Chandigarh, October 21
The Central Club in Sector 9, a popular joint for card lovers from the region, has been closed down following the UT administration’s move to ‘take over’ the premises on grounds of violation of allotment rules.

The club, which had gained the dubious distinction of being called a “house of cards” because of the high-stake gambling indulged in by a section of members, was taken over after the administration took cognisance of the numerous complaints by residents. These complaints ranged from “blatant misuse of the premises” by blatantly violating the allotment conditions. The club management had converted the central “tennis court” into a “tavern”, while the “table tennis room” became a ‘card room’.

The issue relating to Central Club was discussed in a meeting held under the chairmanship of the finance secretary, Sanjay Kumar. It was decided that “the possession of the Community Centre, Sector 9, Chandigarh, called Central Club, may be immediately taken over by following due process of law”, orders issued by the state finance department.

President of the Central Club, Vinod Talwar said that the office-bearers were aware of the move, but the club had not received any formal communiqué in this regard from the Administration. “We can decide upon our course of action only after we receive any notice,” he said.

The site, originally allotted as a community centre to Plot Holders Association in 1961 for five years at a token rent of Rs 25 per annum, was leased out to Central Club in March 1975 for a period of one year. Thereafter, the lease continued to be extended till 2004.

The club, which has about 1,100 regular members, is a centre of attraction for card players not only from the tricity, but also from Shimla, Patiala, Delhi, Ludhiana and Amritsar. Bureaucrats, businessmen and socialites frequent the club which has reportedly been associated with the South Delhi Club, New Delhi, Model Town Club, Ludhiana and Services Club, Amritsar.

In their complaints forwarded to the Administration as well as local councillors, residents alleged that the place had become a nuisance. “The lease of the building was never renewed. Rather it was cancelled in July 2004. The management of Central Club also filed an appeal with the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation but it was dismissed”, Mohinderjit Singh, Secretary of Plot Holders Association said.

The administration has also directed the club to deposit the rent at the existing market rate, which amounts to Rs 1,07,000 lakh per month against Rs 25,567 per month, which the club was paying at present.

It has been learnt that the club has stopped paying the rent since 2000 and the administration has instructed the club management to deposit the rent along with interest thereon calculated since 2000 till date. UT Administration officials also pointed out that the club management has also sublet the part of the premises to the canteen contractor at monthly rent of Rs 17,000. “The contractor also uses the place as an office for running his business for catering to outside parties and functions, which is against the regulations,” a source said.

According to a note from the chief architect, UT Administration, there were about a dozen building violations spotted in the premises.

Mohali, October 21
This is the second incident of disgrace to the National Flag during the Test match between India and Australia that concluded today. Right under the nose of the Mohali police, a foreign national was seen walking about with the National Flag wrapped below his waist. It may be mentioned that the Mohali police is yet to identify the officials of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) responsible for disrespecting the National Flag.

The PCA officials had not bothered to check that the National Flag was hoisted upside down on the north pavilion on October 17. Satinder Singh, a Chandigarh-based lawyer, who has been highlighting instances of disgrace to the Tricolour, said the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act clearly states that that using the flag as a portion of constume, uniform or accessory of any description which is worn below the waist of any person amounted to disrespect to the Indian National Flag.

The police and the PCA officials should guide and inform the foreigners about the provisions of the law of the land, said the advocate. Any unintentional act can lead to a serious problem. SSP, Mohali, JS Aulakh said action can be taken either on the basis of complaint or on the basis of evidence.

Chandigarh, October 21
Hundreds bid a tearful adieu to Punjab IAS officer A.S. Chhatwal who was cremated today at the Sector 25 crematorium.

The cremation was attended by a large number of political and administrative functionaries of Punjab and Haryana.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of Punjab Governor Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Punjab chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, president of Punjab State IAS Officers’ Association Tejinder Kaur, principal secretary to CM D.S. Guru and adviser to CM D.S. Cheema were among those present during the cremation.

Earlier in the day, the CM visited Chhatwal’s family at their Sector 39 house and expressed grief over untimely demise of the IAS officer.

