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GC-11, DAV College fined Rs 1 lakh each
Chandigarh, January 6 The university has reportedly imposed Rs 1 lakh fine each on Government College, Sector 11, and DAV College, Sector 10, for not applying for the affiliation of two courses run by them.
DAV College, which was running a four-year B Ped course in the college, has run into rough weather. The college neither got an affiliation for the course from the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) nor applied to the university for the extension of provisional affiliation in April 2007. Later a team of college teachers went to the NCTE, New Delhi, to make a presentation regarding the course. However, its case was rejected on the grounds that the syllabus needed a revamp. But the course is still being run in the college. The matter was put up before the senate during its last meeting where it was decided that a fine of Rs 1 lakh should be imposed on the college. The principal of the college, S. Mariya, had demanded in the senate that the fine should be waived. Government College was fined for not applying for the affiliation of the MA (history-II) course. While DAV College never applied for affiliation, Government College has not even started classes for the second year and is late by 19 days for applying for the affiliation. The vice-chancellor, Prof R.C. Sobti, said any violation of the university calendar, even if it is only for a day, is a matter of indiscipline and must be taken cognisance of. However, he said the cases would be looked into afresh by a committee.
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MHA wants urgent security review in courts
Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 6 Acting on the recommendations of the protection review group and in consultation with the registrar-general of the high court, the Chandigarh police and the ITBP have been asked to implement various aspects of security as per the recent guidelines of the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
In a recent communique to the home department, the MHA stated that the security arrangements should be reviewed urgently in light of serial bomb blasts in court complexes in Uttar Pradesh. The ministry said the high court should be declared a high security zone. Issuance of photo visitor passes and instalment of close-circuit television cameras at the entry gates would also be undertaken. In a report on the existing security arrangement in the courts, the home department has pointed out that a security plan had already been implemented at the high court and an appropriate plan was being drawn during the hearing of sensitive cases. The security wing has been asked to randomly check/frisk persons entering the court premises. It has also been pointed out that since long no verification of the court staff and private persons working on the court premises had been carried out. The registrar-general of the high court has been requested to supply the list of employees, along with their address and pictures. Sources said the fresh guidelines stressed on armed security guards at all the gates and x-ray machines to screen the belongings of people visiting the courts. At present, the gates are not manned by armed security guards. The need for segregating criminal and civil courts and deployment of policemen in plain clothes for collecting intelligence relating to the movements of suspicious elements has also been stressed. Sources said every six months, the protection review group, consisting of state special branch, intelligence and home department, evaluated the security and threat perception as per the provisions of a yellow book circulated by the MHA.
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One more dies of asphyxiation
Chandigarh, January 6 This is the third such incident in less than a week in Mani Majra. According to the police, the victim has been identified as Parvati. The incident came to light at 5.30 pm when her husband Mohan, a waiter, found the room filled with smoke when he got back home. His wife, daughter and mother-in-law were lying unconscious. He cried for help and the victims were rushed to the Sector 6 General Hospital, Panchkula, where Parvati died. The police said doctors referred the other two to the PGI, where their condition was stated to be critical. Investigating officer Ramesh Kumar said preliminary investigation indicated that the death was caused due to smoke emitted by the coals. The victims had kept a hearth in the room to warm it and there was no ventilation. The police had sealed the room for further investigation.
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Asphyxiation?
Chandigarh, January 6 The bodies of Karpan (45), his wife Mani (40), his two Kalimurthi (17) and Vangeshar (13) were handed over to Karpan’s other two sons after post-mortem examination earlier during the day. The police said the doctors had reserved their opinion about the cause of the deaths and sent the viscera for chemical examination. Sources said the doctors suggested that the deaths could have been caused due to asphyxia after being exposed to smoke emitted from coals kept in a hearth to warm their room. They had slept after taking the dinner, which was confirmed by the presence of food their stomachs. Scores of people from the Mauli Complex attended the funeral, while no one from the administration except Nek Chand, the creator of Rock Garden, showed up. Both sons of Karpan were inconsolable as they failed to come to terms with the untimely deaths of their family members. One of the sons collapsed at the cremation ground. The incident came to light on January 3 morning when one of Karpan’s neighbour climbed on to the rooftop of the house only to find the listless bodies of Karpan and his family. Karpan was found gasping for air, while his wife and two sons were declared brought dead at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16. Karpan died later at the PGI during treatment.
