Chandigarh, September 24
The preliminary scrutiny of documents, seized by the Income Tax authorities from Panjab University, has reportedly unearthed a tax liability of almost Rs 90 lakh on account of non-deduction of TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) on payments of “perks” of various employees for the past two fiscal years.

The liability is likely to be even more, perhaps running into crores of rupees, as IT officials claim that this “violation” has been going on for the past several years.

Though university officials are claiming that all relevant tax deductions have been made and submitted, the IT officials revealed that the tax liabilities on perks alone, for 2007-08 and 2008-09, worked out to be about Rs 50 lakh and Rs 40 lakh, respectively. “This amount will go up considerably when we take into account the violations of earlier years,” said a senior official.

The PU’s Finance Department Officer, Vikram Nayyar, claimed that all TDS deductions had been made but the returns have not been filed. “We will submit the statements in the coming days”, he added.

The IT officials also claimed that the PU authorities had not filed TDS returns for the past three years and hence they would be liable for a penalty of Rs 4 lakh, calculated at the rate of Rs 100 per day for the past three years.

IT sources said the PU had also not submitted the TDS returns pertaining to 14 hostel messes for the past several years. “The TDS return in respect of messes/canteens for hostels has been filed only for 2008-09 and till now we have not been given any documents establishing payments before that”, they said, adding that this liability would work out to be about Rs 19 lakh for the fiscals 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Contrary to the PU claims, IT department officials were all charged up with their investigations and claimed that the disclosures made so far were just a “tip of the iceberg”. They also revealed that a notice would soon be served on the PU department concerned.

Mohali, September 24
All-time-high bid attracted by commercial sites in an auction by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) today may be indicative of the real estate industry coming out of the recession.

Dispelling fears of the recession, investors broke previous record in buying commercial sites. In a highly-competitive bidding process, Jaswant Singh Bhullar, president of the Mohali Ramgariah Sabha, bought a 125 sq yard showroom site in Sector 70 for Rs 6.05 crore against a reserved price of Rs 4.56 crore.

Officials in GMADA disclosed that after the auction, the average price of commercial property had touched Rs 3.37 lakh per sq yard against the reserved price of Rs 2.37 lakh per sq yard, indicating a 33 per cent increase in the average reserve price.

Interestingly, there was no bidder for two one-kanal plots put under the hammer. Investors attributed it to a high reserved price of Rs 50,315 per sq yard for the residential plots.

GMADA earned Rs 47.37 crore from the auction of 14 sites against a total reserved price of Rs 3.26 crore for the sites put under hammer. But in wake of no bidders for the remaining 30 sites, these were withdrawn.

The second highest bid was attracted by an SCO site in Sector 70 which went for Rs 5.95 crore against a reserve price of Rs 3.95 crore. A Muktsar-based landlord, GS Brar, who also bade for another SCO for Rs 5.30 crore, bought the site.

In Phase 3A, Teesta Agro bought three sites at Rs 3.73 crore, Rs 3.71 crore and Rs 3.76 crore, respectively. The sites in Sector 71 went for comparatively low price of Rs 2.31 crore. Three booths in Sector 71 went for Rs 41 lakh, Rs 37 lakh, and Rs 38 lakh, respectively.

Chandigarh, September 24
Fund-rich Panjab University felt embarrassed when its basketball players played bare-chested in protest against the lousy kits provided to them during the Panjab University Inter-College Basketball (Men) A-Division Championship today.

The incident which, according to many, was actually a fallout of the ongoing tussle between the director, sports department, PU, CS Grewal, and deputy director, sports department, PU, Dolly, delayed the match by one hour as the players initially started it bare-chested and then walked out and protested outside the VC office after the match.

According to the players, it was lousy uniform that enraged them.

”When we were getting ready for the match, they gave us vests instead of T-shirts. When we complained these were withdrawn. But the new T-shirts that came were misfit. PU gets enough grants. Can’t it provide us proper uniforms? To bring the real story behind the varsity’s tall claims, we had to take this step,” said a player.

“Every time, we ask for facilities they say that funds have come and it will be done soon, but nothing happens. In return of all laurels that we bring to it, don’t we deserve even a proper kit?” added another player.

Meanwhile, after this dramatic turn of events, director and deputy director of sports exchanged heated arguments and accused each other for the blunder.

CS Grewal said, “It is the duty of Dolly, who is supposed to manage all but she didn’t. There was some mistake on part of the sports department and players too, but the matter has been sorted out.”

Surprisingly, Dolly seemed unperturbed and claimed, “It’s not my fault. The players were not carrying the identity cards along with them and after getting permission from referee, and other team, the match was started. Within half an hour, the cards were shown to the referee and there was nothing else.”