Meanwhile, UT SSP S.S. Srivastva said the Chhatwal’s post-mortem confirmed that the death was caused by hanging. No other injury mark was found on the body. However, the viscera would be sent for chemical examination, he added.

Quoting the suicide note, sources said that Chhatwal had said that he was a victim of circumstances. He called his wife brave and said he ditched her. Besides expressing gratitude to his friends for their advices, he wished good luck to his newly-wed daughter.

A police officer told TNS that the spot examination of the room suggested that Chhatwal had meticulously planned his suicide and left nothing to chances.

The officer said that Chhatwal had used a long nylon rope to hang himself. He tied the rope with the bedpost before spiralling it around the ceiling fan. He said the sequence of the events leading to death revealed that Chhatwal had planned to end his life after his brother left at 3.30 pm.

Sources said the Chhatwal had put the time (4 pm) on his suicide note and had spent a considerable time before hanging himself. The call details of his mobile phone showed that he had called his security guard at 4.38 p.m.

It is learnt that after his brother left, Chhatwal told his guard to ready his car. It’s during this time that he decided to take the extreme step and wrote the suicide note.

Later he called his guard telling him that he was not going anywhere and told him that he should not be disturbed.

Police sources said Chhatwal’s suicide note had been sealed and sent to the CFSL for examination and to confirm his handwriting.

Chandigarh, October 21
Even as the Chandigarh Police awaits the CFSL report in the alleged molestation case of the 20-year-old German tourist, they claim to have made out a “watertight” case against the five accused.

Armed with statements of six witnesses recorded before the magistrate under Section 164 CrPC, details of mobile phone call records of the accused and their cell-tower locations linking them to the scene of crime, lots of circumstantial evidence, and the positive identification of two of the accused, the police are now only waiting for the CFSL report to add some scientific evidence support to the chargesheet. “We already have a lot of evidence against the accused and the CFSL report will just be another supportive document,” they say.

For the police, the CFSL report would be an important document to strengthen the prosecution’s case but it will definitely, not be used as prime evidence in the case.

“We have to prove that the accused, namely, Manveer Singh alias Jolly, Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi, Pankaj, Harpreet Singh alias Dalli and Sompal committed the kidnapping and molestation of the German tourist. For the purpose, we already have sufficient evidence that clearly shows their involvement,” said Madhur Verma, ASP (Central).

“Undoubtedly, the scientific report would further help to strengthen our case during prosecution”, held Verma while maintaining that the challan would be submitted immediately on its receipt.

The accused have been booked on the charges of hurt, kidnapping and attempted rape under Sections 363, 366, 376, 354, 473, 511, 323 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

In the challan, the police has annexed the recorded statements of the six witnesses, including two security guards, Sukhwinder Singh and Naresh Sehgal, of Hotel Taj GVK from where the victim was taken in the Scorpio, Manjit Singh and Pawan, the tenant at the farmhouse in Saha (Ambala), where the victim was taken from Chandigarh, Joginder Singh, owner of the Scorpio and Shoba Singh, the owner of Maruti in which the victim was brought back to Chandigarh by the accused Pankaj and Dalli.

According to police sources, Sukhwinder Singh and Naresh Sehgal have admitted seeing all the accused “harassing” the victim in the room in Saha where she was initially taken. They have disclosed to the police that they had then asked the accused to leave the room and had even threatened to inform the police.

Besides, the report of Test Identification Parade (TIP), in which the victim identified two of the victims, including Pankaj and Dalli would also be crucial evidence during the trial, the police said.

The other three accused denied participating in the parade. “This can go against them in the court”, said the police. The police has also procured all call details of the accused to prove that all were together during the crime.

The forensic experts have taken many samples from the vehicles and the places of crime. These samples include, nine cigarette butts, one condom, victim’s hair, nail and bite marks of the accused on her body.

Chandigarh, October 21
The DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, has finally initiated a probe into the alleged sodomisation of a class VI student. The move comes after the UT administration’s demand for a detailed inquiry report into the matter.

It may be noted that even the school authorities have admitted that the incident was brought to their notice around a month back, besides the earlier case, those at the helm of affairs tried to hush up the matter incident by keeping the victim away from the accused.

