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Orphaned girl cries for parents
Mohali, October 5 Perhaps this is the reason that even in a medicine-induced daze she opens her eyes to look at everyone who comes near her bed at the Civil Hospital here. But the face of every visitor disappoints her. Tired of looking for her mother, she breaks into a heart-rending request: "Ravi chacha ghar le chalo" Isha's parents and younger brother were killed on the spot on the fateful night of September 24 when a speeding car had hit their scooter. Sandwiched between her parents on the scooter, only Isha survived the deadly impact. Nursing a fractured leg since the accident, Isha was admitted to the Civil Hospital today. She has not slept peacefully since the accident, tells her aunt Shashi. She speaks incoherently in her sleep and gets up with a start only to break into tears. "Mummy Mummy" is all that one can make out. Now in the care of her grandmother, Isha would be home soon. "At home she constantly asks for her parents. We have been lying to her. But we will have to tell her the truth some day," says her uncle Ravi. All questions related to the accident have made the child hysterical. "She just says-'Mummy papa gir gaye…' nothing more. Then she starts crying. We have not tried asking her about the car as it might disturb her more," said Vinod. Even after 10 days of the accident the Mohali police has not been able to nab the driver responsible for this tragedy. "It's a shame that the innocence of this child nor her condition has not moved the police enough to put in some serious efforts in nabbing the car driver. Don't they realise that this child had a happy loving home to go to some days ago, a mother's lap to sleep in and a brother to play with. And today she is an orphan, too young even to understand the gravity of her situation," asked the Kharar MLA Bir Devinder Singh who visited the child at the hospital here today. Visibly moved at the plight of the child, the MLA had some cutting remarks to make about Silver Oaks Hospital in Phase 9 where Isha was rushed immediately after the accident. "The family of the girl could not afford the medical facilities there and decided to shift the child to Medical College in Chandigarh. The hospital staff at Silver Oaks refused to discharge the child till the whopping bills of Rs 9,000 were paid up. This included exorbitant charges of the doctor, some tests and a stay of 21 hours in the hospital. It's a shame. The hospital staff, including the doctors on duty, knew the situation of the child. The bodies of her parents and brother were lying in the same hospital," said the MLA. Isha is now receiving free medical aid at the Civil Hospital. The Civil Surgeon, SAS Nagar, Dr MS Toor said the child will be taken care of. The principal of Sir Macaullif School Phase 11 where Isha studies in LKG also came to see her and announced that the school will provide for all her education related needs in the school. The Kharar MLA has appealed to Mohali resident to come out in support of Isha. "We will be installing donation boxes where money will be collected to be given to the Silver Oaks Hospital. Later we will move in a procession towards the Hospital and give the collected donation there for use of all those Ishas who might land up in the hospital for emergency care," he said.
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Little Ramji gets a shelter
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 5 Soon after Chandigarh Tribune highlighted the child’s condition in its columns yesterday, fate started to smile at him and things began to turn around. By the evening, Ramji had a home. He was spotted enjoying an evening meal with others of his like, who have got shelter at Pingalwara in Palsora. It all began with Chandigarh Child Welfare Committee taking cognizance of the Chandigarh Tribune report highlighting the child’s vulnerabilities. The Committee, constituted under the Juvenile Justice Act, is responsible for ensuring care and support services for abandoned and neglected children. Ms Madhu P Singh, member of the Committee took notice of the case and rushed a team of volunteers from PGI’s Childline – a service for children in distress – to locate and rescue Ramji and his sister. After a day-long search for the children, the volunteers succeeded in restoring Ramji, who was too keen to get a home. His sister however could not be located today. But Ranjit, the volunteer entrusted with the job of rescuing the children, told Chandigarh Tribune that he would go back to search for the girl, who is much more at risk than the boy. The Child Welfare Committee, for its part, spent the day exploring the possibility of lodging the child at a safe state-run shelter home. The Committee could not even order the child to be sent to the new Juvenile Home in Sector 25 which, strangely, has been locked after a much hyped inaugural function. Unable to find help from any quarter, Ms Singh had to finally send the child to Pingalwara, which has always proved to be the last resort in such cases. Ramji’s medical examination was conducted and a daily diary report about his relocation from Fun Republic area to Pingalwara was lodged at police station.