The PU players, along with members of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council, went to the Vice-Chancellor office and apprised him of the matter but he could not be contacted for his comments.

Patiala, September 24
In a major breakthrough, the Patiala police today claimed to have solved the high-profile murder case of Rulda Singh, Punjab president of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an affiliate of the RSS. The police arrested two persons, identified as Darshan Singh and Jagmohan Singh.

The police has also seized a .32 bore pistol from the possession of the accused. According to police officials, the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) was behind the murder and the main objective to eliminate Rulda Singh was his ideology, which was toeing the line of the RSS.

Two unidentified persons shot at and critically injured Rulda Singh at his residence on the night of July 28 this year. After battling for life for more than two weeks, Rulda had succumbed to his injuries at the PGI in Chandigarh on August 15.

Addressing a press conference here today, Patiala DIG S.K.Asthana and SSP Arpit Shukla said the police arrested two persons at a naka around 12 noon from the T-Junction at Kalba. They added that the accused were travelling in a white Indica car and during the search, the police found a .32 Bore pistol from them.

Shukla said a preliminary interrogation of the accused revealed that the killing of Rulda Singh was masterminded by the BKI’s Paramjit Singh Pamma based in the UK. “Acting at the behest of Jagtar Singh Tara and other top shots of the BKI, Pamma planned the murder of Rulda”, they told the mediapersons.

Asthana said the accused had revealed the names of the persons involved in the crime and efforts were on to nab the rest of the accused as well. He said two other persons, who came from abroad, were also involved in the murder conspiracy.

Asthana added that a Special Investigation Team, which includes DIG Patiala, AIG Counter Intelligence Pritpal Singh Virk, SP (D), Ludhiana, S.K.Kalia and inspector Jassa Singh of CIA, Patiala, were investigating the matter now.

Asthana further informed the mediapersons that SIT was working to trace the flow of funds from abroad and was also contemplating strict action under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, including the seizure of property, freezing of bank accounts, blacklisting of people using the various means to send funds for being used in terrorist activities.

COMMUNITY

Traffic Violations
Police helpline not so helpful after all
Erring VIP cavalcade hoodwinks law
Ramanjit Singh Sidhu
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 24
The UT DGP’s claim of prompt reaction on information given on police helpline fell flat within minutes after he made a public announcement during an interaction session at Sukhna Lake here today.

Even as the traffic police was informed about a traffic violation by a VIP cavalcade, the police failed to respond for over 10 minutes, allowing the cavalcade to cross the city limits.

The violations were spotted near the trafficlights on the road separating Sectors 15 and 16 around 10.10 am when a white VIP car (PB 12 H 6355) escorted by two Gypsies, without bearing registration plates on their rear, drove past the lights.

A motorcyclist had a narrow escape when his vehicle was brushed aside by a speeding cavalcade.

The cavalcade meandered its way through the traffic, pushing other motorists out of their way.

They crossed the sector rotary near Hotel Parkview.

This correspondent contacted the traffic helpline (1073) at 10.13 am informing about the violation.

The woman official attending the call could not understand the location even as she was repeatedly told that the cavalcade had just passed the Children Traffic Park, Sector 23, and was heading towards Mohali.The correspondent called again on the helpline at 10.18 am.

This time, the operator forwarded the call to another officer, who, instead of asking for the location of the vehicle, started asking about the make of the vehicles and their colour.

This, despite the fact that the colour and the make of VIP escort vehicles was well-known.

When the officer was told that the cavalcade had reached Beant Singh Memorial, Sector 42, and would be out of the city police’s jurisdiction soon, the official kept insisting that a massage had been flashed, showing little interest in learning the location of vehicles.

However, despite repeated efforts, UT SP (traffic) HS Doon could not be contacted for comments.

Mohali, September 24
With the municipal council in deep slumber, several cable TV operators here are having a field day, treating the town as their fiefdom by fixing poles and wires as it suits them and even skipping the payment of ground rent.

The cable TV operators, who are aware that the civic body does not even have a record of their exact number in the town, have been going around with impunity fixing poles on footpaths, roadsides and even green belts, leaving an ugly criss-cross of overhead wires in localities.

Besides, the council’s ground rent for the use of the public land is ridiculously low -- a mere Rs 1,000 a year per phase. And what adds to the windfall for the operators is the indifference of the council to the checking of the veracity of the operator’s claim on the number of phases covered by their network.

As many as nine poles have been put up by cable operators in the footpath area in Phase IIIB-1, which was recently constructed by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), along the sector-dividing road, which was widened at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Some of these poles have been erected in the middle of the footpath by the cable operators creating problems for people for whom these footpaths were constructed.