It was only after the revelation by the victim to this correspondent that the school swung into action and recorded the statement of the accused and has spoken to witnesses. Meanwhile, both of the victim and accused have left the hostel.

“The accused has taken a leave and the victim went home with his parents. The hostel in charge had asked for written statement of the accused and witnesses have been questioned,” said a hosteller, requesting anonymity.

Though the victim’s parents met the principal, they refused to reveal anything. Even the principal, Vibha Ray, refused to comment till the matter was under investigation.

Chandigarh, October 21
There seems to be no short-term relief in sight for the commuters between Chandigarh and Panchkula as the third link between the two cities would take atleast six months to be completed.

Though the work on the road, taking off from Chandigarh-Ambala road (National Highway No 21) near Hallomajra and joining the road separating Sector 16 and Sector 17, Panckhula, via Mauli Jagran village, is in progress, yet the completion of work would take at least six months, a senior functionary of the UT engineering department told Chandigarh Tribune here yesterday.

A traffic light is being planned on the existing rotary near Hallomajra village on the highway for better regulation of traffic from the highway to this road which would serve as a virtual bypass for the Chandigarh.

The 3-km road would go a long way in decongesting the busy Madhya Marg. Besides serving as another approach to the Chandigarh Railway station and a shorter link between the Chandigarh Airport and the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, the road would take care of the traffic coming from Mohali bound for Panchkula.

In fact, the heavy vehicular traffic on the Purv Marg, used by the trucks for ferrying goods to the Railway Station, would be reduced considerably. Now the truckers would use the Daria village to go to railway station.

The UT administration proposes to remove hundreds of godowns in the vicinity of the road. In fact, the medicity project of the UT administration is also being proposed at the Raipur Kalan village in the area which would add to the strategic importance of the road.

Earlier, the project had been delayed due to forest clearance. While the road between Mauli Jagran and Panchkula was already being used, a 1-km section between Makhan Majra and Hallomajra had been held up due to delay in forest clearance.Then there were problems pertaining to the acquisition of the land for the project.

Officials said Indian Railways had been requested to build a flyover/underpass in place of the level-crossing at Mauli Jagran.

The road at the level-crossing was too narrow to take care of the heavy vehicular traffic, that is why an underpass or flyover would have to be constructed for round-the-clock movement of traffic, the official said.

Chandigarh, October 21
Delhi-based businessman and accused in the cash at judge’s door case, Ravinder Singh, is expected to depose on Wednesday before three-judge committee set up by the Chief Justice of India for looking into the matter.

The committee is currently in the city for the second phase of its probe into the cash scam that had sent shock waves across the Bench and the Bar. The members are scheduled to remain in Chandigarh till October 23 for examining the remaining accused and the witnesses in the matter.

The panel opened the second chapter of its probe at the UT guesthouse this morning by seeking the assistance of several officials from Panchkula, and Solan deputy commissioner in connection with the land deal.

The transaction is already under the scanner of the panel. During its previous visit to the city earlier this month, the panel had examined at length as many as three officers from the revenue and other departments. The officers were reportedly of sub divisional and tehsildar level.

Permission was reportedly granted to 18 persons, including Justice Nirmal Yadav of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to buy land at Rihun village near Solan.

The Himachal Pradesh government has already marked an inquiry to the state’s joint secretary (Revenue). The directions were issued after it came to the fore that the Himachal Pradesh Land Reforms and Tenancy Act-1972 had allegedly been violated, while granting sanction for the purchase the land.

It is alleged that the money sent by Ravinder Singh, through former law officer-cum-prime accused Sanjeev Bansal, was meant for the purchase of this land.

The money had erroneously landed at the house of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur. It was on the basis of a complaint forwarded on her behest that a case was initially registered by the Chandigarh Police. The matter was subsequently transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The panel comprises Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Hemant Laxman Gokhale, Gujarat High Court Chief Justice K.S Radhakrishnan and Justice Madan B. Lokur of the Delhi High Court.

Justice Yadav is expected to be examined by the panel in the end. She has all along been maintaining that there was nothing amiss with the land deal. She is learnt to have denied that the money for purchasing the land came from Bansal or co-accused Ravinder Singh.