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Dengue positive cases go up to 29 in city, Panchkula
58 suspected cases
in city hospitals
The UT Health Department today claimed that 58 suspected cases have been reported in city hospitals, comprising the PGI, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, since September 30. Today three more cases from Chandigarh tested positive for dengue, adding the number of confirmed cases to seven. Those who confirmed positive include Chander (24) of Sector 10, Baljinder (35) of Sector 38 and Yogesh Verma (25) of Sector 8-B. Dr M.S. Bains, Director Health Service, UT, said special teams and the Medical Officers of the area investigated the confirmed dengue cases. Further investigations of these cases are in progress. He appealed to the public for taking all precautionary steps for prevention of the dengue in Chandigarh.
Chandigarh/Panchkula, October 5 Adding to its number (10) of confirmed dengue cases at General Hospital, Panchkula, one more patient was tested positive today. The hospital has registered 11 cases of confirmed dengue till date. Nine
more cases of suspected dengue were registered at the PGI today. Out of
the new suspected cases, five came from Saharanpur, two from Punjab and
two from Haryana. The PGI authorities, however, claimed that no fresh suspected cases from Chandigarh have reported to the Emergency since yesterday. The reports of all of them are awaited. Four out of the 10 patients who tested positive were discharged today. None of the rest admitted or suspected patients had any significant complications. Five patients were discharged from the hospital yesterday, informed Dr Ashish Bhalla, Assistant Professor, Tropical Medicines, PGI. Dr
G.P. Saluja, Chief Medical Officer, Panchkula, confirmed that 11
patients had tested positive for dengue, while the number of suspected
ones at General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, was 13. Even as dengue
cases continued to come in, the Health Department, Panchkula, got its
act together and chalked out a comprehensive strategy to deal with the
mosquito menace. Armed with an assurance from the municipal council to
fund the fogging of the entire city, the Health Department swung into
action, targeting the most vulnerable Maheshpur village first. Fogging
was carried out in the village this evening, while the department plans
to cover one sector in a day. “The medicines will be supplied by us,
while the MC will take care of the cost involved in petrol and diesel
for the spray,” Dr G.P. Saluja, Civil Surgeon and Chief Medical
Officer, said. Meanwhile, at the first meeting of its kind held with doctors since the dengue outbreak, the Health Department directed them to send a daily report of the suspected dengue cases to the district headquarters. While giving them a detailed lesson in dengue-management, the doctors were asked to thoroughly check the house from where a dengue-positive case came. “We
have told them to go personally and identify the cause of the illness.
They have also been told to get any water collection in the house
thoroughly cleaned and dried. In doing so, our idea is to ensure that no
other member of the family gets it and the breeding of the Aedes
mosquito can be nipped before it assumes epidemic proportions,” the
Civil Surgeon, Panchkula, added. While doctors of government
dispensaries were issued directions in dealing with dengue patients as
also given a lesson in recognising the symptoms of the disease, the
Health Department has also asked them to tap all private hospitals and
clinics of their area. “The doctors in government hospitals have also
been made responsible for sending reports of dengue patients from any
private hospitals falling in their area. Things are under control and we
are doing our best to educate the public.” Meanwhile, the meeting of
the department with the residents welfare associations as part of the
awareness drive has been postponed to tomorrow.
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130 houses get notices for mosquito breeding
Chandigarh October 5 A press note issued by the UT Administration said that special teams were deployed to serve the notices to the defaulters for creating mosquito-breeding places inside their houses. The Zonal Officers inspected their respective areas for the intensification of field operations for the prevention and control of dengue. Epidemiological surveys, survey of fever cases and entomological investigations were undertaken by various teams in different parts of the city. More than 3000 mosquitogenic situations were checked and treated by the teams. Labour colonies and low-lying areas of the city were the special focus of the teams. The General Manager, PEPSU Roadways. Haryana Roadways, Punjab, Roadways, CTU-I and II have been requested to cover the tyres with tarpauline to prevent the Aedes mosquito breeding in their premises. The health department has also requested the Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, to depute the enforcement staff for the removal of discarded tyres dumped in the PWD Store, Sector 26 and Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26. The other vulnerable areas where the tyres are dumped will also be covered to bring the Aedes mosquito breeding to nil. On the second day today, fogging operations were also carried out in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, and Sector 7 today. Labour Colony no. 4, Labour Colony no. 5, Kajheri Colony, DMC, Maloya Colony would be taken up tomorrow.
