Chandigarh, November 9
A stalker chopped off the ears of a 71-year-old woman in front of the Terraced Garden in Sector 33 here yesterday morning in an attempt to rob her of her earrings.

The victim, Vimla Vinayak, is the wife of Group Captain (retd) RD Vinayak, recipient of the President’s Vishisht Sewa Medal and now a practising advocate.

Still in a state of shock, she is nursing her wounds at her Sector 33 residence. Vinayak said his wife went for a morning walk around 5:30 am.

As soon as she neared the garden, near their locality, she saw a white Maruti car, with its engine running, stationary and without any occupant.

“She had hardly moved five steps when an unidentified man in his twenties came out of the garden and stood in front of her. In no time, he hit her on both sides of her head with a sharp-edged weapon simultaneously, severing her earlobes”, said Vinayak.

He added that as the earlobes did not fall off, the man sped away in the car, leaving her profusely bleeding and in a state of shock.

“It seems that he wanted to take away the diamond earrings she was wearing and tried to sever her ear for those. His timing indicates that he may have been stalking her for days”, said the visibly disturbed husband, showing the blood-splattered clothes and shoes of his wife.

Unable to move further, Vimla sat on the steps and cried for help. Hearing her cries, morning walkers in the park rushed to her help.

“I found her profusely bleeding and in a pool of blood. I immediately recognised her as she was a regular morning walker, though we were not known to each other”, said RN Dingra of Sector 33, one of the morning walkers.

Dingra called the police, which reached there in a few minutes. As the victim insisted, the police first took her to her residence.

After taking her husband along, the police rushed her to the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital.

“Vimla was in a critical condition as her pulse began to sink. When we reached the hospital, she fell unconscious. Doctors found deep cuts on her. Thet administered stitches on her earlobes and conducted a CT scan of her head. Then I shifted her to the Command Hospital for better care, from where she was discharged later in the day”, Vinayak said.

He said the police acted promptly in shifting her to the hospital. The police was yet to register a case as it had not recorded her statement so far.

Vinayak went to the police station today and was told that the investigating officer in the case, sub-inspector Jai Bhagwan, would come to his residence.

The officer came to his residence this afternoon and left without recording her statement, saying the SHO of the Sector 34 police station would come and talk to the victim in the evening.

Kharar, November 9
The cut-throat competition amongst professional institutes here has made one institute to allure students of another, using its teacher for the purpose.

While this malpractice has come as surprise for many educationists, the Punjab Technical University (PTU), to which these institutes are affiliated, and the Punjab Unaided Technical Institutions Union (PUTIA), responsible for bringing such institutes under one umbrella, are mere spectators to the episode.

Sources in the PUTIA said it was not a common practice among colleges to allure each others’ students.

Usually, at the time of PTU counseling, colleges lined up outside the university to take in the students.

One college sabotaging another’s admission procedure was unheard of, pointed out a senior member of the PUTIA.

PTU vice-chancellor Dr Rajnish Arora said he was not aware of this incident and was yet to get a complaint.

University admissions ended on October 31 and any student seeking admission after that was not allowed, he said, adding that he would be able to say more only after a formal complaint was received.

PUTIA president Dr JS Dhaliwal termed the incident unfortunate and added that colleges should not consider themselves business houses. Instead of going to the police, both colleges should have come to them, he said, adding that they would summon the managements of both colleges soon.

On November 7, Amandeep Singh, an employee of the Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC), Gharuan campus, was allegedly found alluring students of the Guru Gobind Singh College (GGSC) to join the CGC.

In his written statement to the Kharar police, Amandeep accepted that he had promised certain fee waivers to allure between 12 and 15 students to join the CGC, which included fee of first semester as well as hostel charges.

CGC employees had claimed that any student shifting from the GGSC to the CGC would not have compartment in first semester.

The sources said the CGC employees had an entire list of students admitted to the GGSC in first semester this year.

The role of some GGSC lower-level employees could not be ruled out in the episode, the sources pointed out.

Amandeep had allegedly entered the campus of the GGSC at Kharar on the basis of fake identity, acting as guardian of a hostel inmate, and was later overpowered by the GGSC staff.

His statements were videographed in the presence of the Kharar police as well as staff members, wherein he had accepted that he had been acting under orders of the head of the CGC, Satnam Singh Sandhu. Acting on the complaint of the GGSC authorities, the police registered a case against Amandeep under Section 419 of the IPC for attempting to commit a fraud.

At the same time, Amandeep alleged that he was beaten up by GGSC staff members and the police registered a case under Sections 323 and 324 of the IPC against four unidentified persons.