Chandigarh, October 21
An eight-member team of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) arrived in the Panjab University here today. The team will also visit city colleges apart from the university during the three-day visit.

The members who reached today include FC Jhangmuthu, Prof Chanderkant Kokate, J.K. Mohanpatra, Mamta Statpathy, and D.K. Maheshwari. Three more members are likely to reach by tonight.

After five years, the NAAC team has come to grade the university for its performance under various categories. Already, the entire top brass of the university was busy making last minute arrangements for the arrival and stay of the members of the committee.

Earlier, in 2003, the NAAC had given five stars to the university. This year, it stands as a challenge for the university to retain the status. The inspection team of NAAC will assess various aspects as per the respective weightage, including curricular that carries 15 per cent weightage, teaching-learning and evaluation 25 per cent, research, consultancy and extension 20 per cent, infrastructure and learning resources 10 per cent, student support and progression 10 per cent, governance and leadership 15 per cent, innovative practises 5 per cent. Other aspects that will be covered under curricular are its design and development, academic flexibility, feedback and update.

However, unlike last year, this time the grading system has been changed from granting stars to grades.

According to the new methodology, the institutions will be graded for each key aspect under four categories - A, B, C and D - denoting very good, good, satisfactory and unsatisfactory levels, respectively.

The university will be first assessed on the basis of a self-assessment report, which will be submitted to the NAAC. The report will be based on the criteria laid down by the council.

Chandigarh, October 21
Students of Panjab University now need not fret about distances between some of the teaching departments, for the much-awaited bus service within the university campus is going to kick-start soon after Diwali. In fact the university has already purchased two buses for the same.

Earlier, vice-chancellor, Prof R. C. Sobti, had announced the decision to start an intra-university bus service for the students.

The university has already bought two 32-seater buses, which would ply within the campus throughout the day to ferry the students from one department to the other. This service would run on no profit-no loss basis and on clockwise and anti-clockwise basis for the convenience of the students and would cover all departments.

In the interest of the students, the fare has also been kept to minimum. It is pertinent to mention here that the students have been demanding the bus service for long between the departments and hostels.

Chandigarh, October 21
Thousands of Airtel subscribers were disconnected today when a technical snag led to a disruption in its network. The users complained that for over two hours they could neither make nor receive any calls on the network. The problem began around 11 am in the morning.

Ritesh Kumar, a lawyer, said he was in the midst of a conversation with a business associate, when the network went off. “For almost two hours, I remained disconnected,” he said.

It was not just that the Airtel users could not talk on the Airtel network. The mobile users from other networks, too, could not get across to the Airtel users.

According to an official spokesperson, “Some customers on our network may have faced temporary problems in certain pockets of Chandigarh due to an unforeseen technical issue. The network was restored to normal within 2 hours in these areas and customers were able to enjoy uninterrupted services. We remain committed to offer the best of services to our customers and regret any inconvenience caused on account of the same.”

Chandigarh, October 21
Nestled in spruce, fir and oak trees, St Bede’s, Shimla, came into being in 1904 with only 15 students. It was initially set up to impart the TTC (Teachers’ Training Certificate) with an aim to raise the standard of education in the north-western India.

The prestigious institution now has a sprawling campus with six buildings that house 1,400 students and 66 teachers. However, the institution that professed “Difficulties are made to be overcome..." is on the verge of closure due to cut in grant by the government.

While the institution is struggling hard to retain itself, Bedians are standing by it and making every possible effort to save it.

Former students of the college in the city got together yesterday at Brar farmhouse, near the IT Park to discuss the ongoing speculations about the closure of this college.

“The thought of it only scares me. It isn’t just a college but an era in itself. It’s a legacy of academic excellence and a celebration of values that cannot end. I know there are major problems, but I am sure they will soon be solved and the institution will stand with its head held high,” said one of the former Bedians.

“When an institution like JMC is being made to flourish in the DU, how can authorities even sideline and ignore the heritage institution like Bede’s? We will try and work out an action plan and appeal the authorities to help it out,” added another member. The members of St Bede’s Association are planning to meet on the college campus this week to finalise the action plan.