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Dearth of public prosecutors at district courts
Chandigarh, January 6 Sources say there are at least 1,000 cases pending in each court and a public prosecutor is handling two courts. If one or more of them are on leave, their workload increases further. As a result, the recording of statement of witnesses gets delayed. For the four additional and sessions court and a sessions court, there are five public prosecutors. The designation of public prosecutor for the additional and sessions court should be deputy district attorney (DDA). However, additional district attorneys are handling the additional and sessions court. A PIL was filed in the high court in this regard a few years ago. Accepting the appeal, the court had ordered that the UT administration should ensure that one public prosecutor should work only in one court.
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Fog grounds flights
Chandigarh, January 6 Poor visibility was cited as reason. Comedian Jaspal Bhatti, who was on the Indian flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh, said passengers were made to reach Chandigarh by taxi from Delhi. Airport director Suneel Dutt said the visibility was not more than 1,000 metres. “The visibility has to be 1,200 metre for landing,” he said.
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NRI conference begins today in New Delhi
Chandigarh, January 6 However, real turnaround in his life came in 2003, when he joined electoral politics in Canada, where he is now the minister for small business and entrepreneurship. He won the election and was made the first minister for transportation. His rise to the level of minister in the Canadian government was perhaps the quickest in the politics of Canada. Takhar, who belongs to Shankar village near Nakodar but now permanently settled in Canada, will be one of the main speakers from Canada at the NRI conference being organised by the Union government in Delhi from tomorrow. He said in a short period, India had become a most important name in the Europe and North America. European countries, America and Canada were impressed by its phenomenal rate of growth. India was often compared to China. Takhar said he was on a mission to Inida. “ I am here to meet Indian big industrialists and invite them to invest in my country”, he said. Already, Tatas, Birlas, ESSR group, Ranbaxy and certain other Indian companies had invested in Canada but there was a lot of more scope for investment there. He said most of the Indian corporate houses investing abroad were cash rich people. So, they faced no problems in making investment in any part of the world, he added. “On the same time I am looking for opportunities for Canadian companies to invest in India. There are areas such as agro-processing, where Canadian firms could make investment”, he added. “ We are good in the processing of vegetables, fruits and for their longer preservation. And such an investment could benefit Indian farmers, retailers and others concerned”, he said. “In today’s world, bilateral relations and investment is the key. There could not be one way traffic”, he said. Asked about the possibilities in Punjab by Canadian firms, Takhar said first Punjab should win the trust of investors by proving that their time was not wasted in getting their projects cleared from the bureaucracy. “Businessman and investors are never attracted by incentives and concessions. They only want the state government, especially the bureaucracy to play the role of a genuine facilitator in their investment in various projects”, said Takhar. Without clean and responsive administrative system, no government should expect investment, he added.
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Octogenarian gets justice through RTI Act
Mohali, January 6 A superintendent in the Board in the 1970s, Mehma Singh was charged with having issued fake certificates to students. Following an inquiry, he was declared innocent. But he remained restive. He never came to know how his name came to be embroiled in the controversy and who the real culprits were. Hoards of requests to see the files, which dealt with his case, were rejected. It is only now, almost 35 years later that Mehma Singh had come to know the truth. Using the Right to Information Act, Mehma Singh had got every bit of paper that was shrieking the truth. The real culprits had forged his signatures and named him as the accused. But a handwriting expert reported the truth and the culprits were charge sheeted and suspended. No action was taken against them and Mehma Singh retired from the Board in 1983 with a heavy heart. “The case dates back to 1977, when I was working as a superintendent in the accounts branch of the board. Duplicate certificates were issued to students, who were going abroad as it was the requirement of the embassies by the certificate branch,” he said. “During a routine verification by the Canadian High Commission it was found that some of these duplicate certificates issued were fake,” recalls Mehma Singh alleging that the then superintendent certificates and his assistant were the ones issuing fake certificates. During one such verification of a forged certificate the superintendent certificates wrote back to the Canadian High Commission forging Mehma Singh’s signatures stating that the certificate issued to a student was authentic. An inquiry was marked and a handwriting expert proved that Mehma Singh’s signatures were forged. “Another inquiry was carried out by the then vice-chairman of Board R.G Bajpai, which declared Mehma Singh innocent and held the two other employees guilty. The two were charge sheeted and another detailed enquiry was held, which also implicated the two. The two were suspended. “However the two were re-instated on technical grounds. Another inquiry was done by Sardara Singh, a retired IAS officer, almost 12 years after the incident. It gave a clean chit to the superintendent, who had forged my signatures. The handwriting expert’s report was also over looked. Only the superintendent’s assistant was found to be guilty. He too was let off following a mercy appeal,” says Mehma Singh. The handwriting expert’s report showing that his signatures were forged, the inquiry report that laid bare the system of issuing fake certificates, the role of the two employees, who were found to be guilty but never acted against, Mehma Singh is now armed with everything. Demanding justice, he wants to his honour to be redeemed and action against the culprits. “I want the case to be opened again and the vigilance to hold another inquiry. I have never slept peacefully for thirty years. I was dishonored. And for me there is nothing more important than my honour,” said Mehma Singh.