Baljit Kaur Sachdeva, director of the GGSC, said the management had now decided to approach the PTU and the PUTIA with evidence, adding that such conduct of a neighbouring college was unacceptable.

Meanwhile, CGC chairman Sandhu claimed that Amandeep was badly beaten up and was forced to write and give a false statement on video.

Chandigarh, November 9
Acting tough on repeated complaints from students of the Government College of Arts, Sector 10, education secretary Ram Niwas today inspected the college and sought an explanation from the principal for his absence and lackadaisical behaviour.

Accompanied by a team of about 20 officials, including the chief architect, the chief engineer and representatives of the education department, Ram Niwas directed the officials to put infrastructure in order and build proper studios, workstations and workshops for students.

The students and faculty members of the college had objected to the lack of interest shown by the officiating principal, Manohar Lal, who was given the charge about seven months back.

The inspection continued from 9:45 am to 10:37 am, during which the faculty members discussed problems with the education secretary.

A woman lecturer pointed out there was no separate ladies’ toilet from the beginning. Others brought the wretched condition of studios, furniture and computer room to his notice.

“Our college is among the best colleges of art in the region and our students are there all over the globe. The lack of interest being shown in development is a cause for concern for the faculty as well as students”, said DS Kapoor, a senior faculty member.

Moreover, despite being informed about the education secretary’s inspection on Friday, Manohar Lal informed his college staff that he would not come on Monday, the scheduled day for the visit.

“I have sought an explanation from the principal about his absence and have issued directions to the departments concerned to set the infrastructure in order”, said Ram Niwas.

Some students also requested that their teacher, Sumangal Roy, who was also absent from the college at the time of the inspection, be changed.

Adding that the situation has affected the participation of students in important events, one of the faculty members said, “The students of the college have been an integral part of the Chandigarh Carnival since 1992. No attention was paid by the principal to the upcoming carnival”.

Ram Niwas promised the college students a special session to discuss the theme of the carnival this time, which was based on sea life. On being contacted, the principal pleaded ignorance about the entire matter and added that he was on leave.

COMMUNITY

Soon, get building plans approved online
Rajmeet Singh
Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 9
It’s race against time for Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) officials. Senior officials have set deadlines for its different wings to introduce a system of online sanctioning of building plans.

The facility would enable property owners to submit and get their building plans sanctioned online, without going through the tedious exercise of making repeated rounds of the estate office.

The system would include plan approval tracking and management facility, a useful facility for those who intend to construct anything and are required to get their building plans sanctioned from the estate office before commencing the construction work.

“Even during the construction period, there are stages when an applicant is required to intimate or seek approval from the estate office,” said a senior GMADA official.

Once the system is in place, all building plans would be received digitally from the property owner or his representative architect through e-mail and uploaded to the server. The soft copies of the files would be submitted and sent to the respective draftsman or junior engineer for checking and verification. Once the plans are sanctioned it would be intimated to the concerned builder or architect through e-mail.

Private parties, which would provide the Internet gateway, incorporation of software components and other related aspects are being finalised. Besides this, the GMADA has also undertaken the task of computerisation of the entire record pertaining to the ownership of sites.

Chandigarh/Panchkula, November 9
The tricity has registered its first toll due to swine flu when a 17-year-old girl from Panchkula died at PGI, here today. The deceased, identified as Pallavi Kwatra, a resident of Sector 7, was a student of Class X in Moti Ram Arya School in the same sector. Earlier, the three patients of swine flu who died at different hospitals of tricity in the recent past belonged to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Pallavi was brought to the PGI today after she was referred here from Alchemist Hospital and died at 11.50 am. The report of samples confirmed that she was suffering from swine flu, said HC Gera, the nodal officer of the Chandigarh health department.

Gera said Pallavi, who was suffering from high fever for the last few days, was taking treatment from some private practitioners in Panchkula. On November 5, she even had been to Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi along with a group of students on a trip organised by the school.

Her condition started deteriorating there and she was brought back to Panchkula and admitted at Alchemist Hospital. She was referred to the PGI this morning where she was sent to isolation ward. However, due to her critical condition her life could not be saved, said Gera.

The health officials at Panchkula were already informed about the death and had been asked to spot the persons, including students of the school who remained in close touch with the deceased, he said.

Meanwhile, after the samples of two more students were found positive for swine flu the DAV Public School Management, Sectors 8-C, and 39-D, Chandigarh, has decided to close the schools till November 15.

