NEIGHBOURHOOD

Construction for adarsh schools to start soon
Surinder Bhardwaj

Patiala, October 5
The Patiala Municipal Corporation has decided to set up a solid waste treatment plant at a cost of Rs 40 crore. Hectic activity is on to find a suitable site for locating the plant.

Official sources in the civic body said the corporation had initially mooted the ideas of locating the plant at Ghagga, a town near Patran, as there was a chunk of land available there. However, the idea of locating the plant at Ghagga has now been shelved and other options are now being explored.

Deputy Commissioner Deepinder Singh said he had detailed a senior official to look around for a suitable site for the plant. He said it could possibly be located somewhere on the outskirts of Patiala and a piece of 40 acre was required for setting up the plant.

Manjit Singh Narang, Commissioner of the Patiala Municipal Corporation, said 220 meteric tonnes of garbage was generated in Patiala every day and it was presently being dumped at the Ghalori Gate garbage dump. It was being disposed of after being segregated there.

However, it was now proposed to have a solid waste disposal plant so that the garbage could be systematically disposed of without posing a hazard to public health. The main problem was of finding a single chunk of 40 acres. For the purpose the corporation had sought the help of the district administration and the Deputy Commissioner had been requested to help find a chunk of 40 acres of shamlat land for locating the waste treatment plant.

Narang said the Ghalori Gate garbage dump was spread in 13 acres and half of this had been transferred to the improvement trust. He said there was a proposal of having another garbage dump at Dialpura village where a piece of shamlat land had been identified and now only a bridge of the Patiala Nadi had to be provided to develop this site.

He said once the Dialpura garbage dump became operational, garbage from the city would first be transported to Dialpura from where it would then be carted away to the solid waste disposal plant.

Patiala, October 5
With the festival season picking up, the prices of every item have shot up. The festival season sales alone account for around 40 per cent of the yearly sales of every item but if the trend continues, it won’t be too long that the consumers would start getting disenchanted by festivals.

Though the upper class is least affected by rising prices, these have put a disastrous effect on the living standards of middle class and the poor.

It is the poor for whom existence has become more difficult.

Be it daily-use items or anything else, the price rise has put the middle class in a fix. Though inflation is a global phenomenon and the government is trying hard to contain it, it may come down after the festival season.

Diwali is the time when people buy gold, but this year gold prices have already risen greatly. The sale of jewellery usually picks up during the festival season. On Dhanteras it is considered auspicious to purchase gold or silver articles or at least one or two new utensils. It is believed that new Dhan or some form of precious metal is a sign of good luck.

But the question is it is possible to buy ornaments whereas many are finding it difficult even to buy veggies. 

Patiala, October 5
The Transport Nagar on the Patiala-Rajpura road, where the kabari market is located, presents a picture of neglect.

Dealers from all over Punjab and the adjoining states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh visit it.

It is one of the favourite places for shopping for those looking for second-hand spares of tractors and other automobiles.

However, choked sewers, dead streetlights and potholed roads at the Transport Nagar present a pathetic look.

Come rains and the entire Transport Nagar becomes a place to avoid, with potholed roads getting waterlogged.

Encroachments by dealers result in frequent traffic snarls and the improvement trust which has developed the Transport Nagar does not seem to be interested in the upkeep of the market, allege dealers.

Junk dealers from Patiala had shifted from the Bahera Road in the walled city area to the outskirts of the town in the Transport Nagar. They had been doing business in testing conditions over the last three years.

They had hoped that the coming to power of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the state would bring some relief to them.

Sarup Singh Sehgal, a senior SAD leader and leader of the kabari market association, has taken up the issue of providing basic amenities in the market, which has over 300 kabari establishments.

He points out that there is no provision of public toilets or a bus stop on the Patiala-Rajpura road at the Transport Nagar Chowk.

There is no provision of opening eateries, which leaves visitors to the market at the mercy of a few rehri owners, who sell some eatables or serve tea.

Sehgal says no one has bothered to attend to streetlights since installation and accidents after sunset are common.

