waited for the night. At about 2.30 am they set out to dispose of the body. They carried the body on a bicycle and dumped it in a drain near Raipur Kalan village. The DSP further added that the police had recovered the decomposed body from a sack in the drain on the basis of information provided by Rajbir. A case of murder and destruction of evidence has been registered under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code at the Mani Majra police station. He added that the Haryana Police did not cooperate in the whole affair and refuse to register a case despite the fact that the crime took place in their area of jurisdiction.
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Plea dismissed against HUDA housing scheme
Panchkula, November 18 Senior officials in HUDA say that the draw of lots would be held within a fortnight. The date would be announced only after a certified copy of the court order had been obtained. “We are ready to hold the draw of lots but basic formalities like making slips for the draw have to be completed, which can be done within three to four days,” they said. The housing scheme was floated in April 2004. As many as 33,793 applicants had applied for 537 plots in the two sectors by investing Rs 465.103 crore. Over 5,900 applications were received for residential plots in Sector 2 and 27, 850 applications for 372 plots in Sector 6. The earnest money received from applicants is getting HUDA a collective monthly interest of around Rs 2.60 crore. It is estimated that HUDA has netted over Rs 40 crore as interest on the earnest money. After the scheme was caught up in legal wranglings, HUDA said the applicants could wihdraw the earnest money. During the past year, only 570 applicants withdrew the money. A Naya Gaon resident, Dr B. Singh, had filed a petition in the high court, restraining HUDA and the Chandigarh Administration from any urbanisation in the catchment area of the Sukhna. HUDA was supposed to hold the draw for plots within six months of floating the scheme but it failed to do so because of the petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and later in the Supreme Court. HUDA later promised to pay interest to the applicants. A proposal for a provisional draw was also mooted so as to reduce the interest burden on HUDA. It was proposed that the money would be refunded to the unsuccessful candidates in the provisional draw. About 1,600 applicants were to be shortlisted in the provisional draw but this proposal was also turned down.
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Sec 15 deaths: probe makes no headway
Mohali, November 18 In the absence of scientific approach, cops looking into the matter have not been able to confirm whether the weapon found in the house was actually used by one of the brothers to kill himself. Or else, it was planted to throw the police off-track. So far, the cops have not even been able to explain the illegal weapon’s presence in the residence. Also the cops have no theories as to why the three had left the doors open before ending their lives. Or why two consumed poison, while the third shot himself. The listless bodies of Madhur Bala, Pyuesh and Anupam were discovered in different rooms by a rickshaw-puller on Wednesday morning. He had reached the residence to take Madhur Bala to her office. Though several questions remain unanswered, the cops are working on the suicide theory. They add that the visceras have been sent to Patiala for the confirmation of facts. But so far all the clues, including suicide note recovered from the spot, indicate that the three ended their lives after entering a suicide pact, the senior police officers add. The sources in the police headquarters, on the other hand, agree that suicide theory is “more convenient”. For, it saves the cops the trouble of haunting for clues and the suspects, while facing the pressure exerted by the media. They assert that instead of just waiting for the chemical examination reports, the police could have adopted a pro-active approach to the entire matter. For instance, they could have questioned acquaintances and relatives to rule out religious, property or love angle to the case. They add that so far the cops have hardly questioned anyone in connection with the case for reaching the bottom of the truth. “Wait and watch is not always the best policy”, they admit, adding that the Chandigarh Police is not the best when it comes to solving cases.
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MC to get all roads recarpeted
Panchkula, November 18 The proposal was mooted by Mr V.K. Kapoor, councillor from Sector 17, during the General House meeting of the Municipal Council (MC). Mr Kapoor, along with Mr R K Kakkar, councillor from Sector 10, said during the past two years, since the road repair and maintenance was transferred to MC, the condition of the roads had gone from bad to worse. They proposed that since MC had no technical staff to supervise the work, the road repair and crapetting could be got done from HUDA on a contractual basis. Mr C.B. Goel, BJP Councillor from Sector 7, too, supported the idea and said since HUDA owed crores to the MC as extension fee, getting the roads repaired from them would also ensure that they did not spend extra money for road repair, and HUDA could do the job from the money it owed to the Council. MC President, Mr Tarun Bhandari, said they had received some grant from the state government for road repair, and would utilise the same for repair of roads as tenders had been floated for them. The House then unanimously resolved to take the matter with the Urban Development Department for its approval. Other than this, the MC house also resolved to get address plates made for all houses in villages, falling within the limits of MC. It was decided that either the work be got done through an open tender, or be done through a sponsor. It was decided that the neighbourhood parks be got maintained through the park maintenance societies, in case these were headed by the Municipal Councillor. It was also decided that the MC should hire gardeners and they be assigned the maintenance of parks.