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CRPF men under heavy stress: Study
Chandigarh, January 6 According to a detailed study published by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), 73 per cent officers and 78 per cent other ranks felt that they were under stress. Only 20 per cent officers and 13 per cent of men said they were not under any stress, while the remaining were unable to express their opinion. The aim of study, undertaken recently by R.K. Singh from CRPF’s operations directorate, was to gather data to understand the causative factors of stress overwhelmingly present in the force, explore possible remedies and analyse perceptions of personnel. “The peacekeepers of the nation are under severe stress and unrest. To protect the country, they are losing their health and neglecting their family,” the study report stated. CRPF units are deployed across the length and breath of the country. It is involved in maintenance of law and order, internal security duties, counter-terrorist operations and disaster management. CRPF is also taking over counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir from the Border Security Force. The study lists out excessive and uncertain mobility at a very short notice, separation from family and disruption of education, odd working hours and poor working conditions, shortage of officers in units, personal financial matters and insensitive and punitive leadership style as some of the factors contributing towards stress. According to the study, various administrative factors, varying from family problems to provocation on ill treatment, denial of leave, perceived harassment and discrimination, were more responsible for increasing the stress. All such causes are one way or the other related to administrative factors, which have a wide ambit including leadership, man-management, training and humane considerations, the study observed. As far as leadership is concerned, 62 per cent of the men stated dictatorial way of working as the attribute which caused stress, followed by incompetence. Officers listed lack of vision followed by dictatorial way of working as the leadership attributes causing stress. The study also lists out means to overcome stress, both at the individual level and at the organisational level.
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Parvasi Punjabi Divas to focus on skill development
Chandigarh, January 6 This was stated by
A.R. Kohli, patron, IPCSI, and former governor Mizoram, who was in Chandigarh today to attend the NRI sammellan being hosted by Punjab. The conference will mark the sixth annual Parvasi Punjabi Divas. Mentioning a recent study that said 53 per cent of the employed youth suffered some degree of skill deprivation and only 8 per cent were directly employed, Kohli said Punjab and Haryana should focus on economic growth through human resource development. “We need job creators and not job seekers. We must train our human resource, encourage them to work abroad and come back to enrich their own economy,” he said, adding that skill development was essential considering India’s literacy rate was just 61 per cent against 99 per cent in Germany and Japan. The conference will be inaugurated by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, while Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be the chief guest in the evening. Explaining the urgency of the issue, Kohli said 300 million people in India were unemployed and only 45 million unemployed were registered with employment exchanges. “Nearly 99 per cent of entrance participants in IITs and IIMs get rejected due to capacity constraints. We have to handle this problem and bridge the gap between trained and untrained people,” said Kohli, doling out statistics on the skill crunch which India’s human resource is facing. He urged that India must make use of its young workforce, adding: “By 2015, nearly 45 million jobs will be available worldwide. India should target at least half of these.” Saying that formal arrangements with the state government have yet to be worked out, Kohli added that his organisation would facilitate networking. “The International Labour Organisation predicts that by 2020 half of India’s population would be below 25. If our workers are adequately trained, they would give the country a huge competitive edge,” said Kohli, adding that Indian corporate should also take steps to provide on-the-job technical training and financial incentives to improve the skills of manpower. “Equally important is educational infrastructure. Here, the Indian diaspora can play a
major role by building schools and colleges,” Kohli said. The organisers are expecting many embassy representatives, NRI investors, domestic corporates, educationists and HR developers at the
conference
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Discourse spells chaos for residents
Panchkula, January 6 With lakhs of people pouring in from the region, the locals were a harried lot. Thousands of vehicles, including cars, trucks and buses, restricted the movement of the residents of Sector 4. People could be seen urinating and defecating in the vacant plots in the locality, making things worse for the residents. Residents of house number 14 were virtually restricted to their home as the service lane in front of the house was packed with vehicles even before they got up in the morning. “We were shocked when we got up in the morning, finding our entry blocked with vehicles parked on the road,” said Kapila, owner of the house. Similar were the complaints of the residents of house numbers 17, 22 and 23. It was a grave lapse on the part of the local administration which should have asked the organsiers to hold the discourse at a suitable venue where adequate facilities were available, said Davinder Mahajan, convener of Residents’ Welfare Association, Mansa Devi Complex. The traffic chaos was solved to some extent after ASP Maneesh Chaudhary reached the spot, said Mahajan, adding that the administration should not allow any such large gatherings near residential areas to avoid inconvenience to the visitors as well as residents.