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The second day of the Pinjore Heritage Festival going on at the Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore will see a performance by noted danseuse Pratibha Prahlad at the open theatre at 6.30 pm on Friday. She is a rare combination of talent and beauty, and is among the foremost Bharatnatyam dancers of the new generation.
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Watch out
Ace cyclist Kulbir Kaur, a student of BA Part II, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College for Women, Sector 26, is participating in the 10-day Hercules MTB Himachal 2006, India’s first mountain cycling ride and race, which was flagged off on Wednesday from Shimla.
Kulbir, along with other participants, would brave the extreme conditions of the Himalaya while pedalling the distance of 600 km before culminating at Manali on October 13. The event will be held under the aegis of the International Mountain Bicycling Association and supported by the Department of Tourism, Government of Himachal Pradesh.
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Passing Through
Q. What countries have the best opportunities for professionals?
A. Countries like Canada, Australia and UK have remarkable opportunities for professionals, businesspersons and students. In all these countries, the professionals just have to take bridge courses to upgrade their skills, which can be taken in India or upon arrival in the country. Q. Why has Australia emerged as the most desirable destination for immigration? A. Australian Immigration is attracting people in great numbers. Australia has strong and booming economy, brilliant career opportunities to the extent that 1, 50, 000 jobs are advertised every week and moreover its immigration process is also very fast. Q. Is it true that Australia is emerging as a educational destination for India students? A. More Indian students are choosing to study in Australia. In 2005 academic year 27,661 students had enrolled in various universities in Australia, a 75 per cent increase over the previous year. This is especially true for vocational and professional courses. There has been 143 per cent increase over 2004 in the numbers of Indian students pursuing vocational courses in Australia. India is the second largest source country for international students in Australia. —Ruchika M. Khanna
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BJP objects to proposed delimitation of wards
Chandigarh, October 5 “Section 8 of the Act clearly provides that for the purpose of election of councillors, the city shall be divided into single member wards in such a manner that the population of each of the wards, so far as practicable, be the same throughout the city.” He said under the existing Act, the corporation cannot afford to take big liberties with the numbers. The list of population distribution given to different political parties for comments showed that Ward VII had a population distribution of 19,763 while at the same time Ward X had a population of 43,300. The difference of more than a double did not make any sense, he said. The list showed that Ward VI had 20,249, Ward XIV had 41,100 and Ward XVIII had 34,400 population. Mr Jain when questioned about the norm quoted by the corporation in the covering letter issued to political parties saying it was following the “norm of minimum population of 20,000 and maximum 50,000 in wards”, he said: “I do not not understand what the corporation meant by quoting a norm when the Act clearly said the principal for population distribution on an equitable basis”. Mr Jain also said the number of wards should be increased to 30. Mr Jain said it was surprising that the corporation forwarded the proceedings of a meeting held on September 4 on October 3 giving just an overnight to comment on the issue before the list was finalised. The BJP has submitted a representation to the Secretary, Local Government, highlighting the difference in the population in different wards and also little time given for comments on the proposed wards. The BJP has also sought that the corporation should also have sought the opinion from the SAD and the Chandigarh Vikas Manch instead of ignoring them absolutely for meetings on election issues pertaining to the UT as they have a big presence here. A senior UT official, reacting to the press conference, said: “The matter needs to be understood in the context of the area covered also. Population density is very high in the south. The Administration is aware about the issue.”
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Senior citizens face harassment at railway station
Chandigarh, October 5 The extra reservation facility on the Panchkula side is also not being run in double shift. The exclusive counters meant for senior citizens, physically challenged and VIPs are not being run regularly. As a result, ticket seekers are being forced to queue up at the counter meant for the general public. The rush for advance reservation has increased in wake of the festival season. A visit to the railway station today revealed that till 11 am the special counter for senior citizen was not opened. The queue in front of the counter meant for the general public was stretching up to the entrance of the reservation complex. Another counter for defence personnel was, however, working. On the Panchkula side, the counter was closed in the morning after the employee on duty had to be hospitalised as he was ill. A senor citizen, Mr Suresh Kumar, who was standing in the queue for over an hour, said: “What is use of the new facility, if all counters can not be operated”. Similar grouse was aired by other standing in the queue. Enquiries reveal that despite staff strength of 11 persons, including two Chief Reservation Supervisors, all counters were not being operated. The counter meant for the senior citizen was opened only for formality sake. “The problem arose due to irrational deployment of the reservation staff”, said sources. Railway commuters demanded that it was high time that the reservation work was given on contract to save the ticket seekers from harassment.