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Blueprint on rural tourism released
Chandigarh, November 18 Mr Amar Nath, Director of Rural Management, and Mr Vivek Atray, Director of Tourism, released the document. The details of the project were given by Maj(Dr) Gulshan Sharma, Director of the ITFT. The project has taken a view of the fact that in view of the profound changes around, rural tourism or farm tourism was now being taken up by many state governments. Village or rural tourism, apart from bringing the rural sector into the mainstream and conferring direct economic benefits on the village, also boost-domestic tourism. The panchayat will be involved in policy making. The first step in this direction will be carrying out a cleanliness drive in the village followed by constructing a theme based gate at the entry point. An information centre will also be provided at the site. A learning centre is proposed at the site for the local youth to develop soft skills in traditional hospitality and guest management. Mr Atray said: “We will provide back-up for all the activity undertaken by the institute”. Mr Amar Nath said, “the village has to take lead in implementation of the project. We will help you with educating people with potential for business through the envisaged plan”. A special mention has been made about serving the local cuisine at ‘dhabas’ or restaurants in the village. Farmers could also be persuaded to start and run small scale tourism related enterprises such as handicrafts souvenirs, ethic furniture and sell farm fresh products.
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India, Russia making place in world order, says expert
Chandigarh, November 18 In his talk on “India in the Russian Foreign Policy Debate, Dr Sanjay Kumar Pandey, associate professor at the Centre for Russian, Central Asian and East European Studies (CRCAEES), Jawaharlal Nehru University, analysed Indo-Russian relations within the larger framework of Russian foreign policy and Russia’s policy towards Asia. He said except for a brief period of uncertainty during the early 1990s, Indo-Russian relations have been friendly and cooperative. They are based upon a perception of common interests and shared worldviews. Both countries seem to be pre-occupied with finding their footing on the global scene, but 10 years hence, India seems to have weathered the crisis better than Russia in refashioning a viable economic and strategic posture, he said. Speaking about Russia’s role in the Caucasus, Dr Leila Alieva, president of the Centre for National and International Studies, Azerbaijan, said Russia could play a significant role in the stability and peace in the region. Its capacity, however, was limited by the rigidity of its foreign policy influenced by post-Soviet legacies in domestic policies as well as deficiency of competitiveness and state weakness in political, security and economic fields. Russia’s continued domination in certain areas in economy will be dependent on its ability to reform politics, economics and its security behaviour, she added. Delving upon the terrorist juggernaut in the Caucasus, Brig Kiran Krishan (retired) said recently, some of the world’s most horrendous images of terrorist savagery had emerged from this region. Stating that nation building in the region’s new independent states was progressing slowly, he added that Islamic fundamentalism was being passed on from Chechnya to neighbouring republics. He said the Caspian oil and its transportation through this region were objects of competition and political rivalry between powerful nations, and the interests of Russia, United States of America, Japan, China and Iran intersect here. In this context, he added, Chechnya had the potential of not only destabilising the region, but it could also pose a threat to global security. In her talk on Armenians in India and Indians in Armenia, Ms Naira Mkrtchyan, a research scholar at the Institute of Oriental Studies of National Academy of Sciences, Armenia said mutual economic, cultural and scientific ties between India and Armenia go back to centuries. The survival of Armenians outside Armenia and in India in particular has been due to the preservation of their national religion, language and customs, avoidance of inter-marriages and India’s age-old acceptance of its minority communities and tolerance towards other people’s religions, languages and customs. Discussing ethno-political conflicts and human security in south Caucasus, Dr K.B. Usha from CRCAEES said conflict resolution in the region depends largely on how successfully great powers seek to end the competition for primacy and control, and foster cooperation in the region.
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Transcending religion for love
Chandigarh, November 18 A father of two children, both of whom are in Paris, it was Pradip’s 22-year-old daughter who felt the need for a companion for her father. As a result, an advertisement was placed by her on the Internet to which Shia responded and eventually the two entered a wedlock on November 16. Shia flew from Canada to India. Talking about the wedding, Acharya Shastri said marriage took place on temple premises as per Hindu rituals. He said Shia readily accepted Hinduism and was explained various aspects of the marriage. A marriage certificate was also provided to the couple. Acharya Shastri also recently solemnised the marriage of a 62-year-old Chandigarh resident with 36-year-old Asha from Maharashtra.
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Blue bull strays on city roads
Chandigarh, November 18 Certain passers-by also halted on the spot and joined in the human circle. Officials of the Forest Department spread a net to catch the animal but it jumped over the net and ran towards Sector 35. The police and the Forest Department officials arrived on the scene and the animal was trapped and taken back to the forests.
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Engineers observe 225th Corps Day
Chandigarh, November 18 The Corps of Engineers has been providing engineering support to the armed forces and other defence establishments. During war they carry out multifarious tasks such as laying and breaching mine-fields, construction of assault bridges, helipads and making tracks to facilitate movement. In peace time, the MES branch of the Corps is engaged in developing infrastructure for troops.
— TNS
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Notice to 3 BRD station
Chandigarh, November 18
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2 inspectors transferred
Chandigarh, November 18
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Tata Safari stolen from Mohali
Mohali, November 18 Mr Hardev Chauhan, a resident of Sector 70, told the police that a gas cylinder was stolen from his house last night. He said that when he made inquiries about the theft he got to know that four cylinders were stolen by thieves from two houses in the area.
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Rs 1.50 lakh snatched
Panchkula, November 18 The police said that patwari Narinder Singh was way laid by four miscreants near Sultanpur village. The accused were in a car and were stalking the patwari. Then snatched his bag, and sped away. The Barwala police has registered a case.
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Old man dies in mishap
Chandigarh, November 18 The police has arrested the motorcycle rider Manu Verma of Indira Colony in Mani Majra. A case has been registered.
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