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Manhole poses danger to commuters
Mohali, January 6 Instead of making efforts to repair the manhole, the authorities have simply constructed a two-feet high brick wall around the spot. The authorities seem to be least bothered if the commuters are at a risk of meeting with an accident. The road, being a heavy traffic zone, is witness to huge rush throughout the day. The authorities concerned have turned a blind eye to the problem and are simply waiting for a major accident to take place. Rajiv Pandit, a resident of Sector 70, rued, “I am shocked over the callous attitude of the authorities. It seems that only when a major accident will take place, the concerned officials will wake up from their deep slumber.” “Placing bricks around that manhole does not solve the problem. Any untoward incident could take place, as the path is not visible due to fog in winters,” said Jaswinder Kaur, a resident of Mohali.
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Mayor inaugurates hand pumps
Chandigarh, January 6 The water stand post designed by the municipal corporation consists of an underground water tank being fed from canal water — the same water as supplied to the city — with four hand pumps installed on it. The pumping of water through hand pumps when required will stop the wastage of water. Chhabra announced that more water stand posts would be installed in other colonies. Senior deputy mayor Anju Beniwala, councillor Manjit Singh Chauhan, former mayor Anu Chatrath, SE (public health) S.R. Aggarwal, R.P. Gupta and R.S. Bedi were also present. The mayor also inaugurated a blood donation camp at Shirdi Sai Samaj in Sector 29. He also attended the bhog of Akhand Path organised by the Residents Welfare Association in Sector 43 A. Prominent traders of the city and members of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal hosted a lunch at Sindhi Farms to welcome the mayor. Senior citizens of Sector 38 headed by M.S. Saathi also congratulated Chhabra on becoming the mayor. He met the family of Nirmal Singh, a resident of Hallo Majra, to mourn his death and assured them help.
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Journalists pedal for health
Chandigarh, January 6 Dr B.S. Pandey, DIG, ITBP, flagged off the cyclists from the Student’s Centre, Panjab University, in the morning. Highlighting the importance of having a sound mind and body, Dr Pandey, who was the chief guest, said such activities were crucial in keeping fit.He cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who laid special emphasis on leading a healthy lifestyle not only during his formative years but also during the Satyagrah. He also underlined the need for promoting the use of bicycles to reduce pollution. Around 30 riders representing different newspapers passed through Naya Gaon and Nadda villages before reaching Perch Dam. On their way back, they stopped over at Khudda Ali Sher where village sarpanch Gurdial Singh and Khudda Ali Sher Youth Club president Bhupinder Singh welcomed the cyclists. They appreciated the initiative of journalists to take part in such drives. They later organised a community kitchen for the bikers. Prominent among those who attended the rally were Dainik Tribune assistant editor Ashok Malik, former CJA president Jitender Awasthi, CJA president Haresh Vashisht, Yuvsatta co-ordinator Parmod Sharma and event organiser Jaswant Rana. The rally culminated at Karuna Sadan in Sector 11.
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Bansal thanks chief ministers
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 6 As the present location of the boundaries of the Union Territory had a very limited scope of expansion to meet the future increasing need of Chandigarh and the region, the only alternative was to seek land contiguous to the airport for expansion, which the Punjab government is now providing. Thanking Parkash Singh Badal and Bhupinder Singh Hooda for this step, Bansal said the construction of the airport, which will see the light of the day by March, 2009, will enhance the connectivity of people of the region, including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The new integrated international terminal will be close to the existing civil terminal and will cater to 400 passengers and have all modern facilities, including apron for four bus-type aircraft, passenger bridges and latest conveyer belts. The construction on additional 300 acres of land will raise the composite airport to world-class standards, he said. Bansal also urged the chief ministers to further participate in the development process by undertaking the construction of Metro rail connecting Chandigarh, Ambala, Kalka, Kharar and Sohana to meet the future needs for a mass rapid transport system.
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Elderly relive childhood
Chandigarh, January 6 A cross section of the senior citizens, who made a mark in diverse fields, put their best foot forward to impress the judges much younger to them in age and experience. Ultimately, I.B.S. Passi, a former professor in the department of mathematics at Panjab University, and Brahamjit Kalia, former district education officer with the Chandigarh administration, walked away with top honours in the men's category. Suman Goel was placed first in the women's category. Major D.P. Singh and G.S. Sathi, working president and secretary-general of the association, respectively, conducted the stage with admirable competence.