Till now four students from DAV Public School, Sector 8-C, have been found suffering from swine flu. Now, schools would re-open on November 16 (Monday). Another student was found suffering from swine flu in Government Model School, Sector 33, following which the health authorities quarantined all teachers of the school and fumigated the area.

Chandigarh, November 9
Moderate to heavy rainfall that lashed the city today dropped temperature by four-five degrees Celsius.

After the temperature resting in the above-normal bracket for the most part of October, it finally plummeted, making way for winter. According to the Met department, night temperature is likely to drop further in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The maximum temperature in Chandigarh today was 24.8 degrees with a significant drop of 4.8 degrees, which forced people to take out their woollens.

Met department chief Chatter Singh said the drop was crucial as it had been recorded for the first time during this season. Clouds will prevail in the region. More such showers are predicted, especially between November 13 and 16 making advent of winter.

He said a vicious weather circle is responsible for the prevailing weather conditions. “The day temperature is not rising due to presence of fog. Foggy conditions are the outcome of the prevailing cold weather conditions. We expect the conditions to improve by way of a further fall in the night temperature,” he said.

Change in weather conditions was being attributed to the combined affect of weather systems (western disturbance) prevailing over Jammu and Kashmir and impacting weather in surrounding areas as well.

With the dip in temperature, “samosas” and “pakoras” were in great demand with sweets shops owners doing brisk business today. Hot “gulab jamuns” and “gajrela” were also in demand. Roadside soup sellers, too, had a good sale today.

Chandigarh, November 9
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today said the prosecution against some senior IAS and IPS officials into three sensational cases, including the Moga sex scandal, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) scam and the Forest Hill Resort scandal, was pending for sanctions in various departments of the Punjab government.

The DIG, CBI, Chandigarh, said the investigating officials found that Devinder Singh Garcha, the then Moga SSP, PS Sandhu, the then Moga SP, Amarjit Singh and Raman Kumar, both SHOs, in connivance with Baljinder Singh alias Makhan, Manjit Kaur and Manpreet Kaur, implicated innocent persons in false rape cases for monetary and political considerations.

The accused police officials, in connivance with others, extorted money from people, threatening to implicate them. The CBI, Chandigarh, completed investigation and sought sanction for prosecution against Garcha, Sandhu and Amarjit Singh.

The Government of India has granted sanction for prosecution of Garcha. However, sanction for prosecution against Sandhu and Amarjit Singh is pending with the Punjab government’s home department since November 14, 2008.

In cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, sanction of prosecution is required for prosecuting a government servant. In various cases, the sanction of prosecution is pending against senior police officials.

The CBI had registered three cases related to the FCI rice scam in 2006. After completing the investigation, the CBI sent a report to the department of personnel and training seeking sanction of prosecution of IAS officer K Shiva Prasad, the then senior regional manager, FCI, Chandigarh. The request for sanction of prosecution is pending since March 31, 2008.

In addition to this, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had entrusted the investigation of the Forest Hill Resort case to the CBI. After the investigation, the CBI found KBS Sidhu, an IAS officer, Harsh Kumar and JS Samundri, both IFS officers, responsible for violation of the Forest Laws and misuse of official position. The sanction for prosecution of Harsh Kumar and Samundri had been received while the sanction for prosecution of KBS Sidhu was still pending with the department of personnel and training since January 21, 2008.

Chandigarh, November 9
One of the oldest government buildings in Sector 18 here, currently housing offices of Punjab and Haryana, will be demolished to make way for a new multi-storey building.

The UT, Punjab and Haryana have mutually agreed to demolish the single-storey building located next to the 59-year-old landmark of Chandigarh — the Government Printing Press — to create adequate space to house more government offices.

Once constructed, 80 per cent of the space will be divided between Punjab and Haryana in 60:40 ratio.

The remaining 20 per cent space will be given to the UT to accommodate its offices.

However, the bill to construct the building will be footed by Punjab and Haryana. And, the ownership of the land will also remain with the UT. Besides, there will be two levels of basement parking.

At a recent meeting convened by the UT Finance Secretary, Punjab and Haryana officials agreed to the working formulae.

Senior officials in the town and country planning departments of Punjab and Haryana confirmed that they had agreed in principal to the proposal. Now, the file is pending for approval with the UT Administrator, it is learnt.

Already, the work to construct a boundary wall around the large plot has started and security guards have been deputed.

A part of the building with the telecom department has been vacated. Besides, the offices of the chief town planners of Punjab and Haryana and other related offices are housed in the building.

Sources said the design of the building would be in line with those located along the Madhya Marg.

It, however, could not be ascertained whether it was a heritage building.