It is estimated that more than 20 cable operators must be functioning in the town, but only four of them have deposited the required ground rent with the council. They are KMB, operating in Phases VI and IX, Intermention Cable Service, operating in VIII and IX, Royal Cable in Phases V, VII and VIII and Kartar Cable Service in Phase XI.

A number of cable operators are functioning in Phases I, II, III-A, IIIB-1, IIIB-2 and IV and Sectors 70 and 71, but the civic body is not able to collect any ground rent from them because they do not figure in the records of the council.

Many of them were no longer functioning from the addresses given to the civic body earlier. As such no notice has been issued to defaulters for the past more than one year.

Moreover, no cable operator seeks any permission from the council for putting up poles in various areas and functions only according to his own convenience.

Executive Officer Amna Kumar Goyal said he would look into the matter and get the needful done.

Chandigarh, September 24
Harman Singh Sidhu, a city-based road safety activist, has been selected to give a presentation on aspect of road safety in contraction of roads in the International Conference on Indian Roads, 2009. The conference will be held tomorrow in Delhi.

Sidhu will be the only road activist selected from the entire country to give presentation in the conference based on the theme -- Better Roads, Better India -- Outlook Opportunities and Way Ahead. The conference will be held at Hotel Taj Mahal in Delhi.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath had said India would be spending $70 billion in the road sector in the next three years. The private sector participation was expected to be about $40 billion, he informed.

Sharing the concept of his presentation, Sidhu said the vital aspect of road safety in construction of roads was not given due attention in India. Faulty road engineering designs led to a large scale of unavoidable mishaps, which not only claimed precious lives, but also caused a great loss to the nation, which was around 3 per cent of the GDP.

“In our country roads are designed keeping motorised vehicles in mind, especially cars, but in reality every type of vehicle is moving on roads, resulting in chaos and congestions leading to accidents. Less than one per cent of the entire road construction project budget is spent on the road marking and reflectors, which plays essential role in avoiding accidents,” Sidhu pointed out.

He further added that the government was mindlessly indulged in widening of roads thinking that it would bring down the rate of road accidents. Whereas it should pay attention to segregation of traffic keeping slow moving vehicles away from fast moving traffic.

About the conference, Sidhu said India’s Premier Road Sector Event was aimed to deliberate upon emerging opportunities in Indian road sector and would feature the views of all key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, the NHAI, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, road planning, development agencies and financers.

Chandigarh, September 24
After a triumph in Andhra Pradesh, Music Mobile Exchange (MMX), a division of the Indian Music Industry (IMI), launched the first-of-its-kind mobile licensing in Punjab to encash on the growing demand for music content on mobile phones.

Former DGP, Punjab, JF Reberio and advisors IMI and PPL Vijay Lazarous and Savio D’Souza, respectively, elaborated the aims and objectives and enforced measures to check piracy through this project at a press conference in Hotel ParkView, here today.

D’Souza disclosed that with this, mobile stores and other related shopkeepers could become legitimate by opting for an MMX licence from the right holders and sell music without violating the Copyright Act. MMX currently consisted of seven members i.e. Saregama, Aditya Music, Tips, Venus, EMI, Sony and Universal, which accounted for a significant share of the copyright titles being pirated.

IMI was the first enforcement agency in the world to acknowledge this new format of piracy, having registered more than 1,000 cases against mobile chip piracy. If convicted, punishment ranges from 6 month to 3 years and fines from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000. The music industry of India lost more than Rs 300 crore each year only by mobile chip piracy, added D’Souza.

Commenting on this issue, D’Souza said: “Mobile phones and chips are growing at a phenomenal pace and India should have the largest base of mobile phone users in the next few years. Each of these users requires music on their phones. The numbers of shopkeepers are currently offering these services illegally and making million of rupees. The seven major members of the music industry have offered a legitimate partnership opportunity for these shopkeepers. We hope a number of shopkeepers will partner with the music industry and obtain the license. In case these shopkeepers do not obtain the licences, anti-piracy action will continue unabated.”

In Andhra Pradesh, the police and the industry had been extremely supportive. Shopkeepers obtaining the licence had greatly benefited and were doing roaring business, said D’Souza, hoping that the other states would emulate them.

Panchkula, September 24
Putting a question mark on the future of party candidate DK Bansal, local Congress leaders preferred to refrain from joining him when he filed his nomination papers here today.