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Status quo in case of Sajida’s properties
Chandigarh, October 5 The orders were passed following a civil suit filed by a brother of the late Begum, Fayyaz Ali Khan (71), who is based in Shekhupura, Pakistan, in district courts here. Mr Sajid Ali Khan — son of Late Riyaz Ali Khan (brother of the plaintiff), who had produced an oral gift (hiba) dated July 7, 2006 — has also staked claim to the properties. Now the properties cannot be transferred in his name till the pendency of the case. The case would come up now up on October 18. The plaintiff in his case had stated that he was the sole legal heir of the moveable and immovable properties by way of inheritance as per the Muslim law of inheritance. Khan is the only surviving brother out of four brothers of the late Begum, who did not have any children. The properties, include 50 per cent share in a two-kanal house in Sector 2, Chandigarh, land holdings and commercial sites in Malerkotla, personal belongings lying at Dewan Khana, Malerkotla, and bank lockers and moveable assets — all valued at over Rs 14 crore. Though the civil suit filed in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division), the Begum’s brother has claimed that on July 21, 2006, his sister had bequeathed a will in his favour. “I came to know that Sajid had already produced the fabricated oral (Hiba) deed at all the concerned offices when I staked claim for the properties as per the Muslim law of inheritance.” In the light of the claim and counter claims of inheritance, Fayyaz Ali Khan has been asked by different bank authorities, Punjab Wakf Board and Malerkotla district administration to bring a decree from the court in his favour.”
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Contests mark wildlife week
Dera Bassi, October 5 Gurpreet and Sonam,stood first and second, respectively, in the essay writing
contest. Sumit was placed third. In the quiz competition, Gaurav and Himanshu were declared first and second respectively. The Forest Range Officer, Mr Jasbir Singh Chauhan, gave away prizes. |
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Rocket launcher found underground
Chandigarh, October 5 The incident took place at a newly allotted school site when a JCB machine stumbled upon the rocket while digging. On seeing the rusted object which looked like a bomb, people ran away from the site and called the police. The police reached the spot along with dog squad and took the rocket launcher in its possession. The SHO of the Mani Majra police station said, “It appears be an old one and might have been lying under ground for years.”
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Move on uniform VAT rates hailed
Chandigarh, October 5 The decision to standardise tariff codes was taken at a meeting of the empowered committee of state finance ministers last week. “This decision has come perhaps with the sole reason that the empowered committee on VAT was to postpone the phase-out of the central sales tax (CST) to April 2007,” he said. — TNS
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Poor response to booths’ auction
Chandigarh, October 5
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Mayhem at midnight
Chandigarh, October 5 It was a freak accident that took place after the driver of the Travera, in an attempt to make a shortcut at the roundabout took a turn from wrong side at the Sectors 33 and 34 intersection to hit the Qualis coming from the opposite direction. While the occupants of the Travera, all residents of Dadu Majra, were returning home after offering prayers at a historic temple in Pehowa, the Qualis was on its way to drop an employee of Dell. Realising the mistake of making a turn from wrong side, the driver of Travera, Mr Sunil Kaushal, apologised from the occupants of Qualis and agreed to take the bill for getting the damaged Qualis repaired. Witness to this compromise was Mr Darshan Singh, a shift supervisor of Dell. But this was not the end of a simple case of an unintended accident. Before Mr Kaushal and his friends could get back to their vehicle, came several youths in Indica car and two-wheelers. The occupants of these vehicles, suspected to be drivers and supporters of the owner of Qualis, pounced upon Dadu Majra boys. Besides kicking and punching the shell-shocked villagers, the assailants also gave a severe rod blow on the face of Mr Sunil Kaushal, which knocked his front two teeth out. Another friend of Sunil had his finger fractured in the brawl while others received blows of roads on their backs. The assailants, before fleeing, smashed all windows of Travera. Bruised and beaten, the Dadu