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Cops’ driving skills put to test
Chandigarh, January 6 As many as 64 drivers from various units of the police, including drivers of the police control room (PCR), interceptor vehicles and motorcycle riders, took part in the workshop. The driving skills of the drivers were put to test during various tests pertaining to maneuvering of vehicles
and parking. Head constable Gurcharn Singh was adjudged best driver, while constable Prem Singh was declared best rider.
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Cop with Dy CM found drunk
Panchkula, January 6 The accused had been posted at the residence of deputy chief minister Chander Mohan in Sector 8. A police team brought the accused in an inebriated condition at the hospital in the afternoon and got his medical check up done. One of the police officials accompanying the accused said he was taking liquor for the last three days continuously while on duty. The matter was brought to the notice of higher authorities who ordered to get him medically examined, said the
official.
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Day temp drops to 19.4 °C
Chandigarh, January 6 Today was the coldest day of the New Year after January 1 when the day temperature was 19.8°C.
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Curb encroachments
The Chandigarh administration claims that a lot of beautification work is being undertaken in Industrial Area I. However, it does not seem to be concerned with encroachments in the area. The road from the poultry farm to the SDM office is the main road of the area which is full of encroachments. A number of shops have come up on this road in the past 3-4 months. In my opinion, it is going on with the consent of the police and administration. Otherwise, how can anybody install permanent shops on the road? Why doesn’t the administration challan these shopkeepers and impound their goods? Anonymous, Chandigarh Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at news@tribuneindia.com or, write in, at: Letters, Chandigarh Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh – 160 030
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Four held after assault, robbery
Chandigarh, January 6 According to the police, Vipin Goswami of Pipliwala town, Mani Majra, lodged a complaint alleging that he was waylaid by four persons while he was on his way back home from work around 12.30 am. The men hit him in the face with an iron punch after his friend had dropped him near Pipliwala turn in a car. The men then robbed the victim of his wallet containing Rs 2,050 in cash and other documents. They then targeted a man who had alighted from a car. As they tried to assault their second victim, Rakesh Kumar, he retaliated and gave them a fight, leading to commotion. As the incident took place near a dhaba, an eyewitness informed the police about the matter. Three of the assailants managed to flee before the police could reach the scene. However, their fourth accomplice was nabbed by Rakesh. The accused was handed over to the police. Mani Majra police station SHO Hari Kumar said the accused had been identified as Sonu, alias Gwala, of Pipliwala town. During interrogation, he disclosed the names of his other accomplices, who were later arrested. The other three accused had been identified as Vivek of Modern Housing Complex, Aman and Sunil, both residents of Pipliwala town. They were produced before a local court today, which remanded them in one day of police custody.
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Travel agent, aides booked for fraud
Chandigarh, January 6 Rajbir Singh of Kapurthala reported to the police that Sanjeev Nayier and others of World Wide, SCO 168, Sector 37-C, had taken Rs 25,000 from him, promising him to send him abroad. They neither sent him aboard nor return his money. A case of cheating, criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and Section 24 of the Immigration Act has been registered in this regard. Theft
Parminder Kaur of Police Colony, Sector 66, Mohali, lodged a complaint with the police alleging that her purse containing Rs 5,000 in cash, an ATM card and other documents was stolen from Sector 22 market this evening. A case of theft has been registered at the police station-17.
Assault
Udesh Kumar of Sun Rise Complex, Zirakpur, in a complaint has accused Ajaib Singh and Satnam of assaulting him in Phase I, Industrial Area, yesterday afternoon. In another case, Rajinder Pal Singh of Sector 34 reported to the police that three unidentified persons assaulted him near his residence last night. Two cases have been registered in this regard.
Gambling
The police yesterday arrested Nand Kishore of Kajheri from the locality on charges of indulging in gambling at public place. The police recovered Rs 600 from his possession. A case under the Gambling Act has been registered.
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Gang of car thieves busted
Mohali, January 6 According to Mohali SSP R.S. Khatra, Matour SHO Harsimran Singh Bal, following information that a gang of car thieves was moving about in the area in a stolen car, arrested three persons Ripudaman Singh, Amar Bahadur Singh and Gurpreet Singh, all residents of Haryana, from the Lakhnour checkpoint late last night. According to the police, another person was with them who managed to fled when the police party intercepted them. The SSP added that the gang had been actively stealing cars and other vehicles from the area for the past seven months and have admitted to have stolen at least 50 cars and sold these in Jammu and Kashmir. The gang used to steal a car and change its registration number, forge its papers and sell it. Empty registration copies, DTO stamps, drill to break car locks, fake stamps, fake keys, etc were recovered from the three.
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