Bansal, who reached to file his nomination papers amid drum beats at SDM office around 12 noon, had to rely on his supporters from his old constituency of Ambala Cantonment from where thousands of supporters assembled in Sector 9 before leaving for Mini Secretariat in a procession. None of the local party leaders, including district Congress president Om Parkash Devi Nagar, city president Rajinder Kakkar, former MC president Ravinder Rawal and majority of the councillors, were present on the occasion.

However, as many as six candidates, including independents and those belonging to the national and state parties, filed their nomination papers to test their luck from Panchkula assembly seat.

With this the number of those who filed their nomination papers has reached to seven, as BJP candidate Gyan Chand Gupta was the only politician who filed his papers till now since the process was started on September 18.

Others who filed their papers include Yograj Singh from the INLD, CPI (M) candidate Mehar Chand Goyal, Samajwadi Party candidate Ram Niwas and NCP candidate Kamal Kumar. An independent candidate, Raj Kumar, claiming to be the secretary of the Congress from the Aggarwal community, also filed the papers. Yograj Singh, the former cricketer and actor, was accompanied by his wife and INLD leaders while filing the nomination papers.

While Yograj disclosed his assets, including cash and jewellery worth over Rs 38 lakh, his wife Satbir owns Rs 24 lakh in the shape of jewellery and investments. Similarly, Congress candidate Bansal, owning moveable and immovable property, has three cars in his name with two plots and one house. His wife also owns a house and 500 gm of gold in her name.

Yograj Singh, in an affidavit submitted with his nomination papers, disclosed that a case of cheating and Section 23 of Petroleum and Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act registered against him on June 30, 2000, was pending against him at a Chandigarh court.

Panchkula, September 24
A 23-year-old youth was killed while another injured when their motorcycle was hit by a Haryana roadways bus here today. The deceased was identified as Amit Kumar, a resident of Fatehabad, who had come with his friend Jaipal to appear in an interview. Both were returning to Chandigarh from Pinjore at the time of accident.

They first reached the house of their friend Sachin, a resident of Pinjore, and took the motorcycle and were on their way to Chandigarh when they were hit by the bus near Chandimandir.

Recently, a student of Swami Devi Dyal College had died after he fell from a Haryana roadways bus.

Chandigarh, September 24
Amidst the ongoing festive season, the Indian Railways has decided to effect reduced “tatkal” charges from October 1. Railway passengers from Chandigarh will also benefit from the new reforms, as “tatkal” tickets will now be introduced even in executive class of Shatabdi trains, earmarking 10 per cent of the accommodation available i.e. five seats per coach.

Kalka Shatabdi connected city passengers to Delhi, which, like other Shatabdi trains, did not have “tatkal” facility in the executive class till now. The proposal initially announced in the Railway Budget 2009 will finally take off with “tatkal” charges being fixed as percentage of the overall fare.

The “tatkal” rates are fixed at 10 per cent of the basic fare for second class and 30 per cent of the basic fare for other classes, subject to minimum and maximum charges.

The new charges will be levied uniformly both in peak and non-peak periods, although the existing refund rules of “tatkal” tickets will remain unchanged.

Chandigarh, September 24
The demolition drive by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) today sparked off widespread protests, including repeated blocking of traffic in Sector 40, here, today.

While the demolition in Sector 40-B, where the CHB staff demolished about 16 structures, went off well, the trouble started when the enforcement staff went to Sector 40-C to demolish the illegal structures. When the staff tried to demolish illegal structures at house no 2163, Surinder Kaur, wife of the house owner Gurnam Singh, collapsed that sparked protest by the residents.

Even as the police tried to pacify the residents, scores of residents gheraoed the enforcement staff and block traffic on the road separating Sectors 40 and 41. Hundreds of motorists and commuters were inconvenienced.

Balam Giri and Usha Rani, office-bearers of the Sector 40 Residents Welfare Association, alleged that the CHB was adopting a "pick-and-choose" policy while undertaking the demolition drive. They also alleged that no notices were served for the demolitions.

Meanwhile, irate residents also blocked traffic on the road late in the evening.

Chandigarh, September 24
The intervention and participation of theatre in the socio-cultural and political dialogue of the times can go a long way to exercise checks and balances in the governance and administrative working. With this conceptual considerations, noted actor-director Kuldeep Sharma presented Ajay Shukla’s classic and crisp comedy “Taj Mahal Ka Tender” on the opening day of the four-day Chandigarh Theatre Festival organised by the department of cultural affairs at Tagore Theatre here today.

Structured simultaneously into the royal Mughal splendour of emperor Shah Jahan rule and the contemporary babudom aristocracy, the play brought alive the characteristically sardonic state of affairs in government offices and depravation of ethical standards in society.

