Chandigarh, July 22
Under the reciprocal transport agreement between Punjab and Chandigarh, passengers travelling to various district headquarters of Punjab from Chandigarh enjoyed a ride in private AC buses that started their operations from the Sector 43 ISBT here today.

No effort was made by CTU workers to disrupt the operations.

The buses began the inaugural run, not under the watchful eyes of the UT police or UT officials, but under the supervision of Punjab transport officials.

The officials were seen running around to ensure the smooth run of the buses as these belong to the Punjab CM, Parkash Singh Badal and state parliamentary secretary for excise and taxation Jagdish Sahni, among others.

Senior UT officials also seemed to be in a hurry to see the buses run. “Without issuing a notification on counter fee, the UT allowed the buses to run from the Chandigarh bus stand,” sources said.

Punjab transport officials ensured that special counters were set up for the buses. The yellow buses will ply to Ferozepur, Amritsar, Bathinda and Abohar.

A UT official said under the inter-state agreement signed on June 4, 63 permits had been issued by the state transport department so far. A few days ago, the UT’s transport department had decided to annually charge Rs 8,000 as countersignature fee from operators of private AC buses playing from Punjab to the city. But today, the buses were allowed to run without the issuance of final notification on the counter permit fee.

Under the agreement, buses owned and operated by the state transport undertakings of the two states would be allowed subject to counter-signatures on permits.

Regarding the integral AC buses of private operators, an agreement allows permits, provided it was extended beyond Chandigarh, except in the Punjab area.

Private operators have been allowed to operate 77 integral buses. Non-AC buses having a permit prior to November 1, 1966, will be allowed subject to the verification of the original permit and counter-signature by the state transport authority. No private bus would be allowed on local routes operated by the CTU.

Chandigarh, July 22
The police is probing the possibility of honour killing in the murder case of Parmila who was found dead near Kajheri village in Sector 52 on Sunday morning.

Sources in the Sector 36 police station said investigating officials picked up the victim’s parents and three siblings, including a minor girl, this morning for questioning.

Dharampal of Kajheri, who claimed to have seen Parmila a few hours before she was found dead, was also rounded up. The police picked up the entire family of the victim two hours after Dharampal was detained.

It is learnt that Kilasho, Parmila’s mother, was taken back home after she complained of uneasiness. Senior police officers were tightlipped on the issue, saying that it could hamper the course of the investigation.

However, sources said the investigations so far had indicated that someone close to the family was involved in the murder.

The police began probing the angle after the postmortem stated that the victim was pregnant. A police officer said DNA samples of the victim had been taken and these could give vital clues.

“Though we are suspecting the family, it is difficult to point a finger right now. It was a planned murder as the killers were carrying some chemical with them, with the intention of concealing her identity,” he said.

Chandigarh, July 22
Less than a week after inconvenience caused to commuters due to traffic congestion on the Pinjore-Parwanoo stretch was brought to the fore in these columns, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice of motion to Haryana for August 14.

The notice was issued after a Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Mahesh Grover took suo motu cognizance of the news report. The clipping was forwarded by Justice P.K. Palli (retd) to the court for treating it as a PIL.

The report, “Highway blues don’t seem to end”, had stated that travelling on the stretch was a nightmare as it took three to four hours for commuters to cross it. It also said two persons had died due to the traffic jam.

Chandigarh, July 22
“There is a great demand for teachers in London according to the office of National Statistics, UK. Given the present primary pupil-teacher ratio, the country will require an extra 18,000 primary school teachers by 2015,” said Dr David Day, head, Life Long Learning and a member of the special team from London, who spoke on “Career opportunities for a teacher in Europe” in a seminar held at Panjab University (PU) today.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Aryans Group of Institutes (AGOI), Chandigarh, and London School of Management Education (LSME), London.

Prof. Pandit Palande, pro vice-chancellor of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nasik, was the chief guest on the occasion. Anshu Kataria, chairman, AGOI, presided over the function.

Dr Ravi Kumar, MD, LSME, said the purpose of the seminar was to deliver a vision of learning that will equip managers, tutors, teachers and trainers with modern standards.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Chandigarh police today sounded a high alert besides beefing up security in and around the city in the wake of tomorrow’s bandh call announced by the Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj, Damdami Taksal.