Chandigarh, November 9
It seems the horticulture department of the Chandigarh administration and the Municipal Corporation are in deep slumber as they hardly care to take action to remove the dead trees which pose a risk to the inhabitants of the area, especially during inclement weather.

A number of dry and weak trees fell in various parts of the city after moderate to heavy showers lashed the city today. In Sector 34, a car was damaged as dry tree fell on it and in another incident in Sector 11, there was traffic jam as the road was blocked as a tree fell on the road.

Residents of Sector 34 alleged that they had approached the horticulture department of the MC a number of times and had made a formal request for cutting of a tree whose roots were completely damaged due to termite attack. But no action was taken till date and today a car was damaged.

Residents of Sector 22 said they had also urged the horticulture wing of the MC to cut the dead tree, but to no avail. Residents alleged that every time they went to the authorities for making request for cutting of a tree, they received the same explanation that they could not cut it as they are awaiting permission from the authorities in the administration.

Experts said the incidents of trees falling would be on the higher side this time due to the indifferent attitude of the engineering department of the administration and the MC.

In most of the cases, where the departments had widened the roads, they had unknowingly cut the roots of trees for expansion, ignoring that it would adversely affect the growth of the tree and make its base weak.

The other reason of falling of trees is that during the laying of tiles on the roadside, very little space is spared for the growth of the roots, which also make the trees weak, especially during the rainy season.

Chandigarh, November 9
The enforcement wing of the UT administration today removed 40 illegal structures, including pucca rooms, two nurseries and five scrap dealers, in LBS Colony, Sector 55.

The anti-encroachment drive was in continuation with the drive carried out in the last week of October. The drive was carried out to remove encroachments from the 46.3 acres of acquired land in Palsora village.

This land was acquired for development of the IIIrd phase of the city.

Chandigarh, November 9
Already known for providing high-quality healthcare services and having a prominent name in the medical tourism sector, the city has added yet another feather in its cap when a surgery was telecast live from here at the 3rd Indo-European Course on Revascularisation (IECR) at the prestigious George Pompidou Hospital Amphitheatre in Paris.

The conference, which discussed and analysed the latest developments in the field of interventional cardiology, saw the participation of more than 1,000 cardiologists from the US, South America, Australia, South-East Asia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, besides the top cardiologists from India and Europe.

Dr Ravi Inder Singh, medical director of Mukat Hospital, where the live surgery was conducted last week, said: “It was for the first time that a hospital north of Delhi had been selected for live telecast of cases to the international cardiac meeting.

Senior consultant, invasive cardiology, and director of cardiac cath lab at Mukat Heart Institute, Dr Sudheer Saxena, who along with his team, showcased and demonstrated their interventional skills live at this joint conference, said that a patient who underwent procedure during live surgery is 59 years old and suffered from severe angina on walking or exercising.

“He had undergone bypass surgery in 1997. On reinvestigation at our hospital, it was found that out of three bypass grafts he had received, one was totally closed while the other two had more than 95 per cent blockages. With patient’s consent, it was decided to open up blockages in these grafts so as to restore blood flow to heart,” said Dr Saxena, who has till date performed more than 10,000 diagnostic and more than 5,000 coronary angioplasty procedures.

Chandigarh, November 9
The four-day SAARC Folklore Festival brought alive the diverse folk cultural traditions of all SAARC countries ( except Sri Lanka ) at one platform of Tagore Theatre much to the delight of city audience.

The cultural bonanza with its in built spirit of promoting folklore and literature transcending territorial limits saw the folklore dances and Sufiana music at its best as endorsed by the crowds thronging the venue on all days.

It was however, the mystic renderings of Sufi saints in, a captivating qawaali by Ustad Qadir Sardar Ali which provided the grand finale to the memorable cultural meet.

Led by Qadri, the vocalists presented compositions immortalised by their ideal Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Commencing with popular Allah Hu which melted into “Sanso ki mala”, “Ali da malang” and finally “Akhiyan udeek diyan”

Earlier, on special demand, the seventh show of Qalanadri dhamaal by the whirling malangs from Pakistan was presented. The devout malangs danced in ecstasy as if reveling in the glory of their celebrated peer in abundant spiritual bliss. Besides, the absorbing beauty of the Yakshgaan by artists from Karnataka which depicted the Kans –vadh and Amrit manthan and the Yak dance from Arunachal Pradesh kept the audience in rapt attention.

The programme, however, commenced with “ Pabo ji ki Phad” the traditional story telling art of Rajasthan.