It was in 1965 that the kabari market had been developed on the Bahera Road and most shopkeepers were Sikhs who had migrated from North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan.

Applications were invited for alternative sites to shopkeepers on the outskirts of the town periodically from 1976 and it was in 2005 that they were allotted sites for shops.

However, the Improvement Trust, which had developed the Transport Nagar, forgot to maintain the market after the allotment of the shops.

Sehgal says it is time the government sits back and takes note of the sorry state of affairs in the Transport Nagar, where business has started getting affected because of poor amenities.

He argues that there is an urgent need for parks, eateries and shelters for customers here.

Indermohan Singh Bajaj, chairman of the Improvement Trust, said today that the dealers of the market had not been informing him about their problems, adding that the trust was responsive to their needs.

He said that sewers had got choked by the waste oil, which dealers emptied into the drains.

He said that the sewers were got cleaned from the sewerage board and other problems would be looked into on a priority basis.

Chandigarh, October 5
Less than a week after a local court dismissed the bail petition of municipal councillor Davinder Singh Babla, Justice Rajesh Bindal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today reserved for tomorrow the verdit on his petition.

During the preliminary hearing, senior advocate RS Ghai on Babla’s behalf asserted the allotment had actually been made by a three-member committee, comprising the petitioner, a BJP member and a sub divisional magistrate. The petitioner had, however, been singled out. Acting on a complaint of Suraj Parkash Ahuja, a shop owner in the grain market, the police had booked the MC councillor-cum-former chairman of market committee, along with Rakesh Saini, president of the Grain Market Arhtiya Association on August 19, for allegedly allotting space in the market to 10 ineligible persons.

Chandigarh, October 5
The District Consumer Disputes and Redressal Forum has directed the ICICI Bank to withdraw the complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act within 30 days from the date of the receipt of the order.

If the order is not complied, the bank would pay to the complainant Rs 10,000 as litigation expenses and Rs 50,000 as compensation for prosecuting him even after the dispute between the parties was fully settled.

The complainant, Yad Ram, a resident of Mohali, in November, 2005, took an advanced loan of Rs 35,000, which was to be repaid in 36 equal installments and certain blank cheques were also taken from him.

On October 4, 2008, he paid the amount of Rs 7,100 as one time settlement and thereafter the bank issued a full and final settlement letter to the complainant for which no due certificate was also issued.

However, he was surprised to receive summons from the court of Rajinder Pal Singh, JMIC, Chandigarh, to appear in a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

He has alleged that he went to the office of the bank three-four times and showed all receipts to official concerned who told him to pay Rs 2,000 for withdrawing the complaint under Section 138.

In their written reply, the bank admitted the advancement of loan but denied that blank cheques were provided by the complainant. It was also denied that the complainant was making payment of the installments regularly.

It was stated that the complainant failed to pay the installments as and when the same fell due and the cheques issued by him bounced, the bank correctly initiated the proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

Chandigarh, October 5
The police arrested three youths on charges of snatching a mobile phone in Sector 46.

According to the police, Bikhash Ratory of Sector 46-A filed a complaint alleging that Anoop Singh of Sector 46 and Deepak Bhardwaj and Boby Shah, both residents of Sector 45, had snatched his mobile phone in Sector 46 market last morning.

They were on a motorcycle (CH-04-A-5639) and Ratory gave the registration number of the vehicle to the police. The police later arrested the accused.

Chandigarh, October 5
High drama prevailed at city’s popular jewellers Nikka Mal Babu Ram in Sector 22 here tonight, when the jeweller suspected a man, who bought gold chains after making payment through a credit card, to be a conman.

The police was informed about the incident, which immediately swung into action and contacted the bank which had issued the card. The bank, however, confirmed the police that the payment had already been on the card to the jeweller. Till late in the night, the police was inquiring the matter.

Kamal Jain, the owner of the jewellery shop, told reporters that a man wearing a green shirt and sporting a green turban came to his shop around 8 pm and bought two gold chains for Rs 66,000. The man paid through the credit card and they suspected him to be a conman, as he appeared to be “somewhat nervous”. He identified himself as Neelkamal. They told him to prove his identity, which he failed to do.