Majra boys took out their anger on the driver of the Qualis, whom the assailants had probably, by mistake, left behind alone. The driver pleaded innocence. But there was none to save him from the fury of the agitated and bashed up Dadu Majra boys. While all this was going on for good over half-an-hour at the intersection, which is less than 300 metres from the Sector 34 police station, no policeman was to be seen anywhere near. In the meanwhile, a shift supervisor of Dell, Mr Gagandeep Singh, accompanied by a group of security men, arrived in their Travera to look for the driver of their Qualis. The moment they landed at the spot, they too, became the target of the fury of the agitated Dadu Majra boys, who by now, had gained in confidence and had called their supporters also. Luckily for the Dell team the ordeal was short-lived as the Police Control Room vehicle arrived. Some of the security guards of Dell were quickly taken away to the police station. Both Sunil and his friend, who incurred grievous injuries in the brawl earlier, were also taken to the hospital for a medical examination. After an hour of jostling, bashing and shouting, policemen tried to control the situation. The Highway Patrol Ambulance van, too, arrived on the spot. The Station House Officer of the police station (south), Mr Jagir Singh, was not far behind. Finally after a 75-minute drama, the scene shifted from a busy intersection to the nearby police station. One wonders whether this midnight mayhem, just at a stone’s throw from the Sector 34 police station, was avoidable or not. It not only left at least three people injured with two vehicles smashed but also allowed chaos to prevail at a busy intersection for more than an hour. Some of the witnesses maintained that instead of rushing to the spot, a couple of police vehicles, including Gypsies and motor cycles, were stationed at a nearby park. “It has been an unusually busy night for us,” remarked an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), who came with the second police party. “There was a clash in Sector 46 in which several people were injured. Eleven of them have been admitted to the Sector 32 General Hospital. Then there was another spot in Sector 32,” ASI revealed. When contacted today, the SHO of the Sector 34 police station, Inspector Jagir Singh, said a case of rash and negligent driving and damaging property has been registered against Satish Sharma, the driver of the Qualis. He clarified that it was Sharma who did not give way to other vehicle resulting in the accident. He further said that taking a preventive measure the police has arrested 12 persons of both the parties for creating nuisance. About the broken teeth he said it was an artificial denture and other injuries were also of minor nature.
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Young man’s body found
Chandigarh, October 5 The police received a message around 10 am about the body lying in the open area behind the petrol station. The spot inspection yielded no results as the police could not find anything, which could help in establishing the victim’s identity. The victim’s pockets were found to be empty. He was wearing a shirt and trousers. The police suspects that the death might have been caused by some aliment or the victim may have been was stung by some poisonous insect. The exact cause of the death could only be ascertained by the post-mortem. Meanwhile, the police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code and shifted the body to the dead house of the Sector 16 Government Hospital.
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Chains snatched from two women
Chandigarh, October 5 According to the police, Ms Pushaplata of Sector 8 reported to the police that two youths snatched her gold chain from the Sector 8 market at around 11:30 am. Similarly, after about half-an-hour, the police received another massage of snatching in Sector 46. This time the victim was Nirmal Kaur of Sector 46. The police said the description of the miscreants given by both the victims resembled and it seemed that same persons were involved in both the incidents. Two cases have been registered in this regard. Motor cycle stolen:
Held for stealing:
Liquor seized:
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No trace of missing lawyer even after 4 months
Chandigarh, October 5 According to his father, Mr S. Kumar, his son left the house on June 5 at 5.30 pm. “Till 8.20 pm we were in touch on the mobile phone. After that we were shocked to learn that his car, mobile phone, and keys were found on the banks of the canal near Ropar. However, his licence and wallet were not traceable,” Mr Kumar added. The case has now been transferred to the crime branch.
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Biz Clips Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 5 He said many people fail in life not for lack of abilities and brains, but because they have not organised their energies around a goal. He said that properly set goals can be incredibly motivating. Tata Indicom tie-up: Tata Teleservices has announced its tie-up with Ebony for setting up a Tata Indicom shop-in-shop at the mall in Sector 9. A company release said the Tata Indicom shoppe at the mall ensures complete assistance related to its products and services, said Mr Subhash Arya, COO, Tata Teleservices, Punjab. Loan mela: A three-day festival loan mela will be organised from October 9- 11, by the State Bank of Patiala, at Kalka. Mr SC Dhall, branch head of the bank, said officials of the bank would sanction loans for housing and vehicles on the spot. The mela is being organised because the bank’s immediate target is to reach out to rural masses, he added. Camp: The Welfare Association MIG -I Houses, Sector 40 C, in collaboration with Consumer Forum, Chandigarh, is organising a Consumer Awareness camp on October 8, at Main Park, Sector 40 C. Mr Shurbir Singh, SDM South, will be the chief guest on the occasion.
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