The Sant Samaj on July 19 had given a call for a complete bandh in the states of Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh, demanding immediate arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The UT police claims to have put in place adequate security measures at all exit points of the city. The SHOs of all 11 police stations have been directed to intensify patrolling in areas under their jurisdiction.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP S.S. Srivastava said, “We have decided to beef up security around the city. The SHOs have been told not to allow any person to violate law and order or disturb peace in the city. Violators would be punished. I am in touch with my counterparts, including the Mohali and Panchkula police. A special checkpoint will be set up to monitor the vehicular traffic entering or exiting from the city.

The Panchkula SP, Sandeep Khirwar, also talked about having adequate security measures. He admitted that security had been increased in the area in the wake of the bandh tomorrow.

The Sant Samaj is demanding that the deras of Gurmeet Ram Rahim be sealed besides initiation of an inquiry against him. It stated that the dera chief should be put behind bars for allegedly killing three innocent Sikhs.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Delhi-based office of Naval Kishore Verma, the prime accused in the passport scam, was a “one-stop shop” for travel agents from the region.

Police investigation revealed that Verma was providing all sorts of “services” to his clients ranging from tampering with passports, changing pages, photographs and also printing fake visas.

Sources in the crime branch said Verma, said to be a graduate in arts, was a deft hand in tampering with passports. Gyan, his computer associate who was at large, was also stated to be an expert in printing.

Sources said Verma charged Rs 7,000 for changing a photograph. Travel agents would give him a passport with a valid visa stamp to swap the photograph of the original passport holder with that of the client. The modus operandi included imitating immigration arrival stamps.

He would remove passport pages that had visa refusals stamped on them. The removed pages were replaced with fresh ones.

Though fine quality paper was available in Delhi, the difficult part was to change the thread used in binding the passport, Verma reportedly said, adding that he used a laser printer for printing details. He revealed that in the original passports, three-ply threads were used while he would take out a string from the thread and used it to bind them.

Verma and Ram Sarup Bhatt, a Class IV employee in the passport office, are on police remand till July 25.

Chandigarh, July 22
Tourists looking for family atmosphere and Punjabi hospitality in the city will have to wait a little longer as the ambitious bed and breakfast scheme of the Chandigarh administration seems to be stuck in the official rigmarole.

Patterned on New Delhi, the scheme, which was okayed by the administration about two months back, is yet to see the light of the day since the notification is yet to be issued. For the notification to be issued, the scheme has to be vetted by the legal remembrancer (LR) and the UT does not have a regular LR, sources told The Tribune.

Joint secretary (home) Bhupinder Singh is holding the additional charge of LR since the repatriation of Aradhana Sawhney to her parent state of Haryana a couple of months back. As joint secretary (home) seemed to be "overworked", the work relating to the office of the LR is being ignored as is the case with the scheme, the sources said.

As part of the "Incredible India" campaign of the union ministry of tourism to woo tourists, particularly foreign tourists, the scheme had already been cleared by the Central Government.

The Delhi government is already implementing the scheme ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to tide over the shortage of reasonable accommodation in the metro.

With Chandigarh acting as a gateway to tourism destinations such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir besides Punjab and Haryana, the scheme was touted to be a huge success in Chandigarh as the city was a transit destination for these states.

The success of the scheme is to be seen in the backdrop of about seven lakh domestic tourists and around 40,000 foreigners visiting the city last year.

Meanwhile, even as the administration drags its feet on the notification, the accommodation providers (36 in the first phase) stand to lose as some of them have spent lakhs of rupees on the upgradation of facilities.

A two-tier tariff of Rs 900 for gold category and Rs 700 for the silver category per night stay has been fixed for accommodation.

Chandigarh, July 22
In a rather unexpected move, Dr K.K. Talwar today appointed Dr Yashpaul Sharma as the head of the department of cardiology, relieving himself of the charge. Dr Talwar was not available for comments.

Dr Sharma confirmed that he received the order this afternoon but refused to comment on why he was appointed suddenly.

Meanwhile, the move has led to all sorts of speculation with some claiming that the step has been taken, as there are chances of Dr Talwar being appointed as the director of AIIMS soon.

Mohali, July 22
A deputation of Mohali residents met Punjab Governor-cum-Chandigarh administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) to request for the completion of a road connecting Chandigarh and Mohali and restoration of direct bus service to the PGI.

The deputation was led by municipal councillor Amrik Singh. He said the Governor was requested to direct the UT administration to complete the stretch of road connecting Chandigarh and Sector 65, Mohali. The 200-foot wide road, being constructed at a cost of about Rs 9 crore, from Chandigarh will pass through Mohali and connect the national highway at Balongi.