Jain further said the man, however, offered to take his staff to his home to confirm his credentials. He sent his two employees with him. The man took them to a house in Sector 21, which was locked. The man offered them water and went aside on the pretext of urinating. His employees suspected that he was running away and chased him, but by that time the man had sped from there in some vehicle. He left his turban behind.

Suspecting foul play, the employees informed their master, who called the police, said a police official.

DSP (central) Jagbir Singh said a daily diary report had been registered and they would verify if the card was stolen or misused. 

Chandigarh, October 5
DAV Senior Secondary School (DAVSSS), Sector 8, toppled the defending champions, Guru Nanak Public School (GNPS), Sector 36, by 99 runs in the semifinal of the sixth Molly Carver Memorial Cricket Tournament for High School being organised by Desh Prem Azad Cricket Academy at St Stephen School, Sector 45, here today.

A brilliant all-round performance by Simranpreet (103 and three for 19) enabled the team to win.

Due to rain, the overs were reduced to 35 each side.

After winning the toss, GNPS-36 opted to field first.

DAVSSS-8 piled up an impressive total of 236 for seven in allotted 35 overs. Besides Simranpreet’s ton, Arvind and Yudhvir contributed useful knocks of 34 and 37 runs, respectively.

For GNPS, Karan and Amish got two wickets each for 32 and 29 runs, respectively.

Chasing a big total for victory, Guru Nanak Public School innings folded at 137 in 32.2 overs. Abhishek played a defiant knock of 45. Harshroop made 22. Simranpreet (three for 19) and Vikas (two for 22) were the main players of GNPS.

The second semifinal match will be played between St Stephen-45 and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, on October 7.

Brief scores: DAVSSS-8: 236 for seven in 35 overs (Simranpreet 103 (13x4s, 5x6s), Arvind 34, Yudhvir 37, Harpreet 15, Vishal 11, Karan two for 32 and Amish two for 29).

Guru Nanak Public School-36: 137 all out in 32.2 overs (Harshroop 22, Abhishek 45, Charanjit 11, Simranpreet three for 19 and Vikas two for 22).

Panchkula, October 5
Jainendra Public School and Little Flower School clinched the boys’ and girls’ titles, respectively, in the Panchkula District Wushu Championship being held at Jainendra Public School, Panchkula, here today.

Azad Singh of Jainendra Public School won a gold medal in the below 70 kg category for senior boys, while Pradeep Kumar bagged a gold medal in the below 40 kg category.

Around 125 players participated in the championship.

Results:

Sub-junior boys: Karan Sharma (Balastic Vidyalaya, Ramgarh), Hemank Sharma (Little Flower Convent School), Ansh Butan (Little Flower Convent School) and Manan Sharma (Little Flower Convent School); below 28 kg: Gurminder Singh (Jainendra Public School), Keshav Singla (Jainendra Public School), Piyush Sewal (Jainendra Public School) and Rahul Bangar (Jainendra Public School); below 32 kg: Digvijay Singh (Jainendra Public School), Sidharth Kant (Jainendra Public School), Chetan Chandel (Jainendra Public School) and Mukul Sharma (St Teresa Convent School); below 36 kg: Inderpreet Singh (Jainendra Public School), Varun (Jainendra Public School), Pankaj Giri (Jainendra Public School) and Varun (Jainendra Public School); below 40 kg: Sandeep Sharma (Jainendra Public School), Kartik Sehgal (Jainendra Public School), Shaurya (Jainendra Public School) and Jayant (Satluj Public School); +40 kg: Vaibhav Gupta (Little Flower Convent School), Manik Singh (St Teresa Convent), Saumya Mahajan (Little Flower Convent School) and Atul Sharma (Jainendra Public School); junior boys: below 40 kg: Prince Sood (Jainendra Public School), Ravi (Jainendra Public School), Ankush Saini (Jainendra Public School) and Rahul (Jainendra Public School); below 52 kg: Himanshu Khokhar (Jainendra Public School), Prashant Sharma (Jainendra Public School), Sagar Saini (DAV-8) and Shiv Dutt Yadav (Jainendra Public School); below 56 kg: Ram Babu (DAV- 8), Sandeep Mishra (DAV-8), Pardeep Yadav (Jainendra Public School) and Karandeep Singh (Jainendra Public School); senior boys: below 48 kg: Pardeep Kumar (Jainendra Public School), Anurag Rana (Jainendra Public School), Abhishek (Jainendra Public School) and Sudhanshu (Jainendra Public School); below 60 kg: Happy Chaudhary (Jainendra Public School); below 70 kg: Azad Singh (Jainendra Public School) and Rohit Garg (Jainendra Public School); +70 kg: Rahul Sharma (Satluj Public School); below 24 kg girls: Sakshi (Little Flower Convent School) and Anamika Kumari (Jainendra Public School); below 28 kg: Twinkle Sharma (Jainendra Public School), Akanshka Gulati (Jainendra Public School), Simran Hari (Jainendra Public School) and Kajal Gulati (Jainendra Public School); below 32 kg: Vanisha Kuamri (Jainendra Public School) and Gayatri (Little Flower Convent School); +40 kg: Smriti (Little Flower Convent School) and Riya Basur (Little Flower Convent School); below 52 kg: Ravneet (Little Flower Convent School), Manasi Arora (Little Flower Convent School) and Kamaya Azad (Little Flower Convent School).

Chandigarh, October 5
A hat-trick by Shangila Soibam of Panjab University entitled her team to win the first match of the Panjab University Inter-College Football (Women) Championship played at Panjab University grounds here today.

It was a one-sided match, as PU players scored three goals against the nil of Government College for Girls, Sector 42. Shangila hit three goals in the 10th, 80th and 89th minute of the match. However, GCG-42 players could not score even a single goal.

Chandigarh, October 5
Sri Guru Gobind Singh College (SGGS College), Sector 26, today won the Panjab University Inter-College Kho-Kho Championship at Panjab University here.

While, GGDSD College, Sector 32, SCD Government College, Ludhiana, and Panjab University campus secured second, third and fourth positions, respectively.

Results:

SGGS College, Sector 26, thrashed Panjab University campus by one inning and 10 points; GGDSD College, Sector 32, beat SCD Government College, Ludhiana, by one point; GGDSD College, Sector 32, defeated PU campus by one inning and four points and SGGS College, Sector 26, got the better of SCD Government College, Ludhiana, by 16 points.

Panchkula, October 5
Boys of The Gurukul School, Sector 26, dominated on the opening day of the third Invitational Karate Championship by claiming four gold medals out of five at stake at Jainendra Public School here today.

Harshit Nandal (below 35 kg), Vishal Grewal (below 45 kg), Karan Chopra (below 50 kg) and Rahul Kaushik (above 50 kg) won the gold medals.

In the girls’ section, DAV School, Sector 8, cornered glory by winning three gold medals through Chahat Gosain (below 45 kg), Mittali Arora (below 50 kg) and Akanksha Mehta (above 50 kg).

Results: Junior boys:

35 kg: Harshit Nandal (The Gurukul School, Sector-26), Ashutosh Malhotra (Little Flower Convent School), Gulshan Kumar and Amar Kumar (Jainendra Public School);

40 kg: Gaurav Singh (Jainendra Public School), Sahil Sharma (The Gurukul School-26), Vishal Kumar and Amandeep Singh (Jainendra Public School);

45 kg: Vishal Grewal (The Gurukul School-26), Rajat Bhardwaj (Jainendra Public School), Vivek (Sutlej Public School) and Sahil Kumar (Jainendra Public School);

50 kg: Karan Chopra (The Gurukul School-26), Manpreet Singh, Pankaj Goyal and Shubham (Jainendra Public School);

Above 50 kg: Rahul Kaushik (The Gurukul School -26), Danish Dhawan (DAV-8), Sahil (Sutlej Public School) and Manpreet Singh (Jainendra Public School).