Earlier, the chief guest, Governor of Haryana HE Jagnath Pahadia ,accompanied by secretary, home, Ram Niwas and director cultural affairs RS Verma, lighted the traditional lamp.

Ram Niwas reiterated that the Chandigarh administration was committee to make Chandigarh a culture hub, par excellence and organising the Chandigarh Theatre Festival and the first-ever Chandigarh National Crafts Mela and collaborated for the SAARC Folklore festival and academic seminar. Foundation of SAARC writer’s president Ajeet and Manmohan Mitwa expressed gratitude to the administration and audience.

Chandigarh, November 9
It is a well-known fact that excessive sun exposure can damage skin. However, cold weather can also take its toll on skin, especially if it is sensitive or dry.

Low temperatures, increased windiness and use of thermostat in home can all make the skin chapped, flaky, dry and itchy.

Experts say that people tend to take care of skin in summers, but forget to do the same in winters.

“Winter is the season when our skin needs extra care. To help your skin survive the brutality of the season, continue to use a sunscreen with SPF-15 or higher,” say experts.

“Although you may not feel it as much, the sunrays can be just as powerful when reflecting of snow or while taking a long walk outdoors as it is on a summer day at the beach. A convenient suggestion is to use a moisturiser or a foundation with a built-in sunscreen everyday,” said Dr GP Thami, head of the dermatology department, GMCH-32.

He said: “Use a mild cleanser instead of soap as it can strip your skin of the essential oils. Though you may not be as thirsty, continue to drink lots of water to provide the necessary hydration to your skin.

Avoid products with high alcohol content, heavy perfumes or other additives that can irritate your sensitive and dry skin. Try using a thicker, richer moisturiser two to three times a day to help your skin to replenish the moisture it loses.”

Dr Thami says gently exfoliate your skin to remove the dead surface skin cells that form due to excessive dryness. Remember, your lips are also part of the skin, so use a soothing lip balm or a moisturising lipstick, preferably with a sunscreen, he adds.

“Try to keep an anti-itch cream to apply to excessively dry patches on the skin to avoid scratching and prevent infection. By taking these winter skincare precautions, you can be as happy and beautiful in the winter as you are during summer,” adds Dr Thami.

Chandigarh, November 9
About 15 students of department of chemistry, Panjab University, have submitted a complaint to the Vice-Chancellor protesting against the student’s council for stranding them at midnight during an excursion trip.

In the complaint (7570, November 9, 2009), students stated that during the Amritsar- Mata Vaishno Devi trip from (November 5 to 9), they were refused accommodation even in the last bus and were left in Katra in the night hours.

They also mentioned in the letter (copy given to the Tribune) that this irresponsible act of the council members caused mental agony to their parents.

“We could not report on time, as a result we were given such a severe punishment and left on the road at midnight. We were refused entry even in the last bus,” said one of the girls pleading anonymity.

“Our cell phones were not working at that altitude and we were clueless. We waited for six hours for the roadways bus to arrive,” she added.

The students of the chemistry department returned to the city on Sunday at 12 noon.

Meanwhile, the student council president Amit Bhatia, refused to comment on a story that appeared in The Tribune highlighting the rift between the council members and lack of teamwork, that was revealed by other members of the council.

“We will not be giving any quote to the paper,” said Barinder Dhillon, campus president of SOPU party, on behalf of student council president, Amit Bhatia, on an earlier occasion.

However, one of the council members claimed that the students had chosen to stay at an alternate accommodation, other than the one arranged for them. Besides, they were given passes to visit Mata Vaishno Devi. Additionally, they had not turned up at the reporting time as directed, as a result five buses out of seven were asked to leave, while another one left later.

Mohali, November 9
The much-awaited Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC), Landran, Techno Cultural fiesta “Parivartan 2K9” started with a bang here today.

Students of various schools and colleges got an opportunity to interact with the students of various professional colleges of Punjab.

The two-day mega festival was inaugurated by Rajeev Bhadauria, president HR of Reliance ADAG.

Bhaduria said apart from education, such activities were also necessary for students.

He said the name of the festival was apt, as we are witnessing change for good. He also added that their company recruited over 350 students last year from A-grade institutions, but in the coming days they will also organise a placement camp in CGC.

In the evening, English rock band was inaugurated by Huzaifa Khorakiwala (CEO-Wockhardt). He also distributed prizes to the winners of various competitions.

The college also organised various technical and non-technical events. In paper presentation, Rudhira Sharma of CEC, Landran, in crescendo Gurtej Singh of CIET Rajpura and in programming Amrinder Singh, CEC, Landran, bagged first prizes.