The deputation, which comprised Sohan Singh, president, Residents Welfare Association, V.K. Mahajan, chairman, People for Welfare Association, and Sadhu Singh Cheema, general secretary, Pensioners' Association, brought to the notice of the Governor that the road from The Tribune Chowk to Sector 47 was completed by the Chandigarh administration, but a stretch measuring about 0.8 km parallel to Sector 48, was not being constructed. GMADA was constructing this road from the area bordering Chandigarh. The small stretch of the road should be constructed on a priority basis by the Chandigarh administration for proper connectivity, the delegation urged.

The deputation also urged Rodrigues to direct the CTU authorities to restore the local bus service from Sector 65 to the PGI. The residents said earlier bus No. 123 used to ply on this route and benefited a large number of students and patients as a number of colleges and hospitals fell on this route. 

Chandigarh, July 22
Finally, the municipal corporation has woken up to the irregularities being committed by the paid parking contractors.

City mayor Pardeep Chhabra today fixed a deadline for the contractors till August 16 to implement the terms and conditions failing which stern action would be taken against the violators.

Mismanagement of parking lots was highlighted in these columns earlier also, as haphazardly parked vehicles were not only causing inconvenience to the motorists, but also hampered rescue operations in case of emergencies.

Even as senior officials claimed to have removed the “reserve parking zones” from Sector 34, nothing has changed there. It is learnt that the field staff, in connivance with the contractors and officials, still allow such irregularities. In one such incident, Milkfed in Sector 34 has reserved an area for parking of about seven cars of their top officials by marking lines and it does not allow others to park their vehicles even if no vehicle is parked there.

The mayor held a meeting that was attended by all paid parking contractors and T.P.S. Phoolka, joint commissioner, MCC, M.P.S. Chawla, and other officers. He instructed the contractors to maintain proper entry points of the parking areas, carry out necessary repairs of curb channels, lift condemned vehicles from the parking spaces, install signboards, indicate the name and telephone numbers of the SDO, junior engineer and the contractor along with rates of parking fee in different languages.

Chhabra emphasised that the contractors had to install close-circuit TV cameras at the entry and exit points for recording the registration numbers of the vehicles and they should have handy machines instead of depending upon the old system of issuing tickets. He also directed the officers to install electricity poles in the lots and said there would be no compromise with public conveniences.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Chandigarh police today began investigations into the mysterious disappearance of Rashmi, who is suspected to have drowned in a canal in Bharatgarh, Ropar, on July 18.

Confirming the development, SHO of the Sector 17 police station Kulwant Singh Pannu told The Tribune that they formally began probing the matter after receiving a complaint from Rashmi’s parents. He added that the police would take the victim’s family along with Mandeep Chauhan, with whom Rashmi had reportedly gone to Ropar, to Bharatgarh to reconstruct the sequence of events.

The investigating officials would try to clear the doubts and find the missing links. Besides, the SHO further said that the police had also informed the police station along the Bhakra Canal providing them the details of the clothes worn by Rashmi and also the description of the missing girl.

Meanwhile, earlier during the day, the victim’s family told The Tribune that they met the DGP, Punjab, seeking a quick probe into the matter, expressing doubts over the functioning of the Ropar police.

The victim’s father, Rajinder Sharma, said the DGP assured them of prompt action.

He added that the Ropar police had not bothered to thoroughly interrogate Mandeep about the incident. They did not try to get the last-minute details to reconstruct the events-whether he and Rashmi really entered into a suicide pact or whether he pushed her into the canal.

Mandeep had claimed that he and Rashmi were in love and their families were against their relationship.

They decided to commit suicide and jumped into the canal. He was saved by some passerby while Rashmi got drowned into the canal. 

Mohali, July 22
The elections to the posts of president and vice-president of the Naya Gaon Notified Area Committee (NAC) were postponed here this evening. The elections would now be held tomorrow.

Sudden illness of the election meeting’s convener Balbir Singh was cited as the reason for the postponement. However, sources said the elections were postponed because of the hectic political parleys among the elected members.

The NAC has five Congress members, seven Akali and two BJP members. One Independent candidate also won from here.

The strongest candidate for the post of the president is Akali member Arjun Singh, a former sarpanch of Kansal village. He claims to have the support of five members, including two from the BJP.