The playwright and director relied on the royal love legend of Mumtaz Begum, in whose memory Shah Jahan desired to construct palatial Taj Mahal but after an endless wait his wish could not be fulfilled in his lifetime.

Operating on two different and contrasting levels, the play juxtaposed the delaying tactics in official work, making way for corruption as the birthright of those who can manipulate, exploit and mange situations in their favour.

The satirical comedy was executed with brilliant acting spells by stage and film actor Kildee Sharma (Err Gupta) and augmented by Sachem Sharma (Shah Johan) and Yogesh Arora (sycophant contractor) besides Ramesh Bhardwaj, Mukesh Sharma, Baljit Zakhmi and others.

Vinod Sharma staged a comeback after a decade.

Musical renditions serving as narratives too were the lifeline of production.

Earlier, Haryana Chief Secretary Dharam Vir inaugurated the festival and Ram Niwas, Home Secretary, UT, gave details of cultural events to follow.

Festival coordinator Dr SK Punia said Bollywood actor Rakesh Bedi will stage his play “Biwi ’o’ Biwi” tomorrow.

Chandigarh, September 24
In a dramatic turn of events, PS Jaswal, chairperson, department of laws, resigned after an alleged confrontation with department dean GK Chatrath today.

The argument reportedly took place over the proposal to start Master’s in Law through correspondence, which was announced recently and was professed as a major achievement of the department.

While Jaswal could not be contacted, a faculty member said: “The Dean had proposed to start correspondence course in LLM but when the issue was taken up during staff meeting yesterday, we objected to it as we did not have enough staff to support the extra course. Jaswal went to communicate it to the Dean, who got furious over his seeking staff’s opinion on the issue.”

Meanwhile, Chatrath denied the allegations and claimed that the matter was being blown out of proportion.

“There were no arguments. This course had already got a go-ahead from the Syndicate. Following this, all details were discussed with the faculty and an advertisement was published earlier this month. But just to create a controversy, some people started objecting to it. There is no issue of staff crunch as no faculty is being forced to participate. If required, we will make fresh appointments. As far as Jaswal’s resignation is concerned, it will not be accepted,” he said.

Meanwhile, the faculty of the department has written to the Vice-Chancellor urging him not to accept Jaswal’s resignation.

Efforts to contact Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti proved futile.

Chandigarh, September 24
Panjab University is all set to have a world-class moot court with Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti sanctioning a grant of Rs 1 crore for it.

The funds allocated to the department of laws at a meeting today will be utilised to make moot court wherein experts from all over the world will be invited.

Confirming this, Dean, department of laws, GK Chatrath, said: “These funds will be utilised to the benefit of students. The moot court is integral to the department, which hosts some of the most eminent judges during competitions. Its expansion will add to the courtroom experience that the students gain.”

Also, the same amount has been allocated to the UBS for its further expansion.

The funds, according to sources, will be utilised to revamp existing infrastructure and raise academic standards.

“We are a world-class institute and soon compete with IIMs. The funds mean a lot and will be utilised to equip the building with best facilities, enrich library, get experts from across the world and organising exchange programmes,” asserted a senior faculty of the department.

The Vice-Chancellor is expected to make similar allocations to several other departments tomorrow.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, a major chunk of Rs 50 crore grant will be used for revamping the face of the university by giving its buildings a makeover and providing these with modern amenities.

Chandigarh, September 24
As a part of the special lectures series of the ICSSR North-Western Regional Centre on Panjab University campus today, Prof Pushpesh Pant, professor of diplomacy and former dean of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, spoke on “India and the World in Twenty-first Century”.

Prof Pant said the fact that powerful myths and memories of the times gone by still dominated the way, in which its middle class intelligenstia perceived India’s role in the contemporary world.

He said the need of the hour was also to re-conceptualise India’s “national interests” as what we witnessed today was quite a fragmented and fractured picture.

Questioning the common view of the United States as a newly won permanent ally of India, he also dissected the common perception that China would emerge as a rival superpower.

He emphasised that the prospects of improved relations with Pakistan were extremely dim as long as the power structure within Pakistan remained what it had been since its inception.

Chandigarh, September 24
Addressing various prejudices against the girl child in the society, Government College for Girls, Sector 42, today organised a rickshaw rally as a part of the wholesome campaign plan of the UT administration.

Ajoy Sharma, director, higher education, said the sex ratio had alarmingly deteriorated in the recent past.

More than 60 rickshaw-pullers fully decorated with colourful balloons and banners depicting the slogans in English, Hindi and Punjabi were the highlights of the rally.

Other institutes, which participated in the campaign included the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Government Business and Management College, and Government Model High School, Sector 42.