Chandigarh, October 21
The municipal corporation’s proposal to make the parking lots in the city hi-tech has once again got delayed due to the failure of its engineering department to design poles for it. The work of the installation of CCTV cameras has not started even after the expiry of two deadlines fixed by the authorities.

Sources in the corporation revealed that the engineering department was yet to finalise the design of the poles on which cameras were to be installed. One of the corporation officials on the basis of anonymity stated that it was strange that even after three months the engineering department was not able to design simple poles for installing CCTVs in the parking lots. The official said only six to eight poles were required for installing CCTVs in the parking lots.

The official said there was no need for outsourcing the work to any private contractor as such poles were readily available with the department. Recently, the department had dug up streetlight poles from various roads in the city. Why these could not be used as these would help save the corporation’s money.

The corporation authorities had on August 1 directed parking contractors to install CCTV cameras in Sector 17, Sector 35 C, Sector 9 and the Sukhna Lake as to judge CCTVs utility in managing the vehicles’ parking.

These cameras will also help in identifying the car thieves and also give a clear picture of wrongly parked vehicles in the respective parking lots.

Mayor Pradeep Chhabra stated that he had taken up the matter with the commissioner for its speedy implementation.

Chandigarh, October 21
The Chandigarh Police today observed the Police Commemoration Day in the memory of valiant officers who laid down their lives in counter insurgency operations at the Sector 17 police station.

The contingents of the Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab Police participated in the parade and paid homage by reversing arms. The day is being observed since 1959 when a small contingent of Indian police was attacked by the Chinese troops and as a result 10 jawans were killed.

UT Inspector General of Police (IGP) S.K. Jain was the chief mourner on the occasion, read out the names of 683 officers and jawans who laid their lives for the cause of duty from September 1, 2007, to August 31, 2008.

Chandigarh, October 21
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the ICICI Bank to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation for forcibly retaining a vehicle.

The forum directed the bank to adjust the amount of Rs 1.85 lakh due as a loan amount from the complainant. In addition, GE Financial Services has also been directed to issue the no objection certificate (NOC) to the complainant.

The complainant, Inderjit Diman, got the loan issued of Rs 2.25 lakh for his second hand Indica Car from GE Countrywide Consumer Financial Services. Out of this, Rs 1.65 lakh was taken as the loan whereas the remaining amount of Rs 60,000 was paid to them in advance. The complainant was to pay monthly installments of Rs 4,750 to the finance company with effect from May 7, 2004 to March 7, 2008. The bank told him that he would not pay any further amount to the company and they themselves will clear his loan account.

He alleged that GE financial never issued the NOC. Dhiman asserted that he was further asked to pay the installments and he was made to deposit Rs 10,000 with the bank. He further alleged that the bank recovery agents forcibly took away his car without his knowledge and consent, causing him great mental tension and harassment.

The bank stated that they are willing to return the vehicle to the complainant provided all dues were cleared but when he refused to do so, they sell the vehicle on May 17, 2006 at a sum of Rs 1,05,000.

Chandigarh, October 21
The police today rounded up contractual employees of the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) for holding a protest demonstration outside the Sector 31 police station. They were, however, released later in the evening.

According to the police, the protesters staged a dharna outside the PRTC depot and deflated tyres of buses. The general manager of the PRTC asked the employees to remove their tent from the spot but they refused to budge following which the police was called.

Mohali, October 21
The Central government should reduce prices of petrol, diesel, LPG, other lubricants and fertilisers with immediate effect because oil prices have registered nearly 44 per cent fall in the international market.

The demand was made by the Defence Accounts Pensioners Welfare Association at a meeting. It was stated that the International Energy Agency had forecast further dip in the pressure and as such there was no reason for the government for not reducing the prices.

Besides, the association said adulteration had become a menace world over and needed to be tackled firmly for which effective laws were required. Health authorities at the Centre and the state were urged to speed up action and notify the Food Safety and Standard Act-2006. It was passed by the parliament and the President had given the consent in August, 2006.

Another issue raised by the body was that the Punjab government pensioners received additional pension of 5 per cent and 10 per cent at the age of 65 and 75, respectively, whereas Central government employees were getting lesser.