It is learnt that one of the Akali contenders for the president’s post Harbant Singh Bajwa met the former Congress MLA from Morinda and cabinet minister Jagmohan Singh Kang at the Punjab Bhawan today.

By the afternoon, the scales were in favour of Bajwa who claims to have the support of seven members, including Congress members and one BJP member.

Arjun, too, mustered the last-minute support and managed to reign in the other Akali members led by Gurdhian Singh who, too, was in the race for the presidentship. He claims to have the support of six members.

Bajwa has a single-member edge over Arjun, but the deciding vote would be cast by Ujagar Singh Badali, Akali MLA from the area.

The allegations raised in Parliament that bribe had been offered to three BJP leaders has startled city residents. In a talk with Aarti Kapur, people feared this would sully the image of the country.

	Suitcase democracy that we witnessed in Parliament is unfortunate. True or not, it has degraded the largest democratic country in the world. It has shaken the faith of voters and it will be difficult for them to choose a party during elections. — Former Justice Amar Dutt
	I was shocked to see how leaders were showing wads of currency. It only highlights the lax security in Parliament and the level to which our politicians have stooped. They do not have the nation's interest at heart. They are self-serving and it is a mockery of democracy. — Neelam Mann Singh
	This is a black day for India. The confidence motion exposed politicians who have become ‘contractors’. The episode showed how members are bought and sold in market, thereby turning Parliament into the biggest market in the country. — Ashutosh Kumar
	It is shameful. The incident must make people ponder on the future of the country which is being headed by selfish politicians. It has lowered the standard of democracy. A man with values and some respect will think a hundred times before casting his vote for such leaders. — K.N. Pathak
	We have been witnessing such shameful situations for the past several years. The country must take up such issues seriously and blacklist politicians who are involved in dealings that tarnish the image of the country. — Sukhvir Grewal

Chandigarh, July 22
It was a day for the toppers of Secondary and Senior Secondary classes at Government Model Senior Secondary School auditorium in Sector 10, here today, as the Chandigarh education department had organised a function specially to honour their achievements.

Lakshay Manchanda (urban category) and Pankaj Kumar (rural category) were the two toppers in Class XII who were awarded with laptops. Apart from this, about 89 students from Classes X and XII, from both rural (80 per cent or above) and urban schools (90 per cent or above), were awarded with gift vouchers worth Rs 2,000 for bicycle on the occasion.

Sanjay Kumar (IAS), finance-cum-education secretary, Chandigarh, was the chief guest. S.K. Setia, DPI, schools, gave the details about those being honoured.

Pankaj Kumar, a son of a labourer, who hails from Mani Majra managed to score 88 per cent and was awarded with a laptop. Lakshay studied in GMSSS-16 and was also delighted to have laptop as gift. “It was truly an unbelievable gift. I will make the most of it,” he said.

Sanjay Kumar mentioned that from the next session, 10 toppers, five boys and five girls, each from urban and rural schools would be honoured stream-wise (science, commerce, humanities and vocational) with laptops by the department. Not only this, for the students of Class X, two toppers, a boy and a girl, each from urban and rural schools would also be given laptops by the department.

Speaking on the occasion, DPI Setia said, “The idea behind these prizes is to encourage the students. They can either buy a bicycle or if they already have one, they can get the voucher cashed after producing the receipt of the bicycle.”

Meanwhile, standing tall among the crowd were Zinnia, a Class XI student of Sacred Heart School, Sector 26 and Rishabh Sardana, a Class XI student of KB DAV School, Sector 7, who, despite their physical disparity, came out with flying colours in Class X CBSE examination. Both were given gift vouchers of Rs 2,000.

Zinnia who suffers from Albino, a condition that leads to whitening of skin and loss of eyesight, scored 82.4 per cent in Class X examination. “Since I cannot ride a bicycle, I would redeem this voucher and donate it to some needy student. I want to thank all teachers who helped me to make it possible, especially my maths teacher, who always inspired me,” Zinnia said. She aspires to be a businesswoman in her life.

Rishabh Sardana, who is suffering from a life threatening disease, scored 83.8 per cent marks in Class X examination.

Rishabh said, “It is my will power that gave me the strength to brave all difficulties.”

Chandigarh, July 22
Homoeopathy Medical College and Hospital, Sector 26, may soon be disaffiliated from Panjab University after it failed to comply with the agreement arrived at between the college teachers and the management.

The college, which has been running for around two decades, has always been in the eye of the storm for infighting between management and teachers.

According to sources, the college, which is run by a trust, had kept the faculty on the pretext that once the college becomes self-sufficient they would be given benefits and salary at par with other similar colleges. However, once that happened, the college teachers were not even given their salaries regularly, leave alone the increments and promotions.

Since then there has been a virtual divide between the teachers and the management. To set things right, PU had sent its committees to the college regularly, the first one dating years back. The committee consisting of Dinesh Talwar and Devi Sarohi was sent to the college first. The committee, however, submitted a strong worded report against the irregularities committed by the college. Next, the committee was extended and more members were added to it, including P.S. Gill, P.C. Dogra, G.K. Chatrath, J.K. Chauhan and others.

According to sources, the college also used to illegally run a ‘knee and joint centre’ and was deriving financial benefits from it. This was also brought to the notice of the university.

An agreement was also reached between the management and the teachers in the presence of committee members and it was agreed upon that the college would fulfil all conditions and adhere to all directions by the university. A copy of the compliance was to be sent to the university at the earliest.

Despite, numerous reminders, the college failed to submit a copy of the compliance to the university. In the absence of any reply, the matter will be brought to ensuing syndicate meeting on July 26 for deciding action to be taken against the college.

What adds to the trouble even more is the fact that the college doesn’t even have extended affiliation to run the college.

Mohali, July 22
Students of the Army Institute of Law here have received the Hardy C. Dillard Award which honours the top 10 memorials from the national and regional participants of the Phillip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition. The team comprising Vaibhav Sharma, Jagteshwar Sohi, Ish Puneet Singh, Minna Joshi and Niharika Puri was placed second in Asia and eighth globally.

The team from the AIL had earlier won the best memorial award in the north India rounds of the Jessup moot which were held in New Delhi in January this year and their memorial was then selected to compete at the international level.

The Jessup International Moot Court Competition is the oldest and the most prestigious moot court competition in the world. Currently in its 50th year, the competition is held annually in over 80 countries of the world and attracts more than 500 law schools from all around the world.

The moot court is organised by the International Law Students Association which has its headquarters at Washington DC. 

Chandigarh, July 22
Panjab University is all set to give a major boost to sports. Lawn tennis enthusiasts will have synthetic lawn tennis courts soon. Vice-chancellor Prof R.C. Sobti managed to get a whopping Rs 15 lakh grant from the University Grants Commission for the purpose.

If everything goes as planned, the sports buffs would have two synthetic courts ready by September this year. The varsity authorities have identified two open spaces on the campus for the purpose, of which priority would be given to the grounds next to the Administrative Block. According to sources, a Singapore-based company has also been entrusted with the task.

Prof Naval Kishore, director (sports), said, “This is going to be a world class court for our sportspersons and would definitely help them improve their game.” “It should be ready within next two months, we are finalising the details and the work would begin very soon,” he added.

This time PU authorities have also decided to be strict with the students seeking admission under sports category as it would be mandatory for them to attend two playing sessions, one in morning and one in evening, for whichever game they have opted for.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Division Bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Mahesh Grover today dismissed a writ petition moved by social activist Hemant Goswami. He had challenged the complete shifting of Sector 17 Inter State Bus Stand to Sector 43, under the provisions of Section 117 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The petitioner, in his writ, had raised the issue that Chandigarh was the first city with proper and scientific urban planning, and the master plan or the urban planning of Chandigarh could not be changed, modified, or manipulated under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The petition referred to the "Edicts of Chandigarh" by Mon Le Corbusier, the planner of Chandigarh, which reads: "The object of this edict is to enlighten the present and future citizens of Chandigarh about the basic concepts of planning of the city so that they become its guardians and save it from the whims of individuals."

The petitioner contended: "The roads in Chandigarh were so planned and designed so as to provide ease of access and reduce congestion at any point.

“But over a period of time, the Chandigarh administration constructed dividers between the roads and blocked the mid-section entry into sectors; this resulted in congestion at all roundabouts (now turned into traffic-light points) and made the traffic chaotic.

“Many roundabouts were also unmindfully removed and several roads blocked. For free flow of traffic, after the slit-roads were closed as a result of dividers, there was a need to construct under-passes and over-bridges; this was not done.”

Specific reference was also made to the national capital.

It was mentioned that even in a place like Delhi with a high density of population and a large commuting population, the Kashmiri Gate Bus Terminal (ISBT) coexisted with the "metro terminal".